The document outlines the guidelines and requirements for a team research project on an emerging technology. It provides an overview of the necessary elements to be researched and included in the team's final paper and presentation, such as a description of the technology, its historical development, political and legal influences, economic and social impacts, and ethical considerations. It also describes the deliverables including an initial outline and the assignment of sections to team members. Suggestions are provided on how to approach researching each required element and making connections across different areas of focus.

1. SUMMARY:
The Internet was first created out of the needs to communicate
over long distance by the United States government. It became
a disruptive technology that changed the world’s landscape and
brought about the information age and globalization. At first,
the internet was connected by coaxial wire that can travel long
distance. Today, most advance countries citizens enjoy wireless
Internet in their own home. Our team will examine the wireless
internet and its effects on our society.
THESIS:
The Wireless Internet was first used in corporate organizations,
but now covers entire neighborhoods with uninterrupted
networks. The wireless internets quickly become a major
innovation, along with other electronic devices, which has
significantly reduced the time it takes to perform mundane
tasks. Everywhere you go people are using wireless internet.
Whatever you think about the advancement in technology,
wireless internet has changed our lives in a positive way. We
believe wireless internet is ingrained in every aspect of our
lives from political, economic, cultural context to psychological
and sociological matters.
OUTLINE
I. Description of Wireless Internet (Daniel Garza).
a. Transfer of digital information over the air.
b. Wireless Internet Applications.
c. Connecting multiple workstation at once anywhere.
II. Historical Development and Context of Wireless Internet
(Mehmet Dedecan).
a. DARPA
b. Transition from wired to wireless internet.
c. Types of wireless Internet.
III. Political and legal Influences (Cong Nguyen).
A. Laws and regulations.

2. B. Net neutrality.
C. Online Privacy Act.
IV. Economic questions and considerations (Cong Nguyen).
a. Wireless Tax.
b. Net neutrality.
c. Who pays the bills for internet infrastructure.
V. Psychological considerations and sociological effects (Daniel
Garza).
a. Younger generation benefit from
b. Less memorization because of information
c. The mind is weakened because complex choices or decisions
taken by application.
VI. Cultural context and media influence (Gina Williams).
a. Globalization.
b. Cultural effects of wireless internet development.
c. Inter-cultural communication and its impact.
d. Generational gap.
VII. Implications for the environment (Mehmet Dedecan).
a. Wireless signals everywhere (Hotspot).
b. Effects of wireless internet on health.
c. Limited spectrum.
VIII. Moral and ethical implications (Gina Williams).
a. Stealing Internet wireless signal.
b. Cyber Bullying.
c. Internet Predators.
Team Project Guidelines
Objective
This capstone course concludes with a research Team Project
that starts during the first week and continues throughout the
duration of the class. It culminates with the submission of a
formal team report and an oral presentation by each team during
Week 7, and Peer Reviews in Week 8.
Each team will identify and explore an emerging technology.

3. This will be a technology that may already exist, but is drawing
attention because of new applications, anticipated impacts or
potential controversies. Examples could include:
· nanotechnology in manufacturing,
· genetically modified organisms,
· remote/robotic surgery, or
· wireless electricity.
The team will explore the technical, social, cultural, moral and
ethical issues presented by the technology.
Guidelines:
With those parts of the Team Project where a group grade will
be assigned, all team members must submit a copy of the team’s
work. When an assignment is completed, the Team Leader will
distribute the finished product to all team members, and each
team member must submit this copy to the Dropbox,
The Task
The primary focus of the team is to research and assess the
issues associated with a specific emerging technology. The team
will produce a formal research paper in APA format, with each
team member contributing 10 pages of text. The paper will
provide the basis for a 20-minute team presentation.
The following Required Elements must be researched and
included in the final project. What follows is a list only, and is
in no way an outline:
· A brief description of the technology and an explanation of the
associated science
· The historical development and context of the technology
· Political and legal influences
· Economic questions and considerations
· Psychological considerations and sociological effects
· The technology in its cultural context, media influence
· Implications for the environment
· Moral and ethical implications
To properly analyze the various elements of the project,
research will cut across disciplines and include academic,
scientific and industry sources. Complete project guidelines and

4. suggestions can be found in DocSharing.
Deliverables
All students submit the project individually, not just the Team
Leader. With respect to graded group work the Team Leader
must distribute the finished project to the team so that each
member may submit it individually to the dropbox. With respect
to individually graded segments of the project, each team
member is responsible for compiling his/her own assignment
and submitting it to the dropbox.
Rubrics: All rubrics for the Team Project can be found in
DocSharing.
Week 1:Research Topic and Outline (possible 50 points, group
grade)
Each team will select a topic for research and a Team Leader.
Using the list of required elements for the project, each member
of the team will take responsibility for researching specific
aspects of the technology. The team will then produce a detailed
outline for the project, noting each team member’s research
sections. Please note, the list of required elements is just that –
a list – and does not constitute an outline.
Thesis Statement:
Each outline assignment should begin with a thesis statement.
This thesis sentence presents the central idea of the paper. It
must always be a complete, grammatical sentence, specific and
brief, which expresses the point of view you are taking towards
the subject. (You will need to collaborate with your group on
the perspective of the thesis.) This thesis statement will be
included in the introduction of your final report and the opening
of your presentation.
Detailed Outline:
In the outline, each heading and subheading is given in single
words or brief phrases. To subdivide a heading into
subheadings, there must be at least two subsections. Use
numbers and letters to indicate the level of your headings, for

5. example:
I. Description of the Technology
a. Science that drove the technology
b. Applications of the technology
II. History of the Technology
a. A brief timeline
b. An analysis of social factors that drove the technology
Be consistent with your choice of phrases, making sure they are
grammatically parallel (where possible).
Each member of the team is to take responsibility for sections
of this report. Indicate the assigned sections by placing the
student’s name next to each section. When assigning the
research try and match up personal strengths or interests. Once
again, the required elements are:
· A brief description of the technology and an explanation of the
associated science
· The historical development and context of the technology
· Political and legal influences
· Economic questions and considerations
· Psychological considerations and sociological effects
· The technology in its cultural context, media influence
· Implications for the environment
· Moral and ethical implications
The finished assignment should be 2 – 3 pages in length, not
counting the title page. Although this assignment will result in a
group grade, each person is required to submit a copy to the
dropbox by the due date. The Team Leader will distribute the
finished product to each team member, whereupon each team
member will submit the same assignment to the dropbox.
Making the Connections for Your Team Research Project
If you have the following section, you might want to explore the
connections that comprise that discipline:

6. Pure Sciences: How does this technology work? Try to avoid the
“How Things Work” website as your resource for this portion of
the paper. Instead cite real scientists and fundamental scientific
laws (e.g. laws of gravitation, Boyle’s law, laws of
thermodynamics, etc.) underpinning the technology. Cite
technical manuals, using scientific explanations, but work to
express the scientific concepts in lay terms. Use physics,
chemistry, biosciences, mathematics, etc. Try to sound “nerdy”
but clear. If you need to provide a glossary at the end of your
paper, that’s okay.
History: Trace the major events along the path to where we are
today with the technology. You have to include a timeline as
part of your discussion or in the Appendix. You also have to
discuss in detail the most recent developments while trying to
give a macro perspective. What happened sequentially,
chronologically, and what led to the innovations that we see
today? Who were the major players? What issues presented
themselves as obstacles, and what were opportunities that
advanced the technology? What factors (economic, scientific,
etc) drove the technology. Tell us the story of how “blank”
came to be.
Political Causes/Effects: Look at government policy,
government intervention, government involvement (support or
lack of support, funding), both nationally and internationally.
Consider Congress, the President, the Supreme Court
(decisions), the rate of change, liberalism, conservatism,
legislation, litigation, etc. What political factors are at work in
the progression or regression of the technology (e.g. lobbyists,
special interest groups, partisan views, vocal advocates or
spokespersons)? For example: The Americans with Disabilities
Act was designed to prevent discrimination and encourage
accessibility to public facilities; it impacted architects,
companies, organizations and persons with disabilities through
the installation of ramps (wider doors, lower knobs/handles,
larger restroom stalls), the use of assistive devices in schools

7. and in the workplace, hiring practices and lawsuits against
employers, etc.
Economic Issues: Consider production, consumption, costs,
variables of supply-demand, corporations, private enterprise,
impact on the nation’s economy (employment, displacement,
outsourcing). Are certain industries impacted more than others?
Look up financial projections—expectations for growth, startup
companies, the stock exchange, etc.—anything related to
business and the U.S. and global economy. Who are the chief
players in the business environment, and what is their role?
How much has been invested in research and development? How
will the price fluctuate? What economic trends are to be
observed? Who will make money from the technology? Who is
funding the research and development? Who controls the purse
strings, and why? Look at foundations and charitable
organizations, the outcomes and the nature of consumers. Be
sure to use charts and tables and quantitative data in this
section. Tables, figures, and data and statistics must be current,
valid and used appropriately.
Psychological Effects: How has this technology been received,
accepted, rejected? Why? Is it feared or favored? What is the
attitude toward change? How are the developers trying to “sell”
the technology to the general public? Look at attitudes, feelings
(emotions), behaviors, personality, and the ways humans change
as a result of this technology. What is being thought and why?
Is the human mind impacted? How? Are interactions between
people changing as a result? Who is included or excluded and
why? Use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Piaget or some other
theorist. What psychological needs are met by the technology
(e.g., cell phones once granted status and now promote a sense
of belonging or connectedness) or created by the technology?
Consumerism?

8. Sociological Effects: Look at groups and organizations that
have arisen and prospered because of this technology. Are these
groups supportive or antagonist, and why? (An example is
genetically modified foods [GMOs] and the backlash against the
Monsanto corporation. Another is cochlear implants which
allow the deaf to hear, yet reduce the deaf population that calls
itself a community.) How does the technology change society,
or how does society change in response to the technology? What
factors in society led to the development in the first place?
What do class, gender roles, race, norms, etc. mean in this
context? Who will benefit from the technology, and who might
be harmed (this might also belong in ethics/morals section)? For
example, prosthetics enable people to participate more fully and
actively in society (some persons are competing in triatholons
and marathons), and the “war” has brought about the need for
advances in prosthetic technology as casualties with missing
limbs return home to the United States. Look at the workplace,
new companies and/or jobs created, jobs lost (or save this for
economics?). Look at roles—subgroups, people’s interpersonal
and intrapersonal relationships. Consider crime, healthcare,
schools. Surveillance cameras, for example, have recently been
installed inNew York City, and the result has been a decrease in
the amount of crime, purse-snatching, pickpocketing, etc. Yet
some fear the “big brother” effect of always being watched and
tracked and concerns over “Who will guard the guards?”
Cultural Considerations: This is a really important section.
Consider the elements that comprise the culture and subcultures.
Compare the United States use of the technology with that of
other nations around the world. What is about Americans that
brings about innovation, or has America declined in terms of
technical innovation, scientific research and development? Look
at advertising for the technology, the use of celebrities or stars
or heroes, the applications (e.g. sports and nanotechnology) and
the values represented by the culture. What has priority and
why? An example: IBM was spelled out in xenon atoms. Why

9. were these letters chosen instead of something else?
What new words have been added to our vocabulary from this
technology? “Horseless carriage” was used long before the term
“automobile.” “Wireless” preceded Wi-Fi, and webcasting
preceded podcasting. “Broadcast” was a term adapted from
agriculture long before it was used for radio and television.
Artistic Links: How do musicians and artists react to the
technology or use the technology or incorporate the technology
in their artistic productions? For example, fiber optic lighting
has been used on the stage and in parades (Disney) for
costuming. The drama term “In the limelight,” for example, was
derived from a lens/lighting system used in lighthouses. Look at
literature—perhaps science fiction or fantasy stories—that
predate the technology (Jules Verne, for example, wrote about
submarines before they were actually invented and used—
though Leonardo da Vinci had sketched the idea centuries
before Verne). Are there any songs, short stories, poems, plays,
TV shows, or films that directly make reference to the
technology? Are there any “related” literary works that apply?
Is the artifact in a museum or will it be? Why? How does the
technology relate to concepts of beauty and novelty and human
creativity? How can people express their humanity through this
technology? An example: scientists experimenting with nano
made a “nano guitar” that actually played a tune, though it was
subthreshold human hearing.
Environmental Effects: Consider such things as dangers to
humans, the depletion of resources, air and water pollution,
discovery before inventions, impact on wildlife and humans
(health and safety), long-term and short-term effects, waste
disposal, aesthetic considerations (how the technology changes
the landscape). Look also at the positive effects (savings of raw
materials or fossil fuels, low environmental impact,
enhancement to the environment). For example, some thought
the Alaskan Pipeline would impact the caribou population and

10. its ability to migrate; the scientists discovered that the
population actually increased and was healthier because they
had “shade” from the above-the-ground pipe, fewer biting flies,
and less physically stressed females.
Other negative examples: the spotted owl and deforestation in
Washington State; the snail darter and the dam, endangered
species and loss of habitats, extinction, over-mining,
overproduction, pollution of ground water, landfills, toxic
wastes, stripping the soil of nutrients, over fishing, over
hunting, over harvesting.
Moral and Ethical Considerations: Consider quality of life,
human rights, codes of ethics, privacy, accountability, corporate
responsibility government responsibility, individual
responsibility (e.g., ways of dying and rights of dying). What
ethical values are expressed implicitly or explicitly by this
technology? Pride (being the first-to-get-to-the moon kind of
thing)? Greed? Power? Fraud? Theft? Deception? Lies? Whose
rights are violated? Whose rights are honored? Consumer
rights? The rights of the general public? Freedom? Authority?
Control? What are the major moral concerns associated with the
creation and adoption of this technology? Remember the e-
Waste example in the reading I gave you—the disposal of
dangerous toxins in “poorer” countries, the not-in-my-backyard
phenomenon. What do religious groups have to say (this group
thing may fit better in the sociology section)? For example,
contraceptives generally prevent pregnancy but for some this
technology violates what they call “natural law” and their
religious belief in God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply.”
Look at corporate code of ethics, professional codes of ethics
(IEEE, etc.) available through websites such as Illinois Institute
of Technology’s and Case Western Reserve University’s
(compilation) or ethicsonline.org. Look at the companies
developing the technology and check out their “codes of ethics”
to determine whether the technology they are developing is in
keeping with their mission and values. Who is responsible if

11. something goes wrong or if critical information is withheld
from the public? Example: asbestos and cigarettes
Apply ethical theory on your own—utilitarianism, act
utilitarianism, rule utilitarianism, Kant’s categorical imperative,
ethic of care, deontology, teleology, ethical egoism, absolutism,
Fletcher’s situation ethics, ethical relativism, etc. Consider an
encyclopedia of ethics for terms and applicable concepts. Check
out the reading in our textbook on morality and technology.
Each member of the team will assemble at least 5 scholarly,
academic references that will be used to write the paper (refer
to Week 1’s tutorial on Scholarly References). Each student will
list his/her references using APA format, and provide a brief
explanation of each resource indicating how that resource will
be used. The focus should be upon the student’s specific
research assignment. An approximate length of this
bibliography is between 2 - 3 pages.
An example reference:
Brenner, Joel (2011). America the Vulnerable: Inside the New
Threat Matrix of Digital Espionage, Crime, and Warfare. New
York: The Penguin Press
In my section of the report, I will be researching security issues
associated with collaborative online tools. Brenner’s book
explores the events surrounding the WikiLeaks scandal and the
issues associated with security. He also examines the legal
challenges that the incident presented. This material could be
used by my team in another section of the report. He makes
some recommendations that we will consider for our conclusion.
General reference works such as encyclopedias, dictionaries,
wikipedia, howstuffworks.com will not be considered as sources
meeting this requirement. The list could include books, journal
articles, industry reports, authoritative web sites,
manufacturers’ sites or sites from research groups. Remember,

12. all quotations, paraphrased material, images, graphics and
statistics must be referenced in your report, so make note of all
sources while compiling your research!
Textbook Readings:
It is expected that students will bring into their report concepts
and ideas from their weekly assigned textbook readings. Part of
your grade is determined by your ability to synthesize these
concepts with your other research. Consequently, these authors
must be properly cited and the articles included in your final
bibliography.
Each student will submit his/her assignment to the dropbox by
the due date, and provide a copy to the Team Leader.
Week 6: Submit Rough Draft to TurnItIn (no points, but
required)
Each Team Leader will submit a single team paper to TurnItIn
this week, leaving enough time for instructor review and team
corrections. This is mandatory, as no papers will be accepted
without having been submitted to TurnItIn. After the instructor
reviews the paper through TurnItIn, general comments and
suggestions for the paper will be directed back to the team.
Week 7: Final Draft of the Paper (200 possible points,
individual grade)
All written sections will be compiled into one, cohesive team
paper. All students should review the paper to ensure that the
transitions are smooth, that the sections fit together, and that
the bibliographies are compiled correctly.
The paper should conclude with recommendations for further
research or possible solutions that could be evaluated. A
complete list of references, in APA format, should follow along
with any Appendices.
· Title Page (not included in page count)
· Table of Contents – indicating student sections (not included
in page count)

13. · Abstract - 200-word summary of the entire paper; it is not a
restatement of the introduction (not included in page count)
· Report
· Introduction that provides background information, establishes
the context and significance of the issues and the technology
(your thesis statement) and generally orients your reader to the
entire project. It should outline the scope of the investigation,
and comment on any challenges the team faced with respect to
research sources.
· Report sections, organized using at least level-1 and level-2
headings.
· Proper documentation throughout the report using APA style.
(Each member is responsible for documenting properly, and
undocumented or poorly cited material will count as
plagiarism—a failing grade for the paper.)
· Appropriate visuals/graphic aids in the document that are
discussed in the body of the report and support the thesis (e.g.,
a table, graph, chart, illustration, photograph, diagram, map,
etc.); mathematical or statistical data is appropriately used to
support conclusions. All visuals/graphic aids also need to be
properly documented.
· Conclusion that effectively synthesizes the sections of the
report. It should summarize key issues. Included in this section
should be Recommendations for Further Research, following up
on any questions that were uncovered during your research or
suggestions for groups/events to follow.
· Bibliography and appendix (not included in the page count but
significant in showing you “found” relevant stuff that would not
fit into the body of the text—brochures, charts, handouts,
samples of materials or products, or team process reports, etc.).
Wise groups begin the bibliography early and start gathering
related materials for the Appendix.
All teams must plan to leave enough time for peer review, to
check transitions and write an effective conclusion.
Remember, final papers must be submitted to TurnItIt before

14. submitting to the dropbox. Papers that have not been submitted
to TurnItIn will not be accepted.
Although this assignment will result in one cohesive team
paper, each person is required to submit a copy to the dropbox
by the due date. The Team Leader will distribute the finished
product to each team member, whereupon each team member
will submit the same assignment to the dropbox.
Team Oral Presentations (150 possible points, group grade)
Each team will conduct a live team presentation with all
classmates present. Students are required to attend the entire
presentation session, which should last approximately 2 hours.
Online students will use a Web Conferencing tool, and must
have their own computer microphones.
Important note about attendance: This presentation is worth 150
points, and if you fail to attend, you will not receive credit for
the presentation. Exceptions to this policy will be made only
forthe following unique emergency situations:
· In the event that the area in which a student resides
experiences an extended power outage due to a natural disaster
(hurricane, flood, storm, etc.)
· A student is on active military duty and cannot complete
coursework
· A student has a verifiable (documented) medical or other
personal emergency
Each presentation should begin with an introduction of the team
members, then move to a discussion of each of the elements of
the team assignment using Power Point slides.
The presentation is NOT simply a regurgitation of the written
report. Students should NOT read from the written report. The
focus should be on a presentation of the issues. Avoid
generalized statements and unsubstantiated claims. If “some
people believe that this technology will….”, tell us who they
are! If “experts believe that this will result in an increase of….”
- be specific! Give us the data and tell us who these experts are.
All direct quotes, statistics, and visuals/graphic aids need to be

15. properly documented. Make sure to note the source on you
PowerPoint slide.
After the slides are presented and the sections have been
discussed, the team members are to ask the class 2- 3 questions
about their technology that will promote discussion among the
other class members. The presentation should end with
recommendations for further research or assessments pertaining
to the technology. Presentations should be 20 – 25 minutes in
length.
Evaluations of other teams: students are expected to evaluate
one other team presentation and complete a Peer Evaluation
form for submission. Know which team you are to evaluate and
take notes during the presentation so that these forms can be
appropriately completed.
Week 8: Peer Review (30 possible points, individual grade)
Students will find a Peer Evaluation form in DocSharing. Each
student is required to fully complete the evaluation of one other
team’s presentation. The team to be evaluated should be clearly
identified, and all questions should be answered using full
sentences with correct spelling and grammar. Assessments
should be respectful and professional in nature. Each student
will submit this assignment to the dropbox by the assigned due
date.
The Tkee
Maria Luisa Bombal
The pianist sits down, coughs from force of habit and
concentrates for a
moment. The clusters of lights illuminating the hall gradually

16. dim until
they glow like dying embers, whereupon a musical phrase rises
in the
silence, swells: clear, sharp and judiciously capricious.
Mozart, maybe, Brigida thinks to herself. As usual, she has
forgot-
ten to ask for the program. Mozart----or perhaps Scarlatti . . .
She knew
so little about music! And it was not because she lacked an ear
or the
inclination. On the contrary, as a child it had been she who
demanded
piano lessons; no one needed to impose them on her, as was the
case
with her sisters. Today, however, her sisters could sight-read
perfectly,
while she ... she had abandoned her studies after the first year'
The
reason for the inconstancy was as simple as it was shameful: she
had
never been able, never, to learn the key of E, "I don't
understand-my
memory serves me only to the key of C." And her father's
indignation!
"Would that I could lay down this burden: a miserable widower
with
children to educate! My poor Carmen! How she would have
sufiered
with such a daughter! The creature is retarded!"
Brigida was the youngest of six girls-all endowed with different
temperaments. She received little attention from her father
because
dealing with the other five daughters reduced him to such a
perplexed

17. and worn-out state that he preferred to ease his burden by
insisting on
her feeblemindedness. "I won't struggle any longer-it's useless.
lrave
her alone. If she chooses not to study, so be it. If she would
rather spend
hcr time in the kitchen listening to ghost stories, that's fine with
me. If
shc favors playing with dolls at the age of sixteen, let her play."
And so
Ilrigida had kept to her dolls, remaining almost totally ignorant
as far
irs lilrmal education was concerned.
a i
-)q
lluria Luisa Bombal
How pleasant it is to be ignorant! Not to know exactly who
Mozart
was-to ignore his origins, his influences, the particularities of
his tech-
rrique! To simply let oneself be led by the hand, as now . . .
For in truth Mozart leads her-transporting her onto a bridge sus-
pcnded above crystal water running over a bed of pink sand. She
is
rlressed in white, tilting on one shoulder an open parasol of
Chantilly
llrce, elaborate and fine as a spider's web.
"You look younger every day, Brigida. Yesterday I ran into
your
husband-I mean your ex-husband. His hair is now completely
white."

18. But she makes no reply, unwilling to tarry while crossing the
bridge
Mozart has fabricated toward the garden of her youth.
Thll blossoming spouts in which the water sings. Her eighteen
years;
hcr chestnut braids that, unbound, cascaded to her waist; her
golden
complexion; her dark eyes so wide and questioning. A small
mouth
rvith full lips; a sweet smile; and the lightest, most gracious
body in the
world. Of what was she thinking, seated by the fountain's edge?
Of
nothing. "She is as silly as she is pretty," they used to say. But
she did
not mind being silly, nor acting the dunce at parties. One by
one, her
sisters received proposals of marriage. No one asked her.
Mozart! Now he conducts her to a blue marble staircase on
which
she descends between two rows of ice lilies. And now he opens
a
wrought-iron gate of spikes with golden tips so that she may
throw her-
sclf on Luis, her father's intimate friend. From childhood, she
would
lun to Luis when everyone else abandoned her. He would pick
her up
rrnd she would encircle his neck between giggles that were like
tiny bird
cries; she would fling kisses like disorderly raindrops on his
eyes, his
Iorehead and his hair-which even then was graying (had he

19. never been
voung?). "You are a necklace," Luis would say. "You are like a
necklace
ol'sparrows."
That is why she had married him. Because at the side of that
solemn
rrnd taciturn man she felt less guilty for being what she was:
foolish,
playful and indolent. Yes-now, after so many years, she realizes
that
she had not married Luis for love; yet she cannot put her finger
on why,
why she left him so suddenly one day.
But at this moment Mozart takes her nervously by the hand,
drawing
hcr into a rhythm second by second more urgent- compelling her
to
retrace her steps across the garden and onto the bridge at a pace
that is
rrlmost like fleeing. And after stripping her of the parasol and
the trans-
parent crinoline, he closes the door on her past with a note at
once firm
rrnd sweet-leaving her in the concert hall, dressed in black,
applauding
35
36 The Tiee
mechanically as the artificial lights rekindle their flame.

20. Again shadows, and the prelude of silence.
And now Beethoven begins to stir the lukewarm tide of his
notes
beneath a summer moon. How far the sea has retreated! Brigida
walks
seaward, down the beach toward the distant, bright, smooth
water; but
all at once the sea rises, flowing placidly to meet and envelop
her-the
gentle waves pushing at her back until they press her cheek
against the
body of a man. And then the waves recede, leaving her stranded
on
Luis's chest.
"You have no heart, you have no heart," she used to say to him.
His heartbeat was so faint that she could not hear it except in
rare and
unexpected moments. "You are never with me when you are by
my
side," she would protest in their bedroom when, before going to
sleep,
he would ritually open the evening paper. "Why did you marry
me?"
"Because you have the eyes of a startled fawn," he would reply,
giv-
ing her a kiss. And she, abruptly cheerful, would proudly accept
the
weight of his gray head on her shoulder. Oh, that silvery,
radiant hair!
"Luis, you have never told me exactly what color your hair was
when
you were a boy. Or how your mother felt when you began going

21. gray at
the age of fifteen. What did she say? Did she laugh? Cry? And
you-
were you proud or ashamed? And at school-what did your
classmates
say? Tell me, Luis, tell me ... "
"Tomorrow. I am sleepy, Brigida. Very tired. Tirrn off the
light."
Unconsciously, he would turn away from her in sleep; just as
she
unconsciously sought her husband's shoulder all night long,
searching
for his breath, groping blindly for protection as an enclosed and
thirsty
plant bends its tendrils toward warmth and moisture.
In the mornings, when the maid would open the Venetian blinds,
Luis was no longer next to her. He had departed quietly without
so
much as a salutation, for fear the necklace of sparrows would
fasten
obstinately around his neck. "Five minutes, five minutes, no
more. Your
office will not disappear if you are five minutes late, Luis."
Her awakenings. Ah, how sad her awakenings! But-it was curi-
ous-no sooner had she entered her boudoir than the sadness
vanished
as if by an enchantment.
Waves crash, clashing far away, murmuring like a sea of leaves.
Beet-
hovcn? No.

22. It is the tree outside her dressing-room window. She had only to
en-
te r thc room to experience an almost overpowering sense of
well-being.
llurfa Luisa Bombal
I low hot the bedroom always was in the morning! And what
harsh light!
lly contrast, in the dressing-room even her eyes felt rested,
refreshed.
l'lre faded cretonne curtains; the tree casting shadows that
undulated on
tlrc walls like cold, moving water; the mirrors refracting
foliage, creat-
ing the illusion of a green and infinite forest. How enjoyable
that room
rvirs! It seemed a world submerged in an aquarium. And how
that huge
rubber tree chattered! AII the birds in the neighborhood took
refuge in
it. It was the only tree on that narrow, falling street that sloped
from
one side of the city directly to the river.
"I am busy. I can't be with you ... Lots of work to do, I won't be
lrome for lunch.. . Hel lo. . . y€S, I am attheclub. An
engagement. Eat
rrnd go to bed .. . No. I don't know. Better not wait for me,
Brigida."
"If I only had friends!" she would sigh. But she bored everyone.
"lf I tried to be a little less foolish! Yet how does one recover
so much
krst ground at a single stroke? To be intelligent, you must start
very

23. young-isn't that true?"
Her sisters'husbands took them eve4nvhere, but Luis-why had
she
tlenied it to herself?-had been ashamed of her, of her ignorance,
her
shyness, even of her eighteen years. Had he not urged her to
pretend
that she was at least twenty-one, as though her youth were an
embar-
rassing secret they alone shared?
And at night-he always came to bed so weary! Never paying full
irttention to what she said. He smiled, yes-a mechanical smile.
His ca-
resses were plentiful, but bestowed absentmindedly. Why had he
mar-
ried her? To continue their acquaintance, perhaps simply to put
the
crowning touch on his old friendship with her father.
Maybe life for men was based on a series of established and
contin-
uous customs. Rupturing this chain would probably produce
disorder,
chaos. And after, men would stumble through the streets of the
city,
roosting on park benches, growing shabbier and more unshaven
with
each passing day. Luis's life, therefore, was patterned on
keeping oc-
cupied every minute of the day. Why had she failed to see this
sooner?
Her father had been right: she was retarded.
"I would like to see snow sometime. Luis."

24. "This summer I will take you to Europe, and since it will be
winter
there, you shall have your snow."
"I am quite aware that winter in Europe coincides with our
summer.
I am not that stupid!"
At times, to rouse him to the rapture of true love, she would
throw
herself on him and cover him with kisses: weeping, calling,
"Luis, Luis,
37
38 The Tiee
Lu is . . . "
"What? What is the matter? What do you want?"
"Nothing."
"Why do you cry out my name like that, then?"
"No reason. To say your name. I like to say your name."
And he would smile benevolently, pleased with the new game.
Summer came-her first summer as a married woman. Several
new
business ventures forced Luis to postpone the promised
European trip.
"Brigida, the heat will be terrible in Buenos Aires shortly. Why
don't
you spend the summer on your father's ranch?"
"Alone?"

25. "I would visit you every week, from Saturday to Monday."
She sat down on the bed, primed to insult him. But she could
not
find the hurting words. She knew nothing, nothing-not even how
to
offend.
"What is wrong with you? What are you thinking of, Brigida?"
He was leaning over her, worried, for the first time in their
marriage
and unconcerned about violating his customary punctu- ality at
the of-
fice.
"I am sleepy," Brigida had replied childishly, hiding her face in
the
pillow.
For once, he rang her up at lunchtime from his club. But she had
refused to come to the phone, angrily wielding a weapon she
had dis-
covered without thinking: silence.
That same evening she dined across from him with lowered eyes
and
nerves strung tight.
'Are you still angry, Brfgida?"
But she did not answer.
"You know perfectly well that I love you. But I can't be with
you all
the time. I am a very busy man. When you reach my age, you
become a

26. slave to a thousand obligations."
"Shall we so out tonisht?"
"No? Very well, I will be patient. Tell me, did Roberto call
from
Montevideo?"
"What a lovelv dress! Is it new?"
"ls it new, Brigida? Answer me. Say something."
Marta Luisa Bombal
But she refused to break her silence.
And then the unexpected, the astonishing, the absurd. Luis rises
lrom his chair and slaps his napkin on the table, slamming the
door as
hc stomps from the house.
She, too, had gotten to her feet, stunned, trembling with
indigna-
tion at such injustice. "And I ... and I... " she stammered, "I,
who
lirr almost an entire year . .. when for the first time I take the
liberty of
Iodging a complaint . . . ah, I am leaving-I am leaving this very
night! I
shall never set foot in this house again . . . " And she jerked
open the ar-
moires in her dressing room, strewing clothes furiously in all
directions.
It was then that she heard a banging against the windowpane.
She ran to the window and opened it, not knowing how or from

27. where the courage came. It was the rubber tree, set in motion by
the
storm, knocking its branches on the glass as though calling her
to wit-
ness how it nvisted and contorted like a fierce black flame
under the
burning sky of that summer night.
Heavy rain soon began to lash its cold leaves. How lovely! All
night
long she could hear the rain thrashing, splashing through the
leaves of
the rubber tree like a thousand tiny rivers sliding down
imaginary canals.
All night long she heard the ancient trunk creak and moan, the
storm
raging outside while she curled into a ball between the sheets of
the
wide bed, very close to Luis.
Handfuls of pearls raining on a silver roof. Chopin. Etudes by
Fr6d6ric Chopin.
How many mornings had she awakened as soon as she sensed
that
her husband, now likewise maintaining an obstinate silence, had
slipped
from bed?
Her dressing room: the window thrown wide, the odor of river
and
grass floating in that hospitable chamber, and the mirrors
wearing a veil
of fog.
Chopin intermingles in her turbulent memory with rain hissing

28. through the leaves of the rubber tree like some hidden waterfall-
so
palpable that even the roses on the curtains seem moist.
What to do in summer when it rains so often? Spend the day in
her room feigning sadness, a convalescence? One afternoon
Luis had
entered timidly. Had sat down stiffiy. There was a long silence.
"Then it is true, Brigida? You no longer love me?"
A sudden joy seized her. She might have shouted, "No, no. I
love
you Luis, I love you," if he had given her time, if he had not
almost
immediately added, with his habitual calm, "In any case, I do
not think
39
The Tiee
it would be convenient for us to separate, Brfgida. Such a move
requires
much thought."
Her impulse sank as fast as it had surfaced. What was the use of
exciting herself! Luis loved her tenderly, with moderation; if he
ever
came to hate her, it would be a just and prudent hatred. And that
was
life. She walked to the window and placed her forehead against
the
cold glass. There was the rubber tree, serenely accepting the

29. pelting
rain. The room was fixed in shadow, quiet and ordered.
Everything
seemed to be held in an eternal and very noble equilibrium.
That was
life. And there was a certain grandeur in accepting it thus:
mediocre,
like something definite and irremediable. While underneath it
all there
seemed to rise a melody of grave and slow words that transfixed
her:
"Always. Never ... "
And in this way the hours, days and years pass. Always! Never!
Life!
Life!
Collecting herself, she realized that her husband had stolen
from the
room.
"Always! Never! ... " And the rain, secret and steady, still whis-
pered in Chopin.
Summer stripped the leaves from its burning calendar.
Luminous
and blinding pages fell like golden swords; pages also of
malignant damp-
ness like breeze from a swamp; pages of furious and brief
storms, of hot
wind-the wind that carries the "carnation of the air" and hangs it
on
the huge rubber tree.
Some children used to play hide-and-seek among the enormous,
twisted roots that pushed up the paving stones on the sidewalk,

30. and the
tree overflowed with laughter and whispering. On those days
she would
look from the window and clap her hands; but the children
dispersed
in fear, without noticing the childlike smile of a girl who
wanted to join
the game.
Alone, she would lean on her elbows at the window for a long
time,
watching the foliage swaying-a breeze blew along that street
which
sloped directly to the river-and it was like staring deep into
moving
water or the dancing flames in a fireplace. One could kill time
in this
fashion, no need for thought made foolish by peace of mind.
She lit the first lamp just as the room began to fill with twilight
smoke, and the first lamp flickered in the mirrors, multiplying
like fire-
flies eager to hasten the night.
Maria Luisa Bombal
And night after night she dozed beside her husband, suffering at
rn-
tervals. But when her pain tightened so that it pierced like a
knife thrust,
when she was besieged by the desire to wake Luis-to hit him or
caress
him-she tiptoed to her dressing room and opened the window.
Imme-
diately the room came alive with discreet sounds and discreet
presences,

31. with mysterious footsteps, the fluttering of wings, the sudden
rustling of
vegetation, the soft chirping of a cricket perched on the bark of
the rub-
ber tree under the stars of a hot summer night.
Little by little her fever went down as her bare feet grew cold
on the
reed mat. She did not know why it was so easy to suffer in that
room.
Chopin's melancholy stringing of one Etude after another,
stringing
of one melancholy after another, imperturbably.
And autumn came. The dry leaves hovered an instant before
settling
on the grass of the narrow garden, on the sidewalk of that
sloping street.
The leaves came loose and fell . . . The top of the rubber tree
remained
green but underneath it turned red, darkened like the worn-out
lining of
a sumptuous evening cape. And now the room seemed to be
submerged
in a goblet of dull gold.
Lying on the divan, she waited patiently for the dinner hour and
the improbable arrival of Luis. She had resumed speaking to
him, had
become his again without enthusiasm or anger. She no longer
loved
him. But she no longer suffered. On the contrary, an unexpected
feeling
of fulfillment and placidity had taken hold of her. Nothing, no
one could

32. hurt her now. It may be that true happiness lies in the
conviction that
one has irrevocably lost happiness. It is only then that we can
begin to
live without hope or fear, able finally to enjoy all the small
pleasures,
which are the most lasting.
A thunderous noise, followed by a flash of light from which she
re-
coils, shaking.
The intermission? No. The rubber tree.
Having started to work early in the morning without her
knowledge,
they had felled it with a single stroke of the axe. "The roots
were break-
ing up the sidewalk and, naturally, the neighborhood committee
... "
Dazed, she has shielded her eyes with her hands. When she
recovers
her sight, she stands and looks around. What does she see?
The concert hall suddenly ablaze with light, the audience filing
out?
No. She is imprisoned in the web of her past, trapped in the
dressing
room-which has been invaded by a terrifying white light. It was
as if
they had ripped offthe roof; a crude light entering from every
direction,
4 l

33. The Tiee
seeping through her very pores, burning her with its coldness.
And she
saw everything bathed in that cold light: Luis, his wrinkled
face, his
hands crisscrossed with ropy discolored veins and the gaudy
cretonnes.
Frightened, she runs to the window. The window now opens
directly
on a narrow street, so narrow that her room almost brushes
against a
shiny skyscraper. On the ground floor, shop windows and more
shop
windows, full of bottles. At the corner, a row of automobiles
lined up
in front of a service station painted red. Some boys in their
shirtsleeves
are kicking a ball in the middle of the street.
And all that ugliness lay embedded in her mirrors, alongwith
nickel-
plated balconies, shabby clotheslines and canary cages.
They had stolen her intimacy, her secret; she found herself
naked
in the middle of the street, naked before an old husband who
turned
his back on her in bed, who had given her no children. She does
not
understand why, until then, she had not wanted children, how
she had

34. resigned herself to the idea of a life without children. Nor does
she
comprehend how for a whole year she had tolerated Luis's
laughter,
that overcheerful laughter, that false laughter of a man who has
trained
himself in joviality because it is necessary to laugh on certain
occasions.
Lies! Her resignation and serenity were lies; she wanted love,
yes,
love, and trips and madness and love, love ...
"But, Brigida ... why are you leaving? Why did you stay so
long?"
Luis had asked. Now she would have to know how to answer
him.
"The tree, Luis, the tree! They have cut down the rubber tree.,'
Tianslated by Richard Cunninghafti and Lucia Guerra
Culinary Lesson
Rosario Castellanos
Th" kit"h"n is resplendent with whiteness. A shame to have to
dirty it
with use. One should rather sit down to admire it, describe it,
closing
one's eyes, to evoke it. On examining this cleanliness, such
beauty lacks
the dazzling excess that makes one shiver in the sanatoriums. Or
is it the
halo of disinfectants, the cushioned steps of the nurses, the

35. hidden pres-
ence of sickness and death that does it? What does it matter to
me? My
place is here. From the beginning of time it has been here. In
the Ger-
man proverb woman is synonymous with Kiiche, Kinder,
Kirche. I wan-
dered lost in classrooms, in streets, in offices, in caf6s; wasting
my time
in skills that I now need to forget in order to acquire others. For
exam-
ple, to decide on a menu. How is one to carry out such an
arduous task
without society's and history's cooperation? On a special shelf
adjusted
to my height are lined up my guardian spirits, those admirable
acrobats
who reconcile in their recipes the most irreducible opposites:
slimness
and gluttony, decoration and economy, rapidity and succulence.
With
theirinfinite combinations: thinness and economy, swiftness and
visual
harmony, taste and ... What do you recommend for today's meal,
ex-
perienced housewife, inspiration for mothers absent and present,
voice
of tradition, open secret of the supermarkets? I open a cookbook
by
chance and read: "Don Quijote's Dinner." Literary but not very
satis-

36. factory. Because Don Quijote was more of a crackpot than a
gourmet'
Although an analysis of the text reveals that, etc., etc., etc. Uf.
More ink
has run about this figure than water under the bridges. "Little
birds of
the face's center." Esoteric. Center of what? Does the face of
someone
or something have a center? If it had, it wouldn't be very
appetizing'
"Bigos, Rumanian Style." But who do you think I am? If I knew
what
tarragon and anan6s were, I wouldn't be consulting this book,
because I
42
+J