Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Discuss the reason why Jimmy Carter was so unpopular with the US Essay

Discuss the reason why Jimmy Carter was so unpopular with the US electorate - Essay Example Besides, he also created a department of energy to conserve energy besides ensuring price controls. His tenure was during the period when Arab countries put oil embargo on US and resultantly a new energy policy was devised to ensure the development of alternative energy sources besides conserving and price controls. He was also a very strong follower of human rights and was the main personality behind the Egypt-Israel peace deal. Despite his achievement, however, during the end of his period, he fell out of the favor of US electorate for different reasons. There are four important incidents which resulted into a gradual decline in his popularity and resultantly he was unable to get elected for the second time. Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of US and served as President of United States of America from 1977 to 1981. Prior to becoming president, he also served as a Senator and Governor of Georgia. His tenure was remarkable for the reasons that he was instrumental behind the creation of department of education and department of energy- two departments which became responsible for education and energy in the country. (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004)Â   Department of Education was formulated in order to standardize the education across the whole country and ensure that each citizen of the State receives same education regardless of the differences in the social and economic standing of the family. Apart from this, the department of energy was formulated to not only device policies for the conservation of the energy but also ensure price controls besides developing the sources for alternative energy. Starting from such a humble beginning, the tenure of Carter may be considered as a mix bag. At one hand he was successful in ensuring peace deals between Egypt and Israel while on the other hand, he was unable to control the damage done by few events at the end of his tenure. He gradually started to lose popularity as

Monday, October 28, 2019

The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay Example for Free

The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay In my essay I am going to discuss the story called The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This story is a pre 20th century gothic novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson. When I say a gothic novel I dont mean something of the dark ages but rather a story that has a dark deep story which ventures into the unknown. This story is typical of the 19th century when people had radical ideas which were questionable to those in Victorian society. The story starts with a person called Mr Hyde trampling over a young girl and producing a cheque with Dr Jekylls name on it to pay for the damage done to the girl. Later Dr Jekylls friends find that he has made a will to a man named Mr Hyde that was to be given to him under doctor Jekylls death or disappearance. His friends think that he has been threatened or forced to make a will to this wicked man Mr Hyde. Later in the story the whole mystery was revealed to us. Dr Jekyll was involved in an experiment which was supposed to break the bond between good and evil. This barrier of good and evil could be put in comparison with Soho and Cavendish Square. The experiment that Dr Jekyll was involved in made his evil side come out which was Mr Hyde but to do this Dr Jekyll had to drink a potion. After a while Hydes appearance could no longer be controlled with the potion but came out when ever Dr Jekyll dosed off. This is why Dr Jekyll made a will to Hyde because he was afraid that he will never be able to turn back to his normal self and Hyde will have money to spend instead of having nothing. Later I will discuss this in more detail but now I will talk about the setting of the novel. In the novel Stevenson uses different characters to show and express the theme of mans hypocritical and divided nature, one of these characters is Dr Lanyon. When he is with his friends his behaviour seems to show someone who is a good friend and will do a lot to help his friends out but when it comes to his reputation he will not help his friends as he previously would have if it did not involve his reputation and others who have ruined their reputation by their deeds. One example of this is when he was dying he said I have had a shock and I shall never recover. There it sounded as if he has signed his passport to death, yet later when Jekyll is mentioned he says I wish to see or hear no more of Dr Jekyll. He didnt say why he didnt want to see him any more he was very vague as he was trying to keep his own reputation and that of Jekylls. This may seem a nice thing to do but if it involves something as serious as someone changing into the wicked character of Hyde who kills people suc h as Sir Danvers Carew then to protect them seems wrong. Gabriel Utterson is supposed to be the perfect gentleman he shows this by trying to find out peoples problems and trying to solve them but without the problems being gossiped about. An example of this is when he found the will that Dr Jekyll had made to Hyde which would have allowed Hyde to have Jekylls money after his disappearance for more than 3 months or his death. This concerned Utterson so he talked to Jekyll himself and said I have been waiting to speak to you, Jekyllyou know that will of yours? That is just one of the many quotes that could be found since it shows that he had a true interest in his friends and by the manner of the sentence construction it looks like he is speaking to Jekyll in a calm manner with a listening ear and someone who speaks like this would unlikely be a gossiper. Despite his kindness and loyalty to his friends he still wasnt the perfect gentleman since he was attracted to those of the Victorian underworld. This suggests that visits to places like Soho is not out of the question and this defies his outer reputation so the saying never judge a book by its cover fits nicely here as even though Utterson seems such an upright man he still under his cover has something to hide. Furthermore the woman at Hydes room is another example of hypocrisy. She is smoothed faced and well mannered when she comes to the door but no doubt has evil dealings with Hyde which her demeanour hides. Mr Hyde is the most controversial of characters. He is the evil side of Dr Jekyll. We know the sort of things Hyde gets up to such as his assault on people, his murders and the fact that he resides in Soho gives an idea of his conduct. These sorts of actions are not associated with Dr Jekyll but it is still him that is doing it. This shows that even though Jekyll seems to be respectable he has evil thoughts and this is expressed through his metamorphosis into Hyde where all his evil comes to the fore. Discussing Jekyll shows that once he had conducted his experiment and proved that he had broken the barrier between good and evil he continued conducting these experiments and he knew what Hyde was doing but he still let Hyde rampage until he couldnt be controlled. So this shows that though one may have good intentions in the beginning they can be changed by unforeseen circumstances so it shows that it is hard to control that quality of evil. You could say that Enfield leads a double life as he saw the girl being trampled down he must have been out at that late hour of 03:00 and he would have only been out at that time if he was venturing down the streets of Soho doing things that upper class Victorian society would not allow him. Stevenson used the idea of there being a beast inside a man in the character of Hyde. We saw that Hyde had animal like qualities. In the novella he was found to be shrinking back with a hissing intake of breath signifying that he had snake like qualities in him. Also, when Poole was describing when he saw a thing in the house which he thought may have been Jekyll he said If it were my master why did he cry out like rat and run from me, that shows another animal like quality that Hyde possessed. Here Hyde was depicted as using animal like qualities, without conscience suggesting that evil is easily committed. This theme of there being a beast in a man was developed by Charles Darwins theory of humans developing from apes so Stevenson gave his central character these qualities had beast like qualities. Following on from that Victorian people were obsessed by the idea of recidivism. This is when they thought that the poor were going to turn into animals and the rich were worried by the collapse of societal values. This suggests that we all have evil in us. I dont think that we have good or evil in us but it is up to us to be good or evil. Anyone can do anything evil, but the thing is whether their conscience will bother them. In 99 people out of 100 people their consciences will bother them if they killed someone on the other hand in the case of Hyde he had no problem killing another human being. Stevenson uses a number of symbols to reinforce important themes in the novel. Perhaps the most powerful symbol in the novella is found in the contrast of the rear and front entrances of the house. The door that represents innocence and decency is the front door. This is the door where Dr Jekyll usually enters. This door represents excellence because it is in Cavendish Square; this area has a reputation of being the dwelling place of the most respectable people in London. The front of the house, where the front door is situated, is clean and maintained to an exemplary standard and gives an air of purity. However, the door and the stylish exterior belie the existence of Hyde in Jekyll. A door is used to depict the evil secretive side of Dr Jekyll. This can be said because the lab outhouse is an old dilapidated building as shown by this quote and bore in every feature the marks of prolonged negligence. The door which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and distained. This shows that no care was shown to this building that was in fact part of Dr Jekylls house. This rear door was in Soho even though it is the same house as doctor Jekylls. Since there are two sides of the house it coincides with the two sided nature of Dr Jekyll whose other side is Hyde. This is why Hyde uses the back door that represents evil because it is in Soho and is derelict and why Jekyll uses the front door which is clean and represents Jekylls innocent nature. Soho gives the connotation of iniquity and wickedness, because in Soho there were many poor people who went to all kinds of lengths to get money some of these are things like stealing and prostitution which you do not associate with purity and hence door denotes vice. Stevenson seems to be saying that being poor is being evil, however you cant judge a person from their material possessions but the environment they are in can affect their behaviour. In the novella Stevenson uses images of buildings with locked doors, those without windows or barred windows. I think these symbols give a sense of being trapped. In this case evil is trapped behind locked doors. Some doors were opened to no one. This was not uncommon in Victorian society. These were things associated with recluses. The reason why I use this is that Jekyll was locked in his cabinet for a very long time. This is a symbolism of Dr Jekylls soul trying to suppress something evil from coming out which is Hyde. This is shown in Dr Jekylls narrative when he says It took on this occasion a double dose to recall me to myself so he was trying to suppress Hyde by taking this double dose of potion. Some other images that will fill this niche well are barred windows because this depicts some thing urging to get out but is being obstructed by a barrier. This at first represented Hyde when Jekyll had only started to take his potion but later this represented Jekyll when Hyde was ra ging and Jekyll was keeping him out. Stevenson uses the characters speech in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to show us how honest or dishonest characters are. Some of the characters are honest in their speech and usually which is calm and straight forward because they have nothing to hide. On the other hand, even though Poole was honest he was very frightened when he was talking to Utterson about the mysterious happening of Dr Jekyll he said I have been afraid for a week and I can bear it no more. Here Poole was being very honest about the fact that he was scared of the situation in the house so honesty does not always mean that you are going to be relaxed but you still can be tense when telling the truth. Enfield can also be an honest talker even though he is a bit of a gossiper. Some other characters that are not so honest include Lanyon and Jekyll. We can tell this because they are reserved secretive and even formal with their own friends. For example, Jekyll speaks in a very reserved manner and secretive way with his own friends. An example of this is when he is speaking to Utterson about the will You do not understand my position, I am painfully situated, Utterson; my position is very strange. It is one of those affairs that cannot be mended by talking. There we see that he was very vague with his own friend, which is a very strange position. You could at least explain to your friend but since Jekyll had Hyde to hide he glazed over the subject leaving Utterson mystified. There is another example of this in the case of Dr Lanyon when he was speaking to Utterson about Jekyll he said I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again. He did not say why he would not set eyes on him. Even though he was saving the reputation of Jekyll and keeping to his doctors agreement not to release any information he still should of told Utterson because when Jekyll turned into Hyde lives were at risk as Hyde was a person of evil. So Stevenson shows that Victorian people of the upper class still strayed from their strict boundaries and were hypocritical they did this because they had something to Hyde. Using a number of different techniques and images Stevenson creates a dark and menacing setting for the novel. Most of the action in the novel that in involves Hyde takes place under the cover of darkness and Stevenson frequently reminds us with this by giving us images of light and dark. Light can change peoples moods all the way from bright and cheery to the opposite of dark and menacing. It is interesting that Stevenson uses a dark black winter morning when Enfield meets Hyde. This dramatic tension something bad had happened at that time hence Stevenson uses darkness to depict something sinister. Stevenson also refers quite a lot to lamps as they have to do with light. In the story it says My way lay through a part of town where there was literally nothing to be seen but lamps. This depicts darkness in other words evil, and there is some good, the lamps, but where there is too much darkness and too few lamps it is like evil overwhelming the good. This scene was at 3oclock in the morning when most good people are asleep so this gives criminals the chance to be active without being spotted so this is why that scene was effective because the corruption by far outweighed the good. Stevenson compares the streets of London to a labyrinth, which depicts that London is an easy place to get lost in therefore it would be a criminals paradise as they can do anything and weave themselves through the streets of London away from pursuers such as the police or victims of the crime. This can also depict Dr Jekylls lost soul as he cant seem to bring himself back but being continuously being over ridden by Hyde, his evil side. Stevenson shows us how deserted the streets of London were at night time Street after street and all the folks asleep street after street, all lighted up as if for a procession and all as empty as a church. That really shows how deserted the streets of London were as empty as a church. This is when Hyde went about his dealings such as the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Another example of the silence is in Chapter 2 By ten oclock, when the shops were closed the by street was very solitary, and in spite of the low growl of London from all round, very silent. So if a place is very solitary and very silent it must be desolate except for those who do things under the cover of darkness such as criminals and those who have something to hide. To create setting with a particularly threatening and depressing atmosphere, Stevenson uses words and phrases such as great chocolate coloured pall lowered over heaven to depict a dark and lifeless time with no brightness to be seen. Another example is mournful reinvasion of darkness. This makes it seem as if bright has been there for a very short time but and darkness is coming again. This shows that it must be winter time. Also used is some city in a nightmare that quote explains itself. Dingy street, brown as umber and blackguardly surrounding all describe what Soho was like. These phrases also seem to show a war between light and dark. The above is a description of the morning but there is also a lot of mention of dark. This war between light and dark has been made by Stevenson to reinforce some of the central themes of good versus evil. A quote between shows this war between light and dark is this for a moment, the fog would be quite broken up, and a haggard shaft of day light of daylight would glance between the swirling wreaths so that shows only for a while there are sunny spells and quickly they disappear from the fog. When those two forces are equal this was like when Jekyll resumed have his dinner parties. Stevenson uses every day phrases to depict great powerful images and these images are relevant to people in his day so that is why his stories work so well. By setting his novel in the heart of London, between Cavendish Square and Soho, Stevenson allows us to see the divisions between the rich and the poor in Victorian society. All of the main characters in the novel are rich excluding the illusive figure of Hyde who is a rich person because he is Jekyll but lives as person who is neither rich nor poor. The rich characters are supposedly solid, respectable men, and should be possessed by people like lawyers and doctors. These are men who have a high social status in Victorian society and could afford a large house with a butler and many servants. This gave these people, such as Jekyll, a sense of power over other people. In our story it seems as if Dr Jekylls reputation for being an upright, good and exact person is being lost with his association with Mr Hyde that is why he seems to shy away from the subject of Hyde when it appears in conversation. The area where Dr Jekyll, Mr Utterson and Dr Lanyon live is a wealthy and respectable area in the heart of Londons West End, Cavendish Sqaure. It is imperative that men of such status live in these areas, as they complement the high social status they are supposed to have. They would not find themselves in an area such as Soho, let alone live in it, but one person Mr Hyde is a disreputable man and seems to have no awareness of social standing. Soho is amazingly within a mile of Cavendish Square but the contrast of the two places is immeasurable. One would presume that because two areas are in such close vicinity they would be fairly similar, in the case of Soho and Cavendish Square you would not be more wrong. Soho is destitute, the streets are grimy and you would find it impossible to find a clean spot, beggars sit outside the door hoping people will give them money, there are people who are ready to jump you if they get a whiff of money on you, and women that prostate themselves in brothels to get money. These are the sort of places that respectable people go to satisfy their desires under the cover darkness. In contrast Cavendish Square is clean and filled with lavishly furnished and structurally sound buildings unlike those in Soho where the houses are decrepit and beyond repair. Since the houses in Cavendish Square are so grand you would think that they would be housed by honest people but we know that not all of the people are as honourable as they seem. Going into more detail the lives of those in Cavendish Square would consist of many dinner parties, studying and for the younger generation there would be plenty of balls. Most of these upper class people would distain the thought of leading a life like those in Soho as they were very comfortable and were engulfed around this lifestyle. Also the difference between the women of the upper class and lower class is that those of the upper class would have very little free choice as these were controlled by a man of the family whether that is their husband brother or father. In the lower classes the women had more say as they had to do what they could to earn money to live on but this was unnecessary for the upper class as a few pounds here and there would not make much difference to their hundreds of thousands to millions of pounds. In this essay Stevenson was trying to make us think about the nature of humans in Victorian society. In Victorian society there were great rifts between the rich and the poor. These rifts made the upper class think that the poor were beast as they had to go to seemingly animalistic means to get the food that they needed. What these upper class people didnt realise was that if you put two completely different people in close proximity the worst of people would come out. This can be said because if you went in to the country in that time you would find farmers doing their work to get money, they had the opportunity to earn an honest living but not in London. London was an over crowded place at that time and was nowhere as large as it is now. Factory work was the most popular line of work for the lower class people but those found in Soho were unable to find jobs to earn an honest living. The upper classes obviously did not realise the reason for poor life in Soho hence became obsessed by the idea of recidivism. This is why I think this story has that theme as Stevenson was trying to explore ideas as to why the poor lived in such an animalistic state. Stevenson has made me think of why the lower class Victorian society had to go so low to survive that is why I have the explanation above. The setting of Victorian London is a fitting setting for this type of novel because this is a time when there were lots of mysteries that were not mentioned because of superstition and so remained a mystery. In a modern society though these are no longer mysteries as the problems to these solutions has been solved. The solution is to treat everyone equally or have equal opportunities; with this no one can blame any one for their poor quality of life but themselves. Unfortunately this can only be said of richer countries as they have the monetary capabilities to give every one these opportunities. In Victorian times you automatically were judged by the class you were born in to and had a poor education so therefore you did not have the opportunities of those today. The reason why Stevenson wanted us to think about the difference between classes is that he grew up in Edinburgh where the difference between the classes was greater he witnessed poverty, disease and over crowding near to his place of dwelling, a middle class New Town. This could be associated with the closeness of the two places of Soho and Cavendish Square. This city fed Stevensons young mind of the supernatural so that is wh y he thought of the character of Hyde; pure evil. Another point of discussion is duality. Stevenson made us think whether men have an evil side or not. I do not think that men can separate themselves into two simply by drinking a potion but they could have a dual personality by leading a double life. This point was a prevalent point in the story with the example of Jekyll hiding things from people using his double personality to do what ever he wants to. Many people did this in Victorian times but not having two characters but using the cover of darkness to do what they would not dare to do in the daylight as their respectability was very important to them in other words they were hypocritical. Stevenson was trying to use this subject of respectability which he had a problem with. He wanted to see what other people thought about his life style without using himself in the story but by substituting himself with the two characters of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. When he was 17 and studying engineering he was living a respectable life by day and under the cover of darkness he was living a debauched life that would not befit the life of someone in the middle classes. Because of the hypocrisy he witnessed, and was going through himself he wanted to bring to peoples attention that the seemingly perfect upper and middle classes were not what they seemed but on the whole a hypocritical bunch of people. Now days the things that the poor got up to dont seem as bad but when we look to authority we find it shocking to learn what goes on. An example of this is of Bill Clinton. We all know the story that he was having an affair with someone else when he was married and managed to hide it for some time. So think again, hypocrisy still goes on today. This essay had a great deal to do with the Victorian culture as this idea of duality perplexed many doctors and scientists of that day Stevenson tried to find the explanation for himself and no doubt other people of the day had tried to find the answer. Like the person who wrote a short story called Markhiem that had characters living double lives in it. Stevenson had a fetish about this idea of duality, it was no doubt because of his illness and inability to spend much time outside his bedroom and therefore his nurse told him stories about the differences between life of good and evil with the life of evil leading to a life in hell. This made him have terrible nightmares which stuck to him through out his whole life this is why in his stories he described Hyde as having the mark of Satan. Stevenson recalls his nurse telling him there are but two camps in the world one perfectly pious and respectable, one of the perfectly mundane and vicious: one mostly on its knees and singing hymns, the other on the high road to the gallows and the bottomless pit. This no doubt made him think of the idea of recidivism because if one were so vicious they must be nearer to an animal instead of a human.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Eulogy for Mother :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Mother When I was a young boy, there were three words that my mother said to me each morning, five days a week, nine months a year for 12 years....RISE AND SHINE, she would say. It meant we were to get up for another day of school. If I had known then, what I know now, there would have been about five words I would have said to her each time. My mother didn't have the benefit of a good, solid education. But, she was the smartest person I've ever known. She didn't have a diploma or degree from any school or university. But, she had a PhD in life and yet another, in love. Many had said of her that she did too much for us, her children. It was said that perhaps she loved us too much. But, I ask of you, just how can you do too much for your children and even more, how can you love them too much? What people seemed to forget was the circumstances surrounding our life at home when we were coming up. She had to be both mother and father to us. Yes, we had a father there, in body. It was mama who did for us, it was mama who watched out for us, it was mama who calmed our fears. It was mama who said that one day things would get better for us, that the light at the end of the tunnel wasn't an oncoming train. She was right. There are so many memories of her that I scarcely know where to begin. One that seems to be standing out most right now is when we moved to a place called Woolmarket, MS. This place was so far out in the woods, I think they had to import daylight to separate day from night. My first day in the second grade, I was confused as to what bus to take home from school. So, I decided I would walk home down the road I thought was where we lived. 'As you can imagine, my mother was frantic when the bus came by our house and I didn't get off. She got a neighbor to help her go looking for me, her wayward son. When they came across me, I was so embarrassed, I didn't want to get in the car. My mother ASSURED me I was getting into that car.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Problems of Process Control

Chemical Engineering Department Subject: Process Control for undereducated students Instructor: Dr. Karima Marogi Typical Questions & Answers Process Control Problems Problem (1) Solution a) Energy balance for the thermocouple, where m is mass of thermocouple C is heat capacity of thermocouple h is heat transfer coefficient A is surface area of thermocouple t is time in sec Substituting numerical values in (1) and noting that Taking Laplace transform, Problem (2) A thermometer having a time constant of 0. min is placed in a temperature bath and after the thermometer comes to equilibrium with the bath, the temperature of the bath is increased linearly with time at the rate of I deg C / min what is the difference between the indicated temperature and bath temperature (a) 0. 1 min (b) 10. min after the change in temperature begins. (c) What is the maximum deviation between the indicated temperature and bath temperature and when does it occurs. (d) plot the forcing function and the respo nse on the same graph. After the long enough time buy how many minutes does the response lag the input?Solution Consider thermometer to be in equilibrium with temperature bath at temperature (a) the difference between the indicated temperature and bath temperature Problem (3) Determine the transfer function H(s)/Q(s) for the liquid level shown in figure below Resistance R1 and R2 are linear. The flow rate from tank 3 is maintained constant at b by means of a pump; the flow rate from tank 3 is independent of head h. The tanks are non-interacting. Solution and balance on tank 3 gives writing the steady state equation Subtracting and writing in terms of deviation Taking Laplace transformsWe have three equations and 4 unknowns (Q(s),H(s),H1(s) and H2(s). So we can express one in terms of other. From (1) Combining equation 4,5,6 Problem (4) Determine Y (4) for the system response expressed by Problem (5) Heat transfer equipment shown in fig. consists of tow tanks, one nested inside the o ther. Heat is transferred by convection through the wall of inner tank. 1. Hold up volume of each tank is 1 ft3 2. The cross sectional area for heat transfer is 1 ft2 3. The overall heat transfer coefficient for the flow of heat between the tanks is 10 Btu/(hr)(ft2)(oF) 4. Heat capacity of fluid in each tank is 2 Btu/(lb)(oF) 5.Density of each fluid is 50 lb/ft3 Initially the temp of feed stream to the outer tank and the contents of the outer tank are equal to 100 oF. Contents of inner tank are initially at 100 oF. the flow of heat to the inner tank (Q) changed according to a step change from 0 to 500 Btu/hr. (a) Obtain an expression for the laplace transform of the temperature of inner tank T(s). (b) Invert T(s) and obtain T for t= 0,5,10, U Solution (a)For outer tank Substituting numerical values Now Ti(s) = 0, since there is no change in temp of feed stream to outer tank. Which gives For inner tank Problem (6)The input (e) to a PI controller is shown in the fig. Plot the output o f the controller if KC = 2 and XI = 0. 5 min Solution Problem (7) The thermal system shown in fig P 13. 6 is controlled by PD controller. Data; w = 250 lb/min; ? = 62. 5 lb/ft3; V1 = 4 ft3, V2=5 ft3; V3=6ft3; C = 1 Btu/(lb)(Â °F) Change of 1 psi from the controller changes the flow rate of heat of by 500 Btu/min. the temperature of the inlet stream may vary. There is no lag in the measuring element. (a) Draw a block diagram of the control system with the appropriate transfer function in each block. Each transfer function should contain a numerical values of the parameters. b) From the block diagram, determine the overall transfer function relating the temperature in tank 3 to a change in set point. (c ) Find the offset for a unit steo change in inlet temperature if the controller gain KC is 3psi/Â °F of temperature error and the derivative time is 0. 5 min. Fig. (1) (b) Problem (8) for the control shown, the characteristics equation is s 4 +4 s3 +6 s 2 +4 s +(1 + k) =0 (a) Determi ne value of k above which the system is unstable. (b) Determine the value of k for which the two of the roots are on the imaginary axis. Solution s 4 +4 s3 +6 s 2 +4 s +(1 + k) =0 For the system to be unstable

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Creation Myth Compare and Contrast

Usually, creation myths have a lot of similarities and seem to convey the same message. A creation myth is a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it. There are many different creation myths that have been passed down from generation to generation and in â€Å"Enuma Elish† â€Å"Osiris, Isis and Horus† and â€Å"Genesis† you are able to see just how similar they are, but also slight different. One of the first things you will notice in these myths is that they are all based on gods.Each myth has an evil entity that helps set the myth to tell a story on what happened and to get the message across. Each evil entity plays a big part in the myth and eventually loses the battle to show that good always prevails.1. Osiris, Isis and Horus – Set was the son of Geb and Nut who chose to be born on the third day. Set was aggressive from the very beginning choosing the time and manner of his birth. Osiris became king of Upper a nd Lower Egypt. Set wanted to take over the country and established a plan to trick Osiris by showing a beautiful wooden box during the feast.Set said that anyone who can fit in the box perfectly was able to keep the box – little did everyone know that Set secretly measured the box to fit Osiris. Once Osiris had his turn to fit in the box, it was nailed shut with him inside. They then poured melted lead to make sure that he suffocated. Isis eventually was able to bring Osiris back to life and in the mean time their son, Horus, was born. Horus was born to avenge his father’s death and kill Set. Isis would not allow Horus to kill Set, so they battled each other, and Horus won each time.2. Enuma Elish – Tiamat was encouraged by her son Kingu to seek revenge her children to avenge the death of Apsu and for creating a fourfold wind that kept them awake and disturbed their bodies. Tiamat created monsters to help her win this battle against the other gods, but they had something else in mind. They made Marduk fight the battle against Tiamat because the others were not strong enough and Marduk was the wisest and strongest of all of the gods. Marduk won the battle against Tiamat and killed her to make the heavens and the earth from her body.3. Genesis – The evil entity in Genesis is the serpent that convinces Eve to eat the apple off of the tree of wisdom. God specifically told Adam and Eve not to eat this fruit as it was forbidden. Eve gave in and ate the fruit and then had Adam do the same. Because of the serpent, Adam and Eve ate the fruit and they were all punished and put out of the Garden of Eden. As you can see, each myth’s evil entity lost their battle during the story. None of them achieved what they wanted to, which shows that good always overcomes evil, even though there are conflicts raised from it.Sometimes you have to fight for what you know is right, but eventually, the good always shines. Enuma Elish and Genesis are mo st similar in a few different ways. With these myths, you are really able to tell that most creation myths are a foundation on the way different cultures are made up. Some of the similarities between Enuma Elish and Genesis are;1. Both myths imply that there was nothing in the beginning. In Genesis it states, â€Å"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. † The myth of Enuma Elish starts by stating â€Å"In the beginning, only water and the mist that hovered above it existed. † As you can see, both myths beginning started with nothing until the Gods created something.2. The Enuma Elish is recorded on seven tablets where as Genesis states that everything was created in seven days.3. In both myths, water is divided into upper and lower waters.Both of these creation myths have a similar beginning as well as a similar plot †“ they both created human life to worship God and the gods, to serve them. Both had an evil entity in them that tried to cause chaos to the gods. Although I do think that all three myths are very similar, I believe that Enuma Elish is most different from Osiris, Isis and Horus. The difference between the two is shown when it comes to the creation of the world around them. The difference between the two myths is;1. In Osiris, Isis and Horus doesn’t mention anything about the creation of the heavens, earth, etc.  in the beginning.The myth starts out with the parent’s of Osiris and Isis and the story of how Nut was not allowed to give birth in any month of any year.2. The beginning of the the Enuma Elish starts out with what all existed and how the waters were split between gods.Each myth has a lot of similarities as well as differences but they each tell a story on how things were created. All of the myths had gods that tried to do good for the other gods and had an evil entity try to change that. Each of the explained how good will always outweigh evil even though evil is always in the world.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Engines Impact on Society essays

The Engines Impact on Society essays We were asked to explore the impact of a single social or cultural innovation on any society, as a whole, being free to choose any innovation that interested us. The internal combustion engine is being used today in thousands of different products around the world today. From automobiles, to oil pumps, to generators for houses. Different forms of the engine are being used, like the 2-stroke and the 4-stroke engines. Basically, a 4-stroke works like this: 1.) The intake valve opens in the piston and allows a gas/air mixture to enter the cylinder. 2.) When the mixture is completely in the cylinder, the crankshaft compresses, or smashes, the mixture and ignites it with the sparkplug. 3.) The explosion from the mixture, around 3 tons of force, propels the crankshaft back down, providing the kinetic energy. 4.) The Exhaust valve opens and releases the spent mixtures components. Harold T. Glenn, in his book Exploring Power Mechanics states that this sequence of events is known as the 4-stroke cycle because of the four strokes involved. *** Marshall Brain, in his article in How The Car Works states that the concept is similar to a the mechanics of a cannon. Load the cannon with powder, put a cannon ball on the top, and ignite the powder. The resulting explosion is similar to what happens in an engine . *** Another example that Marshall Brain mentions is the concept of a potato gun. If you were to cap a 3 inch plumbing pipe with an igniter attached, sprayed some WD-40 in one end and a potato in the other, the ignited the WD-40 would explode and force the potato out at a great velocity. The gasoline engine doesnt operate much different than this. The gasoline/air mixture is the WD-40, the igniter is the sparkplug, and the plumbing pipe the engines cylinder. *** In the American culture the internal combustion engine has played a very specific role in most aspects of our liv...

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Veterans Health Care System

The Veterans Health Care System Free Online Research Papers In the mid-1990s, the Veterans Healthcare System (VHA) appeared to be in deep crisis. A large number of its hospital beds were vacant. National reviews demonstrated that majority of VHA surgeons had not picked up a scalpel for the whole year. The veteran population was decreasing harshly, as Korean War and World War II veteran soldiers continued to die. All at once, a mass relocation of veterans from the Snowbelt to the Sunbelt hospitals in Tampa, for instance, with new patients, whilst those in cities like Pittsburgh had quarter of vacant beds. Numerous physicians saw that the VHA’s ingrained bureaucracy had to be overturned. A fundamental downsizing and decentralization of administration power was run, pay-for-performance agreements with top managers were put into practice, and ineffectual physicians were allowed to be fired. The VHA also was transformed from an acute care, hospice-based structure into one that placed a lot more supplies into primary care and outpatient examinations for the increasing number of aging vets overwhelmed with chronic diseases. A foremost change in healthcare within the VHA took place in 1996 when Congress approved the Veteran’s Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, Public Law 104-262. The law established a standard medical-benefits package that became accessible to all registered veteran patients. Once entitled veterans are registered in the system, they are consigned a priority group. Services provided and the amount enclosed can fluctuate among various priority groups. By 1998, Dr. Kenneth Kizer’s (who was at the root of VHA’s transformation) unexpected result of the VHA’s change in functioning structure was already bringing him management expert rank in a time in which management experts were almost demigods. However, the most remarkable changes of the Veterans Healthcare System did not just engross those trendy, 1990s suggestions as downsizing and decentralization. It also entailed a fascination with methodically progressing quality and safety that to till present time is still mostly absent throughout other private healthcare organizations. Improvements in VHA have absolutely affected the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization. One of the benefits of the new system is that physicians are now able to write down their orders into computers. The computerized system instantly verifies any order against the veteran patient’s account. If the physician working with a patient have advised a wrong recipe of drugs or disregarded the patient’s preceding allergic reaction to a medicine, the computer flings a red flag. Afterward, when hospital pharmacists look at those prescriptions, the automatic system produces a bar code that is on the container or intravenous bag and records what the drug is, whom it is prescribed for, when it should be managed, in what dosage, and by which patient. One of the veterans, Jack Robertson, who is enrolled in VHA system, says there are numerous benefits with this new system. He tells that each patient now has got an ID armlet with his own bar code, as well as each nurse. Before providing any medicine, a nurse first examines the patient’s ID armlet, then her one, and then the bar code on the drug prescribed. If she has the wrong patient or the wrong medicine, the computer will tell her. The laptop will also generate a report if the nurse is delayed administering a drug, and telling you were simply too busy is not a justification, says Roberson. In his opinion, this ID armlet system also diminishes the possibility of administering the wrong medicine to the wrong patient, and in the wrong dosage, as it could happen before. Besides these evident benefits in making right diagnoses, it also helps both patients and hospital workers not to spend unbearably long hours coping with paperwork and other formalities. One doctor working at both usual hospital and the VA Medical Center informs that he is able to observe as many patients in a few hours at the VHA hospital as he is able the entire day at the usual hospital. Jack Robertson is especially satisfied with the feature that anyone registered in the VHA will have access to his or her personal entire medical records from a home laptop, or give authorization to others to do so. â€Å"Consider what this means,† tells Robertson. â€Å"Say my son is living on the West Coast, and he calls me, who lives back East. He asks me to tell him what my physician said during at my last appointment and I certainly speak unclearly something about some blue and white pills that were prescribed to me. However, now my son is able to supervise my medical records, and be aware precisely of what medicines I am supposed to take and what my current health conditions is.† The same scheme reminds physicians to stipulate proper care for veterans when they leave the hospital, for example, beta blockers for heart attack patients, or eye examinations for diabetes victims. It also helps to keep track of which patients are in line for a breast cancer monitoring, a flu shot, or other recorded care a job almost impossible to succeed in using paper records. One more benefit of computerized records became evident when the medicine-producer Merck declared a recall of its accepted arthritis drug, Vioxx. The VHA was competent to instantly discover which of the patients used this medicine at the moment, and to change the drug for less hazardous substitutes quite quickly. Likewise, in the center of a countrywide scarcity of flu vaccine, the automatic system has also made possible for the VHA to recognize, almost instantaneously, those patients who are in utmost need of a flu shot and to ensure those veterans to have precedence. Mr. Robertson also said that one veteran friend of his a person with a cancer who had been in and out of nursing homes gladly stated that he became ahead of other 5,000 patients for a flu shot. He was very content that his VHA hospital informed him that he was eligible, and made it possible for him to make necessary procedures on time. Therefore, VHA is a seriously advancing public health system and it guarantees to provide local pharmacies with much more business, since more and more patients are prescribed drugs to control their chronic diseases. However, projections illustrate that, between 2005 and 2009, the proposal cost local hospitals about $8 million in lost revenue, and cut the wages of the county’s physicians by about $1.5 million. An optimistic dedication to superior services in healthcare does not pay the bills. These days, the program survives barely by attracting charitable support, and, lately, a $500,000 endowment from Congress. For medical providers outside the VHA structure, advancing service quality seldom makes economic sense. True, a hospital can have a business case for buying the newest, most costly imaging devices. The equipment will facilitate in attracting a lot of highly-credentialed physicians to the hospital who will take lots of customers with them. The equipment will also encourage stacks of new demand for hospital services by hoisting all kinds of alleged â€Å"pseudo-diseases.† These are numerous ambiguous, symptomless conditions, such as petite, slow-growing cancers, that persons would never have become aware of in another case since they would have long since passed away because of something else. However, funding any machinery that eventually serves to decrease hospital admissions, like an automatic medical records scheme that allows more efficient illness supervision and diminishes medical mistakes, is probable to take money directly from the bottom line. So, why the Veterans Healthcare System is considered the most efficient and effective in the nation? Primarily, because it is such an outlier in its loyalty to quality. To some extent, it’s because of well-timed, compelling leadership. Further, unlike practically all other healthcare organizations in the United States, VHA has a basically lifetime connection with its customers. Veterans do not change one health plan for another every few years. They establish a relationship with the Veterans Healthcare System in their early teen years, and it goes on. Consequently, the VHA in fact has a motivation to put in effort to prevent and more efficiently and effectively manage diseases. In doing so, it leads not only to saving customers’ money but also to getting the most out of its own resources. Furthermore, since VHA is not a profit maximizer, it has no need to be worried about innovative technologies or innovative practices that keep people well. It also does not make sense for VHA to screech for ultra-modern devices that in fact do not develop the system’s quality or efficiency of care. VHA has proven itself to be a well-defined system, and it continues to act like that. It can methodically handle customer safety issues. It can methodically administer data using standard policies and interfaces. It can methodically advance and put into practice evidence-based principles of care. It can methodically identify where its care system requires enhancement and implement corrective actions. In summary, it can accomplish what the majority of our healthcare organizations appear not to, that is to practice quality methodically without risking its own financial stability. While the healthcare crisis gets worse, and while more people discover how unsafe and unscientific majority of the U.S. healthcare organizations are, it’s time to find a way to change something with this strange reality. A lot of US citizens still consider the American healthcare system to be the superior among all other countries, and that the only significant problems it faces are its expensiveness and leaving too many patients uninsured. But the evidence shows that US people live shorter lives and have more disabilities and chronic diseases than people from other countries that spend hardly half as much money on healthcare. Putting more capital into the present healthcare system will not change that. Moreover, making the existing system more disjointed and motivated by short-term earnings will not help either. What will help is getting a lesson presented by the Veterans Health System that could show the way to an all-American healthcare problem solution. Research Papers on The Veterans Health Care SystemArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)The Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Fifth HorsemanThe Project Managment Office SystemAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaTwilight of the UAWInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfPETSTEL analysis of IndiaBringing Democracy to Africa

Sunday, October 20, 2019

African American History and Women Timeline 1970-1979

African American History and Women Timeline 1970-1979 [Previous] [Next] 1970 Cheryl Adrienne Brown, Miss New York, became the first African American contestant in the Miss America pageant(January 14) Diana Ross performs for the last time with the Supremes, and introduces Jean Terrell as her replacement with the group(August 7) Angela Davis, radical black activist and philosopher, was arrested as a suspected conspirator in the abortive attempt to free George Jackson from a courtroom in Marin County, Californiafirst issue of  Essence  published, a magazine targeted at black women 1971 (January 11) Mary J. Blige born (singer)Beverly Johnson appears on the cover of  Glamour, the first African American woman to be featured that way by a major fashion magazineThe Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) founded, an evolution from the Democratic Select Committee founded in 1969. Shirley Chisholm  was the only woman among the first 13 members. 1972 Mahalia Jackson died (gospel singer)Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman candidate for President, with more than 150 delegate votes at the 1972 Democratic conventionBarbara Jordan elected to Congress, the first African American woman from a former Confederate state to be elected to the HouseYvonne Braithwaite Burke elected to Congress, the first black woman elected to the House from CaliforniaPatricia Roberts Harris became chair of the Democratic National Convention; Yvonne Braithwaite Burke was co-chair of the conventionHaitian boat people begin arriving in FloridaAngela Davis acquitted in California by an all-white jury  of charges from a 1970 shootout(January 27) Mahalia Jackson died (singer)(July 7) Lisa Leslie born (basketball player) 1973 Eleanor Holmes Norton and others found the National Black Feminist Organization.Marion Wright Edelson creates the Childrens Defense Fund.Cardiss Collins elected to Congress from a Chicago district, succeeding her husband 1974 Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman elected to Congress   Alberta Williams King, Martin Luther King, Jr.s mother, and a deacon, were killed during services at Ebenezer Baptist Church 1975 Mary Bush Wilson becomes first African American woman board chair of the NAACP (the first chair, Mary White Ovington, was a white woman)Joanne Little acquitted of murder charges - she had stabbed a jailer with an ice pick to avoid sexual assaultLeontyne Price awarded Italys Order of Merit(April 12) Josephine Baker died of a stroke 1976 Barbara Jordan was the first woman and the first African American to give the keynote address at a national convention of the Democratic PartyJanie L. Mines becomes the first African  American woman to enter the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis.Clara Stanton Jones becomes the first African Amerian elected as President of the American Library AssociationPresident Jimmy Carter appoints Patricia Harris as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the first African American woman selected for the cabinet.Unita Blackwell elected mayor of Mayersville, becoming the first black woman mayor in Mississippigymnast Dominque Dawes born (won three Olympic medals)(February 26) Florence Ballard dies of a heart attack, age 32.   She was one of the original Supremes. 1977 first African American woman ordained as an Episcopal priest: Pauli Murraythe Daughters of the American Revolution admitted the first African American member, Karen Farmer, who traced her ancestry back to William HoodMabel Murphy Smythe appointed as ambassador to Cameroon(September 1) Ethel Waters died, age 80 (singer, actress) 1978 Faye Wattleton became president of the Planned Parenthood Federation the first woman and the first African American to hold that positionUnited States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Harriet Tubman.Toni Morrison received the National Book Critics AwardJill Brown, flying for Texas International Airlines, is the first black female pilot for any commercial airline(March 29) Tina Turner divorces Ike Turner(June 28) in University of California v. Backke, Supreme Court limits federal affirmative action 1979 Hazel Winifred Johnson became the first African American woman appointed as a general in the US ArmyPatricia Harris, who had served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was appointed by President Carter as secretary of health, education and welfareBethune Museum and Archives established in Washington, DCLois Alexander opens the Black Fashion Museum in Harlem [Previous] [Next] [1492-1699] [1700-1799] [1800-1859] [1860-1869] [1870-1899] [1900-1919] [1920-1929] [1930-1939] [1940-1949] [1950-1959] [1960-1969] [1970-1979] [1980-1989] [1990-1999] [2000-] Janie L. Mines becomes the first African  American woman to enter the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Competing in World Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Competing in World Markets - Essay Example t varies from one place to the other, for instance some regions witness high rates of poverty, hence low purchasing power and this undermines international trade. There are also economic barriers to international trade for example the famous global financial crisis which has led to high inflation and bailouts (Shah, 2011). Finally political barriers for example formation of trade bodies like world trade organization, (WTO). It is mandated to promote free and fair global trade but it has been criticized for serving the interests of rich countries therefore exploiting the poor ones (Shah, 2011). Political barriers are the most significant since politics involves power and allocation of resources and it dominates social, economic and cultural issues of trade. To curb the barriers, many businesses employ earned value technique to measure their progress. Earn value is a monitoring tool used to find out whether the budget and the planned time frame tallies with the actual work done to est ablish if the project is on track. There are barriers to smart earned value like cost, performance and quality. Opponents of the technique say that its implementation cost and efforts are enormous yet the derived benefits of implementation are limited (Tammo, 1999). This means that a business may spend a great deal to implement this project management tool but there may be low quality output. Cost barrier is the most difficult one to overcome since a business always need money to expand and operate. If more money is used to implement earned value technique then the business may run at squeezed profits or even at a loss due to high cost of

Friday, October 18, 2019

Case interpretation Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case interpretation - Research Paper Example These scenarios provide a basic idea about the challenges which might be faced by the business environment in order to survive in the marketplace in the year 2050 (Deutsche Post AG, 2012). Among these case scenarios, this paper aims to evaluate the state of affairs presented in the first scenario, titled as Untamed Economy – Impending Collapse. Furthermore, the paper will assess the challenges which might be faced by the logistic industry due to the most probable challenges in the business environment of 2050. It will also intend to identify the reasons and/or causing factors of these challenges. Case Scenario: Untamed Economy – Impending Collapse The entire world is distinguished with the assistance of unrestricted materialism and consumption. In addition, the rapid growth of international trade set the pace of business and economy all across the world. The advanced global transportation also ensures the frequent exchange of goods and services all across the internatio nal territories and/or boundaries. With this concern, it has been observed that the world economy is forced by unsustainable standard of living along with the uncontrolled exploration of natural resources which in turn creates a string negative impact over the stability of business environment. ... It is most likely to be disrupted by the frequent natural disasters which in turn can have strong influences on the global supply chain increasing capital costs in terms of logistic companies. Apart from this, the international trade is also quite likely to increase the demand of production processes by the companies in the global dais. Therefore, rising insufficiency of energy resources, higher energy prices and costlier raw materials shall lead to slackened profit margin in the industry sector. With this concern, operational managers of the global logistic industry should actively response to the disasters with the help of contingency planning (Operations Manager, 2012). It has further been observed that operational managers are mainly engaged with inventory management processes, shipping and receiving as well as hiring and training employees in the current day context. However, in such probable scenario of 2050, an operational manager shall need to focus on inventory management al ong with strong networking of supply chain according to the regional divergences in order to maintain the profit margin (Johnston & Clark, 2012). Challenges to be faced by the Logistic Industry in the Year 2050 In the year 2050, the logistic industry might have to face various challenges in terms of supply chain disruption, high energy prices, expensive raw materials and shrinking profit margins. In the upcoming eras, there are high chances for scarcity of resources due to the natural disasters and frequent climate changes which in turn shall create the nationalism and protectionist barriers across the international boundaries. Additionally, this might come up with

Application of the Scientific Method Research Paper

Application of the Scientific Method - Research Paper Example Consistency of results is sought in order to develop a theory (Gauch, 2003). The scientific method starts with the definition of a problem that cannot be explained readily. Alternatively, the problem may be having an existing explanation but there is a possibility of coming up with another explanation. The identification of such a phenomenon is then followed by a research of what is known about it. Equipped with this knowledge, the scientist then develops a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a calculated guess or prediction as the reason why the phenomenon occurs as it does (Gauch, 2003). An experiment is conducted to test the hypothesis. The accuracy of the results of an experiment depends largely on how it is designed. Observations of what transpires during the experiment are recorded and analyzed. Conclusions made from the results help accept or reject the hypothesis. The scientific method can be demonstrated using the selection of a particular brand of detergent. There are many brands of detergents each having different properties. Consumers have different preferences and uses all of which guide their selection of a brand of detergent. An environmentally sensitive consumer may go beyond the use for which he needs a detergent to considering the impact that the detergent would have on the environment (Bhairi & Mohan, 2007). A viable problem for the application of the scientific method is the selection of a brand of detergent that cleans efficiently and has minimal negative impacts on the environment. A testable hypothesis will be; an efficient detergent is highly soluble (0.5 x 10-5 per liter of water) at working temperatures (250CÂ ±30C), has a low CMC (0.35 x 10-3 at 250C) and is non-toxic. The criteria for determining the success of the actions to be used in testing the aforementioned hypothesis will include; whether or not solubility was measured at a pre-set working

Thursday, October 17, 2019

New media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New media - Essay Example New Media The beginning of new media technologies has certainly resulted in the creation of way for scientific revolution around the globe and it continues to revolutionize the universal, communal, and financial settings of nations applying these technologies. It is interesting to consider that urbanized nations have turn into ‘knowledge societies’ as a result of this technological revolution and the majority of developing nations are making effort to bridge the digital divide by promoting the utilization of new media technologies. Digital divide exits in developing and under-developed nations because the majority of individuals still have no access to new media technologies. This is perhaps because of the fact that new media technologies are not available in the region where they live or because they cannot meet the expense of using such facilities (Gane & Beer, 2008). The emergence of new media technologies has affected hypothetical as well as practical suppositions re garding the part of technology in socio-economic growth.

The Issue of Rational Suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Issue of Rational Suicide - Essay Example Rational suicide, aka ‘euthanasia,’ is taken from Greek origin meaning ‘good death.’ Writers of 1700’s Britain referred to euthanasia as a being a preferential method by which to ‘die well’ (â€Å"Definition†, 2007). In the medical arena, rational suicide describes a situation in which a terminally ill patient is administered a lethal dose of medication, is removed from a life-support system or is simply allowed to die without active participation such as by resuscitation. A doctor’s involvement in the procedure could be to either prescribe a lethal dose of drugs with the express intent of ending a life or by intravenously inserting a needle into the terminal patient who then activates a switch that administers the fatal dose (Naji et al, 2005). Physicians, lawmakers, and philosophers have debated the notion of rational suicide since the beginning of recorded history but the wide public debate regarding its legalization has only surfaced over the past three decades. In the 1970’s it became lawful to draft ‘living wills’ which allows a patient to refuse ‘heroic’ life saving medical assistance in the event they were incapacitated and could only survive by artificial means (Rich, 2001). In other words, it gave the next of kin the right to direct doctors to ‘pull the plug’ if the patient’s condition was considered hopeless, a practice which is now broadly accepted.   However, these wills did not eliminate the potential problem of individuals being kept alive for incredibly long periods of time in permanent unconscious states as there were often no provisions for withdrawing nutrition and hydration when no other life support interventions were necessary.   This oversight has been largely addressed through power of attorney.   â€Å"The durable power of attorney allows an individual to designate in writing a proxy or surrogate decision maker (the at torney-in-fact) who has the same degree of authority to consent to or decline life-sustaining treatment as the patient would if he or she were competent†

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

New media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New media - Essay Example New Media The beginning of new media technologies has certainly resulted in the creation of way for scientific revolution around the globe and it continues to revolutionize the universal, communal, and financial settings of nations applying these technologies. It is interesting to consider that urbanized nations have turn into ‘knowledge societies’ as a result of this technological revolution and the majority of developing nations are making effort to bridge the digital divide by promoting the utilization of new media technologies. Digital divide exits in developing and under-developed nations because the majority of individuals still have no access to new media technologies. This is perhaps because of the fact that new media technologies are not available in the region where they live or because they cannot meet the expense of using such facilities (Gane & Beer, 2008). The emergence of new media technologies has affected hypothetical as well as practical suppositions re garding the part of technology in socio-economic growth.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Critical thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Critical thinking - Essay Example This is the best motivational technique that a parent can use, because it is natural for children to behave in a certain way when their behavior is appreciated with a reward. The term coined by B.F. Skinner, negative reinforcement is a kind of motivational technique that aims at repetition of a certain behavior, by the removal of aversive stimuli. An aversive stimulus is some sort of physical or mental discomfort. A response or behavior is strengthened when an individual knows that he will escape a negative outcome. My mother has always told me to clean up the mess in my room before I leave for school. She has, at times, yelled at me when I left my room untidy. So, I knew that I have to clean up my room in order to escape the anger of my mother. In this example, my mom’s anger was the negative reinforce or the negative outcome, which I avoided by correcting my behavior. Consider a student whose mobile phone rings up when he is attending his favorite math class. His teacher reprimands him in front of his classmates, and gives a lecture on bad effects of using mobile phones during lectures. Since the student feels ashamed in front of his peers, he powers off his phone, and makes up his mind to always switch it off during lectures. This way, his negative behavior is weakened by positive punishment. Negative punishment involves taking away of some expected and desired outcome after a negative behavior is shown. Negative punishment is also intended for weakening the negative behavior, so that it does not happen again in future. I remember myself fighting with my little brother over a video game. He wanted to play it first, while I was saying that since it was my idea, so I should play it first. We started yelling at each other, while each of us snatching the DVD from the other. My mom came in, and with an angry look, took the DVD away with her in the kitchen, and hid it somewhere. This is an example of taking away a desired object with the

Monday, October 14, 2019

Hiroshima Diary Essay Example for Free

Hiroshima Diary Essay First of all, I would like to say that you have an overall good paper in my opinion. The first thing that I can suggest is a better hook. My attention wasn’t drawn into the paper. I suggest a quote by a scientist or other survivor, and/or a statistic – something that will make a reader think about the paper more. Another thing that I can recommend is to add a little bit more background on the two narratives, but just very brief (a couple sentences). Also I’d like to point out some things that you could use to improve your thesis. The essay is about â€Å"cause and effect† so it has to be mentioned in your thesis. Also mention the 2 things you will compare between the two stories so the reader has an idea where the paper will be going. Other things I noticed that sounded awkward are the way you used quotes. Introducing quotes is a better strategy than just using the quote as a sentence (paragraph 2) as it gives a better flow and gives a better explanation for your argument. Also in my opinion you could expand more on your analysis of both paragraphs and connect your argument to the thesis and to each other so you have a better evaluation of the discussed topic. There are several other small issues that I found. In paragraph 3 you used a long quote, which is 4+ lines, and it should be in a block format and indented. Also you used very short sentences such as, â€Å"Here are the quotes for the effect.† Using more complex sentences gives a better flow and a more professional look to your essay. You also had some good things in your essay. You provided very concise summary to inform a reader about the story and point out the most important information. You point. Also you have very good topic sentences introducing the argument of that paragraph. From your topic sentences I was able to know what they paragraph would be about, and you were consistent with it. After reading your essay and compared it to my own, I figured that I need to include a better summary. I do not give sufficient background information to be enough for my analysis. Junjie, you did a great job at providing accurate citations, great summary and good analysis. However, you could work on expanding your synthesis and evaluation of the argument in your body paragraph. Otherwise, good job.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Hip Hops Effect On Youth In Lagos

Hip Hops Effect On Youth In Lagos Music is the art of organizing tones in a coherent sequenceso as to produce a unified and continuous composition. Vocal or instrumental sounds possessing rhythm, melody, and harmony.The American Heritage dictionary. Music is a kind of counting performed by the mind without knowing that it is counting, The Monadology (1714) A method of employing the mind without the labour of thinking at all.Samuel Johnson, quoted by Boswell, Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides(1785). Music is work.John Cage, Empty Words (1980)A piece of music is simply a chunk of time you are paying attention to withyour ears.Barney Childs, quote in Ewen, American Composers (1982) According to Tafui ,Hip Hop is a cultural movement expressed through the traditional elements of deejaying , emceeing, various forms of dance (breaking, popping, locking) and writing (graffiti art). As a culture, hip hop represents other aspects of culture as well such as language, style of dress, politics. Marcus.P Hip hop is life.marcus parker. Hip hop music is a culture which break dancing ,graffiti writing , DJing, rapping singing and fashion is used as a means to express freedom from oppressive social conditions. Hip hop music was formed from human transcendence as a result of the creative instinct by African Americans as a result of social oppression on the African American, Latin American and afro Caribbean 1970s communities in New York city. A famous DJ at the time DJAfrika Bambaataa defined that defined the five pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking, graffiti writing, and knowledge. Other elements include beat boxing, hip hop fashion, and slang. Since first Since first emerging in the Bronx, the lifestyle of hip hop culture has spread around the world. Robert M, Sr. When hip hop music began to emerge, it was based around disc jockeys who created rhythmic beats by looping breaks (small portions of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables, which is now more commonly referred to as sampling. This was later accompanied by rapping and beat boxing. Garofalo.R. An original style of dancing and particular styles of dress arose among followers of this new music. These elements experienced considerable refinement and development over the course of the history of the cultureRobert M, Sr. One of these refinements was the birth of Gangsta rap.According to Marcus.P Gangsta rap is a type of hip hop which focuses mainly on the negative aspects of inner city life. The lyrics often glorify criminal activity and degrade women. This genre of hip-hop has been a source of tremendous controversy and is often cited as the cause of the increase in violence. This is particularly true amongst black youth. According to federal statistics cited by the Charlottesville Daily Progress, homicide is the leading cause of death for black men between the ages of 15 and 34.Many gangsta hip-hop artists justify their music by claiming they are only retelling the experiences of their lives on the streets. However, close analysis of the song lyrics often reveals a plethora of curse words and no substance. According to commentators such as those found on Urban Dictionary.com, many artists have been forced to create artificial gangsta images for the sake of a lucrative career. Many young people idolize these artists and imitate their behavior. Joanna White-Oldham. This ongoing fever for hip hop music amongst the youth began to spread over the globe to other countries like China, Canada, and the United kindom and other parts of Africa. Hip hop music arrived in Cuba via radio and TV broadcasts from Miami. During the 1980s hip hop culture in Cuba was mainly centred around breakdancing Fairley J .Initially hip hop was criticized not just by the government, but by many in the community as well. With raperos emulating US rappers aggressive posturing and lyrical content, hip hop was seen as just another cultural invasion from the US, bringing with it the violence and problems of the ghettos. Fairley J. Cuban rappers attacked social and political issues concerning Cuba such as racism, class struggles and police harassment etc. But as pressure for commercial success increases, many of the grass roots artists do not understand the recent change of rapping about partying, cars, and women . Pacini.H, Deborah and Garofalo.R . Hip-hop in the United States started out as a voice of protest, an alternative voice for urban, inner-city youth to voice their grievances, to talk about their living conditions, their hopes and aspiratio ns, said Abiodun, a member of the Black Liberation Party before fleeing to Cuba 14 years ago as a U.S. fugitive facing racketeering charges. Nancy D. But now what we see in terms of rap in the United States, for the most part, its really not talking about anything. Also according to Baker, Geoffrey 2005,many criticize the objectification of females in the dancing and in videos. Some see it as dominant if the women dance in front of the men in a doggy style position, but critics see it as a way of letting the male take initial control over the female. Also many argue that the females in those music videos are objectifying themselves to seem lower than men. Wunderlich, Annelise 2006 . According to B.Geoffrey Music videos are becoming more explicit. To gain a following of their music, Cuban hip hop artists are continuously using provocatively dressed females. This sexual image in their videos is taking away from the audiences ability to actually listen to the lyrics and understand them. The lyrics being addressed recently by Cuban hip hop artists stand as a rebellion against the many downfalls, such as poverty and racism, that their nation is currently fighting Baker, Geoffrey.Sexually-charged dancing (like grinding and doggy style) often associated with hip-hop, are not the only things criticized. In recent years, Hip-hop has merged with Cuban culture to the point it can be heard in parades, school dances, and clubs. This has given rise to the problem of children, 16 or younger, hearing and singing the lyrics found in Cuban hip-hopwhich often make reference to sexual activities. ^ Baker, Geoffrey. 2006. According to Chris Kehinde Nwandu , Hip hop in Nigeria dates back to the late eighties and early nineties. Groups and solo artists during that period include the likes of Junior Pretty, Daniel ,Danny Wilson , Plantashun Boyz , Remedies with members Eedris Abdulkareem , Eddy Remedy Tony Tetuila. It is estimated that 80-percent of urban youth can be reached through Hip-Hop, which encompasses rap, graffiti, dancing and fashionThe late 90s and the 2000s saw a remarkable increase of artists and groups like Eldee da Don of Freestyle , Ikechuku, JJC and the 419 squad , Dbanj and P-Square became a part of mainstream Nigerian music after the collapse of pop trends like Yo-pop . The availability of computers and cheap music editing software in the late 1990s and the 2000s enabled Nigerian musicians to achieve higher quality recordings, which quickly won over the Nigerian audience. As Nigerias Nollywood movies have done to Western movies, Nigerian hip hop has begun to displace Western popular music. Nwandu k. As the Great Music Debate (launched by The GuardianLIFE in the aftermath of the wide and wild debate generated by the article, A Nations Identity Crisis of renowned columnist and public commentator, Dr Reuben Abati in his column, CrossRoads in The Guardian on Sunday, June 21), en ters its third week, some Nigerian artistes have expressed their opinion on the lyrical contents of Nigerian hip-hop songs. Though with different responses, yet, a good number of them contend that despite the fame and wealth that some of the artistes have been amassing through their works, many of the songs ruling the airwaves or the public entertainment circuit, are deficient in quality lyrics; and have have little or no lesson for the listeners. Chris Kehinde Nwandu. The GuardianLIFE sent email and sms messages to a collection of the artistes including Djinee, Ruggedman, Dare Art Alade, TY Bello, NoMoreLoss, J.Martins, IlBliss, Ashioye Ugbo, PSquare, Timi Dakolo, Keffee among others. Out of the list of about 20, however, only a few responded and their views were recorded as follows:Popularly known for his song, No Vernacular, Lagos Jump, Omo Wale among others, the dreadlocks-wearing half-German quizzes, how can you have fuel shortage, bad roads, Niger Delta crisis, children being accused of sorcery in the South-South, Haliburton scandals and you are busy talking Moet, girls and blingz? BY CHUKS NWANNE. According the new talk of the town, Bracket , The lyrics of Nigerian musicians are in reality is more real than fiction because they reflect the day to day experience of the artistes.I, Lara George, an ex member of the famous KUSH states, Our lyrics as Nigerian musicians need to be improved upon and not destroyed. Instead of looking for monetary sa tisfaction that could be destructive and then building NGOs to fix the damage done; we need to use our music to leave a legacy that will help improve the way we are viewed by the rest of the world. Lara, who is no doubt one of the best female vocalists in the country for now, adds, We need to perpetuate solid values in our own environment and grow the psyche of the man on the street in a positive way. She won the Best Female Vocalist at the Nigerian Music Award in Owerri, Imo State. Her songs such as Ijoba Orun, Rest Of My Life and others made noticeable impact in the music scene. CHUKS NWANNE. In an atempt to defend todays music Etcetera Ejikeme said: At moment, you can broadly classify Nigerian artistes into two; what Ill call the mainstream and the alternative. For most of the mainstream artistes, lyrics are the last thing on their minds; basically they just want to make anything that the youth can dance to. The only challenge is that we all dont dance 24/7. So, its within those quiet moments, when you reflect on the lyrics of a song youve been dancing to for months that you suddenly realise how totally hollow and sometimes senseless it is. Ectcetera also added on the Babaekos Xtreme Music that: For the alternative youth, these are serious musicians, who understand that a lot of craftsmanship must go into making a piece of music. They generally have more profound lyrics that grab the imagination of the listeners. The good news however is that the Nigerian music listeners are very sophisticated they are beginning to ask probing questions, demanding for quality music. This is the point where real musicians will be separated from charlatans. All the way from the US, Emma Agu, one of the founding members of Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria, PMAN, acknowledged the rapid growth of the countrys music industry, but faulted the lyrics of some of the artistes. Chris Kehinde Nwandu. There is a remarkable improvement in the audio and video presentation, but the industry still has a long way to go, when it comes to the lyrical contents of the vibes; majority of these boys are churning out. Did you hear Tu-Faces Its time to have sex? I think that was disgusting! Time and time again, I try to make out what some of these hip-pop guys are saying; I barely could catch a word out of their vibes. Most of their lyrics do not make sense.BY CHUKS NWANNE Days are gone when you go to a nite clubs and dance to American beats from dusk till dawn without complaining. Those days of Shaba Ranks, Patra, Buster Rhymes, Chakademus Pliers, 2Pac, Shagyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ these artist ruled the countrys music industry for long, and we had no option than to love them. No option! Those days, it was like a taboo to play a Nigerian song or video on air. A radio station was even so audacious as to decree that no Nigerian music except Fela will grace its air.CHUKS NWANNE . Nowadays things have changed as the Nigerian music is being heard more than even the foreign ones. The Nigerian acts have grown so big that even the foreign musician coolaborate with them to to make new music. Hip-hop has also become an effective tool to communicate with youth under siege, using the language they understand. Social consciousness hip-hop workers have used the microphone and their message to speak to the youth about crime, drugs and have conducted workshops in town halls addressing the youth about the dangers of dangerous living.Marcus P. But critically studied, much of the music coming from the artistes these days, especially the male folks, is shallow and meaningless in lyrical content, beats and composition. If the singers are not rasping about sex or some other lewd subjects; it will be about how many women they have bedded or dated or jilted; or about 419 and related issues; or what they call beefing (abusing perceived enemies). Once an artiste sings about money, everybody follows. Then another sings about sex, and the rest will file in. The beefing has in fact become an industry, much in the light of the eighies rash of abusive songs by the Fuji musicians, who now in their late 60s and burnished with the wisdom that comes with old age (?) must be regretting those dirty words they were trading with their opponents on the scene then. Kuti.S . The President of Professional Musicians Association of Nigeria, Agu admits however, I hear good music from Nigeria; well produced music, beautiful vocals with good melody, fantastic bass line, distinct snare drum, hi-hat and trebling kicks, good harmony, nicely mixed and mastered, but lyrically empty.Hip-hop has gone beyond being just about music, but has actually become a brand, a lifestyle and an urban culture that almost everybody aspires to be associated with even big corporate. It is on this note that inevitably the rapper is now more than a musician but has become an entrepreneur that utilizes his or her craft to sell global brands of big corporations. Rappers are trendsetters; where they lead others follow. They can revitalize a luxury brand by making it seem youthful and individualistic. It is estimated that 80-percent of urban youth in lagos can be reached through Hip-Hop, which encompasses rap, graffiti, dancing and fashion The Guardian Life magazine. According to Murray Forman, professor of media studies at Northeastern University in Boston. To say there is no influence and no effect by hip hop music is naÃÆ' ¯ve. . REFRENCE Basu.D , Sidney J, Wunderlich, (2006) Cuban Hip-hop: Making Space for New Voices of Dissent. In The Vinyl Aint Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, Pacini.H, Deborah and Garofalo.R, 2004.The emergence of Rap Cubano: An historical perspective. .BurlingtonVt. Ashgate press. Wunderlich, Annelise: Cuban Hip-hop: Making Space for New Voices of Dissent, The Vinyl Aint Final: Hip Hop a2006 Pluto Press Basu, D and Lemelle.S 2006 ,the Globalization of Black Popular Culture London: Pluto Pres page 168. Pacini.H, Deborah and Garofalo.R. 2004. The emergence of rap Cubano: An historicalperspective. In Music, Space, and Place, Ashgate, .press WEBSITES http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCHYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1pg=PA276HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1lpg=PA276HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webo ts=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubaHYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1source=webHYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1ots=y44TtRgw_4HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg=PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1HYPERLINK http://books.google.com/books?id=KrVuuaB4jAQCpg=PA276lpg =PA276dq=club+la+mona+hip+hop+cubasource=webots=y44TtRgw_4sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1sig=8qLyLDLPRCkK40e1ujf_-zseA2w#PPA277,M1 22nd November 2009 http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/22/hln.hot.hit.cuban.hip.hop.htm 23rd November 2009 https://moodle.brandeis.edu/file.php/3404/pdfs/baker-hip-hop-revolucion.pdf 22 nd November 2009 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/04/entertainment/main647330.shtml 22 nd November 2009 CNN.com Cuban hip-hop: The rebellion within the revolution Nov. 25, 2002 20th November 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_hip_hop 23 rd November 2009 http://www.africanhiphop.com/africanhiphopradio/naija-nigerian-80s-rap-on-vinyl/ 23 rd November 2009 http://theguardianlifemagazine.blogspot.com/2009/08/great-music-debate-3-hip-hop-in-eyes-of.html 23 rd November 2009 http://daniellamaison.blogspot.com/ 23rd November 2009 http://www.naijajams.com/thoughts-on-the-nigerian-hip-hop-scene-part-1 23rd November 2009 http://allafrica.com/stories/200911270165.html 25th November 2009 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_26_98/ai_68018839/ 25th November 2009 http://fulbright.mtvu.com/melissaadams/2009/11/13/why-hip-hop/ 24th November 2009 http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_3_how_hip_hop.html 24th November 2009 https://www.youthmesh.org/wiki/index.php/Nigeria 24th November 2009 http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=110966339114 23rd November 2009

Saturday, October 12, 2019

David Fincher’s Fight Club Essay -- David Fincher’s Fight Club

David Fincher’s â€Å"Fight Club† In David Fincher’s â€Å"Fight Club† a man battles within himself to live a life he has always dared to live, but in the end when everything is taken to the extreme, he realizes it’s too late to change what he has done. He struggles with the social structure due to his realization that he is in fact powerless in today’s society. He is constantly fighting his alter personality Tyler Durden for control of not only himself but also the world around them. He sees Marla as the lie that exists within himself and despises her for it. Fincher implies that sometimes people have to completely free themselves of their materialistic ideals in order to truly be free. Fincher also suggests that in some cases the absence of a male father figure have lead to instability and the creation of Mr. Hyde. The setting is one marked with desire for an awakening to the world around us. The fact that the protagonist does not have a name is because he represents anyone and everyone in today’s society he could even be named Jack. The opening views inside Jack’s brain are dark with flashes of fear for his very existence. The city view at night is the dark materialistic civilization in which we live. Bob (the man with breasts) is his missing family that isn’t there to hold him. The wet face on Bob’s shirt resembling a face is Jack, giving himself and opening up to Bob. In the beginning, there are several subliminal images of Tyler; this is in fact a manifestation of his subc... David Fincher’s Fight Club Essay -- David Fincher’s Fight Club David Fincher’s â€Å"Fight Club† In David Fincher’s â€Å"Fight Club† a man battles within himself to live a life he has always dared to live, but in the end when everything is taken to the extreme, he realizes it’s too late to change what he has done. He struggles with the social structure due to his realization that he is in fact powerless in today’s society. He is constantly fighting his alter personality Tyler Durden for control of not only himself but also the world around them. He sees Marla as the lie that exists within himself and despises her for it. Fincher implies that sometimes people have to completely free themselves of their materialistic ideals in order to truly be free. Fincher also suggests that in some cases the absence of a male father figure have lead to instability and the creation of Mr. Hyde. The setting is one marked with desire for an awakening to the world around us. The fact that the protagonist does not have a name is because he represents anyone and everyone in today’s society he could even be named Jack. The opening views inside Jack’s brain are dark with flashes of fear for his very existence. The city view at night is the dark materialistic civilization in which we live. Bob (the man with breasts) is his missing family that isn’t there to hold him. The wet face on Bob’s shirt resembling a face is Jack, giving himself and opening up to Bob. In the beginning, there are several subliminal images of Tyler; this is in fact a manifestation of his subc...

Friday, October 11, 2019

Hamlet (Shakespeare): “Mad,” “Sane,” or “None of the Above”? Essay

A form of theatrical representation, metadrama (Danner), revealed Hamlet’s convictions about the behaviors and character of his mother, father, step-father, and, most importantly, himself (Shakespeare).   Metadramatic techniques reveal to the audience that characters in a play themselves are aware they are in a play and are providing additional information that the audience can accept as truthful (Danner). While these characters have no motivation to be deceitful, they may demonstrate to the audience their ability to deceive themselves.   Most notably, in Hamlet, the audience can accept information in particular soliloquies, the play-within-a-play, and from the ghost of Hamlet’s father as accurate representations of Hamlet’s and even the ghost’s own perceptions.   Why would any self-respecting ghost return to earth other than to reveal the truth?   And why would Hamlet choose to lie to us through a soliloquy? However, most importantly, we have an opportunity to witness Hamlet’s own unintentional self-deceptions.   In using examples of these techniques to evaluate Hamlet’s mental condition, â€Å"sanity† was not conceptualized as a categorical variable with two levels, â€Å"sane† or â€Å"mad.† Creating â€Å"madness† in a fictional character in a literary masterpiece (e.g., Ophelia in Hamlet) does not impose the difficulties encountered when trying to differentiate between those who are legally â€Å"mad† vs. â€Å"bad† (Emery & Oltmanns 429-433) or when trying to form two discrete diagnostic categories (Emery & Oltmanns 3-14). Regarding the question of whether Hamlet was â€Å"mad† or â€Å"sane,† in the analysis presented below, he has been conceptualized as unfortunate in having characteristics that did not match the particular demands needed for the unusual circumstances of his life and also in having the facility for self-deception that prevented him from recognizing the futility of nonetheless persevering. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet was a young man grieving following the death of the father he apparently still had worshipped as young boys not infrequently do, until they learn what is and isn’t â€Å"cool†.   Hamlet, of course, seemingly for worse rather than for better, actually had that all-powerful father, strong, courageous, respected and also loved by all.   Not prepared for his father’s death, Hamlet was even less prepared for his mother’s fast re-marriage to her brother-in-law. Magnificent poetry is no less magnificent if it comes from the mouth of someone too inexperienced to have learned the difference between the kinds of painful events that characterize human existence and those that will always get our own or most anyone’s attention, for example, the difference between our recently widowed mother having sex with the village idiot and her being sent to Hitler’s gas chambers.   The intensity and obsessive nature of his suicidal depression alone would have permitted a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; American Psychiatric Association manual, as cited in Emery & Oltmanns):   â€Å"O, that this too too solid flesh would Melt{,} and resolve itself into a dew!   Or that he Everlasting had not fix’d His cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter!   O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world!† (Hamlet 10). Interestingly, more than two centuries before Freud’s birth, Shakespeare had dramatized the kind of observation on which the latter based psychoanalytic theory (as cited in Shaffer).   First, in the soliloquy cited above, Hamlet did not yet even know that the cause of his father’s death was homicide and would not himself have recognized that his suicidal depression was caused not by his father’s death but by his mother’s sexual betrayal (in Hamlet’s view) of his father, when she went with â€Å"most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!† (10). Without apology for violating one of the many dictates of the politically correct (PC), the dictate never to mention the name â€Å"Freud† without including the phrase â€Å"sexist† (Bowers & Farvolden), it does not even seem possible to avoid imagining Dr. Freud, while rubbing his whiskers thoughtfully, concluding that while Hamlet had resolved his fear of paternal retribution for his Oedipal desires by closely identifying with his father, his resolution of the Oedipal stage was incomplete because, regarding his mother, in wording compatible with Hamlet’s revered Bible, he still was â€Å"lusting in his heart† and, rather than blame his mother as an individual, he instead (innocently and blissfully untroubled today’s PC) blamed women’s nature, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† (10). His ambiguous view of his mother was perhaps not unlike children who blame their mothers for all that is wrong with their lives and the world, yet for whom the phrase â€Å"your mother,† in themselves, are fighting words.   To reinforce the doubts he already had about Gertrude (noted above), Shakespeare gave him the ghost of his father who simultaneously condemned and forgave her, in effect setting her up as a target for both justifiable rage and self-restraint: Claudius â€Å"won to his shameful lust The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen† (20) and Hamlet should â€Å"Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest.   But, however, thou pursuest this act, Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (21).   The ghost of Hamlet’s father encouraged what already was his simmering attribution of blame, not overly concerned about the fairness of Gertrude sharing Claudius’ guilt.   In fact, we know that people distort their own perceptions and memories in a direction consistent with their beliefs (Schacter), explaining how Hamlet managed to interpret the ghost’s condemnation of Gertrude as strong enough to warrant his own conclusion, â€Å"O most pernicious woman!† (22). Indeed, people who have suffered misfortune frequently do seek out other people to blame.   We do not like to believe we are at the mercy of random inexplicable accidents or that there is no meaning to account for the occurrence of adverse events or that we do not have immortal souls.   Thus, while Claudius most certainly was guilty of committing â€Å"murder most foul† (20), what did Gertrude actually do to warrant her son’s animosity?   When does she ever show us the loathsome side of herself we have come to expect? Regarding her husband, she, in fact, does not seem guilty of anything more than being naively trusting, when as a recent and lonely widow, she was human in being receptive to the sexual overtures of a man she believed shared her own grief.   Despite what her son and her husband’s ghost indignantly protested, for centuries, marriage between even blood relatives might be considered a national European sport (Coontz). Regarding Hamlet, her â€Å"crimes† seemed no more than being overly tolerant of his disrespectful treatment and overly supportive to the extent of being his cheerleader in what she failed to recognize was not a game but a lethal battle with Laertes: â€Å"He’s fat, and scant of breath.   Here Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows; the queen carouses to thy fortune† (Hamlet, 99).   In her exuberance, she drank poison from the cup her husband had prepared for Hamlet. It would seem that Hamlet’s fatal flaw was less his inability to exact revenge from Claudius than his facility at finding and deceiving himself into believing about any possible excuse, thus preventing him from accept himself for not being the â€Å"man of action† expected of the son of a great king.   Under other circumstances, differing from his father regarding physical accomplishments might have led to no more than the timeless struggle between, for example, the father who had been star quarterback in high school and the son who was in his father’s eyes the star high-school nerd. It was Hamlet’s incredible myopia regarding the excuses he was making for failing to act that led inexorably to a tragic bloodbath in the end.   Hamlet, it turned out, like J. Alfred Prufrock, was â€Å"not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be† (Eliot line 111).   Had Hamlet a chance to â€Å"grow old† (line 120), he might have recognized his own nature in time to avoid becoming â€Å"an attendant lord†¦deferential, glad to be of use† (lines 112, 115). However, he too had â€Å"wept and prayed† (line 81) and rather than finding â€Å"the strength and courage to force the moment to a crisis† (line 80), he found only excuses for failing to act.   Indeed, Hamlet seemed to sincerely believe he would have been able to end his torment through suicide had his religion not prohibited â€Å"self-slaughter† (Hamlet, 10). These excuses included an odd need for evidence that the ghost was truthful (53), failing to act after the play-within-a-play elicited the demonstration of guilt Hamlet sought from Claudius (surprisingly, since the sociopath of Hamlet’s description would not be likely to even feel guilt – and after a stunningly convincing description of his own conscience, why did Claudius not remember this conscience after again Hamlet failed to kill him?) because of his mistaken perception of Claudius being in the act of prayer.   Ironically, as Claudius was acknowledging that his â€Å"offense is rank it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t, A brother’s murder. Pray can I not† (64), Hamlet, echoing the ghost of his father at the beginning of the play, could not kill Claudius because if killed while in prayer, â€Å"he goes to heaven †¦Ã‚   this is †¦ not revenge† (65).   At this point, he failed even to question the justice of a religion that rewards a minute of remorse with heaven and punishes anyone unfortunate enough to die suddenly with hell.   Hamlet never did describe what his father might have done so that he was â€Å"cut off even in the blossom of my sins† (21). Was Hamlet â€Å"mad†?   He was not mad unless the label is consistently used to describe anyone demonstrating self-destructive patterns of thought.   For that matter, if we describe Hamlet as â€Å"mad,† there would be no reason for excluding the millions of people who fit, to varying degrees, even one diagnostic description in the American Psychiatric Association manual (as cited in Emery & Oltmanns). Is Hamlet â€Å"sane†?   The label again would fit only if it also were used to describe virtually all of us who demonstrate any of the subjective feelings of distress described in the same manual.   The text of Hamlet did not even provide enough information to form a reliable conclusion about his thoughts and behaviors prior to his father’s death.   He might have been feeling distressed his entire life because of experiences such as the death of his pet flea or a stubbed toe. The genuine tragedy of Hamlet was that the eloquence and stunningly brutal clarity with which he expressed the universal human condition in his most famous soliloquy did not prevent his doom and, indeed, might have been so brilliant that he would have been blinded had he not turned away: a condition where the only escape from â€Å"the whips and scorns of time† is into the potentially worse â€Å"undiscover’d country †¦ [that] makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of† (48). 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