Escape Essay

All day long Orloff had paced his cell. The blackness of the sky outside was equaled only by the blackness of his thoughts. The deep rolling of the thunder reverberated through the thick stone walls of his prison, and every now and then a fitful gust of rain swirled through the tiny broken window, wetting his face as he stared out into the night. Orloff cursed, wiped the water from his face with his grimy fingers, and turned to pacing his cell once more. For seven long years Orloff had been thus confined – but a small fraction of the life sentence he was serving for the horrible crime he had committed. But at times he had asked himself, â€Å"Was it not worth it, after all?† He could still feel the wet, warm blood trickling between his fingers, and see the whites of his victim’s eyes. Then, too, there was that great day of the trial, when so many officials, in their splendid uniforms and gold braid, and so many beautiful women, clad in their furs and satins, had gazed at him, horror-struck, unable to avert their eyes from his face, or miss one word that fell from his lips†¦At such times Orloff would rub his hands and smile to himself, in memory of that great day. But tonight Orloff was in a different mood. Black despair and vengeance reigned supreme in his soul; he wished only to escape, in order that he might seek out his destroyers and in turn destroy them. His steps became more feverishly agitated; perspiration gathered on his forehead and he clenched his hands until the nails bit into his flesh and little trickles of blood oozed from between his fingers. A brilliant lightning flash illuminated the far wall of his cell –lighting it as it had never been lighted before. Orloff’s eyes became riveted upon a huge stone, on the lowest tier†¦Were his eyes deceiving him, or had he in truth seen a tiny crack surrounding it, as though the cement had been scraped away or altogether removed? Hardly daring to breathe he tip-toed across the room and fell on his knees before the stone, feeling its edges with his blood-stained fingers. Yes, there was a deep crevice surrounding it. And, what was more, the stone was loose. Orloff tugged at it, scraping the flesh from his fingers, sweat pouring from his face and matted hair†¦It moved†¦He pulled the great stone from its place and peered into the blackness beyond. Another lightning flash showed him what he had hardly dared hope for – a passage in the rock, leading downward from his place of torment. On the floor was a piece of paper, folded and yellow with age. With trembling fingers he carried it to the window, through which shone the faint rays of a lamp in the courtyard below, and there unfolded it. On it was a brief message, apparently written with some dark red fluid. For the first time in his life Orloff was glad that he had been made to read, if only a little. For on the paper was written: â€Å"I escaped by this passage. May he who finds this share my good fortune.† It was signed S.K. The tramp of the sentry’s feet resounded outside the door of his cell. Orloff threw himself over the stone till the footsteps had died away; then he thrust his head and shoulders into the opening, and began slowly to worm his way along the narrow passage before him. The walls of the passage were wet with slime and mould, and sharp, jagged rocks protruded, tearing Orloff’s clothes and scratching deep into his flesh†¦But of all this Orloff knew nothing. His eyes were gleaming, but only one thought was present in his mind –escape. He dug his bloody fingers into the mud and pushed himself steadily forward, flat on his stomach, like a serpent. As he advanced, the floor of the passage became steeper and steeper, sloping at an ever-greater angle. The walls became yet wetter and more slimy and the jagged rocks bit deeper into his writhing limbs. Foot after foot Orloff propelled himself along this narrow, sloping path. His breath came in short gasps, while the darkness seemed to become ever more intense. For one moment he paused, an agonizing fear shooting through him. He realized that it would be impossible for him ever to ascend that sloping passage to regain his cell. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Then, he clenched his teeth and propelled himself forward with the superhuman strength of despair. A sharp bend in the passage revealed a sight which made him gasp. A faint circular opening in the distance permitted the rays of the moon –which had fitfully begun to shine –to penetrate the stygian blackness. The end of the passage lay before him. Victory –escape! The cold night air fanned his face; he urged himself onward in a last desperate effort. The passage became ever more sloping as he advanced. His body was inclined at a sickening angle. Strange streaks of blackness seemed to cross his vision, as he half fell, half slid the few feet which yet remained to be traversed. Orloff’s head crashed into something hard, which half stunned him. A moment later he opened his eyes, and saw before him a heavily barred iron grating, and – a skeleton.

Drama coursework Essay

The two pieces I have chosen to compare are; ‘Twelfth Night’, written by Shakespeare and another piece ‘Complications’, devised by my group about confusion. I recognise that ‘Twelfth Night’ being such an old play has been presented and performed in various ways and I am focusing on just one film and play therefore some of the information may be irrelevant to some particular portrayals of the play. The pieces show similar story lines however being set in to very different eras they also show some vast differences. Our modern version of the piece was set in the 21st century; and ‘Twelfth Night’ was set in the 16th century (Shakespearean times). This already implies that both plays will show very different views and perceptions to the characters, their personalities and approaches, also they may show different reactions to situations. Both pieces are about two siblings and confusion of them and who they are. In ‘Twelfth Night’ both characters knew of their existence however at that time did not recognise each other and did not know who they were, however in our piece both characters although knowing each other did not know of their relationship with one another (being twins). ‘Twelfth Night’ forced the ‘sister’, Viola to dress up as a man in order to get a job to seek her brother however, in the modern version, sexism is not an issue now as they are both girls and they are both accepted for their diverse characters. Nowadays parents in a relationship both parents are often of the same status and importance, for example: job recognition, how they are treated by society; something that was not common in the past. In focus of culture, ‘Twelfth Night’ portrays Viola and Sebastian of having alike behaviour, this could be due to the fact that they were brought up together in the same circumstances however the behaviour of the two sisters in our play are completely opposite. One character is quiet and does not argue back whereas the other sister argues and is very feisty. The characters in our play ‘confusion’ are also brought up with different types of parents; one set of parents quiet and calm towards each other, the other a single mother in a ‘high flying’ job. This contrasts with ‘Twelfth Night’ as there women could not get a job and this mother has a great busy job, continuously dressed in suits. Even now; business people are still stereotypically thought of as being men however it has evolved considerably in the last 20 years. In our play there is the role of ‘the other women’ whom the father went off with when the original mother and father split up. This would be frowned upon in the 16th century as they are expected to put up with any grief or misery they encounter, not saying that all of them were unhappy; however now in the 21st century it is seen as acceptable and people believe that nobody should be treated differently and have more priority in a relationship and it is about both people regardless of their sex. People in the 16th century were expected to live with their husbands and act under and listen to whatever they said however now times have developed and changed considerably; women are much more independent; even though most society portrays a certain perspective there are always the odd character, in ‘Twelfth Night’ Olivia shows great independence and has the confidence to live her life alone however as society views women differently and inferior she felt the need to dress up as a man in order to get a job; and in ‘complications’ the ‘other woman’ shown is not as independent as the original mother. ‘Twelfth Night’ is a comedy, some characters more comical than others as with any drama; however our play ‘Complications’ although some comical events occur the drama is more of a serious nature, it was a play that showed the change of two young girls; when they found out that their parents had lied to them and there was more to them than what they were presented, for example the existence of their other twin and mother and father. In the plays there were some unrealistic scenarios given for example; if you saw your sister that you had spent your whole childhood with, dressed up as a boy you would be able to tell; as in ‘Twelfth Night’ and it is not very likely that your divorced parents would meet up and the father would not notice the same house when approaching it. Although not always realistic both story lines are effective and do have other meanings throughout them and still keep us gripped to the situation happening. Costumes in both plays are not similar but do reflect the times they were devised in. ‘Twelfth Night’ has costumes such as tights and long socks for men, something that you would not see in modern times and tight dresses for the women, finished with a big hairstyle and occasionally a hat; although this is seen now the dresses would not curve in as much at the waist nowadays. Mostly the people are dressed similarly to their stereotypical characters, following traditions of men in shirts and trousers, the butlers dressed in suits; similarly to modern times; maids dressed in petticoats, hair in a bun, and slightly ‘tatty’ clothing. In ‘Complications’ the children both dress according to their personal interests; this meaning one dressing in black, ‘punk’ clothing, the other in simple clothing without a particular ‘statement’ which is common in modern children. The mother; a high flying business woman, clothed in posh suits and her mobile phone an accessory to her outfit; the other mother and father mostly stick to jeans and smart clothing as well. That is another difference; in the 16th century a women would not be seen in trousers, a very common item of clothing nowadays. It is seen that the clothing worn by the characters also reflect their statuses and personalities. The themes in both plays are that two siblings are split up and at the end unite together; this is identical in both pieces. They also both use butlers of similar characteristics, although the sister whom the butler works for in ‘Complications’ is rather unpleasant to the butler, the well behaved, polite twin sister is very kind to him; similar to in ‘Twelfth Night’ in which Olivia and her butler get along however many of the other characters have a problem with him. In conclusion one could say that both drama performances have similarities and differences but it is what makes them both individual pieces, they also show different aspects of life and show different events very effectively. For example; ‘Twelfth Night’ shows many comical events as when Malvolio gets taken into a mental institute after being tricked by the other characters, and in ‘Complications’ when the twin living with the ‘step-mother’ confronts her, it is a very emotional scene but it is one that could happen in real life.

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Management decisions and ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management decisions and ethics - Essay Example The company’s responsibility to the environment also has stayed undeterred over the years. Being a steward of our natural resources, the company has been and will continue being committed to environmental sustainability to ensure that our home is protected and taken care of (Korhonen 25-39). It has always been our commitment to leave a positive impact on the environment our mining operations takes place. This environment includes the people or the community with which we interact. The people around us have for a long time been employed in the company and their families and the community enjoying the company’s contribution in healthcare and education. By striving to do what is right always, Massey Energy has always been venturing into deals that bring aboard personnel and equipment that are supportive in attaining the vision of protecting the workers and the environment. These activities among others are based on the long-held principle by the company of maintaining focus on the fundamentals of the mining activities while still making sure that these activities are within the sound ethical and legal business practices. Our safety strategy popularly known as â€Å"S-1† (safety first) instills in the company a culture of safety. This strategy has brought into play a well-developed process that involves training, mentoring and monitoring risk reduction and innovation. Through a regular and comprehensive assessment of the safety situation, the company has been in a position to ensure a stable and safe workforce. Currently, the corporate culture of the company is based on the priorities of safety, ethics and excellence, having treasured the people for the last fifty years. First, the company has always sought to be the employer of choice in the region. By considering the workers as an integral part of the company, we choose to refer to them as â€Å"members." We also ensure that we

Constitutional and Administrative Law Coursework Essay

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Marriage (ritual) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

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