German First Names and Their English Equivalents

German First Names and Their English Equivalents Anyone researching names soon becomes aware that, because of spelling variations and other changes, it is often difficult to determine the true origin of a name, particularly family names. Many names were altered (Americanized, anglicized) for various reasons. Just one example: The German last name  Schà ¶n  (beautiful) became  Shane, a change that deceptively hides its German origin. Not all German first or last names have an English equivalent, but many do. We wont bother with obvious ones like Adolf, Christoph, Dorothea (dor-o-taya), Georg (gay-org), Michael (meech-ah-el), Monika (mow-ni-kah), Thomas (tow-mas), or Wilhelm (vil-helm). They may be pronounced differently but the resemblance is hard to miss. First Names (Vornamen) Adalbert/Albrecht (Albert)Alois (Aloysius)Anja/Antje/Anke (Anna)Brbel  (Barbara)Beke (north German form of Bertha)Bernd/Bernt (Bernard)Birgit (Swedish form of Brigitte, which is actually a Celtic name)Dolf (short form from names ending in - dolf)Dorle (Dora, Dot, Dorothy)Eugen (oy-gen, Eugene)Franz (Frank)Gabi (form of Gabriele)Gerhard (Gerald)Gottfried (Geoffrey, Jeffrey, Godfrey)Greta (Margaret)Hans/Jens/Johann(es) (Jack, John, Jonathan)Heinrich/Heino/Heinz (Henry)Ilse (Elizabeth)Jakob (James)Jà ¶rg/Jà ¼rgen (George)Jutta (Judy/Judith)Karl/Karla (Charles/Carol)Karsten/Carsten/Kersten (variation of Christian)Katrin (C/Katherine)Kirsten/Kirstin (Christine)Lars (Larry), Leni (Helen/e)Ludwig  (Lewis/Louis)Margit (Martha)Matthias (Mathew)Nastasja (Anastasia),Nils (Nick)Ninja (neen-ya, Nina)Peer (Peter)Reinhold (Reginald)Renate (Renee)Rolf (Rudolph)Rà ¼diger/Rudi (Roger, Rudolph)Sepp (form of Joseph)Silke (Frisian form of Cecily/Cecilia)Steffi (Stephanie)Thea (short form of Doroth ea)Theo (Theodore) Wim (form of Wilhelm).   Female German  First Names These female german names do not have an English equivalent. Ada/AddaAdelheid (Heidi is the familiar form)Astrid, Beate, Brunhild(e)Dagmar (from Danish)DietrunEffi/Elfriede/ElfiEike (also male)ElkeFraukeFriedel (related to Elfriede)GerdaGerlindeGertrud(e)GiselaGunthild(e)HarmkeHedwigHeidrunHeikeHelgaHilde/HildegardHildrunHilkeImkeIrmaIrmgardIrmtraudIngeborgKaiKriemhildLudmillaMarleneMathildeMeinhildOttilieRoswithaSentaSieglindeSigridSigrunSonjaTanja (from Russian)ThedaTilla/TilliTraudeTrudiUlrikeUnaUrsula/UschiUte/UtaWaltraudWilhelmineWinifred Male First Names These male german names do not have an English equivalent. AchimBodo/Bot(h)oDagobert (no, not Dogbert!)Detlef/DetlevDieter,DietmarDirkEberhardEckehard/EckartEgonEmil (masculine form of Emily,  Emilio in Span)EngelbertErhard/ErhartFalkoGandolfGerd/Gert,Golo, Gunt(h)erGustav (from Swedish)Hartmut,HartwigHelgeHelmutHolger (from Danish)HorstIngomarJoachim (Achim)KaiKnutManfredNorbertOdo/UdoOtmarOttoRainer (rye-ner)ReinholdSiegfriedSiegmund/SigmundSà ¶nkTorsten/ThorstenTillUlfUlrich/UliUweVeitVilmarVolkerWaldemarWern(h)erWielandWigandWolfgangWolfram

Cover Letter Sample English Teacher Job

Cover Letter Sample English Teacher Job SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Teaching's a competitive field, so a stand-out cover letter's a must for serious applicants. In the sample below, the applicant is applying to teach English as a Second Language to international students. Read on to see why the writer thinks he'd be a great match for the position. Then continue scrolling for an analysis of what this sample cover letter does well. Cover Letter for English Teacher Position Jon Snowman1 Wall Road, North Reading, MA 01864606-060-6066 âÅ" ´ jon.snowman@gmail.com May 1, 2016 Lucia GomezSchool Director English Learning Center60 Center St.Boston, MA 02108 Dear Ms. Gomez, I was excited to find your posting for an English as a Second Language teacher with English Learning Center on Craigslist.com. Upon researching your school, I strongly identified with its mission of cross-cultural communication and global citizenship. I am confident that I would make an excellent addition to your teaching team because of my passion for helping students, my teaching and cultural experiences, and my TEFL qualifications. I taught ESL to beginner, intermediate, and advanced students of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds in Madrid for one year. Before stepping into this role, I earned my TEFL certification after completing an on-site 120-hour course. Through my teaching experiences and TEFL studies, I developed critical pedagogic and classroom management skills, along with a passion for teaching English. I'm equipped with the Communicative Teaching Method, a philosophy that I’m excited to see you use at English Learning Center. I apply this method in the classroom through interactive, student-centered activities that maximize â€Å"student talk time.† I scaffold my lessons so that they include pair and group work, as well as movement around the classroom. By engaging students in speaking, grammar, writing, listening, and reading and appealing to diverse learning styles, I help them improve their accuracy and fluency across key skill areas. After living in Spain, I understand both the excitement and the challenges that accompany learning a new language and living abroad. In my classes, I typically set aside five to ten minutes at the start of each class for students to share their â€Å"highs† and â€Å"lows† for the week, a ritual that mystudents have appreciated as they adapted to new surroundings. I aim to support students’ social-emotional well-being as they learn English and deepen their global awareness. I look forward to speaking with you to discuss your specific needs at English Language Center and my ability to meet them. I'd be thrilled to join a team of globally-minded educators dedicated to high-quality language instruction. Please feel free to contact me at 606-060-6066 or jon.snowman@gmail.com. Thank you very much for your consideration. Sincerely, Jon Snowman Jon Snowman Will this cover letter help Jon get an ESL teaching job stateside? ESL Teacher Cover Letter: The Breakdown Jon is applying to an ESL teaching position with English Language Center. In his cover letter, hereflects an understanding of the school by referring to its mission statement in the first paragraph. He also shows that he knows it uses the Communicative Teaching Method as the basis for its curriculum, a method with which he’s familiar. Jon describes his skills and qualifications in terms of his TEFL certification, lesson planning abilities, and efforts to establish a comfortable classroom environment. He specifies that his lessons focus on pair and group work to maximize conversation among students, and he gives an example of a â€Å"high/low† activity he uses to support students emotionally as they adapt to a new culture. By giving specifics, Jon illustrates his instructional skills and teaching methodology. His letter is clearly organized and provides insight into his experiences. Overall, Jon's cover letter shows that he’s a thoughtful teacher dedicated to ESL instruction. Before heading to the next sample, consider one important note about the letter's format. A Note on Format The letter above features a traditional format with Jon's name, address, and contact information at the top, followed by the date and the name and address of the hiring manager. He also signs and prints his name at the bottom. This format is spot on for cover letters sent as a hard copy or as an attachment in a Word document. These days, though, lots of jobs have applicants send their cover letters in the body of an email or pasted into a text box on their application site. If you're sending a cover letter in the body of an email or text box, then you usually don't have to worry about these headers. You can just start right in with the salutation (e.g., Dear Ms. Wassername) and type your name at the end. Make sure to read and follow any application instructions so you know exactly how to send your materials. In addition to being thoughtful about your cover letter's content, you can be intentional aboutyour letter's format and overall look. What's Next? Do you need a degree to be an English teacher? Learn more about the qualifications you'll need to teach in the U.S. with this article. Ready to read another sample? Check out this sample cover letter for the job of Marketing Manager! Are you looking for our full cover letter guide? Head back to the complete guide here with links to five more cover letter samples. Are you starting at the beginning? This guide has a universal cover letter template to guide your writing, along with great tips to produce the best cover letter you can.

Cost Life Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cost Life Cycle - Essay Example There are techniques for estimating the cost of choosing the "wrong" project alternative. Deterministic techniques, such as sensitivity analysis or breakeven analysis, are easily done without the need for additional resources or information. They produce a single-point estimate of how uncertain input data affect the analysis outcome. Probabilistic techniques, on the other hand, quantify risk exposure by deriving probabilities of achieving different values of economic worth from probability distributions for input values that are uncertain. However, they have greater informational and technical requirements than deterministic techniques. Whether one or the other technique is chosen depends on factors such as the size of the project, its importance, and the resources available. Since sensitivity analysis and break-even analysis are two approaches that are simple to perform, they should be part of every LCCA. To identify critical parameters, arrive at estimates of upper and lower bounds, or answer "what if" questions, simply change the value of each input up or down, holding all others constant, and recalculate the economic measure to be tested. Decision-makers sometimes want to know the maximum cost of an input that will allow the project to still break even, or conversely, what minimum benefit a project can produce and still cover the cost of the investment. To perform a break-even analysis, benefits and costs are set equal, all variables are specified, and the break-even variable is solved algebraically. Design optimization on cost basis is also carried out under LCCA to hit upon the model, which would lead to higher performance at lower costs and competitiveness in a systematic and efficient manner. Safety, reliability and cost efficiency can be achieved through design optimization in the pre-launch phase itself. References 1. www.nianet.org/salectureseries/pdfs/Unal_041106.pdf 2.

Trade Mark Dilution in EU Comparing with USA Essay

Trade Mark Dilution in EU Comparing with USA - Essay Example Blurring and tarnishment have been recognized in the anti dilution laws of the European Union. There have been controversies surrounding various organizations in the world on the use of trade marks. Companies have claimed that their competitors or other organizations have been using their trademark thereby affecting their market base as well bas competition. Trade mark dilution refers to the use of a similar trade mark by another company. However there are misunderstandings as to whether the products registered under the trade mark should be similar or different. In the European Union, courts have ruled otherwise that the use of similar trademarks but different goods under the trade mark does not lead to trade mark dilution1. The European Union has put in place measures to curb dilution of trade marks; they ensure that there is no unfair advantage on the use of a trade mark on their poor quality products that can harm the products reputation and character. The most widespread term ap plied is known as the protection against â€Å"free riding† on the trade mark. It is also important to note that the unfair advantage in the use of trade mark, blurring and tarnishment are grouped together in the same sub article in their laws. In the United States, there is no major link in the application of laws between dilution protection and unfair advantage over the use of trade mark2. There are three aspects in which dilution differ from other forms of infringement in the European Union. The first aspect involves the confusion in which the consumer cannot differentiate the original trade mark and its usage on other junior products. Secondly, dilution can also involve the use of trade mark on different goods. This differs in traditional forms of protection where the difference in types of goods represented by the same trade mark was not a big issue. It was difficult to actually show the level of confusion when the goods were dissimilar from those of the senior user of t he trade mark. Finally, dilution is generally applied in cases whereby the consumers have a common knowledge of the trade mark and the goods it represent3. The controversy surrounding dilution is based on its differences from confusion based infringement. In Europe as well as in the United States, the focus is on the use of a similar trade mark but with dissimilar goods. Infringement actions involved situations whereby the goods under the trade mark were similar and thus confusing the consumers4. The Argument The application of anti dilution laws in Europe are more complicated. The formulation of trade mark laws brought about different perspectives in the application of the law. The main concern has been on the unfair advantage enjoyed by the junior users of a trade mark rather that the harm caused to the trade mark. Unfair competition was the main driving force behind the use of trademarks by other companies. For example, in France, a company had to show that its trade mark suffere d harm fro its usage by other companies. However, the use of a trade mark to achieve competitive advantage was also termed as a form of harm to the trade mark. In Germany, a company had to show how it was affected in competition by the use of its trade mark by other competitors. Competition should be understood to mean competition for the trade mark and on situations whereby the junior user of the trademark would use the mark on dissimilar goods5. Article 5(2) of the

The beauty of nature is so intense it can be overwhelming Essay Example for Free

The beauty of nature is so intense it can be overwhelming Essay In comparing and contrasting â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset† with at least one other poem, compare and contrast how the awesome aspect of nature is depicted in your collection. The poems â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset† by Emily Dickinson and â€Å"Beeny Cliff† by Thomas Hardy both present nature as intensely beautiful with the critic Blackmur claiming that: â€Å"those poems where [Emily Dickinson] describes the effect of nature upon a sensitive observer are most effective†¦ truly beautiful†. The awesome aspect of nature is depicted in a number of different ways but most importantly through structure, sound and repetition, natural imagery, and colour. There are a number of structural similarities and differences within these poems. The exclamations of â€Å"how† within â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset† introduce a note of amazement into the poem. Similarly, â€Å"o† in â€Å"Beeny Cliff† is suggestive as an address, but also as a lament. This can be inferred to reflect that the beauty of nature is so overwhelming that the poetic voice cannot help but sigh over the memories that were captured in the landscape of â€Å"Beeny Cliff†. In â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset†, the idiosyncratic capitalisations personify the sunset, but also control the emphasis on the significance of the details within the landscape. The dashes are suggestive of punctuating the poem with emotional thoughts and excitement. As every new idea strikes the poetic voice, a dash is used to separate each one. The interjection â€Å"-Sapphire-† in the line â€Å"with a departing –Sapphire- feature† suggests the sudden registration of the vivid brilliant colour in nature. In the last line â€Å"Paralyzed, with Gold-†, the dash suggests the continuation of excitement, and the expectant waiting for the next detail of beauty nature will provide next. In contrast to this, the dashes in â€Å"-elsewhere-† in â€Å"Beeny Cliff† set the word in isolation, suggesting the separation of Hardy and his wife by death. This emphasises the strength of emotion and acute pain Hardy experiences due to nature and death, and so expresses the overwhelming beauty of nature through nature’s power. In â€Å"Beeny Cliff† the use of polysyndeton in the repetition of â€Å"and† suggests a chain of events. This reflects the continuity of nature and human life, but also serves to slow down the pace of the poem, until the third and fourth stanzas of â€Å"Beeny Cliff† are simply a description of the beauty of Beeny Cliff, with connotations of the death of Hardy’s wife. This could imply that the beauty  of nature demands to be described and perhaps even associated with emotions and memories. Similarly, in â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset† the anaphora of â€Å"how† is suggestive of the intensity of wonder at the sunset. With each repetition, the poetic voice expresses her admiration of each new marvel she observes, as well as the sheer variety and number of visual splendours in the landscape. The shift in description of the sea in â€Å"Beeny Cliff† from a â€Å"wandering western sea† into a â€Å"wild weird western shore† suggests the beauty of nature changes into an overwhelmingly alien and strange, and almost evil and foreboding landscape once death occurs. The AAA rhyme scheme of â€Å"Beeny Cliff† strengthens the idea of the unchangeable ability and permanence of nature, while the plosive sounds of â€Å"still in chasmal beauty bulks old Beeny† evoke a sense of bitterness in the fac t that the beauty of nature remains even after the death of Hardy’s wife. In â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset†, the half rhymes focuses and concentrates the admiration and emotional energy of the reader and the poetic voice on the sense that the scene is continually evolving. Furthermore, the half rhymes may also suggest that every sunset is unique in its beauty. The beauty of nature is also expressed in its comparison to humanity. In â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset†, Dickinson references the artists Titian, Domenichino and Guido who were all famous for their rich colours, in particular Titian’s vivid golden red hair in his paintings. However these artists cannot capture the magnificence of the red and gold sunset, thus creating a sense of irony. This suggests the beauty of nature as human artists are confounded by the brilliance of the sunset, and are so overwhelmed by its impossibility to paint that they cannot capture it. Domenichino â€Å"dropped his pencil-/Paralyzed, with Gold†, in which the image of a dropped pencil reflects the artist’s shock at the radiance of the sunset and is almost comical, thus alluding to how the attempts to paint the sunset must seem comical and pale in significance to the real thing . This suggests that the beauty of nature is so overwhelming that it is able to surprise even great artists and even overpower them. In â€Å"Beeny Cliff†, Beeny Cliff itself is used as a contrast to mankind. Its â€Å"chasmal beauty† is juxtaposed with â€Å"the woman†, who â€Å"now is -elsewhere†, is reflective of the contrast between the constancy of nature against the mortality of human life. This is further illuminated in the opposition of â€Å"still†, which  highlights the eternal nature of the cliff and therefore nature, with â€Å"now†, which implies the mutability of human life. This is suggestive of the awesome aspect of nature in its ability to stay forever unchanging, especially when juxtaposed with the fleeting transient nature of humanity. In â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset† humanity also appears insignificant when compared to nature. The â€Å"small dusk† â€Å"blots† the houses, which suggests that even with such a tiny aspect of nature, humanity offers little resistance. This suggests the overwhelming aspect of nature as even with everything humanity has achieves, it is easily smothered by the power of nature. The rich imagery in â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset† is suggestive of the power of the sunset. The word â€Å"drip† emphasises the sunbeams overflowing with light, and therefore implies the intensity and brightness of colour. The image of the dun brake â€Å"draped in Cinder† reflects the lavishness of the landscape, and therefore the abundant beauty of nature. In â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset†; the slow verbs also suggest that the sunset has been frozen in a moment of time. The onomatopoeic â€Å"drip† captures the gradual nature of the sunset, whereas â€Å"crawls† is suggestive of the slowing of time. However, nature continues, thus suggesting the fragile beauty of the sunset, in that it only lasts for a few moments even if time seems to stand still for the poetic voice, who is absorbed in the describing of the sunset. The variety of description, from â€Å"the old Mountains†, to the â€Å"Dun Brake†, to the â€Å"old Steeples† echoes the varied process of the sun setting, and its changing splendour. In comparison to this, the chasmal beauty in â€Å"Beeny Cliff† reveals depth of emotion Hardy experiences, as well as the depth of beauty and darkness present within the landscape. Within these two poems, there is a prevalent sense of colours and light. In â€Å"Beeny Cliff†, the sea is described as â€Å"opal and †¦ sapphire†. The usage of precious gems suggests valuable memories and rarity in nature. This is echoed in â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset†, in which a duchess is described as â€Å"sapphire†. The duchess could be taken to mean the afternoon sky, therefore suggesting that the sky is so beautiful that it is comparable to jewels. The adjective of â€Å"sapphire† in both these images is suggestive of clarity and purity, suggesting the beautiful ideal of hope within the sky and the sea. The images of â€Å"the old Steeples† handing the scarlet back to the sun reflect the sheer magnitude of bright colours in â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset†, in that the steeples have already been tinted with so much colour that if feels the need to reflect it back. The word play on the word â€Å"steeples† and â€Å"steeped† suggest that the steeples have been saturated with the scarlet of the sun. The darkness of â€Å"a little cloud† cloaking Hardy in his wife is reflective of the overwhelming darkness of grief which is associated with Emma’s death, and therefore, the beauty of Beeny Cliff. The â€Å"sun [bursts] out again† after Emma’s death, which too represents the constancy of nature, and the overwhelming beauty of a new day. However, the violent image of a â€Å"burst† could also be inferred as the clumsy overflow of emotion that the beauty of nature exposes within human nature. In conclusion, structure, sound and repetition are used in â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset† to convey the poet’s excitement, whereas in â€Å"Beeny Cliff†, it expresses Hardy’s grief. However, the usage of rich and lavish imagery is the most effective method of depicting the beauty of nature â€Å"How the old Mountains drip with Sunset† whereas the colours in â€Å"Beeny Cliff† brilliantly highlight the beauty in the landscape of Beeny Cliff.

Womens Behavior in Coleridges Christabel and Brownings My Last Duchess :: My Last Duchess Essays

Women's Behavior in Coleridge's Christabel and Browning's My Last Duchess      Ã‚   Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Browning wrote in two different eras.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Coleridge's "Christabel" and Browning's "My Last Duchess" both deal with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   women's sexuality. The women of the poems are both presented as having   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sinned. Christabel's own belief that she has sinned is based on how a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   woman of her time was supposed to behave. The Duchess's sin is that she   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   violates the code of conduct for a noble wife. Yet, can the modern reader   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   really feel these women did anything wrong? The only sin in these two   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   poems is that women are supposed to suppress their emotions. The real   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   problem is that they defied the idea that women are not supposed to be as   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sexually open as men. A woman was only to behave as these two women did   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   towards their husband, and even with him do so behind closed doors. Women   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   were to serve as the "Angel in the House" both of these women defy that   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   image. That type of thinking is characteristic of Romantic and Victorian   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   standards of women. This is especially true of the upper classes to which   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Christabel and the Duchess belong.      Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Coleridge raises the question: "What happens to a woman's self-image when   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   she defies social expectations?" Christabel struggles with this question   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   throughout the poem because she defies the standards for how a woman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   should behave sexually. However, Coleridge is not trying to makes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Christabel a heroine for doing so. The poem has more to do with the effect   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of breaking rules on women. Coleridge depicts Christabel as a young woman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   discovering herself. She has no taste for convention, as one can see by   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   her wandering around in the woods at night. Apparently, this is not proper   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   behavior, as the poet describes her action in a scolding tone, "What makes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   her in the woods so late, / A furlong from the castle gate?" (Coleridge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25-26). The reader is given the idea from the beginning that Christabel is

Write About the Way in Which Hosseini Uses Setting in

Write about the way the significance of the way in which Hosseini uses setting in ‘The Kite Runner’. Focus on two or three. Hosseini uses setting in the kite runner in various ways. It is a tool in showcasing the social division between Hazara and Pashtuns in Kabul and is also used to dramatise and add tension to the story. An example of Hosseini adding tension through setting is Amir and Baba’s car journey from Kabul to Jalalabad. It is narrated by Amir in the present tense, as if he is there telling us what’s happening at that moment as opposed to the past tense narrative style that the remainder of the book is told in. The scene begins with ‘ We pulled up to the check point’ we are only limited to Amir’s view at the time, whilst Amir usually adds his thoughts for example just before Hassan gets raped, after his harelip has been fixed he says ‘†¦which was ironic. Because that was the winter Hassan stopped smiling’ there is no reflection of the past in this scene. There is no sense of omniscience and the reader feels for the first time that Amir is vulnerable and that he is real. The scene continues with ‘Feet crushed gravel’ by using the word ‘feet’ instead of some ones feet or the Russian soldiers feet, Hosseini makes it impersonal and threatening, as if the feet do not belong to a human being with emotions. It also allows the reader to understand how Amir was feeling at the time, he knows that the feet belonged to the Russian soldier but he doesn’t tell us and by only including information he knew at the time we turn into Amir and we feel his fear. The people in the car are clearly on edge, Hosseini shows us this through ‘a flicker of a lighter’, in order to hear it in the truck Amir and the other passengers must have been very quiet and listening out for anything threatening. The word ‘flicker’ is gentle and emphasises how still and alert they must have been. The deathly silence is broken by a ‘shrill cackling’ that scares Amir. There is an eerie quality to this, the word ‘cackling’ is usually associated with witches in children’s books, and although this should be very cliched- the evil character having an evil laugh- Hosseini ets up the scene in such a way that you feel frightened for Amir. The laughing man then starts singing an ‘old Afghan wedding song’ and this is when his identity is revealed ‘†¦with a thick Russian accent’. This adds to the eeriness as there is a conflict of expectations- its more unsettling that the Russian soldie r is singing and laughing rather than if he had been beating someone. When the door of the truck is opened and the three men peer in, Amir describes ‘a bone coloured moon’ hanging in the sky. The word ‘bone’ intensifies the feeling of danger and death, Hosseini could of used ‘white’ or any other adjective to describe the moon but by associating the moon with bone he warns the reader that something bad is about to take place. The moon is also used later on, to show Baba’s bravery and nobility when he stands up to the Russian soldier ‘he eclipsed the moonlight’. Baba is shown to be fearless, he is larger than the moon and he shields them from it and everything else. Amir uses his direct thoughts when he describes how he had believed the Russian soldier has shot Baba ‘It’s done, then. I’m eighteen and alone†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in doing this not only does it allow the reader to sympathise with Amir and connect with him but its highlights how dangerous the situation is, Amir cant even protest against what’s happening, the calm way in which he thinks it through ‘where do I bury him? Where do I go after? I find is quite disturbing. I feel that it lacks emotion and for me I wonder if this is a fabrication by Amir -the writer. He knows that Baba didn’t die, but he presents it in this way to sensationalise the story. Another use of setting in the story is to show the great divisions of society in Kabul, Hosseini uses Baba’s house and Ali’s hut to show the social structure in Kabul. Baba and Amir who were Pashtuns and Sunni Muslims were the affluent upper class and were respected whilst the Hassan and Ali as Hazaras and Shia Muslims were servants. The two houses are also used to show the different father-son relationship between Hassan and Ali and Baba and Amir. Baba’s house is described as being very grand; the entire paragraph dedicated to it oozes wealth and prosperity. Hosseini uses superlative adjectives to describe the house ‘prettiest house in all of Kabul†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Everything about the house is luxurious and beautiful, there are great descriptions of tapestries and ‘marble floors and wide windows’. Even the smells in the house are rich ‘perpetually smelled of tobacco and cinnamon’, the word ‘perpetually’ hints that Baba’s wealth was continuous, it would never end, as if Amir believed that he would always live in this luxury. The house is very formal ‘poplar trees lined the driveway’ and ‘rosebushes’ flanked the entryway. However throughout this beautiful description there are some cracks and some uneasiness. In particular the ‘wrought- iron gates’ that give the house a prison like feel, and also the mention of Rahim Khan ‘ I’m in his arms, but it’s Rahim Khan’s pinky my fingers are curled around’ this suggests that within the opulence there are some badly hidden issues. In contrast Ali’s hut is introduced to the reader by the heading ‘the Wall of Ailing Corn’ the corn that ‘never really took’ as if there is also something wrong with the hut. Whilst Baba’s house is given a detailed description Amir’s description of Ali’s hut is brief, perhaps because he doesn’t think its significant or maybe because he doesn’t remember it much, he admits himself ‘in the eighteen years that I lived in that house, I stepped into Hassan and Ali’s quarters only a handful of times†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He remembers it as ‘sparse, clean, dimly lit†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ it is simple and modest and reflects the character of it inhabitants. There is nothing extraneous and nothing excessive unlike Baba’s house with the mahogany table that could easily seat ‘thirty guests’ or the ‘two acres of backyard’. He also describes a ‘loquat tree’ that gave shade to the house; this differs to the ‘poplar trees’ and ‘rosebushes’ of Baba’s house. Loquat trees are local trees in Kabul whilst rosebushes are foreign, they also have purpose they produce fruit unlike Baba’s trees that are purely decoration. It is ironic that the smallest thing that Baba owns he shares and is associated with Ali ‘Baba and Ali had planted a small vegetable garden’. It is also significant that Amir describes his house as ‘Baba’s estate’ or Baba’s house. He doesn’t claim it, but when he describes Hassan and Ali’s ouse, not only does he call it a’ home’ rather than a ‘house’ but he says that its their home. The hut signifies the close relationship between Ali and Hassan; they don’t have fancy tapestries or tables that get in the way of each other. There is always something between Ba ba and Amir, even the house divides them ‘upstairs was my bedroom, Baba’s room and his study†¦. ’ Baba constantly shuts Amir out of his study ‘â€Å"Go on now,† he would say, â€Å"This is grown-ups time†. ’ Hassan and Ali slept in the same room with ‘two mattresses on opposite sides of the room’- they were always together. Ali’s hut also shows Amir’s attitude towards Hazaras and shows that the social division between Hazaras and Pashtuns is one that affects the younger generation too. He calls Hassan’s home a ‘mud hut’ and although he says it’s modest, it’s evident that he doesn’t think much of it. However the ironic thing is that Hassan and Ali’s hut fits with Kabul whilst Baba’s estate stands out not only because it’s pretty but because the vast majority of Kabul do not live like that a fact Amir is only aware of when he is much older.