My Antonia by Willa Cather Essay Example for Free

My Antonia by Willa Cather Essay Based on the novel, Jim Burden’s observation of Antonia and even the way he looks at her and interacts with her, it seems clear that he loved Antonia. He did not pursue her, however. Jim spent his childhood in his grandfather’s house in the prairie and spent a lot of time with Antonia. Eventually, in the second book, he spends more time with Antonia and also with the girls working in town. It is at this time that he notices the sexuality of Antonia. Hence, his descriptions of Antonia, and later of Lena, become charged with sexuality. Jim Burden’s relationship with Antonia remained platonic first, because Antonia put emphasis on the four years difference they had and looked down at Jim as her junior. Hence, Jim felt that Antonia looked down on him as a child. When he turned his attention to Lena Lingard, she decided to toy with the young man’s feelings. Antonia had to intervene to prevent Jim from being heartbroken. The relationship between Antonia and Jim remained platonic, at least on the surface. Jim did not see through the defenses set up by Antonia to prevent their being linked romantically together. But since Jim turned his attention to Lena, Antonia felt that she should protect the emotions of Jim. Jim and Antonia are connected with the threads of childhood and of the friendship of growing up together. But Jim, being an orphan and a man, has to study and pursue his dreams for himself. His education and the very act of pursuing his dreams stand in the way between him and Antonia. Years later when he goes back and finds Antonia with her husband and her ten children, he feels affectionate to them yet he adds a wistful longing by saying that Antonia and he â€Å"possessed together the precious, the incommunicable past. † In the end, that was what they shared together. Works Cited Cather, Willa. My Antonia. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954.

Dissection Of A Pigs Heart Physical Education Essay

Dissection Of A Pigs Heart Physical Education Essay For most mammals, the heart is an extremely important organ in their bodies. Acting as a pump, the heart can control the blood by alternating the contractions of muscles and their relaxations. Because of this pumping action, the blood can be kept flowing throughout the bodies. Like other mammals, the pigs heart has a complex structure. The heart is made up of three layers, the epicardium, mycardium and endocardium (Pathguy, 2005). It is also divided into four main chambers. They are the right atrium and right ventricle, the left atrium as well as the left ventricle (Lane, 2010b). On both sides, the upper chambers are known as the atria, and the ventricles are lower. Since the left ventricle needs to pump the oxygenated blood throughout the body, it has thicker muscle. The left ventricle wall is thicker than other chambers (Lane, 2010b). It is three times the thickness of the right ventricle ¼Ã‹â€ Skillstat, 2005 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. The right and left sides of the heart are separated by a muscle called septum. The septum is made up of two regions; the interatrial septum and the interventrial septum (Buddyproject, 2000). In the heart, there are a series of valves used to control the blood flow direction. On each side, a special valve separates the atrium and the ventricle. The valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle is called the tricuspid valve. This valve allows blood to enter the right ventricle from the right atrium. And it can also prevent the backflow of blood (Lane, 2010b). Having similar functions, the valve on the left side is the bicuspid valve (Lane, 2010a). Double circulation in mammal consists of the pulmonary circuit and the systemic circuit (Pickering, 2000). These two circuits are separated. Deoxygenated blood from the body can be received and pumped to the lungs by the right side of the heart (Losos, Mason Singer, 2008). This is the pulmonary circuit. The systemic cycle is that the left side of the heart carries oxygenated blood and pumps it to the tissues and organs. This double circulation is also achieved by the arteries and veins in the heart (Losos, Mason Singer, 2008). The superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava can return deoxygenated blood from the tissues to the right atrium. To oxygenate the blood, pulmonary artery can deliver the deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs ¼Ã‹â€ NHLBI, nd). Oxygenated blood can enter the left atrium via the pulmonary veins. Aorta is principal vessel. It can take oxygenated blood to the body from the left ventricle ¼Ã…’followed by the systemic circulation (NHLBI, nd). Methods Observations: The apparatus in the experiment included a fresh pig heart, container, a dissecting pan, forceps and a scalpel, as well as several pairs of gloves. Procedures of examining the external structure (Lane, 2010a) 1. A heart was washed and placed in a dissecting pan. a. The heart appeared sanguineous colour. Its size was a little larger than human fist. In the upper part, there were some substances appearing cream colour. 2. Using the forceps, part of the pericardium was removed. The pericardium membrane covering the heart was thin and hard to be removed. 3. The heart was turned so that the front or ventral side was facing the observers. Four chambers were located. c. In Figure 1, the half including the apex was the left side of the heart. A groove was on the front of the heart and divided the heart into two sides. The coronary artery can be found in the groove. The positions of four chambers, the aorta and the pulmonary artery were located. There were era-shaped extensions (labeled 1 2) on both sides. 4. The heart was turned over. Other main blood vessels, including the pulmonary veins, the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava were located. d. As Figure 2 shows, pulmonary veins were inferior to the pulmonary artery. Two vessels joining together were located as the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. Procedures of examining the internal anatomy (Lane, 2010a) 1. The heart was cut deep enough to go through the side of the pulmonary artery until the wall of the right ventricle. 2. Dried blood inside the chambers was rinsed out the heart. 3. The right atrium was located. 4. Other main structures in the right side, including the inferior vena cava, the superior vena cave and the tricuspid valve were located. a. As Figure 3 shows, the top of chamber was the right atrium. The tricuspid valve separated the right atrium and right ventricle. The muscle on the right side is located as septum. 5. The heart was cut continually from the outside of the left atrium downward into the left ventricle. b. With a thicker wall, it was harder to cut on the side. 6. The heart was pushed open. Dried blood was rinsed out with water. 7. Main structures on the left side, including the bicuspid valve and the left ventricle were examined. 8. The heart was cut across the left ventricle toward the aorta and then cut to expose the valve. 9. The three flaps or leaflets on the tricuspid valve were counted and observed. C. The bicuspid valve was thick. The aortic valve was between the left ventricle and the aorta (see Figure 4). It had three flaps and a half-moon shape. Results: Figure 1 shows the external structure (anterior view) of the heart. Figure 2 shows the external structure (posterior view) of the heart. Figure 3 shows the internal structure of the right side in the heart. Figure 4 shows the internal structure of the left side in the heart. All these diagrams are attached at the end of this report. Some functions of the labeled structures are also noted on the right sides of those diagrams. Discussion: The heart in a dissecting pan can be imagined that the heart is in the body of a person facing the observers. The left side of the heart is on the right side of the dissecting. This makes the observers easier to be confused when examining the hearts structures. Those cream substances in the upper part of the heart can be deduced as fat around the muscle pump. The left side of the heart has more muscular and firmer than the right one. This provides the left side with enough energy to pump blood to the whole body. It is hard to identify the positions of the inferior and superior vena cava correctly. The superior vena cava returns blood to the right atrium from the upper part of tissues, while the inferior vena cava carries blood from the lower tissues (NHLBI, nd). Therefore, it is more reasonable that the inferior vena cava is below the superior vena cava instead of connecting to each other (As shown in Figure 2). In this experiment, the semi-lunar entering to the pulmonary veins has not been found. The ear-shaped extensions (labeled 12 in Figure 1) may not belong to the structure of the heart. But based on their positions, it is possible that they are the extensions of the right atrium and the left atrium. Conclusion: The heart is a pump muscle. It can pump oxygenated blood and carry nutrients to the tissues throughout the body. A pigs heart has four chambers, the left and right ventricle and the left and right atrium. A series of main vessels are responsible for the pulmonary and systemic systems, such as the aorta, the pulmonary artery and pulmonary veins, as well as the inferior and superior vena cava. The vales between atria and ventricles act as barriers to prevent blood backflow. Each simple structure of the heart is contributed to providing blood for the survival of the tissues in the bodies.

Impact of the financial crisis globally and in Mauritius

Impact of the financial crisis globally and in Mauritius Like almost all economies worldwide, the Mauritian economy has not been spared form the effect of the global financial crisis and subsequently to the recent European crisis. The former is considered to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. This was mainly due to the falling home prices in the United State which consequently spread to all other major economies and those which are dependent on the US economy. The Global Financial Crisis has led to the crisis of public debt in the Eurozone starting with Greece at the end of 2009. Due to the linkage of member countries in the Eurozone and the use of a single currency, the crisis faced by Greece started to spread to other member countries and this became known as the Eurozone crisis. It is obvious that although the measures that would be analyzed have had great effectiveness on mitigating the impact of the two crises, it has not been inevitable to prevent them from affecting the key sectors of the Mauritia n economy. One reason is because of its openness and financial integration to the world economy and the other being the fact that Mauritius has longed been and is still very Eurocentric. The Global Financial Crisis (2007-2009) Its Origin and Impact on the World Economy The Global Financial Crisis started when home prices began to fall dramatically in the US Real Estate market at the end of 2006. One of the reasons for the falling prices is because of the housing bubble which peaked in approximately 2005-2006. As a result people who have taken home loans started to default on their repayments as they find it cheaper to buy a house rather than to continue paying for the home loan. Due to the financial linkage and the globalization process, the declining home prices started to spread to other countries. More and more foreclosures and defaults led to banks financial position to deteriorate rapidly around the world. Investors worldwide started to lose confidence in the US economy and other major economies of the Eurozone. As such stock markets were deeply affected leading to huge loses for investors. Consumption, which is the main component of aggregate demand for many countries and US, started to decline which resulted in many quarters of negative grow th in the US and other major economies. The financial crisis led to a prolonged worldwide recession in 2008. Governments and Central Banks were forced to take necessary actions to fix the crisis. Capital injection and interest rate cuts were common to help borrowers to repay their loans. The low consumer confidence and investors confidence in the world economy resulted in many firms and financial institutions filed for bankruptcy such as the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Stimulus packages were implemented in many countries to help boosting economic activity. These stimulus packages helped companies which employ thousands of workers not to file for bankruptcy so as not to increase unemployment, for example, the US government agreed to help giant car companies Ford and Crysler in order to prevent them from closing down and laying down workers. The Global Financial Crisis did not only affected rich countries but also emerging economies and developing countries. Countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China (BRIC) and many other emerging economies experienced significantly high economic growth prior to the crisis but with the global economic downturn they had seen a slowdown in their level of economic activity. The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Mauritian Economy With the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the world economy and the deterioration of banks financial position, investors in Mauritius started to react in September 2008 by massively selling their shares. Not surprisingly, companies whose prices declined the most were those in the banking and financial sector such as the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) and the State Bank of Mauritius (SBM). As a result, the SEMDEX, the share price index of shares quoted on the Official Market of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius, started to decline to its lowest level. This indicated the level of pessimism among investors in the Mauritian economy. The Global Financial Crisis affected all key sectors of the Mauritian economy, such as the textile industry, the tourism industry, the sugar industry, the financial services sector, and the construction industry. This was mainly due to the trade liberalization of Mauritius to the world economy. As such, even though Mauritius is not related to the origin of the financial crisis, the effects of the crisis crossed the Mauritian border uninvited. This is the danger of globalization on small states like Mauritius. Among all the sectors of the Mauritian economy, the textile and tourism was most affected. Many firms closed down. Low level of tourist arrivals, due to the increasing level of unemployment in key markets, affected the tourism industry deeply. The construction industry experienced a slowdown in its economic activity. Foreign Direct Investment fell significantly during the crisis. Finally, during the same period the sugar industry had to undertake reforms because of the end of the European Union Sugar Protocol in 2006. Rising unemployment was not inevitable and the economic growth rate was declining. However, it should be noted that Mauritius did not register negative output growth during the global economic downturn. Measures by the government and the Bank of Mauritius successfully prevented the Mauritian economy from entering into a recession. Policy measures taken to mitigate the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Mauritian Economy. Since the beginning of the Global Financial Crisis and its impact on the Mauritian economy there has been huge policy coordination between the government and the Bank of Mauritius (BOM). Keynesianism was on the rise and expansionary monetary policies were followed. The government adopted expansionary fiscal policies to boost productivity. The BOM followed the same policy actions as other Central Banks worldwide, easing monetary policies. In the last quarter of 2008, through its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the BOM decided to slash the Key Repo rate by 150 basis points and the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) was brought down from 6 percent to 5 percent, thus freeing some Rs2.5 Billion for commercial banks to be able to increase loans to the private sector and in turn increasing the level of economic activity. On the government side, although the economic growth projection was still positive at 5.5 percent for the year ending 2008, expansionary fiscal policies were adopted. The budget deficit was increased but for the benefit of increased productivity. Like the BOM, the government also followed the same course of actions taken by other countries to fight the global financial crisis. An Additional Stimulus Package (ASP) equivalent to 3.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Rs6 Billion was put in place. The ASP was aimed at expanding the airport of Mauritius and to create six funds that would make Mauritius more resilient and thus limiting the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Mauritian Economy. These Funds include: The Maurice Ile Durable (MID) Fund. Food Security Fund. The Human Resource, Knowledge, and Arts Development Fund. The Local Infrastructure Fund. The Social Housing Development Fund. The Manufacturing Adjustment and SME Development Fund. The Implementation of the Additional Stimulus Package in its effort to fight the Global Financial Crisis. The six funds created under the ASP are detailed below: The MID Fund would include a solar water heater scheme, energy saving lamps, replacing street lighting lamps, mobilize foreign expertise for sustainable development support for a wind farm project, and financing the Waste Energy Project. All these schemes would help in building the vision of a Green Mauritius and protect the Mauritian Economy from high price volatility for non-renewable energy. Under the Food Security Fund land would be prepared and provided with irrigation facilities for small farmers. The land resource mobilization would result in the production of some 5000 tons of additional food commodities between 2009 and 2011. The aim of this fund is to increase the food supply for the population and reduce the dependence on imported food supplies. The Human Resource, Knowledge, and Arts Development Fund would make provisions for scholarships to needy students. A Student Loan Guarantee Scheme and the construction of new campuses for tertiary education are also financed under this fund. The aim of this fund is to provide education for all children and help in eradicating poverty and also to widen the circle of opportunities. The Local Infrastructure Fund would provide resources in a wide range of areas including multi-purpose complexes, fish landing stations, market fairs, waterfront, crematorium, and tartan track. The aim of this fund is to improve areas where people visit regularly and increase security for the people. The Social Housing Development Fund would include the rehabilitation of NHDC estates and infrastructures for social housing and support for affordable housing to bring down the cost of mortgage. This fund would help more people to own a home. The Manufacturing Adjustment and SME Development Fund would facilitate the work undertaken by the Enterprise Mauritius, SEHDA, and the National Women Entrepreneur Council. Another important scheme that was created under the ASP was the Mechanism for Transitional Support to the Private Sector (MTSP). This mechanism makes provision for a Financial Rescue Package (FRP) to help enterprises in financial difficulties. The MTSP covered all sizes of enterprises whether small, medium, or large. The facilities favored enterprises which have used all available financial tools provided by banks and other financial institutions and still cannot overcome their financial distress. It also applies to those where banks and other financial institutions do not agree to help them. The 2009 budget also aimed at making provision for a range of actions in light of the global economic crisis. The National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) was created from this budget. Its main aim was to fight the remnants of poverty in Mauritius and the eradication of poverty. The NEF also put an obligation on large companies to give at least 2 percent of their operating profit as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The NEF enhanced its efforts on re-skilling, retraining, and returning retrenched workers to productive employment. The Euro Crisis (2010) Its Origin and Impact on the Eurozone economies. The Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 forced many countries to seek help to restructure their economies, especially the Eurozone economies. After the financial crisis another problem was emerged, the public debt or sovereign debt crisis which later became known as the Eurozone Crisis. It started with Greece at the end of 2009 and then spread to other Eurozone member countries such as Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. A sovereign debt arises when a country issue government bonds denominated in its own currencies but sold to investors abroad. The problem with Greece was that the cost of financing the debt became so large that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) agreed on a à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬110 Billion loan for Greece. Soon after other countries started to have the same problem as Greece and bail outs was necessary. Ireland has also been bailed out with à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬85 Billion. However, these loans are conditional on the implementatio n of harsh austerity measures. Austerity measures being cuts in government spending and increased taxes. One of the main impact of the Euro Crisis was the depreciation of the Euro vis-à  -vis other currencies. There was high financial instability in Eurozone economies which consequently led to uncertainty and falling investors confidence. On 9 May 2010 the 27 member states of the European Union agreed to create the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), a legal instrument aiming at preserving financial stability in Europe by providing financial assistance to Eurozone states in difficulty. The Impact of the Eurozone Crisis on the Mauritian Economy. Mauritius is highly dependent on the Eurozone and it is obvious that a depreciating Euro would have serious consequences on the economy. The crisis impacted on all key sectors of the Mauritian economy including export, financial services industry, domestic oriented industries, and other emerging sectors. Most of our exports are billed in Euro while most imports are in US dollars term. Since the beginning of 2010, the Euro has depreciated by around 8 percent while the US dollar has appreciated by around 3 percent against the rupee. Therefore, it is clear that exports revenues are declining while costs are rising for local firms. This is very crucial for domestic firms and this present a threat for their survival and consequently employment. The Central Statistical Office (CSO) downgraded the real GDP forecast for 2010 from 4.6 percent to 4.2 percent after the unfolding of the Euro Crisis. Furthermore, the CSO predicted an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent in 2010 from 7.3 percent in 2009. On the other hand, the inflation rate was declining. Analysts expect the austerity measures to impact negatively on the growth performance of Eurozone economies. This can result in a drop in demand for our exports and lower tourist arrivals. Moreover, some analysts believe that the Eurozone crisis will last for 5 to 7 years. Policy Response to the Eurozone Crisis and to limit its impact on the Mauritian Economy. The Mauritian economy is faced with a depreciating Euro which is having serious consequences in terms of low tourist arrivals and low demand for our exports. Furthermore, the Euro crisis is expected to last for 5 to 7 years. There is therefore a compelling need to restructure the Mauritian economy and to diversify from the Eurozone countries to other emerging countries such as the BRIC. Below is an extract from Facing the Eurozone Crisis and Restructuring for Long Term Resilience which was presented by the Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Pravind Jugnauth in 2010. Thus, The seven pillars of our response to the euro crisis and to the larger challenge of global economic rebalancing are: Industry and enterprise restructuring Deleveraging Supporting the creation of new financing instrument Fast re-skilling and re-employment of retrenched workers, with a focus on retrenched women workers Acceleration of public infrastructure Protecting consumers Modernizing regulations to improve competitiveness In order to implement all of the seven policies response mentioned above, many measures was taken, these includes: The implementation of an Economic Restructuring and Competitiveness Programme (ERCP). This will support firms in the export sectors, especially the textile and clothing industry to help them overcome their financial difficulties. Support for the SMEs to help them better manages their finance and thus being resilient to external shocks. Supporting small planters in the sugar industry which are squeezed between reform into the sugar industry and a depreciating Euro. Help to restructure the tourism sector in diversifying into non-euro based markets. Help the retrenched workers by providing them support and ensuring their re-employment. Ensuring that consumers can benefit in the depreciating Euro. Restructuring the public sector enterprises. Accelerate public infrastructure projects that are vital to the economic restructuring. Improving competitiveness by reviewing the regulatory framework. Setting up a committee to endure the proper implementation of the policy response package and ensure its effectiveness. Mobilizing the necessary resources to finance the package. The Mechanism for Transitional Support to the Private sector (MTSP) which was put in place to help firms in difficulties during the Global Financial Crisis was replaced by the ERCP. The ERCP is much more than a financial rescue package. The main features and process of the ERCP is outlined in the next section. The Economic Restructuring and Competitiveness Package The main processes of the ERCP are as follows: A diagnosis will be carried on the company applying for support under the ERCP to determine its viability. If the company is found viable, it will be granted all support under the ERCP provided that it takes a serious commitment to restructure and deleverage. An Independent Financial Analyst will be drawn to prepare a restructuring plan for the company. The restructuring plan will include market diversification, product improvement, efficiency, and productivity. If the restructuring process requires the laying off of workers, a retrenchment plan should be submitted to the ERCP and the Support Unit for Re-employment of Employees (SURE) for approval. The deleverage plan will define actions the company needs to take to bring down its gearing ratio to the benchmark established by the ERCP committee. Inefficient, poorly managed, highly geared companies will not be granted support under the ERCP. Measures were also taken by the BOM to manage the euro/rupee exchange rate. The Key Repo rate was cut by 100 basis points to 4.75 percent on the 27th September 2010. Conclusion Up to now the Mauritian economy has demonstrated a considerable degree of resilience to external shocks. The Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s and it has dampened the world economy significantly. Mauritius being a small emerging economy was also hit by Global Financial Crisis due to its openness n financial integration to the world economy. However, policy coordination by the government and the Bank of Mauritius in adopting expansionary fiscal and monetary policies has prevented the Global Financial Crisis from damaging the economy further. The effects of the Eurozone crisis on the Mauritian economy were also very high. These were inevitable since Mauritius has always had high dependence of its exports such as tourism, textile and sugar on markets in Europe but the policy response such as reducing the Key Repo rate to 4.75 percent by the BOM and the implementation of the ERCP by the government will ensure that the Mauritian economy has a long term resilience to external shocks

Othello :: essays research papers

(II, i, 176-178, p.71) IAGO (To himself) He takes her by the hand. Yes, very good, whisper to her! With This little web, I’ll catch a fly as big as Cassio. Yes, Smile at her, go ahead! I’ll catch you in your own flirtation. Character Intent: Iago is definitely speaking these lines for one clear reason. Iago wants to manipulate Cassio and get him close to Desdemona therefore Othello could see this occur and become angered. Iago knows that Cassio is a very flirtatious person and therefore, Iago’s evil deed might be a very easy task to accomplish. Iago uses the metaphor of the fly and the spider web to symbolize Cassio (fly) getting caught in the web (getting caught in Iago’s manipulation). Writer Intent: Shakespeare uses these lines in the dialogue to show Iago’s sarcasm about the situation occurring. Shakespeare also has Iago speak to himself in this part of the dialogue to show the insanity and sickness that Iago has built up inside, just aching to be released. Shakespeare also puts this dialogue into the story to show how courteous and respectful Cassio really is to Desdemona. And by seeing this, Shakespeare had the perfect opportunity to let Iago’s plans unfold. Behavior: The following lines should be said very dementedly by Iago. He should read the lines very slowly and creepy to show how passionate Iago is in wanting to achieve his goal of destroying Othello. (II, i, 197-201, p.73) OTHELLO If I were to die right now, I would die perfectly happy; for I’m afraid I am so splendidly content that I won’t have another joy like this one for the rest of my life. Character Intent: Othello spoke these lines in the dialogue to show the only thing he cares about. Othello shows that he cares about and loves Desdemona. He really puts his point across to everyone by saying that even if death struck him down at that very moment, he would die happy since he had the chance to see the love of his life, Desdemona. Othello makes it clear that even after his hellish fleet, the voyage would not be over until Othello saw his beautiful bride. Writer Intent: Shakespeare puts these lines in the story because they show a really strong meaning. This line reinforces everyone that Othello and Desdemona are in love with each other. Shakespeare shows the deep relationship between Othello and Desdemona to show how much they truly care and love each other.

Life vs Novel: How Hemingways Life Affected his Writing :: History

Life vs Novel: How Hemingway's Life Affected his Writing Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois during the summer of eighteen ninety-nine. During his sixty-one years of life he wrote many famous novels and novellas. One thing he said in his life that made his readers see where his stories came from was a comment made to fellow writer F. Scott Fiztgerald. â€Å"If something in life hurts you, he said, you should use it in your writing.† (http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/frwlarm.asp). The difficult experiences that Hemingway endured throughout his own life, whether consciously or unconsciously, inserted in this novel is what lists it among his artistic achievements. Hemingway joined the Italian Red Cross as an ambulance driver during WWI. During his time in Italy he was injured by a trench mortar shell and for quite a while would elaborate the story to make it more glorious and him more heroic than he actually was, the only thing known for sure was that he went to a hospital in Milan and fell in love with a nurse named Agnes von Kurowsky. â€Å"Scholars are divided over Agnes's role in Hemingway's life and writing, but there is little doubt that his relationship with her informed the relationship between Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley in A Farewell to Arms.† http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/farewell) Hemingway was a very blunt writer. He describes things exactly as he sees them in great depth and he never minces his words. As Raymond S. Nelson says, "Hemingway tried to tell the truth about his times, to correct the 'lies' which former generations told, whether wittingly or unwittingly." ("http://www.bookrags.com/notes/fta/" http://www.bookrags.com/notes/fta/ ) This is obvious in his very graphic descriptions of things throughout the novel and also in the way he does not sugarcoat any of the events that occur within the novel itself. Another essence of Hemingway’s life that is apparent in the novel is his indifference to immediate family. â€Å"Hemingway's parents were God-fearing Christians and patriotic Americans, staunch upholders of middle-class values. Hemingway thought them boring. He went out of his way to do things counter to his mother's wishes. She gave him cello lessons; he set up a boxing ring in her music room.† ( http://www.classicnote.com/ClassicNotes/Authors/about_ernest_hemingway.html ). In the novel itself Hemingway’s character has no concern about his family back in America, he tends to forget about them completely, as does Catherine Barkley.

The Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia Essay -- Biology Essays Resea

The Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a disease that has plagued societies around the world for centuries, although it was not given its formal name until 1911. It is characterized by the presence of positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are so named because of the presence of altered behaviors, such as delusions, hallucinations (usually auditory), extreme emotions, excited motor activity, and incoherent thoughts and speech. (1,2) In contrast, negative symptoms are described as a lack of behaviors, such as emotion, speech, social interaction, and action. (1,2) These symptoms are by no means concrete. Not all schizophrenic patients will exhibit all or even a majority of these symptoms, and there is some disagreement in the psychiatric community as to the exact diagnostic criteria. In addition, there is a great deal of debate as to the causes of the disease. While some proposed causes have been proven false, such as bad parenting and poor will power (2), there are many theories that remain. One of the most famous and most debatable is the dopamine hypothesis. The proposed hypothesis states that the brain of schizophrenic patients produces more dopamine than normal brains. It is this increased dopamine that is believed to be responsible for the symptoms of the disease. However, the is much debate in the scientific community as to the exact mechanism by which altered dopamine levels, especially in the prefrontal cortex, striatum, and limbic system, produce schizophrenia. There is much clinical evidense that provides support for the dopamine hypothesis. The first evidense that dopamine may be involved in schizophrenia came from amphetamine users. Amphetamines work by causing the brain to produce mo... ...ital Cortex: Focal Abnormalities in Orbitofrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia" From Meador-Woodruff Laboratory Homepage (University of Michigan) http://www-personal.umich.edu/~himmw/pubs/index.html (5) "Detailed Description of Our Studies" From Meador-Woodruff Laboratory http://www.umich.edu/~jmwlab/ (6) "Dopamine, Glutamate, and the Neurochemical Circuitry of Schizophrenia" From Department of Psychiatry Homepage (University of Michigan) http://www.med.umich.edu/mhri/res/95/meadorwoodruff/meadorwoodruff.html (7) "Schizophrenia 'Trigger' Described" From NARSAD Homepage http://www.mhsource.com/advocacy/narsad/trigger/html/?_requestid=1006565 (8) "Altered Neural Circuits in Schizophrenia" http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/fr51.html (9)Rosenzweig, M.R., Leiman, A.L., & Breedlove, A.M. Biological Psychology. Sinaur Associates Inc: Massachusetts, 1996

“the Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Self expression is one of humanity’s greatest gifts. It is very important that humans express themselves in many different ways, whether it is writing in a journal, painting, singing, or just speaking with someone. Holding in one’s feelings can be unhealthy and it can lead to depression, anxiety, or insanity. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator, an upper-class woman rebels against her husband’s â€Å"cure† for her depression, which forbade her to exercise her imagination. She keeps a secret journal in which she records her thoughts and fascination about the yellow wallpaper. As a result of the mental restrictions placed upon her, she loses control over reality. Writing in a journal can be used as a tool to express oneself. A journal can become a safe space to help release anxious thoughts and negative feelings. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator writes in her journal, â€Å"I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time. Of course I don’t when John is here, or anybody else, but when I am alone. And I am alone a good deal just now (Gilman 428). One may suggest that the narrator is a very lonely person who hides her true feelings from her husband and everyone else. Her husband shows no interest of her thoughts or concerns for the conditions she is living under. So she continues to hide her depression and uses a journal as her emotional outlet, but her imagination gets the best of her. Not expressing oneself can consequently lead to depression, anxiety, or insanity. For this reason it is important to exercise one’s imagination. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, the narrator is forbidden to do anything active and to not exercise her mind in any way. She directs her attention towards the yellow wallpaper and becomes obsessive over it. â€Å"All night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight it becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean, and the women behind it is as plain as can be† (431). The narrator feels enclosed in her room and thinks the patterns in the wallpaper are bars of a cage. She stares at the wallpaper for long periods of time and discovers a woman behind the pattern. One may suggest that she is the women behind the patterns trying to break free. In her last journal entry, she stated, â€Å"I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before morning we had peeled yards of that paper† (433). Peeling off â€Å"that paper† on could suggest that she is unraveling the pattern of her domesticated life. Furthermore, in order for the narrator to understand herself, she loses her sanity.