Frankenstein Bibliography

Bewell, Alan. â€Å"An Issue of Monstrous Desire: Frankenstein and Obstetrics. † The Yale Journal of Criticism 2. 1 (1988): 105-128. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Denise Kasinec and Mary L. Onorato. Vol. 59. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. 105-128. Literature Resource Center. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. This essay pretty much discuss how Mary Shelley gives to the development of a human being (the creature). It remarks female imagination, and how it works mimetically in fetuses. And talks alot about women pregnancy. Seabury, Marcia Bundy. The Monsters we Create: Woman on the Edge of Time and Frankenstein. † Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction 42. 2 (2001): 131. Literature Resource Center. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. This article points out the creature differences from the rest of the society. It also describe similarities between Walton, Frankenstein, and the creature, such as isolation and very introspective. â€Å"Through the Looking Glass: Victor Frankenstein and Ro bert Owen. † Extrapolation 43. 3 (2002): 263. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. This article discusses the importance of education.It explains how Victor was obsessed with education. It mentions how the creature survives and handles to educate himself with less train than average people. Yousef, Nancy. â€Å"The Monster in a Dark Room: Frankenstein, Feminism, and Philosophy. † Modern Language Quarterly 63. 2 (2002): 197. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. This article talks about Frankenstein’s endeavor, and his dream to create life without a woman. It also explains the creature’s peculiar isolation and his education. The article gives some example of the creature’s first sense an reactions.

Aerobic Exercises act as Brain Boosters

Many newspapers, magazines and online articles have in the past reported research findings done by other people. For those people who may not be critiques, the information found from these media avenues may be complete sources of information, but for those that are interested in verifying any given information, then studying the original research will be very vital. This is because the research reports in media may not provide finer details of methodology or other cautionary statements that have been made by the researchers.This term paper makes a critical analysis of Peter Jaret’s article on the CNN’s website entitled â€Å"Brain boosters: Exercising your mind as you age. † Research: Aerobic Fitness Reduces Brain Tissue Loss in Aging Humans The research entitled â€Å"Aerobic Fitness Reduces Brain Tissue Loss in Aging Humans† was conducted to examine the relationship between aerobic fitness and brain tissues in an old adult population (Colcombe ET al, 200 3). The research was important in that the brain starts losing tissues as one gets older which in turn makes the cognitive performance to decline.This can enable measures that can reduce costs related to geriatric care put in place. This may be done by coming up with mechanisms that can be used to reverse or reduce this brain deterioration. The research was also done to either confirm or refute the previous researches that suggested that aerobic fitness training does improve the cognitive function of old people and that it can improve the brain health of aging animals tested in the laboratory (Colcombe ET al, 2003).The targeted population was made up of older adults in the community who were over fifty five years, were right handed, high functioning, and had been recruited for public fliers, campus wide e-mailings and newspaper advertisements (Colcombe ET al, 2003). Those who were excluded were those that were below the stated age, got less than twenty in Mini-Mental State Examinati on and had a history of organic brain dysfunction and stroke. Also the participants were excluded if the reported claustrophobia or had pacemakers or metallic implants, this was done for safety reasons pertaining to magnetic resonance imaging setting.The respondents were also to get written approval letters from their doctors so that they can undergo the cardiovascular stress test. The research was approved by the University of Illinois’ Institutional Review Board in addition to the researchers meeting ethical standards that were relevant (Colcombe ET al, 2003). The first part of the research methodology was to measure the gray and white matters of the brain from the Magnetic Resolution (high density) images and then the estimates of the maximal oxygen uptake (V O2max).The brain images were taken using three dimensional spoiled gradient sequences on a General Electric scanner. The Rockport 1-mile walk protocol was used to assess the participant’s cardiovascular fitness . The impact of cardiovascular fitness on brain tissue differences in density that are age related was accessed using a voxel-based morphometric technique. The technique is useful in that it provides a means of estimating tissue atrophy in the entire brain with spatial resolution that is high which then allows conclusions of the variables on brain matter change (Colcombe ET al, 2003).Before analysis was done the images were taken through different preprocessing stages. First the tissues that are non brain were removed from the image of the head of the participants. The other three images were divided into three maps to represent the density of the white matter, the grey matter and the cerebrospinal fluid. All the images were then examined by experts who did not have prior information of the participants’ fitness so that they could be objective in their calibration (Colcombe ET al, 2003).Though sixty individuals had expressed their interest to participate in the study, fifty f ive were eligible to complete both faces due to the fact that three were younger; one person had an implanted pacemaker, eight had claustrophobia and one scored less MMSE score. The participants were aged between fifty five and seventy nine years meaning that the age mean score was 66. 5 years. Generally the sample was 44. 4 percent men; many being well educated (average 16. 1 years in education). The results showed that the white matters of the brains were being lost as one continued aging.Also, those regions that are mostly affected by aging are the ones that showed the greatest advantages of aerobic fitness. Fitness according to the results plays the role of moderating decline in tissue density that is related to age. The results showed that tissue densities in the parietal, frontal and temporal cortices of the brain reduce as the aging process progresses. Also it was found that the losses were reduced by the cardiovascular fitness function even when other variables were controll ed (Colcombe ET al, 2003).The research was very important as it was a confirmation that there is a relationship between cardiovascular fitness and the degeneration the fact that had previously been hypothesized. There was also the confirmation that cardiovascular fitness protection and enhancement of the cognitive function in the older adults has a biological basis. This is a justification of the other studies that had shown that taking antioxidant supplements could reverse aging in older brains; cognitive training could assist in the preservation of brain function.The research report also suggest that there are aerobic exercises’ benefits that go beyond health markers (cardiovascular) which can even affect the brain (Colcombe ET al, 2003). Synopsis of the article In the CNN’s article online that is entitled â€Å"Brain boosters: Exercising your mind as you age,† there are some research issues that the author, Peter Jaret has handled. He states that the research ers have established that physical and mental activities protect one’s memory and helping him or her stay alert (Jaret, 1999).He also refers to the previous researches stating that the speed of brain processing does slow down as one continues to advance in years and also that between the age of twenty five and fifty five people can loose about twenty five percent of their synapses (connections which relay messages between neurons). Also that the older people experience problems in coming up with either numbers or names; this being because memory takes more time in retrieving the data.He also mentions Robert Dustman’s article in 1990 that states that those people who are aerobically fit are better in staying alert and pay attention or even in remembrance of information. He quotes the director of Gerontology at the University of Texas who states that two physical factors are the ones that predicts the performance (on tests of information processing) of a person. The auth or gives the reason why aerobic fitness affects the brain precisely because exercises allow blood vessels to remain open and the heart to remain strong, thus allowing the brain to function properly since the nutrients can reach the brain cells.He states that neurons that make two percent of the total body weight use about one quarter of the oxygen and glucose intake by the body. Exercises also allow parts of the balance and movement that keep the connections of the neurons strong (Jaret, 1999). Jaret (1999) also mentions the researches that found out that mental gymnastics are useful in the preservation of brain power. He cites the research by Meyer who recorded his research findings in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society in 1990 stating that blood flow for those who have allowed their minds to be inactive declines.The author mentions the 1998 issue of Neuroscience where the researchers found that brain cells can reproduce; the study that was done using rats. He also menti ons Robert Goldman’s suggestions on the ways one can develop brain connections that are underused. First, one can play games that require thinking, memorize poetry and verses, reading articles and books that are challenging and finally engage in practices that are regarded as complex or difficult (Jaret, 1999).Critique of the Article Studying the article, it is clear that the author had done enough research before he decided to submit it for publishing. This is because many of the research findings that he mentions are either preceded or followed by their authors or the sources from where the information had been gotten. Information about the speed of brain’s processing slowing with the advancement of age had already been proved in the researches by Colcombe ET al.Other claims that the author has made and that are verified by the findings of this research include the percentage of the synapses that are lost as age progresses, between the age of twenty five and fifty fi ve and that exercises keeps the blood flowing to the brain cells facts that are also mentioned in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. When he states that mental gymnastics can preserve brain power he aggress with the research done by Marks Et al (2007) entitled â€Å"Role of aerobic fitness and aging on cerebral white matter integrate. †Despite the researched facts that the writer of the article has given, there are details that he has not given the readers perhaps because of the space limit allowed in the media publications. The methodology used by the researchers has not been indicated and other important details such as research designs, data collection methods, and the variables. This makes the readers unable to get the final details of the researches. This however does not at any form mislead the reader as the author was careful to cite the sources of the information that he has written.Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that Peter Jaret article was well written, citing the sources from where the information has been retrieved. However, the article could have been made more informative by giving finer details of the original researches that were conducted. REFERENCES Colcombe, J. et al (2003). Aerobic fitness reduces brain tissue loss in aging humans. The Journal of Gerontology Series: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 58:M176- M-180. — (2003). Aerobic exercise training increases brain volume in aging humans. The Journalof Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 61:1166-1170. Erickson, K. , Kramer, A. (2008). Aerobic exercise effects on cognitive and neural plasticity in older Adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 43:22-24. doi:10. 1136/bjsm. 2008. 052498 Jaret, P. (1999). Brain boosters: Exercising your mind as you age. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from http://archives. cnn. com/1999/HEALTH/aging/12/15/brain. boosters. two. wmd/index. html Marks, B. Et al. (2007). Role of aerobic fitness and aging o n cerebral white Matter Integrity. New York: New York Academy of Scienc

Aggument for early childhood education socio-emotional support Essay

Aggument for early childhood education socio-emotional support - Essay Example Each preschool has its own ideas about how to provide care for young children, and its own approach to what resources to provide, what rules should be in place, what curriculum is best, how to measure success and, especially, what it means to support children’s development. That area is in preschool support of social and emotional development. It is critical that the preschool child develop social and emotional development skills, and one of the best ways to do so is in imaginative play. Therefore, this paper argues that preschool teachers must learn how to support young children’s socio-emotional development in imaginative play. There are some basic socio-emotional skills that need to be mastered prior to entering kindergarten. If these skills are not acquired, the child experiences difficulty with school lessons and school experience in more advanced grades. These skills are said to include: Identify and Understand Own Feelings Empathize (understand other peopleâ€⠄¢s feelings) Self- Regulate (control own feelings, moods and behaviors) Cooperate (get along with peers and teachers for group activities) Establish and Sustain Relationships Pay Attention and Follow Directions (Boyd, 2005) These skills build on each other and even activate maturation of the brain (Ginsburg, 2007). For example, self-regulation requires proper pre-frontal cortex development. At the same time, development and maturation of the pre-frontal cortex is improved through practicing self-regulation. ... argument I want to make, in this paper: that if preschool teachers do not support children in practicing socio-emotional skills, the child’s brain is likely going to be warped in a way that can be permanent, a case of bad teaching causing brain damage. This damage to the developing child’s capacity may go unnoticed at first, but becomes increasingly serious as time goes on. In fact, research indicates that children who fail to develop normal socio-emotional skills are at much higher risk for continued classroom misbehavior, peer rejection, low self-esteem, juvenile delinquency, and eventually a downward spiral into crime (Wenner, 2009). This costs the child a loss of their potential, and it costs society a lot of money and fear and loss. This tragedy is widespread. Kindergarten teachers’ ratings indicate that 20-30% of kindergarten children lack social-emotional skills (Boyd, 2005). The biggest tragedy is that it is easily preventable! One of the most important w ays that a child can develop the necessary socio-emotional skills is through imaginative play (Barbour, 2007; Ginsburg, 2007). Imaginative play allows the child to develop both cognitive and socio-emotional skills. The child can practice skills, in safety, that have been slightly introduced earlier. For example, the child may have observed adults shaking hands in greeting, demonstrating politeness. The child may be intrigued by this social ritual but feel too shy to try it, in case of embarrassment. Imaginative play allows the child to create a situation within a personal comfort zone, in which that skill can be practiced. In terms of self-regulation, as another example, the child may have experienced a recent situation that aroused feels of intense anger at a sibling. The child understands that it is not

Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Germany - Essay Example These men, despite their desire for positive reform, were met with much opposition throughout their causes and careers. Frederick the Great ruled Prussia from 1740 to 1786. He has been remembered for many things, but some of those that stand out include his contributions as a brilliant tactician and military organizer, controlled grain prices so that the government stores good provide for poor families whose crops were unsuccessful, and beginning the first official school of veterinary medicine in Austria or Germany. He was, also, an accomplished linguist, speaking several languages, and talented musician. Most importantly, he is remembered for changing Prussia from an often forgotten European â€Å"backwater† location and into a thriving, economically strong and reformed region. However, again, much of the changes he attempted to implement were met with opposition; Enlightened Absolutism was not a favored position of all of the peoples of Europe at the time. (Wikipedia) Joseph the II of Austria ruled from 1765-1790. He had a very famous family member that should not be left unmentioned; he was brother to France’s Marie Antoinette. He was a well liked and influential leader, however he, like Frederick the Great, faced a great deal of opposition due to his attempt to reform Austria with the philosophy of Enlightened Absolutism. Some of the very important acts he is known for include, making public education more available for boys and girls, inspiring legal reforms throughout Austria, and attempted to reform the Catholic Church to make it more tolerant, more akin to his enlightened perspectives. He, like others who shared his political and social views, had a great deal of respect and support for the arts. In fact, such a well loved patron of the arts that, his funeral cantata was composed by Beethoven himself. (Wikipedia) Both men strived to make changes to their lands under the ideologies of

Bullying in schools Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bullying in schools - Research Paper Example Some well-meaning ‘experts’ believe bullying is a normal part of social development and actually aids children in coping with overbearing, dominating types throughout their lives. I believe that bullying is a serious problem and not one to be tolerated. The outcomes of bullying can be very severe; from depression to suicide regardless of which role was played. Thankfully, because bullying behavior typically occurs on a recurrent basis, it can also often be identified and prevented easier and earlier than more deviant behavior in later years, perhaps with the result of a reduction in criminal behavior among adults. Studies looking into the naturalistic behavior of children on the playground indicate that those children who experience low acceptance levels among their peers tend to become bullies. Therefore, it becomes important for teachers to recognize the social structures developing in their classroom to be in better position to head off any dangerous behavior before i t gets out of hand. Intervention strategies can then be used to assist at risk children in learning how best to handle difficult social situations. Field studies have identified several groups with higher risk of bullying behavior as either the aggressor or the victim, which can help teachers in determining when and what form of intervention is appropriate. Barbarin, Oscar A. (November-December 1999). â€Å"Social Risks and Psychological Adjustment: A Comparison of African American and South African Children.† Child Development. Vol. 70, N. 6, pp. 1348-1359. Oscar A. Barbarin, PhD earned his degree in clinical psychology at Rutgers University and finished post-doctoral work in social psychology at Stanford. He is President of the American Orthopsychiatric Association, a Fellow in the American Psychological Association, a Senior Investigator for the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center at the University of North Carolina and was named the L. Richardson and Emily Preyer

Estimating Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Estimating - Essay Example The accuracy of this method is approximated to be +2.5 or -2.5meters. Another method that can potentially be used is by comparing the picture of the Shrine with an object (in the same picture) whose height is known. For example, we can calculate the number of repeated times through which the Shrines doors can be arranged to reach the bell tower and then multiply our results by the average height of Shrine’s door. An average of 11 doors can fit into the Bells height and each door is approximated to be 3m tall. This means that the approximate height of the Shrines bell= 11 x3=33 meters above the ground. Lastly the height of the Bell can also be estimated using simple Trigonometry. Using a position with a known distance from the Shrine building, the height of the location of the Shrines tower can be calculated as Height=Tan (Angle) x the known distance. The accuracy of this method is often =0.5 or -0.5. In my opinion, trigonometry method is better than the other methods since it has minimal error. The total load exerted by the bell tower can be estimated using the formula Total load= load per floor x the number of stories. Since the bell tower is entirely constructed using concrete, the weight of the walls and floors can be estimated as W= area of floors and walls x average weight per squire meters. The average weight of concrete per cubic meters=2400kg. Each story can be approximated to be 3 x 3 x10= 90m3. there are 8 floors each 3 x 3=72m3. =(90 x6)m3 +

Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Process - Essay Example l stage of the scientific method involves observation and since curiosity leads to new knowledge, the method of observation, which is simple, is considered as the process that defines the question (OConnor and Faille 6). Observations are directed at phenomena that cannot be explained by simply relying on the existing knowledge. Therefore, the observation process looks into phenomena that can be explained by explained by knowledge that has already been collected but can also be explained differently. What follows then is seeking to explain the particular phenomenon and the reasons influencing its occurrence. The step that follows entails researching the existing knowledge on the question that has been formed from the observation. For example, if a person observed that their car is not starting, the question will then be why that car is not starting. The knowledge that may be possessed by the individual concerning cars will be used in trying to figure out what may be the problem. The individual might also look into the manual or on the internet for information that may be related to the problem. If a scientist was in a situation such as this, he or she would look for more information from scientific journals that have previously published research that has been conducted by other scientists. Research on existing knowledge is carried out since the question that seeks to be answered might have been dwelled on before, or information that is associated with it may assist in coming up with a hypothesis. Establishing a hypothesis is the next part of the procedure of using scientific methods in solving problems. A hypothesis can be explained as a probable explanation for the phenomenon that was observed during observation. It is usually more than a simple guess since it is founded of a comprehensive review of the current knowledge associated with the subject. A good hypothesis postulates a cause-effect connection such as the reason why the car will not start is because

The Worst Day of My Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Worst Day of My Life - Essay Example My brother told me that there was an earthquake in the middle of the night which had shaken the whole house and left it in clutter. I was amazed because I did not move one bit and thus could not recall anything in the previous night. I made my way towards the washroom to find out that there was no water in the entire building as the overhead tank had leaked during the night because of the earthquake. I somehow or the other made it to college within the next 1 hour. There I found out that the class had been delayed until noon. This was a horrid time for me because I had to wait for about 3 hours before the studies could start. I decided to text message my friends and tell them about the re-scheduling of the class. But what was in store for me was something not less than horrible. I had forgotten my cell phone at home. It was later that I realized that all my friends knew that the class would be re-scheduled and hence the reason that literally no one showed up for the class at the designated time. I was left speechless, thanks to the horrible beginning of the day. By then, I had realized that there was something totally insane about the day and which was being experienced by me till then. I went to the cafeteria to get myself some refreshments but I found out that the cafeteria was out of stock on just about everything. I could only purchase chewing gums as these were available and so I did. Chewing gums were an interesting pastime because I do not recall having so many of them at a single time. Noon struck on the college clock and my friends started pouring in. The class finally started. The professor told us that there was a surprise test in store for us which was the last thing on my mind at that time. I had already lost all hope for the day but somehow or the other I took the test. I had forgotten to bring my favorite ball pen resulting in a serious scolding from my lecturer. He told me how naà ¯ve I was in forgetting on my pen and what I would do in the future if I did not stop making such mistakes. I realized my entire future was being carved by my lecturer for a mere pen, but then again that was the kind of day it was in essence.  

Communicable Diseases Essay Example for Free

Communicable Diseases Essay Improvement in the health status of the population has been one of the major thrust areas for the social development programmes of the country. This was to be achieved through improving the access to and utilization of Health, Family Welfare and Nutrition Services with special focus on under served and under privileged segment of population. Main responsibility of infrastructure and manpower building rests with the State Government supplemented by funds from the Central Government and external assistance. Major disease control programmes and the Family Welfare Programmes are funded by the Centre (some with assistance from external agencies) and are implemented through the State infrastructure. The food supplementation programmes for mothers and children are funded by the State and implemented through the ICDS infrastructure funded by the Central Government. Safe drinking water and environmental sanitation are essential pre-requisites for health. Initially these two activities were funded by the Health Department, but subsequently Dept. of Urban and Rural Development and Dept. of Environment fund these activities both in the State and Centre. Health and health care development has not been a priority of the Indian state. This is reflected in two significant facts. One, the low level of investment and allocation of resources to the health sector over the years about one percent of GDP with clear declining trends over the last decade. And second the uncontrolled and very rapid development of an unregulated private health sector, especially in the last two decades.This does not mean that there was no health policy all these years. At the state government level there is no evidence of any policy initiatives in the health sector. The Central government through the Council of Health and Family Welfare and various Committee recommendations has shaped health policy and planning in India. It has directed this through the Five Year Plans through which it executes its decisions. The entire approach has been program based. The Centre designs national programs and the states have to just accept them. The Centre assures this through the fiscal control it has in distribution of resources. So, essentially what is a state subject the Centre takes major decisions. However it is important to note that this Central control is largely over preventive and promotive programs like the Disease Control programs, MCH and Family Planning, which together account for between half and two-thirds of state budgets. Curative care, that is hospital and dispensaries, has not been an area of Central influence and in this domain investments have come mostly from the state’s own resources. Structured health policy making and health planning in India is not a post-independence phenomena. In fact, the most comprehensive health policy and plan document ever prepared in India was on the eve of Independence in 1946. Especially the 80% population residing in rural areas. It is only an embarrassment for the Indian nation that more than half a century later there is no evidence of development of health care services to an expected level. The enclave pattern of development of the health sector continues even today – the poor, the villagers, women and other underprivileged sections of society, in other words the majority, still do not have access to affordable basic health care of any credible quality. This Research Paper includes analysis of existing Health Planning and the development of health status of the society in the past decade 2001 to 2011 . Census of India 2001 and Census of India 2011 used. Decline of Fertility rate,Maternal Mortality rate ,Infant Mortality rate and other developments are studied .At the same time Upgrowing Trend of fatality of some communicable diseases (Dengue,Malaria,Cholera) and Noncommunicable Diseases (Heart Diseases,Diabetic ) are also studied and analysed in this paper. Key Words : Health planning,development,IMR,MMR,TFR,Upgrowing CDs and NCDsDiseases. Health planning and policies : Good health is a basic requirement for quality of life. It is the foundation for social and economic development. The objective of the government is to ensure that health care services are rendered, keeping in view the core principles of accessibility, equity, quality and affordability. This will be accomplished through strengthening of the health care network throughout the state to deliver not only curative but also preventive and rehabilitative care. To achieve the above objectives, the budget allocation of the Health and Family Welfare Department has been fixed at Rs 5569.28 crores for the financial year 2012-13 as against the provision of Rs.3889 crores for the year 2010-11 registering an increase of more than 40%. Tamil Nadu fares well on the health indicators which form a part of the Human Development Index (HDI) as compared to other Indian states.Government policy interventions and funding have played an important role in the State’s better health outcomes. Tamil Nadu has implemented various programmes with special focus on maternal and child health which has resulted in the reduction of vital indicators such as the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Total Fertility Rate (TFR). However, the state willcontinue its efforts to improve its performance in the health sector by benchmarking itself against higher targets. The recently released â€Å"Vision 2023â€Å" envisages Tamil Nadu to become not only the numero uno State in India in terms of social indicators, but also reach the levels attained by developed countries in human development by ensuring universal access to health facilities† This Government will continue to give prominence to the health of women and children. Promotion of institutional deliveries by strengthening the Primary Health Centres and Health Sub-Centres with qualified and trained manpower, establishment of upgraded Primary Health Centres in each block with 30 beds, an operation theatre and various other facilities, provision of 24 hours delivery care services by positioning 3 staff nurses in each Primary Health Centre, provision of emergency obstetric care in the CEmONC Centres established in the district and select taluk hospitals, ensuring availability of an Emergency Response System through 108 ambulances with inter facility transfer, provision of safe blood at the upgraded Primary Health Centres, provision of neo-natal ambulances for the transportation of neo-natal emergencies, establishment of Neo-natal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) with trained Doctors and Staff Nurses in each district are all schemes which would no doubt help to achieve go od progress in the further reduction of MMR and IMR, in the coming years. The benefit under the Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Assistance Scheme has been enhanced to Rs.12,000, which is the highest in the country. This has come as a boon to the poor beneficiaries who deliver in government health facilities. The three phase payment has also strengthened antenatal, postnatal care and improved child immunization. The scheme would have a major impact on further improving the maternal and child health indicators in the State. An allocation of Rs.720 crores has been provided for this scheme in 2012-2013. This Government has announced a path breaking new scheme for free distribution of sanitary napkins to rural adolescent girls. This scheme which has been launched by the Hon’ble Chief Minister on 27th March 2012, will benefit over 41 lakh adolescent girls in the 10-19 age group in rural areas covering all the districts of the state. Sanitary napkins will be distributed through schools and Anganwadis. This initiative will go a long way to improve personal hygiene, prevent future complications such as infertility and promote the health of the future mothers. An amount of Rs.55 crores has been provided for this scheme in this financial year. State-wide programmes have been launched for the management of iron deficiency anaemia and gestational diabetes. The State has been the first to introduce the use of injection iron sucrose in the public sector for reducing severe anaemia in pregnant women following a protocol developed by senior obstetricians and specialists. Addressing these major underlying causes will no doubt help to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality further. The Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme has been launched on 11th January 2012 to provide insurance coverage for life threatening ailments to the poor people of Tamil Nadu. This scheme has enhanced the sum assured to rupees one lakh per year and Rs.4 lakhs for a period of four years and h as also extended the coverage to more diseases and included diagnostic procedures. Special provisions have also been incorporated to strengthen the role of Government hospitals in implementing the scheme. So far, 26,172 beneficiaries have undergone treatments costing Rs.70.53 crores. A sum of Rs.750 crores has been provided for the implementation of this scheme in 2012-2013. As new initiatives, during 2012-2013, the infrastructure for operation theatres in district and medical college hospitals will be improved at a cost of Rs.20 crores. Post-mortem facilities will be improved at a cost of Rs.10 crores. To improve the services available to the public, diagnostic equipment will be provided at a cost of Rs.10 crores and MRI facilities will be provided in 5 Medical Colleges through Public Private Partnership. The Burns centre in Kilpauk Medical College Hospital will be upgraded as a Centre of Excellence at a cost of Rs.5 crores. The incidence of cancer as a disease hasgradually been increasing and it has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the State. A State Cancer Registry to collect details of all the cancer cases in the State will be put in place fromthis year. Further, most forms of cancer are treatable if detected early. Seventy percent of various types of patients seek treatment in an advanced stage. There is only one exclusive cancer hospital in the Government sector i.e. Arignar Anna Cancer Hospital at Karapettai, Kancheepuram is providing treatment to the patients. Considering the increasing need for specialized cancer care, Government has decided to establish Regional Cancer Centres at the Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai and Coimbatore Medical College Hospital at a cost of Rs.15 crores per centre. These cancer centres will address the needs of the cancer patients in the Southern and Western region of the State. A new programme to screen the high risk population for oral cancer and to diagnose it at an early stage will also be launched. The King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research, Guindy, Chennai, is one of the premier institutions of this country. It is also a teaching and research centre. The Virology department of this Institute is recognized by Government of India and the World Health Organisation as the National Polio Laboratory. This institute was manufacturing vaccines and serum which was stopped some years back. It is now proposed to revive the vaccine production and create a Tissue bank in the KingInstitute of Preventive Medicine and Research, Guindy, Chennai, at a cost of Rs.5 crores. Special focus will be provided on non communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and cancer of breast and cervix which are emerging as major causes of morbidity and mortality. A two pronged strategy wil be adopted to tackle these diseases. While awareness creation for prevention through life style changes will be taken up at various levels, infrastructure facilities for early detection and treatment will be created. After the success of the pilot schemes in two districts, this activity has been scaled up to the entire State in phases. During phase -I, the programme has been taken up for implementation in 16 districts and during phase-II, the programme will be implemented in the remaining 16 Districts during the later part of the year. Rs.158 crores has been earmarked to the Health Systems Project for implementing the programmes during this year. Considering the growing urbanization of the State it is necessary to address urban health challenges, especially in small urban towns. 60 urban primary health centres already sanctioned under NRHM and the newly sanctioned 75 urban primary health centres have been brought under the control of Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Strengthening of these centres with appointment of Medical Officers, Staff Nurses, ANMs, Pharmacists etc., is now taking place. The Medical Services Recruitment Board, which is the first of its kind in India, has been formed exclusively for the Health and Family Welfare Department to recruit candidates to fill up medical and para medic al vacancies in the Government Hospitals and Primary Health Centres. The Board is taking action to recruit candidates for ten major categories of posts which will no doubt improve the functioning of the government health institutions.The objective of Vision 2023 is to build a healthy society that will be able to take part in and share the fruits of economic development. The various schemes launched by this Government during the last year and the new schemes proposed now for this year would build a beginning to achieve the objectives of the Vision 2023. This includes Rs.5413.75 crores on the Revenue Account and Rs.154.62 crores on the Capital Account. The provision on the Revenue Account works out to 5.51% of the total Revenue Expenditure of Rs.98213.85 crores in the Tamil Nadu State Budget for the year 2012 -2013. Note: Apart from the above provision, funds towards Civil Works being undertaken by Public Works Department have been provided to the tune of Rs.323.68 crores under Demand No.39. The Directorate-wise provision for 2012-2013 made under Demand No.19 Health and Family Welfare Department is as follows: (Rupees in lakhs) Decadal Population growth rate as shown below : Current Status of Communicable Diseases in India India is undergoing an epidemiologic, demo-graphic and health transition. The expectancy of life has increased, with consequent rise in degenerative diseases of aging and life-styles. Nevertheless, communicable diseases are still dominant and constitute major public health issues. New viral and bacterial infections have been identified. Monitoring of anti-microbial resistance to commonly used drugs is being extended to include more organisms. Disease surveillance at the molecular level has been expanded and strengthened. Studies to assess disease burden not only in terms of morbidity and mortality but also economic are high on the Council’s agenda. Feasibility of effective strategies under field conditions for control of infectious diseases is being demonstrated. Research support to eradicate target diseases has been intensified. Development and evaluation of diagnostic tools, drugs and vaccines is being undertaken. Programme relevant research to strengthen the national health programmes and human resource development are an integral part of the efforts of the Council towards control of communicable diseases. It is evident that inspite of the declining mortality and changing morbidity pattern, India still has the â€Å"unfinished agenda† of combating the traditional infectious diseases that continue to contribute to a heavy disease burden and take a sizeable toll. Along with these, the country has to deal with the â€Å"emerging agenda† which includes chronic and newer diseases induced by the changing age structure, changing lifestyles and environmental pollution. We need to prepare ourselves to face the challenges of widening disparities between sections of the population in terms of access to good health. Till date, the diseases we have been able to eradicate in India are smallpox (in 1977) and guinea worm (in 2001) though we have many more in the agenda (polio, leprosy, yaws). Diseases like yaws and plague have been under control. During 1997, as many as 8515 cases of yaws were reported and treated. While during 2001, only 168 cases have been reported and treated4 i.e. 50 times reduction in four years time. Epidemics of cholera are not that frequent as in old days. Reported cases of cholera were 176,307 with 86,997 deaths in 1950.1 However, now total number of cases in a year is about 5,000 and mortality is also low. Dengue was predominantly an urban problem but now cases and outbreaks have been reported from rural areas also. There has been a decline in dengue fever/dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) incidence after 1996 outbreak in Delhi. However during 2001, outbreaks have been reported from Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujurat.4 Malaria is still a public health problem till today. The programme for eradication of malaria has been in place for the past 50 years under different names in our country. At the peak level of the success of programme in 1964, malaria was contained to less than 100,000 cases and no deaths. However, the situation slipped out of control and by 1976 we had 6,467,215 cases of malaria with 99 deaths.4 The total number of leprosy cases has dropped substantially from 2.91 million in 1981 to 0.44 million cases reported in March 2002. The prevalence rate has reduced from 57 per 10,000 in 1981 to 4.2 cases per 10,000 population in 2002. However, it is still much higher than the target, which is 1 case per 10,000 populations, of National Leprosy Elimination Programme. With these limited progresses, we have failed on many counts. Some diseases, which were once thought to have been conquered, have re-emerged in the recent years. Plague, which was a public health problem in the 1940s, speedily declined as a result of large scale application of dichlorodiphenyl- trichloroethane (DDT) in the year 1946.There was no laboratory confirmed plague in India during 1966 to 1993. However, during 1994, an outbreak of pneumonicplague was reported from Surat, Gujarat. Recently, in February 2002, an outbreak of plague was reported from Shimla, Tuberculosis : Tuberculosis accounts for a loss of approximately 11 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs). The burden of disease may increase further with the emergence of the HIV epidemic. The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) which covers more than 120 million population has successfully treated approximately 80% of patients in 48 districts of 16 states and Union Territories. Treatment success rates have more than doubled and death rates have decreased by 75 per cent. The ICMR’s Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC) at Chennai is providing research support to the RNTCP through the conduct of basic, applied and operational research to develop better tools and training strategies for tuberculosis control. Diarrhoeal Diseases The National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Calcutta and RMRC, Bhuban-eswar continued to pursue their research goals on different facets of diarrhoeal diseases. The NICED, Calcutta has earned an important affiliation with the Japanese International Collaborating Programme. Its active surveillance programme continues to monitor the newly emerging diarrhoeal pathogens Entamoeba histolytica,Rotavirus,Vibrio cholera and V.parahaemolyticus and addresses unknown frontiers in clinical diagnosis and disease management.A double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted by NICED,. These results suggest that zinc supplementation as an adjunct therapy to ORS has beneficial effects on the clinical course of dehydrating acute diarrhoea. Malaria The emergence of chloroquin resistance in P.falciparum and vector resistance to commonly used insecticides are the main obstacles in the control of malaria in the country. New technologies are being introduced for malaria control under Enhanced Malaria Control Programme. The roll back malaria programme has been launched simultaneously in all malaria endemic countries. These have thrown new challenges in malaria research. The Council’s institutes viz. Malaria Research Centre (MRC), Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC) and other institutes are making efforts to address these problems through focused research in vector and parasite biology and ecology, development of malaria control tools, drug development, testing and validation of new technologies. Disease Control Programmes – Non Communicable Diseases National Programme of Prevention Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases Stroke Programme (NPCDCS) . A new National Programme of Prevention Control of Cancer, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Diseases Stroke (NPCDCS) was approved in July, 2010. This programme will cover 100 districts selected on the basis of their backwardness, inaccessibility and poor health indicators, spread over 21 States, during 2010-11 and 2011-12. The focus of the programme is on promotion of healthy life styles, early diagnosis and management of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and common cancers e.g. cervix cancer, breast cancer, and oral cancer and will cover about 200 million persons in all the districts. Conclusion: Our findings clearly establish the significant influence of the various Health planning studied on the health status of the society. They also show that this influence was more pronounced in the case of some health indicators maternal mortality rate,population growth rate, death rate, infant mortality rate than some communicable diseases survilance. The findings suggest that appropriate strategies and programmes need to be worked out to prevent CDs and control NCDs. especially to avoid upgrowing trend of some diseases like acute respiratory infection ,acute diarrhoeal disease,pulmonary tuberlosis , malaria,enteric fever , Pneumonia ect.. These would include awareness creation regarding sanitation more knowledge about the diseases and treatment and prevention through mass media and interpersonal channels. Healthy environment, especially safe drinking water supply, sanitary disposal of excreta and other wastes, and pollution-free housing and work places. Adequate nutrition, which in tu rn depends on production and availability, accessibility, affordability and intrafamilial distribution of food. Control over communicable disease. Lifestyle changes that influence the occurrence of non communicable diseases.The services of Government as well as non-governmental organizations could be sought for more effective implementation of such strategies and programmes. The management of the Health and family welfare programme at the grossroots level,which is likely to vary with the managerial skills of the programme manager, and its impact on the realization of the objectives of the health planning and programme . As management quality has been recognized as a critical factor in determining the success of Health planning implementation, staff recruitment and effective functioning of the PHC and sub-centres could be increased and thus the health plan could be more successful. 1.Associate Professor in Economics , Sri Parasakthi women College, Courtalam. 2. Research Scholar in Health economics , M.S.University, Tirunelveli. REFERENCES 1. Deodhar NS. Health situation in India: 2001.Voluntary Health Association of India. New Delhi. 2. Last JM. A dictionary of epidemiology. Third edition, Oxford University Press.1995. 3. GOI. National Health Policy 2002. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (GOI), New Delhi. 4. GOI. Annual Report 2001-2002. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (GOI), New Delhi. 5. World Health Organization 2002. Weekly Epidemiological Report. No 9:1st March 2002. 6. GOI. Combating HIV/AIDS in India 2000-2001. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National AIDS Control Organization. Government of India (GOI), New Delhi. 7. World Health Organization. NCD in South-East Asia region A profile WHO New Delhi 2002. 8. National Institute of Health and Family Welfare. National Health Programmes on Non Communicable Diseases, New Delhi. 2003. 9.http://www.who.int/. [Last assessed on 2012 July 31] 10. World Health Organization. Global Status Report on non-communicable diseases 2010. 11. Beaglehole et al. Priority actions for the non-communicable disease crises. THE LANCET 2011; 377:9775; 1438-1447. 12. World Health Organization. Non-communicable Diseases Country Profile 2011. 13. World Health Organization. Global Health Observatory, 2011. 14. World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia. Non-communicable Diseases in the South-East Asia Region: Situation and response 2011 15. Beaglehole R. Globalization and the Prevention and control of non-communicable disease: the neglected chronic diseases of adults. THE LANCET 2003; 362:9387; 903-908. 16. Nongkynrih B, Ratro B K, Pandav C S. Current Status of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases in India. Journal of The Association of Physicians of India 2004; 52; 118-123. 17. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2011). Rural Health Statistics in India. New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 18. World Health Organization (WHO). World Health Statistics, 2012 19. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) 20. Ministry of Health Family Welfare. NCD Section. [Last assessed on 2012 July 31] 21. Ministry of Health Family Welfare, Government of India.Journal of National Cancer Control Programme2012. 22. Ministry of Health Family Welfare, Government of India. National Tobacoo Cont rol Programme. 23. Directorate General of health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Operational guidelines for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Daibetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS). 24. Ministry of Health Family Welfare, Government of India. Indian Public Health Standards. http://www.mohfw.nic.in/NRHM/iphs.htm. [Last assessed on 2012 July 31] 25. The World Bank, South Asia Human Development, Health Nutrition and Population. NCDs Policy Brief: India, 2011 26.Srivastava R K, Bachani D. Burden of NCDs, Policies and Programmes for Prevention and Control of NCDs in India. Indian Journal of Community Medicine 2011; 36: S7-12 27.Health and family welfare department Demand No .19 Policy note 2012-2013 Dr.Vijay Minister for Health

Disease trends of the delivery healthcare systems Essay Example for Free

Disease trends of the delivery healthcare systems Essay Advances in global health and science have assisted the disease trends. It has become a never ending mission to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease as well as injury and disability. There have been noted demographic changes in the past 50 years that have resulted from changing trends in child, maternal, and adult death rates (CDC, 2011). Among these are rises in obesity and aging. As these health concerns continue to climb we will have a greater impact on the delivery of services from health care. The importance of these trends assists in prevention and protecting one’s self from new diseases and illnesses as well as old ones. One of the noted trends in healthcare is aging. Focusing on the world’s age composition is one way to understand the impacts and changes in further years to come. According to the US Census Bureau (2013), the elderly population age 65 and older during the twentieth century composed one in every twenty five individuals. In the twenty first century, this same population composed one in every 8 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). This showed that the life expectancy of humans has become longer. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2013), the population in the United States in the year of 2010 was 308.7 million. This indicated a near 10 percent increase over the past ten years. This same 2010 census showed that the elderly population composed 13 percent as opposed to only being 9 percent in the year of 2000. The notable change was determined that there were fewer people in the 65-75 age range but there were more individuals in the 75-85 age ranges. It proved that there were more increasingly elderly individuals reaching into their seventies and even eighties. This increase in age showed that life expectancy and advances in medicine have contributed to individuals living longer lives. This would indicate that as long as medicines and healthcare continued to advance, so would the elderly population in growth. Environmental factors directly contribute to population growth. For one, as the population continues to grow in size, the  natural resources and undeveloped land becomes utilized to accommodate this expansion. Clearing the land and making it more desirable offers more room to continue additions in the population. This in turn offers an increase in the resources that can be utilized for healthcare and science in the creation of vaccines and medications. This increased development has also led to the finding of new resources such as unknown species of plants and animals. These newer found resources can be tested to see if they offer any properties in the expansion of healthcare and medications. The Medical Plant Consortium (2013) states, â€Å"Our major goal in this project has been to capture blue prints of medicinal plants for the advancement of drug discovery and development.† The medical plant consortium further adds well known medicines such as digoxin used for cardiac muscle stimulation comes from the fox glove plant and some of the chemotherapy medications such as vinchristine come from the periwinkle plant. Another noted environmental factor is that the population density has grown over the years. In addition to the population growth, land clearing has been increasing for the purpose of crops farmed for human consumption. The combination of needed developed land for farm crops and the growing population has only contributed to more land being cleared for further discoveries. Some of the changing demographics have been an increase in the population density. Over the years due to advancements in medications and healthcare improving the human life expectancy, th ere is an indicated increase of individuals per square mile than years prior. This is due to the slow development of land but also human life expectancy increasing. January 2011 ushered in the first of approximately 77 million baby boomers born from 1946 through 1964 and surging towards the gates of retirement. Each year 3.5 baby boomers turn 55.† This increase indicates that by 2030 there will be more than twice in the elderly population that in the year 2000 (Transgenerational, 2009). The aging trend is likely to experience an increase in the health issues of today. As we live longer there is more wear and tear to our bodies that developed the need for further medical assistance. As we age our blood vessels and arteries become stiffer causing the heart to have to work harder to function. The longer the heart has to function under this strain, the more likely complications will occur. These factors are directly linked to high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. In addition with aging,  ones bones tend to lose bone mass. This not only weakens t hem increasing the risk for fracture but effects muscle function. Over time muscles lose flexibility and strength. These factors contribute to arthritis. According to the CDC (2013), one of ever two persons will knee arthritis and one in every four will develop hip arthritis. This clearly supports that disease and illness will become more likely as we age. In order to reduce health related problems in aging one should remain fit and incorporate an exercise regimen into their daily life. In addition eating a healthy diet, not smoking, managing stress and taking a daily supplement can help prolong age related diseases (CDC, 2013). Currently the obesity rate in the United States is nearly two of every three persons (Surgeon general, 2009). Research has shown that the united states have the highest population of obesity. A report done from July 2013 shown that the united stated passed the obesity rates of Mexico (Medical News Today, 2013). The U.S. obesity rate has grown from 13 percent in 1960 to 32 percent in 2004 (surgeon general, 2009). References: 1- Centers of Disease Control (CDC), 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/distrnds.html 2- Department of Health and Human services, 2012. http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Aging_Statistics/index.aspx 3- U.S. Census Bureau, 2013. http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/statbriefs/agebrief.html 4- U.S. Census Bureau, 2011. http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf 5- PHYS.org, 2013. http://phys.org/news/2011-12-medicinal-benefits.html 6- Transgenerational- design matters, 2009. http://transgenerational.org/aging/demographics.htm 7- Mayo clinic, 2013. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aging/HA00040 8- Surgeon general, 2009. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/news/testimony/obesity07162003.html 9- Medical News Today, 2013. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265556.php

Business Management of Cloud Services

Business Management of Cloud Services 1. Establish executive support Senior management team must understand and take responsibility for the successful adoption of cloud services. Pressures will come from a number of key players in any cloud decision: IT, finance, procurement, and the user community. The IT community is most concerned about global access and impact on networks, security, user performance, etc. The key to their support is a globally-aware architectural plan for cloud implementation. Finance and procurement are most concerned about saving money. The key to executive support is a well-thought ROI rationale and calculation. Users are often most concerned scaling the environment in lock-step with changes to the business. The key to executive support from this group is to demonstrate higher elasticity from the cloud. 2. Address organizational change management Management must understand and address the pressures introduced by cloud computing on the organization. Cloud computing will introduce change to the normal IT development and deployment processes, breaking down many organizational barriers and norms. At the heart of change is fear of loss-primarily, loss of control. The change must have a well-managed, well-planned process for mitigating fear of loss. Embracing change is critical to success. 3. Establish commitment The organization must be fully committed to developing and executing a strategic plan for cloud computing within the enterprise. Adoption of cloud computing should be led by senior management including the CEO and CFO with the CIO and CTO playing a role of key enablers. 4. Carefully evaluate cloud service agreements to ensure critical business needs Do not use service agreements for a fundamentally broken system that cannot meet the expectations being set. The service agreement is a shared responsibility and simply moving a service to a cloud provider does not mean that the service will magically work. Buy service, not servers. Look for complete managed services where you rely on the cloud provider to integrate all the parts into a complete solution. A properly negotiated service agreement will ensure there is a partnership between the customer and provider for the overall success of the service. 5. Address federated governance Cloud services are by nature distributed, but most command-and-control systems for managing IT are hierarchical. To succeed, some degree of distributed control and federated governance is necessary to match the model of cloud service delivery. Before making a decision on a cloud service provider, it is important to understand how the cloud service will be managed and what processes need to be integrated into the existing IT environment. 6. Rationalize security and privacy At the heart of security is trust. Often cloud providers have a deeper awareness of what is required to provide good security than the customers they serve. However, the customer and cloud service provider must work together to establish a trust relationship and to establish the security and privacy required. Document the level of security required to properly protect the service and data and let the provider confirm how the requirements will be met. Objectively measure the providers true security capabilities. It is critical that sensitive information does not find its way into the wrong hands. The provider is responsible for ensuring that the data has appropriate protection, consistent with the requirements of the SLA. 7. Comply with legal and regulatory requirements An organization must be aware of and plan for adherence to legal and regulatory requirements, including those related to security, privacy and accessibility. Failure to comply can derail the cloud computing effort and result in costly lawsuits. 8. Define metrics and a process for measuring impact Create operational metrics which define steady state success define how the metrics will be measured. Use metrics to assess cost savings and revenue enhancement, and to validate SLA compliance, including elasticity, availability, performance globalization, etc. By measuring results, there will be a baseline from which to make better decisions for future cloud services with the goal of continual ROI improvement

Vascular Epiphytes of Far North Queensland :: Botany Plants Nature Essays

Vascular Epiphytes of Far North Queensland There are several definitions of epiphytic plants, each with a subtle difference. Heywood (1993) states that an epiphyte is, "A plant that grows on the surface of another, without deriving food from its host". Raven (1992) states that an epiphyte is, "a plant that grows on another plant, but is not parasitic on it." Basically, a plant that derives its physical support from another plant (host = phorophyte (Luttge 1989)) is an epiphyte. Epiphytes fill important ecological niches in variety of habitats. Epiphytic species can exist as 50% of the tree leaf mass and make up 30% to 50% of vascular plant diversity in tropical forests (Benzing 1990). It is thought that the epiphytic diversity in tropical forests allows an increased fauna diversity. Epiphytic species, while not agronomically important, play intricate roles in ecology. HISTORY Columbus wrote the first known documentation of an epiphytic species. Martinus de la Cruz, an Aztec Indian physician, illustrated the first epiphyte (an orchid) in the Badianus Manuscript in 1552. Trade around the world by the 1770's included many exotic and tropical plants with epiphytic species among them. Orchids, ferns and others were valued by decorators and collectors (Benzing 1990). Scientific interest did not keep pace with trade interest. The scientific study of epiphytes has not been extensive when compared to the study of plants with other specializations, ie. carnivory. Within recent years, due to increased interest in rainforest preservation, an increase in epiphytic study and resulting literature has occurred. EVOLUTION Epiphytes have evolved to take advantage of resources not widely available to other plants. Epiphytes have evolved a variety of morphological and physiological differences to deal with difficulty in mineral absorption, photosynthesis, propagation, water acquisition and water retention. There are two basic theories on the evolution of epiphytes. The first theory indicates that epiphytes may have been shade adapted plants, struggling for light that moved into the canopy. The second theory suggests that plants preadapted to high sun exposure moved from dry savannahs and steppes into the canopy (Luttge 1989). The fossil record does not provide any support for either theory mentioned above. Plant and pollen fossils thought to belong to current day plant families containing epiphytes, can't be labeled epiphytic because the ancient habitats of the plants can't be readily observed. Other research has proposed that epiphytic diversity arose from the Pleistocene / Pliocene ages (roughly 1.

Juvenile Criminals Should Not Be Tried as Adults :: Juvenile Crime Jail Prison Essays

Juvenile Criminals Should Not Be Tried as Adults Today?s court system is left with many difficult decisions. One of the most controversial being whether to try juveniles as adults or not. With the number of children in adult prisons and jails rising rapidly, questions are being asked as to why children have been committing such heinous crimes and how will they be stopped. The fact of the matter is that it is not always the children's fault for their poor choices and actions; they are merely a victim of their environment or their parents. Another question asked is how young is too young. Children who are too young to see an R rated film unaccompanied are being sent to adult prisons. The only boundaries that seem to matter when it comes to being an adult are laws that restrain kids from things such as alcohol, pornography, and other materials seen as unethical. Children that are sent to adult prison are going to be subjected to even more unprincipled ideas and scenes. When children can be sent to jail for something as minor as a smas h and grab burglary, the judicial system has errors. The laws that send juveniles to adult prisons are inhumane, immoral, and unjust. Kids are often incompetent, which leads to unfair trials. Adult prisons are also very dangerous for minors, and in many cases this leads to more juvenile crimes. People support sending juveniles to adult prisons for many reasons. One reason is that it is the job of the courts to help protect society. Once a troubled juvenile is sent to an adult prison, they are out of the way of society. Hopefully when they re-enter, the punishments they received will be imprinted in their brain and stop them from performing any wrong again. Another reason people think that disturbed youth cannot be saved is that punishment will not save them from themselves and they just need to be locked up forever. It is thought to be true that juveniles who are sent to jail will not commit the same crime again or even any crimes at all. All the reasons and opinions that say that juveniles should be sent to adult prisons for their heinous crimes seem logical. Despite this, they are not. There are more rational reasons why adolescents should be sent to their own private penitentiary. One of the reasons for sending juveniles to a separate prison than

Are Reason and Emotion Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay

Emotion and reason are two different ways of knowing but can both be used in the same situation. However, does one have a higher weighting than the other when it comes to making moral decisions? Using reason to make a knowledge claim or moral decision requires rationality and is justifiable, meaning that everyone would be able to understand the argument for it. Emotion on the other hand is usually simply a ‘gut feeling’ or an opinion of an individual and therefore has no evidence or points to support a decision. An example could be when it comes to whether it’s right or wrong to murder someone. It’s generally accepted that it isn’t because, using reason to justify this, everyone should have equal rights and it’s unfair for one person to take the life of another. One person may have the opinion that they do have the right to murder someone else but their argument would not be as strong since it would simply be their opinion of the case. Another example could be homosexuality. Many people who are against it claim that it’s wrong because ‘it’s not natural’ but when thinking of the argument rationally, this would mean cars, airplanes and TVs would also be considered wrong since those things aren’t natural either. Arguments made using ethics and emotions are not usually consistent and this is why reason is a better way of knowing because it can be applied to many cases. However, sometimes both emotion and reason can be used equally in justifying a moral decision such as when it comes to abortions. According to ethics and emotions, abortion is murder (since the baby is a human being) and murder is wrong (as all lives are valuable and it’s unjust to take another one’s life). Reason can come in to justify these arguments as well as add the point of the medical complications and effects abortions bring. On the side for the legalisation of abortions, justifiable points includes if the baby has a life-threatening disease or if the mother does that would be pass down and therefore the baby would lead an unhappy and sick life, if the parents are unfit for the responsibility of parenthood (for example, alcoholics, drug-addicts, teenagers), if the mother was unmarried and lived in a strict eligious society, if it was caused by rape and therefore would be unfair to the women as well as cause psychological harm and the fact that the government is intervening and reducing the freedom of choice for women simply goes against basic civil rights. Emotions are involved in the decision to abort a baby because mothers want what’s best for their baby and in most abortion cases, the reason behind it is because they feel their baby would not live the life they deserve . Whether it’s because they’d spend most of the life in a hospital with an incurable illness or because the mother knows that she wouldn’t be good enough for the parenting job. When it comes to making any decisions, whether it’s a moral one or not, reason should be considered more as it uses rationality and therefore is easier to explain and justify a decision to others. Emotions aren’t necessarily permanent or consistent and so it would be more difficult to try to get others to understand why you’ve made a certain decision.

Frederick Douglass Theme Analysis Essay

There are a number of important themes in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Themes not only occur frequently throughout The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, but are connected in various ways. Inequality and Christianity in terms of its true values within the institution of Slavery are prominent themes in Douglass’s narrative. Primarily, one of the most prominent themes in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is inequality. Douglass attempts to show how African American slaves are simply human beings like their whites, although there are numerous instances showing how many whites did not accept slaves as human. Frederick Douglass experiences the racial inequities at an early age and states: â€Å"I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell his birhday. They seldom come nearer to it than planting-time, harvest-time, cherry-time, spring-time, or fall-time. A want of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege† (Douglass 13). Including the fact that he did not know the details of his background is an important part of the narrative since it shows an early encounter of inequality, but goes on telling the difference between the white and black children. Descriptions of inequality fill the first half of the book revealing the worth of a slave when Douglass states: â€Å"We were all ranked together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married ands single, were ranked with horses, sheep and swine. There were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being, and were all subjected to the same narrow examination† (Doug lass 51). Given these points, Douglass wants to appeal to readers’ pathos revealing the humanity of both him and other slaves. However, another prominent theme in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is Christianity described and functionally differently throughout the text. Based on Douglass’ thoughts within the text, there are real and false versions of religion and the real form of Christianity are practiced by himself as well as those whites who opposed slavery. The role of religion in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass serves as a symbol as well as narrative functions. The false form of religion, or what Douglass refers to as â€Å"the hypocritical Christianity of this land† (Douglass 95) is practiced by whites, like Mr. Covey, and is a complete disgrace to the true ideals of Christianity. In fact, through his discussions of religion readers gets the sense that slavery and true Christianity are opposing forces and one cannot be present while th e other exists. Not only is can the existence of the true version Christianity with slavery impossible, but if real Christianity does the introduction of slavery completely corrupts it. For these reasons, Douglass juxtaposes both forms of Christianity to reveal the hypocrisy of the slaveholding South. Given these points, it is not just a religious or traditionally Christian exposition of the evils of human, but a statement of how ideals can be easily adjusted to fit the current situation. Moreover, Inequality and Christianity are themes exhibited in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The themes could all be connected due to the effect of inequality and how it affects the practical, social, and spiritual lives of the characters.

Separate Pasts Essay

Separate Pasts takes place during the 1950’s in Melton A. McLaurin’s small hometown, Wade, North Carolina. It is a detailed story of his boyhood in the rural South, which was a time when racism was a daily norm. McLaurin argues that racism existed unchallenged in the rural South. I found that this argument is valid due to the personal experiences that he had to face while growing up in the rural South, which he describes in great detail. McLaurin grew up with the knowledge that whites were treated very differently than blacks and not thinking anything of it. Although blacks and whites were demanded to work together in the village, he noticed that everyone played a different role based off their race. Some of the roles being, blacks always entered through the back doors of homes, hold the door open for the whites, did the laundry for the whites and were responsible for all the labor work for the whites. M cLaurin was not aware of how severe racism was at that time until he experienced it first hand with Bobo. Bobo, who was his first black friend, was not an important part of his life although they grew up together and had known him his whole life. It all started one fall Saturday afternoon when McLaurin, BoBo and six other people, white and black, started playing a pickup game. Pickup games were basketball games played between two integrated teams, regardless of race, based solely upon the skills of the individuals. As the game commenced, the basketball that was being used was known to leak air and had to be re-inflated every thirty minutes. McLaurin, Bobo, and their friend Howard went to the store, the store he worked at, to inflate the ball once they noticed it was no longer able to bounce and interfered with the game. There was a normal procedure that needed to be followed in order to inflate the ball. First, there was a needle that needed to be lubricated by being stuck it into so meone’s mouth or having someone spit on it. Next, the needle would be inserted into the small round valve where the basketball was inflated. By following those two steps it would lead to the third and last step, inflating the basketball. However, this particular time in McLaurin, Bobo and Howard’s case, they ran into a dilemma. The needle could not be inserted into the valve, no matter how many times they tried. The needle was handed over to Bobo for him to apply saliva using his mouth to try and lubricate the needle for it to be pushed into the valve. Still with no luck, McLaurin decided to take the matter into his own hands and put the needle into his mouth, convinced that his spit would get  the needle into the valve allowing them to return to the playing court. After placing the needle into his mouth, a moment of realization hit him. â€Å"A split second after placing the needle in my mouth, I was jolted by one of the most shattering emotional experiences of my young life.† (Page 37) He came to the realization that the same needle he had just placed in his mouth, was in Bobo’s mouth seconds before. â€Å"The needle in my mouth, however, had been purposely drenched with Negro spit, and that substance threatened to defile my entire being†¦It threatened me with germs which, everyone said, were common along with blacks†¦these black germs would ravish my body with unspeakable diseases, diseases from the tropics, Congo illnesses that would rot my limbs, contort my body with pain.† (Page 37) McLaurin felt that Bobo’s saliva, Negros saliva, threatened the concept of what being white meant. The more he thought about the situation, the more he became angry, upset and disgusted with himself. Its extremity caused McLaurin to feel the need to spit and gag in order to throw up any of the black saliva that might still have remained in his body. He felt as if Bobo’s black essence degraded him and made him like Bobo, black, less than human. McLaurin grew up in a village in which race and sex were so interwoven into the facts and fantasies of life, that residents instinctively understood their interrelated roles within the society. â€Å"†¦.Sexual contact between blacks and whites had been an integral part of life in the South from the time the first slaves were introduced into the region.† (Page 65) White women had to be cautious of their dress in the presence of black males because whites people feared black men would be aroused if they were to see a whi te woman in a pair of shorts. White women were also warned to â€Å"watch out for so and so†, or warned to not go places without being accompanied by elders. If a black male was to be attracted to a white woman, whites in spite of conveying the appropriate message automatically said derogatory and racist remarks. McLaurin caught interest in a girl named Charlotte Humphries who had been a schoolmate of his since the first grade. Blue eyes, blonde hair, having the complexion of a white girl, he was impressed and did not think pursuing wanting to date her would be a problem. However, regardless of his feelings, his mother disagreed and insisted that Charlotte would not be a good idea for him. McLaurin’s grandmother began to explain to him that he â€Å"just shouldn’t† pursue her, mentioning that the story behind it all goes  back a long time ago. She explained that Charlotte’s great-grandmother was someone who was a â€Å"mulatto nigra†. Some mulattos pass as white, even t hough they are not, if they are light enough and that is what happened with Charlotte’s great-grandmother. Even though Charlotte was blue eyed blond hair, McLaurin could not pursue her simply because black ancestry was in her blood. He was left â€Å"to ponder who Charlotte should date if she were white, but not white enough.† (Page 75) One summer night, McLaurin along with a gathering of boys under sixteen met in a small vacant lot behind a house where they played a modified version of softball which they played until the batters could no longer see the ball in the red twilight cast by the sun already hidden beneath the horizon. After the game ended, most players went home but McLaurin and some of the other boys decided to go to Noah Bullock’s Store, which was located across the village near the highway. At this store is where McLaurin remembered a â€Å"mean race-baiting incident† (Page 102) a murder he had witnessed a few months earlier. The shooting had occurred one late afternoon between dusk and the evening meal. A couple, Mary Lou Adams and her husband Martin, approached the store. Martin was a withdrawn man who was one of the few blacks whom the white residents feared. Mary Lou shortly realized she was in immediate danger after entering the store and slamming the screen door shut behind her with her husband pursuing her carrying a shotgun. Martin shot and stuck Mary Lou in the chest causing her to collapse on the floor creating dark splotches everyone would be able to gaze at months later. Many of Wade’s citizens saw the crime as â€Å"simply another nigger shooting, exciting but of no real consequence†. The next day, McLaurin and the other boys approached the store and sat on a nearby bench and rehashed the murder, hoping that one of the store’s customers would entertain them with another shooting. When finding out that a customer named Sam was inside the store, their fears rekindled because they had heard stories about Sam killing someone with his bare hands. The boys decided to taunt with Sam by yelling a chant inside the store saying â€Å"Nigger, nigger black as tar, stuck his head in a molasses jar, jar broke, cut his th roat, wet to hell on a Billy goat†, hoping that they could enrage Sam into causing a scene. Once they chanted, they ran for their lives thinking Sam would run after them and hurt them. Sam never chased them, in fact he never even left the stores, leaving the boys with realization that Sam was just a collective  figure of their imagination because he was black. McLaurin felt guilt for â€Å"violating the basic human dignity that my family acknowledged blacks possessed†. But more so because he had hurt Sam with the fact of his race knowing that Sam did not do anything to deserve the racist actions. (Page 109) In 1997, McLaurin lived in Wilmington, North Carolina when he decided to take a trip back to Wade, which eventually turned into an annual event. During his trip he learns that racism is still there even after all these years, just below the surface, in just about everything. â€Å"It’s in you, and it’s in me, and that’s the truth, down there inside us. That’s just the way it is.† (Page 176) Overall, I was highly convinced by Mc Laurin’s personal story where racism is shown to have been and still is a huge problem in the South. Racism began in the early years; people became accustomed to it and has unfortunately continued for many more years. Racism was a very significant theme to the narrative that he was discussing because not only did he experience it first hand, he witnessed his family and friends go through the same thing his entire childhood and adulthood. McLaurin’s argument of racism was presented very effectively with several clear examples throughout the book such as Bobo, Charlotte, and Sam. The historical value of this book is getting a first hand, inside look of how life was in the rural South from a conflicted young white’s point of view showing the segregation and racism of the time and how his implanted views on racism were changed by his positive personal experiences with blacks.

Piers Plowman

Elyssa-Beth Bender British Literature Dr. Zeiger 14 March 2013 William Langland: Piers Plowman The life of William Langland is a mystery. There is very little known about the man who wrote the Middle English, alliterative poem known as Piers Plowman. I did gather that he was born in the West Midlands around 1330 and may have died in 1386 (William Langland). Though much not can be found on Langland’s life, one can infer that he had many different life experiences in which he may drawn from to write Piers Plowman (Calabrese 123).Whether one looks at the elegant trial of Lady Meed at the King’s court, to impoverished life lived on Piers Plowman’s half-acre. Also the narrator in Piers Plowman seems to indicate that Langland may have been exposed to a higher education (Calabrese 123). There are three different versions of Piers Plowman, known as the A-text, the B-text, and the C-text The A-text is the earliest and shortest of the three versions and is about 2,400 line s long (Greenblatt 297). The B-text is an revision of the A-text in which the original 2,400 lines are still there but turned into a 4,000 line piece of work.During my reading of the B-Text, I found that it was more poetic in its form (Greenblatt 297). What I also found was that the C-text was almost a full revision of the B-Text with not much more added. The A-text seemed to be written in 1370 while the B-text. The C-text may have been written in 1381 during the â€Å"Peasants Revolt of 1382† (William Langland). The opening lines let the reader know what to expect: a man named Will on a religious quest that is set in a dream-like, vision state. He wakes up in Field Full of Folk in the opening scene.It is quite obvious to the reader that Will is a very righteous man as he is described to be wearing â€Å"shroudes as [he] a sheep were, / In habite as an heremite unholy of werkes. † (line 124). This indicates that Will is in clothes made of sheepskin, a symbolic meaning to The Lamb (Calabrese 4). However, it could also make the reader conclude that he may also be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The uncertainty is loathsome. The reader might think, â€Å"Is he good or evil? Will he hurt or help? † (Calabrese 124).The phrase, â€Å"unholy of werkes† seems like Will could be evil, but by the end of the poem, we see that it meant that spiritually Will was only just a child and needed to mature. In continuation with this idea, in the prologue of Piers Plowman, Will is born metaphorically into his vision and faith. In the first passus, Will is confronted by a female named, Holy Church and becomes quickly engaged in learning how to be a good Christian (line 153). Holy Church represents a holy and pure church that is uncorrupted by man (Daegman 274).She is vital for teaching Will the basics of Christianity. I found that her presence was the best way to teach Will the holy and pure way to be a Christian untouched by the corrupt hands of man . She also teaches Will that the body and soul are in constant struggle for power. Holy Church explains that Will must find the balance between physical self and spiritual self lead by the soul; what may be good for one may not be good for the other(line 209). Will must learn at this point what moderation is. Moderation is a vital step of self-control and awareness in Piers Plowman.Will is now faced with a few new characters named, Kynde Wit, who tells him the way of common sense; Reason, who tells him what reason and moderation mean; and Truth expects Will he must be truthful in speech, work, and intent of the heart and soul (700-1235). Before Will could fully comprehend what Truth meant, he need to find out what truth is not: falsity or the character â€Å"Falseness†. After meeting with these characters Will had learned everything they could instill upon him. However, since Will is in a dream-like, vision state, he fears that he will not have the capability to make the righ t decision with his own free will.In his early education with Holy Church, she fails to explain what Falseness means for Will. However in the story of Lady Meed, concept is explained (line 1456- 1729), Lady Meed seems to be the bastard daughter of Falseness and about to be wed to Fals Fikel-tonge (line 1464). â€Å"Whore of Babylon in Revelation,† she is described as, with her magnificent scarlett, silk robes (1468). Lady Meed represents the corruptive influence of money, bribery, prostitution, and is found in every aspect of society. In this story of Lady Meed, she represents good use of money.However, since Lady Meed can be used by anyone, she often falls into the wrong hands and used for corrupt purposes. Lady Meed’s marriage to Fals Fikel-tonge is ceased by Theology, who pursues that the King is the one who should decide whom Lady Meed marries (1475). In the royal court, Lady Meed and her follower voyage off to London at the expense of men of legal authority. The K ing calls upon Conscience for his advice. At this point he swears he will have nothing to do with the evil, wickedness of Lady Mead and her fate is left to the courts (1509). With the advice of Concscience, the King decides to find out what kind of person Lady Mead is.The King decides that the best thing for Lady Mead was to marry Conscience to know where the line is drawn between right and wrong (1534). Though the King’s intentions were in good reason, Lady Mead was known to be easily corrupted. The King believed Conscience was the perfect mate to control Lady Mead and make her submissive to his good morals. However, Conscience explained to the King that this would not be possible because though his morals were pure and righteous, he would soon eventually be consumed by the power of Lady Mead (1547). Since Lady Mead can be easily used by anyone, she os quickly corrupted by those around her.She is accused of corrupting the pardoners who forgive the sins of the common (not of the clergy) people. As we recall back to Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Pardoners of this time were very ill-willed men who would only accept money and power to pardon the sins of people. This corruption is said to be the work by the hands of Lady Mead. In this part of Piers Plowman, It is the responsibility of the character Penance to steer Will away from the ill-will and corruption of Lady Mead’s influence on the pardoners’ business (1609). Before a marriage with Conscience, Lady Mead discusses her character.While she shows him all the wonderful aspects of her existence, Conscience reminds her of her malevolent ways (1613). It is clear to the King that Conscience is right, however the King is blinded by Lady Mead’s conveyed character of good will. At this point, the King orders Conscience to give her a kiss on the forehead, which is to signify there to be peace between the two characters (1645). However, Conscience would not give her a kiss of peace unless Reason was summoned to asses the pros and cons, essentially, of the situation (1647-49) . The King, a benevolent creature, decides to honor the request of Conscience and summon Reason.The King decides to bring Wrong to the court to defend Lady Mead and convince the King his ways are correct (1664-1672). He believes he should be allowed to bribe his way out of the charges of rape, murder, and theft. Reason snaps back at this and urges for hard punishment to be inflicted on Wrong. The King, swept up by all these testimonies, decides in favor of Reason and Conscience, whom were selected to be his counselors. Wrong is punished and the King’s eyes are now open to Lady Mead’s benevolent aspects. He is no longer naive. At this point, the King’s court has flourished since Conscience and Reason became his advisors.Holy Church explains to Will that Conscience and Reason are two things that every person has within them on some level. She also explains that th e King is not a character that is based on royal heritage. The King is a being that represents the challenges that every common man faces (Burrow 318). Explained even further in an article by J. A Burrow every man faces the challenges of Right and Wrong, and often seeks to find Conscience and Reason in their lives. At this point, the scene fades into the Field Full of Folk once again as Will wakes up and then falls asleep shortly after.Next, Will is confronted with the character of Reason who fashions the wardrobe of a clergymen. He urges Will to repent (2573). After urging Will to confess his sins, he brings out the Seven Deadly Sins. This section of the story where Reason speaks to each of the seven and teaches Will that if he lives with The Seven Deadly Sins in his life, he will never find salvation. The next section starts with the Will waking up briefly from the vision and reflecting on his experience so far. However, our dreamer, Will quickly falls back into his dream. In this next part of his holy vision quest, he enters upon the Feast of Patience ( 2798-2906).Seven people attend the Feast, Conscience, Clergy and his wife, Scripture, Patience, Will, and The Master of Divinity. The food was simple and elegant which was to show will what penance means (Burrow 319). Later in the poem,Will is though of as a fool (3015-3016). At this point of Will still being a foolish man, he is intorduced to Anima, who tells Will the importance of putting into action all that he has learned (3025-3120). Anima prepares Will for a vision of the Tree of Charity. In a vision conveyed to Will by Piers Plowman himself, a tree is an image of fallen humanity.Piers Plowman is said to be represented as Jesus (Burrow 320). There are three kinds of fruit: human souls of wedlock, widowhood, and virginity, and it is supported by three planks. The three planks have been explained to will as the Holy Trinity (Greenblatt 399). However the Tree being threatened by Covetise, who is the Fiend of Flesh. The tree represents the tree that bore the fruit of knowledge, much like the fruit referenced in Genesis. The tree contains knowledge that is not to be consumed by man. However, in this section of Piers Plowman, The Devil is pursuing Covetise to extract fruit from the tree for evil intentions.Toward the end of the poem, Will goes to mass on Easter Sunday and, during the middle of mass, falls asleep and dreams of Piers Plowman. Piers is identified this time as the eucharistic host at the moment of consecration during the Mass when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ (Greenblatt 399). The mystery of the Body and blood of Christ is mysterious to Will as he cannot understand at what point these common items become holy. The answer is conveyed appearance of Piers before the people. Will turns to Conscience for an explanation of the mystery.Conscience recalls the life of Jesus by explaining the sacrament. The miracle at Cana involves the changing of water int o wine, a type of wine turning into blood in the Eucharist. Thus, the Three Lives are put into the perspective of the ministry of Christ, and the message is clear: it is impossible to do well, do better, and do best without divine grace, and this grace is available to all through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and penance(Burrow 380) . If Dowel is the sacramental wine, Dobet is the eucharistic bread, as it is paralleled to the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Greenblatt 399).That Piers is granted the power of binding and unbinding sins reflects back upon the early association of Piers and the Good Priest (Daegman 7) . Piers is a variation of Peter, suggesting the apostle and first pope. Piers remains behind after the Ascension, and it is to him that Grace gives the four evangelists and the four church leaders (3321-3364). Piers is known to be Jesus Christ whom is a part of the eternal, divine Church. Noticeably, the forces of Pride wait to attack until Piers until he has featured once more at the end of Piers Plowman. By the end of the poem there are no good clergy. (Daegman 8).The Barn of Unity that Grace tells Piers to build is another image of the whole Christian community (3433-3457). However, since the Tree of Charity is under constant threat, so is the Barn of Unity. Covetise and Pride try to confuse Conscience with their so that he can not tell the difference between a Christian and a dark worshipper. Conscience advises the Christians to leave the area to find safely form the the malevolent qualities (3458-3465). Events turn dark for Will and is in need of consulting Need. It can be a humbling factor, but it can also be a convenient excuse for doing what one wants to do rather than what one ought to do.Will falls asleep after being reproached by Need and dreams of the coming of Antichrist. Conscience consults Kynde, Old Age, and Death. Though Will has become an old man, he manages to keep somewhat in good humor. His appearance has changed dra matically. He has become bald, deaf, toothless, and a bit incompetent due to his old age. During this last part of Piers Plowman, Will is confronted by the inevitable character named Death (3502- 3696). As Will’s time is coming to an end, he begs Kynde for him to spare him. Kynde advises Will learn what love is (3757) . This could be compared to what Holy Church told Will in the first section.Though Piers Plowman is a lengthy alliterative poem, it ends considerably curtly. Conscience vows to undertake another quest, this time to find Piers Plowman, and he calls upon Grace for help. Then the Dreamer simply wakes up and that is the end. I found that the ending lines of the poem had no emotion to it. I was not able to feel if Will felt like his total experience was positive or negative. Will’s attitude does seem to show the slightest bit of positivity as he learns to find what it means to be a Christian and learns the value of good morals. Piers Plowman is a series of jou rneys in a dream-like vision in search for answers.The narrator named Will goes from one higher authority to another. However, as the quests move along, the main point of the journey changes. The quest was originally to find how a Christian is expected to live, however, as time goes on it becomes about finding a way to do the best and be the best one can be (Daegman 273). When the poem finishes, Will is faced with yet another quest. this indicates to the reader that a Christian’s search for salvation is eternal (Daegman 273). Works Cited Burrow, J. A. The Ending Lines in Piers Plowman. Notes & Querles (2012). vol. 59 Issue 3, p 316-400. Academic Search Complete.Web. 9 Feb. 2013. Calabrese, Michael. Piers Plowman: A Parallel-Text Edition of The A,B,C, And Z Versions. Journal of English & Germanic Philogy. (2012): vol. 35 issue 12 127-130. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Deagman, Rachel. The Formations of Forgiveness in Piers Plowman. Journal of Medieval & Early Mo dern Studies (2010). vol. 40 issue 2 p. 273-97. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. â€Å"William Langland† Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Online Web. 27 Feb, 2013 Greenblatt, Stepehn. â€Å"William Langland:Piers Plowman† The Norton Anthology English Literature vol. A. New York 397- 408. Piers Plowman Elyssa-Beth Bender British Literature Dr. Zeiger 14 March 2013 William Langland: Piers Plowman The life of William Langland is a mystery. There is very little known about the man who wrote the Middle English, alliterative poem known as Piers Plowman. I did gather that he was born in the West Midlands around 1330 and may have died in 1386 (William Langland). Though much not can be found on Langland’s life, one can infer that he had many different life experiences in which he may drawn from to write Piers Plowman (Calabrese 123).Whether one looks at the elegant trial of Lady Meed at the King’s court, to impoverished life lived on Piers Plowman’s half-acre. Also the narrator in Piers Plowman seems to indicate that Langland may have been exposed to a higher education (Calabrese 123). There are three different versions of Piers Plowman, known as the A-text, the B-text, and the C-text The A-text is the earliest and shortest of the three versions and is about 2,400 line s long (Greenblatt 297). The B-text is an revision of the A-text in which the original 2,400 lines are still there but turned into a 4,000 line piece of work.During my reading of the B-Text, I found that it was more poetic in its form (Greenblatt 297). What I also found was that the C-text was almost a full revision of the B-Text with not much more added. The A-text seemed to be written in 1370 while the B-text. The C-text may have been written in 1381 during the â€Å"Peasants Revolt of 1382† (William Langland). The opening lines let the reader know what to expect: a man named Will on a religious quest that is set in a dream-like, vision state. He wakes up in Field Full of Folk in the opening scene.It is quite obvious to the reader that Will is a very righteous man as he is described to be wearing â€Å"shroudes as [he] a sheep were, / In habite as an heremite unholy of werkes. † (line 124). This indicates that Will is in clothes made of sheepskin, a symbolic meaning to The Lamb (Calabrese 4). However, it could also make the reader conclude that he may also be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The uncertainty is loathsome. The reader might think, â€Å"Is he good or evil? Will he hurt or help? † (Calabrese 124).The phrase, â€Å"unholy of werkes† seems like Will could be evil, but by the end of the poem, we see that it meant that spiritually Will was only just a child and needed to mature. In continuation with this idea, in the prologue of Piers Plowman, Will is born metaphorically into his vision and faith. In the first passus, Will is confronted by a female named, Holy Church and becomes quickly engaged in learning how to be a good Christian (line 153). Holy Church represents a holy and pure church that is uncorrupted by man (Daegman 274).She is vital for teaching Will the basics of Christianity. I found that her presence was the best way to teach Will the holy and pure way to be a Christian untouched by the corrupt hands of man . She also teaches Will that the body and soul are in constant struggle for power. Holy Church explains that Will must find the balance between physical self and spiritual self lead by the soul; what may be good for one may not be good for the other(line 209). Will must learn at this point what moderation is. Moderation is a vital step of self-control and awareness in Piers Plowman.Will is now faced with a few new characters named, Kynde Wit, who tells him the way of common sense; Reason, who tells him what reason and moderation mean; and Truth expects Will he must be truthful in speech, work, and intent of the heart and soul (700-1235). Before Will could fully comprehend what Truth meant, he need to find out what truth is not: falsity or the character â€Å"Falseness†. After meeting with these characters Will had learned everything they could instill upon him. However, since Will is in a dream-like, vision state, he fears that he will not have the capability to make the righ t decision with his own free will.In his early education with Holy Church, she fails to explain what Falseness means for Will. However in the story of Lady Meed, concept is explained (line 1456- 1729), Lady Meed seems to be the bastard daughter of Falseness and about to be wed to Fals Fikel-tonge (line 1464). â€Å"Whore of Babylon in Revelation,† she is described as, with her magnificent scarlett, silk robes (1468). Lady Meed represents the corruptive influence of money, bribery, prostitution, and is found in every aspect of society. In this story of Lady Meed, she represents good use of money.However, since Lady Meed can be used by anyone, she often falls into the wrong hands and used for corrupt purposes. Lady Meed’s marriage to Fals Fikel-tonge is ceased by Theology, who pursues that the King is the one who should decide whom Lady Meed marries (1475). In the royal court, Lady Meed and her follower voyage off to London at the expense of men of legal authority. The K ing calls upon Conscience for his advice. At this point he swears he will have nothing to do with the evil, wickedness of Lady Mead and her fate is left to the courts (1509). With the advice of Concscience, the King decides to find out what kind of person Lady Mead is.The King decides that the best thing for Lady Mead was to marry Conscience to know where the line is drawn between right and wrong (1534). Though the King’s intentions were in good reason, Lady Mead was known to be easily corrupted. The King believed Conscience was the perfect mate to control Lady Mead and make her submissive to his good morals. However, Conscience explained to the King that this would not be possible because though his morals were pure and righteous, he would soon eventually be consumed by the power of Lady Mead (1547). Since Lady Mead can be easily used by anyone, she os quickly corrupted by those around her.She is accused of corrupting the pardoners who forgive the sins of the common (not of the clergy) people. As we recall back to Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Pardoners of this time were very ill-willed men who would only accept money and power to pardon the sins of people. This corruption is said to be the work by the hands of Lady Mead. In this part of Piers Plowman, It is the responsibility of the character Penance to steer Will away from the ill-will and corruption of Lady Mead’s influence on the pardoners’ business (1609). Before a marriage with Conscience, Lady Mead discusses her character.While she shows him all the wonderful aspects of her existence, Conscience reminds her of her malevolent ways (1613). It is clear to the King that Conscience is right, however the King is blinded by Lady Mead’s conveyed character of good will. At this point, the King orders Conscience to give her a kiss on the forehead, which is to signify there to be peace between the two characters (1645). However, Conscience would not give her a kiss of peace unless Reason was summoned to asses the pros and cons, essentially, of the situation (1647-49) . The King, a benevolent creature, decides to honor the request of Conscience and summon Reason.The King decides to bring Wrong to the court to defend Lady Mead and convince the King his ways are correct (1664-1672). He believes he should be allowed to bribe his way out of the charges of rape, murder, and theft. Reason snaps back at this and urges for hard punishment to be inflicted on Wrong. The King, swept up by all these testimonies, decides in favor of Reason and Conscience, whom were selected to be his counselors. Wrong is punished and the King’s eyes are now open to Lady Mead’s benevolent aspects. He is no longer naive. At this point, the King’s court has flourished since Conscience and Reason became his advisors.Holy Church explains to Will that Conscience and Reason are two things that every person has within them on some level. She also explains that th e King is not a character that is based on royal heritage. The King is a being that represents the challenges that every common man faces (Burrow 318). Explained even further in an article by J. A Burrow every man faces the challenges of Right and Wrong, and often seeks to find Conscience and Reason in their lives. At this point, the scene fades into the Field Full of Folk once again as Will wakes up and then falls asleep shortly after.Next, Will is confronted with the character of Reason who fashions the wardrobe of a clergymen. He urges Will to repent (2573). After urging Will to confess his sins, he brings out the Seven Deadly Sins. This section of the story where Reason speaks to each of the seven and teaches Will that if he lives with The Seven Deadly Sins in his life, he will never find salvation. The next section starts with the Will waking up briefly from the vision and reflecting on his experience so far. However, our dreamer, Will quickly falls back into his dream. In this next part of his holy vision quest, he enters upon the Feast of Patience ( 2798-2906).Seven people attend the Feast, Conscience, Clergy and his wife, Scripture, Patience, Will, and The Master of Divinity. The food was simple and elegant which was to show will what penance means (Burrow 319). Later in the poem,Will is though of as a fool (3015-3016). At this point of Will still being a foolish man, he is intorduced to Anima, who tells Will the importance of putting into action all that he has learned (3025-3120). Anima prepares Will for a vision of the Tree of Charity. In a vision conveyed to Will by Piers Plowman himself, a tree is an image of fallen humanity.Piers Plowman is said to be represented as Jesus (Burrow 320). There are three kinds of fruit: human souls of wedlock, widowhood, and virginity, and it is supported by three planks. The three planks have been explained to will as the Holy Trinity (Greenblatt 399). However the Tree being threatened by Covetise, who is the Fiend of Flesh. The tree represents the tree that bore the fruit of knowledge, much like the fruit referenced in Genesis. The tree contains knowledge that is not to be consumed by man. However, in this section of Piers Plowman, The Devil is pursuing Covetise to extract fruit from the tree for evil intentions.Toward the end of the poem, Will goes to mass on Easter Sunday and, during the middle of mass, falls asleep and dreams of Piers Plowman. Piers is identified this time as the eucharistic host at the moment of consecration during the Mass when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ (Greenblatt 399). The mystery of the Body and blood of Christ is mysterious to Will as he cannot understand at what point these common items become holy. The answer is conveyed appearance of Piers before the people. Will turns to Conscience for an explanation of the mystery.Conscience recalls the life of Jesus by explaining the sacrament. The miracle at Cana involves the changing of water int o wine, a type of wine turning into blood in the Eucharist. Thus, the Three Lives are put into the perspective of the ministry of Christ, and the message is clear: it is impossible to do well, do better, and do best without divine grace, and this grace is available to all through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and penance(Burrow 380) . If Dowel is the sacramental wine, Dobet is the eucharistic bread, as it is paralleled to the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Greenblatt 399).That Piers is granted the power of binding and unbinding sins reflects back upon the early association of Piers and the Good Priest (Daegman 7) . Piers is a variation of Peter, suggesting the apostle and first pope. Piers remains behind after the Ascension, and it is to him that Grace gives the four evangelists and the four church leaders (3321-3364). Piers is known to be Jesus Christ whom is a part of the eternal, divine Church. Noticeably, the forces of Pride wait to attack until Piers until he has featured once more at the end of Piers Plowman. By the end of the poem there are no good clergy. (Daegman 8).The Barn of Unity that Grace tells Piers to build is another image of the whole Christian community (3433-3457). However, since the Tree of Charity is under constant threat, so is the Barn of Unity. Covetise and Pride try to confuse Conscience with their so that he can not tell the difference between a Christian and a dark worshipper. Conscience advises the Christians to leave the area to find safely form the the malevolent qualities (3458-3465). Events turn dark for Will and is in need of consulting Need. It can be a humbling factor, but it can also be a convenient excuse for doing what one wants to do rather than what one ought to do.Will falls asleep after being reproached by Need and dreams of the coming of Antichrist. Conscience consults Kynde, Old Age, and Death. Though Will has become an old man, he manages to keep somewhat in good humor. His appearance has changed dra matically. He has become bald, deaf, toothless, and a bit incompetent due to his old age. During this last part of Piers Plowman, Will is confronted by the inevitable character named Death (3502- 3696). As Will’s time is coming to an end, he begs Kynde for him to spare him. Kynde advises Will learn what love is (3757) . This could be compared to what Holy Church told Will in the first section.Though Piers Plowman is a lengthy alliterative poem, it ends considerably curtly. Conscience vows to undertake another quest, this time to find Piers Plowman, and he calls upon Grace for help. Then the Dreamer simply wakes up and that is the end. I found that the ending lines of the poem had no emotion to it. I was not able to feel if Will felt like his total experience was positive or negative. Will’s attitude does seem to show the slightest bit of positivity as he learns to find what it means to be a Christian and learns the value of good morals. Piers Plowman is a series of jou rneys in a dream-like vision in search for answers.The narrator named Will goes from one higher authority to another. However, as the quests move along, the main point of the journey changes. The quest was originally to find how a Christian is expected to live, however, as time goes on it becomes about finding a way to do the best and be the best one can be (Daegman 273). When the poem finishes, Will is faced with yet another quest. this indicates to the reader that a Christian’s search for salvation is eternal (Daegman 273). Works Cited Burrow, J. A. The Ending Lines in Piers Plowman. Notes & Querles (2012). vol. 59 Issue 3, p 316-400. Academic Search Complete.Web. 9 Feb. 2013. Calabrese, Michael. Piers Plowman: A Parallel-Text Edition of The A,B,C, And Z Versions. Journal of English & Germanic Philogy. (2012): vol. 35 issue 12 127-130. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Deagman, Rachel. The Formations of Forgiveness in Piers Plowman. Journal of Medieval & Early Mo dern Studies (2010). vol. 40 issue 2 p. 273-97. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. â€Å"William Langland† Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Online Web. 27 Feb, 2013 Greenblatt, Stepehn. â€Å"William Langland:Piers Plowman† The Norton Anthology English Literature vol. A. New York 397- 408.