RFP's are sick, not dead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RFP's are sick, not dead - Essay Example In simple word RFP is a document used by buyer to solicit proposal from various potential suppliers. Proposal is prepared by suppliers by answering specific queries of buyer in the form of document. For example if a company wants to purchase computer system then they will write and issue Request for Proposal to suppliers. After the RFP is issued by the company then suppliers start responding to it. In the second step company receives and analyzes potential proposals from suppliers and after analyzing proposal they select most specific supplier. Industry report says that suppliers proposing low cost but quality solution to buyer have high probability to crack the deal in comparison to others (Schwalbe, 2010, p. 475). There is no fixed way for companies to select proposals from suppliers and entirely depends on business requirement of buyer. Research scholars suggested that companies should use expectancy value model to select right proposal. In expectancy value model buyers emphasizes on attributes of proposals. According to this model, buyers assign value point on various attributes of a proposal and then summarize total points assigned on potential proposals. ... Generally RFI and RFP include following points. Introduction Background of buyer Information regarding the project Purpose and Scope of RFI Specific Request Qualification of Vendor (Stein, 2006, p. 430) Due date of submitting proposal Confidentiality norms (Whitney, 2011, P. 246) Detailed information of supplier (Langer, 2012, pp. 49-50). Theoretically any company can use RFP for particular project but in low cost project issuing RFP ultimately harts objective of the organization. RFP for project costing below $10,000 can be classified as costly in terms of both staffing and investment (Click, and Duening, 2004, p. 78). Specific situations where buyer needs to issue RFP can be summarized in the following manner. Project cost is more than $10,000. Numerous suppliers are available to provide solution Requirement is complex and needs technical supervision High customization is required for the requested system (Wisner, and Stanley, 2007, p. 324) Substantial cost is associated with maint enance of requested system Multiple agency involvement is required during purchase process (Institute for Law and Justice, 1999). Cost of preparing RFP document is negligible in comparison to overall cost of the process. Problem areas for RFP process can be explained in the following manner. Potential Problems and Issues of RFP Reason Potential Effect Potential Threat No mention of Coordinator in RFP Creates confusion among suppliers and agencies Suppliers may protest against the company and solicitation might get cancelled No clear mention of needs or requirement by the buyer in RFP Suppliers do not respond sufficiently to RFP Buyers might need to reissue RFP with clarified requirement statement Ambiguous proposal requirement Confused vendors send incomplete

Development of a Home Messaging and Communication System Essay Example for Free

Development of a Home Messaging and Communication System Essay This is group coursework. Groups should have between 3 to 5 people. Do only one of the assignments described below. Read everything before you decide which to tackle. Assignment 1 Home Messaging System Many people live in a house or flat with others. People may live fairly independently with different interests and routines, or they may be more closely involved with each others’ lives. Whichever is the case, they will probably need to coordinate their activities with each other. They may benefit from ways of recording and sharing reminders about events such as appointments or significant dates. They may need ways to record and coordinate over tasks such as chores around the place. They may benefit from ways of indicating problems, requests for information or action, ways just saying â€Å"hello† and ‘greasing the wheels’ of communal living, or even ways of addressing conflicts if they occur. The messages people currently leave for each other can take many forms. They may use Post-its, whiteboards, pinboards or other surfaces that can be written on. The practices of information sharing may evolve over many years and are often designed to fit carefully into peoples’ lives. However, written messages may have disadvantages: they tend to be static and not easily updated; they also are fixed in one location, whereas people are mobile and may need access to notes and messages even when they aren’t at the location where the message was created. Coursework Instructions Research, prototype and evaluate a digital Home Messaging device or system that people in a house or flat can use to share the kinds of information they need to coordinate activities with one another and enable good, happy social relations. The details of what they can do will depend on what you find out by doing some user-research. The system you develop should have an interface within a shared space, but may also work in coordination with devices at other locations. Assignment 2 Mobile Museum or Art Gallery System Museums and art galleries make an important contribution to our cultural landscape. A visit to a museum or art gallery can happen for many reasons. People may want to learn, be reflective, to be entertained or to have a fun day out with friends and family. People may have a deep interest in what they will see there or they may just want something to do on a rainy afternoon. Image by EmilySuran (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Digital technology can provide opportunities for enhancing these experiences in a number of ways. They may offer information before a visit. During a visit users might want information or to communicate in some way. Mobile devices can be location-aware. For example, this can be done using QR codes. A QR (Quick Response) code (see image below) is a matrix barcode which can be scanned by a device fitted with a camera (such as a smart phone). A user could scan a code next to an exhibit to launch some location-based service. And after the visit there may be some follow-up activities, perhaps using information about what interested them. A QR code Coursework Instructions Research, prototype and evaluate a system that could be used by people to enhance their experiences in museums and/or art galleries in some way. The service could provide information and/or enhance shared experiences. It could help them learn or make things fun. The system could integrate with a web-based system to allow people to do things before or after a trip. Again, the details of will depend on what you find out by doing some user-research. General Instructions Whichever project you do it must involve the following major activities: 1. user-research 2. prototyping 3. evaluation 4. prototype revision In other words, follow an iterative design approach. Each step should inform the next. It should be clear how the research has informed the design, and how the evaluation has informed the revised design. As an alternative to traditional user-research methods you might like to try auto ethnography. Auto ethnography is an approach which seeks to describe and systematically analyse personal experience. If you do this you will be graded on the methods you use to acquire and analyse useful experiences and the quality of the insights that this gives you. For any activity that involves human participants you must complete a Middlesex University School of Engineering and Information Sciences Research Consent (Form C) and a Declaration Form and Ethical Approval Request (Form D). Have your consent form approved by your tutor before you start each phase of user engagement and have them sign your form D. The forms can be found in the ‘Useful Forms’ section of the Middlesex University, School of EIS Ethics Research Webpage. Assessment The work will be assessed in parts: Group Progress Review Presentation – 25% of total mark The presentation should describe the work you have done and your plans for completing the assignment. Group members will only receive a mark if they make a reasonable contribution to the presentation, with each receiving the same mark. Individual Final Report – 75% of total mark The final report should be no more than 4000 words (not including appendixes). Each group member will receive an individual mark. The report should be structured as follows (maximum marks awarded are shown in brackets as a percentage of marks awarded for the report): * Introduction (10%) * User Research (15%) * Prototype (15%) * Evaluation (15%) * Prototype revision (10%) * Discussion (10%) * Appendices containing all appropriate ethics forms1 (15%) An additional 10% will be awarded for presentation of the report. All marks will depend on the separate submission of your raw data. [ 1 ]. http://www.eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/groups/Alert/Ethics_Research/forms.html

Sacrament Of Reconciliation

Sacrament Of Reconciliation So lets define the difference between apology, forgiveness and reconciliation. The following definition is from the Webster Dictionary. Apology is a formal justification, defense, excuse; an admission of error accompanied by an expression of regret. It implies an attempt to avoid or remove blame or censure. Steve Cornell posted on the web a really great insight into the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Here he summarizes a key distinction: Its possible to forgive someone without offering immediate reconciliation. Its possible for forgiveness to occur in the context of ones relationship with God apart from contact with his/her offender. But reconciliation is focused on restoring broken relationships. And where trust is deeply broken, restoration is a process-sometimes, a lengthy one. So why the importance of distinguishing the difference? Steve continues to explain why recognizing the difference is important: The process of reconciliation depends on the attitude of the offender, the depth of the betrayal, and the pattern of offense. When an offended party works toward reconciliation, the first and most important step is the confirmation of genuine repentance on the part of the offender (Luke 17:3). So another word that can be used for reconciliation is Transformation. So when we sin we separate ourselves from Gods love or put a barrier between God and ourselves. We have deliberately, by our own free will, performed an act of disobedience against God. We can apologize to God, but it does not hold the person accountable to change or transformation of oneself. But if we ask for forgiveness resulting in reconciliation, we then are asked by God for a commitment to change in which a transformation takes place of ones lifestyle. The sacrament of reconciliation can also be used as a sacrament of healing. A healing of not only our spiritual self but also our emotional and psychological being. Sin leaves ugly scars on a person. These scars can be emotional and psychological which can have physical effects. A person can go to a physician and be healed from the physical aspect but if the scars go deeper into the spiritual being of a person then one is not completely healed. A good example are women who have had an abortion. No term can adequately express the heartbreak that abortion causes, but for the purposes of identification we will call it Post-Abortion Trauma. Common feelings associated with Post-Abortion Trauma include guilt, grief, anger and regret. These feelings frequently manifest themselves through anti-social, self-destructive, and other abnormal behaviors. Many who suffer from Post-Abortion Trauma experience flashbacks, nightmares, and varying degrees of depression. The woman who holds a Christian w orldview is very likely to begin, at some point after her abortion, to feel like a second-class citizen in Gods economy, even though she may know this to be incompatible with Scripture. She usually will either turn away from the church completely or try to prove herself by being good long enough until God will finally forgive her. Many post-abortive women, as we have already described, are secretly convinced that their transgressions are literally in a class by themselves, beyond the reach of Gods forgiveness. The more important task, then is to accept on an emotional level what they may already know on an intellectual level: that Gods forgiveness is already available, and that they must decide to reach out and grasp it firmly. There are three important aspects to this firm grasp on forgiveness: (1) knowing Who ultimately has paid the debt, (2) allowing intimacy with God to be restored and (3) understanding the difference between punishment and consequences. The Bible clearly teaches that God has made provision for the forgiveness of wrongdoing. But the post-abortive woman often has a very difficult time believing that forgiveness is available for her selfish and catastrophic choice. Thus, in apparent contradiction to (or ignorance of) her own theology, she cannot accept Gods forgiveness. Instead, she continues to live in a compartmentalized state in which her head knowledge and her heart knowledge do not match. Like the person described in the Matthew 18 parable, she has been told of her Lords forgiveness; but her guilty emotions still demand that she pay her debt herself. Restoring intimacy is the second aspect of forgiveness, and it is perhaps best understood in the parent-child relationship. When a child chooses to do something wrong, a healthy, loving parent needs only to know that the child is genuinely sorry for her actions for reconciliation and intimacy to be restored. In the same way, God only needs for us to verbalize our responsibility and sorrow for our action in order to restore intimacy with Him. Finally, the third aspect of forgiveness has to do with understanding the difference between punishment and consequences, which are all too easily confused. For the post-abortive woman. a consequence might be infertility. It is tempting for her to interpret this as a sign of Gods continued judgment and rejection. Instead, she needs to understand Gods care for her, and His limitless capacity to redeem the fallout from unwise choices in a fallen world. God, as a loving parent, is as grieved as we are about the losses brought on by our choices. But living with the consequences of our choices is a key part of the uncoerced relationship God desires to have with us. The sacrament of confession unveils us and humbles us before God. Confession removes barriers of sin so that the love from the Father can be completely received by us and then we in turn are strengthened to return that beautiful unconditional love back to the Father and share it with others around us, particularly our spouse. Christ conquered the death of sin at the cross- He became sin itself, died and defeated it through the resurrection. Ironically, it is through Christ, that our sin brings us to new life. The more we reveal of ourselves, the more we are forgiven- where there is much forgiveness there is much love and gratitude. Our anger dies, our bitterness dies, our resentment dies, our critical spirit dies, and our desire for revenge dies. We are now set free so that we ourselves may forgive and live a joyful, fulfilling marriage in and through the grace of Christ. It may be that at one time or another we have found the sacrament of Reconciliation a burden. Perhaps we even can remember an occasion when we said, I wish I didnt have to go to confession. But certainly in our saner moments we find Reconciliation a sacrament that we love, a sacrament we would not want to be without. Just think of all that the sacrament of Reconciliation does for us! First of all, if a person has cut himself off from God by a grave and deliberate act of disobedience against God (that is, by mortal sin), the sacrament of Reconciliation reunites the soul to God; sanctifying grace is restored to the soul. At the same time, the sin itself (or sins) is forgiven. Just as darkness disappears from a room when the light is turned on, so too must sin disappear from the soul with the coming of sanctifying grace. When received without any mortal sin on the soul, the sacrament of Reconciliation imparts to the soul an increase in sanctifying grace. This means that there is a deepening and strengthening of that divine-life-shared by which the soul is united to God. And always, any venial sins which the penitent may have committed and for which he is truly sorry are forgiven. These are the lesser and more common sins which do not cut us off from God but still hinder, like clouds across the sun, the full flow of his grace to the soul. It is a spiritual medicine which strengthens as well as heals. That is why a person intent upon leading a good life will make it a practice to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation often. Frequent confession is one of the best guarantees against falling into grave sin. It would be the height of stupidity to say, I dont need to go to confession because I havent committed any mortal sins. All these results of the sacrament of Reconciliation-restoration or increase of sanctifying grace, forgiveness of sins, remission of punishment, restoration of merit, grace to conquer temptation-all these are possibleonly because of the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, which the sacrament of Reconciliation applies to our souls. Jesus on the cross already has done our work for us. In the sacrament of Reconciliation we simply give God a chance to share with us the infinite merits of his Son. Your sins are forgiven. (Luke 5:20) t was many years and many struggles later that I realized that it is in the solitude of the confessional when I most live by the way (or power) of the cross. It is in the confessional that I become soulfully naked and surrender my sinful life to God. He then gifts me with new life (His Grace). It is through Gods grace that the possibilities for life become endless and exciting. Philippians 4:13 reads I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. Realize the sacraments are living. God is actually present in the sacrament of reconciliation through His grace (the power of the Holy Spirit). God loves humility so when I completely reveal my weaknesses and failings to God in the sacrament of reconciliation, God gifts me with His grace and through His grace HE inwardly strengthens me against future sin and temptation. The Holy Spirit fills me with love, joy, peace, true happiness and a feeling of being content no matter what my life circumst ances may be. Ultimately, in the confessional, I am slowly being set free from the bondage of sin because in my deepening love for God I loose desire to sin.

John Brown’s Body: An American Reggae Band Digging Roots in Farm Country :: Essays Papers

John Brown’s Body: An American Reggae Band Digging Roots in Farm Country The surrounding landscape yields rolling hills, beautiful gorges with waterfalls that leave your mouth gaping in awe, some of the world’s finest wineries, and farmland as far as the eye can see. Rooted in Ithaca, a small artsy community in upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region, comes a sound so cultural, so mystical, and so natural. Amongst a slew of great local musicians comes John Brown’s Body, a roots reggae sound that captivates audiences, and spills the universal message of thanks and praises. Before we can truly understand the roots of an American-based reggae band that carries a Jamaican sound and universal philosophy, we must first get to the roots of reggae music in United States from the beginning. The origins of roots sounds in the U.S. came primarily from Jamaican communities that were set up in major cities such as New York, Washington D.C., and Miami. New York City was home of the first reggae centered recording studio was established. The credit for such a landmark establishment would have to go to Lloyd ‘Bullwackie’ Barnes, a singer who recorded with Prince Buster in the early 1960’s. The recording business started out as a partnership with ‘Munchie’ Jackson. Its location was at 4731 White Plains Road in the Bronx. By the mid 1970’s, Barnes was running the studio alone, using his own session band, Reckless Breed. He was also recording Jamaican singers that were local to the area, including names like Wayne Jarrett. Barnes also produced recordings of Jamaican singers visiting the states, including such artists as Sugar Minott and Horace Andy. During this same time period, Barnes was also able to record a string of dub albums as well. Bullwackie was the only U.S. studio to put out significant reggae sound prior to the 1980’s (Barrow 1997). HC & F Studios was opened up in the 1980’s on Long Island and was run solely by Phillip Smart who had worked in Jamaica with the great King Tubby. Smart was able to record in his studio, sounds that would eventually make it into the dancehalls of Jamaica. Dirtsman’s "Hot This Year" is an example of the recording that gave its origin to Smart’s studio on Long Island. Today, HC & F Studio is the leading reggae-recording studio in the states (Barrow 1997). More and more reggae-recording studios began to pop up including Jah Life, also making its home in the Big Apple, owned and operated by Hyman Wright and Percy Chin.

Mexico’s Economical Crisis, Facts and Remedies

Mexico is the most advanced and developed nation in the Latin America, with a population over 96 million and per capita income about $3970 USD, it’s income ranges to the upper middle class in the Latin America. During the 60s and 70s the GDP grew by 3.5% annually, but then the crisis of 80s completely reversed the process and the whole Mexican economy went upside down followed by the 90s crisis which pushed back the GNP of the country to the 50’s level. In this paper we will discus the GDP increase and decrease of the Mexican economy facts of the crisis of 80s and 90s and GNP exchange crisis and inflation, debating about the factors involving in the crisis and discussion the ways the problem could be solved and presenting some suggestions about it.Sudden Collapse in GDP Growth; Why?As discussed in the introduction the data shows that during the seventh and eighth decade of the last century the GDP growth of Mexico showed a mean 3.5% annually growth, but after the 84 cri sis the GDP growth shrank to 0.5%. This sudden collapse has aroused suspicions about the credibility of the Mexican claim of 3.5% GDP growth annually. GDP does not measure output reliably because it includes not only the final output produced by an economy’s market, but also transactional activities, which are intermediate to production. (Wallis and North 1986; North 1987) Governments spend a large amount of money on National Defense, Justice, Social Reforms and enforcing regulations.The transactional activities regarding these issues are intermediary in nature but are included in the standard computation of GDP. During the last three decades preceding the 84 crisis transactional activities have varied. Due the change in the structure of the nation’s economy i.e. the traditional agriculture trends declined and the share of manufacturing and services in the economy increased, as well as the economic interdependence.Government’s change in policies effected the tra nsactional cost while the decreased in oil prices enhanced the process resulting the indebtedness of the government which compelled her later to take high interest loans, thus increasing inflation and the currency exchange rate became unstable . These all circumstances blew every thing out and Mexican economy was completely crushed resulting in sudden downfall of GDP.GNP Downfall in the 90s:In 1994 the GNP of the country fell down to its historical low as a result per capita income fell to the level of 50s and the plague of poverty spread all over the country leaving no one undisturbed. The main causes of this turbulence as analyzed by the economists were the demographic, environmental changes as well as the changing in the global scenario and also the emergence of NAFTA as most of the foreign investment was invested in the stock market and short term bond but all these devalued thus crushing down the peso.The increasing poverty and the deteriorating environment as well as the incre asing inflation pressurized the already decomposed economy thus the weak currency faced a sudden downfall and the rate of exchange become intolerably unstable. The monetary market was panicked by the falling currency and soon every investor threw away the Mexican currency. The GNP fell rapidly and Mexico again fell in the darkness of high interest debts, inflation and poverty.What are the Rectifications?What Mexico needed after these sudden shocks complete is overhauling of the economy by making it free from old and conservative rules and regulations. The government should continue the process of the privatization of state owned enterprises, especially the ejido (Community Land Owned by the Government). The Federal Labor Law also needs some thorough reforms. While the most important thing to do is the clear and of the Assets of Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) what ever it is deemed by the Mexican Government as a Mexican Sovereignty or not.A Promotion and Reconstruction bank should be cr eated with the initial capital as $150 billion dollars, and also the board of directors should be select among the professional and honest persons. Businesses should issue bonds of their debt for 30 years. Income tax should be reduced immediately to 20%. The government should negotiate with the United States and Canada to obliterate the taxes and tariff between the three governments thus creating a free trade market. (Valenzuela, 1999)Conclusion:To recover from the shocks of the turbulences and achieve a sustainable growth process the Mexican Government have to make radical changes in the economy and has to redesign it in a more appropriate way that the economy becomes adaptable to the modern economic circumstances.Reference:Marco Espinosa, Steven Russell, The Mexican economic crisis: alternative views, http://www.frbatlanta.org/frbatlanta/filelegacydocs/Espin811.pdfRicardo Valenzuela, 1999. A Prescription for Dealing with Mexico's Economic Crisis,   http://www.westga.edu/~bquest/ 1999/prescrip.htmlRobert A. Blecker, NAFTA, the Peso Crisis, and the Contradictions of the Mexican Economic Growth Strategy,http://www.newschool.edu/cepa/papers/archive/cepa0103.pdfWallis, J. J, D.C. North. 1986. Measuring the transaction sector in the American economy, 1870-1970. In Long-term factors in American economic growth, edited by S.L. Engerman and R. E. Gallman. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 95-161.Deirdre Griswold, 1995 Oil, debt and Mexico's national sovereignty, In Workers World. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/46/026.html

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott Essay

Take a moment and imagine a family of six traveling from city to city in order to survive, their only home, a car. Suddenly as their driving along a women speeds into them crashing, and wrecking their home. They are all then taken to a hospital, where the family discovers that the mother has progressive cancer in her lymph nodes. After this discovery, the father decides to skip town leaving his wife, three young children and elderly mother homeless. Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott is an exceptional novel. Endicott won the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best book in Canada and the Caribbean for Good to a Fault. Why might you ask? Each character is so extraordinarily developed and so well described it feels as if you know them yourself. Their emotions, thoughts and actions are so personal that at the end of the novel Endicott has created a wonderful and realistic person. Their conflicts are so profound, that they are crippling to the characters that suffer under them. And a theme that so important that the book is named after it. Like most novels Good To A Fault has a variety characters with an array of personalities, thoughts and behaviors. What sets it aside from others, is the vivid characterization of not only the fundamental characters of the story, but even the characters that are only introduced once. The rotation of perspectives gives the novel a whole new view on each character’s true personality and on the conflicts they face. As Mary Jo Murphy from the New York Times said, â€Å"it’s the quieter introspective dramas, provided by Endicott’s skillful rotation among the characters’ points of view, that hold your attention.† Each character’s thoughts are described by the author in exact correspondence with their personalities. For example; Paul, who is a pastor, often indirectly makes allusions to faith. Like when he and Darwin are fixing up Clara’s basement Paul says, â€Å"Today is a time for rejuvenation â€Å"pg.153 or when he is speaking to Clara about her generosity towards the Gage’s he says â€Å"You sacrificed yourself for others† pg.329 Through this, Endicott solidifies Paul’s personality, tying him to his religion. Making Paul a symbol of Christianity which brings into question the faith of many characters. Allowing the reader to experience the many sides of faith. Apart from that , appearance and reputation help to build complete characters. Take the protagonist Clara , Paul describes her as â€Å"†¦single, childless of course, took care with her appearance, fortyish, Christian, and not in good spirits for some time since her mothers death.† pg.26. This information helps develop a rounded character. It isn’t enough just to say that Clara is a nice person, so that is why she takes care of the Gage family. The author uses her faith, age and relationship status to give reason for her generous actions. It helps the reader gain a better understanding of Clara’s personality, and accordingly builds a relationship between the reader and the protagonist. Above all things what sets this book aside from any other is the conflicts. Unlike most books the conflict of this story introduces itself in the very first paragraph, â€Å"The other car came from nowhere, speeding through on the yellow, going so fast it was almost safely past when Clara’s car caught it.†pg. 7. Because of this you would think that there would be no rising action, no excitement and no great lesson for the protagonist to learn, but you would be wrong. This conflict originally appears as if it will have the most impact, but it does not. In fact it stems off into several other conflicts that characters struggle with individually, and as a group. For instance, Lorraine’s diagnosis with cancer. This leads to her husband, Clayton, struggling to find his family a safe home, which he fails to do on his own. This leaves him bitter because instead of him finding a solution through hard work, he is left to stay with the very women who put them in the situation, Clara. As he says when confronting Clara at the hospital, â€Å"Hard on you? Hard to sit and watch the results of what you did?†pg23. He decides to deal with this by leaving the family. His actions burden Clara with the care of the family he left behind. Leading to Clara’s guilt of driving the children’s father away and leaving the mother all alone. Ultimately she struggles with the idea that she cares for the Gage family either out of guilt or to fill the empty spaces not only in her spare rooms, but in her life. It only took Endicott one simple incident to create a million other problems throughout the novel. Each conflict faced, allows the reader to understand more about each character’s role in the story. Finally molding the novel into the theme. The theme I took from this novel was ; personal satisfaction of goodwill is the only payment for charity,for if it’s not, the deeds bring no true meaning. However when I contacted Marina Endicott on twitter she described the theme as follows; â€Å"How the debt of charity is redeemed; Love your neighbour as yourself.† After Clara divorces her husband, she is left wounded by their short, detached marriage. Her parents then become ill and she must care for them. But soon they both die leaving Clara alone with all their possessions and burdens. When Clara opens up her home to the Gage family and a friend’s daughter, she must decide whether her actions are truly pure and for others benefit, or greedy and only being used to fill the void left by her parents and husband. So she questions herself, â€Å"I see what they need, but I am unwilling to help.†pg 25 When Clara takes in the Gage family she originally believes she is doing it to make up for the car accident she caused. As the visit becomes longer Clara grows more and more attached to the family as she brings them into her life. Caring for them soon becomes less of an obligation, and more of a desire as she grows to truly love the Gage’s like they were her own. She becomes so attached that she does not wish that they leave her home, and when they do she is deeply angered. â€Å"She did not want anything, except Pearce back, and Dolly, and Trevor; except the life she had left this afternoon, to run over and help Lorraine- to help her again!†pg.327 .This theme is a great topic that adds depth the novel. The whole story Clara is faced with deciding whether what she does is out of loneliness or out of good will. It is a topic that we should all consider when we decide to do something charitable. And yet another reason why I believe this is a wonderful piece of litterature. Ultimately this book incorporates everything that makes a good, memorable novel . It’s realistic, likeable and relatable characters keep the reader the attached to the story. These characters face conflicts that challenge them physically and emotional but lead them to fulfilling rewards. Finally these elements are all summed up to create a concrete theme of charity versus selfishness, a topic rarely touched on in our society. These elements of the novel piece the story together as a whole and make it strong enough to last the test of time. This is a great novel.