Excavation of an early Christian catacomb- Catacomb of Priscilla Research Paper

Excavation of an early Christian catacomb- Catacomb of Priscilla - Research Paper Example One of the most phenomenon paintings presents the oldest-known image of Mary the mother of Jesus. The image depicts her nursing the Infant Jesus. This painting that emphasizes on the Key figure in Christianity-Jesus-clearly explains the significant role of Jesus in the Christian history. The significant of the image is that it gives an idea that Christianity has been in existence as early as the 2nd century. This gives confidence to Christians of the existence of their faith based on the painting that were created very many years ago. Further, the painting of Jesus and her mother serves as an evidence of some biblical perspectives. In this case, the painting can be taken to represent some fact as the artist who put together the piece of art must have been existing during the time of Jesus. The catacomb of Priscilla also has a depiction of the Annunciation. The piece of art in the catacomb explains the incident of the announcement of the manifestation by the angel Gabriel to Mary the mother of Jesus. The piece of art is represented as a ceremony festival commemorating this incident. According to the painting, an angle is seen appearing to Mary to make announcement of the birth of Jesus. Similarly, this piece of art found in the Catacomb of Priscilla is significant as it gives confirmation that the incident took place according to the records in the Bible. Art, being a reflection tool in the society, clearly shows that the story of Jesus was very much told during the time. The societies in the 2nd Century totally embraced the Kingship of Jesus and hence the many art work on the subject, (Neiman 15) In our societies today, every person is looking for proof and evidence on various incidents that are explained in the Bible. As such, various sections of the Bible have been challenged by scholars and philosophers concerning their

Policy Brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Policy Brief - Essay Example This service will also promote security and make people to refrain from getting involved in criminal activities. They will therefore, look for other options such as setting up a business to sustain themselves. This will increase the level of employment and widen the sources of revenue to the government. The gross domestic product of the country will also improve due to increase in number of people doing business. Furthermore, it will enhance productivity among the members of a society because; they will not be worried about their security. The service will be tested through multiple testing to ensure that it works and is free from abuses. This technology will require every mobile owner to submit his or her details with the intelligence offices. The fingerprints will be taken and every individual will have a secret code that will be pressed once criminals attack a person. Once the code is pressed, security personnel will be alerted. The location and the names of the individual appear on the security personnel computers. The security personnel will quickly identify the nearest police stations in the area and instantly communicate for a quick measure to be taken. Mobile phones will therefore, be used to ensure that security of the individual is guaranteed. The service will function in such a way that even if the phone is stolen, the second person cannot use it. The phone can be traced and the last person’s fingerprint will be detected and used to launch investigation using information stored in the database in the security headquarter. For this mobile service to succeed, it requires cooperation of security officers with the citizens. Every citizen will be required to scan their fingers and retain their details with police officers. The second condition is that the person when attacked must dial the secret code. Thirdly, the security intelligence department will be required to be vigilant and put up measures to enhance the security of

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms Essay Example for Free

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms Essay I. Importance of Study Found in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, a group of Norwegian psychologists conducted an observational longitudinal study to discover whether or not there is a relationship because Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms (PTSD). Mette Senneseth, Kjersti Alsaker Gerd Karin Natvig, conducted this study. According to the journal, the aim of the study was to examine HRQoL and PTSD symptoms in the people that attend Accident and Emergency departments (AE), due to the fact that they suffer from some type of psychosocial crisis (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). Hereafter, this is referred to as Research 1. The study done in Research 1 revealed that there has been an interest in researching one’s quality of life, and how it correlates with one’s health. The term HRQoL refers to the â€Å"effects of health, illness and treatment on QoL† (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). There have been a number of studies that suggest that traumatic life events, including, but not limited to, sexual assault and military combat, have a negative effect on HRQoL. Additionally, poor HRQoL is not only associated with PTSD symptoms, but they are related to differences and modification in HRQoL, and there is a negative correlation between the two (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). The researchers hypothesized that people who seek help at AE, suffering from such psychosocial calamites, have lower HRQoL than the general population of Norway at the time of the study, and that the participants will have improved HRQoL after two months (Alasker et al . 2011, 403). In addition, a second hypothesis predicts that participants who have high levels of PTSD symptoms at the time of the study will have reduced symptoms after the conclusion of the study at two months. Lastly, the third hypothesis wraps the study up by predicating that high levels of PTSD symptoms are associated to low HRQoL scores in a follow-up experiment (Alasker et al., 2011, 403). Found in the Cyber-psychology, Behavior and Social Networking Journal, a group of researchers conducted a study to compare the effects of VR-graded exposure therapy (VR-GET) versus treatment as usual (TAU) on people suffering from combat related PTSD (McLay et al. 2011, 223). Robert Mclay, Dennis Wood, Jennifer Webb-Murphy, James Spira, Mark Miederholf, Jeffery Pyne and Brenda  Wiederhold conducted this study. Hereafter, this is referred to as Research 2. The doctors responsible for conducting this study found that there has only been one â€Å"randomized, controlled proof-of-concept† study that was specifically designed for Active Duty Service Members suffering from PTSD (McLay et al. 2011, 223). Also, the doctors wanted to extend the â€Å"already found research gathered† from victi ms of PTSD, and take the study one step further. The researchers of Research 2 hypothesized that â€Å"patients with combat-related PTSD would be more likely to experience clinically significant improvements in VR-GET than treatment as usual† (McLay et al. 2011, 224). VR-GET is a virtual reality stimulation that combines graded virtual reality exposure with â€Å"physiologic monitoring and skills training† (McLay et al. 2011, 224). Also, VR-GET promotes engagement with, rather than escaping the events and experiences that prompt a traumatic episode. II. METHODS In regards to Research 1, the participants in the study had to meet three criteria before they were able to participate. During the recruitment period, the researchers found participants who were attending the AE due to a â€Å"psychosocial crisis and who consulted a psychiatric nurse,† were 18 years of age or older, and those who were able to both read and understand Norwegian (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). A total of 113 were asked to participate in the study. Of those 113 people selected, 99 of the people participated in the baseline study, and 41 participated in both the baseline study, and the follow-up study. Aforementioned, this was an observational longitudinal study, where participants were observed repeatedly over a long period of time. There were two types of instruments that were used for the research in Research 1. The first instrument that was used was a SF-36 Health Survey, which is a â€Å"36 item self-report questionnaire that assesses eight domains of physical and MH ranging from 1-100† (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). In this survey, the higher score reveals the best HRQoL, and the lower score reveals the poorest HRQoL (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). The second instrument that was used for this study was the Post-traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSS-10), which is a ten item self-report questionnaire that â€Å"assesses the presence  and intensity of symptoms† (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). On the PTSS-10, scores range from 10 to 70, and a score of 35 or greater results in a PTSD diagnosis (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). In addition to the two questionnaires, participants were encouraged to go to consolations at the AE. The number of consultations that each participant attended varies throughout the study. In regards to Research 2, â€Å"participants for the study were all Active Duty Service Members who had been diagnosed by a military mental health professional as having PTSD† related to military combat (McLay et al. 2011, 224). At the end of the baseline assessment, those who were qualified to participate in he study were asked to draw a piece of paper out of an envelop, making the selection of treatment completely random, and giving the participants an equal chance of choosing either treatment. There were a total of twenty people that participated in this study; ten assigned to the VR-GET and another ten assigned to TAU (McLay et al. 2011, 225). The two methods of Research 2 consisted of the VR-GET and the TAU. The participants that were assigned for the VR-GET had a sequence of sessions that consisted of different activities. First, the therapist would meet with the participant and discuss their trauma history. In the second session, participants were asked to reveal their more traumatic stories of their military combat and tours. In later sessions, the participant used the virtual reality helmet to relive their most traumatic events, based off of the information that was gathered about them in the earlier sessions. In each session, the participants were observed on their ability to face their fears and anxieties (McLay et al. 2011, 225). â€Å"Participants assigned to TAU could receive any of the regular services available to them at the NMCSD and NHCP. These two facilities offer full spectrum of PTSD treatment, including, but not limited to, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and group therapy† (McLa y et al. 2011, 225). III. ANALYSIS/RESULTS Analysis The researchers for Research 1 used the two self-report questionnaires to gather their data. In addition, the researchers processed the data using  statistical analysis with the help of SPSS16 Processor for Windows (Oslo, Norway). The researcher for this study wants to compare the results of the two surveys with the general population of Norway, and to succeed with that, they used SF-36 data through the Norwegian Coordinated Living Conditions Survey from 2002, consisting of 5131 people (Alasker et al. 2011, 405). In Research 2, it was found that participants in the baseline study had lower norm-based scores in all eight HRQoL domains in comparison to the general population of Norway. In the follow-up study, two months later, the â€Å"participants still had lower norm-based scores than the general population of Norway, but participants had improved their HRQoL in five of the eight domains from the baseline study to the follow-up study† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). In regard to the PTSS-10 questionnaire in Research 1, among the participants in the baseline study, 79% of them had a PTSS-10 score that was 35, expressing high levels of PTSD symptoms (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). At the follow-up, â€Å"59% of the participants had a PTSS-10 score that was 35, which shows high levels of PTSD symptoms, which can indicate a risk of developing PTSD† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). The researchers for Research 2 aimed to identify which of the VR-GET or TAU would yield a greater percentage of participants with a â€Å"clinically meaningful reduction in PTSD† (McLay et al. 2011, 225). The researcher succeeded in deepening their research by investigating the â€Å"difference in CAPS scores at an initial assessment and then at the post-treatment assessment in VR-GET versus TAU† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). The CAPS is a â€Å"rating scale for PTSD that corresponds with the 17 symptoms of PTSD† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). Participants were classified according to whether or not they had a 30% of larger reduction of their PTSD based on the results of their CAPS. ii. Analysis Results Taking a look at Research 1, and the question concerning whether or not there is a link between PTSD symptoms and HRQoL, researchers looked at the differences in SF-36 scores between PTSS-10 subgroups in a follow-up study (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). â€Å"The PTSS-10 high scoring and low scoring subgroups at the 2-month follow-up differed in all eight of the HRQoL domains in the follow up study† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). In addition, the PTSS-10 low scoring participants had improved HRQoL in six out of the eight domains (Alasker et al. 2011, 407). In regards to Research 2, all ten of the participants assigned to the VR-GET were assessed with the CAPS at the post-assessment. Seven out of the ten participants showed an improvement of 30% or more on the CAPS. On the other hand, out of the ten participants that were assigned to the TAU, one did not complete a CAPS assessment. Nevertheless, one out of the nine returning participants receiving the TAU revealed more than a 30% improvements on the CAPS (McLay et al. 2011, 226). â€Å"There was no significant difference between VR-GET and TAU average CAPS scores both before and after the treatments, but there was indeed a significant difference in the average CAPS score over the course of the entire treatment† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). IV. DISCUSSION Results Summary Concerning Research 1’s first hypothesis, participants of the study reported lower HRQoL compared to the general population of Norway in all eight HRQoL domains (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). In regards to the second hypothesis, participants in Research 1 reported high levels of PTSD symptoms at the time of the baseline experiment. Furthermore, PTSS-10 scores did improve from the time of the baseline experiment to the follow-up. The results show that PTSD symptoms decrease for people suffering from a psychosocial crisis in the 2 months after attending the AE (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). Lastly, concerning the questions if there is a link between the level of PTSD symptoms and HRQoL in the follow-up study, the researchers found that a â€Å"high level of PTSD symptoms after a two month period were linked to lower HRQoL† (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). Results for Research 2 Strengths and Weaknesses In regards to Research 1, there are many strengths and lurking variables that should be pointed out. One strength of the study was that they  progress of the study was completely up to the participant. The participant had the option as to how may consultations they wanted to attend, and the varied decisions led to different results. Another strength of the study was that they used instruments that were both appropriate to the study, and reliable. On the contrary, there were several confounding variables in Research 1 that must be acknowledged. First, there is no evidence that anyone in this trial was on any sort of anti-depressant or medication that would affect his or her scores on the SF-36 and the PTSS-10. Also, there are so many different traumatic events that would cause someone to show symptoms of PTSD. The study should limit its participants to those who experienced similar types of trauma. As for Research 2, there were also strengths and weaknesses to the study. As for its strengths, the doctors did a good job through their selections process to select a small group of people who were highly qualified for this study. Also, the exam that was used to measure the severity of the participants PTSD was based off of seventeen symptoms of PTSD, whereas the instrument used in Research 1 (PTSS-10) only focused on ten symptoms of PTSD. Lastly, the ten-week span of the study was appropriate in yielding results. Just like any other study, there are confounding variables that need to be identified for Research 2. Although the goal was to get the participants in for a reassessment at the conclusion of the study (ten weeks), reassessment for some did not occur until as far as 36 weeks. With that being said, participants have plenty of time to have a relapse, or more time in combat that can result in more severe PTSD. iii. Future Directions The researchers of Research 1 suggest that a â€Å"randomized control trial with a control group is needed to investigate the effect of the psychosocial interactions that are given to this group† (Alasker et al. 2011, 407). In addition, they suggest that it is crucial to get more, information about the long term effects of acute crisis intervention on PTSD symptoms and HRQoL â€Å"given by psychiatric nurses to participants† (Alasker et al. 2011, 410). The researchers of Research 2 also have some suggestions for further directions of this research. It was stated that other studies on the topic  of virtual reality therapy on PTSD victims, improvements in symptoms aren’t visible until sometimes three months after treatment. For future studies there needs to be a longer wait time for the follow-ups so that there can be the most accurate results. In addition, the journal states that careful monitoring of the participants is also something that needs to be done more thorough in the future because a participants overall health, aside from PTSD, must be taken into consideration when the researchers are making observations and conclusions about the participants (McLay et al. 2011, 226). Works Cited Mette Senneseth, Kjersti Alsaker, Gerd Karin Natvig. (2011). Health-related Quality of Life and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Accident and Emergency Attenders Suffering From Psychosocial Crises: a Longitudinal Study, Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(2), 402-414. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.rocky.iona.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6c7164f6-d4f6-4ce6-8a46-f1ad579caf63%40sessionmgr15vid=5hid=24 Robert N. Mclay, Dennis P. Wood, Jennifer A. Webb-Murphy, James L. Spira, Mark D. Wiederhold, Jeffery M. Pyne, Brenda K. Wiederhold. (2011). A Randomized, Control Trial of Virtual Reality-Graded Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Active Duty Service Members with Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking Volume 14, Issue 4. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.rocky.iona.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=61603dcf-c639-423e-8f1e-365db0b36d61%40sessionmgr13vid=4hid=24

Poems About The Father-Child Relationship

Poems About The Father-Child Relationship A father-child relationship can be a beautiful thing for some, and complicated for others. There are different kinds of fathers. There are fathers who are always around for their children, who provide guidance and unconditional love. Then there are impossible-to-please fathers who burden their children with high expectations, leading to a strained relationship. And there are those fathers who, unable to handle the responsibilities of fatherhood, just walk out on their family. Some people may see their father in one way as a child, and grow up to see them in a completely new light. Its like when you argue about your curfew and your father tells you, Youll understand when you have a child. The complexity and richness of the father-child relationship explains why so many poets write poems about fathers and fatherhood. In this lesson, youll read poems about the father-child relationship. Youll also find out about the relationship between these poems themes and the form and devices used to express them. The poet Gregory Orr wrote a touching poem about how fathers learn as much from their children as they teach their children. Read Gregory Orrs poem, Fathers Song. What kind of relationship do the father and child in this poem share? What poetic devices does the poet use to depict the nuances of this relationship? This simple 14-line poem is about the relationship between a protective, caring father and a carefree, playful child. The use of free verse and lack of rhyme helps convey the simplicity and spontaneity of how the father feels about his child. Which lines in the poem make you almost see what is happening? Look at the lines my daughter balanced on the couch back, fell and cut her mouth. and the blood so red that it stops a fathers heart. These lines tell you how the speaker feels about his child. The poem reflects how the speakers experience and caution is balanced by his childs willingness to experience life freely and take risks, and the circle continues, round and round. The last two lines of this poem are the essence of a healthy father-child relationship, I try to teach her caution,/ she tried to teach me risk. The speaker tries to protect his child from harm, while the child shows him how to be open to adventure and new experiences. Poems About Fathers Analyzed While Gregory Orrs Fathers Song was inspired by fatherhood, other poets have been inspired by their fathers, like the poet Dylan Thomas. Read or listen to Thomass Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, which is a sons plea to his dying father to not give in to death. This poems central theme is the speakers inability to accept his fathers old age and mortality. Now lets see how the poems form and structure add to this theme. This poem is a villanelle, which is a 19-line poem with five tercets, or three-line stanzas, that ends with a quatrain, or four-line stanza. A villanelle was traditionally used to write simple, pastoral poems. So, why do you think Thomas chose to write this poem as a villanelle? The villanelle form of Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night adds to the irony of commanding a weak, dying person to rage against death. Just as this poem is nothing like the typical lyrical, pastoral poem, a weak dying man is not likely to rage against anything. - Only two rhymes are used across the poem with words like, night, light, sight, and day, way, pray. These two recurring rhymes help build on the speakers intensity as he convinces his father to stay alive. The first and third rhymes of the first stanza are repeated alternately in an interlocking rhyme scheme in the succeeding stanzas. The rhyme scheme is aba/aba/aba/aba/aba/abaa, where the first rhyme is joined in the last two lines of the quatrain. The last two lines also bring together the poems two refrains: Do not go gentle into that good night, and Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Did you notice that these lines recur all across the poem? They depict the urgency of the speakers pleas as he consistently and forcefully urges his father to hang on to life. Lesson Activity-Self-Checked What effect do the two refrains in Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, have? Do you interpret these refrains differently as the poem progresses? Write your answer in 175-200 words. - Besides the urgent refrains, several other poetic devices in the poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night help take forward the theme of a sons unwillingness to let his father succumb to death. Metaphors such as good night, dying of the light, and close of day, are used to refer to death. The words day and light represent life. Thats why the speakers father is urged to rage against the dying of the light. The simile, Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, implies that although his father may be going blind, his wisdom and greatness will enable him to see clearly with his minds eye. Did you notice the alliteration across the poem? Read the line Do not go gentle into that good night. Dont the alliterative sounds seem to add to the poems urgent passion? - Across the poem there are images of bright, illuminating things like lightning and meteors. Why do you think this bright imagery is used in a poem about dying? The speaker tries to persuade his father that a great man like him should not easily give in to death. He should overcome the darkness of death and continue to burn bright, as summed up in the lines, Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright/Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,/Rage, rage against the dying of the light. At the end of the poem, theres a paradox in the line, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. The juxtaposition of curse and bless indicates the sons desire to take his fathers pain unto himself. Its as if by cursing his son, the father can share his pain and fierce tears with his son who doesnt want to lose him. Dylan Thomas wrote Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night when his father, David John Thomas who had always been a strong man, was going blind and was on his deathbed. Thats why many read it as an autobiographical poem. The poet and his father had a great relationship and both shared a love for literature. The poet was very disturbed to see his father ravaged by age and wrote this poem to express how he felt. While Dylan Thomass poem is a sons plea to his dying father, the American poet E. E. Cummingss my father moved through dooms of love is an elegy. Read Cummingss my father moved through dooms of love. Whats the first thing that hits you about this poem? Did you notice that the poem is full of paradoxes? Look at phrases like dooms of love, griefs of joy, and theys of we. These and all the other paradoxes used take forward the poems theme, lamenting death while still celebrating the life lived. In this poem, the speaker says his father had lived a full life. Look at the lines joy was his song and joy so pure, his anger was as right as rain/ his pity was as green as grain and his sorrow was as true as bread. These lines tell you that whether the speakers father was happy, angry, or sad, he experienced each emotion completely. He inspired others to be the best they could be, his april touch/ drove sleeping selves to swarm their fates/ woke dreamers to their ghostly roots. The speaker takes readers across seasons, april touch, septembering arms, octobering flame, that seem to mirror his fathers full life with varied experiences and emotions. The last two lines, because my father lived his soul/love is the whole and more than all, convey how the father lived a life filled with love for and from his family. What do lines like joy was his song and joy so pure, no hungry man but wished him food;/no cripple wouldnt creep one mile/uphill to only see him smile, no liar looked him in the head, tell you about the speakers fathers personality? It sounds like the speakers father was liked and revered universally. He lived a pure and full life, which is brought out by the line, because my Father lived his soul. Cummings wrote my father moved through dooms of love in his typical style, with no spaces or adherence to structural rules, to ensure that his creativity and feelings flow freely. Like Dylan Thomass Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, this poem is also considered autobiographical. Cummings wrote this poem as an elegy to his father Edward Cummings, a professor at Harvard University, who died suddenly in a car accident. His fathers sudden death sobered Cummings into writing about more serious aspects of life. Poems About Fathers Compared While poems like Cummingss my father moved through dooms of love create a picture of a loved and loving father, others present dark, complicated pictures of fathers, such as the American poet Sylvia Plath. Read Plaths poem Daddy. You can also watch Plath recite her poem, Daddy. Whats this poem about? Daddy examines a daughters unresolved feelings for her father, who passed away. The speakers father died when she was so young that she was in awe of him, but never really understood him. The speakers awe for her father is reflected in the way she compares him to a bag full of God. She also expresses how she cannot escape from her fathers looming presence, with his one gray toe/ Big as a Frisco seal, reaching out across continents. Her conflicted feelings come to the fore later in the poem, when despite efforts she cant find her father. She then compares him to a devil, with A cleft in your chin instead of your foot, a brute, and a vampire. The speaker portrays herself as a vampire killer, her fathers killer, If Ive killed one man, Ive killed two. The speakers frustration climaxes in the last stanza, where she gets defensive and calls her father names, and exclaims she is through with him. - Plaths poem, Daddy is made up of 16 five-line stanzas. The one rhyme that appears in the poem is inconsistent, You do not do, you do not do, with some consecutive lines that end with words that rhyme with do, like shoe and Achoo, in the first stanza, and then you, blue, Jew, and so on in the other stanzas. Whats the relationship between the inconsistent rhyme scheme and the poems theme of a daughters unresolved feelings? The inconsistent, sporadic rhyme scheme seems to reflect the speakers emotional turmoil and the conflicting feelings she has for her father. The rhythm created by the sporadically recurring rhyme coupled with the use of symbolism and imagery reflects the speakers attempts to try to take control of the emotional turmoil caused by her fathers disturbing memories. Daddy is about a father, and so the imagery, language, and symbolism used are shocking. Look at the poems opening lines, You do not do, you do not do/ Any more, black shoe/ In which I have lived like a foot. These lines provide a glimpse into the speakers contradictory emotions. To show the protective and suffocating side of her father, the speaker uses a shoe as a symbol of her father and the foot inside the shoe as herself. Shoes protect the feet, but also constrict them, thereby symbolizing her conflicted feelings. Are you wondering what references to fascism, Nazis, and the Holocaust are doing in this poem? These images and references depict the speakers confusion about her father. The speaker compares her father to a fascist who puts his boot in the face. She calls her father an Aryan and herself a Jew, to convey that her father tortured her, like the Nazis tortured Jewish people in German death camps. There are constant references to black in the poem to reflect the speakers dark, confused feelings about her father. First, there is the black shoe and then the reference to The black telephones off at the root,/the voices just cant worm through. to convey that the speaker has permanently severed her connection with her father. Now look at the last stanza of Daddy? The lines, And the villagers never liked you./They are dancing and stamping on you. reflect the despicable picture that the speaker creates of her father, in her attempts to free herself of the hold that her fathers memory has on her, So daddy, Im finally through. The strongly worded last line, Daddy, daddy, you bastard, Im through. serves as the speakers final rant against the memories that cause her turmoil. Did you wonder about the speakers obsession with her father in this poem? Some critics have tried to explain this obsession by identifying elements of the Electra complex in the poem. The Electra complex refers to a daughters unresolved, unconscious desire for her father. Critics believe that this conflict is reflected in the speakers desperate and contradictory efforts to go to her father by committing suicide, At twenty I tried to die/And get back, back, back to you, and conversely to end her unhealthy, traumatizing relationship with her fathers memories wanting to kill him even though hes already dead, Daddy, I have had to kill you./You died before I had time The speakers confused feelings are again reflected when she used to pray to recover [him]. If you know anything about Sylvia Plaths life, youre probably wondering if Daddy is an autobiographical poem? The references, imagery, and symbolism used in Plaths Daddy do resonate with whats known about her life, like the complex feelings and unresolved issues she had toward her father, a Biology professor at Boston University, who died when she was just eight; her inability to deal with her fathers untimely death; her unsuccessful marriage. When read autobiographically, the line At twenty I tried to die, refers to Plaths attempted suicide at the age of 20 when she overdosed on sleeping pills. The line, The vampire who said he was you/And drank my blood for a year./Seven years, if you want to know. possibly refer to her unsuccessful marriage to poet Ted Hughes, which lasted for seven years. Plath, burdened with complexities, committed suicide when she was 31, leaving behind two children and her estranged husband, the poet Ted Hughes. This fact probably explains the use of brutal an d violent imagery, which could only be conjured by a disturbed mind as Plaths was.This autobiographical account would explain the brutal, violent imagery used in the poem, which reflect the poets disturbed state of mind and her confusion as a daughter, who feels abandoned and let-down. - While Sylvia Plaths poem deals with the smothering effect the fathers memories had on the speaker, Robert Haydens Those Winter Sundays contrasts the speakers ideas about his father as a child with how he feels about his father as a grown-up looking back. Read Robert Haydens poem Those Winter Sundays or watch the poem being recited. In this poem, which is a grown mans reflections on his father, the speaker describes the entire father-son dynamic with one winter memory. He thinks back to his childhood and sees his father differently than he did as a child. Those Winter Sundays is an American sonnet, with the traditional 14-lines, and has three stanzas. The first and third stanzas are five lines long, and the second stanza has four lines. How does the form carry the poems theme forward? Using the sonnet form, , the poem presents a problem in the first two stanzas, where the speaker describes how his father went about his chores for his family and was never appreciated. The resolution to this problem is presented in the final stanza-the speaker realizes his fathers value and feels guilty for how he never thanked him. Focus on the lines, No one ever thanked him, speaking indifferently to him, and What did I know, what did I know of loves austere and lonely offices? These lines convey the speakers guilt and regret for never appreciating everything his father did for him. Look at the way the poem uses repetition, What did I know, what did I know of loves austere and lonely offices? This line expresses how bad the speaker feels about being so obtuse about his father as a child. And what does offices in this line mean? The word offices brings to mind the responsibilities and duties that come with an authoritative position, in this case fatherhood. The austere and lonely offices describe how the speakers father displayed love by silently and dedicatedly fulfilling his duties to his family. Though an unrhymed poem, a rhythm is created using poetic devices like consonance, repetition, and alliteration. The use of consonance, with the repetition of the hard c and k sounds in lines like cracked hands that ached, and then in weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him, conveys the pain that the father endured, and how his efforts went unappreciated. The alliteration where the w sound is repeated, in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze, reflects the repetition in the way the father spent his Sunday mornings. Those Winter Sundays is also rich in symbolism and imagery. What comes to mind when you read about the banked fires blazed and the cold splintering, breaking? This visual imagery makes readers imagine how cold it was through this description of how the logs in the fire would burn and crackle and warm up their home, driving out the cold. The cracked hands symbolize how hard the father worked, and the blueblack cold depicts the harsh cold that the father endured for his familys comfort. What comes to mind when you read about the banked fires blazed and the cold splintering, breaking? The visual imagery makes readers imagine how cold it was through this description of how the logs in the fire would burn and crackle and warm up their home, driving out the cold. Did you notice the transference in the line, fearing the chronic angers of that house? The inanimate house isnt angry. Its the speakers father who is angry and impatient with his children who were lazy about doing their Sunday morning chores. This line is interesting when you look at the poem autobiographically. Hayden, who it is believed was subjected to beatings by his foster parents Sue Ellen and William Hayden, only cursorily refers to the chronic angers of that house, and instead concentrates on the banked fires blazed to highlight how his foster father would keep the household warm. In that sense, this poem is not a criticism of his fathers beating, but a delayed tribute to the man who took pains to care for him. Lesson Activity-Self-Checked Answer this question in 125-150 words: What is the significance of the words Sundays too in Haydens Those Winter Sundays? Why do you think the poet used these words, instead of just, On Sundays? Support your answer with examples from the poem. Another poet, who explored the theme of the father-son relationship, is Theodore Roethke. Read his poem, My Papas Waltz and watch the poem being recited. What do you think this poem is about? At the outset, especially considering the title of the poem and the quick rhythm as you read, it seems to be about the speakers fond recollection of playfully dancing around with his father after hed come home from work in the evening. Lets see what elements of the poem support this interpretation. The structure which is made up of four quatrains and has a tight rhyme scheme of abab/cdcd/efef/ghgh, gives the poem the cadence of a waltz to mirror the ordered steps of the father and son dancing around. However, the waltzing here is rough and energetic, not smooth and graceful like waltzing is supposed to be. Similarly, alliteration is used in lines like, such waltzing was not easy, My mothers countenance, Could not unfrown itself, and the hand that held my wrist to add to poems easy rhythm. - Now lets examine the imagery in Roethkes My Papas Waltz. The line, The whiskey on your breath evokes olfactory imagery and the readers can almost smell the whiskey. Similarly, the lines, We romped until the pans, Slid from the kitchen shelf, create an image of how boisterous the father and son were as they danced around. Is it surprising then that the mothers countenance/Could not unfrown itself, possibly because she has to tidy up after them? The images of the battered hands and the palm caked hard by dirt, indicate that the father worked hard all day, probably at manual labor. Finally, the son Still clinging to your shirt conveys his unwillingness to let go of father, not wanting their fun to end. When interpreted in terms of the father and son bonding, this could be an autobiographical poem. The battered hand and a palm caked hard by dirt relate to the fact that Roethkes father ran a greenhouse and it involved gardening and manual labor. It is known that Roethke had a happy childhood and was devastated his father died when he was just 14. The battered hand and a palm caked hard by dirt relate to the fact that Roethkes father ran a greenhouse and it involved gardening and manual labor. But is this all theres to the poem? Some critics have interpreted the poem in a dark, ominous way. Is Roethkes My Papas Waltz a poem about a sons happy recollections of playing with his father or is this about alcoholism and child abuse? Youve just seen how this can be construed in the light, happy way, not lets see how this poem can take a dark turn. The image that the father beat time on the childs head with a battered hand, and of the whiskey on [his] breath is believed by some to indicate that the father would come home drunk and be physically abusive. This is used to explain why, the son is dizzy and hung on like death. The line, My right ear scraped a buckle, is also interpreted as a sign of violence. When interpreted like this the mothers frowning countenance, is believed to convey her helplessness as she couldnt save her child from her alcoholic husband. Which of these two interpretations holds true? Its interesting that when the poem was published in 1948, it was viewed only as a happy, loud, and strenuous dancing around of the father and son. More recently, this poem has been interpreted as a depiction of child abuse. Lesson Activity-Self-Checked Answer this question in 200-225 words: Which interpretation of Theodore Roethkes My Papas Waltz do you agree with? Support your answer with examples from the poem. Written in the first person, both Haydens Those Winter Sundays and Roethkes My Papas Waltz are about childhood memories about fathers. Interestingly, though Hayden is known to have suffered beatings at the hands of his foster parents, most critics, ignore his background and the powerful image of the chronic angers of that house, and view Those Winter Sundays as a poem about a sons regret for being unappreciative of his father. On the other hand, critics view My Papas Waltz differently; some see it as a poem about child abuse and alcoholism, while some interpret it as a poem about a happy father-son relationship. These interpretations show just how important diction is in interpreting a poem. The use of words such as blueblack cold and lines like, What did I know, what did I know/of loves austere and lonely offices? and Sundays too my father got up early depict the father in Haydens poem as an affectionate, caring man. While the use of dizzy, hung on like death, battered, scraped, and battered on one knuckle creates an image of an abusive father in Roethkes My Papas Waltz. Lets look at how these two poems compare structurally. Those Winter Sundays is an American sonnet with three stanzas, the first and third stanzas are five-lines long, and the second stanza has four lines. This poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. On the other hand My Papas Waltz is made up of four quatrains and has a tight rhyme scheme of abab/cdcd/efef/ghgh that makes the poem sound like a waltz. Both Hayden and Roethke use powerful imagery in their poems. The lines, and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,/ then with cracked hands that ached and banked fires blaze. from Those Winter Sundays are examples of imagery and alliteration used to describe the fathers hard work. In My Papas Waltz, Roethke also uses alliteration and imagery in lines such as But I hung on like death,/ Such waltzing was not easy, The hand that held my wrist,/ Was battered on one knuckle, and With a palm caked hard by dirt, to help readers visualize how the father and son romped around. - Summary Over the years, poets have explored the father-child relationship in their poems. Sometimes the poem may be from a fathers perspective, sometimes from a childs, and sometimes from the perspective of a grown adult looking back at childhood memories. And depending on the poems theme, poets use different forms and poetic devices to put across their ideas about fathers. While Orr writes about what a father teaches and learns from his children, Cummingss my father moved through dooms of love is reverential and written in his unique style so he can freely express himself. Haydens Those Winter Days is written in the American sonnet form, and expresses a sons guilt at being indifferent towards his father. Roethkes tightly structured My Papas Waltz describes the rhythmic and spirited dance of a father-son relationship. Thomass Do Not Go Gentle In To The Good Night is about a son who cant deal with the thought of his father dying. And Plaths confessional Daddy is about the speakers inability t o deal with her feelings of abandonment at her fathers death.

The Masque (Mask) of the Red D, William Wilson, Tale of the Ragged Moun

Landscape in Masque of the Red Death, William Wilson, Tale of the Ragged Mountains, and House of Usher A careful reading of Poe’s tales will quickly reveal the importance that landscape plays in the development of each literary work.   "Ragged Mountains" has both a surreal and realistic landscape allowing Poe to use both the mental and the physical environment to explain his tale.   This technique is also found in "The Fall of the House of Usher," "William Wilson," and "The Masque of the Red Death."   In these tales too the reader may tend to focus on the action at hand, and the psychological details, because that is what we are prone to do with Poe stories.   However, it is also important to understand that physical landscape as well.   As Daniel Philippon states in his article "Poe in the Ragged Mountains": "Any search for a whole universe of suggestion must be held in check by the realities of the landscape in which it occurs."   In "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains," it is pretty obvious that the landscape is going to play an important part in the story - we are given the setting right in the title.   However, a majority of the story actually takes place in an "Orientalized" locale that has been transposed into the Ragged Mountains.   This alone is a great juxtaposition: the title describes what seems to be a run-down, unappealing landscape, while the real action takes place in fantastical setting.   But why is the landscape so important if the psychological aspect is what Poe is trying to focus on?   Most likely it is because the landscape gives us clues about what is actually happening in the minds of the characters, and hints at things that make the story clearer.   For example, Bedloe starts his tale by describing "the thic... ...dscape as well as a physical one, his pieces pack a more powerful punch, and always allow the reader to find hints about what is really going on at a deeper level.   Since much of Poe's 'action' is psychological, the landscape is an element of the story that can't be ignored, and should not. Works Cited: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. George Perkins and Barbara Perkins. 9th ed. vol. 1. New York: McGraw, 1998. Poe, Edgar Allan. "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains" [1843]; in Poe, ed. Harold Beaver. The Science Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976. Poe, Edgar Allan. "William Wilson." Selected Poetry and Prose of Poe. Ed. T. O. Mabbott. New York: Modern Library, 1951. Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Fall of the House of Usher". R.V.Cassill, ed. The Norton Fiction. New York, London, 1995. The Masque (Mask) of the Red D, William Wilson, Tale of the Ragged Moun Landscape in Masque of the Red Death, William Wilson, Tale of the Ragged Mountains, and House of Usher A careful reading of Poe’s tales will quickly reveal the importance that landscape plays in the development of each literary work.   "Ragged Mountains" has both a surreal and realistic landscape allowing Poe to use both the mental and the physical environment to explain his tale.   This technique is also found in "The Fall of the House of Usher," "William Wilson," and "The Masque of the Red Death."   In these tales too the reader may tend to focus on the action at hand, and the psychological details, because that is what we are prone to do with Poe stories.   However, it is also important to understand that physical landscape as well.   As Daniel Philippon states in his article "Poe in the Ragged Mountains": "Any search for a whole universe of suggestion must be held in check by the realities of the landscape in which it occurs."   In "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains," it is pretty obvious that the landscape is going to play an important part in the story - we are given the setting right in the title.   However, a majority of the story actually takes place in an "Orientalized" locale that has been transposed into the Ragged Mountains.   This alone is a great juxtaposition: the title describes what seems to be a run-down, unappealing landscape, while the real action takes place in fantastical setting.   But why is the landscape so important if the psychological aspect is what Poe is trying to focus on?   Most likely it is because the landscape gives us clues about what is actually happening in the minds of the characters, and hints at things that make the story clearer.   For example, Bedloe starts his tale by describing "the thic... ...dscape as well as a physical one, his pieces pack a more powerful punch, and always allow the reader to find hints about what is really going on at a deeper level.   Since much of Poe's 'action' is psychological, the landscape is an element of the story that can't be ignored, and should not. Works Cited: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. George Perkins and Barbara Perkins. 9th ed. vol. 1. New York: McGraw, 1998. Poe, Edgar Allan. "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains" [1843]; in Poe, ed. Harold Beaver. The Science Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976. Poe, Edgar Allan. "William Wilson." Selected Poetry and Prose of Poe. Ed. T. O. Mabbott. New York: Modern Library, 1951. Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Fall of the House of Usher". R.V.Cassill, ed. The Norton Fiction. New York, London, 1995.

Recycling :: essays research papers

Five years have passed since the Earth Summit. Have we made any progress? Have we moved closer to the goal of sustainable development in the last five years? Is the world better off today than it was five years ago? A pessimist will say that the glass is half empty. As an optimist I prefer to say that the glass is half full. Let me count the main achievements", asserts Ambasador Tommy Koh of Singapore. The following is adapted from his article. First, the Earth Summit has brought to a final resolution the age-old debate between economic development and protection of the environment. The new wisdom is that we want economic progress, but we also want to live in harmony with nature. To be sure, Governments have to make hard choices and there are trade-offs between the two objectives. But since the Earth Summit, it is no longer possible to talk about development without considering its impact on the environment or to talk about protecting the environment without considering its impact on sustainable development. Many countries have enacted legislation to provide for environmental impact assessment. Second, the Earth Summit has empowered the environmental movement. Within national Governments, the ministries of environment and environmental protection agencies have become more important. The NGO (non-governmental organization) community has gained in stature and influence. Many countries have established national councils on sustainable development. The business community has rallied to the cause and established the Business Council on Sustainable Development. Business leaders have become aware that support for the environment is not inconsistent with profitability. Third, the Framework Convention on Climate Change has come into force. The States Parties are engaged in the difficult process of negotiating a Protocol which would contain legally binding limits on the emission of greenhouse gases. Fourth, the Convention on Biological Diversity has also come into force. States Parties are required to undertake inventories of their biological diversity. They are also required to publish Red Data Books containing their endangered species of flora and fauna. Although we continue to lose about three species of flora and fauna every day, the prospect is better today than five years ago that the world will arrest and reverse this trend. Fifth, in response to the urgent need of Africa, a Convention to Combat Desertification has been negotiated and adopted. It will enter into force in December 1997. I hope the international community will back the Convention with the requisite political will and economic resources to make it work.

Fundamental Difference between Judaism and Christianity Essay

Judaism and Christianity are closely related religions that can trace their origins back to Abraham and are considered in the studies of comparative religion as Abrahamic religion or Judeo-Abrahamic Faith. While there are those who argue that Christianity is a religion that began independently from Judaism, interpretations of biblical texts from the Old Testament reveal that it started out as Jewish sect during the late Second Temple period of the 1st century. The origins of Judaism on the other hand are still unclear as there are debates regarding the source of this religion. Most scholars however agree that the Genesis book of the Hebrew Bible is the canonical that bears on that question. Whatever the origins of these religions maybe, it is clear that they are currently considered as two (2) separate religions that differ on many fundamental issues. The first fundamental issue upon which Christianity and Judaism differ is with regard to the existence of God. Christianity believes that the existence of God is manifested in the Holy Trinity. God, according to the Christians, exists as three (3) distinct persons who share a single essence, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is indivisible but the persons who form the trinity are distinct from each other. This notion of God existing as the Holy Trinity runs contrary to the tenets of Judaism as they believe that God exists solely as a single indivisible divine being. The idea of the Holy Trinity is incomprehensible to the followers of Judaism because of the rejection of the notion that Jesus or any other object or living being could be â€Å"God†, that God could have a literal â€Å"son† in physical form or is divisible in any way, or that God could be joined to the material world in such fashion. While Judaism has two (2) different words used to label God (transcendence = Ein Sof and immanence = Shekhinah), these refer only to ways of experiencing God and still maintain the indivisibility of God. The other fundamental difference between Christianity and Judaism is with regard to the idea of Original Sin. The concept of Original Sin is found only in Christianity and it makes the assumption that all human beings are born with the original sin which is derived from the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This basically theorizes that everyone is born a sinner and nobody is born a saint. The only exception to this rule however is Jesus Christ who is regarded as the only person born without original sin. The concept if Original Sin does not exist in Judaism. Instead, Judaism holds that people have free will and have the ability to affect the course of their lives even if they be born naturally with a good inclination or bad inclination. Judaism holds that humans are born with either yetzer hatov or good inclination, or yetzer hara or bad inclination but can change because of free will. According to the teachings in some sects of Judaism, there can be no original sin because Adam and Eve cannot be blamed for eating the forbidden fruit because the notion of evil or of sin did not arise until after the fruit was eaten. Judaism and Christianity also differ with regard to the concept of love. According to certain scholars, love, as understood in the Christian sense, is equivalent to charity and that love in the Judaic context means justice. This is seen in this bible passage: â€Å"Whereas Jews believe that law is the ultimate fulfillment of love, Christians believe that love is â€Å"the fulfillment of the Law. † An examination of the core commandments of Judaism reveals that love as justice means that God commands the love of his people or Israel but never professes his love for his people (Israel). The Christian concept of love is manifested by the numerous acts of charity that Jesus Christ was said to perform during his lifetime including the ultimate act of love which was sacrificing himself to atone for the sins of man. These fundamental differences between Judaism and Christianity have given rise to the existence of two (2) separate religions who may arguably be worshipping the same God. Whatever the justifications are for having such fundamental differences, there is one common ground that not only Judaism and Christianity but also other religions can agree upon, that is that one should always seek to do good for others and learn to respect the beliefs of others.