Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Essay about How to Tell That You Are in a Non-Date Kind of...
How to Tell That You Are in a Non-Date Kind of Date In this modern world, it is somehow difficult to determine if you are on a romantic date or a non-date date. A lot of women have a hard time in defining if they are going out with a guy on a romantic way or if the date that they are having is just a purely platonic date. Sometimes, dates are actually a non-date, and if you are expecting to get swept off of your feet as the night ends, then you are in for a huge disappointment. A typical non-date situation is when that smart and hunky accountant in your office whom you have been crushing on for as long as you remember invited you out for drinks only to realize that he invited everyone in your department. A group date where you do notâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦It is, instead, a group partying at a new bar. Moreover, if the group date is turning into an actual group party, then your chances for it to become a romantic date is close to zero. Remember that a group date can still be a date if he singles you out from the crowd and talks to you and will not leave you alone for the whole night. It can still be a romantic date if he stays close to you the whole time and will not let any guy steal your attention from him. But sadly, when you go out in groups, there is really little chance for you to make him know that you are someone he can date romantically. When He Tells You that You Are Going Out as Friends Was there ever a time when your crush asked you to go out with him for coffee as friends? That sucks big time right? However, the best and surest way to know that you are going out on a non-date is when he tells you that you are only going out on a date as friends. Remember that a non-date date is all face time with no commitment. Sometimes it is really difficult to know if he is into you or not, but when he starts telling you out loud during your date how you should finally meet ââ¬Å"The One,â⬠it is definitely a clear sign that you are on a non-date date. Another way to tell that you are having coffee in a non-romantic way is when he starts giving his eye view on dating andShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Controversy of Animal Testing1172 Words à |à 5 Pagesfamily with no say in the matter. You are moved to an unfamiliar environment where you arenââ¬â¢t able to choose how you live your life. You donââ¬â¢t get to decide when or what you will eat. You canââ¬â¢t choose what you will do with your time and who you will spend it with. You are confined into a small area and you are completely alone. These are the conditions that many animals are forced to live under. Animal testing is defined as the use of non-human animals in research andRead MoreIs Prom Is Being Afraid?1054 Words à |à 5 PagesProm is being afraid. Can you feel it? Can you feel the dread hovering over you like a cloud? It is following you. Each roll of thunder says, ââ¬Å"It will not workâ⬠, ââ¬Å"It will not be rightâ⬠, ââ¬Å"You are going to fail.â⬠It rains a constant worry on you and flashes bright hot streaks of terror. You cannot afford the lavished things everyone else can. For you there will be no limo, no date, no fancy candlelit dinner, no magical slow dance, no adorable pictures, and barely even a group. When others talk aboutRead MoreQuestion Answers1603 Words à |à 7 PagesWORK BOOK- UNIT 5 A/601/8574(HSC 24) Learner Name: Date completed: | | |UNIT 5 A/601/8574 (HSC 24)- | |Principles of Safeguarding and Protection in Health and Social Care. Read MoreMasculinity : Masculinity And Femininity1083 Words à |à 5 Pagesmasculine activities unlike Toula where he is accepting of Toula wanting to take ââ¬Å"pottery classes.â⬠Evidence of this is when Nick is trying to show Gus his drawings for the menu and Gus completely disregards his efforts, always responding with, ââ¬Å"Where did you get this?â⬠And when Nick says that he drew it, Gus responds with a grunt. ââ¬Å"Long term/ short term orientation refers to the extent to which members of a culture think about long term (history and future) vs short term (present).â⬠(Wood) ââ¬Å"IndividualisticRead MoreSerial Killers Speech1533 Words à |à 7 PagesWhitley Gatliff Date: October 2, 2014 COMS 108. _T, THz 9:10-10:10____ Instructor: Mr. Randy L. Manis TITLE OF SPEECH: Killing time General Purpose: To inform. Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about Serial Killers. Central Idea: To show my audience why serial killers kill and what motivates them. INTRODUCTION Tell them what you are going to tell them. I. Attention Getter: What would you do as a young college girl at a grocery store walking to your car and you see this handsomeRead MoreThe Importance of Knowledge1383 Words à |à 6 Pagesbeing is not in the proper sense till he/she is educated. This importance of education is basically for two reasons. The first is that the training of a human mind is not complete without education. Education makes man a right thinker. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. The second reason for the importance of education is that only through the attainment of education, man is enabled to receive information from the external world; to acquaint himself with past history and receive allRead MoreThe Realities of Rape Essay1680 Words à |à 7 Pages Imagine you are a 28 year old woman, and have been working for a Wall-Street bank all day. You decide to go on a run in Central Park to wind down your day. It is a cool evening. The air is lush and Central Park breathes with the energy of New York. It is April 19th, 1989. You start your run off strong. Halfway through your run, you turn a corner and a man steps out from the shoulder. He strikes you with a tree branch. You realize he is dragging you. Everything spins. You cry out forRead MoreNVQ Level 3 - princples of safeguarding and protection in health and social care1451 Words à |à 5 Pagesabuse is when someone hits you or hurts your body. Sexual abuse is when someone touches your body in a way you do not like, sexual abuse can also be when someone wants you to touch them or to wanting you to have sex with them when you donââ¬â¢t want to. Emotional abuse is when someone keeps saying hurtful things that upset you. Financial abuse is when someone takes your money or belongings from you without your permission, someone who is committing financial abuse may also force you to give them things orRead MoreDoes The Language Shape The Way We Think?926 Words à |à 4 PagesDoes the language shape the way we think? Have you ever had the feeling that speaking another language changes how you think? Could speaking a new language take you to a different perceptual world? Or is language just a set of labels for universal thoughts or ideas? (Shaules, 2015) Many brilliant thinkers have spent their entire lives working on these kinds of topics for over a century. When it comes to linguistic relativity, ââ¬Å"The Sapir-Whorf hypothesisâ⬠, first proposed by ââ¬ËEdward Sapir and BenjaminRead MoreHolistic Detective Dubh Harshly Needs For Important Photographic Evidence And Confidential Documents1353 Words à |à 6 Pagestransmit the data from his ultraportable laptop, across the internet via his e-mail app, to his e-mail server back at the agency (read: storage unit). But how can Dubh have any assurance that the data he sends will arrive at the appropriate destination, and not, say the rouge Hotmail server still being run by his neighbor Ted one unit over? How can he also assure that his data w ill not be intercepted in the middle, or even worse, altered to falsely show heââ¬â¢s been tailing Tedââ¬â¢s Chihuahua this whole
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
The Insignificance of Women in Camusââ¬â¢ The Stranger Essay...
In The Stranger, Camus portrays women as unnecessary beings created purely to serve materialistically and satisfy males through the lack of a deep, meaningful, relationship between Meursault and females. Throughout the text, the main character, Meursault, creates closer, more meaningful relationships with other minor characters in the story. However, in his interactions with females in this book, Meursaultââ¬â¢s thoughts and actions center on himself and his physical desires, observations, and feelings, rather than devoting his attention to the actual female. Living in Algiers in the 1960s, Meursault originates from a post-modernist time of the decline in emotion. Meursault simply defies the social expectations and societal ââ¬Ërulesââ¬â¢, asâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦This shows just how little he cared for such matters, writing off the topic of marriage so trivially. Meursault continues on to say to the reader that ââ¬Å"she was the one who was doing the asking and all I was saying was yes.â⬠(Camus 41-42). He justifies his lack of excitement or romance by stating that only Marie asked about, implying that he did not care for having a tight, emotional relationship with his lover, Marie. Marie plays the source of the love between them, while Meursault simply listens and enjoys in the pleasure of having her, but still feeling indifferent to her actual emotions. This downplay on their relationship and her feelings demonstrate that Meursault does not value anything of Marie below surface level and that he lacks the need for a warmer connection between them. Meursault does, however, still crave women as a whole in the same way which he craves, yet disregards, Marie. ââ¬Å"I never thought specifically of Marie. But I thought so much about a woman, about women, about all the ones I had known, about all the circumstances in which I had enjoyed them...â⬠(Camus 77). Meursaultââ¬â¢s thoughts wander while he is in his jail cell, but never specifically dwell upon his relationships. In utilizing the word ââ¬Å"Iâ⬠Meursault links each of his these thoughts to him, solely pointing out each of these ââ¬Å"circumstancesâ⬠as they affected him, rather than anyShow MoreRelatedThe Insignificance of Women in Camusââ¬â¢ The Stranger Essay931 Words à |à 4 Pages In The Stranger, Camus portrays women as unnecessary beings created purely to serve materialistically and satisfy males through the lack of a deep, meaningful, relationship between Meursault and females. Throughout the text, the main character, Meursault, creates closer, more meaningful relationships with other minor characters in the story. However, in his interactions with females in this book, Meursaultââ¬â¢s thoughts and actions center on himself and his physical desires, observations, and feelingsRead MoreParental Influence on Clashes with Society in Love in the Time of Cholera and The Stranger1620 Words à |à 7 Pages Latin author, Gabriel Garcà a Mà ¡rquez and Algerian writer Albert Camus, introduce how their characters conflict with socialization as a result of their cultivation in Love in the Time of Cholera and The Stranger respectively. In Mà ¡rquezââ¬â¢s novel, the key female role is assigned to Fermina Daza, a middle class Latina in the 1800s-1900s, expected to hold prestige and marry wealthy by her father and societal pressures. In The Stranger, Meursault, the protagonist, develops a niche for logic rather thanRead MoreThe Stranger By Albert Camus1476 Words à |à 6 Pages In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the ma in character Meursault kills an Arab man after the man attacks his friend and ends up in prison, condemned to death after the jury finds him guilty almost solely based on the fact that he was insensitive at his motherââ¬â¢s funeral. While in prison, Meursault has several epiphanies, that is, he has several moments when he feels a sudden sense of understanding about important aspects of his life that help him make peace with the fact that he will die soon
Monday, December 16, 2019
Joesph Cambell Four Functions of a Mtyh Free Essays
Seyed Maghloubi (Historical Mythology) Joseph Campbell explains the following four functions of a myth. Its metaphysical function is to awaken us to the mystery and wonder of creation, to open our minds and our senses to an awareness of the mystical ââ¬Å"ground of being,â⬠the source of all phenomena. Its cosmological function is to describe the ââ¬Å"shapeâ⬠of the cosmos, the universe, our total world, so that the cosmos and all contained within it become vivid and alive for us, infused with meaning and significance; every corner, every rock, hill, stone, and flower has its place and its meaning in the cosmological scheme which the myth provides. We will write a custom essay sample on Joesph Cambell Four Functions of a Mtyh or any similar topic only for you Order Now Its sociological function is to pass down ââ¬Å"the law,â⬠the moral and ethical codes for people of that culture to follow, and which help define that culture and its prevailing social structure. Its pedagogical function is to lead us through particular rites of passage that define the various significant stages of our lives-from dependency to maturity to old age, and finally, to our deaths, the final passage. The rites of passage bring us into harmony with the ââ¬Å"ground of beingâ⬠and allow us to make the journey from one stage to another with a sense of comfort and purpose. The mystical experience, the core spiritual journey that envisions God, has always been a tough experience to communicate. Some would say itââ¬â¢s impossible to communicate. Others would say that this is the primary function of myth-to find a way to communicate whatever mystical insight has been gained on the journey: an understanding of the mysteries that underlie the universe; an appreciation of its wonders; the sense of awe or rapture experienced. Since these things canââ¬â¢t be communicated by direct means, myth speaks in a language of metaphors, of symbols, and symbolic narratives that arenââ¬â¢t bound by objective reality. Some believe that the mystical experience is what gives birth to metaphoric language, metaphoric thinking. In our post-Enlightenment western world, we have decidedly turned to science to tell us what the ââ¬Å"shape of the world is. â⬠Originally, however, myth performed this function, explaining the cultural history, religion, class structure, origin, even the origin of the geographical features in the surrounding landscape. A myth describes the shape of the world, and infuses each part of that world with meaning and significance. And though a mythic tale may seem literally false in our world today, it was once considered true, and it still expresses a metaphorical truth. Campbell explains that the sociological function of myth is to support and validate a particular social order. The myth will make it clear who is in charge, what ethical code is appropriate, what the institutional rituals will be. The problem is that these codes are fixed, like the natural order, for all time; they are not subject to change. Our myths, according to Campbell, are seriously outdated. Changing time require new myths, and since our times are changing so very rapidly, the myth-making function canââ¬â¢t keep up. As a result, we are practically myth-less. Campbell felt we needed to expand into much more than we presently have. This is the aspect of myth that teaches us how to pass into and live all the differing stages of our lives. Our myths (as religion) give us rituals to live by, rites of passage to accomplish. We learn how to look at the world, at ourselves, from birth till death. Because he felt they were all true, Campbell believed myth could teach us important lessons about how to live. How to cite Joesph Cambell Four Functions of a Mtyh, Essay examples
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Economic of Banking and Finance-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com
Questions: 1.Critically explain what is asset securization. 2.How these securization benefits the investor? 3.Also need to know what are the risk in investing securization. 4.Need to know the financial crisis related back to asset back securization. Answers: 1.Asset securitization is the process where the loans and receivables are underwritten and sold as asset backed securities. Asset securitisation is basically pooling the asset and then creating a more or less instrument for investment like mortgage pass-through security. This also called as the replacement of the non-marketable loans and the cash flows which are issued in the capital markets with negotiable securities. Asset securitisation is an arrangement which is comprised of putting together a claim on a particular asset which is then sold in the financial market as negotiable security. Asset securitisation is mainly done by financial institutions of commercial papers, car loans, mortgages, credit card receivables and export credits (Obay, 2014). 2.The major benefits of the securitisation to the investors is that with the rating given by the credit rating agencies the investors will get a surety that they will not lose their money with these investments. The benefits of securitisation to investors: Securitisation is a structured finance instrument that is more closely assigned to investors needs. The investor will get a cover by investing into these securities as the default cases are very low. The recovery rate of defaulted tranches is very high then the rate of corporate bonds. Investors can freely invest in the instruments which suits their investment policy as best ones. All the more the experience shared by the investors on international level is quite good with very low cases of default (Gatti, 2013). 3.Risk involved in investing in securitisation: Credit/ Default: This is the risk in which the borrower is unable to pay the interest obligations on time. There is default of payment at the end of the borrower of the instrument. Reinvestment/ Prepayment/ Early amortisation: There are majority of asset backed securities which are exposed to the risk of early amortisation. Currency interest rate fluctuations: The prices of fixed interest rate securities also move like all other fixed income with the changes in interest rates. Interest rate changes also affect the prepayment rates of the loans which are underlying that are backed by the asset backed securities. Servicer risk: The collection of payment or transfer of payment that may be reduced or delayed if the servicer himself becomes insolvent. This risk can be mitigated by always having a backup servicer in the transaction (Hu, 2011). 4.The financial crises related back to asset back securitisation are: There can be failures in the financial regulations There can be dramatic breakdowns as there is too much risk involved in asset backed securitisation. The fall and increase in the prices also affect the asset backed securities typically related to the tangible assets (Brigham and Ehrhardt, 2013). References: Obay, L., 2014.Financial innovation in the banking industry: the case of asset securitization. Routledge. Hu, J.C., 2011.Asset securitization: theory and practice(Vol. 679). John Wiley Sons. Brigham, E.F. and Ehrhardt, M.C., 2013.Financial management: Theory practice. Cengage Learning. Gatti, S., 2013.Project finance in theory and practice: designing, structuring, and financing private and public projects. Academic Press.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Roald Dahlââ¬â¢s Villains An analysis Essay Example
Roald Dahlââ¬â¢s Villains: An analysis Essay Roald Dahl is one of the most widely read childrenââ¬â¢s book authors of the twentieth century. Although he wrote several forms of literature, including adult novels and essays, he is most renowned for his childrenââ¬â¢s books, including popular books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG. Beyond proving to be accessible and engaging to children, his works reinvigorated this genre by making it more accessible and realistic for children to identify with. His penchant for understanding child psychology and composing a complex, intriguing plot contributed to his renown. More specifically, one of the defining features of Dahlââ¬â¢s fiction caused by Dahlââ¬â¢s personal childhood is its macabre characterization of several adult characters juxtaposed with good natured characterization of other adult characters. In Roald Dahlââ¬â¢s literary style, the story is mostly constructed from the point of view of the child protagonist, who is pitted against a few imposing adult personalities. For example, in the book Matilda, the villain is a woman teacher. She is shown to be quite dangerous ââ¬â someone who will induce a young reader to be terrified of every female teacher he or she meets. Indeed the depiction of the teacher was so excessive that the book was attacked by critics as being unsuitable for young readers. (Cockburn 41) Further, in Matilda, Dahl provides ââ¬Å"a dramatic shift in tone as he moved from character to characterââ¬âinnocent, intelligent Matilda, the caring Miss Honey, and the towering inferno of the headmistress Miss Trunchbull.â⬠(Wolf 73) Generally, Dahlââ¬â¢s characterization of villains is more dramatic and vivid than that of his benign characters. We will write a custom essay sample on Roald Dahlââ¬â¢s Villains: An analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Roald Dahlââ¬â¢s Villains: An analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Roald Dahlââ¬â¢s Villains: An analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The sinister-minded owner of the chocolate factory in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka, is another strange character who swings between either too sentimental or too cold. Wonka is ââ¬Å"a Michael Jackson type: a lonely, childish despot, complete with high-pitched voice, inability to mix and strained desire to make everything seem just perfect.â⬠(Sawyer 34) Therefore, when he demands Charlie to get away from his family and run the factory, he conveys this demand in a sinister tone. Charlie, on the other hand, maintains his composure throughout the antics of his master. He manages to be good without being prissy, which is quite an achievement in the circumstances. Characters like Wonka are typical of Dahlââ¬â¢s villains ââ¬â their power and cunning seemingly offers little hope the hero to overcome. And it is in succeeding against such strong adversity that the heroism shines through. Another feature of Dahlââ¬â¢s portrayal of villains is the recurrent theme of ââ¬Ëabuse of powerââ¬â¢. T his exercise of power with malicious intent is evident in different sorts of relationships, it is most evident in the adult-child relationships in his stories. In other words, in Dahlââ¬â¢s writings we see power in various forms ââ¬â ââ¬Å"whether adults exercising it over children, bigger children over smaller ones, or humans over animals.â⬠(Sharp 521) We witness in Matilda how little girls were persecuted by Mrs. Trunchbull. Likewise, in Dahlââ¬â¢s short stories William and Mary and The Way Up to Heaven, we see even adult characters suffering due to arbitrary use of power by those at a higher station. Dahl succeeds in making this abuse very visceral for the readers as he draws heavily from his own personal childhood experiences of feeling fear and intimidation in his school. The villains in a Dahl story are usually juxtaposed to benevolent characters. The nastiness and malevolence projected onto the villains in the plot is offered a relief in the form of benign and decent adult individuals. There are some notable loving and warm relationships between children and adults in many stories. Examples that easily come to mind include that of Charlie and Grandfather Joe, Danny and his beloved father, etc. There is also the case of The Witches in which the unnamed narrator is nurtured and cared for by his Norwegian grandmother. If we are to attempt to understand Dahlââ¬â¢s inclination for including threatening adult characters in his stories, we have to grasp the facts of his own childhood. Dahl had a close and loving relationship with his mother Sofie, but his other encounters with adults were arduous and strained. The chief source of torment for him came from the authorities in the boarding school whom he felt were unduly retributive for minor offences. However Dahl is not conveying a message of hopelessness to his young readers. Even amidst adversity his stories show that there is hope and love. This is best illustrated in The Witches, where the close bond between the boy and his mother survives ââ¬Å"the boy being turned into a mouse, for as the narrator says, ââ¬ËIt doesnââ¬â¢t matter â⬠¦ so long as somebody loves you.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ (Mitchell 27) There is a type of transcendent quality in the benign relations of the child protagonist to his guardian. This is witnessed in Dahlââ¬â¢s early story such as They Shall Not Grow Old as well as his later work The Minpins (1991) which is full of invocations of magic. Likewise, In The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, for example, Sugar loses his self-centeredness and becomes more spiritual, despite being a surefire winner at cards. This theme recurs throughout Dahlââ¬â¢s writing life. (Sharp 524)
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Those Pesky Pastimes
Those Pesky Pastimes Those Pesky Pastimes Those Pesky Pastimes By Maeve Maddox What is a pastime? It is an occupation that passes the time. Hobbies are pastimes. Attending sports events is a pastime. Cooking, woodworking, reading, and watching television are all pastimes. Most Americans have probably read thousands of times that baseball is ââ¬Å"the national pastime.â⬠Yet, when I browse the web, I discover that thousands of web users do not know how to spell pastime: Trolling used to be a past time for people who frequent these message boards. What is your favorite past time-hobby? (Header for a Hub page) I have three favorite past times. Sleeping Is My Favorite Past Time Marie now feels it time to put her favorite passed time to use and hopes she can give others as much joy with her books as some of her favorite authors have to her with their books. (Marie is publishing a book.) The National Passed Time My favorite pass time is watching tv shows as Family Guy and NCIS. Its my favorite passed time and hobby!! Music is my favorite Pass-Time! Cooking is my favorite pass time. The word pastime combines the verb pass and the noun time. Its earliest documentation in the OED is dated 1490 and is spelled as two words: passe tyme. Through the centuries, it has been spelled in different ways. I suppose it might have come to be spelled ââ¬Å"pass timeâ⬠or ââ¬Å"pass-timeâ⬠or ââ¬Å"passtime,â⬠but it didnââ¬â¢t. Its modern spelling is pastime. It doesnââ¬â¢t seem unreasonable to expect modern speakers to learn to spell it that way. While theyââ¬â¢re at it, they might make an effort to learn the difference between passed and past. Passed is the past tense of the verb pass: The truck passed the Miata. Time passed quickly. Past can be either a preposition, an adjective, or a noun: Preposition: The antelope ran past the watering hole. Adjective: He recalled the past years with pleasure. Noun: Donââ¬â¢t dwell in the past. Related posts: Confusing Passed with Past Taking Another Pass at Passed Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 101Latin Plural EndingsPhrasal Verbs and Phrasal Nouns
Friday, November 22, 2019
Christmas Truce of 1914 in World War I
Christmas Truce of 1914 in World War I The 1914 Christmas Truce occurred December 24 to 25 (in some places December 24 through January 1), 1914, during the first year of World War I (1914 to 1918). After five months of bloody fighting on the Western Front, peace descended over the trenches during the Christmas season of 1914. Though not endorsed by the high command, a series of informal truces occurred that saw troops on both sides celebrate together and enjoy singing and sporting events.Ã Background With the beginning of World War I in August 1914, Germany commenced the Schlieffen Plan. Updated in 1906, this plan called for German forces to move through Belgium with the intention of encircling French troops along the Franco-German border and winning a fast and decisive victory. With France knocked out of the war, men could be shifted east for a campaign against Russia. Put into motion, the first stages of the plan achieved success during the Battle of the Frontiers and the German cause was further enhanced by a stunning triumph over the Russians at Tannenberg in late-August. In Belgium, the Germans drove back the small Belgian Army and beat the French at the Battle of Charleroi as well as the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) at Mons. A Bloody Autumn Falling back to the south, the BEF and French finally were able to halt the German advance at the First Battle of the Marne in early September. Stymied, the Germans retreated behind the Aisne River. Counterattacking at the First Battle of the Aisne, the Allies failed to dislodge the Germans and took heavy losses. Stalemated on this front, both sides began the Race to the Sea as they sought to outflank each other. Marching north and west, they stretched the front to the English Channel. As both sides fought for the upper hand, they clashed in Picardy, Albert, and Artois. Ultimately reaching the coast, the Western Front became a continuous line reaching to the Swiss frontier. For the British, the year concluded with the bloody First Battle of Ypres in Flanders where they sustained over 50,000 casualties. Peace on the Front After the heavy fighting of the late summer and fall of 1914, one of the mythic events of World War I occurred. The 1914 Christmas Truce began on Christmas Eve along the British and German lines around Ypres, Belgium. While it took hold in some areas manned by the French and Belgians, it was not as widespread as these nations viewed the Germans as invaders. Along the 27 miles of front manned by the British Expeditionary Force, Christmas Eve 1914 began as a normal day with firing on both sides. While in some areas firing began to slacken through the afternoon, in others it continued at its regular pace. This impulse to celebrate the holiday season amid the landscape of war has been traced to several theories. Among these was the fact that the war was only four months old and the level of animosity between the ranks was not as high as it would be later in the war. This was complemented by a sense of shared discomfort as the early trenches lacked amenities and were prone to flooding. Also, the landscape, aside from the newly dug trenches, still appeared relatively normal, with fields and intact villages all of which contributed to introducing a degree of civilization to the proceedings. Private Mullard of the London Rifle Brigade wrote home, we heard a band in the German trenches, but our artillery spoilt the effect by dropping a couple of shells right in the centre of them. Despite this, Mullard was surprised at sunset to see, trees stuck on top of the [German] trenches, lit up with candles, and all of the men sitting on top of the trenches. So, of course, we got out of ours and passed a few remarks, inviting each other to come over and have a drink and a smoke, but we did not like to trust each other at first. The Sides Meet The initial force behind the Christmas Truce came from the Germans. In most cases, this began with the singing of carols and the appearance of Christmas trees along the trenches. Curious, Allied troops, who had been inundated with propaganda depicting the Germans as barbarians, began to join in the singing which led to both sides reaching out to communicate. From these first hesitant contacts informal ceasefires were arranged between units. As the lines in many places were only 30 to 70 yards apart, some fraternization between individuals had taken place prior to Christmas, but never on a large scale. For the most part, both sides returned to their trenches later on Christmas Eve. The following morning, Christmas was celebrated in full, with men visiting across the lines and gifts of food and tobacco being exchanged. In several places, games of soccer were organized, though these tended to be mass kick abouts rather than formal matches. Private Ernie Williams of the 6th Cheshires reported, I should think there were about a couple of hundred taking part...There was no sort of ill-will between us. Amid the music and sports, both sides frequently joined together for large Christmas dinners. Unhappy Generals While the lower ranks were celebrating in the trenches, the high commands were both livid and concerned. General Sir John French, commanding the BEF, issued stern orders against fraternizing with the enemy. For the Germans, whose army possessed a long history of intense discipline, the outbreak of popular will among their soldiery was cause for worry and most stories of the truce were suppressed back in Germany. Though a hard line was taken officially, many generals took a relaxed approach seeing the truce as an opportunity to improve and re-supply their trenches, as well as scout out the enemys position. Back to Fighting For the most part, the Christmas Truce only lasted for Christmas Eve and Day, though in some areas it was extended through Boxing Day and New Years. As it ended, both sides decided on signals for the recommencement of hostilities. Reluctantly returning to war, the bonds forged at Christmas slowly eroded as units rotated out and the fighting became more ferocious. The truce had largely worked due to a mutual feeling that the war would be decided at another place and time, most likely by someone else. As the war went on, the events of Christmas 1914 became increasing surreal to those who had not been there.
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