SUMMARY OF SONG OF ROLAND

Charlemagne's army is fighting the Muslims in Spain. The last city standing is
Saragossa, held by the Muslim king Marsilla. Terrified of the might of Charlemagne's
army of Franks, Marsilla sends out messengers to Charlemagne, promising treasure
and Marsilla's conversion to Christianity if the Franks will go back to France.
Charlemagne and his men are tired of fighting and decide to accept this peace offer.
They need now to select a messenger to go back to Marsilla's court. The bold
warrior Roland nominates his stepfather Ganelon. Ganelon is enraged; he fears that
he'll die in the hands of the bloodthirsty pagans and suspects that this is just
Roland's intent. He has long hated and envied his stepson, and, riding back to
Saragossa with the Saracen messengers, he finds an opportunity for revenge. He
tells the Saracens how they could ambush the rear guard of Charlemagne's army,
which will surely be led by Roland as the Franks pick their way back to Spain
through the mountain passes, and helps the Saracens plan their attack.

Just as the traitor Ganelon predicted, Roland gallantly volunteers to lead the rear
guard. The wise and moderate Olivier and the fierce archbishop Turpin are among
the men Roland picks to join him. Pagans ambush them at Roncesvals, according to
plan; the Christians are overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. Seeing how badly
outnumbered they are, Olivier asks Roland to blow on his oliphant, his horn made
out of an elephant tusk, to call for help from the main body of the Frankish army.
Roland proudly refuses to do so, claiming that they need no help, that the rear
guard can easily take on the pagan hordes. While the Franks fight magnificently,
there's no way they can continue to hold off against the Saracens, and the battle
begins to turn clearly against them. Almost all his men are dead and Roland knows
that it's now too late for Charlemagne and his troops to save them, but he blows his
oliphant anyway, so that the emperor can see what happened to his men and
avenge them. Roland blows so hard that his temples burst. He dies a glorious
martyr's death, and saints take his soul straight to Paradise.

When Charlemagne and his men reach the battlefield, they find only dead bodies.
The pagans have fled, but the Franks pursue them, chasing them into the river Ebro,
where they all drown. Meanwhile, the powerful emir of Babylon, Baligant, has
arrived in Spain to help his vassal Marsilla fend off the Frankish threat. Baligant and
his enormous Muslim army ride after Charlemagne and his Christian army, meeting
them on the battlefield at Roncesvals, where the Christians are burying and
mourning their dead. Both sides fight valiantly. But when Charlemagne kills
Baligant, all the pagan army scatter and flee. Now Saragossa has no defenders left;
the Franks take the city. With Marsilla's wife Bramimonde, Charlemagne and his men
ride back to Aix, their capital in sweet France.

The Franks diScovered Ganelon's betrayal some time ago and keep him in chains
until it is time for his trial. Ganelon argues that his action was legitimate revenge,
openly proclaimed, not treason. While the council of barons, which Charlemagne
gathered to decide the traitor's fate is initially swayed by this claim, one man,
Thierry, argues that, because Roland was serving Charlemagne when Ganelon
delivered his revenge on him, Ganelon's action constitutes a betrayal of the
emperor. Ganelon's friend Pinabel challenges Thierry to trial by combat; the two will
fight a duel to see who's right. By divine intervention, Thierry, the weaker man,
wins, killing Pinabel. The Franks are convinced by this of Ganelon's villainy and
sentence him to a most painful death. The traitor is torn limb from limb by galloping
horses and thirty of his relatives are hung for good measure.

Roland is in many ways the perfect knight. Strong, courageous, and honorable he is
loved by his king, Charlemagne, and worshipped by his men. He has only one
enemy, his stepfather, Ganelon. When given the chance Ganelon betrays his king,
his country and his people to take revenge on Roland.

What is the meaning of the song "Common Ground" by Kodaline?

For the first stanza of the song entitled "Common Ground" the singer expressed that
it is very hard to lose a battle especially if all you want is to prove something to
everyone. The second stanza tells us never to underestimate any challenge because
there is no such thing as easy. You need to learn a lot of things because nothing
comes easy. The third stanza talks about how those people who don't know you will
lie in front of you and tell you anything that you want to hear yet those people who
know you better are going to tell you the truth even if it hurts. The fourth stanza is
about how difficult life is and that the only thing to know is to continue learning or
else you're going to be gone. The fifth stanza tells us about everybody is going to
get bored and everybody is going to be forgotten by everyone but it's good to have
one common ground. The sixth stanza is a repetition of the fifth stanza.

CAUSES OF FAMILY CONFLICT

A number of factors can cause conflict to arise between family members, including
differing opinions, finances, changes in the family structure and sibling rivalry. Both
trivial matters and significant circumstances have the power to cause problems
between relatives.

According to the Better Health Channel, family conflict often occurs when family
members have varying beliefs and opinions that clash with one another. Relatives
may argue with one another to defend themselves or a point of view.
Misunderstandings also cause unnecessary arguments when family members do not
communicate well.

Another major source of family conflict is finances. Many people squabble about the
lack of money or poor spending habits. The loss of employment causes financial
trouble, which breeds family conflicts when resources become scarce.
Sibling rivalry is another source of conflict that is escalated when siblings are close
to the same age or are the same gender. Children and teens who rebel against the
will of their parents can cause family discord. Some other sources of family conflict
include a new addition to the family, child discipline, household rules, chores and
even extramarital affairs. Spouses who are in the process of divorcing can upset the
balance of the home and cause family conflict. A death in the family may cause
even the closest relatives to argue over a will, possessions and funeral
arrangements. A family can seek counseling to talk over a problem in a neutral
setting to resolve family conflicts and restore harmony.

The Little Prince AND THE fOX Summary.

A golden-haired boya little princeunexpectedly appears in the vast Sahara,

where a pilot has landed his plane because of engine problems. The pilot is
anxiously trying to fix the engine, for he has no food or water to survive for long.
The boy politely asks the pilot to draw him a picture of a sheep. The pilot instead
draws a picture from his own childhood: a boa constrictor with an elephant in its
stomach. The boy, exasperated, concludes that adults cannot understand anything
without numerous explanations. Only after the pilot draws a box with air holes in it
is the boy happy. Both the pilot and the little prince understand that a sheep is
inside the box.

Gradually, the man and the boy tame each other. The home from which the little
prince has come is an asteroid, hardly larger than a house; it holds one rose, one
baobab tree, and three volcanoes. The boy hopes to widen his knowledge by visiting
much larger places, such as the planet Earth, and meeting the people, animals, and
plants that live in those places. He is inwardly preoccupied, however, with the
safety of his dearly loved rose.

The little prince tells the pilot about his visits to other tiny asteroids, where he met
one single inhabitant on each: a king claiming to rule the universe, although he has
no subjects; a conceited man who sees everyone as his admirer; a drunkard living in
a stupor, drinking to forget his shame of being an alcoholic; a businessman greedily
counting the stars as his own treasure; and a geographer who does not know the
geography of his place and never leaves his office. The smallest planet he has
visited, which turns very rapidly (with 1,440 sunsets per day), has no homes or
people, yet the planets lamplighter has no moment of rest as he constantly lights
and puts out the only lamp, following old orders that make no sense. The little
prince, who sees grown-ups as odd, respects the lamplighter for his dedicated,
selfless work.
In the Sahara, the prince meets the fox, who reveals to him the major secrets of life.
These secrets cannot be seen by the eyes, unless the heart is involved. When the
prince wants to play, the fox explains that connecting takes time and patience;
through such connecting, one rose among thousands becomes special. The fox
explains also that one is forever responsible where love is involved, that words
cause misunderstandings; that rites and rituals are significant but often forgotten,
and that crucial matters are often ignored and not appreciated. These lessons help
the little prince understand his own mistakes, and he decides to return home to
protect his rose.

The boy meets the snake, who talks in riddles, and he understands the creatures
power to send him back where he came from quickly. The little prince and the pilot
are now both dying from thirst. In search of water, they walk through the starry
night. On the verge of collapse, the pilot carries his little friend, not knowing
whether they are even headed in the right direction. At dawn, when it is almost too
late to save their lives, they find a deep, old well. The stars shimmer on the surface
of the water. They drink, and the water tastes unusually sweet to them. Both the
man and the boy sense the value of that moment. The pilot is sad; the prince feels
fear mixed with joy, because of his decision to go home. The water feels like an
earned gift. The prince comments that the beauty of the desert is in the knowledge
that it hides such a well.

The prince tells his friend that he will be leaving the next day. Neither mentions the
snake. When the little prince laughs to cheer his friend up, the laughter sounds like
the jingle of a million little bells. He offers the pilot a farewell gift: From now on,
when the pilot looks up on starry nights, he and only he will hear the little princes
laughter. It will be comforting for both of them to know that they have each other.

The next day, on the one-year anniversary of the little princes arrival on Earth, the
pilot comes to the same spot where he met the boy. There he glimpses the yellow
flash of the snake as it bites the ankle of his little friend, and the boy falls quietly
and gently onto the sand. Later, the little princes body is nowhere to be found. The
pilot finally fixes his engine and leaves for home, hoping that his friend is safely
back at his home, too. In the years afterward, on starry nights the pilot hears the
little princes laugh and feels warm in his heart: Love is a powerful, invisible thread
connecting people no matter how far apart in space and time they may be.

SUMMARY OF LES MISERABLES

The major plot involves Jean Valjean who is released from prison, and through the
kindness of Father Myriel, becomes a new man. He gets a new name via association
with Myriel and his obvious kindness and generosity to others and gradually builds a
successful and prosperous life for himself with a renovation of the jet-work industry
in Montreuil-surmer. One of his employees is-although unknown to him-fired by the
head mistress because of an illegitimate baby. Fantine goes from one occupation to
another, finally becoming a prostitute.

A minor incident takes place in the streets, and Fantine is arrested by Javert.
Valjean, who has become known as Mayor Madeleine, forces Javert to release her
and takes her into his own house when he hears her story. Fantine is in extremely
poor health, however, and dies without ever seeing her child again, even though
Valjean had promised to get the child.

Meanwhile, another man has been arrested and mistakenly identified as Valjean.
Valjean appears in court, revealing the truth and losing both his business and his
position in Montreuil-sur-mer. Although he is arrested, he breaks out long enough to
hide his fortune. He spends additional time in prison, working aboard a ship.
Eventually he escapes again and retrieves Cosette from the evil Thenardiers whom
Fantine had trusted to take care of the child.

Then begins 10 years of hiding, moving from place to place, always staying just
ahead of Javert. Seven or eight happy years are spend in a convent where Valjean
works with the gardener and Cosette attends a girls school.

Feeling that Cosette must have opportunity to experience all of life, they leave the
convent when she is about 15. Valjean is nearly betrayed and recaptured due to the
insidious if somewhat unwitting deeds of the Thenardiers.

While Valjean is continuously on the lookout for people who might have guessed his
identity and makes their home always in out of the way places, Cosette becomes
aware of her own femininity and beauty. She and Marius spot each other and fall in
love.

Marius is a college student who has been raised by his grandfather after the old
man had disowned his son-in-law for supporting Napoleon. Marius discovers the
truth about his father shortly after his death and enmity develops between himself
and his grandfather. With little income, Marius in unable to marry Cosette and
prevent Valjean from taking her away again, and his grandfather refuses to give
consent for a marriage to someone he assumes is beneath him.

In Paris, politics, work issues, and various unsatisfactory conditions are gradually
bringing a faction of workers and college students to the point of revolt. An
insurrection takes place; Marius joins in hoping to die since he will not be able to
have Cosette. Valjean joins the insurrection because he believes he is losing
Cosettes love and because, although he hates him bitterly, he intends to try to
protect Marius for Cosette.

When the barricades are finally overtaken, Valjean rescues Marius and escapes
through the city sewers. Marius is unconscious and does not know who rescued him.
When his health returns, he insists once again on marrying Cosette, and this time
the grandfather relents. Old wounds are at least partially healed. As Javert is also
dead, it would seem that Cosette, Valjean, Marius and his grandfather could all form
one happy family. Cosette and Marius marry, but Valjean reveals the truth of himself
to Marius who gradually banishes him from even seeing Cosette.

The Thenardiers are a continuous nuisance and occasionally a real threat

throughout the book, but in spite of Thenardiers intention to bring harm to Valjean,
he actually reveals the truth of Valjeans history to Marius.

Valjean dies in the end, but it is with contentment after a joyful reunion with
Cosette. He is content to know that Cosette and Marius have forgiven him,
although it seems as though Valjean himself is the one who has the right to be on
the forgiving end of things.