The Incident At Bhopal Essays - Bhopal Disaster, Methyl Isocyanate

The Incident At Bhopal Essays - Bhopal Disaster, Methyl Isocyanate The Incident At Bhopal PURPOSE: To examine the events contributing to the tragedy at Bhopal, India and their repercussions and to draw conclusions based on these events. INTRODUCTION: What Happened at Bhopal? Reading newspaper and magazine articles written immediately following the events at Bhopal, it is apparent that it took some time for authorities to determine the causes of the industrial accident. Speculation seems to have run wild for a time following the accident. Drawing from later statistics and information seems to be a more reliable method of determining the most likely scenario. Where various alternate feasible possibilities have been presented, we will try to include the most likely. At approximately midnight on December 3, 1984, an unexpected chemical reaction took place in a Union Carbide of India Limited storage tank. The storage tank contained methyl isocyanate, (hereafter referred to as MIC) a toxic gas used in the process of a pesticide called Sevin.(1) As part of the distilling process there was an extremely high concentration of chloroform present. This caused corrosion of the tank. The tank being made of iron provided a catalyst for the reaction. A large amount of water was also introduced, approximately 120-240 gallons, which in combination with the chemical, generated enough heat to start the reaction. The runaway reaction released an uncontrollable amount of heat and this resulted in 30-40 tons of the gas being vaporized and spread over approximately 30 square miles, killing thousands of people and injuring hundreds of thousands.(2) The lack of information on MIC in 1984 made it a very toxic and difficult to control substance, according to Meryl H. Karol of the University of Pittsburghs Graduate School of Public Health. He says, Although nominally a liquid at room temperature, methyl isocyanate evaporates so quickly from an open container that it easily turns into a colorless, odorless highly flammable and reactive gas... I would hesitate having it in a laboratory. He also quotes the OHSA standard for exposure to MIC during an eight-hour day as 0.02 parts per million, far lower than what many Bhopal residents were exposed to.(3) THE HEALTH AFFECTS of exposure to MIC is disastrous. At low levels, MIC causes eyes to water and results in damage to the cornea. At higher concentrations, muscles constrict, and the bronchial passages have the equivalent of a severe asthma attack.(3) Most of the deaths in India were due to this. Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, Assistant Director of Public Health Practice at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, who went to Bhopal to render assistance, said, There was edema, substantial destruction...of alveolar walls, ... a ulcerative bronchiolus... among patients at the severely crowded hospitals.(4) Serious damage to the central nervous system after three to four weeks, including paralysis, and psychological problems have also been a result.(3) The long-term affects of MIC exposure are equally disastrous. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, at least 50,000 people are still suffering and new chronic cases of asthma keep showing up as the population ages and 39% of the surrounding population have some form of severe respiratory impairment.(5) Most of them will suffer for the rest of their lives.(6) It is a conservative estimate that 5 people die every week as a result of the Bhopal accident.(7) Another consideration is that in a social class that maintains a living through physical labor, inability to perform results in starvation.(8) Affects on women were profound. Out of 198 women living within 10 miles of the facility, 100 had abnormal uterine bleeding.(1,5) Of the local women who were pregnant before the accident, 43% miscarried and 14% of the babies carried to term died within a month. Socially, these women are considered unwanted by potential husbands because reproductive disorders are so commonplace that they are seen as sterile.(5) It is unknown whether chromosomal damage will affect future generations.(8) TOTAL EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT are not yet known. Approximately 1,600 animals died on the first and second days after the incident. This was a terrible environmental health risk. Eventually this problem was solved by digging a giant one-acre mass grave. There was also damage to some vegetation, animal and fish species, but not to others. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is studying this.(1) A VARIETY OF FAILURES were contributing factors in this lethal cloud of chemicals descending on the helpless, uninformed public. These failures include design failures, maintenance failures, operations failures, emergency response failures, communications failures, governmental failures and last but not least management failures. In 1982, a safety audit by the

150 Million Years of Snake Evolution

150 Million Years of Snake Evolution Considering how diverse they are todaynearly 500 genera comprising almost 3,000 named specieswe still know surprisingly little about the ultimate origin of snakes. Clearly, these cold-blooded, slithering, legless creatures evolved from four-legged reptilian ancestors, either small, burrowing, landbound lizards (the prevailing theory) or, just possibly, the family of  marine reptiles called mosasaurs that appeared in the earths seas around 100 million years ago. Piecing Together the Evolution of Snakes Why is snake evolution such an enduring mystery? A big part of the problem is that the vast majority of snakes are small, relatively fragile creatures, and their even smaller, even more fragile ancestors are represented in the fossil record by incomplete remains, mostly consisting of scattered vertebrae. Paleontologists have discovered putative snake fossils dating as far back as 150 million years, to the late Jurassic period, but the traces are so evanescent as to be practically useless. (Further complicating matters, snake-like amphibians called aistopods appear in the fossil record over 300 million years ago, the most notable genus being Ophiderpeton; these were completely unrelated to modern snakes.) Recently, though, solid fossil evidence has emerged for Eophis, a 10-inch-long middle Jurassic snake native to England. The Early Snakes of the Cretaceous Period Needless to say, the key event in snake evolution was the gradual withering away of these reptiles front and hind limbs. Creationists like to claim that there are no such transitional forms in the fossil record, but in the case of prehistoric snakes theyre dead wrong: paleontologists have identified no less than four separate genera, dating back to the Cretaceous period, that was equipped with stubby, vestigial hind legs. Oddly enough, three of these snakesEupodophis, Haasiophis, and Pachyrhachiswere discovered in the Middle East, not otherwise a hotbed of fossil activity, while a fourth, Najash, lived on the other side of the world, in South America. What do these two-legged ancestors reveal about snake evolution? Well, that answer is complicated by the fact that the Middle Eastern genera were discovered firstand, since they were found in geologic strata that were submerged in water a hundred million years ago, paleontologists took that as evidence  that snakes as a whole evolved from water-dwelling reptiles, most likely the sleek, fierce mosasaurs of the late Cretaceous period. Unfortunately, the South American Najash throws a monkey wrench into that theory: this two-legged snake was clearly terrestrial, and appears in the fossil record at roughly the same time as its Middle Eastern cousins. Today, the prevailing view is that snakes evolved from an as-yet-unidentified land-dwelling (and probably burrowing) lizard of the early Cretaceous period, most likely a type of lizard known as a varanid. Today, varanids are represented by monitor lizards (genus Varanus), the largest living lizards on earth. Oddly enough, then, prehistoric snakes may have been kissing cousins of the giant prehistoric monitor lizard Megalania, which measured about 25 feet from head to tail and weighed over two tons! The Giant Prehistoric Snakes of the Cenozoic Era Speaking of giant monitor lizards, some prehistoric snakes also attained gigantic sizes, though once again the fossil evidence can be frustratingly inconclusive. Until recently, the biggest prehistoric snake in the fossil record was the appropriately named Gigantophis, a late Eocene monster that measured about 33 feet from head to tail and weighed as much as half a ton. Technically, Gigantophis is classified as a madtsoiid snake, meaning it was closely related to the widespread genus Madtsoia. Unfortunately for Gigantophis fans, this prehistoric snake has been eclipsed in the record books by an even bigger genus with an even cooler name: the South American Titanoboa, which measured over 50 feet long and conceivably weighed as much as a ton. Oddly enough, Titanoboa dates from the middle Paleocene epoch, about five million years after the dinosaurs went extinct but millions of years before mammals evolved into giant sizes. The only logical conclusion is that this prehistoric snake preyed on equally huge prehistoric crocodiles, a scenario you can expect to see computer-simulated in some future TV special; it may also have occasionally crossed paths with the equally giant prehistoric turtle Carbonemys.

How stuff work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How stuff work - Research Paper Example This invention came into the limelight immediately because it was the key in solving one of the biggest environmental challenges-Oil spills and was concept of bioremediation since no harmful chemicals or other products were employed. Oil spills always have a catastrophic effect on the marine ecosystem as well as those who depend on the marine ecosystem .such as birds, fishing industry and tourism industry. The toxic oil stuck to the bird’s feathers prohibiting them from flying and has serious effects on the marine life as well. Until the invention of these microbes the cost of cleaning up the oil was extremely high. Using techniques such as dispersants or mechanical skimming cost almost $7,350 per metric ton of oil. Often oil was spilled in the middle of the ocean where logistics posed a great problem and in most cases only a mere 20% of the oil spilled could be cleaned up. However the invention of these oil-eating microbes have been a boon to mankind since these microbes make the cleaning up process practical, rapid and environment friendly. Production of Oil eating Bacteria Oil especially crude oil is composed of hydrocarbons. Many bacteria and fungi have the natural capability of breaking down oil into carbon dioxide and water however none of the naturally occurring bacteria could degrade all the components. While working with microbes he recognized the fact that microbial metabolism could be used for the process of bioremediation. Recombinant DNA technology also known as RDT is the technology used by biotechnologists and genetic engineers to transfer DNA or genetic material from one cell to another with the help of vectors or carrying bodies such as plasmids. Certain bacterial strains already bore the gene which encodes for specialized enzymes. These specialized enzymes have the capability of degrading oil, nullifying their toxicity and turning them into harmless products. Using recombinant DNA technology, Professor isolated the genes from these micr obes and integrated them into the vector plasmid DNA machinery. These plasmids were then integrated into strains of Pseudomonas bacteria. These genetically engineered bacteria were now made capable of producing enzymes on their own which could degrade oil and render them harmless. Working principle The entire working principle of the oil degrading microbes is based on the study of enzymes. The enzymes help the bacteria in obtaining their carbon from the oils. Once these microbes are put into the water containing oil, their only source of carbon is the oil on the water surface. The bacteria which can produce oil-degrading enzymes start production and utilizes the degraded oil as its energy resource. Hydrocarbon degrading enzymes such as alkane hydroxylase, catechol dioxygense are some of the enzymes that are encoded by the genes of some naturally occurring oil0degrading bacteria and which have been genetically transferred into Pseudomonas strain enabling the latter to break down a wi de variety of oil components (Peixoto et al,2011, p.2). The bacteria proliferates at the site of oil spill since large quantities of carbon resource is available. Problems

The career of Mozart Wolfgang Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The career of Mozart Wolfgang - Research Paper Example In order to understand the value of orchestration for Mozart’s works it should be necessary to refer primarily to the characteristics of orchestration, as a technique used while performing music pieces with different requirements in terms of their performance environment. In its most common form, orchestration can be described as ‘the division of a musical composition among the instruments of an orchestra for artistic effects’. These effects are not standardized. For certain composers, such as Mozart, emphasis would be given on the sense of unity of the music piece. Other effects, such as the unexpected change on a music piece’s tone, could be also achieved using orchestration. The first concerns for the potential value of orchestration in regard to the performance of music works have appeared in the 18th century (Keefe 2003). During that period, the need for a technique for increasing the tone effects of music works was made clear. Instrumental effects could be used for securing a ‘grand tone, like a Pindaric one’, but up to a point.... e contribution of Mozart in the promotion of orchestration is made clear through the following fact: orchestration, as part of performing music works, was known by the late 18th century (Keefe 93). However, in the past, before Mozart, orchestration was related only to ‘wind instruments’ (Zaslaw 439). Mozart introduced orchestration as a technique for increasing the tone effects of a music piece by engaging all instruments of the orchestra, a practice that has been unknown by then (Zaslaw 439). Indeed, it was just in Paris Symphony of Mozart that the potentials of orchestration were full revealed. During the performance of the above work all instruments of the orchestra were employed for achieving unique, up to then, orchestral effects, such as the sense of ‘unity and of coloristic nuance’ (Zaslaw 439) in regard to all parts of a music piece. At this point, the following issue should be explored: which are the factors that influenced Mozart in choosing orches tration as a key technique for presenting his works to the public? In addition, it should be made clear at what level orchestration has been part of Mozart’s works. Finally, the key tools used by Mozart for promoting orchestration should be presented. Different factors tend to influence composers and performers when having to choose instruments that will be used in performing music works. For example, when composers were asked to develop music works for ‘a powerful person who loved to play a particular music instrument and wished to combine it with others’ (Honigsheim 98), the music work ordered needed to meet the following criterion: it should be based solely on ‘the combination of this instrument with others’ (Honigsheim 98). Mozart has responded to such requests developing music pieces based

Ernest Hemingway Essay Example for Free

Ernest Hemingway Essay Ernest Miller Hemingway was considered one of the great American authors of the 20th century. Hemingways unique style of writing set him apart from other authors of this time and of today. He influenced many generations of authors with his style of using powerful, precise words. He used few adjectives, simple verbs, and short sentences in his works. Hemingway believed that his writing should be based on knowledge that he had acquired on a particular subject through his own personal life. In a passage from Hemingways Death in the Afternoon, he wrote If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. This is in fact why Hemingway wrote most of his novels and stories in the first person point of view. Hemingway was also known for the dialogue he wrote between his characters. This allowed the reader to see his characters emotions and inner thoughts. Ernest Hemingways style challenged readers to look below the surface for the meaning of his words. This was known as the Iceberg Theory because the tip of an iceberg is the only visible portion above the sea while the largest part is far below the sea. The Hemingway hero, a male character who faces violence and destruction with courage, and the Hemingway code, unemotional behavior in difficult and dangerous situations, were also trademarks of Hemingways style. To better understand Ernest Hemingway as an author, one must first look at Hemingway as a person. Ernest Hemingway was born in 1899 in Illinois. As a young boy, Hemingway enjoyed hunting and fishing at the family cabin in rural Michigan. These outings allowed him to gain appreciation for Mother Nature, and to look for adventure in many parts of the world. This love of the outdoors was reflected in many of his writings, such as The Green Hills of Africa published in 1935. During Hemingways high school years, he was editor of the school newspaper. This was the beginning of his writing career. Shortly after graduation, Hemingway went into battle during World War I, where he was an ambulance driver. He became injured and returned to Illinois where he landed a job with the Toronto Star. He became a war correspondent, moved to Paris, and got the opportunity to interview many European political leaders, such as Mussolini. These two events influenced Hemingway to write his first best-seller, A Farewell to Arms, in 1929. Hemingways job, a reporter and journalist, required him to write short and to-the-point articles, which was how he wrote as an author. In 1929, this style of writing led Hemingway to write and publish his first work, Three Stories and Ten Poems. Hemingway the author was born. Ernest Hemingway was married four times. The first two marriages failed because Hemingway was unhappy, the third failed because his wife was unhappy, and the fourth continued until the end of Hemingways life. Hemingway never had a female as the main character in his works. In 1939, Hemingways father committed suicide after battling high blood pressure and diabetes for many years. The painful experience of his fathers death influenced the novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. Hemingway moved to Cuba in 1945 where he wrote The Old Man and the Sea, a novel about an old fisherman who battled a giant marlin and the sea. This novel won Hemingway a Pulitzer Prize. In 1954, this novel also won Ernest Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature. He could not attend the ceremonies because of injuries he received in a near fatal plane crash. Hemingway was forced to move back to the United States in 1960 because of the communist movement led by Fidel Castro. Hemingways health began to deteriate. His injuries from the plane crash prevented him from enjoying his love for the outdoors and his love for writing. Hemingway sank into a state of depression and shot himself, just as his father had done some years earlier. Hemingway had several unfinished works, such as The Garden of Eden and A Moveable Feast, which were published to satisfy the reading public who longed for more of his great style of writing. Hills Like White Elephants and A Clean Well-Lighted Place were two short stories written by Ernest Hemingway during his career as an author. They both show Hemingways ability to entertain the reader with his short, simple well-known style, along with a bit of Hemingways personal beliefs and life. They are short on words, as a journalist would write, but not on the themes, that Hemingway the author wanted to convey to the reader. Hills Like White Elephants was a story about a girl and an American male who were discussing the fate of their unborn child. The story took place in a bar or cafe in Spain. Hemingway made the reader look for the true meaning of the story starting with the title by using symbolism. The story had nothing to do with hills or white elephants, but Hemingways choice of words and his use of dialogue between the two people soon guided the reader to realize that the title represented the real problem being dealt with by the girl and the American. The hills represented the two choices, or decisions, the girl had to make, either keep the baby alive in her womb or have an abortion. The hills might also have represented the difficulties of relationships. One hill is described as fields of grain and trees, or fertile, while the other is described as having no shade and no trees, or barren. The white elephant symbolized the mystery of what life had to offer, or something that nobody wantedthe baby. The dialogue used between the girl and the American showed the reader that the relationship was strained, Just because you say I wouldnt have doesnt prove anything. The American also tried to get the girl to see things his way by saying that the abortion he wanted her to have is perfectly simple. The story was typical of Hemingways Iceberg Theory. There was more going on in the story than just a conversation at a bar. The story was also a bit different from most of Hemingways other works. He seemed to have made the girl more superior than the male, more like a Hemingway hero, and also allowed her to display the Hemingway code, I feel fine. , even though she was faced with a big decision in her life-one that could change it no matter what she chose. A Clean Well-Lighted Place was a story about an old man, a young waiter, and an old waiter. This story also took place in a bar in some Spanish speaking country. The story dealt with the light inside the cafe and the darkness inside the old man. The cafe was a place the old man could escape the darkness, boredom, and nothingness-the Nada, of his life. It is well lit and represented a place the old man could seek comfort. Hemingway used this character to demonstrate that darkness, or death, awaits us all. Again, He used dialogue to let the reader see how the characters emotionally felt. The young waiter was aggravated by the old mans presence and said, I wish he would go home. Hemingway did not give the characters in this short story names because that was not necessary information for the reader. The reader only needed to feel the ideas in the story, Hemingway believed that it was not his name that was important but his words in his works. His concise wording gave the reader a chance to see his characters personalities. The young waiter stated that An old man is a nasty thing. which showed the reader that he had very little respect for the aging. During Hemingways final years, he resembled the old man in the cafe. Both were depressed and Hemingway wrote that he tried to commit suicide. The only difference between them was the old man did not succeed and Hemingway did. This story was also typical of his Iceberg Theory. There was much more going on in the bar than just people drinking. The old man also demonstrated the Hemingway hero and the Hemingway code. He faced death with courage and tried to show little or no emotion about his life ending. Many criticized Ernest Hemingway for his personal and sometimes less than perfect lifestyle, but very few critics can find fault in his literary works. They are works of a brilliant author who was very skilled at what he loved to dowrite. According to the July 7, 1999 issue of Time Magazine, Ernest Hemingway deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature and the trumpets of fame that went with this prestigious honor. He received this award for his best selling novel, The Old Man and the Sea. He broke the bounds of American writing, enriched U. S. Literature ?. and showed new ways to new generations of writers. He was only one of five other American born writers to receive this honor. It also stated that Hemingway wrote this novel over 200 times before he felt it was ready for publication and that perhaps he was his own best critic. The words Hemingway wrote were described as ?. an organic being of their own. Every syllable counts toward a stimulating, entrancing experience of magic and fibrous and athletic, colloquial and fresh, hard and clean. Ernest Hemingway was referred to as an artist and brilliant with whatever words he chose to paint with. Ernest Hemingway was a very interesting person and an enriching author. I enjoyed reading and studying the two short stories, Hills Like White Elephants and A Clean Well-Lighted Place. His style of using dialogue, symbolism, and concise wording made these works a challenge? but a challenge I liked. Hemingway worked timelessly to perfect his writing so that it could be appreciated by readers of all ages? even those of us who thought literature was not for them. Bibliography Ernest (Miller) Hemingway. DISCovering Authors. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 12 April 2007 http://galenet. galegroup. com/servlet/SRC Hunt, Douglas. The Riverside Anthology of Literature. Dallas: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Kramer, Victor A. Hemingway, Ernest. World Book Online Reference Center. 2007. 12 April 2007. Kunitz, Stanley J. Twentieth Century Authors. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, 1955. Segall, Mary T. Portals. Philadelphia: Harcourt Brace College, 1999.

longterm nuclear effects :: essays research papers

When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: blast, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation. When a nuclear weapon is detonated the energy of the blast is transferred to the surrounding environment in three forms: bla st, thermal radiation, and nuclear radiation.

How does Fitzgerald’s variety of language techniques illustrate his views on the lifestyle of the era, here and in the novel as a whole

With reference to at least two passages, show how Fitzgerald's variety of language techniques illustrate his views on the lifestyle of the era, here and in the novel as a whole. Fitzgerald uses many different literary techniques to portray his opinion of the lifestyle during the 1920's. The use of Nick Carraway as narrator continually exposes the readers to both the positives, and negatives of this era. Throughout â€Å"The Great Gatsby† Fitzgerald explores key issues of â€Å"The jazz age†. The role of women and the hierarchy of society are two of the main issues which Fitzgerald explores. Throughout passage one there is a big divide of social status and it is clear that the differences within the class hierarchy are profound: â€Å"He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive.† Fitzgerald uses the brutal character of Tom Buchanan to portray the divide and disapproval of working class citizens like Wilson. The use of strong adjectives portrays the maltreatment of the working class. In passage two Fitzgerald presents the opposite end of the hierarchy to the readers. The readers are therefore exposed to a world of wealth: â€Å"†¦superior couples holding each other tortuously, fashionably, and keeping to the corners†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The continued use of adjectives by Fitzgerald this time creates a different image. He creates a disjointed atmosphere which is contrasted by wealth. The negative imagery that is created challenges the idea of The American Dream and the fallible belief of characters like Wilson that success and therefore wealth is essential. This contrasts the first passage where Fitzgerald portrays the negatives of poverty. Fitzgerald suggests that there was no equilibrium of success and wealth in that society. However, Fitzgerald was in fact part of the higher social class who contributed to these parties. Infidelity is a key issue that Fitzgerald exposes in this novel and this is especially true for passage one: â€Å"She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye.† Fitzgerald uses his narrator Nick to observe the desperate actions of a typical working class woman of the 1920's. Fitzgerald's provocative language, â€Å"looking him flush in the eye,† portrays Myrtle's obsessive pursuit of wealth and supposed happiness. The idea of The American Dream is once again divulged, as Myrtle's quest for wealth sacrifices her marriage. The comparison of Wilson to a ghost is important because it shows that Fitzgerald disapproves of Myrtle's actions and is trying to portray her callous behaviour. The technique of formal, introductory action, â€Å"shook hands with Tom† is used by Fitzgerald in contrast to the deeper more intimate relationship beneath the superficial appearance. This represents Fitzgerald and his sympathy in this instance for the poor, hardworking citizens; even though he was himself part of this wealthy lifestyle. In passage two no direct infidelity is explored by Fitzgerald; however the idea of frivolity amongst couples is: â€Å"There was dancing now on the canvas in the garden; old men pushing young girls backward in eternal graceless circles†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fitzgerald's use of â€Å"pushing† and â€Å"graceless† suggests that there is no connection or intensity in relationships. Similarly to the worthless marriage of Wilson and Myrtle, these couples are awkward and without attachment. The role of women is a major flaw of society within this time period. Fitzgerald suggests mistreatment in his description of, â€Å"†¦old men pushing young girls†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He emphasises the lack of connection amongst couples and presence of control over women. He disapproves of the treatment of women; however he does not defend the women or even approve of their actions, â€Å"single girls dancing individualistically†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His language is sarcastic and mocking towards the drunken women at Gatsby's party. Both sides of Fitzgerald's arguments are made more significant by the location, representing the treatment in public situations. Fitzgerald is portraying the lack of reaction amongst citizens of the 1920's. Similarly to when Tom broke Daisy's nose. Although the action was recognised by Nick it was not dwelled upon. This domination is re-emphasised later in the novel at another public party location: â€Å"Whenever he sees I'm having a good time he wants to go home.† Fitzgerald repeatedly features dominating, bullying husbands who control their wives and restrict their lives. However, some would argue that the control is to stop inappropriate behaviour of the typically drunk women of the era. This control over women is paralleled in passage one by the dominating male character of Tom: â€Å"I want to see you†¦Get on the next train.† Fitzgerald uses Tom's brutal nature and blunt direct speech to portray the worthlessness of women. Fitzgerald's language is domineering and controlling, which suggests that he has unfaithful motives for his arrangements with â€Å"his girl†. Fitzgerald portrays an entirely different character to the readers after Myrtle's death: â€Å"Tom drove slowly†¦In a little while I heard a low husky sob, and saw that the tears were overflowing down his face.† Fitzgerald show's the readers that this lifestyle can be fragile and vulnerable at times. The readers see a new side of Tom and it proves that although he was a domineering character he did have true feelings for Myrtle. Fitzgerald still represents the era by using bold and masculine adjectives, â€Å"†¦low husky sob†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This description of Tom portrays the idea that people could not show fragility without trying to be superficially strong. The male domination of characters like Tom is similar to the behaviour of Mink in â€Å"Postcards† by Annie Proulx. Mink is a very possessive and restricting character, he controls his wife Jewell: â€Å"†¦Mink wouldn't hear of it. Had a fit every time I wanted to go somewhere†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This possession is very similar to Tom and his control that he needs over Daisy. However there is a difference, Mink and Jewell are very poor farmers which are directly contrasted by the wealth of Tom and Daisy. The American Dream that so many people went in search of, hoping that money meant happiness, is proved false. Two completely different male characters from different wealth background are still dominating and controlling. Therefore, American Dream seekers like Wilson, Myrtle, The Joad family from â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath†, Lenny and George from â€Å"Of mice and Men† are blinded by a dream. Excess is an issue of the 1920's among successful wealthy people similar to those of Gatsby, Daisy and Tom. Fitzgerald displays initial disapproval of this gluttony: â€Å"†¦Champagne was served in glasses bigger than finger-bowls.† The use of an upper class comparison makes this sentence more powerful. Fitzgerald compares excess with more flamboyant objects. This is effective in the portrayal of the lavishness of parties. However, his possible disapproval is soon altered by the effects of alcohol and the narrator is soon engulfed in a wealthy society: â€Å"I had taken two finger-bowls of champagne, and the scene has changed before my eyes into something significant, elemental, and profound.† Fitzgerald condemns the consumption of alcohol and displays its dangers perfectly through the transformation of his narrator and his observations. He suggests that society's vision is clouded by alcohol and excessiveness rendering it impossible to possess educated and sensible opinions of the extravagant lifestyle. The excess of a public environment is directly contrasted with the poverty of a private location in passage one: â€Å"†¦a grey, scrawny Italian child was setting torpedoes in a row along the railroad track.† This observation made by Tom is purposefully displaying Fitzgerald's disapproval of the excess of the Buchanon's lifestyle. He shows readers that poverty was ignored by the upper class. Instead of helping the area characters similar to Tom want to ignore them and return to their luxurious lifestyles. The private location is essential in the portrayal of the ignorance to poverty and the lack of connection with menial workers like Wilson. The entire novel displays one of the biggest flaws of 1920's society, superficiality. Passage two contains the superficiality of parties and public events: â€Å"†¦Vacuous bursts of laughter rose toward the summer sky.† Fitzgerald uses a powerful adjective to describe the laughter as being fake. Imagery is created of clouds floating into the sky; this is created by Fitzgerald to display the superficial atmosphere. Everyone at the party is contributing to the hollow laughter and taking advantage of Gatsby and his hospitality. Fitzgerald is showing the readers a lack of genuine care or enjoyment, it is a superficial persona. Fitzgerald continues to show the readers that superficiality is present in private scenes like passage one: â€Å"Get some chairs†¦his wife moved close to Tom.† Fitzgerald portrays how a relationship can be superficial. Myrtle's order is brazen in order to spend time with Tom. He shows the readers that people of this era were superficial, for public show and private gain. This is similar behaviour to that of Daisy later on in the novel: â€Å"Make us a cold drink†¦As he left the room again she got up and went over to Gatsby and pulled his face down, kissing him in the mouth.† This behaviour is paralleled to Myrtle's; they are both very cold and daring in these cases. Fitzgerald believes this is wrong and he displays this by the quick pace of the sentence, it shows a rush to end the action. The behaviour is similar to that of Tom and his affair with Myrtle, which shows a strength emerging for women. Daisy is now entering into an affair just as Tom is. Fitzgerald represents a clear disapproval of the unfaithful nature of society. I think Fitzgerald uses lots of literary techniques to cover all the key issues of the 1920's. He successfully describes situations vividly and encourages the reader using Nick as narrator. The readers are encouraged to believe that the â€Å"Jazz age† was excessive, superficial, wealth obsessed and unfaithful. However, as Fitzgerald shows using Nick, it was a very attractive era which captured people and engulfed them in money.

Online School vs. Public School Essay

Sloan Consortium stated that, â€Å"More than one million students attended classes via the Internet in 2008. Of those million, around 200,000 were enrolled in full-time virtual schools, meaning they attend all of their classes online.† I have been doing Online Schooling for two years but before that I went to public school. Online schooling is a better choice than public schooling because you have more control, there is no drama, and you have more free time. I prefer online homeschooling because I can control my pace. I get to decide when I want to work and I don’t have to study all day, everyday like I normally would. The course schedule is also up to me; courses can be done one at a time or in groups. During my first year at an online school I did five courses at one time. It’s now my second year and I am doing one course at a time, which I definitely prefer. At Public schools, course schedules are picked for me and I would have no control. You also can’t control what is going on in your school environment. One of the best things about online school is that there is never any drama. I really hate gossiping, which is a big problem at public schools. Because I only interact with other kids from my school by way of the internet there is no pettiness between us. Kids my age fight over friends and boyfriends or girlfriends. There’s nothing to fight about when you live as far away from each other as we do. At normal schools though, you see everyone everyday. When your constantly with the same group of people, someone’s feelings are always getting hurt and there is constant arguments. Many of situations involve your â€Å"friends†. If your friends with someone you can’t be friends with anyone they don’t like, which can get very complicated. 3 When doing school online, you have much more free time. If I stay caught up, I’m able to do things after school and on the weekends. When I was in public school, I had far too much homework to do anything. Now I’m able to take a few days off for vacation or because I’m sick and not have to worry about falling far behind. While at public school all of my time was filled by homework, but now I’m able to spend hours after school with my horse or just relaxing. Some of my family has expressed concern about me not  interacting with children my age because I don’t go to public school. Because of online schooling, I’m able to hang out with my friends at our barn. Before I switched I never saw any of my friends outside of school because I never had the time. Online schooling is a much better choice than public schooling. The benefits of online school far outweigh those of public schooling. With Online schooling you have so many more choices, everything is up to you! There are many different schooling choices but online schooling has made my life easier and stress free. I definitely suggest that you look into online schooling as an alternative to public school. It may not be right for everyone, but it might be right for you.

Ethical Self Reflection Essay Essay Example

Ethical Self Reflection Essay Essay Example Ethical Self Reflection Essay Essay Ethical Self Reflection Essay Essay Abstraction In many instances. a individual must take between two or more â€Å"rights† that may or may non aline with both one’s lesson and ethical criterions. The care-based. rule-based. ends-based thought to get at a determination instead than apologizing after the fact are necessary for analysing ethical quandary ( Hughes. Ginnett. A ; Curphy. 2012. pp. 164-165 ) . The self-reflection needed to place one’s cardinal nature. and to understand the ethical motives. moralss and values one uses to do determinations are critical to going an reliable leader who is a moral director that serves the people that follow him or her ( Hughes. et. Al. pp. 152-153 ) . Ethical Self Reflection What is right? Ethical motives define personal character related to the thoughts of both right and incorrect. Ethical motives. while inherently linked to ethical motives and one’s moral duties. is a set of moral rules used in a societal system in which those ethical motives are applied. In other words. moralss point to criterions or codifications of behaviour expected by the group to which the person belongs. These criterions could be national moralss. societal moralss. company moralss. professional moralss. or even household moralss. So while a person’s moral codification is normally unchanging. the moralss he or she patterns can be dependent on exogenic factors non controlled by the person or the group to which the person belongs. Care-based thought describes what is normally referred to as the Golden Rule. â€Å"Do unto others as you want others to make to you† . of behavior and is most closely aligned with Aristotle’s Hagiographas refering felicity. Ar istotle writes in Nichomachean Ethics that. â€Å"If felicity is activity in conformity with virtuousness. it is sensible that it should be in conformity with the highest virtuousness ; and this will be that of the best thing in us† ( Aristotle. 1992. p. 7 ) . Therefore the thought of moralss does non get down with the ethical motives of either right or incorrect. but starts with the premiss that we all desire what is good or what seems so to us ( Brennan. 1992. p. 64 ) . Happiness. so. is to populate in an objectively good manner harmonizing to several virtuousnesss that conform to the best and most complete facets of human activity including wisdom. cognition. bravery. self-denial. munificence. and honest aspiration ( Brennan. pp. 65-67 ) . These virtuousnesss describe the character of a good individual whose Acts of the Apostless are ethically free. non compelled ; voluntary and non forced. Unlike Aristotle’s character based moralss. Immanuel Kant proposes a rule-based thought that actions of true moral worth are done when a individual does the right thing because it is right and non for what benefit the individual can acquire out of the act ( Hughes. et. Al. p. 165 ) . This type of believing mostly negates the external factors that may act upon a person’s disposition to wiegh the determination to move based on the greatest hapiness provided to thegreatest figure of people. When one takes the consequences or effects of an act into consideration moreso than the act’s rightness or inappropriateness. so the act can be said to be based on ends-based thought ( Hughes. et. Al. p. 165 ) . This thought is mostly based on Utilitariansim proposed by JohnStuart Mill in 1863 who defines it as: The credo which accepts as the foundation of ethical motives. Utility. or the Greatest Happiness Principle. holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to advance felicity. incorrect as they tend to bring forth the felicity. By felicity is intended supplication sure. and the absence of hurting ; by sadness. hurting. and the want of pleasance ( Mill. 1863. pp. 9-10 ) . Mill. nevertheless. did non suggest that the terminals of an action justified the agencies. for justness. to Mills. is paramount to the creative activity of good organisations and societies ( Mill. pp. 42-43 ) . The rule of ends-based thought or utilitarianism requires that each individual count for every bit much as the following. and that no individual adult male or adult female should be made to endure unfairness in order to increase the felicity of all the remainder ( Brennan. p. 98 ) . Determining why we say what we are traveling to state ; why we do what we are traveling to make ; and why we feel what we feel in an ethical quandary presupposes that moral pick is rational. However. â€Å"man is non a rational animate being ; he is a apologizing animal†¦ [ and ] one of the hardest things to believe is the abysmal deepness of human stupidity† ( Heinlein. 1953. p. 18 ) . This Sartrean trade name of existential philosophy is based on the thought that we act first. and so look around for ground afterward ( Brennan. p. 122 ) . This rationalizing does non run at the degree of our ain behaviour entirely. We. as societal animate beings. are prone to accommodate to the world as others find it. We tend to conform. even if. when rationally examined. the world of the group does non do sense. â€Å"To thine ain ego be true. and it must follow. as the dark the twenty-four hours. thou canst non so be false to any man† ( Shakespeare. Hamlet. Act I scene 3. 78-82 ) . Shakespeare provides Polonius a voice that resonates clearly in present contexts the importance of being true with one’s ethical motives and virtuousnesss. True. non in the Elizabethan sense of doing certain you had your place and fundss in order to let you to break aid others. but true in a sense of Plato’s axiom â€Å"Know Thyself† . Jean-Jacques Rousseau. whose name is strongly associated with the Enlightenment motion. believed that the cognition of oneself is the beginning of wisdom ( Brennan. J. . p. 75 ) . Deriving this c ognition requires self-reflection. Reflection links changed consciousness with changed action. Contemplation is a valuable portion of any worthwhile attempt. When one takes the clip to thoughtfully reflect about an experience. one is given the chance to larn from it. to bask success. understand failures. and to derive penetrations that will be helpful to you in future activities The cognition of ego is indispensable to enable leaders and followings who aspire to take to clear up their ain values as they model the manner for others to follow ( Barry P. . Kouzes J. . 2012 ) . However. raising the cloud of the false personal perceptual experiences we all build from the forepart of our observation lenses is no easy undertaking. Our inexplicit biass. in-group favouritism. claims of imagined recognition and misjudged struggles of involvement are the fuel to the clouds that provide us an over-inflated sense of ego ( Hughes R. L. . et Al. . 2012. pp. 161-163 ) Simple self-reflection or self-contemplation is utile when we are seeking to make up ones mind to do for dinner. During the 2012 Human Capital Institute ( HCI ) Learning and Leader Developm ent Conference. BG ( Ret ) Thomas Kolditz said that. â€Å"You can’t become in 30 seconds what you haven’t been in 30 years† ( Fakalata. 2012 ) . Whether a leader is in a corporate council chamber. watching the company’s monetary value point per portion autumn so low that you need a particular ticket into the New York Stock Exchange’s stinking underbelly to see how far it truly drop. or whether a leader is watching his ladder and hose crews conflict an industrial chemical fire near a suburban Alabama community. the state of affairss that test leading are besides the events that produce competent and selfless leaders driven by moral duty and societal scruples ( Kolditz. 2007 ) . Likewise. these same state of affairss produce the corporate and local authorities scoundrels that are ridiculed for their selfishness. incompetency. heedlessness and greed. Motive provides one the ground for making something and may be considered the â€Å"why† that inspires the â€Å"what† needs to be done ( Covey. 2006. p. 78 ) . Valuess are concepts stand foring generalised behaviours or provinces of personal businesss th at are considered by the person to be of import ( Hughes. Ginnett. A ; Curphy. 2012. p. 152 ) . With these definitions in head. one may surmise that values – what is of import to us – steer us to follow motivations that become seeable to others through our behaviour towards and with others to finish the â€Å"what† needs to be done. Loyalty to a leader is engendered when followings can put their full trust in leaders who are perceived as individuals with high moral unity ( Wakin. 1976. p. 587 ) . The moral duties one has influences the values that drive us toward a certain set of motivations that cause us to take action under changing fortunes. Leaderships who are consistent with their behaviours with regard to their sensed moral duties are viewed as holding high moral unity and worthy of trust. The ability of a individual to take a group is frequently dependent on the civilization and the group’s beliefs in right and incorrect – the ethical clime ( Hughes. Ginnett. A ; Curphy. p. 155 ) . For illustration. a individual who values money. cut d owning disbursals. recognizing net incomes. and maximising concern chances is motivated by finance or fiscal wealth. This individual. taking a group that values devotedness to responsibility. difficult work. and regard for authorization. may see trouble because the values are non shared and will seldom align to the tradition that motivates the group being led. The fiscal leader in a group of diehards may be viewed negatively because the obtaining fiscal success is considered the incorrect â€Å"why† to make work that requires – from the groups perspective – responsibility. trueness. difficult work and regard. In any context where leading is a critical constituent to success. moral absolutists whose values reflect rigorous attachment to a defined rule-based thought procedure may be viewed as sturdy and hide-bound. Likewise. a pragmatist or a individual that uses end-based thought to warrant actions may be viewed as one who uses any method to inadvisably accomplish the organisations ends and aims. In either instance. the denomination of absolutist or pragmatist may be viewed as a dyslogistic depending on what values are shared by the followings and the organisation. However. neither moral archetype account is sufficient when covering with human actions and the values that drive the motivations behind these actions. Truth-telling. promise-keeping. saving of life. regard for belongings may non be absolute moral duties. but they are non comparative either. Rather. as Hughes describes. the state of affairs significantly influences both the precedence of moral duties and the leading interaction between the leader and followings in a peculiar state of affairs ( Hughes. Ginnett. A ; Curphy. p. 26 ) . In footings possibly more easy understood. moral duties like promise-keeping may be at odds. depending on the state of affairs. with an equal cosmopolitan duty like continuing life. Neither duty is absolute and neither is comparative. nevertheless fortunes may originate when 1 must prioritise the duty that shapes what one values and provides the motivation to take action. Leadership is about acquiring consequences in a manner that inspires trust ( Covey. 2006. p. 40 ) . Trust of oneself. trust in the relationships we have with our components and the organisation of which we are portion. The means to carry through a undertaking and acquire the expected consequences are merely every bit of import as the terminals. Leaderships possessing a set of ethical motives consistent with the moralss of a given society ( organisation ) are better able to acquire consequences in a manner that maintains or increases trust. The non-conformists and the dissenters who openly oppose dominant societal attitudes and political orientations are non needfully more right or more rational. But we might take their unfavorable judgment as an chance for honorable self-reflection and scrutiny of even our most in a heartfelt way held positions of ourselves and our society. Congruity with ethical motives. values. motivations and behavior consequences in what we might name unity. There are no spreads between what the individual believes and how they act. and therefore we can swear t hat actions are done in conformity with who the person truly is. MentionsAristotle. ( 1992. January 3 ) . Nichomachean Ethics. The Internet Classics Archive. Ten. ( D. C. Stevenson. Ed. . A ; W. D. Ross. Trans. ) Cambridge. MA. United States. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //classics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. edu//Aristotle/nicomachaen. hypertext markup language Brennan. J. G. ( 1992 ) . Foundations of Moral Obligation ; The Stockdale Course. Newport. Rhode island: Naval War College Press. Covey. S. ( 2006 ) . The Speed of Trust: The One Thing ThatChanges Everything. New York. New york: Free Press. Heinlein. R. A. ( 1953 ) . Assignment in Eternity. NY. New York: Baen Publishing Enterprises. Hughes. R. L. . Ginnett. R. C. . A ; Curphy. G. J. ( 2012 ) . Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience. New York. New york: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Mill. J. S. ( 1863 ) . Utilitarianism. London. England: Parker. Son and Bourne. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //play. Google. com/store/books/details? id=lyUCAAAA QAAJ A ; rdid=book-lyUCAAAAQAAJ A ; rdot=1 Wakin. M. M. ( 1976 ) . The Ethics of Leadership. American Behavioral Scientist ( Pre-1986 ) . 19 ( 5 ) . 567-588. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //search. proquest. com/docview/194626859? accountid=12871

Circus Elephant Training Abuse by Trainers

Circus Elephant Training Abuse by Trainers It is important to note that the elephant is highly endangered. There were once millions of African elephants who roamed the entire continent. Now their numbers are estimated at around 300,000 and mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa. The Asian elephant is even more critical. Its numbers are down to only about 30,000. There were at one time millions. Not only are some animal acts harming and killing elephants, but they are also doing this to a highly endangered species. In order to train an 8,000-11,000 pound animal – who can be very deadly to humans – to perform tricks seen in circuses such as headstands, tightrope walking, roller skating and the such, often it is believed that the fierce application of negative reinforcement is required. Physical punishment has often been a standard training method for animals in circuses. Elephants are sometimes beaten, shocked, and whipped in order for them to perform repeatedly the routines of circus performance. The Animal Welfare A ct (AWA) does not prohibit the use of bullhooks, whips, electrical shock prods, or other such training devices. The elephants are beaten by several people for up to fifteen minutes at a time with bull-hooks. Their skin being as sensitive as humans, one can understand the torture this entails. Beatings According to congressional testimony provided by former Beatty-Cole elephant keeper Tom Rider, [I]n White Plains, N.Y., when Pete did not perform her act properly, she was taken to the tent and laid down, and five trainers beat her with bull-hooks. Rider also told officials that [a]fter my three years working with elephants in the circus, I can tell you that they live in confinement and they are beaten all the time when they dont perform properly (Rider). To hide this from circus goers, lacerations from bull-hooks are often covered up with wonder dust, a type of theatrical pancake makeup (according to ​circuses.com). The public does not see the violence and abuse some of these elephants endure. Not all animal trainers are abusive; some do care deeply for the animals in their trust. Nonetheless, from the easily accessible literature on the web, it appears abuse does happen. Confinement Possibly even worse than the negative reinforcement, though, is the confinement performing elephants endure. Remember elephants sometimes walk up to 50 miles a day and they are often confined to spaces no bigger than a standard American one-bedroom apartment. In states which require chaining of elephants when not performing, elephants are chained in spaces the size of an average automobile by two legs for up to twenty hours a day. Circuses.com reports: During the off-season, animals used in circuses may be housed in traveling crates or barn stalls; some are even kept in trucks. Such unrelieved physical confinement can have harmful physical and psychological effects on animals. These effects are often indicated by unnatural behaviors such as repeated head bobbing, swaying, and pacing. (Epstein) A study of circuses conducted by Animal Defenders International in the United Kingdom found abnormal behaviors of this kind in all of the species observed. Investigators witnessed elephants that were chained for 70 percent of the day, horses that were confined for 23 hours per day, and large cats that were kept in cages up to 99 percent of the time (Creamer Phillips). Danger Other than the beatings and the chaining, another reason pop culture should consider not attending animal circuses is a human danger. Eventually, after years and sometimes decades of circus life, these large animals sometimes will go mad, rampage, and kill trainers, circus members, and audience members just as Tyke did in Hawaii. In a worst-case scenario situation, an elephant named Janet rampaged with children on her back during a performance of the Great American Circus in Palm Bay. The officer who finally killed her after shooting 47 rounds into the elephant who supposedly had been chained and beaten for years said, I think these elephants are trying to tell us that zoos and circuses are not what God created them for ... but we have not been listening...this is the kind of stuff people protest about (Sahagun, Louis. Elephants Pose Giant Dangers, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 11, 1994).

The role of Social Media as a mode of Market Communication in the U.K Dissertation

The role of Social Media as a mode of Market Communication in the U.K - Dissertation Example TION 1.1: Introduction Marketing has been one of the most important aspects of creating awareness about different products and services. In last few years, the nature of marketing has changed a lot mainly because of the emergence of so many media tools capable of communicating with end users in an effective manner. One of the highly efficient and effective marketing communication tools that has gained immense popularity and acceptance in the global business environment is in the form of social media (Albrecht, 2006). Social media helps in connecting with different people in an easy and hassle free manner along with communicating wide arrays of messages in a simple and convenient manner. In the United Kingdom, almost two-third (65%) of the population has used Facebook, followed by YouTube (50%), and Twitter (23%). This shows that the acceptance level of using these social media is quite high among British people. Marketers too have realised the importance of social media and have been using them to promote their business products and services in a well planned and easy manner (Alderson, 2009). In the context of marketing communication, it becomes all the more important to deliver the messages to consumers in a clear and transparent manner along with enhancing the frequency and acceptance of the messages (Blanchard, 2011). Social media helps in connecting with large number of people along with spreading the message in a fast manner that further helps in communicating with consumers in a very fast and efficient manner. The major purpose of the research is to analyse and assess the role of social media as a mode of market communication in the United Kingdom (Alderson, 2009).For this purpose, the focus will be on the analysis of different social media tools and overall acceptance and usefulness in terms of enhancing the marketing appeal of different organisations in the UK. In this regard, the researcher has formulated the research aim and objectives being discussed further (Lovett, 2011). 1.2: Research Aim The primary aim of the research is to analyse and assess the role of social media as a mode of market communication in the UK. In order to achieve this proposed research aim; the researcher has formulated few research objectives discussed as follow. 1.3: Research Objectives The research objectives are as follow: To analyse the role of social media as a mode of market communication by comparing with other market communication tools To assess the usefulness and benefits of using social media tools in enhancing the market communication To identify the advantages and disadvantages of using social

Discuss the impact on Psychology of Descartes' introduction of Essay

Discuss the impact on Psychology of Descartes' introduction of mind-body dualism - Essay Example He has been faced with grave critiques since he tried to describe the two substances separate as well as unified (Grant, pp. 486, 2000). Descartes, quite technically, defends his idea by saying that when a person performs certain action or behaves in a specific kind of way in the absence of his conscious mind, his body is a manifestation of a mechanical working. However, when human psychology or consciousness is in full swing and functions properly, that is the time the person’s rational soul unites with his other entity, which is called the mechanical human body (Grant, pp. 487, 2000). Thus, the separation of the two substances is to the extent when mental attention is not up to the mark; nevertheless, with the union of body and mind, the human psychology plays a vital role with its optimum concentration and inclination. To view the whole notion in psychological perspective, what Descartes points out is that the functions of thinking, reasoning, questioning, analyzing, and ra tionalizing are wholly and exclusively performed by the soul. Yet, this soul does not take any physical space. However, for this soul to think and rationalize, the manifestation occurs in the existence of the body that does not think but takes a physical space. Thus, the identity of a person is made so concerning its distinct soul that rationalizes and not with its distinct body which is visible. In this case, when the soul has the power to think and manipulate, it even has the power to exist without a physical substance vis-a-vis the body and this is how Descartes makes the distinction. To understand it more clearly, Descartes claimed that the two substances can live without each other but a living human being can be made with the union of the two, exclusively and exhaustively. Hence, the impact on human psychology is based on the soul and not the body, which is void of all moral values and behavioral distinctions. Moreover, the impact on the psychology that Descartes’ mind and body idea makes can also be understood with an example given by Descartes himself. Descartes uses the example of phantom limb pain and explains that when a person for whatever reasons gets any of his arms or legs amputated, he might still feel pain in the missing portion of his body even after sometime. Therefore, the body is not just a visible autonomous being but is greatly linked and intermingled with the mind or the soul. Moreover, this interaction is such that in the psychology of the person, that amputated part of the body still exists even if it is apparently not there and that is the cause of the pain (Grant, pp. 488, 2000). Hence, body and mind/soul make a unit, the two might be two distinct objects but there being together has a great impact on psychology as earlier discussed. Descartes’ concepts are more vividly explained in the aspect of pain that a human feels. He says that it is not merely the transmission of neurons to the brain to feel a certain kind of pa in in the body, it is more of a though process that occurs in the mind/soul to feel and encounter a pain. Thus, the feeling of pain as encountered by a human’s mind/soul has a thorough impact on the psychology of the person to feel or not to feel the pain and to what extent he does that (Grant, pp. 496-499, 2000). Thus, all kind of pain or sensation is psychological and not bodily, as a person’s mind has to perceive the pain first for the overall human to perceive it. It was for the first time that the animal life was referred as that of machines. Descartes was of the