Do you agree that Achebe shows an - awareness of the human qualities :: English Literature

Do you agree that Achebe shows an - awareness of the human qualities common to all men of all times and places - or do you find the novel only uniquely African and of its time? Achebe’s style has been described as one of â€Å"remarkable economy and subtle irony†¦ uniquely and richly African .. revealing Achebe’s keen awareness of the human qualities common to all men of all times and places†. Do you agree that Achebe shows an â€Å"awareness of the human qualities common to all men of all times and places† or do you find the novel only uniquely African and of its time? â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe is a twentieth-century African tragedy written about the destruction of the African Igbo tribe by ‘white men’ from the west. The novel focuses on Africa’s gradual invasion by white Westerners and the effects of colonisation on specific individuals and groups within the society. The novel has many distinct African features that define the pre-colonial culture of the Igbo tribe. The very beginning of the novel describes an African festival, in which drums and flutes are being used whilst the spectators look on in awe, â€Å"The drums beat and the flutes sang and the spectators held their breath.† Achebe’s use of sensory language, such as the sounds of the instruments, gives the audience a greater sense of shared experience of what it was like to be part of the Igbo tribe. Achebe’s style of writing throughout the novel allows the audience to imagine being in the position of characters such as Okonkwo who had their common, traditional beliefs and rituals gradually overridden by the increasingly-dominant Western ideology. Achebe uses simple language throughout the novel, particularly at the beginning and this reflects the simplicity of the African oral storytelling tradition. As most African stories were told in traditional verbal ways by illiterate people, the language used tended to be simple, â€Å"Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc containing a kola nut, some alligator pepper and a lump of white chalk.† Achebe uses this technique to provide some simple, vivid visual imagery for the reader, while making them aware of traditional African foods such as kola nuts. This type of sentence perfectly illustrates Achebe’s intentions of making this novel ‘uniquely African’. Henrickson suggests â€Å"Things Fall Apart uses language and structures †¦ that make its world seem familiar to Western readers; but questions whether it really is familiar to us.† Henrickson believes that the novel is there to provide an understanding of the African perspective of colonisation; however, he does not argue that the novel is relevant to us.

Importance of Statistics in Educational Management Essay

To accomplish set goals in an organisation, the school manager or administrator must plan, implement such plans and evaluate success. To do so, the use of statistical data is crucial. In this paper the writer is going to discuss the importance of statistics in her area of study which is Educational Management. According to Kendrick (1997:1) statistics are, â€Å"numbers that help us find patterns in data, such as averages and medians.† Thus statistics looks at how to collect, organise, analyze and interpret numerical information from data. Aczel and Sounderpandian (2002:15) say, â€Å"results from a good statistical analysis are always concise, often precise and useful.† In that light the collection, analysis and storage of statistical data on the educational system become very important to the school manager for the following reasons. The school managers have a responsibility to plan ahead for the system and to do so it calls for him or her to be in the possession of some past and present data. For a manager to plan adequately for the future he or she needs the data on what the past was and what the present is like. Also, for the day to day decision making, the educational managers need data to guide their decisions. For instance, to make purchases for textbooks or furniture the school manager uses data on class sizes and the age of students so as to arrive at the quantities to be purchased. Moreover, data collection, analysis and storage are very important to the school managers in the assessment of the growth and progress of the educational system (Hardy and Bryman, 2009). Data on enrolment, class size and number of teachers will enable a school manager to establish if the school is growing or reducing in size. Also data on enrolment will enable a school manager to see the level of competition around his/her institution. Decrease in enrolment figures may signal stiff competition from a nearby school. Educational data are very vital tools for planning. Kendrick (2000:2) says, â€Å"the better we understand statistics, the better we will be at assessing what is going on in the world around us.† The data on yearly performance of students in the external examinations such as Grade Seven National Exams and Ordinary Level National Exams will show if the school is progressing or not academically. Further,  statistical data collection enables the school manager to identify areas of staff training and retraining needs. For example the data on student’s performance in Mathematics may point to a need to retrain the Mathematics teacher. If such teacher is an NCE holder it may be a pointer for a need to recommend him for in-service training for a degree in Mathematics. In addition, statistical data collection is important in the educational system because it aids accountability in the system (Kendrick, 2000). Periodically, inspectors from the Ministry of Education as well as auditors do visit the schools to monitor how the managers are utilizing the human and material resources. They call for data on these from the school head teacher. The head teacher may also be requested to give such account to Parents Teachers Association or Schools Board of Governors. Another importance of data collection, analysis and storage in the educational system is that it aids projection of resource requirement. This assertion is in line with Levin and Rubin (1998:8) when they say, â€Å"Data can assist decision makers in educated guesses †¦ in given situations.† For the school manager to project the amount of fund that would be needed for the next session there is a need to have data on quantities of stationery needed by both learners and teachers, the number of ancillary staff paid from the school coffers and (3)other running costs. The collection of statistics is important in educational management as highlighted above as it enables one as a school manager to perform duties with precision using calculated guesses. It also aids a school manager to work effectively and efficiently to meet set goals. REFERENCES Durosaro, D.O. (2004) Statistical needs for educational management, Ibadan, Regina sons Book Publishers Kendrick J.R. (1997) Social Statistics: An Introduction using SPSS for Windows, Boston, McGraw-Hill. Levin, R.I. and Rubin, D.S. (1998) Statistics for Management. USA, Prentice-Hall International. Lockhart, R.S. (1998) Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis for the Behavioural Sciences, New York, W H. Freeman & Company.

How Dry Shampoo Works to Refresh Hair

How Dry Shampoo Works to Refresh Hair Dry shampoo cleans and refreshes your hair on days you cant use traditional shampoo and water (or choose not to). Heres a look at whether or not dry shampoo actually works and what it does. Key Takeaways: How Dry Shampoo Works Dry shampoo is a product that is applied to hair to reduce oiliness without the need for water.Most types of dry shampoo include a starch, usually from corn or rice, as a key ingredient. The starch absorbs oil and drops away from hair during brushing.Since some product inevitably remains in hair, a dry shampoo can cause hair to feel thicker.While dry shampoo helps improve the appearance of hair, some users dislike the texture it adds to hair.Dry shampoo is not a permanent substitute to washing hair with soap or shampoo. This is because dry shampoo does not remove shed skin cells or control bacteria. What Is Dry Shampoo? Dry shampoo is a powder or a fast-evaporating liquid that your spray or work into your hair that removes excess sebum and other oils and may freshen the scent of your hair. Commercial products contain much the same type of ingredients as homemade dry shampoo, although dry shampoo from a store is more likely to have a uniform texture than a product you make yourself. Both dry and spray-on dry shampoos work the same way. Why Use a Dry Shampoo? Aside from the obvious situation where water isnt available, you may wish to use a dry shampoo for any of the following reasons: Reduces stripping of color by traditional shampoosExtends the life of an expensive blow-outMakes hair easier to styleTakes less time than washing and drying hairMinimizes hair damage since natural protective oils arent strippedFreshens hair if youre coming from a smoky, sweaty, or otherwise smelly situation How Dry Shampoo Works Dry shampoo and wet-dry shampoo works by absorbing oil onto a substance that can be brushed or blown out of your hair. The two main types of dry shampoo are homemade and commercial. Oil-absorbing ingredients you can use to make homemade dry shampoo include corn starch, baby powder, rice starch, orris root, oatmeal, and clay. Feel free to add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to one of the powders to add a fresh scent. If using baby powder, be sure to use a brand free of asbestos (a common contaminant). Clay, while excellent at controlling oil, may also be contaminated with metals or undesirable minerals (so dont just dig it up from your garden). Because brands dont exactly advertise impurities, its probably safer to stick with corn starch, rice starch, orris root, oatmeal, or some mixture of the these ingredients. Commercial brands typically contain some form of starch, fragrance, and a propellant to help apply product evenly over hair. Some products contain an anti-clumping agent to help disperse particles. A popular commercial spray-on dry shampoo contains isobutane, propane, denatured alcohol, aluminum starch octenyl succinate, butane, fragrance, isopropyl myristate, silica, and cyclopentasiloxane. Only hydrophobic soils, like natural oils and oil-based styling products, are absorbed by the dry shampoo. Dry shampoo will not remove actual dirt, skin flakes, and other chemicals that can make hair look and feel greasy, so most stylists recommend using dry shampoo between regular shampoos to reduce chemical damage to hair or for unexpected emergencies. Most people still need to use regular water-based shampoo to get fresh, clean hair. Dry Shampoo for Animals Dry shampoo isnt just for people! Dry shampoos may be used on furry pets. Commercial pet products are a bit different from ones intended for humans. They may contain conditioning agents, Melaleuca oil to repel fleas, or even pesticides. Pet products may be powder or foams. The shampoo must be worked into the animals coat and then wiped off. Dry shampoo should be used with caution on cats because they lick themselves and will ingest some product. Learn More If youre ready to give dry shampoo a try, make one of these easy homemade dry shampoo recipes. If youre not ready to take the plunge, but are concerned about ingredients in commercial products, make homemade shampoo and learn exactly how shampoo works.

Creating a Promotional Package for a New Film Essays

Creating a Promotional Package for a New Film Essays Creating a Promotional Package for a New Film Essay Creating a Promotional Package for a New Film Essay Essay Topic: Film Pulp Fiction The Godfather The task was to construct a promotional package for a new film. This has to include at least four stills from the film, a video cover and a poster we chose this brief as it gave us the chance to use a different medium from our as project and also we believed this brief would enable us to perform well. Though further promotional items such as magazine articles (reviews etc) could also be included. The A2 practical differs from the as in that the A2 project uses a different medium (digital cameras rather than the film medium. The A S project was to create the opening few minutes of a thriller. I was put into a group with two other students-Conrad Cayabayab. The original brief was to create a promotional package for a film (as above). The first thing that we needed to decide was what genre the film would be, as this would be important in deciding how the film would be represented in the package also it would confine the narrative within the parameters of that genre. After this we had to make a decision about the narrative of the film, the narrative would be needed to determine what the stills would show and what the poster and video would contain. We thought that the narrative should have an east London setting largely because this would be easier for us to take our pictures. Though we thought it would be a good idea not to make to many shots were location was distinct, this was because we didnt want to make the mass audience feel excluded. Although the film was to be the gangster/gang genre we knew that we would have to adapt it to the east end (The typical Italian-American style wouldnt suit east London as the iconography wouldnt fit) therefore films like Goodfellas . We also knew that due to the age range of actors that would be available to us (approx. 18-20) that we wouldnt convey a realistic image if the actors were wearing realistic London/Paris made suits. Therefore we thought that we could adapt the narrative around a local gang of young working class people. Another factor that is quite common among many traditional gangster films is that gang members are exclusively white. We decided that it would be a more accurate representation of east London if there were mixed races involved in the narrative. When we decided on the basic outline for our narrative we began to research a wide range of gangster films looking at poster images and stills from various films including the Godfather and The Untouchables. (see booklet) when we done this we outlined a few ideas for photos that we would like to take(see booklet). Once the planning had been finished we had to undertake the practical side of our project. When we came to take the photos we had difficulty at first organising our time so that everyone turned up on time. Once this problem had been sorted out we had little trouble taking our pictures. Whilst taking our pictures we realised that some of our original ideas would not be as effective as we had hoped or would be too difficult to get a decent photo. We decided that some shots that we decided on later on would be more useful we were able to change our plans as we did further research and gained experience through taking pictures. Some of these shots suited our purpose better than our planned ones such as the one of Simon with the gun cigarette (see booklet) though this has an intertextual element (it looks like a scene out of Pulp Fiction) When we finished taking all of the images that we needed we had to alter the photos. We used Paint shop pro and adobe photoshop to alter our photos. A problem that we encountered when we came to edit our images was that some were too dark and even after editing they were still too dark or the editing deteriorated the picture quality too much. After we had discarded the photos that were unusable we had to decided which four photos to use for our still images. We knew that we had to use photos that were either action photos or would make an impact on the audience. After we had done this we started to make the cover for the video. The cover would need to include further images from the film on the back along with a synopsis of the plot on the back, also it would need to contain a certificate rating, film duration, and quotes from newspapers such as the guardian and film magazines such as Empire. We decided to use two images on the back of the cover as this would leave enough room for the text that was needed while giving the potential audience something that grabs their attention. We decided that to make the cover look more professional we would scan in a bar code and a list of credits from another film(12 monkeys) the writing is to small for the difference to be discernable-as it was on the original. We wanted the front cover to look distinctly different from the poster so we thought that we should put a different character on the cover also in a striking pose. We thought that one of Conrad either with weapons or staring with sunglasses would be appropriate. The function of a promotional package for a film is to sell that film and the ideas that go with it to the potential audience. The purpose of the Poster is simply to draw peoples attention to it, it needs to be eye catching and memorable in order for the cinema going public to remember the poster and thus influence their decision about what film to watch. The video cover not only has to grab peoples attention but then hold it for them to buy it, also video covers will need to be striking because they will be sold as one title amongst hundreds of others. The importance of selling the film is slightly reduced in the stills, which gives them more room to use iconography to sell ideas about the film rather than just trying to attract the attention of the audience. For this reason, the stills are allowed to be more reflective of the narrative than the poster and to some extent than the video cover, (the video cover contains a synopsis of the plot). The poster is very effective at gaining peoples attention. This is because there is a striking image but since it has been edited, (using the cut out option on adobe photoshop) the image is not clear and the audience will feel compelled to take a closer look at the poster. We decided to use the image of Simon holding a gun and smoking as it has a very stylised iconographical connotations of violence. Also as Simon plays one of the main characters Bubba it sets his role out as an integral. Part of the narrative. We Wanted the image of Bubba with a gun smoking to be the image that people think of when the film is mentioned. The picture of Conrad on the video cover is also very striking we opted for this for several reasons. The first reason was that we wanted to show that the film was not just about the exploits of Bubba but, other characters also hold an integral part in the narrative Conrad who plays a character of the same name represents Bubbas main obstacle in that he wants out of the gang and Bubba being the leader doesnt want that to happen. We use a stereotypical image of an east Asian male (ninja) because it gives the audience a familiar image. This is because audiences feel safer when they see something that they expect to see. However this may cause some problems with regard to genre as it could be compared with the martial arts genre. We decided to use more ambiguous pictures on the back cover to make the audience take a closer look at what is happening. The top picture is of a drug deal taking place next to a dark alley the bottom is of mark assisting in a gang related kidnapping in order to help out Conrad. The synopsis grabs peoples attention and also is set within the parameters of gang films typical narrative of a struggle by one or more people to get out of the culture and make a better life for themselves whilst someone is trying to stop them(boyz n the hood) The first still is that of Simon with the gun smoking (the image that the poster was based on) we did this because we wanted this image to be the main one that the film is associated with. This clearly represents Bubba as a violent character who is in a position of power. This is because the picture was taken as a point of view shot from someone who Bubba is threatening with a gun. Having power is a classic trait of gang leaders in both gangster and gang movies. The second still of Conrad with swords is similar to the front cover of the video. We used this simply to give a representation of violence also it shows him as a strong character but also shows that his mentality is still in gang culture. The third still is of Bubba holding a gun to a rival gang members head while the gang member holds a knife to Bubbas throat. We decided to use this in order to show an action scene. This image works because it shows a confrontation, also it again shows Bubbas power-he is holding a gun while his opponent has a knife the gun obviously being a more powerful weapon. The fourth still is of Mark (Aris) on his own looking sad/angry. We used this image to represent Marks character. As Mark is a sad character and generally alone in the narrative this image reflects that well. The narrative follows the convention that a film starts at the beginning then has a middle then the end. The theory of Bordwell and Thompson that narrative follows a pattern of cause and effect. This theory is particularly relevant to gang films as the narratives often work on tit for tat violence between different gangs or gangs and the police(eg Conrad wants to get out of the gang so Bubba takes action to try and keep him in the gang). Though originally we had set out to create a Gangster movie in the Godfather vein as our production advanced it became clear that the images we had took deviated far enough from the traditional gangster movie that it was now a gang movie. The difference between the two is that Gangster movies are more stylish and the characters wear expensive suits where gang movies deal with the working/under class. Our film does contain some elements of the traditional Gangster movie particularly the poster but on the whole, the film is of the gang genre. I felt that our promotional package would stand up quite well when compared to the other films. Our poster uses brighter colours, and a image that has been editied using Photoshops Cut-out tool, making it stand out over other films of the Gangster and gangland genre. If it was to be compared with the poster of The Godfather, the latter uses darker, moodier imagery and a sharper, clearer picture. The photo for our film is more reminiscent of action films such as Pulp Fiction. People would notice this over other films on the market due to the striking differences, namely the aforementioned differences with the imagery and colour, but also in the way that the cover of the video is bright red, whereas colour to the video sleeves of Gangster films are usually black or darker blue. The picture of Conrad has no distinguishable background from the main red of the red, to make the violent nature of the film stand out and so the viewer is left in no doubt as to what type of film it is, despite the differences in the style of the video cover. The swords he is holding show a bit of variety from the usual gun-related style of films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Reservoir Dogs. This will make the film more appealing to people who are tired of the current Guy Ritchie-inspired trend of British gangster movies. The masculinity and violence implied in the picture at the front of the video case would make the film appeal to a typically male audience, that is not too high in excess of the 18 age certificate in the video. However, it does not stray from all the conventions of films of this genre, to make it clear to the potential audience that it is a gangster film. The poster shows shot shows Bubba pointing a gun straight out of the camera, at the audience. This makes him very reminiscent of Samuel L. Jackson, in Pulp Fiction, and the cigarette and gun have similar iconography to a lot of elements of Quentin Tarintinos films. There is a lot of reasons why the film industry would be interested in a film such as this. Due to the variety of ethnicities involved in the film, it will appeal to a wide-range of backgrounds, thus not alienating a particular ethnic group. This would appeal to a film company because it could feel that its films are satisfying a wide audience. As the actors are reasonably young, the film may appeal to a young male audience, who would enjoy seeing a Gangsters film starring a group of people their age. Also, with the success of Guy Ritchies Lock, Stock nd Snatch British gangster films, these type of films are currently a very popular trend, and would appeal to a wide range of socio-economic groups, most young males below the class A group would be interested in viewing such a film. Once we had completed our promotional package, we presented the end products to an audience. For the most part, the response we got was quite positive. In particular, the poster got a very good reaction. Th e audience said that the unconventional image was striking, and led an air of ambiguity that enticed them into wanting to know more about the film. The video cover, on the other hand, got a mixed response. Although people generally agreed that the main image on the front was striking, and caught their attention, many people thought that the image had connotations of a martial arts film. People felt the pictures on the back worked reasonably well. They felt the picture of Steve and Aris kidnapping a girl was affective, as it showed the crime and the action involved in the film, which leaves people curious as to what happens as the narrative develops further. People also commented that the video sleeve was red, which made it stand out against other films, which usually have a very dark or white sleeve colour. People found the still of Bubba smoking (the still image which the poster was derived fromof the) effective, as it reminded them of similar films in the genre, such as Pulp Fiction. The pictures made him look aggressive and powerful, while the gun pointing in the direction of the camera struck people as being very personal. We had one comment that the photograph looked comical, and was too similar to Quentin Tarintinos famous iconography used in his well known crime films, and could be seen as being formulaic The second still of Bubba and the rival gang member was also well-received. People thought it was a dynamic image that showed the toughness of the characters, as they show no fear in a dramatic stand-off, and the constant aggression in their day-to-day lives. It shows that they live their lives in a cycle of violence, because of the revenge and anger involved in the gang warfare. It also gives people a good idea of what they would expect to see in the film, by sticking to the common codes and conventions used in the film genre. The third still was not as well-received as the others. People once again felt that this was representative of a martial arts film, and not of the type of film it was intended to portray. People did say, however, that it reflected a strong character, one who is not afraid to use violence, and can handle himself with weapons. The fourth still was of Mark. This had a mixed responses, as some people felt that the picture was not captivating, and showed little of the plot, or about the character involved. It does, however, portray the character as miserable, due to the sombre mood of the photograph, and as lonely, due to the fact that he is walking on his own, with nobody around to protect him in the violent atmosphere the film is set in.

How to Use the French Preposition Sans

How to Use the French Preposition Sans The French preposition  sans  means without, indicating a lack in general, an absence, privation or an exclusion.  It can be used with nouns, pronouns, and verbs, and it  appears in many French idiomatic expressions: to signify  without, to express a  condition and to use with an infinitive. Learn how to say homeless, otherwise, barefoot, and more with this partial list of expressions using  sans. There are many, many more. The word sans has also made its way into several English-language terms and expressions, such as  sans serif, describing a font without flourishes or serifs. To Indicate a Lack Il est parti sans moi.He left without me. Sans argent, cest difficile.Its hard without money. sans blagueseriously; all kidding aside; no kidding sans chaussuresbarefoot sans quoi  (informal)otherwise sans attendreright away sans aucun doutewithout a doubt sans additif  additive-free essence sans plomblead-free gasoline sans scrupulesunscrupulous To Say  What Didnt Happen Il est parti sans me parler.He left without saying anything to me.Elle est venue sans à ªtre invità ©e.She came uninvited (without being invited). To Express a Condition Sans mes amis, je serais triste.If it werent for my friends, Id be sad.Sans son assistance, nous ne pourrons pas finir le projet.We wont be able to finished the project without his help. When Used With an Infinitive sans savoirwithout knowing; without being aware   sans plus attendrewithout further ado comprendre sans comprendreto understand without fully understanding To Signify Without and  Translate as un____ Or ____less   un homme sans abrihomeless man sans coeurheartless une femme sans prà ©jugà ©sunbiased woman sans scrupulesunscrupulous

Sales Promotional Campaign of Turkish Airlines Essay

Sales Promotional Campaign of Turkish Airlines - Essay Example Because of the company's success in capturing a larger volume of passenger as compared in 2006, and aims to increase the passenger traffic by 28% this year. (Focus on Travel News, 2007a) For this study, the student will concentrate on examining and analyzing the sales promotion campaign that has occurred in Turkish Airlines over the past two years. In the process of discussing the sales promotional campaigns made by Turkish Airlines, the student will concentrate on applying the marketing principles in each promotional activity that will be discussed in the study. The main purpose of sales promotion is to stimulate consumers' interest in developing a long-term business relationship with the airline company. (Kotler, 2000: p. 598) As a result of providing the general public with free management-advisory service with regards to the products and services offered by Turkish Airlines, sales manager are expected to develop sales promotional strategies that could attract new customers and/or frequent brand switchers. In most cases, this can be done by offering the public with low price yet high quality services. As soon as sales managers are able to capture a portion of its target market, managers should be able to satisfy the customers' individual needs to increase loyalty of its customers. For Turkish Airlines to be able to develop and implement effective sales promotional activities, sales managers should carefully identify its target market and target audience for each sales promotional campaign. Even though the target markets of Turkish Airlines are the local and international travellers, a large portion of its sales have been reported to be coming from the local citizens of Turkey. (Ogutcu, 1998) For this reason, the company should also focus on reaching the international markets to enable the company increase its global market shares. Offers '111 on Specific Destinations Since December 2006, Turkish Airlines declared to offer a one-month special destination sales promotional campaign at '111 on economy class and '333 on business class each month. (Focus on Travel News, 2007c, 2007e, 2007h, 2007i) By publicly announcing special destination promo throughout the entire month, Turkish Airlines was able to effectively capture the interests of the local citizens

The extended analysis about Aren't You Happy for Me Essay

The extended analysis about Aren't You Happy for Me - Essay Example Another writer that considers the twists and turns of existence is Nuruddin Farah. Like ‘Aren’t You Happy for Me?’, Farah’s ‘My Father, the Englishman, and I’ considers the complexities of life and familial relations. Specifically this story traces a child’s remembrance of interacting with an Englishman at a treating signing occasion. This essay examines the specific narrative, symbolic, and metaphorical techniques Bausch implements in creating meaning in ‘Aren’t You Happy for Me?’ and the literary techniques Farah implements in ‘My Father, the Englishman, and I’. While Bausch explicates the story in a clear way, the narrative is structured as to heighten the meaning. One of the overarching recognitions, in these regards, is the way Bausch constructs the story in a suspenseful way. Perhaps the most prominent means that Bausch constructs the story to gain suspense is by having the daughter gradually reveal more information about her situation. In this way, the story begins with the daughter teaching her father to pronounce someone’s name. This way the reader immediately begins to question what is occurring in the story. This method is implemented as a major plot device throughout much of the text. Another means of expanding suspense throughout the story is through the daughter, Melanie, gradually informing her father of the full extent of her sensational situation. In this way, she begins by informing her father that she is getting engaged. Following this revelation she indicates that she is also pregnant. The final revelation, however, is that the man she is marrying and having a child with is actually sixty-three years old. Melanie states, â€Å"She took a breath. "Dad, William's sixty - he's - he's sixty - sixty-three years old" (Bausch). In this way Bausch situates the information that is revealed in a progressive way as a means of heightening the tension and suspense thr oughout the story. While the development of suspense is a major narrative technique, Bausch also particularly cognizant of the way that information is revealed to different characters, as well as the reader. Indeed, the story remains strongly linked to the means that the information is revealed to particular characters. One of the most prominent concerns in terms of the way information is revealed is the way that the mother is away from the events on the phone. During the early portions of the story she is only referenced in the garden outside. Bausch writes, â€Å"Outside the window, his wife, with no notion of what she was about to be hit with, looked through the patterns of shade in the blinds and, seeing him, waved† (Bausch). In this instance, Bausch not only indicates the wife is unaware of the events, but uses her ignorance as a means of creating an ironic statement; this may also function as criticism of the patriarchal household, where women actively assume a subordin ate role. An additional concern is the recognition that the reader remains ignorant of the daughter’s new in the same way that the father remains ignorant. Namely, at the same time Melanie reveals information to the father the reader discovers this information. Ultimately then Bausch’s use of suspense thoroughly allows the reader to experience the father’s state of surprise. While the narrative elements of suspense and information are highly important in the text, Bausch also pays particular attention to other means of