Dowry system in india Essay Example for Free

Dowry system in india Essay Dowry is derived from the ancient Hindu customs of ‘kanyadan’ and ‘stridhan’. In ‘kanyadan’, the father of the bride offers the father of the groom money or property, etc whereas for ‘stridhan’, the bride herself gets jewelry and clothes at the time of her marriage, usually from her relatives or friends. In Varadakshina’, the father of the bride presents the groom cash or kind. All of these could be done voluntarily and out of affection and love. The Hindu marriage system is sacramental. According to this system, a marriage is forever and there is no scope for a separation. Among the various ceremonies previously practiced, the ceremony in front of a ‘godly’ fire (‘Yajna’ in Sanskrit) has taken over, the old-fashioned system of marrying a wife by capture. This form of marriage began the practice of dowry, where originally, the family of the bride would accept gifts and money from the groom’s family as an alternative to bloodshed during the capture of the bride. A later modification of this system has paved way for the present dowry system primarily practiced by the society. The dowry custom continues to rule our society. In majority of Indian families, the boy has legacy rights, while the girl is given a large sum at the time of her marriage in lieu of the government regulated equal rights for girls in parental property. Thus, dowry system has spread in almost all parts of the country and sections of society. There are several reasons for the occurrence of the dowry system, but the main one is that it is a necessary precondition for marriage. ‘No dowry, no marriage’ is a widespread fear. There has also been an appearance of a feudal mindset with a materialistic attitude in a new globalised economy. The price tag for the groom is now bigger and bolder. The emergence of an affluent middle class, the torchbearer of social change in modern India, is the main factor for the continuation of the dowry system. Families arrange most marriages, and a man who does not marry for love; he can marry for wealth. For this man and his family, a woman becomes the ticket to shortcut riches through the system of dowry. There are a number of things people desire to have in their own houses but cannot afford; they use the opportunity of a son’s marriage to get them. The girl’s parents do not protest against variety, as they regard the union as a stepping-stone towards higher social status and better matches for the remaining children. Dowry as a phenomenon has gone beyond the ritual of marriage. Pregnancy, childbirth and all kinds of religious and family functions are occasions when such demands are made. A more sophisticated public image of an extended gifting session has replaced the old system. Now there is demand for receptions in marriage places. The trousseau includes designer wear for the bride and groom’s family. Chefs are flown in for multi-cuisine wedding dinners. The bride’s family usually pays for all this. The rich revel in the exchange of their black money, but this in turn exerts pressure on the other classes to ape them with serious social consequences. The women have become a kind of commodity. It is them who are the worst sufferers because dowry is most often a monetary agreement between two men – the bride’s father and the groom. Caste-based practices have only added fuel to the fire. Marriages in political families are arranged to consolidate the caste base for support in electoral politics, so they do not challenge the dowry system. Dowry rituals have now spread even to communities where they were unknown. It has gone to different castes, crossed the boundaries of provinces and education and religion. Muslims and Christians, such as the Syrian Christians of Kerala and the Roman Catholics of Mangalore have started demanding dowry. Official statistics show a steady rise in dowry crimes. More and more women are killed every year in India for dowry. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh still record the maximum number of dowry crimes, but Bangalore, India’s fastest growing city also shows an alarming rise – four women reportedly die every day because of dowry harassment and domestic violence. The cases of dowry torture are the highest accounting for 32.4% of crimes against women in the country. The Dowry Prohibition Act, in force since 1st July 1961, was passed with the purpose of prohibiting the demanding, giving and taking of dowry. In 1980, the Government setup a committee that recommended amendments in the Dowry Prohibition Act and also suggested expanding the definition of dowry and instituting family courts and National Commission for women. Many parliamentary debates led to some amendments in 1983,1984 and 1986. To stop the offences of cruelty by husband or his relatives on the wife, Section 498-A was added in the Indian Penal Code and Section 198-A in the Criminal Procedure Code in the year 1983. The Dowry Prohibition Act clearly stipulates that a person who gives or takes or helps in the giving or taking of dowry can be sentenced to jail for 5 years and fined Rs. 15,000/- or the amount of the value of dowry, whichever is more. The Act also prohibits the giving and taking directly or indirectly any property or valuable security, any amount either in cash of kind, jewelry, articles, properties, etc. in respect of a marriage. The control is provided by stating a limit and names of people gifting and their relationship to the married couple to be signed by both sides of parents. In 1986, the Act was amended again, empowering State governments to appoint Dowry Prohibition Officers, who not only had a preventive role but also had powers to collect evidence against people who took dowry. Despite protest by women’s organisations, serious activism, legal amendments, special police cells for women, media support and heightened awareness of dowry being a crime, the practice continues unabated on a massive scale. Despite every stigma, dowry continues to be the signature of marriage. Women need real social, political, financial and moral support in their fight against the system. They have to be empowered so that they can take their decisions about their own life by refusing the dowry system.

I Love You Bro Play Analysis Theatre Essay

I Love You Bro Play Analysis Theatre Essay The La Boite Theatre Companys production of Adam J. A. Casss I Love You, Bro , directed by David Bethold, is a play which masterfully engages and captivates the audience. It effectively tells an enthralling tale of love, deceit and manipulation. The plays protagonist, Johnny, is a troubled teen who is desperate for love. Devoid of any power in reality, online chatrooms are his only escape. It is here, on the virtual stage, where Johnny meets, seduces and manipulates the unwitting Markymark, who through the lies of Johnny, becomes a tool in an incitement of murder. Although on the surface, I Love You, Bro may seem a twisted story of devious treachery, it is in fact a simple, yet tragic anecdote of a boy whose desire to be loved supersedes any other. The play successfully engrossed the audience through its skilled use of dramatic elements. The tension which existed in the play was well cultivated by the roles and relationships excellently portrayed by a single actor. Some of the succes s in this regard can be attributed to the highly creative use of the stage, and the combination of lighting and effects, designed by Renee Mulder, Carolyn Emerson and Guy Webster. Behind the many masks which he creates, Johnny (played by Leon Cain) himself is just as intriguing a character as any he invents. Coming from a world of domestic violence, lacking any who sincerely love him, it is little wonder that he reaches out in the only way he has available to him; virtually. Early on in the play, Johnny tells the audience he was never an outgoing personality; however, as the story develops, so too does Johnnys confidence. As the main protagonist, the story follows Johnnys struggle to connect with someone, and the gradual transformation of this struggle into an unhealthy obsession. The subject of this obsession is the oblivious teen footballer, Mark. When Mark first begins conversing online with Johnny, he mistakenly believes him to be a female. Johnny plays along, eager to satisfy his desire to be needed by someone. As time progresses, the relationship between the two grows exponentially, to the point wherein Johnny believes himself to be in love with Mark, wh o was still unaware that his online lover is in fact a younger male. Throughout the course of the play, Johnny conceived a multitude of spurious characters, all of whom served to further his connection with Mark. Initially, the chain of characters began with a simple error on Marks behalf. After mistakenly believing that Johnnys online alias AlbaJay was a female character, Jessica was born. Jessica was Johnnys first creation, and became his obsession when he came to the realisation that she could act as a conductor for reciprocated love. Jessica, although starting off fairly innocently and without any intention of harm, Johnny soon begins to conceive new characters to fuel his insatiable desire to feel as though he is cared about and attempts to achieve this with his creation of two new fictitious characters. These characters are Simon, Jessicas helpless, albeit fabricated younger brother and Stings, an intimidating bully. Johnny creates these people in order to heighten Marks feelings towards him by establishing an element of danger in the relationsh ip the two share. By putting Simon in a threatened position, and then using it to pressure Mark into a predicament wherein he has limited courses of action he can take, Johnny takes the game to a much higher level, and as a direct result, vastly increases the tension in the play. Similarly, the creation of Jane Bond and Agent 41579 serve similar purposes as Johnnys previous fabrications. Jane Bond and Agent 41579 both add to the danger involved in the romance, deepening the urgency of the connection between Mark and Johnny. In addition to this, Agent 41579 is similar to Jessica in that she acts as a magnet for attention and the affection of Mark. The establishment of the new relationship between Mark and Agent 41579 created a renewed level of tension after a lull in the play, and this was only increased as the plot continued and led to the attack on Johnny. This story is played out on a quite simplistic and minimalistic set designed by Renee Mulder. It consisted of an abstract stage, which was elevated in the upstage region to creatively act as a cyclorama onto which images and videos were projected. As well as this, the stage had a simple wire framed desk structure at its most downstage point. It was to this point that the entire stage was pointed towards and focussed on. This was because the desk and the computer which sat upon it were the pinnacle of Johnnys existence. His computer was the most important part of his life. The set was an accurate reflection of his world, and how it revolved around his online presence. The jagged and sharp edges of the stage also demonstrated the disjointed and shattered life which Johnny was a part of when not on his computer. The stage also worked well in cohesion with the use of a single actor. Being a small and uncluttered stage, the focus was always directed on Johnny and his actions, and this for ced the audience to engage with him and added significantly to the plays overall delivery. Another interesting aspect of the set was the wheeled chair which so often Johnny rolled around the stage on. The use of this chair to roll around stage showed Johnnys internal conflict and indecisiveness. On numerous occasions throughout the play, Johnny could be seen rolling around stage when faced with a difficult decision. This clearly showed his opposing and clashing opinions, a metaphor for his uncertainty as to which direction to take, and ultimately, his uncertainty in himself. The action of the play was effectively accentuated by lighting and effects. For the majority of the play, the stage was lit with an azure blue tinge. The lighting effects reflected Johnnys personal feelings at any certain time. A perfect example of this was seen when Stings took over Johnny. Stings was the darker side of Johnny, and the lighting of the production captured this aspect of him perfectly. Each time Stings appeared, the lights would immediately and without warning switch off from a light colour, and the stage would be bathed in almost total darkness, with only the slightest hints of light dancing around stage.In combination with this, a distinct whipping sound effect was played to indicate the rapid and brusque change into the alter ego. After the change had occurred, a low and menacing tone was played, personifying the insidious nature of Stings. Similarly, the azure colour which was present as Johnny took the guise of Jessica showed his softer, lighter side. These light ing and sound elements were creatively used to transmit both mood and personality to the audience, as were the simple images and occasional video images projected onto the cyclorama. Director David Berthold successfully manipulated the dramatic elements of distinct roles and relationships presented in Adam J. A. Casss I Love You, Bro. Consequently, the audience is able to connect on a very powerful level with this production. The play skillfully creates tension at key points throughout the plot, and by the timely balancing of this tension, the play was thoroughly engaging.

Sport Psychology :: essays research papers

A Summary of: The Psychosocial Characteristics of Olympic Track and Field Athletes Fortunately, it was quite a simple task to find a research topic related to the material that we have covered so far in sport psychology. After some quick searching, we ran across a rather interesting article written in the International Journal of Sport Psychology that could obviously be useful. Conveniently, it was in the most recent issue of this particular journal available in the Evansdale Library. Entitled, Psychosocial Characteristics of Olympic Track and Field Athletes, this article happened to be one that we could easily relate too. Because both of us are runners, we share a definite commonality with the subjects of the study. This is true, even though neither of us will actually make it to the Olympics to perform at the subjects' standards. At least, though, it is possible to relate highly to these interesting people. Basically, the purpose of this particular study was to identify the specific personality characteristics of 15 Olympic caliber track and field athletes. Certainly, several people, especially sport psychologists, would like to know if there are specific attitudes and personalities that belong to the topnotch athletes of the world. Pretty simple request, right? Or at least it sounds that way. To perform this experiment, each of the athletes was asked six standardized questions. For instance, one of the questions focused directly on the subject of â€Å"How do you prepare for a competition.† The athletes’ responses to these questions were recorded word for word and analyzed for content. Interestingly enough, typical themes could be found throughout their responses. For example, some of the athletes would mention that a higher power was some how related to everything that they have done. The people performing this study would relate this to the category of spiritual/ religious factors. Also, a couple of the runners claimed that their lives were completely based on the theme of mental skills and attitudes such as hard work and perseverance. It was very easy to notice that these themes appeared time after time, for each question answered by the same person. The researchers concluded that these emerging themes play an important role in the psychological development of each athlete. While it isn’t a direct correlation, the work these researchers have done could be somewhat related to developments in psychological skills training.

Assyrian Art Essay -- essays research papers

Assyrian Art The reliefs from the palace of King Assurnasirpal II at Nimrud play an important role in portraying the power and importance of the Assyrian king. These reliefs are similar to other Assyrian reliefs in terms of their purpose; however, there is a contrast in the methods used to glorify the king. By examining such factors as style, iconography and historical significance, we find many similarities and differences between the "ceremonial" reliefs and the more common reliefs depicting war and hunting. The reliefs belonging to the sacred or"ceremonial" category consist of panels depicting a sacred tree, a human headed genius fertilizing a sacred tree, a griffin fertilizing a sacred tree, and a scene of King Assurnasirpal (whose name comes from the god "Assur") followed by a winged genius. Dating to about 870 B.C., these reliefs were originally located in the antechamber to the royal throne hall and in the living room where it would have been viewed by distinguished guests. Because of their location and larger than life size, the reliefs "...instill in the beholder a sense of awe and reverence for the king...." (Art History Anthology 28). Moreover, the reliefs overwhelm the viewer by depicting the king's power and god-like divinity through propagandistic iconography and stylization. To portray the king's god-like divinity, the reliefs represent the deities and Assurnasirpal in a similar manner. First of all, hierarchic scale is almost absent since all the figures are closely related in size, with Assurnasirpal being only slightly shorter than the deities. In historical context, this shows that Assyrian kings were closely associated with deities, but were not considered gods themselves. This lack of hierarchic scale is also seen in the Lion Hunt of Assurbanipal, where king Assurbanipal is shown slightly larger than his servants. Secondly, the deities and Assurnasirpal are similar in stance and stylization. All the figures have their head and legs shown in profile, while the torso is shown halfway frontal. In addition, the figures maintain a stiff vertical stance with their arms extended in either straight lines or are stiffly bent into a ninety-degree angle. In the third panel, both a winged deity and Assurnasirpal are depicted facing towards the right with their left feet forward; however, in contrast, the human headed genius and the griffin ... ...a symmetrical manner with intertwining branches, stylized leaves, and a fan of leaves above the trunk. The winged geniuses are fertilizing the sacred tree with a date blossom in their right hand and holding a sacred bucket in their left. In addition, panel three shows a winged deity following Assurnasirpal with his right hand raised over the king "in a gesture of benediction and divine protection" (Art History Anthology 28). By placing these reliefs in his antechamber and living room, Assurnasirpal "emphasizes the sacred character of the Assyrian king, elected by the gods, although not himself of divine substance" (Frankfort 87). In conclusion, we find that the reliefs from the palace of King Assurnasirpal II play an important role in exhibiting the power and importance of the king. While an Assyrian king's power can be depicted is a war-like manner by his military might, we learn that"ceremonial" reliefs are also effective by placing the king in relation to gods. The power and importance of the king is shown through a peaceful manner that highly contrasts the scenes of death and fighting found in such reliefs as the lion hunt of Assurbanipal and the battle scene of Assurnasirpal.

Sports and Gender Essays -- Female Sports Film Movies Essays

Sports become stereotyped as gender-neutral, feminine, or masculine based on conceptions regarding gender, gender differences, and beliefs about the appropriateness of participation due to gender (Colley et al., 1987; Csizma, Wittig, & Schurr, 1988; Koivula, 1995; Matteo, 1986). Sports labeled as feminine seem to be those that allow women participants to act in accordance with the stereotyped expectations of femininity (such as being graceful and nonagressive) and that provide for beauty and aesthetic pleasure (based on largely male standards). A sport is labeled as masculine if it involves the following: 1) attempts to physically overpower the opponent(s) by bodily contact; 2) a direct use of bodily force to a heavy object; 3) a projection of the body into or through space over distance; and 4) face-to-face competition in situations in which bodily contact may occur. These characteristics are believed to be appropriate expressions of masculine attributes such as aggressiveness, effe ctiveness, and power (Metheny, 1965; Koivula, 2001). In a recent study, 403 participants were first asked to answer a short questionnaire regarding their gender, age, and physical exercise habits. They then completed a questionnaire regarding perceived characteristics of a sport. In this latter questionnaire, the respondent was asked to rate to what degree the descriptor is characteristic of the sport or those practicing the sport using a seven-point scale from 1 (â€Å"Not at all characteristic of the sport/sport participant†) to 7 (â€Å"Very much characteristic of the sport/sport participant†). For each participant, the sport to be rated was randomly selected out of 41 different sports, 19 of which had been previously labeled gender-neutral, 7 of which ha... ...3, November/December). Women in sport: backlash or megatrend? The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 64(9), 49-52. Huckaby, A. M. (1994). Women's athletics. Unpublished Manuscript: Kenyon College Athletic Department. Koivula, N. (1995). Ratings of gender appropriateness of sports participation: Effects of gender-based schematic processing. Sex Roles, 33, 543-557. Koivula, N. (2001). Perceived characteristics of sports categorized as gender-neutral, feminine and masculine. Journal of Sport Behavior, 12-01-01, 337. Matteo, S. (1986). The effects of sex and gender-schematic processing on sport participation. Sex Roles, 15,417-432. Sports Illustrated cnnsi.com. (2000). Reactions: Women’s boxing. UNH President's Commission on the Status of Women. (1994). Report on the Status of Women Profile of Women Students at the University of NH. Sports and Gender Essays -- Female Sports Film Movies Essays Sports become stereotyped as gender-neutral, feminine, or masculine based on conceptions regarding gender, gender differences, and beliefs about the appropriateness of participation due to gender (Colley et al., 1987; Csizma, Wittig, & Schurr, 1988; Koivula, 1995; Matteo, 1986). Sports labeled as feminine seem to be those that allow women participants to act in accordance with the stereotyped expectations of femininity (such as being graceful and nonagressive) and that provide for beauty and aesthetic pleasure (based on largely male standards). A sport is labeled as masculine if it involves the following: 1) attempts to physically overpower the opponent(s) by bodily contact; 2) a direct use of bodily force to a heavy object; 3) a projection of the body into or through space over distance; and 4) face-to-face competition in situations in which bodily contact may occur. These characteristics are believed to be appropriate expressions of masculine attributes such as aggressiveness, effe ctiveness, and power (Metheny, 1965; Koivula, 2001). In a recent study, 403 participants were first asked to answer a short questionnaire regarding their gender, age, and physical exercise habits. They then completed a questionnaire regarding perceived characteristics of a sport. In this latter questionnaire, the respondent was asked to rate to what degree the descriptor is characteristic of the sport or those practicing the sport using a seven-point scale from 1 (â€Å"Not at all characteristic of the sport/sport participant†) to 7 (â€Å"Very much characteristic of the sport/sport participant†). For each participant, the sport to be rated was randomly selected out of 41 different sports, 19 of which had been previously labeled gender-neutral, 7 of which ha... ...3, November/December). Women in sport: backlash or megatrend? The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 64(9), 49-52. Huckaby, A. M. (1994). Women's athletics. Unpublished Manuscript: Kenyon College Athletic Department. Koivula, N. (1995). Ratings of gender appropriateness of sports participation: Effects of gender-based schematic processing. Sex Roles, 33, 543-557. Koivula, N. (2001). Perceived characteristics of sports categorized as gender-neutral, feminine and masculine. Journal of Sport Behavior, 12-01-01, 337. Matteo, S. (1986). The effects of sex and gender-schematic processing on sport participation. Sex Roles, 15,417-432. Sports Illustrated cnnsi.com. (2000). Reactions: Women’s boxing. UNH President's Commission on the Status of Women. (1994). Report on the Status of Women Profile of Women Students at the University of NH.

The Psychology Of Fashion Fashion Essay

Over the 2nd half of the last century, the organic structure has emerged as an object cardinal to our behaviour and to our thrust for intending. Therefore, manner, being in close contact to our organic structures, has started to have the attending of public, creative persons, and intellectuals. Psychology of manner lookIt is a common expression, that persons play the functions associated with their individualism and rank in society. One ever has the want to hold a occupation in a big company ; such companies are normally image-controlled. Companies want their employees to hold proper visual aspect to look successful. Conservative vesture is still the most recognized successful expression for an person. Not merely that, but companies want persons besides to reflect the position and professional public presentation of the company foremost by the feeling left by the manner their employers frock. Those who are non playing functions associated with their places in society appear as odd and non trusted this shows in being careful of what we do or state in their presence. Using this to a client employee interaction, the client response should so be negative, and the impact of such negative response heightens and reaches higher administrative degrees. Looking for a occupation is hard particularly if the purpose is high, the manner one manages his or her visual aspect may be an of import key in giving a good first feeling. The importance may mount to it may non count what cognition, attack or personality if one gets a incorrect first feeling. The reply to the inquiry why employers encourage the image-control plans now becomes clearly comprehensible. The usual society ‘s expression for adult females is that they appear quiet. Nevertheless, adult females began to take on stronger and more important expression likely since society approved for them to have on pants. This reworked transcript is still developing ; and adult females now are taking on non to have on make-up, titling hair, and have oning what has ever been a work forces ‘s wear characteristic such as neckties. It is true that a necktie gives reflects answerability, dependability, shrewdness, and position, therefore, a scarf may non be adequate neckwear for adult females. These organic structure fond regards are non merely a signifier of stylish vesture, but used besides to demo the singularity of an person. When a occupation demand is divergent communicating with clients as in gross revenues or public dealingss, of import qualities for choice are good wellness and good- looking, every bit good as cognition and acquaintance with the merchandise or house. However, non all directors appreciate these positions ; alternatively, they worry possibly excessively much about the manner mentalities, which can be a penchant for choice. Psychological theories related to FashionThe bases of depth psychology theory as explained by Sigmund Freud are four rules:Organization of personality.Psychosexual stages of development.Natural psychological activity.Psychoanalytical method of psychotherapeutics. Many psychologists applied Freud ‘s psychoanalytic theory to the survey of manner:Theory of switching attractive zonesManner historiographer, James Laver the art historiographer ( 1899-1975 ) theorized the attractive force or seduction rule is what governs adult females manners. For that, the chief thrust behind alterations in adult females manners was the wish to pull the opposite gender. On the other manus, what governs alterations in work forces ‘s manners is the hierarchy ( picking order or ladder ) rule significance that stylish adult male ‘s manner highlights the socioeconomic position more than anything else does. Harmonizing to Laver, female ‘s frock, attracts males by discriminatively covering and concealing certain parts of the female anatomy. Therefore, different manners are based on switching attractive zones. Manner helps to maintain involvement in the organic structure by constructing what can be called attractive capital that is covering up part s for longtime plenty to construct up a sense of delectation when seeing them once more. Sexual symbolism of vestureAlison Lurie the American novelist ( born in 1926 ) applied the psychoanalytic theory in her description of what one ‘s pocketbook communicates. Gender attractive force is non all a pocketbook communicates. Its contents represent the contents of head, or act as a portable individuality hint. At the same clip, nevertheless, the bag suggests magnet information in the eyes of the perceiver. A tightly closed, fastened, and folded bag points to a adult female who protects her privacy ( physical and emotional ) . An open-topped to a great extent loaded bag, points to an unfastened, swearing personality, which may name for attack. A pocketbook that has many compartments, points to a methodical organized head or a adult female who engages in many activities in life. A one-compartment pocketbook, on the other manus, points to the opposite particularly if disorganized and mixed up. The executive adult female who carries a pocketbook and a brief instance togethe r may hold two opposing inconsistent features. Lurie, in her book, besides discusses the imagination associated with work forces ‘s wear ( umbrellas, chapeaus, ties, and walking sticks ) . Manner is a manner of self-expression. It allows people to reassign feelings and ideas without stating a word, and if I may cite from Thomas Carlyle ( the Scottish philosopher and author 1759-1881 ) ; â€Å"Society is founded on fashion†¦ If the cut of the costume signals intellect and endowment, so the colour suggests temper and heart† .

Personal Response to Family of Little Feet Essay

The beginning of the story starts out sounding like a fairytale about a family with little feet and then transforms into a story that is being told about a little girl and two of her friends that are given three pairs of high heeled shoes to play with, â€Å"†¦. magic high heels†. The girls each try on and swap between them the three pairs of shoes and then begin walking about the neighborhood with the shoes on and the speaker notes the different reactions that they receive from the different people they pass while wearing the shoes. The speaker states â€Å"Down to the corner where the men can’t take their eyes off us. We must be Christmas†. They pass a shop keeper that asks them if their mother knows they have shoes like that, and he tells them they are too young to be wearing them. Then the girls pass the laundromat where six female cousins just ignore them as they walk by in the high heels, and one of the girls named Lucy states that the cousins are always jealous. Lastly they pass a tavern where one of the girls, Rachel yells out to the bum that is standing out front, â€Å"Do you like these shoes?† The bum answers â€Å"yes† to Rachel and he asks her name in which she replies â€Å"Rachel†. The bum tells Rachel how pretty she is and that her shoes are beautiful. He proceeds to tell Rachel â€Å"Rachel, you are prettier than a yellow taxi cab. You know that†? The other little girl Lucy, seemingly knowing better, doesn’t like this encounter with the bum and tells her friend that â€Å"we got to go†. The bum then offers Rachel a dollar for a kiss which she seems to be considering until her friend Lucy grabs her by the hand and begins to run from the bum, all the while he is still yelling something that the girls aren’t close enough to hear any longer. This obviously scared, at the very least Lucy because the next paragraph begins â€Å"We are tired of being beautiful†. Lucy hid the shoes and then one day her mother was cleaning and threw them away but â€Å"no one complains†. By the way no one complains when the shoes are thrown away shows that the girls have had their first real encounter with the mature world awaiting them, and they are not yet ready to enter it at their young ages.