John Kerry - Speech on the Death of Anne Smedinghoff free essay sample

Describe an Important Idea in Macbeth and Explain How the Author Communicates This Idea

Describe an Important Idea in Macbeth and Explain How the Author Communicates This Idea In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the author is communicates very strong and important ideas about ambition. He communicates this idea through the protagonist of the play, Macbeth. Shakespeare communicates ambition through the actions of the main character and through the thoughts of this infamous character.Ambition is an important idea in Macbeth. Ambition is both good and bad. In Macbeth, ambition is more vividly expressed as a dark and evil trait shown by Macbeth but it is also communicated subtlety as an honourable trait. Macbeth is one of the greatest and most respected generals in King Duncan's army. He got to his position of respect and honor because he was ambitious, this is the only part of the play where Macbeths ambition as seen as good. After the witches' prophecy, Macbeth's ambition is only seen as evil and deceitful this has significantly changed from how ambition was portrayed by the same character earlier.Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the Three Witches by Jo...

Green Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Green Technology - Research Paper Example Cheaper energy saving and environment-friendly technologies are being proposed to ensure that new energy sources do not add to the pollution level and are used efficiently. This environment-friendly technology is referred to as the â€Å"Green Technology†. It is a process of producing alternative uses of energy that are less damaging to the environment. Alternative energy practices are hence, in demand to curtail the use of fossil fuels. Solar power, Biomass energy, Wind power, Green insulation are some of the examples of green technology that are being discovered and used (Sobha, 2007, pp.4-5). Green insulation is one of the measures of green technology that can be customized in homes which makes energy usage more efficient. The means by which today’s buildings are constructed are not only bad for the environment but also harmful to the health of people. Steel, cement and other materials that are required for the manufacture of buildings, use large quantities of energy , thereby releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Also, many buildings use more energy than what is actually needed, in order to light or heat them or for operating machines and other appliances. Electricity is used from coal-burning power plants and oil-burning heating systems. Also the amount of water wastage is an issue to be considered significantly. Thus, to protect the planet from the harmful effects of energy usage, green buildings are essential (Owen, 2009, pp.7-10). Here lies the main emphasis on the thesis of this report which states that green insulation in homes can make energy usage efficient and protecting the planet from the harmful effects of energies. Green insulation in houses can decrease energy consumption and can prove to be healthier, cost efficient, and good for the planet. Green Insulation in homes: A boon to the planet: There are several benefits of living in green homes, which is why people, especially the Americans prefer more to take advantage of them. Green homes are healthier, cost efficient, and also useful for the planet as a whole. Through the use of natural or mechanical ventilation, the indoor air can be kept clean. Use of toxic-free materials restricts the indoor air pollution to an immense level. Plants are natural detoxifiers, and natural light is essential for such indoor plants; along with lifting up one’s mood. Green homes are also antimicrobial, thus protecting from molds or other microorganisms. The process of green insulation is cost efficient as living in green homes makes less use of energy and less water, hence more savings. They use high standards of building materials, thus maintenance costs are also low. Green homes are, now, in high demand which makes them more valuable in comparison to any standard home, thus lending homes may bring in higher rents. It is also expected that such homes would require lesser insurance payments than standard homes with the insurance companies providin g discount facilities on their policies. Green homes in the near future may be designed in a way that would be able to produce more energy than they produce, through different energy yielding techniques like uses of solar or wind power. Efficient water usage systems also enable green homes to make less wastage of water. Non renewable resources are used less in the construction of a green home. Recycled materials that are readily renewable are generally used for the purpose, e.g., Bamboo. As a result of recycling measures, green home

They Thought They Were Free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

They Thought They Were Free - Essay Example The Versailles Treaty punished the losing Germans severely. Weapons production of any kind was banned. A heavy monetary cost of the war was also levied against Germany. Many Germans were over taxed, unemployed, and morally defeated. Adolf Hitler was one of these Germans. He wanted to change Germany. Hitler did not get up and make a speech about killing six million Jews, or starting a war that killed twelve million more. He did not get up and promise a war that would devastate Germany forever. Hitler promised a prosperous Germany. The promise of a good economy was the first bit that seduced the German people. The second seduction was national German pride. After the German loss during World War I, the German morale was at an all time low. Germans wanted a reason to believe in Germany. Hitler gave them those reasons. The pride, economic boost, and strong government helped the Germans regain a proud nation. The concentration camps, war, and death all came gradually. Heinrich Hildebrandt , interviewed by Mayor, explained: "What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if the people could not understand it, it could not be released because of national security. And their sense of identification with Hitler, their trust in him, made it easier to widen this gap and reassured those who would otherwise have worried about it.† (1971:166). The evilness of the Third Reich came about gradually. The Nazis groomed the regular German citizens. As Major pointed out anti-Semitism was a way of life in Kronenberg since the Middle Ages. As the Race Laws started to take effect, many Germans including those in Kronenberg were not too upset. The isolation of the Jews had been a way of life for centuries. Thus w hen Kristallnacht occurred on November 9, 1938 the people of Kronenberg probably did not realize what was really going on. Kristallnacht was also justified by the killing of a German diplomat in Paris, France by a Jew. The Germans really thought that the Jews were trying to attack them. They wanted a little retribution by burning the Synagogues and smashing Jewish business’ windows. The German people at this time did not think six million Jews would die as the result of this action. When SA Kuhling ordered the Synagogue to be burned, Sturmfurher Schwenke, an unemployed tailor, followed orders. Not all of the Nazis, especially the leaders or SS were mentally stable. For example, Sturmfurher Schwenke had wet the bet until he was twenty-two years old (Major 1971:22). The Nazis put the brutal mentally off men in charge of other innocent civilians. People like Gustav Schwenke would not have balked at an order that made them feel important. The momentum then swept the other German citizens away. If World War II had not broke out, maybe the German citizens might have spoken out more. However Hitler and the Nazi government would use the war to justify everything. Jews were resettled to prevent them from working with the enemy. The Americans did the same with Japanese Americans. It seemed logical. Even if Germans became uneasy they did

Letter to the Committee Saying Why Brain Rejuvenation Should Not Be Essay

Letter to the Committee Saying Why Brain Rejuvenation Should Not Be Allowed - Essay Example Within the context of brain transplant, a person is only identical to the later person if the later person has the entire body as the earlier person, subsequently, brain rejuvenation results to memory duplication whereby a person’s memory can be used by several other persons. Prior to the suggested â€Å"brain rejuvenation† procedure on Nick, Dr. Mathews performed a â€Å"brain transplant† operation on Julia North and subsequently the members of the committee agreed that Julia North’s life was saved. Perhaps we may need to understand a few basics and events that led to this case. Before this operation, Julia North was a young woman run over by a car in efforts to save the life of a child who wandered onto the tracks. Mary Frances who was the child’s mother had stroke while watching the events unfold. The two victims were brought to this facility where Dr. Mathews performed his ‘Brain transplant’ operation which the committee approved an d agreed that saved Julia’s life. It is also important to note that at the time of accident, the survivor, Julia North’s body was dying and the brain was okay and Dr. Mathews transferred her brain into another body. The committee further agreed that it was Julia’s life that was saved since the survivor had memories of Julia based on the being Julia. While arriving at this conclusion, this committee must have been guided by the sophisticated memory account that provides that when a person is numerically identical to a later person if and only if the person has memories of being earlier person that is so caused in the right way. My objection for this matter rests with Cohen’s views on this matter. Julia North had one up until the time of accident, and another body after the operation. This implies that one person had two bodies. Therefore a person cannot be simply identified with a human body and therefore something must be wrong with the view that the comm ittee had adopted on this case as it implies that if a similar operation were to be carried out on brain transplant, then afterwards this person would be a person with new body since the person with that body has a memory of having a similar case as Julia if caused in the ‘right way.’ Right in this scenario has a particular meaning of interest, and must satisfy three conditions; if a subject experiences some event, this experience leaves a trace in the brain of the event and this trace that has been left is later responsible for content of a memory, then in this way we can say that the memory is caused in the right way. Dear members, we are faced with another problem of a new technique called ‘Brain rejuvenation’ yet to be performed on Nick. While adopting earlier propositions to defend approving Julia’s case we are also suggesting that the same logic as earlier proposed would be applicable and as such the committee is justified in saying that Nick w ould be the survivor of the operation , and I quote, â€Å"Nick would be the survivor of the brain rejuvenation procedure because the survivor would have the memories of being Nick and there would be more than one person of being Nick.† But dear members, Nick cannot be more than one person and this do not seems right. Using the same procedure as advanced in this new ‘brain rejuvenation’ process, the committee has argued that saving Nick’s life will be accomplished by replacing his brain with a duplicated brain from someone else and as such his survival are justified on the premise that the same bodies would be of this new person, say Alex and that Nick would then have Alex’s memories and they remember them in the right way. Premised on the duplication theory, when someone

Grief, death and the psychology of dying

Grief, death and the psychology of dying Different people of different religions, race, age and culture have different perceptions of death and the way to go about the loss. The following research tries to explain why people behave the way they do in their different manner. It defines death and grief, why, when and how they occur. It also explains about the misconceptions that people have about death and grief. It gives a more understanding of these phenomena and explores what people go through when they experience them. The paper also gives solutions on how a person should handle the situation once it has happened to him. Grief is the reaction to loss; it is mainly associated with a loss of something or someone to whom a person had formed a bond with. A person can respond to grief emotionally, socially, physically or even through the way they behave. Grief is caused by loss of a variety of things. It can be as a result of a divorce, an illness, loss of someones possessions, status, employment, pets and loved ones (OConnor, Irwin, Wellisch, 2009). Different people react differently when they go through a loss. The different reactions may be as a result of what one has lost. These reactions may be manifested from one person to another or within the same person. The different reactions emanate from peoples diversity cultures, personalities, age, religious and spiritual practices and beliefs (Kubler, 1991) Grief exacerbates both and physical and psychiatric morbidity. This is common especially after a loss of a spouse. During this period, the bereaved usually exhibits symptoms such as headaches, heart palpitations, dizziness and trembling. The bereaved also tends to suffer from depressive symptoms during the first year after the loss. Those who are bereaved young tend to take more symptom relief drugs as well as showing more physical distress than older people. For the older people, the number of visits to the physician as well as hospitalization increases during the time of physical distress. Grieving is an early and old phenomenon. During the olden days, people used to seek help with their grief from religious leaders, extended families, and close neighborhoods as well religious institutions. Today, because of secularization, lack of a sense of community and lack of belief in formal religion, has led to the bereaved seeking help from health workers (Worden, 2002). Children differ in mourning with adults. They tend to return to an earlier behavior like clinging to a toy, thumb sucking or even depicting an angry behavior. They are not mature to mourn like adults but they mourn intensely. A loss in childhood can result to emotional problems as well as physical illness. This poses a great risk as the child can contemplate suicide or become a delinquent. This is mostly common in adolescents (Kubler, 1991) Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross believed that grief has its own stages. These stages include emotional reactions like denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. She advises that understanding grief is an important part of the human experience as it is a necessary response that helps to heal from the overwhelming experience of loss (Kubler, 1991) Dr. Kubler suggests some of the things that a griever can engage in order to overcome grief. Some of these things may include participating in support groups which may either be faith based or secular. Those people going through a complicated grieving process are advised to attend a therapy session with a psychologist or any other qualified professional dealing with mental health. She also advises grievers to take food supplements as well as eating healthy foods (Kubler, 1991) Exercise and work outs like jogging and aerobics are also recommended during this period of grieving. Grieving is also an emotional drainer process thus she recommends enough rest for the person grieving. Places of worship are also known to be very helpful in providing solace and comfort to those grieving. Dr. Kubler recommends that grievers show emotions whenever possible like letting the tears to flow as this facilitates the healing process (Kubler, 1991) At this point of grieving, the griever requires a lot of acceptance and support from friends, family or the people around. The griever may depict a wide range of emotions that may require a lot of understanding from people around (OConnor, Irwin, Wellisch, 2009). To grieve is more than just to show sadness. It involves positive experiences when it deepens interpersonal connections. Grief can cause great wear and tear to both the psyche and the physical body. It is experienced in a very personal way although there are some commonalities to grief. Different people may go through similar reactions to grief such as nightmares, hallucinations and problems with appetite. Other people may experience sleeping disorders while others may go short of breath. Intense or complicated grief can result to complicated responses. These responses may include suicide attempts, murders, shock and even mental disorders. Grief which is complicated can be debilitating, it involves pangs of painful emotions which are recurrent. It may also involve intense longing and yearning for the lost person or thing and also thoughts which are preoccupied with the lost person or thing. Death It is the cessation or termination of biological functions that make up a living organism. Death refers to both a particular event and the condition that result thereby. Many religious beliefs tend to be concerned more with the condition than a particular event. People have different perceptions of dying and death. Many wonder how it occurs or whether the dying just accepts death quietly. Many questions also linger in our minds whether the dying think of their possible decomposition, being consumed by maggots or rotting in hell (Piven, 2004). The process of dying is a process that is known because it is witnessed and described by those involved in it. Certain factors influence the dying experience. These are interpersonal relationships, gender, nature of a disease and the treatment environment, and age. A young child may not understand the nature of death as a mature adult with diverse life experiences would. The dying process is also influenced by gender as a result of different roles played by women and men. A dying man is more likely to think of financial provisions for his family while a dying woman is more concerned with family integrity. Individuals who have experienced a poor interpersonal relationship experience a greater distress while dying than one who had a good relationship (Wass Neimeyer, 1995). Death is seen to be an event as it occurs in a particular time, at a particular place and in a particular way. Death is also seen to be a condition as one is seen to be incapable of carrying the important functions of life. It is a condition that is not reversible. It is also a universal certainty. It forms the centre of many organizations and traditions. Death can be accidental, intentional or natural. Many species die from predation. Intentional activities causing death may involve death by ones self i.e. suicide, death by others i.e. homicide and calamities like war. Death by natural causes is mostly caused indirectly by human activities (Appel, 2005). To determine whether a person is dead or not, there are signs that one can look for. Some of these signs may include; respiration cessation. Breathing stoppage is a good sign that a person is dead. Lack of body metabolism can also suggest that a person is no longer alive. Other signs are a lack of a pulse, body becoming pale a few minutes after the person dies, body temperature reducing and stiffness of the corpse limbs (Appel, 2005). Death can be clinical or legal. When a person ceases to breathe and to circulate blood, the person is declared to be clinically dead. This happens when a person gets a cardiac arrest or the heart simply stops to beat. During this time, the person losses consciousness and the brain activities stop. Procedures to resuscitate the patient are initiated. These include putting the patient under cardiac life support machine which attempts to restart a heartbeat. The resuscitation continues until the recovery of a heartbeat or when a physician determines that the recovery is impossible and the patient is declared legally dead. A brain dead patient with heart and lungs that are functioning can be pronounced to be legally dead (Safar, 1988). Legally, the state brain dead defines death. This occurs when the brain activities both voluntary and involuntary are irreversible and hence cannot sustain life. Irreversible loss of brain functions is caused by direct trauma to the head as a result of a gunshot wound or an accident caused by a motor vehicle. Loss of brain functions can also be caused by massive hemorrhage as result of high blood pressure complications (Murray, 1990). Legal death is when a qualified personnel declares that a patient does not require further medical care and the patient be pronounced dead under the law. Some of the circumstances favorable for a person to be pronounced legally dead is when brain dead. This is when the brain activity is not detected. Psychology of dying According to psychologists, when going through the process of dying one goes through the experience of pain, regret, and fear of the unknown. Our social systems also break down death into distinctive dreads. Example, as a means to obtain moral obedience, religions mold death anxiety into fear of agonizing hell (Wass Neimeyer, 1995). The fears and ideas that people have about death are not innate; they are learnt from their cultural and social environments. A particular cultures system of death conditions the behaviors of the living. For instance, their willingness to receive an organ transplant, suicide contemplation, their will to take risks, to purchase a life insurance, preference for cremation or burial, their attitude towards abortion or capital punishment and their hope for resurrection Religion is also known to shape peoples attitudes toward death. This could be positive or negative. The more religious members display a more consistent attitude of death as measured by the level of fear of death. Those who believe in afterlife have a coherent understanding of situations related to death. Death anxiety, threat and fear result into other forms of psychological distress. Health status is unrelated to the level of fear and anxiety of death (Wass Neimeyer, 1995). Pursuing a death-exposure profession like medicine or attending the morgue does not necessarily increase the fear of death or anxiety. Those professionals or volunteers who work closely with the dying show reduced fear of death and much death competency. Physicians usually have a difficult time with their patients whom they know have no chance of recovery. Telling a patient about his dying is never justified. On the same note, to withhold a patients dying information is not warranted. According to Dr. Kubler (1991), people regardless of their age, religious orientation, race or cultures recognize when they are about to die. Some may start bidding farewell even if death is not expected. Dr. Kubler equates death to being born into a different existence. To die is like to move from one house to another only a more beautiful house this time. It does not matter how death may have occurred because the experience is the same (Kubler, 1991). When one dies, i.e. when the soul leaves the body, it is still possible to perceive what is happening around the dying place i.e. where the body was left. One is able to register everything with a new awareness different from the earthly consciousness. This happens the same way as when one is lying unconscious having a surgery. During surgery, many patients have an out of body experience where they watch surgeons work on them and can actually hear them talk. The same thing happens when a dying patient is in a deep coma. The patient can neither move nor talk but can hear and understand everything being said to him (Kubler, 1991). Nobody dies alone. When one leaves the physical existence, one joins another existence where time, space or distance does not exist. The power of thought is able to bridge long distances in a split of a second. Many people have experienced this when someone who lived many thousands of miles away suddenly appears to them and then later come to realize that they just passed away a few hours or days ago. When patients are on their deathbeds, they report to see people whom they used to see and play with when they were little, only to have forgotten their existence when they grew up. These people die peacefully and happy knowing that someone who loves them will be waiting for them. Generally, people waiting for us on the other side are those who loved us the most (Kubler, 1991). People die at different times; as little children, as young people or very old people. According to Dr. Kubler, the young have already learnt what they were supposed to learn and the old have accomplished what they were supposed to do at the time of their death. If we live well, we will not worry about dying (Kubler, 1991). Conclusion Different people of different religions, race, age and culture have different perceptions of death and the way to go about the loss. The study has identified grief as a reaction to loss, where the victim responds in an emotional, social and physical manner to portray his/her state. In this case, the study has identified that the different reactions exhibited by people as a result of death varies with their diversity cultures, personalities, age, religion and spiritual practices and beliefs. The study has identified several stages taken in a grief process. These include emotional reactions like denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. There are, however different ways of overcoming grief, the study has identified a simple method as group participation in a faith based or secular to be an effective approach. On the other hand, individuals undergoing through a complicated grieving process are advised to attend a therapy session with a psychologist or any other qualified professional dealing with mental health. Eating food supplements and healthy eating habits also helps to overcome grief. Death is seen to be an event as it occurs in a specified time, place, and in a certain way. Death is also seen to be a condition as one is seen to be incapable of carrying the important functions of life. It is a condition that is not reversible. Dr. Kubler has argued that people, regardless of their age, religious orientation, race or cultures recognize when they are about to die. People die at different times; as little children, as young people or very old people. When one dies, i.e. when the soul leaves the body, it is still po ssible to perceive what is happening around the dying place.

Lord of the flies :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies from a Psychology Viewpoint In the book, â€Å"Lord of the Flies† by William Golding, there were many things that happened that relate well to what we have been doing in Psychology 181. There were several times when I found myself relating what we learned in class to the situation that the group of boys in the book found themselves in. The knowledge that I have learned has helped me understand and try to figure out why some of the characters acted the way they did. I found the whole thing very interesting. In this report I will demonstrate what I have found to be some of the most interesting points of psychology that were incorporated in â€Å"Lord of the Flies†. This will prove to be a difficult, but inspiring task. The first thing I noticed was we stereotype people as soon as we meet them. Another, interesting psychological finding that was in the book was that the boys had to fill the basic need. This relates to Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. Finally, in doing this report I get to incorporate another interesting point of psychology. That is that I am doing a report from secondary source in perspective of the boys on the island. That is with the assumption that the book is a true story that happened to this group of kids. Stereotyping played a big part in the book. From the first setting, well the first page, there was stereotyping going on. This played a big part in the book as it does in our everyday lives. The story line of the book is that there is a plane full of young boys flying over an ocean. When the plane goes down hitting an island and some of the boys make it, none of the adults do. This leaves the boy on an island to survive while they wait to be rescued. In the opening act of the book the stereotyping begins. There is a kid (Ralph) who is walking on the island when he meets up with another kid (Johnny better known as Piggy). Piggy makes an assumption about Ralph before they hardly meet. Piggy puts trust in Ralph by telling him a nickname that he had in school and hated. Piggy did all these things before he knew Ralph based on a stereotype than he could trust Ralph.