Isolation in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men Essay -- Essays Papers

Of Mice and Men Isolation John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men contains the haunting theme of isolation that captures the "abused" little man of 1920’s America. Throughout the novel, it is shown that loneliness and isolation has a greater affect on us than may seem. Steinbeck's characters experience different forms of isolation based on the specific prejudice contained within themselves. This theme is shown in Crooks and his isolation due to his race, Candy due to his age, and Curley's wife due to her quality as "jail bait." Candy, characterized as an old swamper, is victimized into isolation as a result of two main factors: his basic disability and his age. Throughout the book we find the farmhands out bucking the barley while Candy is left behind to sweep and clean the ranch. We see the reason for isolation due to his lack of a hand which he lost after getting it caught in a piece of machinery. Candy's age also adds to his isolation. Because Candy himself thinks that he is useless he puts himself in a state of mind that handicaps him more than his missing hand ever. He looks down on himself as an old worthless man that's wasting away his last few years. Candy's character shows us that sometimes its not just other people that isolate us, but that in some cases it is also ourselves. The most evident case of loneliness throughout the book is Curley's wife. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find attention. In response to her reputation for being a flirt none...

Are Character Traits Reliable?

Amanda Thomas Philosophy 103 November 19, 2012 Paper No. 2 In the book â€Å"Experiments in Ethics† by Kwame Anthony Appiah he states that â€Å"Individual moments of compassion and honesty makes our lives better, even if we are not compassionate through and through†. (Appiah 70) He also continues on to say that â€Å"[w]e can’t be content with knowing what kind of people we are; it matters, too, what kind of people we hope to be† (Appiah 72). He discusses the relationship between moral philosophy and  scientific research.He used some research experiments such as Milgrams and The Good Samaritan to further explain this quote. During these discussions he explains the difference between situationist and globalist/virtue ethics. Situationists are people who feel that what predicts behavior are situational factors instead of character traits. Globalists disagree with that statement and argue that character traits predict behavior. They also propose that good actions are defined as those done by people with the proper virtues and that virtues exist as part of individuals’ character makeup.A variety of psychological studies doubt these premises. The main issue is whether we have stable personality and character traits. Appiah uses modus tollens to give a logically from of the situationist argument. If the juice is made with sugar, then the juice is sweet. The juice is not sweet. Therefore, the juice is not made with sugar. One premises using modus tollens that a situationist could agree on is that if virtue ethics is true, then character traits predict behavior. Character traits don’t predict behavior; therefore virtue ethics is not true.Appiah takes the Milgram experiment to rule out certain strong forms of virtue ethics. He notes that virtue ethics can still serve as a guide to life, defining the ideals that should serve as our aims, even thought we rarely live up to them. Moral psychology imposes limits on the kind of peo ple we can become. Appiah uses a phrase that is, of course, necessary to consider in combination with the quote just mentioned, which is this â€Å"We imperfect creatures †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Appiah 53). Darley and Batson’s ‘Good Samaritan’ study was conducted by viewing helping behavior in which students at the PrincetonTheological Seminary were asked to make individual presentations on the story of â€Å"The Good Samaritan†. The accomplice was slumped in a doorway in need of help. Unrushed seminarians helped the accomplice over 60% of the time. When seminarians were told beforehand that they were late for their presentation the helping rate dropped dramatically. Appiah accepts that if the situationist case is as right, then globalism needs to be rejected. However, he argues that virtue ethics can live on even with the end of globalism, or at least he argues that virtue still matters in a world in which situationist lessons are learned.We hope to develop cons istent character traits and to obtain a highly assimilated character, the efforts of attempting to behave in ways show that virtues is one that is worth making. It makes our lives better if we help others a bit more when we are in a hurry than we would if we were unconcerned about attempting to obtain the virtues. He also feels that one can take and embrace the truth in both virtue ethics and situationist by putting people in situations where their virtue is maximized. He feels that the premises aren’t necessarily all true.Appiah believes that experimental research has an even deeper connection to morality. To some extent, we have to trust our gut feelings when determining what is right and wrong. He states in Chapter 1 that â€Å"The conjunction of virtue ethics and situationism urges us to make it easier both to avoid doing what murderers do and to avoid being what murderersare. †I believe that Appiah’s view on virtue ethics and situationist is true. Character traits aren’t completely reliable and certain character traits can help determine how you act in a certain situation but, also certain situations can completely dismay your character traits.

Case Study on Pneumonia

Case Study: Pneumonia and Pressure Ulcer Prevention in an Elderly MICU Patient June 6, 2012 Case Study: Pneumonia and Sepsis in an Elderly MICU Patient L. M. is a 75-year-old female who suffers from severe dementia and lives in a SNF. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005 and as a result had a right upper and middle lobectomy. She also has a history of severe emphysema. L. M. has had several pneumonic infections and has an allergy to Pneumovax. She has a recurrent aspiration risk and received a tracheostomy and a PEG tube in January 2012. On Aril 25, 2012, L.M. was found to be increasingly fatigued, somnolent, and had shortness of breath accompanied with tachycardia as witnessed by the staff at the SNF. When she arrived at the emergency department, she was tachycardic with a heart rate in the 130-140’s and tachypnic with a respiration rate in the 30-40’s. L. M. , who normally depends on 2 liters of oxygen at home, desaturated to 88% requiring oxygen support increas ed to 4 liters. Her baseline systolic blood pressure is 100-110 and it was measured in the low 90’s in the ED. She also had an increased temperature of 38. degrees Celsius. As a result of L. M. ’s increase in temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate accompanied with pneumonia, the emergency department treated her for sepsis. Labs drawn showed an increase in white blood cells and lactic acid, as well as an increase in PC02 and a decrease in PO2. She was aggressively resuscitated with IV boluses as necessary followed by maintenance normal saline. She was also administered Vancomycin, Cefepime, Azithromycin, and Metronidazole. In addition, her chest x-ray illustrated a near complete opacification of the right lung field.She was diagnosed with sepsis secondary to pneumonia complicated by a right lower lung collapse due to mucus plugging. I assumed care of L. M. in the MICU ten days after her admission in the ED. She had been intubated and put on a mechanical ventilato r. She was put on pressure support mode at a rate of 10, PEEP of 5, Fi02 of 40%, and her tidal volumes averaged around 230. She had three bronchoscopies, however, there was still evidence of mucous plugs and L. M. was unable to clear lung secretions. Respiratory therapy attempted to decrease the pressure support on the ventilator but L.M. showed increased signs of respiratory distress. At the point that I took over care for the patient, my goals were: prevent aspiration and further spread of infection and improve ventilation and perfusion. Interventions for my patient to prevent aspirations and decrease risk of further infection included suction contaminated secretions, raise the head of the bed, and use of Chlorexidine wash. Protocol for suctioning an intubated patient in the MICU is every 4 hours or more frequently if necessary depending on the patient. L. M. ad a history of recurrent aspirations and was at risk for increased infection because she was on a ventilator. â€Å"Closu re of the glottis prevents aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions. When a patient is intubated with an endotracheal tube, the glottis remains open, leaving only the inflated cuff for protection against aspiration (Bennett, Bertrand, Penoyer, Sole & Talbert, 2011). † Therefore, routine suctioning helps to eliminate the pooling of secretions above the cuff of the endotracheal tube, where aspiration is most likely to occur.In addition, raising the head of the bed to 30-45 degrees decreases aspiration and the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. â€Å"The single most cost-free intervention found to reduce the incidence of VAP is elevation of the HOB (Stonecypher, 2010). † Although my patient was already diagnosed with pneumonia, it was important to prevent the spread of the infection to the healthy portion of her lungs or have a recurrence of sepsis. Chlorehexidine is an antiseptic that has been proven to inhibit dental plaque formation and gingivitis.I swabbed my patie nt’s mouth with Chlorhexidine once a shift as a protocol in her plan of care. The use of an antiseptic solution helps to decrease the amount of bacteria in the oral mucosa and thus prevents the colonization of bacteria in the respiratory tract (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012). Another important intervention was to maintain the head of the bed at 30-45 degrees and position L. M. ’s left lung into a dependent position to improve ventilation and perfusion. L. M. ’s O2 was decreased to 63 and her CO2 was increased to 50.According to the IHI, it is recommended to elevate the bed to 30- 45 degrees to improve ventilation. Patients that lay in the supine position have lower spontaneous tidal volumes on pressure support ventilation compared to those laying at more of an angle (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012). In regards to positioning, when the least damaged portion of the lung is placed in a dependent position it receives preferential blood flow. This redistribution of blood flow helps match ventilation and perfusion, therefore, improving gas exchange (Lough, Stacy & Urden, 2010).Implementing these interventions combined with respiratory therapy, significantly improved the blood gas values for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. â€Å"Pressure ulcers are key clinical indicators of the standard and effectiveness of care (Elliott, Fox & McKinley, 2008). † L. M. was at high risk for pressure ulcers for multiple factors such as immobility, poor nutrition, age, and health. Therefore, I used the Braden Scale as a quality indicator in order to assess the risk of pressure ulcers and also to initiate prevention.The Braden Scale assesses pressure sore risks by examining certain criteria: sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and fiction and shear. Each category is rated on a scale of 1-4, with the exception of the friction and shear category that is rated on a scale of 1-3. There is a possible score of 23. If a patient has a higher score, they are less susceptible to development of a pressure ulcer and vice versa. In the category of sensory perception, I rated L. M. at a 2 because she only responded to painful stimuli but could not communicate discomfort with the exception of restlessness.I scored her at a 2 in the moisture criteria because she was often diaphoretic because of increased heart rate, increased respirations, and her linens had to be changed once a shift. In terms of activity, she was a 1 because she was confined to a bed both at the hospital and at the SNF she lived in. L. M. was very limited in her mobility and would only make occasional slight changes in her body position; therefore, I assessed her to be a 2. I rated her nutrition at a 2 because she weighed 84 pounds and was on tube feeding that seemed inadequate o meet her nutritional needs. In the last category, friction and shear, I gave her a 1 since she required maximum assistance in moving. She would frequently slide down in her hospital bed and required frequent repositioning. L. M. ’s cumulative score was a 10, which is considered a high risk for developing a pressure ulcer. â€Å"Prevention of pressure ulcers is a fundamental aspect of intensive care nursing, and quality improvement methods are arguably the most cost-effective and intuitive approach to addressing this potentially serious problem (Elliott, Fox & McKinley, 2008). One of the interventions I implemented in order to prevent pressure ulcers in my patient was the use of support surfaces. The use of a pressure-redistributing mattress and pillow supports under bony prominences, assist in relieving pressure that the patient’s body weight has on the skin when lying in bed for a pro-longed amount of time. If the pressure is not alleviated it can lead to impaired circulation, damage to the skin, and eventually tissue death (Gill, Reddy & Ronchon, 2006).In order to further promote patient care, it is necessary to educa te the patient, family, and/or caregivers. There are several different factors that could help to ensure a better quality of life for L. M. Consistent trach care and good oral hygiene can reduce the risk of bacteria entering the airways and causing recurrent respiratory infections. It is important for L. M. to maintain an elevation of the head of the bed to prevent aspiration and improve ventilation. Furthermore, frequent repositioning and the use of supportive devices is imperative to maintain skin integrity.It will also be crucial to monitor L. M. ’s vital signs to be able to recognize a recurrence of pneumonia or sepsis. References Bennett, M. , Bertrand, M. , Penoyer, D. A. , Sole, M. L. , & Talbert, S. (2011). Oropharyngeal secretion volume in intubated patients: The importance of oral suctioning. American Hournal of Critical Care, 20(6), 141-145. Elliott, R. , Fox, V. , & McKinley, S. (2008). Quality improvement program to reduce the prevalence of pressure ulcers in an intesive care unit. American Journal of Critical Care, 17(4), 328-334.Retrieved from http://ajcc. aacnjournals. org/content/17/4/328. full Gill, S. S. , Reddy, M. , & Ronchon, P. A. (2006). Preventing pressure ulcers: A systematic review. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 296(8), Retrieved from http://jama. jamanetwork. com/article. aspx? volume=296&issue=8&page=974 Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2012). Ihi ventilator bundle: Daily oral care with chlorhexidine. Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Retrieved from http://www. ihi. org/knowledge/Pages/Changes/DailyOralCarewithChlorhexidine. spx Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2012). Ihi ventilator bundle: Elevation of the head of the bed. Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Retrieved from http://www. ihi. org/knowledge/Pages/Changes/ElevationoftheHeadoftheBed. aspx Lough, M. E. , Stacy, K. M. , & Urden, L. D. (2010). Critical care nursing. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Stonecypher, K. (2010). Ventilato r-associated pneumonia: The importance of oral care in intubated adults. Crtitical Care Nursing Quarterly, 33(4), 339-347.

Free Essays on Romanticism

During the nineteenth century there was a literary transformation going on in America that changed many writers’ approach and mind-set to writing. This transformation was known as know as Romanticism. William Cullen Bryant, Washington Irving, James Fenimore Copper and Edgar Allen Poe were major contributors to the Romantic Movement. Most of the romantic writings included emotions, imagination and â€Å"reveled in nature.† (220) One poet and poem that applies not only nature, but life and death to emphasize its message, is William Cullen Bryant and his renowned poem â€Å"Thanotopsis†. A theme that is used in nearly every literary piece is nature, which Romantic poets utilize to convey their overall message to their readers. Bryant is one of the first and most significant poets in America literature. He helps get the ball rolling for the Romantic period while acting as a standard for many aspiring poets for years to come. In his poem â€Å"Thanotopsis† Bryant writes about death, and how society should not fear it but rather embrace it. He refers to nature as a woman who seems more beautiful and perceptible when you are near your time. â€Å"To him who in the love of Nature holds communion with her visible forms, she speaks a various language; for his gayer hours she has a voice of gladness, and a smile and eloquence of beauty.†(1-4) Bryant describes the after world as place similar to nature that you â€Å"lie down with patriarchs of the infant world – with kings, the hills rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun- the vales stretching in pensive q uietness between, the venerable woods rivers that move, in majesty, and the meadows green; and poured and all.†(32-42) And though you have died and left this world, you still have an afterworld to look forward to, accentuating the romantic principle of man searching for a better world.... Free Essays on Romanticism Free Essays on Romanticism During the nineteenth century there was a literary transformation going on in America that changed many writers’ approach and mind-set to writing. This transformation was known as know as Romanticism. William Cullen Bryant, Washington Irving, James Fenimore Copper and Edgar Allen Poe were major contributors to the Romantic Movement. Most of the romantic writings included emotions, imagination and â€Å"reveled in nature.† (220) One poet and poem that applies not only nature, but life and death to emphasize its message, is William Cullen Bryant and his renowned poem â€Å"Thanotopsis†. A theme that is used in nearly every literary piece is nature, which Romantic poets utilize to convey their overall message to their readers. Bryant is one of the first and most significant poets in America literature. He helps get the ball rolling for the Romantic period while acting as a standard for many aspiring poets for years to come. In his poem â€Å"Thanotopsis† Bryant writes about death, and how society should not fear it but rather embrace it. He refers to nature as a woman who seems more beautiful and perceptible when you are near your time. â€Å"To him who in the love of Nature holds communion with her visible forms, she speaks a various language; for his gayer hours she has a voice of gladness, and a smile and eloquence of beauty.†(1-4) Bryant describes the after world as place similar to nature that you â€Å"lie down with patriarchs of the infant world – with kings, the hills rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun- the vales stretching in pensive q uietness between, the venerable woods rivers that move, in majesty, and the meadows green; and poured and all.†(32-42) And though you have died and left this world, you still have an afterworld to look forward to, accentuating the romantic principle of man searching for a better world.... Free Essays on Romanticism Romanticismo En los à ºltimos aà ±os del siglo XVIII y primeros del siglo XIX, ocurrieron revoluciones liberales en Europa originaron el triunfo y la consolidacià ³n de este estilo. Este es un movimiento espiritual que tiene su origen en los pensamientos del siglo XVIII, en este se proclame el individualismo a ultranza y el nacionalismo como dimensià ³n colectiva. Como consecuencia de este individualismo podemos ver: el sentimiento y la libertad, se proclama la libertad del artista y una reaccià ³n violenta contra la rigidez del academicismo neoclsico. Este era de aspecto sensible y religioso. La principal fuente inspiradora era la naturaleza. Ahora se prefiere la noche mas que el dà ­a ya que se considera donde esta el Alma del Universo, camino inevitable, para la ensoà ±acià ³n (el camino inevitable para alcanzar los paraà ­sos perdidos). Este estilo se apoya en las experiencias artà ­sticas del siglo anterior, pero sustituyendo la Antigà ¼edad Greco-romana por la Edad Media (principalmente por el gà ³tico). Tiene su gusto en los exà ³tico y en lo pintoresco para satisfacer las necesidades de huidas de la realidad que caracteriza esta à ©poca. Las comunicaciones las campaà ±as militares en Africa permitieron que aquellos lugares tan diferentes y raros, que junto con el Sur de Espaà ±a de sustrato rabe fueron muy visitadas por los artistas europeos. Poniendo muy de moda los paisajes y ambientes. Francia reemplazo a Italia durante este perà ­odo, dejando aparte la arquitectura ya que la pintura habà ­a ganando tanta popularidad. El gusto por lo medieval y por el Gà ³tico se paralizo para restaurar los edificios. La arquitectura romntica italiana supuso sin embargo una vuelta renacentista. Alemania se obsesiono con lo medieval y por su tradicià ³n gà ³tica se termina la catedral de Colonia se convirtià ³ en empeà ±o de carcter nacionalista. Espaà ±a se incorpora tarde al movimiento romntico que dura mucho tiempo en el r...

Meet the Seven Celestial Sisters of the Sky

Meet the Seven Celestial Sisters of the Sky   In the story Top 10 Cool Things in the Sky, you get a sneak peak at a little star cluster that is famous the world over. Its called The Pleiades and makes its best appearance in the night skies from late November to through March each year. In November, theyre up from dusk to dawn. This star cluster has been observed from nearly every part of our planet, and everyone from amateur astronomers with small telescopes to astronomers using Hubble Space Telescope  has taken a shot of it.   Many of the worlds cultures and religions focus on the Pleiades. These stars have had many names and show up on clothing, flats, pottery, and artwork. The name we know these stars by now comes from the ancient Greeks, who saw them as a group of woman who were companions to the goddess Artemis. The seven brightest stars of the Pleiades are named after these women:   Maia, Electra, Taygete, Alcyone, Celaeno, Sterope, and Merope. There is a fascinating Wikipedia look at the Pleiades in different cultures here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades_in_folklore_and_literature.   So, What are the Pleiades to Astronomers? They make up an open star cluster that lies about 400 light-years away, in the direction of the constellation Taurus, the Bull. Its six brightest stars are relatively easy to see with the naked eye, and folks with very sharp vision and a dark sky sight can see at least 7 stars here. In reality, the Pleiades has more than a thousand stars that formed in the last 150 million years. That makes them relatively young (compared to the Sun, which is about 4.5 billion years old). Interestingly enough, this cluster also contains many brown dwarfs: objects too hot to be planets but too cold to be stars. As theyre not very bright in optical light, astronomers turn to infrared-sensitive instruments to study them. What they learn helps them determine the ages of their brighter cluster neighbors and understand how star formation uses up the available material in a cloud. The stars in this cluster are hot and blue, and astronomers classify them as B-type stars. Currently the core of the cluster takes up an area of space about 8 light-years across. The stars are not gravitationally bound to each other, and so in about 250 million years they will begin to wander away from each other. Each star will travel on its own through the galaxy. Their stellar birthplace probably looked largely like the Orion Nebula, where hot young stars are forming in a region of space about 1,500 light-years away from us. Eventually these stars will go their separate ways as the cluster moves through the Milky Way. Theyll become whats known as a moving association or a moving cluster.   The Pleiades appear to be passing through a cloud of gas and dust that astronomers once thought was part of their birth cloud. It turns out this nebula (sometimes called the Maia Nebula) is unrelated to the stars. It does make a pretty sight, though. You can spot it in the nighttime sky pretty easy, and through binoculars or a small telescope, they look spectacular!

Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Germany - Essay Example These men, despite their desire for positive reform, were met with much opposition throughout their causes and careers. Frederick the Great ruled Prussia from 1740 to 1786. He has been remembered for many things, but some of those that stand out include his contributions as a brilliant tactician and military organizer, controlled grain prices so that the government stores good provide for poor families whose crops were unsuccessful, and beginning the first official school of veterinary medicine in Austria or Germany. He was, also, an accomplished linguist, speaking several languages, and talented musician. Most importantly, he is remembered for changing Prussia from an often forgotten European â€Å"backwater† location and into a thriving, economically strong and reformed region. However, again, much of the changes he attempted to implement were met with opposition; Enlightened Absolutism was not a favored position of all of the peoples of Europe at the time. (Wikipedia) Joseph the II of Austria ruled from 1765-1790. He had a very famous family member that should not be left unmentioned; he was brother to France’s Marie Antoinette. He was a well liked and influential leader, however he, like Frederick the Great, faced a great deal of opposition due to his attempt to reform Austria with the philosophy of Enlightened Absolutism. Some of the very important acts he is known for include, making public education more available for boys and girls, inspiring legal reforms throughout Austria, and attempted to reform the Catholic Church to make it more tolerant, more akin to his enlightened perspectives. He, like others who shared his political and social views, had a great deal of respect and support for the arts. In fact, such a well loved patron of the arts that, his funeral cantata was composed by Beethoven himself. (Wikipedia) Both men strived to make changes to their lands under the ideologies of

Should English become the official language. (Should there be an Essay

Should English become the official language. (Should there be an official world language.) - Essay Example Therefore, I believe to a large extent that English (or any other language) should not be made the official language of the world because there is a lot of scope in the field of multilingualism, multilingualism has a huge positive impact on an individual’s cognitive development, and one’s language is an integral part of one’s culture and ethnicity (Baker and Jones1998). Multilingualism means the use of many languages by an individual. Although many people are learning to speak English, no fact can deny that the field and demand of multilingualism is enormous. Even the United States, the country where English is the most spoken language, has a great need for individuals who can speak multiple languages. The reason why the field of multilingualism is so vast is because multilingualism itself applies to so many different professions. For instance, multilingualism can be used in international trade, international diplomacy and foreign relation. It can also be used in national security and defense, marketing, business, engineering, community development, public relations and media. Medical and health care professionals should know more than one language in case they come across a patient who is unable to speak ‘the official language’. ... Moreover, if English or any other language would be made the official language of the world, it would be extremely time-consuming for non-English speakers to learn a whole new language, not to mention the loss of jobs that interpreters and translators would face. Even the education profession would face loss of jobs; teachers who teach foreign languages like Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin and many others would have nowhere to go. Thus, it would be a very wrong move to make English the official language of the world because there is a lot of scope in studying different languages. Furthermore, there are numerous job opportunities in the field of multilingualism; about three fourth of respondents to a survey on languages in the EU confirmed â€Å"improving job opportunities† as the top most reason why youths should learn many languages (Working Together to Build a Multilingual Society 2003; Orban 2007). Other than the availability of many job opportunities, there is another advantage of knowing many languages rather than only one ‘official’ one; creativity. Recent study has shown that an individual who speaks more than one language enhances one’s normative cognition, which leads to increased creativity. The reason for this is that due to variations in the use of specifiable processes, and the flexibility and richness of stored cognitive structures to which the processes are implemented. Therefore, the impact on an individual’s cognition of speaking more than one language results in intricate cognitive functioning, which may lead to a higher creative performance. One of the popular mechanisms of normative creativity that multilingualism can lead to is divergent thinking. Research shows that a multilingual