Analysis of Red Sorghum Essay - 4041 Words

Analysis of Red Sorghum WHEN Zhang Yimou made his directorial debut, Zhang Yimou made his directorial debut, Red Sorghum, in 1987, he was better known as a cinematographer whose talent had been crucial to the success of critically acclaimed films like Zhang Junzhaos One and Eight (1984, released 1987) and Chen Kaiges Yellow Earth (1984). Not only did Red Sorghum become a seminal film of the Fifth Generation, it also won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 1988, becoming the first mainland Chinese film ever to be awarded the highest honour at a major international film competition. Set in the 1920s and 30s in northern China, Red Sorghums narrative centres on the fate of a young woman who is forced to marry a rich old leper but who†¦show more content†¦Gong Li, who has since become Chinas most well-known female star, confesses that she can easily identify with the headstrong Nine: Jiu dares to act and take responsibility for her actions; she dares to love and hate. She is fearless. I think our temperaments are similar. I was interested in the role and was confident I could play it well.(1) In this scene, Nines impassive features reveal a hint of defiance and a touch of boredom as she sits in brooding silence. Parting the red curtain before her ever so slightly, she seems to be mesmerised by the sight of the bare, muscular back belonging to one of the sedan carriers whom we later know as Yu, the narrators grandfather (played with finesse by Jiang Wen). The seemingly innocuous image of sexual curiosity provides the first suggestion of Nines eroticism. The sedan chair carriers, all earthy and muscular peasants, tease Nine about her impending fate as the wife of Big Head Li, their leprous boss. Nine, too proud to reply to their jibing, obstinately remains silent. Wishing to break down her reserve and at the same time acting in accordance with the local custom, the men jolt the wedding sedan chair and make fun of the bride in a raucous song. As they sing and dance in synchronized steps with clouds of sand and dust flying around them, the revellers create a mythical image of solidarity,Show MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis : Red Sorghum 1223 Words   |  5 Pages1. If the definition world literature as a â€Å"window on the world†, I believe Mo Yan’s Red Sorghum could be that window to show the more representative Chinese culture to the world. Mo Yan s â€Å"Red Sorghum† uses a large number of high-density folk cultur e description and full of unique geographical features, which bring wealth of aesthetic experience to the readers. Meanwhile, the application of folklore culture in the novel makes the story more real, shaping the characters more vivid and revealingRead More Third Cinema in China: Yellow Earth Essay1822 Words   |  8 Pagesworking definition of Third Cinema is possible in the case of Chinese cinema. The fifth generation of Chinas film-makers is credited in making films such as Yellow Earth, Farewell my Concubine, and The Blue Kite, as well as Raise the Red Lantern and Red Sorghum. While not all films made by the fifth generation are necessarily of a Third Cinema, many of them offer critique, drawing upon tactics to raise social or political consciousness. Yellow Earth s characterization as Third Cinema lies in itsRead MoreAnalysis Of Farewell My Concubine By Lillian Lee1677 Words   |  7 PagesThe postcolonial period characterized the analysis of various gender roles as impose d in the overall theatrical convention regarding men who impersonated women in the Chinese films. In the film namely ‘’Farewell my Concubine,’’ gives a description of what initially started as something that meant well in artistic and cultural tradition of the east but was later turned into feminization of the genders in the society. Chen Kaige directed the movie in the year 1993. It is based on novel done by LillianRead MoreThe Effects Of Nitrogen On The Dairy Industry1802 Words   |  8 Pagesdiphenylamine and Gries test were completed on bodily fluids such as ocular fluid, blood serum, amniotic fluid, and urine. Gries test for nitrate is an accurate test which is sensitive as the reaction is specific; if nitrates are present then the sample turns red. Furthermore, blood collected by venipuncture in live moribund animals was a chocolate brown colour, which is pathognomonic of nitrate poisoning, thus eliminating the possibility of cyanide poisoning (Bint a and Mushi, 2012). It was stated that environmentalRead MoreImpact of Radio and Television Advertising on Consumer Behaviour Special Referance on Consumer Durable Goods5906 Words   |  24 Pagesthe  fermented  juice  of  grapes,  made  in  many  varieties,  such  as  red,  white,  sweet,  dry,  still,  andsparkling,  for  use  as  a  beverage,  in  cooking,  in  religious  rites,  etc.,  and  usually  having  an  alcoholiccontent  of  14  percent  or  less. 2. a  particular  variety  of  such  fermented  grape  juice:  port  and  sherry  wines. 3. the  juice,  fermented  or  unfermented,  of  various  other  fruits  or  plants,  used  as  a  beverage,  sauce,etc.:  gooseberry  wine;  currant  wine. 4. a  dark  reddish  color,  as  of  red  wines. 5. Pharmacology  ,  vinum. WineRead MoreMarketing and Guinness3528 Words   |  15 Pagesoutstanding stout. Guinness has succeeded in growing into the world’s number one stout brewer. In 2000 its overseas sales overtook Irish and British sales, for the first time and these numbers have continued to grow ever since. Situational Analysis Company Analysis Goals Diageo as a company are constantly striving to reach new goals, to improve the Guinness brand and quality of the product. In recent times the global economic environment has taken a downturn, which has meant that the company has hadRead MorePolicy And Institutional Frameworks On Vegetable Seed Production And Distribution Systems6871 Words   |  28 PagesPackage for Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0 statistical package and used for the analysis. This article emanates mostly from qualitative analysis of the interface between primary and secondary data which culminates to informing policy processes. Generally, information on vegetable seeds in most field actions and policy documents is very weak. Therefore this article has brought out these loop holes using a qualitative analysis informed from primary and secondary data collected in the action sites. It isRead MoreThe Effects Of Soil Management On Environmental Quality And Production Of Agriculture10666 Words   |  43 Pagesled to the deg radation of the soil in the past. There is a need to develop a generalized assessment tool, which should be able to include the multiple soil functions in different combinations (Idowu et al, 2009). This will include the laboratory analysis, site-specific interpretations, and understanding the effect of management on a particular soil property (Sojka et al, 2003). Soil quality assessment tools usually provide interpretations in the form of scoring curves and indexes (Liebig et al, 2001;Read MoreCountry Risk Analysis of Nigeria8877 Words   |  36 PagesNigerias cities over 1,000,000 Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $292.7 billion; per capita $2,000. Real growth rate: 6.4%. Inflation: 5.5%. Unemployment: 4.9%. Arable land: 33%. Agriculture: cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish. Labor force: 50.13 million; agriculture 70%, industry 10%, services 20% (1999 est.). Industries: crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubberRead MoreThe Influence of Movies and Tv Series on Cultural Stereotypes7562 Words   |  31 PagesPalestinians are dangerous. Chinese are appearing in western media as ignorant, backward and living under oppression. Obviously, imaging products are main media to propagate and strengthen racial cultural stereotypes. In 80s, scholars have made systematical analysis of minorities in mass media. Their study shows that minorities were seldom involved in imaging products. Even though they did appear in movies, they just held an auxiliary position. Their imag es were negative. They were closely related to conflicts

Problems of International Students Essays - 1805 Words

â€Å"In 2006 to 2007, according to the data compiled by the Institute of International Education, 582,984 students from all over the world were enrolled in American colleges and universities in a wide range of fields† (Carter, Paragraph 2, 2008). The United States has the highest number of students who are coming to study abroad than any other countries. Each year, the number of international students coming to the United States to obtain degrees is increasing by thousands, and home countries of these students are primarily India, China and Korea, all located in the whole different continent. But what are the motives of students who are crossing the sea to study? Their goal of studying abroad is to experience diversity and to adapt attitudes†¦show more content†¦For me, art history discussion session is most challenging. I become very nervous the night before the discussion and â€Å"participation grade† is the only word that pops out of my head during every s ession. I start to lose confidence as I observe other students analyzing the art work perfectly. Although participation grade is not based on correctness, I cannot stop worrying about whether what I am thinking is right or wrong and how people are going to think of my accents. Not only do students feel stressful in verbal context, they also face difficulties in essays. Because of their limited vocabulary, students have hard time expressing their knowledge clearly on essay exams or research paper, and the different format of writings preferred in American colleges and universities often confuse international students with their native format of writings (Lin and Yi, Paragraph 7, 1997). For example, while American writings follow a specific structure with a clear main idea, supporting evidence and a conclusion, Eastern Asian writings don’t have a specific format. Also, according to Lin and Yi, many international students are hired as teaching assistants, and students who are e nrolled in their classes can misinterpret due to their accents or incorrect application of language. International students face difficulties in social communication as well as academicShow MoreRelatedProblems Faced by International Students867 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Problems Faces by International Students in the UK Every year there are around 435,000 international students enrolled in universities around the UK (UKCISA). Studying abroad for a lot of these students is a privilege, however it can be a stressful experience for various reasons. There are plenty of challenges, other than language barrier, that these students face, like major culture shock, homesickness, and financial difficultiesRead MoreCultural Adjustment Problems Of International Students Essay1557 Words   |  7 PagesCultural Adjustment Problems of International Students in the US In recent years, studying abroad has become a more attractive thing for young individuals. The number of students who are studying abroad steadily growing. Students who want to improve their knowledge and skills at the top universities of the world or explore different cultures are applying to study abroad programs. Many US colleges and universities are at the top of the rankings of world universities. The quality of education of theRead MoreThe Common Problems Faced By International Students Essay1388 Words   |  6 PagesThe most common problems faced by international students in UK Feeling Homesick You may feel homesick, as do many students, however for international students it is more difficult to deal with. Students from this country may be able to return home for a visit to help alleviate their homesickness. International students are not able to do this. This means that you may need more support than home students. You may need to talk to someone in confidence about how you are feeling. The counselling serviceRead MoreCommon Problems Faced by International Students in the UK955 Words   |  4 Pageshas become an increasingly popular choice for higher education among international students (Accessibility Navigation, 2014). An average of 10% of students in universities all across the UK are international students from countries all over the world. (Accessibility Navigation, 2014). Although the experience is different for each individual student, there are many common problems that international students face. Those problems include: culture shock to varying degrees coupled with emotional issues(BaileyRead MoreThe Problems Faced By The International Students Without A Social Security Number At Pittsburg State University1635 Words   |  7 PagesCHAPTER 2 Review of literature: The problems faced by the International students without a Social Security Number at Pittsburg State University. Introduction The study conducted by Savage (2007) describes when international students arrive in the United States, students are challenged by the many issues: language, academics and they have to adjust to many things like living, making communication, cultures, weather, transportation because they vary from one region to another region (Savage, 2007)Read MoreLanguage Is Not the Only Problem Faced by International Students in the Uk. to What Extent Do You Agree with This Statement?1175 Words   |  5 PagesLanguage is not the only problem faced by international students in the UK. To what extent do you agree with this statement? International students are very important for the economic growth of the UK. Number of international students in UK was about 405,910 in 2009 and in 2010 it increased up to 428,225 (which is about 6%). These students play a very important role in UK’s economy and bring huge income to the country. Shane Spiers, managing director of UNITE says The UKs higher educationRead MoreThe Challenges Facing International Students in Higher Education1294 Words   |  6 Pageschallenges facing international students in higher education and suggest some possible solutions. Tutor Name: Kinga Maior Student ID Number: 2060494 Date of Submission: Thursday 2nd May 2013 Word Count: 1,004 The number of international students studying in the UK has soared over the past decade due to globalization. Paige (1990) defined International students as those individuals who temporarily lived in the foreign countries and received the education as exchanged students. The main reasonRead Moreresearch1351 Words   |  6 Pagesthat applies to international students who travel abroad in search of better education. The research paper will regard and focus on problems that international students generally face at Australian Universities. The research as a whole will also consider various issues such as adjustment issues, cultural shock, language difficulty, understanding the expectation and grading system e.t.c. The motivation behind the research is to bring various problems faced by international students in AustralianRead MoreInternational Students: A Vulnerable Group in Need of Self-Regulation and Community Accommodation1495 Words   |  6 Pagesabroad, which has become a commo n phenomenon, can be a fun and meaningful experience. Many university students are interested in studying abroad because it gives them an opportunity to explore different cultures and broaden their horizons. As Mark Sherry, Peter Thomas and Wing Hong Chui argue in â€Å"International Students: a Vulnerable Student Population,† the goals that students pursue international study are often to acquire different ways of learning and to improve cross-cultural understanding, whichRead MoreInternational Students And The International Student951 Words   |  4 Pagesyou ever thought been an international student? If not you need to be well prepared to know about their issues and problems during their study life. International students who are seeking for the best education have specific needs and services. Every international institution or university must be aware of the international students requirements such as information about the city, the housing and the fees. There are many authenticated surveys have shown that the major student enrollment to the united

The Return Nightfall Chapter 14 Free Essays

Elena woke up the next morning in Stefan’s narrow bed. She recognized this before she was fully awake and hoped to heaven that she had given Aunt Judith some reasonable excuse last night. Last night – the very concept was extremely fuzzy. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Nightfall Chapter 14 or any similar topic only for you Order Now What had she been dreaming to make this wakening seem so extraordinary? She couldn’t remember – jeez, she couldn’t remember anything! And then she remembered everything. Sitting up with a jolt that would have sent her flying off the bed had she attempted it yesterday, she searched her recollections. Daylight. She remembered daylight, full light on her – and she didn’t have her ring. She took a frantic look at both hands. No ring. And she was sitting up in a shaft of sunlight and it wasn’t hurting her. It wasn’t possible. She knew, she remembered with a raw memory that pervaded every cell of her body, that daylight wouldkill her. She had learned that lesson with a single touch of a sunbeam to her hand. She would never forget the searing, scalding pain: the touch had imprinted a behavior on her forever. Go nowhere without the lapis lazuli ring that was beautiful in itself, but more beautiful in the knowledge that it was her savior. Without it, she might, shewould†¦ Oh.Oh. But she alreadyhad , hadn’t she? She’d died. Not simply Changed as she had when she’d become a vampire, but died the true death that no one came back from. In her own personal philosophy, she ought to have disintegrated into nameless atoms, or gone straight to hell. Instead she hadn’t reallygone anywhere. She’d had some dreams about fatherly or motherly people giving her advice – and of wanting very much to help people, who were suddenly much easier to understand. School bully? She had watched sadly as his drunken father took his own outrages out on him night after night. That girl who never got her homework done? She was expected to raise three younger sisters and brothers while her mother lay in bed all day. Just getting the baby fed and cleaned took all the time she had. There was always a reason behind any behavior, and now she could see it. She had even communicated with people through their dreams. And then one of the Old Ones had arrived in Fell’s Church, and it was all she could do to stand his interference in the dreams and not run away. He caused the humans to call for Stefan’s help – and Damon had accidentally been summoned, too. And Elena had helped them all she could even when it had been almost unbearable, because Old Ones knew about love and which buttons to push and how to make your enemies run in all the right directions. But they had fought him – and they had won. And Elena, in trying to heal Stefan’s mortal wounds, had somehow ended up mortal again herself: naked, lying on the ground of the Old Wood, with Damon’s jacket over her, while Damon himself had disappeared without waiting for thanks. And that awakening had been of basic things: things of the senses: touch, taste, hearing, sight – and of the heart, but not of the head. Stefan had been so good to her. â€Å"And now, what am I?† Elena said aloud, staring as she turned her hands over and over, marveling at the solid, mortal flesh that obeyed the laws of gravity. Shehad said that she’d give up flying for him. Someone had taken her at her word. â€Å"You’re beautiful,† Stefan answered absently, not moving. Then suddenly he rocketed up.†You’re talking!† â€Å"I know I am.† â€Å"And making sense!† â€Å"Thank you kindly.† â€Å"And in sentences!† â€Å"I’ve noticed.† â€Å"Go on, then, and say something long – please,† Stefan said as if he didn’t believe it. â€Å"You’ve been hanging out too much with my friends,† Elena said. â€Å"That sentence has Bonnie’s impudence, Matt’s courtesy, and Meredith’s insistence on the facts.† â€Å"Elena, it’s you!† Instead of keeping up the silly dialogue with â€Å"Stefan, itis me!† Elena stopped to think. Then, carefully she got out of bed and took a step. Stefan hastily looked away, handing her a robe.Stefan? Stefan? Silence. When Stefan turned around after a decent interval, he saw Elena kneeling in the sunlight holding the robe. â€Å"Elena?† She knew that to him, she looked like a very young angel in meditation. â€Å"Stefan.† â€Å"But you’re crying.† â€Å"I’m human again, Stefan.† She lifted a hand, let it fall into the clutches of gravity. â€Å"I’m human again. No more, no less. I guess it just took me a few days to get fully back on track.† She looked into his eyes. They were always suchgreen green eyes. Like green crystal with some offside light behind them. Like a summer leaf held up before the sun. I can read your mind. â€Å"But I can’t read yours, Stefan. I can only get a general sense, and even that may be going†¦we can’t count on anything.† Elena, I have all I want in this room.He patted the bed.Sit by me and I can say â€Å"all I want is on this bed.† Instead she got up and threw herself at him, arms around his neck, legs tangled with his. â€Å"I’m still very young,† she whispered, holding him tightly. â€Å"And if you count it in days, we haven’t had many days together like this, but – â€Å" â€Å"I’m still far too old for you. But to be able to look at you and seeyou looking back at me – â€Å" â€Å"Tell me you’ll love me forever.† â€Å"I’ll love you forever.† â€Å"No matter what happens.† â€Å"Elena, Elena – I’ve loved you as mortal, as vampire, as pure spirit, as spiritual child – and now as human again.† â€Å"Promise we’ll be together.† â€Å"We’ll be together.† â€Å"No. Stefan, this isme .† She pointed to her head as if to emphasize that behind her gold-flecked blue eyes there was a bright active mind spinning in overdrive. â€Å"Iknow you. Even if I can’t read your mind I can read your face. All the old fears – they’re back, aren’t they?† He looked away. â€Å"I will never leave you.† â€Å"Not for a day? Not for an hour?† He hesitated and then looked up at her.If that’s what you really want. I won’t leave you, even for an hour. Now he was projecting, she knew, for she could hear him. â€Å"I release you from all your promises.† â€Å"But, Elena, I mean them.† â€Å"I know. But when you do go, I don’t want you to have the guilt of breaking them looming over you as well.† Even without telepathy, she could tell what he was thinking to the tiniest shade of a nuance:Humor her. After all, she’d just woken up. She was probably a little confused. And she wasn’t interested in becoming less confused, or in making him less confused. That must be why she was nipping his chin gently. And kissing him. Certainly, Elena thought, one of the two of them was confused†¦. Time seemed to stretch and then stop around them. And then nothing was confusing at all. Elena knew that Stefan knew what she wanted, and he wanted whatever she wanted him to do. Bonnie stared at the numbers on her phone, concerned. Stefan was calling. Then she ran a hasty hand through her hair, fluffing the curls out, and took the video call. But instead of Stefan it was Elena. Bonnie started to giggle, started to tell her not to play with Stefan’s grown-up toys – and then she stared. â€Å"Elena?† â€Å"Am I going to get this every time? Or only from my sister-witch?† â€Å"Elena?† â€Å"Awake and good as new,† Stefan said, getting in the picture. â€Å"We called as soon as we woke up – â€Å" â€Å"Ele – but it’s noon!† Bonnie blurted out. â€Å"We’ve been occupied with this and that,† Elena cut in smoothly, and oh, wasn’t it good to hear Elena talk that way! Half innocent and wholly smug about it, making you want to shake her and beg her for every wicked detail. â€Å"Elena,†Bonnie gasped, using the nearest wall for support, and then sliding down it, and allowing an armload of socks, shirts, pajamas, and underwear to shower down onto the carpet, while tears began to leak out of her eyes. â€Å"Elena, they said you’d have to leave Fell’s Church – will you?† Elena bridled. â€Å"They saidwhat ?† â€Å"That you and Stefan would have to leave for your own good.† â€Å"Never in this world!† â€Å"Little lovely lo – † began Stefan, and then abruptly he stopped, opening and shutting his mouth. Bonnie stared. It had happened at the bottom of the screen, out of sight, but she could almost swear that Stefan’s little lovely love had just elbowed him in the stomach. â€Å"Ground zero, two o’clock?† Elena was asking. Bonnie snapped back to reality. Elena never gave you time for reflection. â€Å"I’llbe there!† she cried. â€Å"Elena,† Meredith breathed. And then â€Å"Elena!† like a half-chocked sob. â€Å"Elena!† â€Å"Meredith. Oh, don’t make me cry, this blouse is pure silk!† â€Å"It’s pure silk because it’s my pure silk sari blouse, that’s why!† Elena suddenly looked as innocent as an angel. â€Å"You know, Meredith, I seem to have grown much taller lately – â€Å" â€Å"If the end of that sentence is ;;so it really fitsme better'† – Meredith’s voice was threatening – â€Å"then I’m warning you, Elena Gilbert†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She broke off, and both girls began to laugh and then to cry. â€Å"You can have it! Oh, you can have it!† â€Å"Stefan?† Matt waved his phone – first cautiously, then banging it into the wall of the garage. â€Å"I can’t see – † He stopped, swallowed. â€Å"E-le-na?† The word came out slowly, with a pause between each syllable. â€Å"Yes, Matt. I’m back. Even up here.† She pointed to her forehead. â€Å"Will you meet with us?† Matt, leaning on his newly purchased, almost-running car, was muttering, â€Å"Thank God, thank God,† over and over. â€Å"Matt? I can’t see you. Are you okay?† Shuffling sounds. â€Å"I think he fainted.† Stefan’s voice: â€Å"Matt? Shereally wants to see you.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah.† Matt lifted his head up, blinking at the phone. â€Å"Elena, Elena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I’m so sorry, Matt. You don’t have to come – â€Å" Matt laughed shortly. â€Å"Are yousure you’re Elena?† Elena smiled the smile that had broken a thousand hearts. â€Å"In that case – Matt Honeycutt, I insist that you come and meet with us at Ground Zero at two o’clock. Is that more like it?† â€Å"I think you’ve almost got it down. The old Elena Imperial Manner.† He coughed theatrically, sniffed, and said, â€Å"Sorry – I’ve got a little cold; or allergies, maybe.† â€Å"Don’t be silly, Matt. You’re bawling like a baby and so am I,† Elena said. â€Å"And so were Bonnie and Meredith, when I called them. SoI’ve been crying nearly all day – and at this rate I’ll have to scramble to get a picnic ready and be on time. Meredith’s planning to pick you up. Bring something to drink or eat. Love ya!† Elena put down the phone, breathing hard. â€Å"Nowthat was tough.† â€Å"He still loves you.† â€Å"He’d rather that I stayed a baby all my life?† â€Å"Maybe he liked the way you used to say  ¡Ã‚ ®hello’ and ;;good-bye.'† â€Å"Now you’re teasing me.† Elena quivered her chin. â€Å"Never in this world,† Stefan said softly. Then, suddenly, he grabbed her hand. â€Å"Come on – we’re going shopping for a picnic and a car, too,† he said, pulling her up. Elena startled both of them by flying up so quickly that Stefan had to grab her by the waist to keep her from shooting toward the ceiling. â€Å"I thought you had gravity!† â€Å"So did I! What do I do?† â€Å"Think heavy thoughts!† â€Å"What if it doesn’t work?† â€Å"We’ll buy you an anchor!† At two o’clock Stefan and Elena arrived at the Fell’s Church graveyard in a brand-new red Jaguar; Elena was wearing dark glasses under a scarf with all her hair pinned up under it, a muffler around her lower face, and black lace mitts borrowed from Mrs. Flowers’ younger days, which she admitted she didn’t know why she was wearing. She made quite a picture, Meredith said, with the violet sari top and jeans. Bonnie and Meredith had already spread a cloth for a picnic, and the ants were sampling sandwiches and grapes and low-fat pasta salad. Elena told the story of how she had woken up this morning, and then there was more hugging and kissing and crying than the males could stand. â€Å"You want to see the woods around here? Check if those malach things are around?† Matt said to Stefan. â€Å"They’d better not be,† Stefan said. â€Å"If the trees this far from where you had your accident are infested – â€Å" â€Å"Not good?† â€Å"Serious trouble.† They were about to go when Elena called them back. â€Å"You can stop looking all male and superior,† she added. â€Å"Suppressing your emotions isbad for you. Expressing them keeps you well balanced.† â€Å"Listen, you’re tougher than I thought,† Stefan said. â€Å"Having picnics at a cemetery?† â€Å"We used to find Elena here all the time,† Bonnie said, pointing to a nearby headstone with a celery stick. â€Å"It’s my parents’ gravesite,† Elena explained simply. â€Å"After the accident – I always felt closer to them here than anywhere. I would come here when things got bad, or when I needed to have a question answered.† â€Å"Did you ever get any answers?† Matt asked, taking a home-preserved cucumber pickle from a glass jar and passing the jar on. â€Å"I’m not sure, even now,† Elena said. She had taken off the dark glasses, muffler, headscarf, and mitts. â€Å"But it always made me feel better. Why? Do you have a question?† â€Å"Well – yeah,† Matt said unexpectedly. Then he flushed as he suddenly found himself the center of attention. Bonnie rolled over to stare at him, the stalk of celery at her lips, Meredith scooted in, Elena sat up. Stefan, who had been leaning against an elaborate headstone with unconscious vampire grace, sat down. â€Å"What is it, Matt?† â€Å"I was going to say, you don’t look right today,† Bonnie said anxiously. â€Å"Thankyou ,† Matt snapped. Tears pooled in Bonnie’s brown eyes. â€Å"I didn’t mean – â€Å" But she didn’t get to finish. Meredith and Elena drew in protectively around her in the solid phalanx of what they called â€Å"velociraptor sisterhood.† It meant that anybody messing with one of them was messing with them all. â€Å"Sarcasm instead of chivalry? That’s hardly the Matt I know.† Meredith spoke with one eyebrow raised. â€Å"She was only trying to be sympathetic,† Elena pointed out quietly. â€Å"And that was a cheap comeback.† â€Å"Okay, okay! I’m sorry – reallysorry, Bonnie† – he turned toward her, looking ashamed – â€Å"It was a nasty thing to say and I know you were only trying to be nice. I just – I don’t really know what I’m doing or saying. Anyway, do you want to hear the thing,† he finished, looking defensive, â€Å"or not?† Everyone did. â€Å"Okay, here it is. I went to visit Jim Bryce this morning – you remember him?† â€Å"Sure. I went out with him. Captain of the basketball team. Nice guy. A little bit young, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meredith shrugged. â€Å"Jim’s okay.† Matt swallowed. â€Å"Well, it’s just – I don’t want to gossip or anything, but – â€Å" â€Å"Gossip!† the three girls commanded him in unison, like a Greek chorus. Matt quailed. â€Å"Okay, okay! Well – I was supposed to be over there at ten o’clock, but I got there a little early, and – well, Caroline was there. She was leaving.† There were three little shocked gasps and a sharp look from Stefan. â€Å"You mean you think she spent the night with him?† â€Å"Stefan!† Bonnie began. â€Å"This isn’t how proper gossip goes. You never just outright say what you think – â€Å" â€Å"No,† Elena said evenly. â€Å"Let Matt answer. I can remember enough from before I could talk to be worried about Caroline.† â€Å"More than worried,† Stefan said. Meredith nodded. â€Å"It’s not gossip; it’s necessary information,† she said. â€Å"Okay, then.† Matt gulped. â€Å"Well, yeah, that was what I thought. He said she’d come early to see his little sister, but Tamra is only about fifteen. And he turned bright red when he said it.† There were sober glances between the others. â€Å"Caroline’s always been†¦well, sleazy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Bonnie. â€Å"But I’ve never heard that she even gave Jim a second glance,† finished Meredith. They looked to Elena for an answer. Elena slowly shook her head. â€Å"I certainly can’t see any earthly reason for her visiting Tamra. And besides† – she looked up quickly at Matt – â€Å"you’re holding out on us somehow. What else happened?† â€Å"Somethingmore happened? Did Caroline flash her lingerie?† Bonnie was laughing until she saw Matt’s red face. â€Å"Hey – c’mon, Matt. This isus . You can tell us anything.† Matt drew in a deep breath and shut his eyes. â€Å"Okay, well – as she was going out, I think – I think Caroline†¦propositioned me.† â€Å"She didwhat ?† â€Å"She wouldnever – â€Å" â€Å"How, Matt?† Elena asked. â€Å"Well – Jim thought she’d left, and he went to the garage to get his basketball, and I turned around and suddenly Caroline was back again, and she said – well, it doesn’t matter what she said. But it was about her liking football better than basketball and did I want to be a sport.† â€Å"And what did you say?† Bonnie breathed, fascinated. â€Å"I didn’t say anything. I just stared at her.† â€Å"And then Jim came back?† Meredith suggested. â€Å"No! And then Caroline left – she gave me this look, you know, that made things pretty clear as to what she meant – and thenTami came in.† Matt’s honest face was flaming by now. â€Å"And then – I don’t know how to say it. Maybe Caroline said something about me to make her do it to me, because she – she†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Matt.† Stefan had scarcely spoken until this point; now he leaned forward and spoke quietly. â€Å"We’re not asking just because we want to gossip. We’re trying to find out if there’s something seriously wrong happening in Fell’s Church. So – please – just tell us what happened.† How to cite The Return: Nightfall Chapter 14, Essay examples