The Divine Comedy Essay - 1620 Words

In Dante Alighieri’s personal narrative poem, The Divine Comedy, he describes a fictional journey that he underwent through hell in the section titled Inferno. He tells the audience that â€Å"midway along the journey of our life I woke to find myself in a dark wood, for I had wandered off from the straight path† (Dante 1:1-3). Dante must go on a journey through hell and purgatory and learn important lessons with his guide, Virgil, in order to reach heaven. Dante integrates â€Å"exemplum†, or examples, and personal experiences with the shades in hell to portray lessons that he must learn, such as how he must learn to not pity the sinners, to differentiate between his respect for faith versus his respect for people, and that he must not get too much†¦show more content†¦At the end, Dante quickly reveals that his name is Filippo Argenti, who was a man who lived in Florence at the same time as Dante, which is most likely why Dante mentioned that he recogni zed the soul. This canto is important because it is not long after his encounter with Francesca and Paolo, where he pitied the two lovers so much that he passed out. In this canto, Dante has already started to change his vision of the souls stuck in hell because he does not pity Filippo Argenti for ending up in hell. Dante has even started to gain pleasure from seeing the souls in hell, because he says that he still thanks the Lord for allowing him to see the sight of Argenti being attacked by the other shades. In addition to his reaction to the shade, it is clear that Dante is learning his lesson about not pitying the souls in hell because Virgil encourages Dante’s lack of pity towards Argenti in this canto. In the nineteenth canto, Dante has an encounter with a pope who ended up in hell for committing simony. He is curious about the fact that there are small holes everywhere with feet sticking out of them, and a specific pair of feet which are â€Å"writhing more than any of his comrades† and â€Å"licked by a redder flame† (Dante 19:32-33) catch his attention. Dante asks the soul to make a sound if he can hear Dante speaking. The soul replies by asking if it is Boniface speaking to him, which Dante is dumbfounded by, but he quickly respondsShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Divine Comedy1224 Words   |  5 Pagesgoing through hell, keep going. If you were to describe Dante’s Divine Comedy as simply as possible you would use this quote. However, Dante’s Divine Comedy has never been that simple. Sure, it is about religion and hell and heaven. But it is also about political ideas. The way spirituality and politics commingle in Dante’s world has interested literature fiends and political theorists alike. So what exactly is Dante’s Divine Comedy? How did Dante’s everyday life affect this piece of literature?Read More The Divine Comedy Essay728 Words   |  3 Pagesdepth of spiritual vision and was known for his intelligence (Encarta, 1). Between the years of 1308 and 1321, Dante wrote the epic poem, The Divine Comedy,; which described a journey through the afterlife. It takes place during the three days of Good Friday, when Jesus died, and on Easter Sunday when he rose body and soul to heaven. It is a moral comedy, and was written to make readers evaluate their own morals. The journey was to show readers what could happen if they live a sinful life, or ifRead MoreDivine Comedy Essay Questions1737 Words   |  7 Pagesgroups of poets, one group from the classical tradition and one from the school of the Sweet New Style. (If you do not remember what this expression means, you have to go back to one of the lectures at the beginning of the semester. The Scheme of the Divine Comedys first page includes a brief description of what this is.) What is Dantes position about the social use of poetry and art in general? It seems to me that Dante sees a great need for poetry and art in every aspect of life. He uses poeticRead MoreMovement and Stasis in the Divine Comedy Essay2889 Words   |  12 PagesMovement and Stasis : The use of dynamics in the Divine Comedy Movement is a crucial theme of the Divine Comedy. From the outset, we are confronted with the physicality of the lost Dante, wandering in the perilous dark wood. His movement within the strange place is confused and faltering; `Io non so ben ridir comio ventrai. Moreover, it is clear that the physical distress he is experiencing is the visible manifestation of the mental anguish the poet is suffering. The allegory of the imageRead More The Historical Significance of Dantes Divine Comedy Essay2452 Words   |  10 Pagessignificance of Dantes `Divine Comedy Dantes `Divine Comedy, the account of his journey through hell, purgatory and heaven is one of the worlds great poems, and a prime example of a most splendidly realized integration of life with art. More than being merely great poetry, or a chronicle of contemporary events, which it also is, the `Comedy is a study of human nature by a man quite experienced with it. The main argument I will make in this essay is that Dantes `Comedy is chiefly a work ofRead MoreDantes The Divine Comedy - Heaven and Hell Essay829 Words   |  4 PagesDantes The Divine Comedy - Heaven and Hell Where does a person who commits a heinous sin go? Where does a person who did legitimate things and prays all his life go? This is what distinguishes hell and heaven. Hell is to people, what school is to students, a place where souls of all morals, good or bad, were consigned after death. This is the place of punishment of Satan and the other fallen angels and of all mortals who die unrepentant of serious sin. On the contrary, heaven is to people, whatRead MoreThe Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Essays983 Words   |  4 PagesThe Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieris The Divine Comedy, Purgatory Dantes The Divine Comedy section of Purgatory is a depiction of Dante and his struggle to reach paradise. He is a character as well as a narrator. The purgatory section deals with the seven deadly sins and Dantes task of cleansing himself on his journey to heaven. He confronts many different people on his journey to self-righteousness, which help and guide him to his destiny. Accompanied by Virgil or reasonRead MoreDante Alighieri and his Divine Comedy Essay596 Words   |  3 PagesDante Alighieri (1265-1321) was an Italian poet in the Middle Ages. The Divine Comedy, of which Inferno is a part, is considered the greatest literary work in the Italian language and a masterpiece. Inferno is the story of Dante the pilgrim’s journey from the dark wood of error through Hell, led by Virgil. This is Dante the pilgrims opportunity to recognize his sins; he is given the opportunity to see how the error of his ways will be punished if he doe s not change. In Dante’s Hell, the punishmentRead MoreHell in Dantes Divine Comedy Essay example1364 Words   |  6 PagesHell in the divine Comedy and Aeneid In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Dante incorporates Virgil’s portrayal of Hades (In The Aeneid) into his poem, and similarities between the Inferno and Hades can be drawn, however Dante wasn’t attempting to duplicate Virgil’s works. Although the Hell depicted in Dante’s Inferno is essentially based on the literary construction of the underworld found in Virgil’s Aeneid, in their particulars the two kingdoms are quite different. Virgil’s underworld is largelyRead More The Divine Comedy vs. Paradise Lost Essay3038 Words   |  13 Pages Full Circle – from Sin to Salvation nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Great works of literature have been written throughout history. However, The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost have the inept ability to stir the soul and cause a person to examine and re-examine their life. The brilliant descriptions, use of imagery, metaphor and simile give a person a vivid picture of the creation of man and the possibilities for life in the hereafter. This is done, as a person is able to see, full circle, from

The Return Midnight Chapter 32 Free Essays

â€Å"Damon doesn’t mean to be such a – a bastard,†Bonnie said explosively. â€Å"He’s just – so often he feels like it’s the three of us against him – and – and – â€Å" â€Å"Well, who started that? Even back riding the thurgs,†Stefan said. â€Å"I know, but there’s something else,†Bonnie said humbly. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Midnight Chapter 32 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Since it’s only snow and rock and ice – he’s – I don’t know. He’s al tight. Something’s wrong.† â€Å"He’s hungry,†Elena said, stricken by a sudden realization. Since the thurgs there had been nothing for the two vampires to hunt. They couldn’t exist, like foxes, on insects and mice. Of course Lady Ulma had provided plenty of Black Magic for them, the only thing that even resembled a substitute for blood. But their supply was dwindling, and of course, they had to think of the trip back, as well . Suddenly Elena knew what would do her good. â€Å"Stefan,†she murmured, pul ing him into a nook in the craggy stone of the cave entrance. She pushed off her hood and unrol ed her scarf enough to expose one side of her neck. â€Å"Don’t make me say ‘please’too many times,†she whispered to him. â€Å"I can’t wait that long.† Stefan looked into her eyes, saw that she was serious – and determined – and kissed one of her mittened hands. â€Å"It’s been long enough now, I think – no, I’m sure, or I would never even attempt this,†he whispered. Elena tipped her head back. Stefan stood between her and the wind and she was almost warm. She felt the little initial pain and then Stefan was drinking and their minds slid together like two raindrops on a glass window. He took very little blood. Just enough to make the difference in his eyes between Stillgreen pools and sparkling, effervescent streams. But then his gaze went Stillagain. â€Å"Damon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ he said, and paused awkwardly. What could Elena say? I just severed al ties with him? They were supposed to help one another along these trials; to show their wit and courage. If she refused, would she fail again? â€Å"Send him quick then,†she said. â€Å"Before I change my mind.† Five minutes later Elena was again tucked into the little nook, while Damon turned her head back and forth with dispassionate precision, then suddenly darted forward and sank his fangs into a prominent vein. Elena felt her eyes go wide. A bite that hurt this much – Well, she hadn’t experienced it since the days when she had been stupid and unprepared and had fought with al her strength to get free. As for Damon’s mind – there was a steel wal . Since she had to do this, she had been hoping to see the little boy who lived in Damon’s inmost soul, the one who was the unwil ing Watch-Keeper over al of his secrets, but she couldn’t even thaw the steel a little. After a minute or two, Stefan pul ed Damon off of her – not gently. Damon came away sul enly, wiping his mouth. â€Å"Are you okay?†Bonnie asked in a worried whisper, as Elena rummaged through Lady Ulma’s medicine box for a piece of gauze to staunch the unhealed wounds in her neck. â€Å"I’ve been better,†Elena said briefly, as she wrapped up her scarf again. Bonnie sighed. â€Å"Meredith is the one who real y belongs here,†she said. â€Å"Yes, but Meredith real y belongs in Fel ‘s Church, too. I only hope they can hold on long enough for us to come back.† â€Å"I only hope that we can come back with something that wil help them,†Bonnie whispered. Meredith and Matt spent the time from 2:00 A.M. to dawn pouring infinitesimal drops from Misao’s star bal onto the streets of the town, and asking the Power to – somehow – help them in the fight against Shinichi. This brisk movement from place to place had also netted a surprising bonus: kids. Not crazy kids. Normal ones, terrified of their brothers and sisters or of their parents, not daring to go home because of the awful things they had seen there. Meredith and Matt had crammed them into Matt’s mother’s second-hand SUV and brought them to Matt’s house. In the end, they had more than thirty kids, from ages five to sixteen, al too frightened to play, or talk, or even to ask for anything. But they’d eaten everything Mrs. Flowers could find that wasn’t spoiled in Matt’s refrigerator and pantry, and from the pantries of the deserted houses on either side of the Honeycutts’. Matt, watching a ten-year-old girl cramming plain white bread into her mouth with wolfish hunger, tears running down her grimy face as she chewed and swal owed, said quietly to Meredith, â€Å"Think we’ve got any ringers in here?† â€Å"I’d bet my life on it,†she replied just as quietly. â€Å"But what are we going to do? Cole doesn’t know anything helpful. We’l just have to pray that the un-possessed kids wil be able to help us when Shinichi’s ringers attack.† â€Å"I think the best option when confronted by possessed kids who may have weapons is to run.† Meredith nodded absently, but Matt noticed she took the stave everywhere with her now. â€Å"I’ve devised a little test for them. I’m going to smack every one with a Post-It, and see what happens. Kids who’ve done things they regret may get hysterical, kids who’re already just terrified may get some comfort, and the ringers wil either attack or run.† â€Å"This I have to see.† Meredith’s test lured out only two ringers in the whole mob, a thirteen-year-old boy and a fifteen-year-old girl. Each of them screamed and darted through the house, shrieking wildly. Matt couldn’t stop them. When it was al over and the older kids were comforting the younger ones, Matt and Meredith finished boarding up the windows and pasting amulets between the boards. They spent the evening scouting for food, questioning the kids about Shinichi and the Last Midnight, and helping Mrs. Flowers treat injuries. They tried to keep one person on guard at alltimes, but since they had been up and moving since 1:30 A.M., they were al very tired. At a quarter to eleven Meredith came to Matt, who was cleaning the scratches of a yel ow-haired eight-year-old. â€Å"Okay,†she said quietly, â€Å"I’m going to take my car and get the new amulets Mrs. Saitou said she’d have done by now. Do you mind if I take Saber?† Matt shook his head. â€Å"No, I’l do it. I know the Saitous better, anyway.† Meredith gave what, in a less refined person, might have been cal ed a snort. â€Å"I know them well enough to say, excuse me, Inari-Obaasan; excuse me, Orime-san; we’re the troublemakers who keep asking for huge amounts of anti-evil amulets, but you don’t mind that, do you?† Matt smiled faintly, let the eight-year-old go, and said, â€Å"Well, they might mind it less if you got their names straight. ‘Obaasan’means ‘grandma,’right?† â€Å"Yes, of course.† â€Å"And ‘san’is just a thingy you put at the end of a name to be polite.† Meredith nodded, adding, â€Å"And ‘a thingy at the end’is cal ed an ‘honorific suffix.'† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, but for al your big words you’ve got their names wrong. It’s Orime-grandma and Orime-Isobel’s-mother. So Orime-Obaasan and Orime-san, too.† Meredith sighed. â€Å"Look, Matt, Bonnie and I met them first. Grandma introduced herself as Inari. Now I know she’s a little wacky, but she would certainly know her own name, right?† â€Å"And she introduced herself to me and said not just that she was named Orime, but that her daughter was named after her. Talk your way out of that one.† â€Å"Matt, shal I get my notebook? It’s in the boardinghouse den – â€Å" Matt gave a short sharp laugh – almost a sob. He looked to make sure Mrs. Flowers wasn’t around and then hissed, â€Å"It’s somewhere down at the center of the earth, maybe. There is no den anymore.† For a moment Meredith looked simply shocked, but then she frowned. Matt glared darkly. It didn’t help to think that they were the two most unlikely of their group to quarrel. Here they were, and Matt could practical y see the sparks flying. â€Å"All right,†Meredith said final y, â€Å"I’l just go over there and ask for Orime-Obaasan, and then tel them it was al your fault when they laugh.† Matt shook his head. â€Å"Nobody’s going to laugh, because you’re going to get it right that way.† â€Å"Look, Matt,†Meredith said, â€Å"I’ve been reading so much on the Internet that I even know the name Inari. I’ve come across it somewhere. And I’m sure I would have made†¦made the connection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Her voice trailed off. When Matt turned his eyes down from the ceiling, he started. Meredith’s face was white and she was breathing quickly. â€Å"Inari†¦Ã¢â‚¬ she whispered. â€Å"I do know that name, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Suddenly she grabbed Matt’s wrist so hard that it hurt. â€Å"Matt, is your computer absolutely dead?† â€Å"It went when the electricity went. By now even the generator is gone.† â€Å"But you have a mobile that connects to the Internet, right?† The urgency in her voice made Matt, in turn, take her seriously. â€Å"Sure,†he said. â€Å"But the battery’s been kaput for at least a day. Without electricity I can’t recharge it. And my mom took hers. She can’t live without it. Stefan and Elena must’ve left their stuff at the boardinghouse – â€Å"He shook his head at Meredith’s hopeful expression and whispered, â€Å"Or, should I say, where the boardinghouse used to be.† â€Å"But we have to find a mobile or computer that works! We have to! I need it to work for just a minute!†Meredith said frantical y, breaking away from him and beginning to pace as if trying to beat some world record. Matt was staring at her in bewilderment. â€Å"But why?† â€Å"Because we have to. I need it, even just for a minute!† Matt could only gaze at her, perplexed. Final y he said, â€Å"I guess we can ask the kids.† â€Å"The kids! One of them has got to have a live mobile! Come on, Matt, we have to talk to them right now.†She stopped and said, rather huskily, â€Å"I pray that you’re right and I’m wrong.† â€Å"Huh?†Matt had no idea what was going on. â€Å"I said I pray that I’m wrong! You pray, too, Matt – please!† How to cite The Return: Midnight Chapter 32, Essay examples

Psychology 300 Final Exam free essay sample

The aim of biopsychology (also referred to as behavioral neuroscience) is to: A) Link soma and somette in order to understand how emotions manifest themselves behaviorally B) Investigate the physical basis of psychological phenomena such as motivation, emotion, and stress C) Understand the complex interactions of the nervous system D) Study how thoughts and feelings influence an individual’s biological reactions 3. The first laboratory in Psychology was founded in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879 by: A) Sigmund Freud B) Wilhelm Wundt C) William James D) Rene Descartes 4. The approach to psychology which involved devising a method for uncovering the basic elements of consciousness and the way they combine with each other into ideas was known as A) Structuralism B) Behaviorialism Final Exam 2 PSY/300 C) Functionalism D) Elementarism 5. Which field of psychology argues that ones perception of the pieces will be influenced when seeing them as parts of the whole? A) Evolutionary B) Perceptual C) Empirical D) Gestalt 6. A hypothesis is best characterized as: A) A procedure that precedes a theoretical framework B) Any phenomenon that can change from one situation to another C) A systematic way of organizing and explaining observations D) A tentative belief about the relationship between two or more variables 7. To ensure that I am a good researcher, I gave the same questionnaire to the same participants at three different points in time. I hope to get ssentially the same answers. If I do, then I can conclude that my experiment has: A) Internal validity B) External validity C) Inter-rater reliability D) test-retest reliability 8. When it comes to the ethics of animal research, which one of the following is NOT an issue? A) Some animals are cuter than others B) Whether animals have rights Final Exam 3 PSY/300 C) To what extent humans can use other creatures to solve human problems D) That animals cannot give informed consent 9. Information is sent to the brain via the sensory or _____ neurons. A) Afferent B) Motor C) Transient D) Inter 10. Axons are responsible for A) Receiving information from other cells B) Transmitting information to other neurons C) Increasing the transmission speed of messages D) Determining how that particular neuron will manipulate input 11. There are two types of neurotransmitters. They are: A) Inhibitory and synaptic B) Modulating and excitatory C) Inhibitory and excitatory D) Modulating and synaptic 12. The part of the cerebral cortex that is involved in the sense of touch and feeling one’s own body in space is the: A) Parietal lobe B) Occipital lobe C) Temporal lobe D) Frontal lobe Final Exam 4 PSY/300 13. Which of the following is NOT a basic principle of sensation and perception? A) Sensation and perception require strong enough impulses to surpass minimal thresholds B) Sensation and perception are active processes C) There is no one-to-one correspondence between physical and psychological reality D) Sensation and perception are adaptive 4. What kind of learning can be achieved through classical conditioning? A) Learning that an event occurred B) Learning that people have certain patterns of behavior C) Learning that two events are related D) Learning that a behavior produces a particular result 15. As you drive down the street, a leaf hits your windshield. You know that it is not going to break the windshield and yet you blink anyway. In classical conditioning, blinking t o an object that is about to hit you in the face is a/an: A) CS B) CR C) UCS D) UCR 16. You recently noticed that eating sour candy causes extra salivation as your body reacts to the sour taste. You love sour candy and eat it often. The other day you purchased a new bag of sour candy and as you were looking at the bag, you noticed that you were salivating. The sour candy is a: A) CS B) CR C) UCS Final Exam 5 PSY/300 D) UCR 17. The purpose of Watsons experiment involving little Albert was to determine if: A) Infants are innately capable of learning fear B) Phobias do exist C) Babies are just as susceptible as adults to fears D) Emotional responses can be learned 8. An important distinction between operant and classical conditioning is that: A) Classical conditioning can be used to extinguish an undesirable response while operant conditioning tends to be incapable of doing so B) In classical conditioning responses are elicited while in operant conditioning they are emitted C) Classical conditioning works best with mammals and operant conditioning works best with birds and rodents D) Classical conditioning requires an experimenter and operant conditioning does not 9. The theory of motivation that states that people are motivated by wishes and fears is A) The cognitive approach B) The psychodynamic approach C) The biological approach D) None of the above 20. ERG theory condenses Maslows hierarchy of needs into three distinct levels: A) Elementary, reproductive and goal realization B) Elementary, relatedness, and growth C) Existence, relatedness, and growth D) Existence, reproductive, and goal realization Final Exam 6 PSY/300 21. The part of the brain that is responsible for registering the emotional significance of objects is the A) Hypothalamus B) Limbic system C) Cortex D) Amygdala 22. Which one of the following describes a person who is fixated in the latent stage? A) person with problems committing to a relationship B) Person who is uninterested in sex C) A smoker D) Person over 40 who has never moved out of their parents home 23. Which of the following refers to setting goals, evaluating performance, and adjusting behavior to achieve these goals in the context of ongoing feedback? A) goal-establishment B) outcome-management C) potential-realization D) Self-regulation 24. Which of the following factors in the Five Factor Model is believed to be the least heritable? A) Agreeableness B) Neuroticism C) Extraversion D) Openness Final Exam 7 PSY/300 25. The very last developmental crisis adult’s face, according to Erikson at least, is: A) Intimacy versus isolation B) Integrity versus despair C) Generativity versus stagnation D) Acceptance versus despondence 26. Piaget argued all of the following EXCEPT: A) Children’s thought processes are creative but constrained by physical realities and brain development B) Children experience the same stages in the same order C) Children are motivated to make sense of what they experience, integrating what they know D) Cognitive efficiency is influenced by children’s knowledge base 27. According to the psychodynamic viewpoint on moral development, children initially are relatively: A) Evil B) Narcissistic C) good D) Saintly 8. When determining a diagnosis for treating mental disorders, the different axes refer to: A) The symptoms, personality disturbances, medical conditions, and environmental stressors B) The severity of the disorder and the extent to which it will interfere with daily life C) The domain of life which will be most disrupted by the disorder, such as work, school, or relationships D) The types of emotional, physical, or social disruption that can be expected from a particula r disorder Final Exam 8 PSY/300 29. Which of the following is an umbrella term for a number of psychotic disorders that involve disturbances in nearly every dimension of human physiology, including thought, perception, behavior, language, communication, and emotion? A) Schizophrenia B) Personality disorder C) Mood disorder D) Dissociative disorder 30. Which personality disorder is marked by extremely unstable interpersonal relationships, dramatic mood swings, an unstable sense of identity, intense fears of separation and abandonment, manipulativeness, and impulsive behavior? A) Narcissistic B) Antisocial C) Borderline D) Histrionic 31. Systematic desensitization is based on the idea that A) Relaxation training can aid people with schizophrenia B) Physical contact with other people is essential for contact comfort C) Through early experiences people learn to fear social interactions D) Through classical conditioning people have associated fear with previously neutral stimuli 32. Antipsychotic medications reduce symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations by _____ activity within the brain. A) Increasing epinephrine B) Inhibiting serotonin C) Inhibiting dopamine Final Exam 9 PSY/300 D) Increasing glutamate 33. The goal of antidepressant medications such as SSRIs is to: A) Keep serotonin acting longer in the synapses of the brain? B) Keep people from making irrational associations between ideas C) Reduce body weight and make people feel better about them D) Reduce anxiety that leads to depression 34. Characteristics that are attributed to people based on their membership in a specific group, and that are often over-generalized, inaccurate, and resistant to new information are called: A) Prejudices B) Biases C) Stereotypes D) Discrimination 5. Cognitive bias in social cognition is thought to be the result of: A) Heuristics that can lead people awry B) Schemas and attributions being influenced by wishes, needs, and desires C) People frequently lacking the time to make accurate attributions D) all of the above 36. The relationship between personality and self-schemas can be seen in a number of ways. Which one of the following is NOT true of that relationship? A) People who feel disappointment, dissatisfaction, shame, and embarrassment have a discrepancy between actual and ideal selves B) People who feel anxiety, fear, resentment, guilt, self-contempt, or uneasiness have a discrepancy between actual and ought selves C) People who experience feelings of failure, social rejection, isolation, and a lack of Final Exam 10 PSY/300 accomplishment have a discrepancy between ideal and ought selves D) All of the above are true of the relationship between personality and self-schemas 37. Companionate love involves: A) Wild emotions, intense physiological arousal, and absorption in another person B) Deep affection, friendship, and emotional intimacy C) Acquaintance cordiality, friendship, and societal responsibility D) Selflessness, altruism, and reciprocal giving 38. Behaving in a way that helps another person with no apparent gain, or with potential cost, to oneself is known as: A) Selfless gratification B) Ego protection C) Ethical hedonism D) Altruism 39. Which of the following is a drawback of antianxiety medications? A) They can cause physiological dependence. B) There is a high relapse rate when the drugs are discontinued. C) They can cause psychological dependence. D) All of the above. 40. The three broad classes of psychopathology distinguished by psychodynamic theorists are: A) anxiety disorders, personality disorders, somatoform disorders B) organic disorders, developmental disorders, experiential disorders C) cognitive dysfunctions, behavioral abnormalities, interpersonal maladies D) personality disorders, neuroses, psychoses Final Exam 11 PSY/300

Shila Gonsalves Essays - Cancer, RTT, Medicine, Colorectal Cancer

Shila Gonsalves Eng 102 Professor Streeter Essay #3 Colon Cancer C ancer is a malignant disease that is widespread nowadays . It can potentially up shoot anywhere in the body with no unique warning signs. A sufferer might come to kn ow at a very later stage that they have got cancer . There may well be a chance that he or she is warned way before the disease reaches the stage where it can not be treated. All this is a matter of luck rather than anything else. C ancer can occur in many forms for example liver cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer etc. In short a cancerous tissue can form anywhere in the body. We will focus on colon cancer in this essay. Colon cancer or colorectal cancer is a cancer , which occurs in rectum. The colon is known as the large intestine o r large bowel and t he rectum connects the colon to the anus . If colon cancer is diagnosed at an early stage it can be cured through chemotherapy or surgical treatment however that i s only possible if it spreads in t o the near by lymp h nodes. The American Cancer society stated that colon cancer is one of the main reasons of deaths in America . U nlike breast c ancer or cervical cancer, which a ffects women only , colon cancer can a ffect men and women alike, irr espective of class, race or eth nicity . Despite this it has been seen that it i s more common in men than in women. Colon cancer s ymptoms are simply the apparent changes that one can notice. Many colon cancer patients do not notice any visible change how ever there are few thi ngs that indicate if a person is affect ed by this disease. F or example , according to Cappell (2008), a person might feel abdominal p ain and tenderness in the lower abdomen . D iarrhea or constipation may also be one of the symptoms but many patients tend to ignore such symptoms as these may be caused by food poisoning or not eating enough fibrous food. H owever if the blood comes in the stool or the re is a constant weight loss or intestinal obstruction then the se symptoms are often taken relatively seriously by the people. In almost all cases as stated in Lieberman (2009) , with proper screening , doctors can detect colon cancer before symptoms develop. T he doctor will simply perform a physical test, he or she will press the belly or abdomen and if t he y feel a mass then t he y will c onfirm doubts through fecal occult blood test (FOBT), this test can detect small amounts of blood in the stool but t he loop hole here is that it can also come negative for pati ents who do have colon cancer thus for this reason it must be done along with colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy ( these are the imaging tests that show the entire colon). I f these tests show that a person has colorectal cancer then the doctor s further confirm it through a CT or MRI scan of the abdomen and pelvic area. S ometimes the docto r might also get a CT scan of brain and chest to see how far the cancer has spread and at until which stage the cancer has matured . " C olon cancer is divided into 5 stages; stage 0 is the early stage where it only affects the inner most layer of the intestine and the first stage affects the inner layer . By the end of stage three, the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and fifth stage is where it has affected the other organs ( the chance of survival at thi s stage is very less). " T he kind of treatment given to the patient depends upon the stage of cancer the person is going through. G enerally there are three kinds of treatments ; surgery, radiation therapy and chemo therapy. S urgery means removing the cancerous cell through an operation. I t is more often

American education reform

American education reform The vision for all children, regardless of their societal setting, should be to receive meaningful education that prepares them for responsibilities, opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, in order to have a significant impact in not only their societies, but also the international economy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on American education reform specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is for this reason that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and their affiliates continue to push for Common Core State Standards (CCSS), though their efforts lack the support of policy makers, who are fixated on the use of standardized tests for the purpose of accountability. Following the enactment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001, more attention was given to fulfilling the needs of students by employing CCSS and assessments to evaluate student and school performance. However, this system left educators as the only par ty responsible for the performance of students and schools, while policy makers set out to increase the number of standardized tests administered to students as a way to benchmark their performance levels and set prerequisites for graduation or promotion. Educators acknowledge the importance of measuring student learning through the appropriate use of standardized testing and logical accountability measures, though they continue to assert that there should be proper balance between teaching and testing. As such, reforming the American education system requires a lot of work to be done, beyond the administration of regular assessments, through professional development, aligned curriculum, and access to resources for educators to advance their knowledge and collaboration efforts. One of the requirements of the NCLB is the administration of standardized testing in all 50 states on an annual basis for all students above the third grade. These tests are motivated by the notion that stude nts will feel increased pressure to perform well, owing to the eventual reward or punishment, which will then increase their learning and achievement. The use of tests is vital for monitoring student learning, but the current accountability system under the NCLB Act has brought about serious implications including: reduced attention to critical elements of the curriculum that are not mandated to accountability testing, compromise of student learning time to test preparation and testing, and the shift of educators attention to attaining a minimum score as opposed to gaining knowledge. Popham (11) claims that the use of a test-based accountability system is rational since it provides educators with a means to assess the comprehension level of their students, though the absolute reliance on this strategy obstructs proper teaching and learning.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Lu nenburg (2) argues that high-stakes testing does not increase student learning. Instead, it interferes with student motivation and narrows the curriculum as teachers provide instruction based on the appropriate response to test questions. This is done at the expense of vital skills traditionally provided in schools, including problem solving, critical thinking and group work. In the last decade, the time spent on test preparation and testing has increased drastically, in similar proportion to the lost instructional time and additional testing expenses. Proponents of more testing argue that the improved rate of student achievement, owing to additional tests, outweigh the extra costs of testing or money paid to testing companies, and fail to realize that the increase in number of ‘bubble students’, or those whose scores are concentrated at the minimum score, compromises the development of every student’s full potential (Nelson 8). There are different kinds of asses sments administered in schools including those mandated by the state and those developed at the district level, though the recent focus on data reporting and analysis has made all assessments high-stakes assessments with implications for students, schools and teachers. State tests mandated by NCLB are aimed at determining whether the students are satisfying state standards on an annual basis, and are administered in the spring to sum up the school year. The test scores are then compared to those of previous years in order to determine the effectiveness of a school. However, Lunenburg (3) argues that the use of a single summative test score to assess student achievement is flawed as it does not reflect on the progress of the students. A study performed by Nelson on two mid-sized urban school districts revealed that students in grade 3 to 10 spend between 20 and 50 hours every year taking high-stake tests, and an additional 60-110 hours preparing for those tests. In addition, an estim ated cost of $6.15 for every lost instructional hour translated to an annual testing cost of about $700 per students. However, this study did not take into consideration a variety of other time and testing costs including: cost of test prep materials, the teacher’s non-classroom time spent preparing the test, time and cost of special education testing, cost of preparing hardware and technology for testing, and time spent on data reporting and analysis.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on American education reform specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other costs not incorporated in the study are those pertaining to time spent by students on quizzes or teacher-made tests, and the time spent on assessing homework and grading tests (Nelson). Nonetheless, Nelson (27) observed that the scrutiny of current testing policy, in regard to budgetary costs, would spark policymakers to consider alternative uses of teacher and stud ent time, like allocating more time to non-test subjects in the curriculum. According to the study performed by Nelson, the abolishment of testing would free up between 20 and 40 minutes in every school day for most grades, and in some cases, add an entire class period for students in grades 6-11. Furthermore, it would be possible to relocate about $100 of the amount used on every student for testing to buy instructional programs or provide technology. According to Nelson (28), reducing the time and costs of testing by even half of the current levels would still produce considerable benefits to the learning school day, and create funds for the preparation of tests that are better suited to enhance knowledge acquisition, and even increase the access of teachers, students and parents to valuable resources and information. In the recent past, different states have started to acknowledge the pleas of educators to focus less on excess-testing and more on imparting meaningful knowledge. T he Texas legislature, for instance, decided to slice the amount of high school end-of-course mandated exams for graduation from fifteen to five. On a similar note, the New York Orchard Park Central School District proposed that the 2013 state assessments be used in evaluating the progress of the state in introducing the CCLS, as opposed to assessing the performance of students or the effectiveness of educators (Popham). According to Popham, the level of poverty in the communities where various schools are situated does not serve as an indicator for the quality of education or instruction that occurs in the classroom, but has the largest impact on the variation of test scores from one institution to the other. Besides the amount of wealth in the community where a school is located, the resources available in that school also affect its performance and test scores; hence the distinction in the scores of Beverly Hills’ schools and those in Birmingham. Using test scores to evalua te teachers is erroneous since the scores of the students are only partly dependent on the kind of education that they receive. These scores are also a reflection of the interference of the community on the student’s education, long before the child interacted with the teacher in the classroom (Popham).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The results obtained from high-stakes tests inform the state of the resources available in a school, and the socioeconomic status of the community, but not about the quality of education provided within those schools. If standardized tests continue to be administered, the outcomes of those tests should be provided to parents, teachers, school districts, and other relevant parties for accountability purposes instead of using them for research and intricate systems for evaluating schools and teachers (Lunenburg). In addition, the purpose of testing should be to enhance instructions offered to students and assist in improving schools, rather than to sanction, punish and shut down schools. It is not rational to issue tests to students for the sole purpose of determining the impact that their educators have on imparting knowledge. A measure of achievement should be one of the components used when assessing the school. Nelson (31) suggests that state and school districts should evaluate t he cost implications of the entire testing and assessment systems employed in typical school districts, including the cost and time for test preparation and lost instructional time. Nelson also proposes the incorporation of support measures to enhance the evaluation literacy of teachers that is required for improving and employing classroom assessments, as well as the appropriate utilization and interpretation of formal tests. It would then be the responsibility of the state to hold teachers accountable for employing the best assessment practices. It is important that all parties concerned with testing students to determine their progress or check teacher and school effectiveness to streamline their processes. To achieve this, school districts should include educators in the evaluation of testing systems to establish their usefulness in improving teaching, and in so doing, abolish any assessments that are not meaningful. In the effort to promote student knowledge acquisition, it may also be advisable to either reduce or abolish interim testing since they have no useful impact in promoting the teaching process. Nelson claims that these tests are exceedingly complicated, confusing, and do not reflect the state standards, but instead lead to an increase in â€Å"bubble students† and mediocrity. While in this process, it may also be advisable to do away with redundant, obsolete state tests and establish Common Core assessments designed by PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) or SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) as the only state-mandated assessments. In conclusion, teachers should embark on processes that allow them to drastically reduce the time spent on assessment preparation and benchmark testing. This can be achieved by shifting their focus from administering old tests to gaining new skills and knowledge that is vital for executing the Common Core standards in a setting that does not motivate learning throu gh the promise of reward and punishment. Another way to save on time and costs is to embed assessments in instructional materials. This can be achieved through challenging tasks and projects that require students to engage at their own pace, and use brief tests to check their comprehension in the course of the training schedule. Lunenburg, Fred C. America’s Obsession with Student Testing: Costs in Money and Lost Instructional Time. International Journal f Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity 15.1 (2013): 1-4. Print. Nelson, Howard. Testing More, Teaching Less What America’s Obsession with Student Testing Costs in Money and Lost Instructional Time. Washington, D.C: American Federation of Teachers, 2013. Print. Popham, James. Classroom evidence of successful teaching, mastering assessment. Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon, 2011. Print.

Definition and Examples of Cacophemisms in English

Definition and Examples of Cacophemisms in English Cacophemism is a  word or expression thats  generally perceived as harsh, impolite, or offensive, although it may be used in a humorous context. It is similar to dysphemism, and a contrast with euphemism. Etymology is from the Greek, bad plus speech. Cacophemism, says Brian Mott, is a deliberate reaction against euphemism and involves intentional use of strong words, very often with the aim of shocking the audience or the person to whom they are addressed (Semantics and Translation for Spanish Learners of English, 2011). Examples and Observations A cruel or offensive dysphemism is a cacophemism (from Greek kakos bad), such as using it for a person: Is it coming again tonight?(Tom McArthur, The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992) How Neutral Terms Become CacophemismsWhen we use cacophemisms,....we do not necessarily speak ill of anything. Cacophemistic language is a rough and raw, blunt and vulgar way of saying anything - good, evil, or neutral - of a thing. Not all of it is obscene by any means; witness grub and duds for example. Some are extremely vulgar, but not quite obscene (that is, not quite categorically tabooed in polite society), likely to offend but not to shock, like puke, guts, fart, stink, belly, croak, and burp. A genuinely obscene word, in virtue of the taboo its utterance violates, is as cacophemistic as a word can be. . . .People naturally find some perfectly accurate descriptive terms unflattering and displeasing. It is therefore considered good manners for others to avoid these terms as much as possible, and when one cannot avoid speaking the unpleasant truth, to find descriptive synonyms that strike the ear as less blunt, though they say the same thing as the unflattering term. In this way, we generate a stream of euphemisms, in comparison to which the original descriptive term seems ever more coarse, until that term, originally neutral, becomes a cacophemism. The words fat and old are good examples of this process. It is now considered to be blunt almost to the point of uncouthness to refer to a fat person as fat. And while there are a few dysphemistic ways of saying the same thing (potbellied, fat-assed, lard-assed, gross), there are few other terms that are as cacophemistic now as the straightforward unadorned fat.(Joel Feinberg, Offense to Others. Oxford University Press, 1988) Rationalizing With Euphemisms and CacophemismEuphemism and cacophemism play a central role in rationalization. When we call someone a terrorist, we may be using a cacophemism - making an activity seem worse than it actually is. When we call the same person a freedom fighter, we may be using a euphemism - making the activity sound better than it really is. Either way, by using these words, we set ourselves up for rationalizing the harming of others.(Ronald A. Howard and Clinton D. Korver, Ethics for the Real World. Harvard Business Press, 2008) Cacophemisms and HumorA euphemism is generally no more than the triumph of squeamishness over reality: little person for dwarf, senior citizen for old man, disturbed for crazy, etc. Cacophemisms, on the other hand, tend to reflect an attitude of rough-and-ready good humor toward the person or object in question: egghead, grease monkey, quack, etc. A further difference between the two isms is that cacophemisms are more readily recognized for what they are; euphemisms tend to have acquired a wider  currency in normal parlance and hence to be accepted more unthinkingly by the listener.(Peter Bowler,  The Superior Persons Book of Words. David R. Godine, 1985)

Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Statement - Essay Example rition with focus on behavioral and social determinants of food choices, diet quality and health, human nutrition, and relationships between autism and diet. This identifies diversified topics for my dissertation and my focus in the dissertation will be household poverty and wellbeing with focus on the factors’ covariance and their individual and interaction effects on education. The dissertation may also consider demographic factors and their effects on households’ economic and social status as well as effects on academic achievements. My interest for the dissertation further extends to health conditions among poor population segments, especially obesity and diabetes. Within this scope, I may focus on the relationship between poverty levels and incidence rates of obesity as well as relationship between incidences of obesity and diabetes and food security among the population segment. The research interest identifies diversified target population segments. Of prime target are adolescent girls because of their presumed vulnerability to their environment. Other population segments for consideration in my research are parents of the adolescents, the elderly, and adults with disabilities. I have not developed a work schedule for my Qualitative II project but shall likely precede with my project on Nutrition Advertisements Influence the Perception of Adolescent Girls on their Eating Habits and Nutritional