Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie Essay Example for Free

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie Essay Hickory Dickory Dock is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on October 31, 1955[1] and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in November of the same year under the title of Hickory Dickory Death[2][3]. The UK edition retailed at ten shillings and sixpence (10/6)[1] and the US edition at $3.00[3]. It features her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The novel is notable for featuring Poirot’s efficient secretary, Miss Felicity Lemon, who had previously only appeared in the Poirot short stories. Plot introduction An outbreak of apparent kleptomania at a student hostel is not normally the sort of crime that arouses Hercule Poirots interest. But when he sees the bizarre list of stolen and vandalized items including a stethoscope, some lightbulbs, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack, some boracic powder and a diamond ring later found in a bowl of a soup he congratulates the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a unique and beautiful problem. It is nevertheless not long before the crime of theft is the least of Poirot’s concerns. Explanation of the novels title The title is taken, as are other of Christie’s titles, from a nursery rhyme: Hickory Dickory Dock. This is nevertheless one of her most tenuous links to the original nursery rhyme, consisting of little more than the name of a road. Plot summary Poirot’s solution of the petty thefts is unsubtle but effective: once he has threatened to call in the police, Celia Austin quickly confesses to the pettier amongst the incidents. She denies specifically: stealing Nigel Chapman’s green ink and using it to deface Elizabeth Johnston’s work; taking the stethoscope, the light bulbs and boracic powder; and cutting up and concealing a rucksack. Celia appears to have committed the lesser thefts in order to attract the attention of Colin McNabb, a psychology student who at first regards her as an interesting case study, and then – almost immediately – becomes engaged to her. Celia makes restitution for the crimes and is seemingly reconciled with her victims, but when she is discovered the following morning dead from an overdose of morphine it does not take the investigators long to see through attempts to make her death seem like suicide. Several of the original incidents have not been solved by Celiaâ€⠄¢s confession. Inspector Sharpe quickly solves the mystery of the stolen stethoscope during his interviews with the inhabitants of the hostel. Nigel Chapman admits to having stolen the stethoscope in order to pose as a doctor and steal the morphine tartrate from the hospital dispensary as part of a bet to acquire three deadly poisons. He claims that these poisons were then carefully disposed of, but cannot be sure that the morphine was not stolen from him while it was in his possession. Poirot turns his attention to the reappearance of the diamond ring, and confronts Valerie Hobhouse, in whose soup the ring was found. It seems that the diamond had been replaced with a zircon and, given the fact that it was difficult for anyone but Valerie to have put the ring into the soup, Poirot accuses her of having stolen the diamond. She admits to having done so, saying that she needed the money to pay off gambling debts. She also admits to having planted in Celia’s mind the entire idea of the thefts. Mrs. Nicoletis has been behaving very nervously, as if she were losing her nerve. One night someone gets her drunk and kills her. Poirot focuses his attention now on the cutting up of the rucksack. By comparing an example of the rucksack type destroyed with others, he identifies an unusual corrugated base, and suggests to the police that the rucksack may have been part of a clever international smuggling operation. The rucksacks were sold to innocent students, and then exchanged as a means of transporting drugs and gems. Mrs. Nicoletis had been bankrolling the organisation, but was not the brain behind it. When the police visited Hickory Road on an unconnected issue, the murderer had cut up the rucksack to avoid its being found and removed light bulbs to avoid being recognised. Patricia Lane comes to Nigel an d admits that, in an effort to keep a dangerous poison safe, she has taken the morphine from the bottle in his drawer and substituted for it bicarbonate of soda. Now, however, the bottle of bicarbonate of soda has been taken from her own drawer. While they are searching for this bottle Patricia mentions that she is intending to write to his father in order to reconcile the two. Nigel tells her that the reason for his estrangement from his father is that he discovered that his father had poisoned his mother. This is why he changed his name and carries two passports. Nigel comes to Inspector Sharpe and tells him about the missing morphine, but while he is there, Patricia telephones to say that she has discovered something further. By the time that Nigel and Sharpe get to the house, Patricia has been killed by a blow to the head. Mr. Akibombo comes to Sharpe and says that he had taken Patricia’s bicarbonate to ease a stomach complaint; when he took a teaspoonful of the bicarbonate, however, he had stomach pains and later discovered that the white powder was in fact the boracic powder. By the time Patricia had substituted the bicarbonate, the morphine had already been substituted by the stolen boracic powder. Poirot, whose suspicions about Valerie Hobhouse’s role in the smuggling operation have been proved correct by a police raid on her beauty shop, now closes the case. The murderer has been the most obvious person, Nigel Chapman, who was known to have the morphine in his possession. He killed Celia because she knew about his dual identity and also knew that Valerie travelled abroad on a false passport. He killed Mrs. Nicoletis because she was sure to give the smuggling operation away under pressure, and killed Patricia because she was likely to draw to his father’s attention the recent events. When Poirot outlines to Nigel’s father’s solicitor the case against Nigel, the solicitor is able to provide final proof. Nigel’s mother had been poisoned, not by his father, but by Nigel himself. When the father discovered this he forced him to write a confession and left it with his solicitor together with a letter explaining that it should be produced were there any evidence of further wrongdoing by his son. Valerie confirms Poirot’s solution further. She has placed the call to the police station, apparently from Patricia, after Nigel had already killed her. The green ink was a double-bluff intended to divert suspicion away from him. Valerie is willing to incriminate Nigel fully because Mrs. Nicoletis was actually her mother. Characters in Hickory Dickory Dock †¢ Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective †¢ Inspector Sharpe, the investigating officer †¢ Miss Felicity Lemon, Poirot’s secretary †¢ Mrs. Christina Nicoletis, the owner of the student hostel at Hickory Road †¢ Mrs Hubbard, Miss Lemon’s sister and the warden of Hickory Road †¢ George, Poirot’s valet †¢ Celia Austin, chemist in the dispensary at St. Catherine’s Hospital †¢ Colin McNabb, a psychology student †¢ Nigel Chapman, a History student, a resident at Hickory Road †¢ Valerie Hobhouse, a resident at Hickory Road and partner in a beauty shop †¢ Sally Finch, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Elizabeth Johnston, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Patricia Lane, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Genevieve, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Leonard Bateson, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Mr. Chandra Lal, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Mr. Akibombo, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Maria, the cook at Hickory Road †¢ Geronimo, Maria’s husband

Three Rings of Cruelty :: social issues

Three Rings of Cruelty Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, step right up and witness the amazing feats presented before your very eyes! Grab a bag of peanuts, a stick of cotton candy and find your seats, because you’re going to need them. Since animals do not usually stand on their heads, ride unicycles, or wear glitzy bow-ties, circus workers take it upon themselves to force the animals into submission by utilizing inhumane methods. Circus animals are made to live in substandard conditions where they have little access to food, water, and virtually no space to run and play. A circus is the epitome of innocence, or is it? Because behind the circus’ merry exterior lies a world of cruelty where animals ranging from the exotic to domestic are being needlessly exploited and abused by their trainers. The circus industry is selective in the nature of information it releases to the public, thereby maintaining its facade of innocence. Between May of 1993 and August of 2001 there have been over fifty accounts of animal abuse occurring in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. During this time, seventeen elephants died or were euthanized. Out of those seventeen, only five deaths were announced to the general public (PETA, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Fact Sheet, np). This is the same public who spends thousands of dollars each year to attend and keep shows like this in business. Yet the circus is reluctant in divulging any information regarding the very things these people pay money to see. Perhaps the circus believes these deaths are private matters, not important enough to mention. It is more likely though, to assume that it fears what may happen if the news of these deaths were to spread further. There would undoubtedly be a drop in attendance, which would result in a drop in revenue. If not enough money is brought into the circus, it has no choice but to close. Instead of spending money to maintain the animals’ well-being the cash is used to keep the circus afloat and on the road. After being sued for animal abuse in July of 2000, Catherine Ort-Mabry ,a spokeswoman from Ringling stated, â€Å"The show provides its animals with the highest standards of care.† (ABPnews, Circus Sued for Animal Abuse. np) Her statement is a laughable fallacy when examining the high mortality rate in the elephants in circuses is due to captivity induced foot pro blems and arthritis.

Beowulf Epic Hero

An epic hero is a character in an epic poem that is brave and noble and is admired by his followers for their achievements. Beowulf is an epic hero. He fits every description and is talked about in elevated language. In the story it is Beowulf duty to protect his people and defeat hideous monsters. When he hears about a wicked monster that killed Hoarder's son In a far off land he took It as another opportunity to prove himself. This was the first case of showing Beowulf as a hero because the wind and sea helped him and his men travel safely ND quickly and that didn't happen for Just anyone else.When they arrive and the watchman Is at first suspicious but realizes he Is Beowulf here to kill Greened and Warthogs welcomes him and treats him with high honor as only heroes get treated. In the battles throughout the story he Is put up against beasts that no other man can conquer. However, Beowulf Is able to defeat Greened with his bare hands showcasing his strength, Grenade's mother to sh ow us that Beowulf will get rid of the root of the problem and go the extra mile to defend people.Against the dragon he is t least 80 and is still able to defeat the dragon and this tells us that he can live longer than anyone else at the time. Beowulf is often â€Å"talked up† throughout the story. Elevated language is a technique used to describe all epic heroes. It talks about Beowulf hands being the hardest hands in the world, and Beowulf is even called â€Å"mighty protector of men. † This is a giveaway that he is an epic hero. In conclusion, Beowulf is an epic hero. He is braver, stronger, and smarter, than anyone in the world. Also, he is talked of in an elevated language to make sure he stands out from the rest of his people.

Geography MYP portfolio

Basically, gender inequality is an unequal treatment in terms of gender, male and female. Gender inequality is mainly – discrimination of women. So women have fewer job opportunities and they do work which is believed not to be a work for men. Long time ago women used to do the housework and look after children, and men used to work and earn money. Nowadays we can see that women are treated unequally to men in some LED countries: African countries, Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and some other Muslim countries.But gender inequality still exists in some extent in every country in he world in main areas of the society: political, economical and sometimes in social. Main body (Discussion) Gender inequality in social area of society Mainly the service area (education, culture, healthcare, social welfare, public transport and etc. ) is included into social area. So, basically, here we can see the most unequal treatment of men and women. In all those African and Muslim countries wome n are treated unequally in this social area. In other countries (MED countries: US, Russia, Japan etc. , if there is an unequal treatment, then it mostly happens in economical and political areas. As an example of a country with unequal treatment, I will choose Pakistan. In Pakistan you can see gender inequality, for example in terms of education. In education, gender inequality means that women are not able to study and after have an education. Women just stay at home and do all the housework like washing, cooking; they also look after children, because kids are needed to help their mothers, so usually families are really big.Historically, in 1 9th century feminist-sympathetic movement communities tried to isolate women from any contact with men. On 14th of August, 1947 Pakistan was officially independent, but more than a half of Pakistani women are not independent even now. Pakistan believes that women were created only to take care of their husbands. Women's only job is to make s ure that her husband is satisfied and happy with his life. So women in Pakistan have to learn how to be a good daughter, sister and mother. Nowadays, Women are kept treating this way. They are also forbidden to go to schools.A lot of people (men) are against education for women, in Pakistan. There were so many crimes, when omen tried to kill a woman or a girl. Sometimes that happened, when a woman tried to study secretly. Gender inequality in economical area of society Economical area is a sphere of trading, exchange, producing, consuming and distribution of goods and services. Methods of producing and wealth distribution are the main factors that determine specificity of economic relations. Gender inequality in this area is not aggressive as it is in social area. We can see these inequalities in a few ways.Lets say there is a company, which is a part of secondary sector, so the employees are people who work tit machines and machinery. It means that men are more likely to work in th ose companies, as it would be a really hard work for women. So from this example, we can say that women are allowed to work there, but they don't, because its difficult for them and also they don't want to. In other companies, in primary sector, some employers prefer to hire men, because if you will have woman working on your company, then you can decrease company's productivity.Women might get pregnant, so she gets some rest (from 3 to 16 months, depends on a country), and after she'll have to look after her hillier. And men will always be there on his workplace. Gender inequality in political area of society political area is a sphere Of people's relations, which are mainly related to each other in terms of politics and government. Before one of the most worrisome issues was an unequal treatment of women in government and administrative office. Involving women in politics so much distinguished countries like Lithuania.As this country was technologically developing the people's lif estyle was changing a lot. In this process women started gaining ore stuff to do including the right to vote in presidential elections. Conclusion In social area, there are still a lot of gender inequalities, especially in poor LED countries. In Pakistan some men are even able to kill women, who are trying to get education, get a job and etc. I think that it's not right, and men and women should be equal. Equality leads to country's development and industrialization or at least helps it. In the economical area the only border for women are the requirements.Women are allowed to work, but their wage might be smaller, and the rotgut's quality might be lower, because, for example, men are better in working on the factories with all those machines. But it's not necessarily like that, and of course women can sometimes work even better than men, especially in the primary sector. In political area women doesn't really have problems, maybe only in LED countries where they are treated unequal ly to men. You can see some women politician that work in the government, even though it's rare. In my opinion, women should be equal to men, have the same opportunities, abilities and etc.

Adverse vs. Averse

Adverse vs. Averse Adverse vs. Averse Adverse vs. Averse By Mark Nichol Adverse and averse share the root verse, which stems from the Latin term vertere, meaning â€Å"to turn.† But their meanings are distinct and, taken literally, antonymic: Adverse, from the Latin word adversus (â€Å"turned toward, facing†), means â€Å"antagonistic†; the original term conjures of image of confrontation. Averse, meanwhile, comes from aversus (â€Å"turned away†) and means â€Å"strongly disinclined† or â€Å"strongly unfavorable to.† Other forms of adverse are adversary, meaning â€Å"opponent,† and adversity, referring to the quality of opposition. Adversary is also an adjective, but, perhaps because of confusion with the noun form of that word, adversarial came to prevail in that usage. Avert, meanwhile, is related to averse and means â€Å"to turn away, to avoid.† (Veer, though it has the same meaning, is unrelated; it’s from a Germanic word meaning â€Å"to slacken.†) A whole family of other words with the verse root exist: Converse means â€Å"the exact opposite† and has the noun and verb form convert, meaning â€Å"someone who turns† and â€Å"to turn,† respectively, and the noun form conversion, referring to the act of converting. Converse also means â€Å"to speak with someone† (to â€Å"turn† speech) and leads to the adjective conversant and the noun conversation. (The latter used to also mean â€Å"living together† or â€Å"having sexual relations.†) Diverse, originally divers, means â€Å"distinct† and is the parent of diversity, divergent, divert, and diversion. Extrovert, which means â€Å"turned outward,† is mirrored by the antonym introvert. (These also serve as noun forms.) Inverse means â€Å"turn about† or â€Å"turn over† and has the verb form invert and the noun form inversion. Obverse, meaning â€Å"turned toward,† is the opposite of reverse, â€Å"turned away,† which, unlike the more rarely used obverse, has a noun form, too: reversal. Perverse, which means â€Å"turned away (from what is correct),† has the noun forms pervert, for a person, and perversion, for the quality. Transverse means â€Å"turned across† (the rare noun form is transversal), and traverse means â€Å"to pass across.† Versus also ultimately derives from vertere by way of, well, versus. (The Old English suffix -weard, from which we derive -ward seen in toward, forward, and so on is akin to versus.) Other related words include verse (from the idea of â€Å"turning† from one line of verse to another), versed (â€Å"knowledgeable† literally, â€Å"one who knows verses,† with the connotation of one who â€Å"turns over† a subject of study), and versify, or â€Å"write verse.† Anniversary, meanwhile, literally means â€Å"year turning,† and universe, originally meaning â€Å"all together,† is derived from the words for â€Å"one† and â€Å"turn.† University, referring to a place of learning, stems from the idea of â€Å"whole,† with the connotation of â€Å"community.† (Varsity, an alteration of a shortening of university, denotes the primary group of athletes in any sport who represent a university or other school.) 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply with225 Foreign Phrases to Inspire YouAffect vs. Effect

Practice Reading French With This Easy Shopping Story

Practice Reading French With This Easy Shopping Story French adjectives are difficult to master for English speakers because their rules of agreement and placement, not to forget their pronunciation, are truly challenging. An English speaker needs to change the way he/she thinks, and develop the reflex to do the noun-adjective  agreement, which is not an easy task.   Knowing the rules is not enough. Training is essential. So today, here is a little learn French in context story in which well be using adjectives of course, in particular French adjectives of colors and French adjectives used to describe clothing, as well as  French clothing vocabulary. Of course, before you study this story, I highly recommend you take the time to visit the links above to refresh your memory, and then read the story without the translation and focus on the adjective agreements. Aujourdhui, nous allons suivre Camille dans les magasins. Camille a besoin dune robe pour aller un mariage dans trois semaines. Cest un mariage à ©là ©gant, et donc elle cherche une robe habillà ©e, mais assez confortable car elle a bien lintention de danser ! Et bien sà »r, la robe ne doit pas à ªtre trop chà ¨re, car Camille na pas un grand budget. Camille entre dans une boutique et trouve une jolie jupe, longue, fluide et là ©gà ¨re. Mais si elle achà ¨te une jupe, elle devra acheter un haut, et aussi une veste pour là ©glise. Cest trop compliquà ©. Non, dà ©cidà ©ment, Camille cherche une robe, un point cest tout. Il y a une robe bleue qui est pas mal, assez chic, et bien coupà ©e. Mais cest du lin, et Camille ne repasse pas. Cette robe va se froisser, et puis le lin, à §a montre aussi les traces de transpiration. Non, ce nest vraiment pas pratique. Dommage, elle à ©tait jolie et bon-marchà ©. Dans une autre boutique, Camille repà ¨re une petite robe courte, sans manche, et avec un joli motif imprimà ©. Et elle nest vraiment pas chà ¨re ! Elle est soldà ©e, cest vraiment une bonne affaire. Elle lessaie. Ah la la, cest la catastrophe. Cette robe ne lui va pas du tout. Elle est trop courte : ce nest pas de la bonne qualità © et la coupe ne lui va pas du tout. Camille trouve quelle la grossit. Tant pis. La vendeuse suggà ¨re une autre robe, complà ¨tement diffà ©rente. Elle est trà ¨s longue, gris bleu, assez moulante avec un grand dà ©colletà © dans le dos, et des petites bretelles. Camille lessaie. Aà ¯e, à §a bloque au niveau des cuisses... là ©ternel problà ¨me... Camille demande une taille plus grande. Elle arrive mettre la robe, mais cest un dà ©sastre. La robe est trop serrà ©e sur les fesses, trop petite sur la poitrine, et en plus elle est beaucoup trop longue. Camille se trouve grosse, moche et vulgaire... pas du tout le look recherchà ©. Cette journà ©e shopping ne se passe pas vraiment comme prà ©vu. Zut alors. Dans une vitrine, Camille voit une petite robe noire pois blancs. Elle est classique, mais a une jolie forme cache-coeur, et est ample au niveau des jambes. Elle a des manches courtes, et le tissus a lair fluide et confortable. Camille entre dans la boutique, demande sa taille, et essaie la robe. Ah, voil qui est mieux. Camille se sent trà ¨s bien : la robe est douce, et tombe bien sur elle. Elle nest ni trop longue, ni trop courte, et elle lamincit. Et en plus, Camille a des chaussures noires qui iront parfaitement avec.   La vendeuse lui montre une veste assortie. Lensemble est parfait, assez sobre mais chic. Cest un peu plus cher que ce que Camille voulait dà ©penser, mais à §a reste   raisonnable, et en plus cette petite robe sera facile remettre. En fait, cest parfait! Mission accomplie!

Portfolio 6 - Lesson Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Portfolio 6 - Lesson Plan - Essay Example self expression is critical for the development of children’s identities and â€Å"sense of self.† Metaphorical thinking is a skill that, if left unused, can atrophy. A key element in the lesson plan is attempts to bolster student reflection on their artistic work; this reflection is an important element for any artistic production and is the step in the learning process which most calls on students to think metaphorically and to simply express their own views and identity. The understanding developed through addressing Component 4 provides the basis for reconstructing or reframing. You suggest how your understanding of the information/substance/content and the issues raised, will influence your future actions. The Sorcerers Apprentice (LApprenti Sorcier) is a symphonic piece composed in 1897 by the French composer, Paul Dukas (1865-1935). Its history reaches back in time to AD150 and stretches to the present day. The composition is a form of program music because it is intended to evoke images in the mind of the listener by musically representing a scene, narrative, image or mood. In this case, the music relates to the poem written by the famous German figure, Goethe (1749-1832), who in turn had based his poem on a story by the Greek, Lucian, written around AD150. The story and music were popularized in 1940 by the Walt Disney film Fantasia (a set of animated short stories based on classical music). In the Disney version, Mickey Mouse plays the sorcerer’s apprentice. This segment of the film was so popular that it was repeated in the remake of the film in 2000. The story differs in each account but the contemporary theme of the unwitting person unleashing powers beyond their control appears in many other stories including Faust, Frankenstein and Golem - that have in turn spawned a whole range of variations in films and computer games - and fairy tales such as The Master and his Pupil. Dukas’ music is richly textured with musical themes and motifs