Greek Mythology Literature Essay Sample

Greek Mythology Literature Essay Sample Greek Mythology Literature Essay Sample Greek Mythology Literature Essay Sample Achilles and Agamemnon Greek mythology evolved over several centuries and passed from generation to generation. Nowadays, people can find elements of the myths in the poetry of Homer and Hesiod, as well as the works of the Greek dramatists Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and others. The works of these authors still conceal many mysteries. They reflect the legendary past – a time when the public good was above personal interests and protected by glorious descendants of the gods. The one reading these works should view the characters from historical and artistic standpoints. The most prominent and well-known heroes of Greek mythology depicted in Iliad by Homer are Achilles and Agamemnon. Despite fighting in the Achaean army, they possess distinct features, leading to a significant quarrel between them. Thus, the aim of the paper is to give a comparative characterization of two characters – Achilles and Agamemnon. Achilles’ Anger Iliad is an epic poem that depicts the events of the Trojan during the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon. Iliad rests on the myths that provide background for the events depicted. The Greeks besieged Troy for nine years. They captured many of the surrounding towns and villages and occasionally clashed with the Trojans, who appeared behind their powerful fortifications. The Greeks were exhausted and irritated by their failure to win a decisive victory over Troy. Moreover, warrior Achilles also quarreled with king Agamemnon. As a trophy, Greeks promised Agamemnon beautiful Chryseis, daughter of Chryses – the priest of the temple of Apollo. Chryses offered a king a large ransom for the freedom of his daughter. Nevertheless, Agamemnon refused. In response, the priest began to pray fervently to Apollo to avenge his daughter. Consequently, the god sent pestilence on the Greek army. The prophet announced that it would rage as long as Agamemnon returned Chryseis to her father. Ac hilles persuaded the king to fulfill this condition. However, Agamemnon refused. They argued for a long time. Finally, Agamemnon agreed to return the daughter to her father. However, to show his power in the most offensive way, he took Achilles’ young slave Briseis, which make the warrior terribly angry. â€Å"Achilles then became sad and would not leave his tent† (Glaser and Bowman 15). It was an insult to his honor. Moreover, it was also utterly unfair, mainly because trophies obtained in battle were Achilles’ merit. The outraged warrior kept himself aloof from the participation in the battles and the war councils. Taking advantage of discord among the Greeks, the Trojans began to gain victories. Such turnaround of events forced Agamemnon to beg Achilles forgiveness, offering him all taken. However, the latter rejected his proposal, saying that despite all the gifts, Agamemnon would never win. Nevertheless, despite the promises not to join the battle, Achilles was engaged in the battle to take revenge over the de ath of his friend – Patroclus. â€Å"Achilles is eager to fight and refuses to eat; all he craves is killing and blood† (Thompson 43). Achilles Achilles is a hero of the supernatural origin on both lines as his mother is the sea goddess Thetis and his father Peleus is a demigod. Achilles was predicted the death from an arrow shot by his enemy. In an effort to make her son invulnerable and thus give him immortality, Thetis tempered him with fire at night and rubbed ambrosia in the daytime. One night, Peleus saw his infant son in the fire and tore him from the hands of the mother. According to another version, Thetis bathed Achilles in the waters of the underground river Styx. In such a way, she wanted to make her son invulnerable. â€Å"The only place not touched by the sacred waters was where she held him by the heel – his weak spot† (Jeffrey 4). In particular, the arrow shooting in the heel became the cause of Achilles’ death. Offended by the intervention of Peleus, Thetis left her husband. Peleus gave his son to the wise centaur Chiron on education, who reared Achilles with the entrails of lions, bears , and wild boars and taught to play the cittern. The soothsayer Calchas predicted that the Greeks would win the war with Troy only if Achilles participated in the battles. When Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon began to gather an army, Thetis hid Achilles in the palace of the king Lycomedes on the island of Skyros. After learning about the upcoming campaign against Troy, Achilles and his friend Patroclus happily agreed to participate in it. Although Homer denies invulnerability of Achilles, the hero has a number of superhuman qualities – extraordinary courage, audacity, and extreme pride. No one can raise his spear. Achilles conquered twelve cities on the ships, and eleven –from the land. Therefore, his quarrel with Agamemnon is not just a conflict between the epic sovereign and the best of the heroes. It is a conflict of the leader of people with a non-human (Thornton 28). Many researchers usually represent Achilles as extremely boring and monotonous. According to them, he is an epic ideal of the warrior hero. In fact, Homer’s Achilles is one of the most complex figures of the ancient literature. In the first stage of his tragedy, during the quarrel with Agamemnon, Achilles behaves rather passively. His primary emotion here is anger against the offender. Nevertheless, he reconciled and was ready to fight against the Trojans. All Achilles’ actions make his image surprisingly original. First, a military storm, a huge destructive force, bestial vengeance, and thirst for blood and cruelty explain his actions. Nevertheless, on the other hand, the whole meaning of blood and this atrocity consists in tender friendship with Patroclus. â€Å"Achilles portrays himself as an individual who failed to care for his comrades† (Bloom 161). The image of a beloved and gentle friend coexists in the soul of Achilles with animal ferocity and inhumanity . These two origins not only reinforce each other but also get their single meaning. For example, it is quite common for Achilles that after the appearance near the ditch in a wild and ferocious condition and after the panic caused by his terrible cry, he shed hot tears over the corpse of his faithful companion. In addition, soft and delicate features, which in any case cannot be forgotten while analyzing the hero, are characteristic of Achilles. He is pious and often refers to the gods with the prayer, causing the appearance of the winds. Furthermore, Achilles is reserved. For example, when dealing with the messengers of Agamemnon, he is restrained considering them innocent. In addition, he is a loving son and often helplessly refers to his mother, for example, after the insults received from Agamemnon or after notification of the death of Patroclus. This antithesis is the most characteristic feature of Achilles. On the one hand, he is angry, short-tempered, vindictive, and merciless in war. He is like an animal, not a person. Achilles is a heartless element, not a human heart. However, on the other hand, Achilles has a tender and loving heart. His anger produces a naive impression. The whole image of the hero and the giant weeping near his mother or the dead friend is even touching. This antithesis of a stern fighter and a tender heart is the very first and foremost that readers can find in Achilles. It shows that in Achilles, there is something spontaneous, irresponsible, and irrational. Brutality and a tender heart are mixed in him as the cloudy and clear weather is mixed in nature. In the spiritual experience of Achilles, there is a call of the fate along with the extravagance of life. He knows that he will not return from Troy. Nevertheless, Achilles makes a difficult and dangerous campaign. â€Å"Homer’s Iliad concludes not with a martial triumph but with Achilles’ heartbroken acceptance that he will, in fact, lose his life in this wholly pointless campaign† (Alexander 5). Before the decisive battle, horses predict him the imminent demise assigned by the fate. However, it does not stop Achilles. He turns love to the fate in his philosophy of life. In an inexorable military heart, there is a warm and soft sense of humanity and common destiny of all people. In the deep and complex image of Achilles, there is certain sadness. The voluptuousness of the battle, tender friendship, love, devotion to the will of fate, absolute personal courage, and an intimate sense of humanity are merged into one vital impulse and social instinct. Achilles is a complex and rich nature in a truly ancient and Homeric sense. Overall, Achilles is one of the most popular characters of ancient arts. One can find his depiction in Pompeian frescoes, works of vase painting, reliefs of Roman sarcophagi, and other works. In medieval art, mainly the illustrations to the Trojan War embodied the image of Achilles. Only in the XVI century, scenes from the life of Achilles became widespread in painting. Agamemnon Agamemnon is a character of Greek mythology and â€Å"one of the principle characters in Homer’s Iliad† (Daly and Rengel 6). He is a son of Atreus and Aerope, Mycenaean king, and a leader of the United Achaean troops in the Trojan War. In the works of Homer, Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles, as well as in novels and plays by contemporary authors, Agamemnon appears as proud, powerful, mighty, and courageous. At the same time, he is a suspiciously selfish person lost in difficult situations. His character attracts and repels at the same time. Agamemnon’s tragic fate invokes compassion. Agamemnon was born in Mycenae. He spent his childhood in an atmosphere of intrigue and power struggles between Atreus and his brother Thyestes. Later, Agamemnon became the king of Mycenae and was one of the most powerful and wealthy Achaean rulers. After the capture of Troy, Agamemnon received a huge booty and Cassandra. He returned to his homeland where he died in his house. According to the older version of the myth, Aegisthus killed Agamemnon during the feast. The fabulous wealth of Agamemnon and his prominent position among the Greek leaders reflect the rise of historical Mycenae in the XIV-XII centuries BC and its dominant role among the early states of the Peloponnese. The preserved ritual epithet â€Å"Zeus – Agamemnon† shows that Agamemnon was probably originally one of those semi-divine patrons of his tribe, whose functions with the formation of the Olympic pantheon went to Zeus. Agamemnon is more principled and less petty than Achilles. Taken the captive woman from Achilles, during the first military damage of Achaean army, Agamemnon returns her and indulges the warrior in every way. Homer depicts Agamemnon in all the grandeur of the Achaean leader. He compares him to the gods. â€Å"Although it would be unfair to suggest that Agamemnon is not a worthy warrior, such a role is not stressed in the poem, and, in fact, the overall characterization of his leadership is anything but positive† (Burgess 86). Homer supplies Agamemnon with weapons only slightly worse than Achilles’ ones. However, for Achilles, it was easy to get his famous shield because he is the son of sea princess, and she asked Hephaestus for the weapon. Agamemnon does not have an extremely defiant and despotic character. On the contrary, his character is weak. If Agamemnon rashly and inappropriately orders something, he is immediately ready to apologize and cover everything with his peacefulness. His weakness of character explains his angry outbreaks. Agamemnon suddenly becomes wrought up but immediately calms. It explains his famous quarrel with Achilles. Agamemnon is forgiving, despite all the provocations on the part of Achilles. However, the warrior is extremely vindictive. Achilles strongly condemns and belittles the king. He calls Agamemnon a dog, a drunkard, shameless, a despot, and a coward. However, Agamemnon is cruel but not crueler than all the other characters. He prohibits Menelaus to spare the Trojan and is ready to kill even a baby in the womb from a hostile country. However, it can be considered a trifle compared with the cruelty that Achilles shows against his enemies, not excluding even helpless and young ones. Agamemnon definitely does not appeal to Homer. The author does not like him in a role of a king and a supreme military leader who abuses his power. In the eyes of Homer, the tribal community leads to absolutism with all the attendant consequences. An emancipated poet does not admire this evolution. In this sense, Homer depicts Agamemnon worse than other warriors are because his power is stronger. The author presents the king as a robber, a predator, and a bold critic of Zeus. He is often a coward and a drunkard with a lyrically subtle, profoundly insulted, and infinitely suffering soul. However, taken alone, he is not much different from others. Moreover, he is criticized no more than others are. His image eventually is covered with some sad and tender lyrics. In such a way, Agamemnon is a powerful and glorious knight and king; however, unstable and weak-willed, greedy and voluptuous, modest and supple. The conflict between the two Achaeans – Agamemnon and Achilles exhibits a contradiction between two powerful characters. The reader perceives Agamemnon as an irascible, cruel, greedy, brutal, and intransigent person. His main principles in life are power, strength, and glory. His whim is to receive an equal prize. It is a reaction of injured dignity and self-confidence of the king. In contrast, Achilles is tripping and divine. Courage, valor, and nobility distinguish him. He fought in defense of the heroic ideal of justice. The images of Achilles and Agamemnon are complex and controversial. They are not one-sided – either only positive or negative. Both Achilles and Agamemnon have positive and negative traits of character, which make them extremely outstanding characters in Greek mythology.

Battle of Bentonville - Civil War

Battle of Bentonville - Civil War Battle of Bentonville Conflict Dates: The Battle of Bentonville took place March 19-21, 1865, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Armies Commanders: Union Major General William T. ShermanMajor General Henry Slocum60,000 men Confederate General Joseph JohnstonGeneral P.G.T. BeauregardGeneral Braxton BraggLieutenant General William Hardee21,000 men Battle of Bentonville - Background: Having taken Savannah in December 1864, after his March to the Sea, Major General William T. Sherman turned north and moved into South Carolina. Cutting a path of destruction through the seat of the secession movement, Sherman captured Columbia before pressing north with the goal of cutting Confederate supply lines to Petersburg, VA. Entering North Carolina on March 8, Sherman split his army into two wings under the command of Major Generals Henry Slocum and Oliver O. Howard. Moving along separate paths, they marched for Goldsboro where they intended to unite with Union forces advancing inland from Wilmington (Map). In an effort to halt this Union thrust and protect his rear, Confederate General-in-Chief Robert E. Lee dispatched General Joseph E. Johnston to North Carolina with orders to form a force to oppose Sherman. With most the Confederate Army in the West shattered, Johnston cobbled together a composite force consisting of the remnants of the Army of Tennessee, a division from Lees Army of Northern Virginia, as well as troops that had been scattered across the southeast. Concentrating his men, Johnston dubbed his command the Army of the South.   As he worked to unite his men, Lieutenant General William Hardee successfully delayed Union forces at the Battle of Averasborough on March 16. Battle of Bentonville - Fighting Begins: Mistakenly believing Shermans two wings to be a full days march apart and unable to support each other, Johnston focused his attention on defeating Slocums column. He hoped to do so before Sherman and Howard could arrive to provide assistance. On March 19, as his men moved north on the Goldsboro Road, Slocum encountered Confederate forces just south of Bentonville. Believing the enemy to be little more than cavalry and artillery, he advanced two divisions from Major General Jefferson C. Davis XIV Corps. Attacking, these two divisions encountered Johnstons infantry and were repulsed. Pulling these divisions back, Slocum formed a defensive line and added Brigadier General James D. Morgans division on the right and provided a division from Major General Alpheus S. Williams XX Corps as a reserve. Of these only Morgans men made an effort to fortify their position and gaps existed in the Union line. Around 3:00 PM, Johnston attacked this position with Major General D.H. Hills troops exploiting the gap. This assault caused the Union left to collapse allowing the right to be flanked. Holding their position, Morgans division fought valiantly before being forced to withdraw (Map). Battle of Bentonville - The Tide Turns: As his line was slowly pushed back, Slocum fed arriving units of XX Corps into the fight while sending messages to Sherman calling for aid. Fighting raged until nightfall, but after five major attacks, Johnston was unable to drive Slocum from the field. As Slocums position became increasingly stronger with reinforcements arriving, the Confederates withdrew to their original positions around midnight and began building earthworks. Having learned of Slocums situation, Sherman ordered a night march and raced to the scene with the right wing of the army. Through the day on March 20, Johnston stayed in position despite the approach of Sherman and the fact that he had Mill Creek to his rear. He later defended this decision by stating that he remained in order to remove his wounded. Skirmishing continued through the day and by late afternoon Sherman had arrived with Howards command. Coming into line on Slocums right, the Union deployment forced Johnston to bend back his line and shift Major General Lafayette McLaws division from his right to extend his left. For the remainder of the day, both forces remained in place with Sherman content to let Johnston retreat (Map). On March 21, Sherman, who wished to avoid a major engagement, was irritated to find Johnston still in place. During the day, the Union right closed to within a few hundred yards of the Confederates. That afternoon, Major General Joseph A. Mower, commanding the division on the extreme Union right, asked permission to conduct a little reconnaissance. Having received clearance, Mower instead moved forward with a large attack on the Confederate left. Moving along a narrow trace, his division assaulted into the Confederate rear and overran Johnstons headquarters and near the Mill Creek Bridge (Map). With their only line of retreat under threat, the Confederates launched a series of counterattacks under the guidance of Lieutenant General William Hardee. These succeeded in containing Mower and pushing his men back. This was aided by orders from an irate Sherman which demanded that Mower break off the action. Sherman later admitted that not reinforcing Mower was a mistake and that it was a missed opportunity to destroy Johnstons army. Despite this, it appears that Sherman was seeking to avoid unnecessary bloodshed during the wars final weeks. Battle of Bentonville - Aftermath: Given a reprieve, Johnston began withdrawing over rain-swollen Mill Creek that night. Spotting the Confederate retreat at dawn, Union forces pursued the Confederates as far as Hannahs Creek. Eager to link up with the other troops at Goldsboro, Sherman resumed his march. In the fighting at Bentonville, Union forces lost 194 killed, 1,112 wounded, 221 missing/captured, while Johnstons command suffered 239 killed, 1,694 wounded, 673 missing/captured. Reaching Goldsboro, Sherman added the forces of Major Generals John Schofield and Alfred Terry to his command. After two and half weeks of rest, his army departed for its final campaign which culminated in Johnstons surrender at Bennett Place on April 26, 1865. Selected Sources CWSAC Battle Summaries: Battle of BentonvilleHistory of War: Battle of BentonvilleCWPT: Battle of Bentonville

Finality and Justice in Recognition and Enforcement of International Thesis

Finality and Justice in Recognition and Enforcement of International Arbitral Award in China and Vietnam - Thesis Example lity of foreign arbitration award on Vietnam in particular, where the writer is of the view that only those foreign awards are acceptable in Vietnam, which maintain the condition of reciprocity in their nature and scope. Hence, if Vietnam has already developed and signed reciprocal recognition of the arbitration award with some country, the decisions made by such a country while issuing the award could be enforced in Vietnam. On the other hand, the countries having no legal relationship with Vietnam with regards to entering into the contract of internationally accepting the arbitration would not have any validity in their scope altogether. The same is observed and followed in the light of the New York Convention 1958, where Vietnam had signed as the party to foreign arbitration awards (FAA), along with several other countries and states of the world (1-2). The author, in his study, has mentioned the vital points associated with FAA, to which he maintains â€Å"three pillars of arbitration award†, which include (i) the Ordinance on recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitration awards, September 14 1995 (the Ordinance); (ii) the Civil Procedure Code, June 15 2004; and (iii) the Law on Enforcement of Civil Judgment, November 14 2008. One of the most distinguished features of the FAA includes that the issuance of the arbitration awards within the Vietnamese jurisdiction would be made by some arbitrator other than a Vietnamese, while the same being observed outside of Vietnam would be observed by some impartial arbitrator, on which the parties to the contract have already agreed. However, the agreement of the parties serves as an essential matter, which is witnessed by each and every corporate firm and forum at local, regional and international scales. Consequently, it endorses the validity of the award and all the provisions a ssociated with it as well (2). The author has further described the procedural rule attributed to the international arbitration awards,

Ethical reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical reflection - Essay Example For example, the case of physician-assisted suicide must be understood. Religious beliefs may go against this, but people must understand that sometimes it becomes crucial for the physicians to make the patient die with dignity and peace rather than leave him die in distress. People confuse negative rights with positive ones, as we see that the patient’s family insists upon occupying the waiting room on religious grounds. On the other hand, the importance of spiritual, religious and cultural beliefs can also not be denied, since these beliefs form the basis of a national or cultural identity which cannot be compromised upon. Hence, a middle path must be sorted out that satisfies both the medical considerations of the case and the spiritual/religious/cultural beliefs linked to it, just like Buryska (120) states, â€Å"The ethical principles that must be balanced are respect for autonomy (the wishes of the patient) and beneficence (the physician’s judgment of what is bes t for the

Research project Essay Example for Free

Research project Essay Juveniles may well be the most maligned age around in our society myths abound about their contribution to crime and the extent of damage for which they are responsible. The ones who are involved in delinquent behavior are young youths between the ages of 18 – 21 years. According to the study done by the Citizen Television (TV) on June 2012, young boys between the age of 15 yrs to 18 yrs are spending their life behind bars in Borstal Institutions (BI) i. e. Shikusa BI in Kakamega and Shimo la Tewa BI in Mombasa. Many nations are not productive because these youths who are expected to work and eradicate poverty lose their life at an early stage and others turnout to become adult criminals hence becoming a threat to the country and the world at large. Juvenile delinquency is an imprecise social and legal label for a wide variety of law and non-violating behavior. Delinquency is a behavior against the criminal code committed by an individual who has not reached adulthood. Legally, a juvenile delinquent is one who commits an act defined by law as illegal and who is adjudicated delinquent by an appropriate court. According to William Blackstone, one of the earliest England lawyers who influenced the England law on Juvenile Justice System; he grouped people into two; i. e. â€Å"Infant† and â€Å"Adult. † Children under the age of seven were as a rule classified as infants who could not be guilty of a felony. Children over 14 yrs were liable to suffer as adults if found guilty of a crime. The delinquent behavior has several consequences ranging from physical, social, economic and education. Delinquent boys face death, school dropout, assault, influence in drug and substance abuse and sexual harassment. The most victims of delinquency behavior are the youths specifically ranging between 15 yrs – 18 yrs of age on survey from Kenya Prisons Service according to the report from Borstal Institutions and YCTC. 1. 1: BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE STUDY AREA: King’orani sub-location is found within Mombasa District. It’s along Indian Ocean to the East. The sub-location is in the Coast Province Mombasa County and more than 500 km squares away from the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi. King’orani sub-location has a total number of ten thousand, eight hundred  and ninety five (10,895) households. It covers an area of 16. 2 km2. The total population of women is twenty one thousand, nine hundred and fifty seven (21,957) while that of men is twenty one thousand, four hundred and seventy seven (21,477); giving a total of forty three thousand four hundred and thirty four (43,434) people in the sub-location. The whole district has a total of 27333, households. It covers a n area of 7,792. 2km2. The number of female is 203,833 while that of male is 196,681 hence giving a total of 400,514 people in the district. This figure (400,514) includes even children in the district. 1. 2: POPULATION: Most of the people in the district are Mijikenda, Europeans, the Swahili and the highland people each comprising 75%, 5%, 15% and 10% of the population respectively. The most spoken language in the area is Swahili and Mijikenda. According to the recent census statistics, the number of youths or rather the young people is more than that of the old; 30% of the population is for the old while 70% is for the youth. 1. 3: PROBLEM OF THE STATEMENT: The problem of the delinquency behavior is not only in Kenya but also a world disaster too. Delinquency behavior has brought many social evils in the community such as death, increased number of school dropouts and unemployment. A survey was conducted within the king’orani sub-location among some families and individuals to find out the age of the men who are at a high risk of becoming delinquent. 1. 4: PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of the study was to carry out an investigation on the causes of Juvenile Delinquency in king’orani Sub-location Mombasa District. The study looked at causes such as family influence, poverty, peer pressure, drug and substance abuse, schools and genetic factors and the impact they have on the living standards of the people and the society at large. The major aim/purpose of the research was to find out why the youths in king’orani Sub-location within Mombasa District are involved in delinquency/criminality and how the solution will be realized. 1. 5: RESEARCH OBJECTIVES a)To find out the causes of Juvenile Delinquency in king’orani Sub-location b)To determine the effects of Juvenile Delinquency in king’orani Sub-location c)To investigate the attitude of the community towards delinquents d)To investigate if there are measures in place to curb delinquency behavior e)To investigate the role of parents in controlling delinquents 1. 6: RESEARCH QUESTIONS: a)What causes Juvenile Delinquency? b)What role do parents have in controlling delinquency? c)What role does the Government have in controlling delinquency? d)What measures should be taken to prevent delinquency? e)What effects do delinquents have to the society? 1. 7: RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS: a)Juveniles involve in delinquency behavior due to povertym  b)Juveniles become delinquents due to peer pressure c)Juvenile delinquency affects the nation negatively d)Juveniles become delinquent due to genetic/biological factors e)There are no firm measures in place to curb the menace in the area. 1. 8: RESEARCH LIMITATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS LIMITATIONS: The research project was carried out at king’orani Sub-location in Mombasa District Mombasa Cou nty. The search aimed a population of forty three thousand four hundred and thirty four. This was very hard for the researcher to obtain the information. However, the researcher struggled by visiting almost all the villages and schools in king’orani Sub-location and collected the data. The researcher targeted to interview 200 people but managed to get 95 out of the targeted ones. A TABLE OF INTERVIEWED AND UNINTERVIEWED RESPONDENTS: (TABLE 1. 1). 10 – 20 YRS21 – 30 YRS31 – 40 YRS41YRS +TOTAL INTERVIEWED2030202595 UNINTERVIEWED23342226105 TOTAL43644251200 LIMITATIONS FACED: A lot of money was used in preparations of the interview guide and questionnaires in order to accomplish the report. The researcher consumed a  lot of time waiting for the questionnaires to be filled by the respondents Since it was a rainy season, majority of the population were very busy in their shambas hence forced the researcher sometimes to follow them in their farming fields. Some of the interviewees were very busy to give out the information hence denying the researcher some crucial information. There were insufficient funds to t ravel from one village to another seeking fact of this report. The researcher faced ignorance from some of the respondents. There was unwillingness of the respondents which limited the accuracy of the study. The time given for the researcher to finish-up the report was insufficient hence forced him not to sleep for several days. HOW THE RESEARCHER OVERCAME THE PROBLEMS The researcher used many ways to ensure that the respondents participated in the interview group. The researcher used stakeholders in the village to enlighten the members on the importance of the study. The researcher created more time to follow up on the questionnaires to ensure it has been completed. The researcher got funds from his guardian in order to carry out this research work. The researcher used his time to explain the importance of the research project to the respondents. ASSUMPTIONS: During the study, the following assumptions were made: The language was simply for the respondents to understand. The aimed population was important to the study. Interview guide and the questionnaires were related to the objectives. The samples were true of the whole population. The information from the respondents was believed to be true. The questions were not complicated for the respondents. 1. 9: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH: The study brought out useful data on the causes of juvenile delinquency in king’orani Sub-location in Mombasa District. The findings were useful to the policy makers and stakeholders for appropriate guidance towards improving the living standards of the community, and also led to a more comfortable life not only in king’orani Sub-location in Mombasa District, but also in other locations in Kenya with similar trends towards delinquency. 1. 10: STUDY JUSTIFICATION: This study was important because most of the people in the district were youths. According to the census done in the year 2009, it was found that youth comprised 70%. This indicated that the youth were more compared to the older people. There is need to protect the youths from delinquency behavior because they are the leaders of tomorrow. If this issue is not going to be strictly addressed, then we have no future direction. We have heard news around the world that many people especially the teenagers have lost their lives because of delinquency behavior. This research project will aid the government, non-governmental organizations and other related institution with facts on the problem and provide some of the possible solutions. CHAPTER TWO 2. 0. LITERATURE REVIEW: The literature review looked into various factors that promote juvenile delinquency. All the causes and effects of juvenile delinquency were discussed, examined and analyzed. The factors that lead to poor education and poor living conditions were highlighted. The way forward to the crimination of such factors by the community policy makers and other stakeholders were suggested. According to the criminologist, juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by a minor who falls under a statutory age limit. According to scholars, there are a number of factors which contribute to the delinquent behavior. They also said that several young people develop a curiosity about delinquency behavior from both their peer and their role model. In his book; Preventing and Reducing Juvenile Delinquency, Howell, C. J. (2003) further examined the causes and effects of delinquents. He says that delinquency behavior turn youth into liars and thieves. Some juveniles learn this behavior and turn out to become adult criminals. Connecting Howell, C. J. and criminologist, here I am and I would like to go beyond in the following manner: 2. 1: CAUSES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY There are many causes of juvenile delinquency. Among the factors are: Poverty and Social Class Peer Pressure / Association Drugs and Substance Abuse Family Background School Failure Academic Performance Poverty and Social Class: The development of delinquent subculture is a function of the social and familiar conditions children experience as they mature in deteriorating inner city environment (slums). Lower-class families are incapable of teaching their off springs proper socialization techniques for entry into dominant middle-class culture. These lower class families produce children who lack the basic skills necessary to achieve social and economic success in a demanding society. Developmental disabilities produced by such an upbringing include lack of educational training, poor speech and communication skills and inability to delay gratification. Peer Pressure / Association: This was one of the strongest and most consistent predictors of delinquency. Relationship between peers is usually very strong. Adolescents who maintain delinquent friends are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior and drug abuse. Drugs and Substance Abuse: Many adolescents are involved in drugs and alcohol. Adolescents’ substance abuse and its association with youth crime and delinquency continue to be disturbing problems. Most of these youths who are alcoholic tend to have antisocial behavior hence turnout to become delinquents. These juveniles then commit crimes to pay for their habits. Indeed, most of the youths who abuse alcohol are the ones most likely to engage in violence. Family Background: Children living in broken and conflict ridden families exhibit juvenile traits. The study focused on the following family factors/causes: a)Family makeup: The makeup and definition of the family are undergoing change. Divorce rates are high and children of divorce are more likely to undergo marital breakup  as adults, creating a cycle of family dissolution. Single parent households have become common. More single women than ever are deciding to keep and raise their children, and there are also many teenage girls under 18yrs who give birth. b)Family Breakup: Children growing up in homes with one parent due to divorce separation may prone to antisocial behavior. A broken home is a strong determinant of a chi ld’s law-violating behavior. The connections seem self-evident because a child is first socialized at home and from the beginning learn behavior, values, and beliefs from parents. c)Family Conflict: Not all unhappy marriage end in divorce; some continue in an atmosphere of discord and conflict. Studies have shown that children who grow up in maladapted homes and who witness discord or violence later exhibit patterns of emotional disturbance, behavior problems and social conflict. Damaged parent-child relationship is generally associated with delinquency. It’s often assumed that the existing family problems cause delinquency. d)Family Size: Large families are more likely to produce delinquent than smaller ones, and middle children are more likely to engage in delinquent acts than first or last born children. Middle children may suffer because they are the most likely to be at home when large number of siblings are at school and economic resources are the most stressed. This lack may make them engage in criminality. e)Discipline: Parents of delinquent youths tend to be inconsistent disciplinarians; either overly harsh or extremely lenient in their disciplinary practices. It is possible that physical punishment and overly strict parenting encourage children to become more secretive and eventually dishonest in their activities. f)Supervision: Inconsistent supervision can produced delinquency. F. Ivan Nye found that mothers who threatened discipline but failed to carry it out were more likely to have delinquent children than those who were consistent in their discipline. Youths who believe their parents care little about their activities and companions are more likely to engage in criminal acts than those who believe their actions will be closely monitored. Supervision is not merely having parents in the home, but it reflects the lifestyle, quality and intent of parenting. Parents who closely supervise their children also have closer and more emotional ties with them, helping to reduce their delinquent behavior. School Failure: Failing to achieve success in school can result in frustration, anger and reduced self-esteem, which may contribute to delinquent behavior. Believing they will never achieve success through conventional means, these children seek out like-minded companions and together engage in antisocial behaviors. Academic Performance: Students who are chronic underachievers in school are also among the most likely to be delinquent. School failure is a stronger predictor of delinquency than personal variables such as economic class membership, ethnic background or peer groups relations. 2. 2: EFFECTS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY The study focused on the following effects; a)School Dropout Due to delinquency, many teenagers drop out of school in order to join their friends who already are delinquent. This leads to street children especially in the city. b)Criminality Most of the delinquent turnout to become adult criminals; they get involved in criminal behavior e. g. theft, burglary and rape. c)Imprisonment According to the statistics from Kenya Prison Service, many youths and teenagers are spending their life behind bars in the BI i. e. Shikusa BI and Shimo la Tewa BI. d)Death Some youths end up losing their lives when caught by police in the criminality activities. Your example is the most important tool for preventing your children from becoming delinquents. Studies show that many factors influence teen’s in delinquency behavior but parental attitudes and actions can influence them most. God: Unfortunately, the secularization of values has left today’s kids without stun darts are still best. Too many young people picture God as a great kill joy in the sky instead of their strongest ally who loves them unconditionally and whose deepest desire is for their best. Some may call us naive simplistic, but in our experience, people who pursue in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ have a better chance of staying clear from delinquency than those who don’t. It’s true, that little difference exists between churched kids and un-churched when it comes to delinquency. Unconditional Love: It implies that if you act a certain way or do certain things, love will be given. There is a way, a sense that children mess up too badly, the love will go away. When children fill the uncertainty of conditional love, they’re challenged to see how bad they can be and still receive love. It’s a way of determining their basic worth. Rather than being motivated to greatness so as not to lose their parent’s love, they’re motivated towards delinquency. Contracts: Contracts governing children behavior can be controversial. We don’t advise them for every situation. However, when it comes to delinquency, they work well. Contracting for appropriate behavior can also be good preparation for the adult world, where people frequently contract for jobs to be done and behavior levels to be met. Pressure: Pressure is a key reason kids become involved with delinquents. The word â€Å"no† is a powerful device for resisting pressure and avoiding a life time of misery. 2:4: CONCLUSION Majority of the researchers and scholars have concluded that juvenile delinquency is a worldwide disaster and the group which is at risk is the youths. They have said much about negative effects of delinquency, but they have not explained about the permanent solution towards the problem. CHAPTER THREE 3. 0: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: The research methodology outlines the plan on how research activities were carried out in the study. It describes and explains the techniques used in collecting and obtaining data which assisted in the research work. These includes, the methods of organizing, collecting and analyzing data i. e. the way to design the population, sample size together with sampling techniques were discussed including the instrument of data collection. 3. 1: RESEARCH DESIGN This being a case study, the research was carried out in the communities of Shella Sub-location in Malindi District of the Coast Province. The area of study had a total number of forty three thousand, found hundred and thirty four people. The targeted population was two hundred in different villages within the sub-location, this being secondary schools, teachers, inmates in Malindi Prison, prison officers and 20% of the community population. 3. 2: TARGET POPULATION The study population: This research project was carried out at Shella Sub-location in Malindi District of the Coast Province. The area of study had a total number of forty three thousand, four hundred and thirty four people. Sample of the Study: The number of people in the Shella sub-location was big for the researcher to carry out the research conveniently. However, the researcher tried the best level and interviewed a total number of ninety five out of the two hundred targeted in different villages within the sub-location. 3. 3: SAMPLE SELECTION A sample is a small part of the population to be studied. Sampling is an act, process, technique of selecting a situation representing part of the whole population. Some of the sampling methods are random sampling, systematic sampling, and stratified sampling among others. The researcher used random sampling method. Due to this, the researcher selected ninety five people to represent the whole population. The table 1.1 shows all the information. The information from the respondents was based on the facts because the sample and the groups from the villages comprised people of different ages. 3. 4: SAMPLING TECHNIQUES When a population is very small one may study the whole population, but in this case, the population is big, so the researcher decided to choose a sample to represent the whole popu lation. The following is the sampling technique which the researcher used. Stratified Sampling Technique: Stratified Sampling is the process of dividing a population in sub-population (strata) and random samples are taken from each stratum. The researcher divided the population into the following: The age between 10 – 20 years The age between 21 – 30 years The age between 31 – 40 years The age 41 years and above. Importance of Sampling: The researcher could determine the adequate respondents from the total number of the targeted people. The advantages of the researcher using the stratified sampling technique are because; It saves time to study the whole population would require a lot of time which the researcher may not have. Reduces Cost – Also to study the whole population would require a lot of money. 3. 5: DATA COLLECTION The following were the methods used during the collection of data. Interviews: This is a method of research in which the interview gets information from the subject (interviews) through interaction. The interviewer asks the interviewee different type of questions depending on the researcher problem. Advantages: 1)The interviewed enabled the researcher to get immediate feedback 2)It gave an opportunity for the researcher to reset some questions when the interviewee didn’t understand the questions well. 3)It gave the researcher an opportunity to use any language so that the interviewee can understand well. 4)The researcher gave an opportunity to administer and personally establish rapport between interviewee and interviewer. 5)The researcher had time to clarify issues for the interviewees on the same. Disadvantages: 1. It was time consuming; since each member in the group had to be given time to contribute 2. During the group discussion some respondents were shy; this made the researcher to miss some information. QUESTIONNAIRES: A questionnaire is a research tool which contains several questions on a specific issue or problem being investigated. It can be mailed to the respondents or administered by the researcher. If administered by the researcher, the researcher will have time to explain the purpose of the study and the meaning for the questions if they are not clear to the respondents. This is where the researcher formulates the questions for the respondents to answer. The questions were close ended whereby the respondents required giving the answer in the form of YES or NO. Advantages: 1. It was cheap for the researcher, since the researcher saved money in travelling when mailing the questionnaires. 2. The information given out was easy for analysis. 3. The information from the respondents was based on facts. 4. There was no hurry whatsoever for the respondents in terms of answering the questions. 5. It saved time for the researcher since Disadvantages: 1. It was not possible for the researcher to respond to the respondents’ reactions. 2. Some of the questionnaires were not returned on time, hence made the work to delay. 3. Some respondents didn’t understand the questions without an explanation from the researcher. 3. 6: DATA ANAYLYSIS: Data is referred to facts and figures. Analysis is the process of preparing, computing and interpreting. Therefore, data analysis is the process of collecting, recording, analyzing, presenting and interpreting data. In this study area, it deals with data and analysis for better and easy understanding of this work. Based on data analysis the researcher used the following: Pie Chart Bar Charts Tables CHAPTER FOUR 4. 0: DATA PRESENTATION ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION The work of this area or selection is to analyze, present and interpretation of this data which has been carried out by the researcher. The researcher decided to analyze, present and interpret this work using tables and charts for easy understanding. In collection of data, the researcher used only two methods, questionnaires and interview guide. A case study of Shella Sub-location, Malindi District Kilifi County with the Coast Province; in the sub-location ninety five people were interviewed from different villages in the sub-location. The people who were interviewed were aged 10 – 20 yrs, those aged 21 – 30 yrs, those aged 31 – 40 yrs, and those who were 41 yrs and above. For every researcher who wishes to investigate on a certain problem, the researcher should use appropriate methods which will enable to get facts and accurate data. In using the interview guide and questionnaires, the researcher found out reasons why youths in Shella Sub-location become delinquent. Based on the same, the researcher found that there were measures in place though they were not effective. The information from the respondents showed that peer pressure was the major cause of juvenile delinquency among the youths in Shella Sub-location. Other answers were idleness, lack of education, bad companies, poverty, family background, drug abuse among others. The respondents also proposed that juvenile delinquency had negative effects to the development of the country. The following were the findings expressed by the researcher: A. PEER PRESSURE AS A MAJOR CAUSE OF JUVENILE DELINQUECNY AMONG THE YOUTHS IN SHELLA SUB-LOCATION. The questionnaires were seeking to find out find out if peer pressure is the major cause of juvenile delinquency among the youths in Shella Sub-location. A table showing if juvenile delinquency among the youths is caused by peer pressure (Table 4. 1) 10 – 20 yrs21 – 30 yrs31 – 40 yrs41 + yrsTotal RespondentsTotal Respondents in % Agreed162718248589. 5% Disagreed432110 10. 5% TOTAL2030202595100% The pie chart below shows the above table as a result of the findings (Figure 4. 1) Based on the above pie chart, 89. 5% of all the respondents agreed that peer pressure was the main reason which caused juvenile delinquency while the disagreed were 10. 5% of the whole population. In regard of the same, the respondents also commented that juvenile delinquency is caused by the following reasons: 1. Parents and guardians spend little time with their children hence these children miss guidance from them. 2. Children can easily imitate behaviors from criminal parents or friends. Parents and teachers don’t make a follow up, footsteps of their children. For example, the teacher would not ask why the student is absent likewise the parents will not bother whether their kids have gone to school or not. This facilitates truancy among children hence involved in delinquency behavior. B. EFFECTS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY ON COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT The questions which were asked in this part were targeted to find out if juvenile delinquency among the youths has negative effects on a country’s development. The interviewed people were ninety five out of the two hundred as it was targeted by the researcher. The findings were as follows: A table showing the effects of juvenile delinquency on the country’s development (table 4. 2) 10 – 20 yrs21 – 30 yrs31 – 40 yrs41 + yrsTotal RespondentsTotal Respondents in % Agreed202819259296. 8% Disagreed_21_33. 2% TOTAL2030202595100% The pie chart below shows the above findings (Figure 4. 2) These were the effects on the country’s development highlighted by the respondents: a)It brings about increase in crimes in the urban center b)It increases the spread of HIV/AIDS due to unprotected sexual behaviors. c)It leads to death of many young youths.d)It becomes a burden of dependency because a large number of the school dropouts depend on their parents for their survival. e)Much of the time is wasted by the delinquent in drinking and smoking instead of doing some productive activities. f)Most of juvenile delinquency do not relate well with their families hence leading to disintegration of good relationships. g)For juveni les who are students in universities, college, secondary and primary schools, they end up recording poor performance in these institutions. C. MEASURES TO CONTROL JUVENILE DELINQUENCY In this part, the questions given to the respondents aimed at finding out if there any measures whatsoever in place to control the evil of juvenile delinquency in Shella Sub-location. A total number of ninety five people out of two hundred were interviewed. A table showing responses of the respondents if there are any measures in place to control drug abuse problem (table 4. 3) Total RespondentsTotal Respondents in % Agreed6568. 4% Disagreed1313. 7% Not Aware1717. 9% TOTAL95100% Information of Table 4. 3 and its number of interviewees (Figure 4. 3) INTERPRETATION 65 out of 95 people agreed that there were measures in place to control the problem of juvenile delinquency which is the same as 68. 4% of the whole population. A total number of 95 people were interviewed. 17 out of 95 respondents claimed that they were not aware if there are measures to curb the issue of juvenile delinquency in the sub-location, which is equal to 17. 9% of the whole population. 13 out of 95 respondents disagreed that there were measures in place to control the problem because of the way the problem has spread in the area. This is equal to 13. 7% of the whole population. Due to the spread of this problem, the respondents in the area mentioned the following organizations which have taken into consideration of educating the youths on the dangers of juvenile delinquency. The groups were: The Islamic group Omar project The Kenya Red Cross (Malindi Branch) The Churches Aphia II The Assistant Chief CHAPTER FIVE 5. 0: SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS The following findings were made during the research exercise: Most of the people in the community said that juvenile delinquency among the youths was caused by peer pressure and bad companies. Majority of the respondents said that the youths are the ones who are highly involved and affected by the problem. The interviewed said that juvenile delinquency among the youths affects the sub-location and the country in terms of development. 68. 4% of the respondents said that there were measures in place to control the problem of juvenile delinquency. 5. 1: CONCLUSIONS The following conclusions were based on the findings which were obtained from the interviewed during the exercise. Majority of the people accepted that juvenile delinquency among the youth was caused by peer pressure and bad companies. Majority of the population agreed that youths are the ones who are mostly involved in the delinquency problem. The development stakeholders and the community members accepted that juvenile delinquency affects the country’s development. The measures to control the problem were in place, though they were not effective. 5. 2: RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations were based on the conclusions. The researcher came up with an idea that parents, caregivers, teachers and guardians should spend more time with their children counseling them and enquiring on the type of friends that they have at school and out of school. More job opportunities should also be created for the jobless youths. This will eradicated idleness among the youths, and make the productive members of the community. These activities can be sports, projects and community participation among others. Due to the fact that youths are the productive members in any community, the government and non-governmental organizations should come up with ways of assisting the youths to change their undesirable behaviors. More attention should also be put on the already existing measures of controlling drug abuse so that fruitful results can be realized. 5. 3. 0: APPENDIX (A) References Flin, R. and Soencer, RJ. (1990). â€Å"The Evidence of Children† (2nd Ed). London. Bell and Blain Ltd: Glasgow. Hollin, R. C and Howeus, C. (1996). â€Å"Clinical Approaches to Working with Young Offenders. † England: John Willey. Howel, C. J. (2003). â€Å"Preventing and Reducing Juvenile Delinquency. †Australia: Sage. Lipsett, P. (1968). â€Å"The Juvenile Offenders Percep

My Teaching Philosophy Statement Essay -- Philosophy on Education Teac

My Teaching Philosophy Statement There are many teachers, with many different teaching styles. There are teachers who are strict and do not allow for any disruptions in the classroom. Then we have teachers who do not even really care what is going on in the classroom. The way that these teachers, and so many more, teach is a result of their personal philosophies on education. Before you can decide how you want to run your classroom, you need to remember that not all students learn in the same way. Some learn by doing things on their own, while others learn better in groups. Some students learn with rote memorization and others learn from doing. Every classroom has students of every kind. So, when you are thinking about classroom management, you always have to think of what is best for the students and not just for you. Just like you have to think about the students, you have to think about what you are teaching and what the best way to go about teaching it is. If you are an English teacher, you would not want the students to write papers as a group and likewise, if you are a science teacher students should not have to do experiments on their own. Education is very important for a person to succeed in life. The purpose of education is to prepare a student for life and to discover themselves. As a teacher, I hope to help students not only learn what is required but I hope to make them want to discover more on their own. I want them to want to learn. As for the students, I only expect them to put forth their best efforts and try. Not everyone likes everything and I would not expect someone to. As for the way that I want to teach, I want to use a combination of pragmatism and idealism. Students shou... ...t to me, but I feel that the way that I will teach best suits me and best suits the interests of my future students. I want to be the best teacher that I can be and this is the way that I will do this. By being open and democratic. I plan on teaching science and I feel that it is one of the most important subjects that a student will have during his or her high school career. Science is the foundation for everything that we know. Without it, we would live the lifestyles that we do today. As for my future, I hope to become a teacher that is respected and liked. I want to learn from my mistakes and continue to grow and learn. Right now, I do not see myself as going on to receive a masters or anything, but that could always change. The future is hard to decide on but I do know that I want to be a teacher and make a difference in at least one persons life.

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 11 Sacratorium

AURORA-†¦ A mythical world, supposedly inhabited in primordial times, during the dawn of interstellar travel. It is thought by some to he the perhaps equally mythical â€Å"world of origin† of humanity and to be another name for â€Å"Earth.† The people of the Mycogen (q.v.) Sector of ancient Trantor reportedly held themselves to be descended from the inhabitants of Aurora and made that tenet central to their system of beliefs, concerning which almost nothing else is known†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 50. The two Raindrops arrived at midmorning. Raindrop Forty-Five seemed as cheerful as ever, but Raindrop Forty-Three paused just inside the door, looking drawn and circumspect. She kept her eyes down and did not as much as glance at Seldon. Seldon looked uncertain and gestured to Dors, who said in a cheerful businesslike tone of voice, â€Å"One moment, Sisters. I must give instructions to my man or he won't know what to do with himself today.† They moved into the bathroom and Dors whispered, â€Å"Is something wrong?† â€Å"Yes. Raindrop Forty-Three is obviously shattered. Please tell her that I will return the Book as soon as possible.† Dors favored Seldon with a long surprised look. â€Å"Hari,† she said, â€Å"you're a sweet, caring person, but you haven't the good sense of an amoeba. If I as much as mention the Book to the poor woman, she'll be certain that you told me all about what happened yesterday and then she'll really be shattered. The only hope is to treat her exactly as I would ordinarily.† Seldon nodded his head and said dispiritedly, â€Å"I suppose you're right.† Dors returned in time for dinner and found Seldon on his cot, still leafing through the Book, but with intensified impatience. He looked up with a scowl and said, â€Å"If we're going to be staying here any length of time, we're going to need a communication device of some sort between us. I had no idea when you'd get back and I was a little concerned.† â€Å"Well, here I am,† she said, removing her skincap gingerly and looking at it with more than a little distaste. â€Å"I'm really pleased at your concern. I rather thought you'd be so lost in the Book, you wouldn't even realize I was gone.† Seldon snorted. Dors said, â€Å"As for communications devices, I doubt that they are easy to come by in Mycogen. It would mean easing communication with tribespeople outside and I suspect the leaders of Mycogen are bound and determined to cut down on any possible interaction with the great beyond.† â€Å"Yes,† said Seldon, tossing the Book to one side, â€Å"I would expect that from what I see in the Book. Did you find out about the whatever you called it†¦ the temple?† â€Å"Yes,† she said, removing her eyebrow patches. â€Å"It exists. There are a number of them over the area of the sector, but there's a central building that seems to be the important one.-Would you believe that one woman noticed my eyelashes and told me that I shouldn't let myself be seen in public? I have a feeling she intended to report me for indecent exposure.† â€Å"Never mind that,† said Seldon impatiently. â€Å"Do you know where the central temple is located?† â€Å"I have directions, but Raindrop Forty-Five warned me that women were not allowed inside except on special occasions, none of which are coming up soon. It's called the Sacratorium.† â€Å"The what.† â€Å"The Sacratorium.† â€Å"What an ugly word. What does it mean?† Dors shook her head. â€Å"It's new to me. And neither Raindrop knew what it meant either. To them, Sacratorium isn't what the building is called, it's what it is. Asking them why they called it that probably sounded like asking them why a wall is called a wall.† â€Å"Is there anything about it they do know?† â€Å"Of course, Hari. They know what it's for. It's a place that's devoted to something other than the life here in Mycogen. It's devoted to another world, a former and better one.† â€Å"The world they once lived on, you mean?† â€Å"Exactly. Raindrop Forty-Five all but said so, but not quite. She couldn't bring herself to say the word.† â€Å"Aurora?† â€Å"That's the word, but I suspect that if you were to say it out loud to a group of Mycogenians, they would be shocked and horrified. Raindrop Forty-Five, when she said, ‘The Sacratorium is dedicated to-‘, stopped at that point and carefully wrote out the letters one by one with her finger on the palm of her hand. And she blushed, as though she was doing something obscene.† â€Å"Strange,† said Seldon. â€Å"If the Book is an accurate guide, Aurora is their dearest memory, their chief point of unification, the center about which everything in Mycogen revolves. Why should its mention be considered obscene? Are you sure you didn't misinterpret what the Sister meant?† â€Å"I'm positive. And perhaps it's no mystery. Too much talk about it would get to tribespeople. The best way of keeping it secret unto themselves is to make its very mention taboo.† â€Å"Taboo?† â€Å"A specialized anthropological term. It's a reference to serious and effective social pressure forbidding some sort of action. The fact that women are not allowed in the Sacratorium probably has the force of a taboo. I'm sure that a Sister would be horrified if it was suggested that she invade its precincts.† â€Å"Are the directions you have good enough for me to get to the Sacratorium on my own?† â€Å"In the first place, Hari, you're not going alone. I'm going with you. I thought we had discussed the matter and that I had made it clear that I cannot protect you at long distance-not from sleet storms and not from feral women. In the second place, it's impractical to think of walking there. Mycogen may be a small sector, as sectors go, but it simply isn't that small.† â€Å"An Expressway, then.† â€Å"There are no Expressways passing through Mycogenian territory. It would make contact between Mycogenians and tribespeople too easy. Still, there are public conveyances of the kind that are found on less developed planets. In fact, that's what Mycogen is, a piece of an undeveloped planet, embedded like a splinter in the body of Trantor, which is otherwise a patchwork of developed societies.-And Hari, finish with the Book as soon as possible. It's apparent that Rainbow Forty-Three is in trouble as long as you have it and so will we be if they find out.† â€Å"Do you mean a tribesperson reading it is taboo?† â€Å"I'm sure of it.† â€Å"Well, it would be no great loss to give it back. I should say that 95 percent of it is incredibly dull; endless in-fighting among political groups, endless justification of policies whose wisdom I cannot possibly judge, endless homilies on ethical matters which, even when enlightened, and they usually aren't, are couched with such infuriating self-righteousness as to almost enforce violation.† â€Å"You sound as though I would be doing you a great favor if I took the thing away from you.† â€Å"Except that there's always the other 5 percent that discusses the never-to-be-mentioned Aurora. I keep thinking that there may be something there and that it may be helpful to me. That's why I wanted to know about the Sacratorium. â€Å"Do you hope to find support for the Book's concept of Aurora in the Sacratorium?† â€Å"In a way. And I'm also terribly caught up in what the Book has to say about automata, or robots, to use their term. I find myself attracted to the concept.† â€Å"Surely, you don't take it seriously?† â€Å"Almost. If you accept some passages of the Book literally, then there is an implication that some robots were in human shape.† â€Å"Naturally. If you're going to construct a simulacrum of a human being, you will make it look like a human being.† â€Å"Yes, simulacrum means ‘likeness,' but a likeness can be crude indeed. An artist can draw a stick figure and you might know he is representing a human being and recognize it. A circle for the head, a stalk for the body, and four bent lines for arms and legs and you have it. But I mean robots that really look like a human being, in every detail.† â€Å"Ridiculous, Hari. Imagine the time it would take to fashion the metal of the body into perfect proportions, with the smooth curve of underlying muscles.† â€Å"Who said ‘metal,' Dors? The impression I got is that such robots were organic or pseudo-organic, that they were covered with skin, that you could not easily draw a distinction between them and human beings in any way.† â€Å"Does the Book say that?† â€Å"Not in so many words. The inference, however-â€Å" â€Å"Is your inference, Hari. You can't take it seriously.† â€Å"Let me try. I find four things that I can deduce from what the Book says about robots-and I followed up every reference the index gave. First, as I say, they-or some of them-exactly resembled human beings; second, they had very extended life spans-if you want to call it that.† â€Å"Better say ‘effectiveness,' † said Dors, â€Å"or you'll begin thinking of them as human altogether.† â€Å"Third,† said Seldon, ignoring her, â€Å"that some-or, at any rate, at least one-continues to live on to this day.† â€Å"Hari, that's one of the most widespread legends we have. The ancient hero does not die but remains in suspended animation, ready to return to save his people at some time of great need. Really, Hari.† â€Å"Fourth,† said Seldon, still not rising to the bait, â€Å"there are some lines that seem to indicate that the central temple-or the Sacratorium, if that's what it is, though I haven't found that word in the Book, actually-contains a robot.† He paused, then said, â€Å"Do you see?† Dors said, â€Å"No. What should I see?† â€Å"If we combine the four points, perhaps a robot that looks exactly like a human being and that is still alive, having been alive for, say, the last twenty thousand years, is in the Sacratorium.† â€Å"Come on, Hari, you can't believe that.† â€Å"I don't actually believe it, but I can't entirely let go either. What if its true? What if-its only one chance out of a million, I admit-it's true? Don't you see how useful he could be to me? He could remember the Galaxy as it was long before any reliable historical records existed. He might help make psychohistory possible.† â€Å"Even if it was true, do you suppose the Mycogenians would let you see and interview the robot?† â€Å"I don't intend to ask permission. I can at least go to the Sacratorium and see if there's something to interview first.† â€Å"Not now. Tomorrow at the earliest. And if you don't think better of it by morning, we go.† â€Å"You told me yourself they don't allow women-â€Å" â€Å"They allow women to look at it from outside, I'm sure, and I suspect that is all we'll get to do.† And there she was adamant. Hari Seldon was perfectly willing to let Dors take the lead. She had been out in the main roadways of Mycogen and was more at home with them than he was. Dors Venabili, brows knitted, was less delighted with the prospect. She said, â€Å"We can easily get lost, you know.† â€Å"Not with that booklet,† said Seldon. She looked up at him impatiently. â€Å"Fix your mind on Mycogen, Hari. What I should have is a computomap, something I can ask questions of. This Mycogenian version is just a piece of folded plastic. I can't tell this thing where I am. I can't tell it by word of mouth and I can't even tell it by pushing the necessary contacts. It can't tell me anything either way. It's a print thing.† â€Å"Then read what it says.† â€Å"That's what I'm trying to do, but it's written for people who are familiar with the system to begin with. We'll have to ask.† â€Å"No, Dors. That would be a last resort. I don't want to attract attention. I would rather we take our chances and try to find our own way, even if it means making one or two wrong turns.† Dors leafed through the booklet with great attention and then said grudgingly, â€Å"Well, it gives the Sacratorium important mention. I suppose that's only natural. I presume everyone in Mycogen would want to get there at one time or another.† Then, after additional concentration, she said, â€Å"I'll tell you what. There's no way of taking a conveyance from here to there.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Don't get excited. Apparently, there's a way of getting from here to another conveyance that will take us there. We'll have to change from one to another.† Seldon relaxed. â€Å"Well, of course. You can't take an Expressway to half the places on Trantor without changing.† Dors cast an impatient glance at Seldon. â€Å"I know that too. It's just that I'm used to having these things tell me so. When they expect you to find out for yourself, the simplest things can escape you for a while.† â€Å"All right, dear. Don't snap. If you know the way now, lead. I will follow humbly.† And follow her he did, until they came to an intersection, where they stopped. Three white-kirtled males and a pair of gray-kirtled females were at the same intersection. Seldon tried a universal and general smile in their direction, but they responded with a blank stare and looked away. And then the conveyance came. It was an outmoded version of what Seldon, back on Helicon, would have called a gravi-bus. There were some twenty upholstered benches inside, each capable of holding four people. Each bench had its own doors on both sides of the bus. When it stopped, passengers emerged on either side. (For a moment, Seldon was concerned for those who got out on the traffic side of the gravi-bus, but then he noticed that every vehicle approaching from either direction stopped as it neared the bus. None passed it while it was not moving.) Dors pushed Seldon impatiently and he moved on to a bench where two adjoining seats were available. Dors followed after. (The men always got on and got off first, he noticed.) 51. â€Å"For instance,† she said and pointed to a smooth boxed-off area on the back of the bench directly before each of them. As soon as the conveyance had begun to move, words lit up, naming the next stop and the notable structures or crossways that were nearby. â€Å"Now, that will probably tell us when we're approaching the changeover we want. At least the sector isn't completely barbaric.† â€Å"Good,† said Seldon. Then, after a while, leaning toward Dors, he whispered, â€Å"No one is looking at us. It seems that artificial boundaries are set up to preserve individual privacy in any crowded place. Have you noticed that?† â€Å"I've always taken it for granted. If that's going to be a rule of your psychohistory, no one will be very impressed by it.† As Dors had guessed, the direction plaque in front of them eventually announced the approach to the changeover for the direct line to the Sacratorium. They exited and again had to wait. Some buses ahead had already left this intersection, but another gravi-bus was already approaching. They were on a well-traveled route, which was not surprising; the Sacratorium was bound to be the center and heartbeat of the sector. They got on the gravi-bus and Seldon whispered, â€Å"We're not paying.† â€Å"According to the map, public transportation is a free service.† Seldon thrust out his lower lip. â€Å"How civilized. I suppose that nothing is all of a piece, not backwardness, not barbarism, nothing.† But Dors nudged him and whispered, â€Å"Your rule is broken. We're being watched. The man on your right.† 52. Seldon's eyes shifted briefly. The man to his right was rather thin and seemed quite old. He had dark brown eyes and a swarthy complexion, and Seldon was sure that he would have had black hair if he had not been depilated. He faced front again, thinking. This Brother was rather atypical. The few Brothers he had paid any attention to had been rather tall, light-skinned, and with blue or gray eyes. Of course, he had not seen enough of them to make a general rule. Then there was a light touch on the right sleeve of his kirtle. Seldon turned hesitantly and found himself looking at a card on which was written lightly, CAREFUL, TRIBESMAN! Seldon started and put a hand to his skincap automatically. The man next to him silently mouthed, â€Å"Hair.† Seldon's hand found it, a tiny exposure of bristles at his temple. He must have disturbed the skincap at some point or another. Quickly and as unobtrusively as possible, he tugged the skincap, then made sure that it was snug under the pretence of stroking his head. He turned to his neighbor on his right, nodded slightly, and mouthed, â€Å"Thank you.† His neighbor smiled and said in a normal speaking voice, â€Å"Going to the Sacratorium?† Seldon nodded. â€Å"Yes, I am.† â€Å"Easy guess. So am I. Shall we get off together?† His smile was friendly. â€Å"I'm with my-my-â€Å" â€Å"With your woman. Of course. All three together, then?† Seldon was not sure how to react. A quick look in the other direction showed him that Dors's eyes were turned straight ahead. She was showing no interest in masculine conversation-an attitude appropriate for a Sister. However, Seldon felt a soft pat on his left knee, which he took (with perhaps little justification) to mean: â€Å"It's all right.† In any case, his natural sense of courtesy was on that side and he said, â€Å"Yes, certainly.† There was no further conversation until the direction plaque told them they were arriving at the Sacratorium and Seldon's Mycogenian friend was rising to get off. The gravi-bus made a wide turn about the perimeter of a large area of the Sacratorium grounds and there was a general exodus when it came to a halt, the men sliding in front of the women to exit first. The women followed. The Mycogenian's voice crackled a bit with age, but it was cheerful. He said, â€Å"It's a little early for lunch my†¦ friends, but take my word for it that things will be crowded in not too long a time. Would you be willing to buy something simple now and eat it outside? I am very familiar with this area and I know a good place.† Seldon wondered if this was a device to maneuver innocent tribespeople into something or other disreputable or costly, yet decided to chance it. â€Å"You're very kind,† he said. â€Å"Since we are not at all familiar with the place, we will be glad to let you take the lead.† They bought lunch-sandwiches and a beverage that looked like milk-at an open-air stand. Since it was a beautiful day and they were visitors, the old Mycogenian said, they would go to the Sacratorium grounds and eat out of doors, the better to become acquainted with their surroundings. During their walk, carrying their lunch, Seldon noted that, on a very small scale, the Sacratorium resembled the Imperial Palace and that the grounds around it resembled, on a minute scale, the Imperial grounds. He could scarcely believe that the Mycogenian people admired the Imperial institution or, indeed, did anything but hate and despise it, yet the cultural attraction was apparently not to be withstood. â€Å"It's beautiful,† said the Mycogenian with obvious pride. â€Å"Quite,† said Seldon. â€Å"How it glistens in the daylight.† â€Å"The grounds around it,† he said, â€Å"are constructed in imitation of the government grounds on our Dawn World†¦ in miniature, to be sure.† â€Å"Did you ever see the grounds of the Imperial Palace?† asked Seldon cautiously. The Mycogenian caught the implication and seemed in no way put out by it. â€Å"They copied the Dawn World as best they could too.† Seldon doubted that in the extreme, but he said nothing. They came to a semicircular seat of white stonite, sparkling in the light as the Sacratorium did. â€Å"Good,† said the Mycogenian, his dark eyes gleaming with pleasure. â€Å"No one's taken my place. I call it mine only because it's my favorite seat. It affords a beautiful view of the side wall of the Sacratorium past the trees. Please sit down. It's not cold, I assure you. And your companion. She is welcome to sit too. She is a tribeswoman, I know, and has different customs. She†¦ she may speak if she wishes.† Dors gave him a hard look and sat down. Seldon, recognizing the fact that they might remain with this old Mycogenian a while, thrust out his hand and said, â€Å"I am Hari and my female companion is Dors. We don't use numbers, I'm afraid.† â€Å"To each his†¦ or her†¦ own,† said the other expansively. â€Å"I am Mycelium Seventy-Two. We are a large cohort.† â€Å"Mycelium?† said Seldon a bit hesitantly. â€Å"You seem surprised,† said Mycelium. â€Å"I take it, then, you've only met members of our Elder families. Names like Cloud and Sunshine and Starlight-all astronomical.† â€Å"I must admit-† began Seldon. â€Å"Well, meet one of the lower classes. We take our names from the ground and from the micro-organisms we grow. Perfectly respectable.† â€Å"I'm quite certain,† said Seldon, â€Å"and thank you again for helping me with my†¦ problem in the gravi-bus.† â€Å"Listen,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two, â€Å"I saved you a lot of trouble. If a Sister had seen you before I did, she would undoubtedly have screamed and the nearest Brothers would have bustled you off the bus-maybe not even waiting for it to stop moving.† Dors leaned forward so as to see across Seldon. â€Å"How is it you did not act in this way yourself?† â€Å"I? I have no animosity against tribespeople. I'm a scholar.† â€Å"A scholar?† â€Å"First one in my cohort. I studied at the Sacratorium School and did very well. I'm learned in all the ancient arts and I have a license to enter the tribal library, where they keep book-films and books by tribespeople. I can view any book-film or read any book I wish to. We even have a computerized reference library and I can handle that too. That sort of thing broadens your mind. I don't mind a little hair showing. I've seen pictures of men with hair many a time. And women too.† He glanced quickly at Dors. They ate in silence for a while and then Seldon said, â€Å"I notice that every Brother who enters or leaves the Sacratorium is wearing a red sash.† â€Å"Oh yes,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two. â€Å"Over the left shoulder and around the right side of the waist-usually very fancily embroidered.† â€Å"Why is that?† â€Å"It's called an ‘obiah.' It symbolizes the joy felt at entering the Sacratorium and the blood one would spill to preserve it.† â€Å"Blood?† said Dors, frowning. â€Å"Just a symbol. I never actually heard of anyone spilling blood over the Sacratorium. For that matter, there isn't that much joy. it's mostly wailing and mourning and prostrating one's self over the Lost World.† His voice dropped and became soft. â€Å"Very silly.† Dors said, â€Å"You're not a†¦ a believer?† â€Å"I'm a scholar,† said Mycelium with obvious pride. His face wrinkled as he grinned and took on an even more pronounced appearance of age. Seldon found himself wondering how old the man was. Several centuries?-No, they'd disposed of that. It couldn't be and yet, â€Å"How old are you?† Seldon asked suddenly, involuntarily. Mycelium Seventy-Two showed no signs of taking offense at the question, nor did he display any hesitation at answering, â€Å"Sixty-seven.† Seldon had to know. â€Å"I was told that your people believe that in very early times everyone lived for several centuries.† Mycelium Seventy-Two looked at Seldon quizzically. â€Å"Now how did you find that out? Someone must have been talking out of turn†¦ but its true. There is that belief. Only the unsophisticated believe it, but the Elders encourage it because it shows our superiority. Actually, our life expectancy is higher than elsewhere because we eat more nutritionally, but living even one century is rare.† â€Å"I take it you don't consider Mycogenians superior,† said Seldon. Mycelium Seventy-Two said, â€Å"There's nothing wrong with Mycogenians. They're certainly not inferior. Still, I think that all men are equal.-Even women,† he added, looking across at Dors. â€Å"I don't suppose,† said Seldon, â€Å"that many of your people would agree with that.† â€Å"Or many of your people,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two with a faint resentment. â€Å"I believe it, though. A scholar has to. I've viewed and even read all the great literature of the tribespeople. I understand your culture. I've written articles on it. I can sit here just as comfortably with you as though you were†¦ [tit].† Dors said a little sharply, â€Å"You sound proud of understanding tribespeople's ways. Have you ever traveled outside Mycogen?† Mycelium Seventy-Two seemed to move away a little. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Why not? You would get to know us better.† â€Å"I wouldn't feel right. I'd have to wear a wig. I'd be ashamed.† Dors said, â€Å"Why a wig? You could stay bald.† â€Å"No,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two, â€Å"I wouldn't be that kind of fool. I'd be mistreated by all the hairy ones.† â€Å"Mistreated? Why?† said Dors. â€Å"We have a great many naturally bald people everywhere on Trantor and on every other world too.† â€Å"My father is quite bald,† said Seldon with a sigh, â€Å"and I presume that in the decades to come I will be bald too. My hair isn't all that thick now.† â€Å"That's not bald,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two. â€Å"You keep hair around the edges and over your eyes. I mean bald-no hair at all.† â€Å"Anywhere on your body?† said Dors, interested. And now Mycelium Seventy-Two looked offended and said nothing. Seldon, anxious to get the conversation back on track, said, â€Å"Tell me, Mycelium Seventy-Two, can tribespeople enter the Sacratorium as spectators?† Mycelium Seventy-Two shook his head vigorously. â€Å"Never. It's for the Sons of the Dawn only.† Dors said, â€Å"Only the Sons?† Mycelium Seventy-Two looked shocked for a moment, then said forgivingly, â€Å"Well, you're tribespeople. Daughters of the Dawn enter only on certain days and times. That's just the way it is. I don't say I approve. If it was up to me, I'd say, ‘Go in. Enjoy if you can.' Sooner others than me, in fact.† â€Å"Don't you ever go in?† â€Å"When I was young, my parents took me, but-he shook his head-â€Å"it was just people staring at the Book and reading from it and sighing and weeping for the old days. It's very depressing. You can't talk to each other. You can't laugh. You can't even look at each other. Your mind has to be totally on the Lost World. Totally.† He waved a hand in rejection. â€Å"Not for me. I'm a scholar and I want the whole world open to me.† â€Å"Good,† said Seldon, seeing an opening. â€Å"We feel that way too. We are scholars also, Dors and myself.† â€Å"I know,† said Mycelium Seventy-Two. â€Å"You know? How do you know?† â€Å"You'd have to be. The only tribespeople allowed in Mycogen are Imperial officials and diplomats, important traders, and scholars-and to me you have the look of scholars. That's what interested me in you. Scholars together.† He smiled delightedly. â€Å"So we are. I am a mathematician. Dors is a historian. And you?† â€Å"I specialize in†¦ culture. I've read all the great works of literature of the tribespeople: Lissauer, Mentone, Novigor-â€Å" â€Å"And we have read the great works of your people. I've read the Book, for instance.-About the Lost World.† Mycelium Seventy-Two's eyes opened wide in surprise. His olive complexion seemed to fade a little. â€Å"You have? How? Where?† â€Å"At our University we have copies that we can read if we have permission.† â€Å"Copies of the Book?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I wonder if the Elders know this?† Seldon said, â€Å"And I've read about robots.† â€Å"Robots?† â€Å"Yes. That is why I would like to be able to enter the Sacratorium. I would like to see the robot.† (Dors kicked lightly at Seldon's ankle, but he ignored her.) Mycelium Seventy-Two said uneasily, â€Å"I don't believe in such things. Scholarly people don't.† But he looked about as though he was afraid of being overheard. Seldon said, â€Å"I've read that a robot still exists in the Sacratorium.† Mycelium Seventy-Two said, â€Å"I don't want to talk about such nonsense.† Seldon persisted. â€Å"Where would it be if it was in the Sacratorium?† â€Å"Even if one was there, I couldn't tell you. I haven't been in there since I was a child.† â€Å"Would you know if there was a special place, a hidden place?† â€Å"There's the Elders' aerie. Only Elders go there, but there's nothing there.† â€Å"Have you ever been there?† â€Å"No, of course not.† â€Å"Then how do you know?† â€Å"I don't know that there's no pomegranate tree there. I don't know that there's no laser-organ there. I don't know that there's no item of a million different kinds there. Does my lack of knowledge of their absence show they are all present?† For the moment, Seldon had nothing to say. A ghost of a smile broke through Mycelium Seventy-Two's look of concern. He said, â€Å"That's scholars' reasoning. I'm not an easy man to tackle, you see. Just the same, I wouldn't advise you to try to get up into the Elders' aerie. I don't think you'd like what would happen if they found a tribesman inside.-Well. Best of the Dawn to you.† And he rose suddenly-without warning-and hurried away. Seldon looked after him, rather surprised. â€Å"What made him rush off like that?† â€Å"I think,† said Dors, â€Å"it's because someone is approaching.† And someone was. A tall man in an elaborate white kirtle, crossed by an even more elaborate and subtly glittering red sash, glided solemnly toward them. He had the unmistakable look of a man with authority and the even more unmistakable look of one who is not pleased. 53. Hari Seldon rose as the new Mycogenian approached. He hadn't the slightest idea whether that was the appropriate polite behavior, but he had the distinct feeling it would do no harm. Dors Venabili rose with him and carefully kept her eyes lowered. The other stood before them. He too was an old man, but more subtly aged than Mycelium Seventy-Two. Age seemed to lend distinction to his still-handsome face. His bald head was beautifully round and his eyes were a startling blue, contrasting sharply with the bright all-but-glowing red of his sash. The newcomer said, â€Å"I see you are tribespeople.† His voice was more high-pitched than Seldon had expected, but he spoke slowly, as though conscious of the weight of authority in every word he uttered. â€Å"So we are,† said Seldon politely but firmly. He saw no reason not to defer to the other's position, but he did not intend to abandon his own. â€Å"Your names?† â€Å"I am Hari Seldon of Helicon. My companion is Dors Venabili of Cinna. And yours, man of Mycogen?† The eyes narrowed in displeasure, but he too could recognize an air of authority when he felt it. â€Å"I am Skystrip Two,† he said, lifting his head higher, â€Å"an Elder of the Sacratorium. And your position, tribesman?† â€Å"We,† said Seldon, emphasizing the pronoun, â€Å"are scholars of Streeling University. I am a mathematician and my companion is a historian and we are here to study the ways of Mycogen.† â€Å"By whose authority?† â€Å"By that of Sunmaster Fourteen, who greeted us on our arrival.† Skystrip Two fell silent for a moment and then a small smile appeared on his face and he took on an air that was almost benign. He said, â€Å"The High Elder. I know him well.† â€Å"And so you should,† said Seldon blandly. â€Å"Is there anything else, Elder?† â€Å"Yes.† The Elder strove to regain the high ground. â€Å"Who was the man who was with you and who hurried away when I approached?† Seldon shook his head, â€Å"We never saw him before, Elder, and know nothing about him. We encountered him purely by accident and asked about the Sacratorium.† â€Å"What did you ask him?† â€Å"Two questions, Elder. We asked if that building was the Sacratorium and if tribespeople were allowed to enter it. He answered in the affirmative to the first question and in the negative to the second.† â€Å"Quite so. And what is your interest in the Sacratorium?† â€Å"Sir, we are here to study the ways of Mycogen and is not the Sacratorium the heart and brain of Mycogen?† â€Å"It is entirely ours and reserved for us.† â€Å"Even if an Elder-the High Elder-would arrange for permission in view of our scholarly function?† â€Å"Have you indeed the High Elder's permission?† Seldon hesitated the slightest moment while Dors's eyes lifted briefly to look at him sideways. He decided he could not carry off a lie of this magnitude. â€Å"No,† he said, â€Å"not yet.† â€Å"Or ever,† said the Elder. â€Å"You are here in Mycogen by authority, but even the highest authority cannot exert total control over the public. We value our Sacratorium and the populace can easily grow excited over the presence of a tribesperson anywhere in Mycogen but, most particularly, in the vicinity of the Sacratorium. It would take one excitable person to raise a cry of ‘Invasion!' and a peaceful crowd such as this one would be turned into one that would be thirsting to tear you apart. I mean that quite literally. For your own good, even if the High Elder has shown you kindness, leave. Now!† â€Å"But the Sacratorium-† said Seldon stubbornly, though Dors was pulling gently at his kirtle. â€Å"What is there in the Sacratorium that can possibly interest you?† said the Elder. â€Å"You see it now. There is nothing for you to see in the interior.† â€Å"There is the robot,† said Seldon. The Elder stared at Seldon in shocked surprise and then, bending to bring his lips close to Seldon's ear, whispered harshly, â€Å"Leave now or I will raise the cry of ‘Invasion!' myself. Nor, were it not for the High Elder, would I give you even this one chance to leave.† And Dors, with surprising strength, nearly pulled Seldon off his feet as she stepped hastily away, dragging him along until he caught his balance and stepped quickly after her. 54. It was over breakfast the next morning, not sooner, that Dors took up the subject-and in a way that Seldon found most wounding. She said, â€Å"Well, that was a pretty fiasco yesterday.† Seldon, who had honestly thought he had gotten away with it without comment, looked sullen. â€Å"What made it a fiasco?† â€Å"Driven out is what we were. And for what? What did we gain?† â€Å"Only the knowledge that there is a robot in there.† â€Å"Mycelium Seventy-Two said there wasn't.† â€Å"Of course he said that. He's a scholar-or thinks he is-and what he doesn't know about the Sacratorium would probably fill that library he goes to. You saw the Elder's reaction.† â€Å"I certainly did.† â€Å"He would not have reacted like that if there was no robot inside. He was horrified we knew.† â€Å"That's just your guess, Hari. And even if there was, we couldn't get in.† â€Å"We could certainly try. After breakfast, we go out and buy a sash for me, one of those obiahs. I put it on, keep my eyes devoutly downward, and walk right in.† â€Å"Skincap and all? They'll spot you in a microsecond.† â€Å"No, they won't. We'll go into the library where all the tribespeople data is kept. I'd like to see it anyway. From the library, which is a Sacratorium annex, I gather, there will probably be an entrance into the Sacratorium.† â€Å"Where you will be picked up at once.† â€Å"Not at all. You heard what Mycelium Seventy-Two had to say. Everyone keeps his eyes down and meditates on their great Lost World, Aurora. No one looks at anyone else. It would probably be a grievous breach of discipline to do so. Then I'll find the Elders' aerie-â€Å" â€Å"Just like that?† â€Å"At one point, Mycelium Seventy-Two said he would advise me not to try to get up into the Elders' aerie. Up. It must be somewhere in that tower of the Sacratorium, the central tower.† Dors shook her head. â€Å"I don't recall the man's exact words and I don't think you do either. That's a terribly weak foundation to- Wait.† She stopped suddenly and frowned. â€Å"Well?† said Seldon. â€Å"There is an archaic word ‘aerie' that means ‘a dwelling place on high.' â€Å" â€Å"Ah! There you are. You see, we've learned some vital things as the result of what you call a fiasco. And if I can find a living robot that's twenty thousand years old and if it can tell me-â€Å" â€Å"Suppose that such a thing exists, which passes belief, and that you find it, which is not very likely, how long do you think you will be able to talk to it before your presence is discovered?† â€Å"I don't know, but if I can prove it exists and if I can find it, then I'll think of some way to talk to it. It's too late for me to back out now under any circumstances. Hummin should have left me alone when I thought there was no way of achieving psychohistory. Now that it seems there may be, I won't let anything stop me-short of being killed.† â€Å"The Mycogenians may oblige, Hari, and you can't run that risk.† â€Å"Yes, I can. I'm going to try.† â€Å"No, Hari. I must look after you and I can't let you.† â€Å"You must let me. Finding a way to work out psychohistory is more important than my safety. My safety is only important because I may work out psychohistory. Prevent me from doing so and your task loses its meaning.-Think about it.† Hari felt himself infused with a renewed sense of purpose. Psychohistory-his nebulous theory that he had, such a short while ago, despaired ever of proving-loomed larger, more real. Now he had to believe that it was possible; he could feel it in his gut. The pieces seemed to be falling together and although he couldn't see the whole pattern yet, he was sure the Sacratorium would yield another piece to the puzzle. â€Å"Then I'll go in with you so I can pull you out, you idiot, when the time comes.† â€Å"Women can't enter.† â€Å"What makes me a woman? Only this gray kirtle. You can't see my breasts under it. I don't have a woman's style hairdo with the skincap on. I have the same washed, unmarked face a man has. The men here don't have stubble. All I need is a white kirtle and a sash and I can enter. Any Sister could do it if she wasn't held back by a taboo. I am not held back by one.† â€Å"You're held back by me. I won't let you. It's too dangerous.† â€Å"No more dangerous for me than for you.† â€Å"But I must take the risk.† â€Å"Then so must I. Why is your imperative greater than mine?† â€Å"Because-† Seldon paused in thought. â€Å"Just tell yourself this,† said Dors, her voice hard as rock. â€Å"I won't let you go there without me. If you try, I will knock you unconscious and tie you up. If you don't like that, then give up any thought of going alone.† Seldon hesitated and muttered darkly. He gave up the argument, at least for now. 55. The sky was almost cloudless, but it was a pale blue, as though wrapped in a high thin mist. That, thought Seldon, was a good touch, but suddenly he missed the sun itself. No one on Trantor saw the planet's sun unless he or she went Upperside and even then only when the natural cloud layer broke. Did native Trantorians miss the sun? Did they give it any thought? When one of them visited another world where a natural sun was in view, did he or she stare, half-blinded, at it with awe? Why, he wondered, did so many people spend their lives not trying to find answers to questions-not even thinking of questions to begin with? Was there anything more exciting in life than seeking answers? His glance shifted to ground level. The wide roadway was lined with low buildings, most of them shops. Numerous individual ground-cars moved in both directions, each hugging the right side. They seemed like a collection of antiques, but they were electrically driven and quite soundless. Seldon wondered if â€Å"antique† was always a word to sneer at. Could it be that silence made up for slowness? Was there any particular hurry to life, after all? There were a number of children on the walkways and Seldon's lips pressed together in annoyance. Clearly, an extended life span for the Mycogenians was impossible unless they were willing to indulge in infanticide. The children of both sexes (though it was hard to tell the boys from the girls) wore kirtles that came only a few inches below the knee, making the wild activity of childhood easier. The children also still had hair, reduced to an inch in length at most, but even so the older ones among them had hoods attached to their kirtles and wore them raised, hiding the top of the head altogether. It was as though they were getting old enough to make the hair seem a trifle obscene-or old enough to be wishing to hide it, in longing for the day of rite of passage when they were depilated. A thought occurred to Seldon. He said, â€Å"Dors, when you've been out shopping, who paid, you or the Raindrop women?† â€Å"I did of course. The Raindrops never produced a credit tile. But why should they? What was being bought was for us, not for them.† â€Å"But you have a Trantorian credit tile-a tribeswoman credit tile.† â€Å"Of course, Hari, but there was no problem. The people of Mycogen may keep their own culture and ways of thought and habits of life as they wish. They can destroy their cephalic hair and wear kirtles. Nevertheless, they must use the world's credits. If they don't, that would choke off commerce and no sensible person would want to do that. The credits nerve, Hari.† She held up her hand as though she was holding an invisible credit tile. â€Å"And they accepted your credit tile?† â€Å"Never a peep out of them. And never a word about my skincap. Credits sanitize everything.† â€Å"Well, that's good. So I can buy-â€Å" â€Å"No, I'll do the buying. Credits may sanitize everything, but they more easily sanitize a tribeswoman. They're so used to paying women little or no attention that they automatically pay me the same.-And here's the clothing store I've been using.† â€Å"I'll wait out here. Get me a nice red sash-one that looks impressive.† â€Å"Don't pretend you've forgotten our decision. I'll get two. And another white kirtle also†¦ to my measurements.† â€Å"Won't they think it odd that a woman would be buying a white kirtle?† â€Å"Of course not. They'll assume I'm buying it for a male companion who happens to be my size. Actually, I don't think they'll bother with any assumptions at all as long as my credit tile is good.† Seldon waited, half-expecting someone to come up and greet him as a tribesman or denounce him as one-more likely-but no one did. Those who passed him did so without a glance and even those who glanced in his direction moved on seemingly untouched. He was especially nervous about the gray kirtles-the women-walking by in pairs or, even worse, with a man. They were downtrodden, unnoticed, snubbed. How better to gain a brief notoriety than by shrieking at the sight of a tribesman? But even the women moved on. They're not expecting to see a tribesman, Seldon thought, so they don't see one. That, he decided, augured well for their forthcoming invasion of the Sacratorium. How much less would anyone expect to see tribespeople there and how much more effectively would they therefore fail to see them! He was in fairly good humor when Dors emerged. â€Å"You have everything?† â€Å"Absolutely.† â€Å"Then lets go back to the room, so you can change.† The white kirtle did not fit her quite as well as the gray one did. Obviously, she could not have tried it on or even the densest shopkeeper would have been struck with alarm. â€Å"How do I look, Hari?† she asked. â€Å"Exactly like a boy,† said Seldon. â€Å"Now let's try the sash†¦ or obiah. I had better get used to calling it that.† Dors, without her skincap, was shaking out her hair gratefully. She said sharply, â€Å"Don't put it on now. We're not going to parade through Mycogen with the sash on. The last thing we want to do is call attention to ourselves.† â€Å"No, no. I just want to see how it goes on.† â€Å"Well, not that one. This one is better quality and more elaborate.† â€Å"You're right, Dors. I've got to gather in what attention there is. I don't want them to detect you as a woman.† â€Å"I'm not thinking of that, Hari. I just want you to look pretty.† â€Å"A thousand thanks, but that's impossible, I suspect. Now, let's see, how does this work?† Together, Hari and Dors practiced putting their obiahs on and taking them off, over and over again, until they could do it in one fluid motion. Dors taught Hari how to do it, as she had seen a man doing it the day before at the Sacratorium. When Hari praised her for her acute observations, she blushed and said, â€Å"Its really nothing, Hari, just something I noticed.† Hari replied, â€Å"Then you're a genius for noticing.† Finally satisfied, they stood well apart, each surveying the other. Hari's obiah glittered, a bright red dragonlike design standing out against a paler field of similar hue. Dors's was a little less bold, had a simple thin line down the center, and was very light in color. â€Å"There,† she said, â€Å"just enough to show good taste.† She took it off. â€Å"Now,† said Seldon, â€Å"we fold it up and it goes into one of the inner pockets. I have my credit tile-Hummin's, really-and the key to this place in this one and here, on the other side, the Book.† â€Å"The Book? Should you be carrying it around?† â€Å"I must. I'm guessing that anyone going to the Sacratorium ought to have a copy of the Book with him. They may intone passages or have readings. If necessary, we'll share the Book and maybe no one will notice. Ready?† â€Å"I'll never be ready, but I'm going with you.† â€Å"It will be a tedious trip. Will you check my skincap and make sure no hair shows this time? And don't scratch your head.† â€Å"I won't. You look all right.† â€Å"So do you.† â€Å"You also look nervous.† And Seldon said wryly, â€Å"Guess why!† Dors reached out impulsively and squeezed Hari's hand, then drew back as if surprised at herself. Looking down, she straightened her white kirtle. Hari, himself a trifle surprised and peculiarly pleased, cleared his throat and said, â€Å"Okay, let's go.†