Monday, September 30, 2019

Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender Essay

Female protagonists are challenged to break the stereotype that women are weak, and to instead illustrate that women are just as capable as men in most if not all things. Marele Day’s, â€Å"The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender† is a text in which the protagonist, Claudia Valentine subverts and challenges the male centred conventions of the crime fiction genre. She does this by being strong, who not only does the work of men, but also manages to thrive in a harsh setting where women are not ordinarily found. Understanding her character, and the way that shapes her work, and where she lives is key to fully appreciating how Days’ text subverts the crime fiction genre. One of the significant ideas, explored by Marele Day is the issue of Gender. In the opening of the novel, Marele Day uses description to invite the readers to a whirlpool of â€Å"ash trays†, empty bottles of â€Å"Jack Daniel†, a nameless blond in the bed, a hangover and a messy flat s urrounded with scattered clothes. The use of imagery always the reader to understand this novel, is based upon a male protagonist. The supposedly male protagonist wakes up the nameless blond before going to a funeral. He refers the nameless blond as â€Å"him†. The readers are in a state of conundrum to whether the protagonist is gay or Day has subverted the main character as a female. It is then on page three, Day reveals the narrator’s name – Claudia Valentine – and on page five that the audience learns her profession. â€Å"People rarely come to private investigator with good news†, Claudia uses her familiar sardonic style to depict that the readers have been tricked the whole time on the issue of gender expectation. Through the opening novel, the readers understand how Day uses gender inversion and parody to combat the crime fiction conventions. The readers are able to understand that Claudia is a stereotypical hardboiled detective who fits the conventions of a typical Private Investigator. This is demonstrated when she visits the apartment of the deceased Mark Bannister in Bondi. Claudia belongs to a tough world of fighting crime as she is tough and cynical and possess a great deal of physical strength. This portrayed in the quote, â€Å"My legs are my best weapon. I don’t carry a gun like some of my cowboy colleagues†. Parody and symbolism are used in the term â€Å"legs† because in the traditional crime fiction genre, the female legs are symbolic of attraction and love. Claudia also teases and adds sarcastic humour when she makes fun of the  macho men. In addition, Claudia is a post – feminine version of the traditional Private investigator, who uses her intellectual power rather than her physique, â€Å"There’s more than one way of skinning a cat†. Here, she uses idiom and typical terse, and witty, colloquial language style to demonstrate women unlike men possess skills other than brute strength and weapons. The readers understand that Claudia avoids direct clashes and harsh violent methods when locating and fighting her enemies. She only expresses her tough, heroic and hardboiled character by using karate as a means of self-defence. Through these extracts, Claudia challenges and subverts these gender stereotypes and Claudia most certainly foliaged into a feminist hero whilst turning the traditional detective genre on its head. Furthermore, the setting of Sydney is profoundly explored when she steps into the corrupt environment of the video arcade. This is a typical crime fiction scene as merchandise are exchanged with a pay off. Day uses double entendre in the phrase â€Å"waiting for the developers to give them a new lease of life, or maybe just a new lease†. This emphasises the city as treacherous, where corruption is an underlying motif in the novel. The ‘stench’ of Sydney forces Claudia to equip many qualities and standards that showcases her hard-boiled detective nature. This is illustrated when Claudia ‘saunters’ over to the Maori (doorman), which implies that she is a confident, nonchalant, typical PI. Her communication with the Maori is terse and witty: the use of play on words â€Å"smack† and â€Å"score†, reveals Claudia’s usage of pun and humour. The readers grasp the notion that these qualities are associated with typical PI which adds further entertainment, humour to the story and appeal to Claudia’s character as she tries to understand the city of Sydney.Marele Day displays finer points of Sydney as a corrupted and powerful dwelling. After she is kicked out by the Maori, she goes to the hamburger shop. While eating, she mentions two opposite poles of Sydney; Macquarie St and George St. She personifies George St as â€Å"brash†, â€Å"bright lights† and â€Å"winking†. With the use of personification, Day was able to create a lively vivid character. The readers visualise the modern city with its lavish lifestyle, beaches and harbour. In contrast, she reflects upon the corrupt and colonial history of Macquarie’s Rum Corps which in 1980s was represented as a corrupt ‘old boy’s network’. This is where Sydney was  depicted as â€Å"crime capital† of the South Pacific. Claudia is dismayed that Sydney is changing â€Å"My city from the city she grew up with into a corrupted empire whose morals are obsolete and filthy. Finally, the use of first person voice in this arcade crime scene, creates suspense and action. This is portrayed when Claudia paces to the container terminal where she describes it as â€Å"strong, menacing and all seeing†. Claudia uses descriptive language and she puts a clear image into the readers mind about the double edged urban setting as dark and sleazy. To add to the misty and daunting surrounding, fighting and action takes place. Claudia, after observing what happened in the container terminal was eager to breakout:, â€Å"For the moment I had a more pressing task: to get back to the car without being†¦.Oh Christ!† (p.72). First person narrative emphasises the readers concern for Claudia’s safety and her vulnerability. Day employed many action verbs in one sentence; â€Å"poised†, â€Å"kick†, â€Å"rolled†, â€Å"swung† and â€Å"swept†. Day, crammed all these action verbs into one long sentence to inform the readers about the rapid, dangerous events unfolding in the crime scene as well as to create an atmosphere mingled with tense and anticipation. Claudia’s quick thinking and wise action enabled her to survive in the sleazy, dangerous underworld. In conclusion, Marele Day portrayed a hard-boiled detective character by exploring two key ideas: Gender and the setting of Sydney. Through these ideas, Claudia Valentine subverted the crime fiction genre by breaking the stereotype that females are weak beings. Likewise, Claudia Valentine was able to thrive in a corrupt and harsh setting of Sydney, illustrating the notion that female women are just as capable as men in most if not all aspects.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

A New Miss America: Nina Davuluri

Born in Syracuse, New York, and raised in Oklahoma and Michigan, it is hard to pick a more American story than that of Davuluri. The daughter of Indian doctors who immigrated to the United States in the early 1980s, Miss America embodies all ideas of the great American Dream. But an uneducated public is trying to crush that dream with their negativity. Misidentifying Davuluri as Muslim, Arab, Egyptian, and Indonesian, among other ethnicities, Twitter users did not Just stop at proclaiming hat, essentially, non-white participants of the pageant should be disqualified.They also linked her to terrorist organizations, such as A1 Qaeda. Some took it even further, outraged that she should be crowned in the same week as September 1 1 . Those who correctly acknowledged her Indian heritage made racist Jokes, playing on the stereotype that Indian-Americans often work in the grocery and food industries. It is ironic that the 24-year-old New Yorker is bullied about her race after her answer in t he question round of this weekend's pageant. Asked by Miss America udge Carla Hall about TV host Julie Chen's plastic surgery to appear â€Å"less Asian,† Davuluri responded, â€Å"I've always viewed Miss America as the girl next door.And the girl next door is evolving as the diversity in America evolves†¦ Definitely be confident in who you are. † One has to question if Davuluri is staying confident after her crowning considering the negative feedback from the public, although she is putting on a brave face. â€Å"I'm so happy this organization has embraced diversity,† she told The Associated Press. â€Å"There are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America. Addressing her â€Å"non-American† haters, she said, â€Å"l always viewed myself as first and foremost American. † Davuluri was not the only contestant rebuffed for her race.Fellow Top 5 runners- up Miss California Crystal Lee and Miss Minnesota Rebecca Yeh go t backlash for their Asian roots. Exactly thirty years after Vanessa Williams was crowned as the first black Miss America, it was refreshing to see the racial diversity at this year's pageant, with 13 non-white contestants. It showed a forward-thinking Miss America, focused more on intelligence, drive, talent, and poise and an attempt to move the pageant into the 1st century. Yet the American people were not yet ready for the group of diverse, educated young women who are the face of the future America. According to Census Bureau reports, America will be much less white than it is today, with the percentage of blacks, Asians, and Hispanics increasing in our population. ) These women are independent and strong, they represent many ditterent backgrounds, they are accessible, they are role models, they are real. They do not fit the stereotypical 1950s pageant queen archetype. They are more than that. The Judges could see that, choosing to focus on inner beauty and accomplishments. Some of those who verbally fought Miss America's title were firmly set on who they believed should be queen bee: Miss Kansas Theresa Vail.The 22-year-old blonde beauty is only the second military woman to participate in the pageant. As a sergeant in the U. S. Army and the first Miss America contestant to bear tattoos, Vail was a fan favorite long before the cameras starting rolling at the Atlantic City show. A humorous and highly talented young woman, Vail made it to the Top 10 but was cut from the competition after the talent round. Online, she was well-like because she mbodied the â€Å"real† American woman: she can sing, she has tattoos, she likes to hunt, she is poised but goofy and self-deprecating.She represents middle America. But on closer inspection, she does not embody America as it is today. She embodies what an ideal America used to be: middle class, white, Christian, rural, the picture- perfect WASP woman. So for all the progress the pageant made to depict a well- ro unded, diverse America, the public still gravitated, predictably, to the â€Å"All American Beauty. † â€Å"l swear I'm not racist but this is America. † How has this come to define America, a ountry renown for its opportunities, for its freedoms, and for being the greatest melting pot in the world?How dare you deny Miss America, a talented and intelligent woman, her shot at the American dream? Why are we stuck in archaic mindsets of who deserves to be praised for their accomplishments and then rewarded with scholarship funds to pursue their passions? Who are we to Judge? To Twitter user @JAyres15 and to all of those ganging up on Nina Davuluri: you may swear you are not a racist, but I swear that you are. You hide behind prejudice and bigotry, you are close-minded, and you are the non-American.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

What roles does video games play in developing problem solving skills Research Paper

What roles does video games play in developing problem solving skills in students k-12 grades - Research Paper Example Video gaming has successfully cut across gender barriers and, surprisingly, almost 40% of all gamers, are female. In as much as two-thirds of all US households play video games, nearly 25% of all gamers are under the 18 years age bracket. Over the last ten years, children have exhibited a substantial increase in amount of time spent on video gaming (Rideout, Foehr and Roberts, 2010). From an average of 26 minutes in 1999, a child spent about an hour and thirteen minutes in 2009, on video gaming. Against the backdrop of such overwhelming popularity, this activity which seduces children and adults alike, present a host of benefits. Paradoxically, anti-gaming activists, too, make up a sizeable number and with good reason, as well. Introduction Video gaming as an educational pedagogy and a learning mode opens up a world of possibilities. A judicious marriage of caution and openness, supplemented by appropriate investments by way of time and effort, would prove to be ideal. Drawing pointe rs from issues such as gaming collaboration, single player games and usage of video gaming as an academic pedagogy, this paper attempts to prove that video games do not enrich the problem solving skills of K-12 students. The issue of why kids play video games and what they learn from this addictive activity has been a source of constant debate and dispute, among parents, teachers, VIDEO GAMES DO NOT ENRICH PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS researchers as well as the students. (Olthouse, 2009) proposes video gaming as a new, diverse and a growing phenomenon. While the fun element is what essentially draws kids to video games, it can be viewed against the backdrop of a host of perspectives such as gaming as a play, reinforcement, social interaction, fantasy as well as a cognitive exercise. While younger children sought immediate positive responses through the gaming exercise, mature children in the age group 14 to 18 years, exhibited good emotional value, sought stimulus and took risks in an act ion-packed genre. However, in many a case, video games offered a high dose of motivational power and requited large investment in terms of time and money. These proved to be heavy put offs for children. On a positive note, video games promoted meta cognition, computer and perceptual skills. On the downside, these games proved to be highly addictive, costly and heightened aggression. It also discouraged imagination and wonderment among the players. Another negative outcome was Stereotypical gender representations. Collaboration The advent of multi-player and on line games invited gamers to an interactive, participative and collaborative genre of video games Collaboration (Meij, Albers & Leemkuil, 2011) is an attempt to make an individual play, commercial off the shelf games, in pairs, rather than in a solitary mode. This strategy aims at benefitting from the resultant synergy as also to promote social interaction. Though the players reportedly benefitted a great deal from the opportu nity to discuss and analyse the test VIDEO GAMES DO NOT ENRICH PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS scores, surprisingly, collaboration did not exhibit any positive affect on gaming engagement and individual knowledge scores, presumably, because the game dialogues were concentrated on superficial gaming features such as game movements. Single player games The attractiveness of single player games is still hard to beat. Citing three examples of the best video games ever, namely, Roller Coaster Tycoon, The Sims and Grand Theft Auto III (Prensky, 2002), a comprehensive analysis elucidates through the 5 Ws - how, why, what, where and when/whether - the need for welcoming video games into the learning domain. Both the positive and

Friday, September 27, 2019

School Bulling Intervention Program by Olweus Essay

School Bulling Intervention Program by Olweus - Essay Example This makes the quasi experimental and experimental designs more difficult where randomization is not carried out, as more irrelevant interpretations are well ruled out in case the study is carried out through randomized sampling procedures. The problem of maturation in this study is taken care of by ensuring that all the participants in the study are of the same age gap. Important is that there occurs a relation between bullying and agenda these developmental changes needed to be controlled effectively if appropriate results were to be obtained. In the First Bergan Project that Olweus basis the argument on, there is however shortcomings in that some collected data in the extended selection cohorts might not be applied in evaluation of the program effects. The longitudinal design of the experiment makes it impractical to take this into account during the statistical analysis. This would make this design to have less precision in the final results and having less power as compared to u sing designs where repeated measures are incorporated. The repeataiton of data and the presence of irrelevant factors in the intervention program make this approach a sensitive one and as Olweus argues, care has to be taken in making decisions regarding the relevant and irrelevant factors in such designs. Olweus despite these challenges finds the use of extended cohorts design to be of much importance and would effectively lead to concluding on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of a particular intervention program, besides this approach being easier to use and a natural step in evaluating the happenings in schools concerning activities related to bullying. Research design Olweus used the extended cohorts design to review and evaluate the effects of... This essay approves that to measure the effectiveness of the intervention programs, results of one of the cohorts could be analyzed critically to register the observed changes in areas that could indicate that the changes happened as a result of the intervention program. The new national initiative against bullying in Norway in 2000 that was implemented by the Olweus Group against Bullying and antisocial behavior was more enlightening concerning Olweus research design, and involved training instructors candidates that were supposed to lead in recurring staff discussion groups. The use of staff discussion groups in the Norwegian initiative was also instrumental in portraying the ideology and design of Olweus program that aimed tackling the bullying issues form all perspectives and stakeholders. That more information regarding bullying, how it could be contained and the necessary prevention mechanism implemented, makes the Olweus research design to be comprehensive, broad, more elabora te and involving the necessary parties. This repoort makes a conclusion that the effectiveness of Olweus bullying intervention program has its effectiveness from the design of the study that involved a broad integration of cohort studies and other relevant studies over the use to come up with certain hypothesis statements and findings that aided in formulation of a more effective approach. Though there are lower rates of validity threats, the study portrays how a system such as the schools could be integrated with an aim of solving a problem successfully.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Definition Essay: Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Definition of Racism - Essay Example Racism was institutionalized and given support from all quarters of the government as well as parts of the society. The Blacks were denied their Civil Rights and opportunity to participate in any political, social and economic matters. Racism also accounts for heavy prejudice based on race that entails discrimination and segregation against the race that is inferior. Racism was a very powerful force to reckon with in American society and hence the Blacks were neither favored nor given any prominence for any of their talent, which includes their artistic or intellectual abilities. They were not given admission to good educational institutions nor were they allowed to enter theaters or Hotels. Racism could also be described as the hatred or intolerance of one race towards another. Before and during the wars the Whites felt it below their dignity to induct the Blacks into the army. It is only when all the vacancies had been filled by the Whites and they badly needed hands to help in the war, did they begin recruiting Blacks who bravely served the country all through the war- some of them were so heroic that they served until their last breath. Racism wears different masks – but basically, the psychological pre-condition for racism is nothing but anxiety or contempt towards another race in order to secure or reassure themselves of their own identity. On a Philosophical level, we could say that racism does not provide room either for the unknown or the strange. All the facets of racism are dependent on the socio-economic, cultural and religious condition of any given society which reflects the over-emphasis of the skin color of a particular race. Racism is of many kinds. For example, in European History we have what is called state – organized racism where thousands of Jews were persecuted in History’s worst holocaust.  Ã‚  

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Ethnic Minorities. Choose an ethnic minority in a population not u.s Essay

Ethnic Minorities. Choose an ethnic minority in a population not u.s. or canada. Describe basic info, where they live population - Essay Example The Neolithic culture, which they brought with them, is still evident in the rice terraces, cloth weaving and the use of iron implements. Scholars differ in their contentions of the mountain people’s ancestors, however, a noticeable number supports the contention that the ancestors of the mountain people came from the South East Asia Mainland. In the process of settling down, the early settlers became geographically isolated from one another. The long period of isolation and adaptation to the environment gave rise to variations of culture. Akin to other kinds of culture, distance has caused differences. Over time, the territories have made them stay in their respective tribes. An individual who would wander or dare to cross boundaries would have dire consequences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Igorots or â€Å"mountain people† as they are called by their lowland counterparts refer to the people living the mountainous parts of Central Luzon in the Philippines. It is an au tonomous country in Southeast Asia. Some of its known neighbors are Taiwan, China, Borneo, Vietnam, and Indonesia (Peters 7). The nation’s name was derived from Spain’s King. Phillip II ruled Spain during the islands’ discovery by Ruy Villalobos. ... The region’s economy mainly involves farming, mining, and tourism. Most of the agricultural products are vegetables such as potato, beans, and other leafy greens. The Cordilleras is also the major producer of highland vegetables of the entire Philippines. This is because of is very fertile lands and cool climate. Some of the region’s minerals are gold and silver. The Igorot Mountains are also attracting lots of tourist from all over the world. Aside from having the Banue Rice Terraces, which is considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the World, it has lots of natural and manmade wonders. These majestic places include the Sagada Caves, the hanging coffins and mummies of Benguet, the cool, pine filled climate of Baguio City also known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines, the Strawberry fields of La Trinidad, otherwise known as the Salad bowl of the Philippines, the hot springs of Asin and a lot more. It is also a host of a large number of mountain climbers since it con tains the second highest mountain in the Philippines, Mt. Pulag. Igorots’ settling locations have been concentrated in one area. However, the different subgroups have occupied different divisions. The closeness of their geographical aspects have ensued some similarities in their practices. However, the slight environmental dissimilarities have caused diversity among the mountain people. Interestingly, enculturation have transpired over time. The Igorots have also been proven to build stone walls, dams, and canals that still puzzle engineers. These hydraulic works were shaped from stones greater in bulk than those of the Great Wall of China ( . Specifically, the mountain people mostly live in the region’s southern, eastern, and central expanses. Those who live in Mountain Province are called

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Educationn Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educationn - Research Paper Example She was supposed to read the essay in one hour. The first section involved four open ended reflective questions on the topic, which the students was required to answer without referring to any sources. The time allocated for this section was twenty minutes. The second section involved five short answer questions where the student was given a total of twenty-five minutes to refer to the article and class notes and provide the answers in writing. As the student attempted the second section of the questions, the teacher moved about attempting to analyse she was behaving as well as her working patterns. The last section involved one essay question on the same topic that Joan was supposed to research on and write a comprehensive essay in a period of one hour. A stopwatch was provided so that the student could time herself. The teacher then checked the work of the student and later facilitated discussion on each question during the next session. This paper is a report on the findings on re ading capability of Joan as well as recommendations. The testing was done on 21 May 2012 after which a discussion with the teacher was done the following day. After the test, the teacher also tried to research more on Joan’s performance in other subjects as well as her reading habits at home. Joan is an eighth grade student. The history teacher realized that Joan had a reading problem and decided to analyse it. Her problem was on reading speed and the much time she took to conceptualize facts. However, Joan always tried to finish her assignments and hand them in time. She is an average student but appears to have difficulties especially during exams when she cannot finish examinations in time. According to her parents, Joan does not schedule much time for reading and rarely reads novels or storybooks. Generally, Joan has a good attitude toward learning and tries to put many efforts in her work. Her visual capability appeared normal as

Monday, September 23, 2019

University of California Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

University of California - Personal Statement Example niversity’s mission of building both the characters and careers of the students through focusing on academic achievement, excellence of the institution and service for the community encourage me to join and obtain my studies from the University of California. I am applying for a transfer to the program of Global Studies major with particular interests in Public relations and international relations. I have developed interest in the program because of my experience of different countries through travel and study during my early studies. In the year 2007 for instance, I travelled to Australia on an academic trip which took a full month and I had firsthand experience with cultural diversity. The experience was so strong and exciting that it in part encouraged my desire to travel and study in the United States. In the year 2010 I came to America as an international exchange student from China. I had to overcome the challenges of language barrier and cultural shock, an experience that very enlighten to me as a student & person. Previously I have studied at the Suzhou foreign language school, Nathan Hale-Ray High School in Connecticut and the Justin Siena Catholic High school in Napa Valley Elac. My experience in America as an international student has tremendously influenced my person and future career choices especially due to the cultural exchanges. I had the unique opportunity of studying with other students from different parts of the world such as German, Poland Hong Kong and others which allowed a lot of meaningful exchanged and propelled my desire to further my studies in Global Studies. I applied and was accepted by a number of universities but chose to pursue my studies at ELAC College with the sole intention of transferring to the UC whose system I believe is the best. Having such a diverse background in terms of academics I have come to learn that people’s orientation and background play a significant role in influencing their communication and

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Leadership legacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership legacy - Essay Example Because Jesus transforms, he should be our servant model. The book exposes the domains of the servant leader from a holistic perspective (heart, hands, head, and habits). As a leader, I would want to be remembered by the people in my church, at work, at home and in my community. Applying the four spheres of leadership, I will act in a manner that mimics the â€Å"transformational† leadership of Jesus Christ. I will highlight my points in the different paragraphs for better clarity (Blanchard & Hodges, 2005). In the book â€Å"Lead like Jesus†, Blanchard says that this is the most significant of all the four domains. According to Blanchard, it’s all about what motivates a leader (Blanchard & Hodges, 2005). As a servant leader, I will exhibit the Exalting God Only traits through confidence and leadership. My main motivation will be the urge to touch and transform the lives of the people I come across. I will be there not to serve myself, but the people I lead to their progression and not mine. Blanchard goes on to say that this is the place to start as a leader. This domain, mainly deals with a leader’s viewpoint, theories and beliefs about motivating and leading others. Since I intend to lead like Jesus, whose point of view was servant leadership, I too will conform to the same. As a leader, I will set the destination and course on how to get where my subjects ought to be. For this reason, as described by Blanchard is the visionary role of a leader. A leader has to plan for the future and how to get there (Blanchard & Hodges, 2005). While setting my visions, I will personally see to it that everything is done using the right set of protocols. All things done to get to our preferred â€Å"destination† will be focused on serving, and not my pleasure. I certainly will exhibit these two roles, as Jesus did an excellent job exemplifying both (Webb, 2007). The

Saturday, September 21, 2019

William Blake- subject, language and form Essay Example for Free

William Blake- subject, language and form Essay Blakes poems put forward a powerful social message which reflects the time in which he was writing. With reference to at least five of his poems, show how Blake achieves this through his use of subject, language and form In this essay I will be analysing five of Blakes poems which are A Poison Tree, The Chimney-Sweeper (experience), The Chimney-Sweeper (innocence) London and The Human Abstract. Each of Blakes poems has a powerful social message, and my aim is to analyse the message he is trying to portray through these poems. The subject, language and form his poems uphold are some of the main devices that help put forward his opinion at his present time, the 18th century. The powerful social message Blake was trying to convey to his readers was human suffering during his era, he showed this through his poems which marks his sympathy. At this day and age modern readers understand Blake as a writer and see the message he is trying to put forth through his poems. Although in his time, Blake was considered very strange. Born in 1757 into a Christian but non conformist London family, most of his life he spent in London. In 1783 he published his first volume of poems. Many changes were taking place in Blakes society, between 1750 and 1850, late 18th century the industrial revolution was changing the society through huge revolutions in technology in England. England changed from a rural population made from agriculture to a manufacturing society consisting of factories. Oppression of women and children was apparent so they worked for lower wages. Employment laws did not exist yet, some may have had to work up to 14 hour days with low wages. Now a days, these things are seen as wrong, throughout the 18th-19th century employing children and women with low wages and others with ridiculously long hours was seen as normal and no action was taken against it by either the establishment, monarchy or church, this caused Blake to be against all establishments which did not try and help the problems 18th century England was facing. Blake, being the rare few of many in England, became aware of these faults. His views were similar to our contemporary day. Many writers were moved by the industrial revolution. They felt it was important to shine light on the poor conditions of the working class and use of child labour. This change changed the attitudes of those living in England, many rich well off people became ignorant towards the conditions many poor, lower class, people were facing. The attitude of many high class people was apparent as growth and human spirit was not possible under conditions of social oppression. Also the establishment did nothing about the poor working conditions. In the 18th century poetry was used to spread news about life in general. Blake made a lot of reference to the bible in most of the poems he wrote. In his poems his ideas are powerful and convincing. Blake did not agree with political radicalism, he was strongly anti-establishment (government monarchy). He believed everyone should be as a liberating force. The need of individual imagination was important to Blake and the feeling above reason. He had love of nature and the natural, referring to the world before the industrial revolution, especially in reflecting the spirituality of things. He was against the church as it was an establishment and did nothing about the poor conditions many endured but he was for the religion of Christianity as it is strongly portrayed through his poems with the constant reference to biblical terms. The bible was most easily accessible to Blake as he was self taught. Chimney sweeping was not seen as wrong as child labour was not morally wrong. Blake wanted to show his feelings towards this wrong way of labour. In the 18th century the church did nothing about this cruel situation where children were being treated like slaves. The church let this cruelty act go on, the words of the church were being voiced through the chimney sweeping children. The poem called The Chimney-Sweeper innocence is about a young boy being sold, by his father, into the recruiting of young children to clean chimneys. A boy, the narrator, in this poem is so innocent he doesnt know any better and does not see it as wrong. The father is selling the boy for money, as it mustve been scarce for most dealing with the new ways of the revolution. In this poem Blake is trying to emphasise child labour and uses it from a childs perspective to evoke emotion out of the reader as the reader would more likely feel sorry for a child. His innocence is apparent in the first stanza as in the first verse it is written that the boy is not articulate while yet my tongue could scarcely cry. The boy is unable to pronounce sweep and instead pronounces weep yet again showing his innocence and intensifies his youth. The reader is directly address when it says so your chimney I sweep This triggers guilt in the reader, knowing such a young boy, unable to even pronounce sweep, is cleaning your chimney. At the end of stanza one alliteration is present sweep and in soot o sleep the pronunciation of s shows his progress. In stanza 2 the narrator refers to his friend Theres little Tom Dacre, who cried This gives off the persona of a child as children talk about a friend to put across their feelings on that person. That curled like a lambs back a lamb is a symbol of sacrifice in a biblical sense. Tom is sacrificing himself to cleaning the chimneys this is represented by him having his head shaved. A very vivid image is mentioned in stanza three it talks about Tom having a night mare about his many friends locked up in coffins of black the picture being painted in your mind is relating to the black, also meaning fear and dark, chimneys the boys have to climb and clean. It is suggesting that the sweeping of the chimneys will be the death of them. The term locked up could also suggest that they will be cleaning chimneys forever. Coffin is also a sense of claustrophobia, being locked up inside a coffin or chimney would be considered suffocating. Stanza 4 makes reference to the bible where by an angel is mentioned which is usually sent from god. This stanza is specifically child like as it has a nursery rhyme quality describing the horror of the nightmare in a child like tone. The angel sets the boys free into a field of laughter and play, things they should be doing, it shows just how horrible life was for the boys by contrasting it with what they should have been doing at their age. Then naked and white referring to the boys, in stanza 5, which means innocence as nakedness is a state of innocence in terms of Christianity. In the dream all their bags left behind bags represent what the boys would take to work but as it was left behind it symbolizes work being abandoned. Again god and angels are mentioned showing reference to the bible, one of the books which was most resourceful to Blake. In the last stanza of the poem it shows the long hours the young chimney sweepers do as it says we rose in the dark early hours of the morning. The very last line is very effective because it shows that the boys have been taught to think that working will bring them no harm this is ironic because the work of a chimney sweeper is harmful to them. The overall message Blake is trying to get across to his reader is the immoral manner in which these children are being treated. The second poem, The Chimney-Sweeper (experience) has many similarities between the first poem. It is not narrated by the young chimney sweeper but an on-looker which shows difference between the two poems. It also is a powerful poem trying to convey the wrong nature of child chimney sweepers. The first line of the poem is a contrast where Blake puts A little black thing with the purity and white of the snow. Similar to the first poem where soot and the white of the boys hair is also mentioned, both make use of anthisesis. This creates powerful colour imagery in the readers mind because it is such a contrasting image. The use of the word thing makes the child seem non human unable to distinguish whether it is a boy or a girl. Black is a reference usually made with corrupt and dirty. Black would imply the clothes that the boy is wearing and the black soot from the chimney that has stained his clothes, it also could mean his personality is corrupt and innocence stripped. A link is again made to the first poem where the child can not pronounce the word sweep so instead says weep giving off distress and sadness of the young child. The child is described as little to induce sympathy from the reader as it shows the childs youth. The part of the narrator is made in line 3 where he is shown as a considerate adult by asking where the childs father is. In line 4 it mentions the parents have gone to church to pray, irony is conveyed here because while the parents have gone to pray the child is suffering, showing distance. Regular church goers didnt see chimney sweeping as wrong as did many during this era, so many put their kids into this job. Stanza two line one has a great shock over the reader as the line Because I was happy confuses the reader because it says he was happy that his parents sent him to an early death. Blake throws this sentence at the reader to show how totally wrong it is to violate the purity of a child. Clothes of death the phrase represents the clothes the child has to wear when they become a chimney sweeper which quickly becomes dirty because of the soot it also suggest the fate of the boy that being death. And smiled among the winters snow the snow that surrounds the boy could represent his innocence but once it was taken away from him he became A little black thing amongst the pure snow. The last line shows how the boys have to conform taught me to sing the notes of woe it echoes poem one as the narrator also had to conform and say the notes of woe It shows the corrupt nature of society the society at this age. In the last stanza rhyme and rhythm is apparent but echoes that of a nursery rhyme again relating to the innocent poem. Rhyming is used sing and king as well as a para-rhyme with the two words injury and misery the para-rhyme stunts the poem and throws it off a constant rhythm, the effect could convey the boy as troubled and unhappy because of his hardship. Reference to religion and the church priest are made, similar to the first poem, monarchy is also mentioned by the word king the relevance these references have reflects Blakes writing as Blake did not like the way the church and monarchy largely ignored the problem, it concerned him. The three things Blake felt had failed him, was disappointed in and strongly against is shown through the last line where it says who make up a heaven of our misery. The blind uncaring nature of the monarchy and church is shown by the line they think they have done me no injury The message conveyed in this poem is apparent at the end of the poem where monarchy and the church are attacked and blamed for the cruelty act of chimney sweeping children. How both have power over many yet do nothing to stop it, Blake effectively shows it by putting it in the perspective of a youth as it evokes more sympathy. The structure of the poem is similar to the first poem all stanzas are written in lines of four and a similar message is conveyed where nothing is being done about the chimney sweeping children and the problem is accepted and ignored. The poem London gives background to the misery of the poor and the gulf between those in power. The title London is a metaphor since it is not solely on the people of London but about society and mankind in general. The man is dazed, wandering the streets and is hearing the cries of the ones suffering chimney sweeps, sighs of the hapless soldier and feels the society should do something about them, the man represents William Blakes views. Mans lack of freedom is apparent in this poem and is the point trying to be made. Blake believed in an equal society and the only way the human spirit could exist and grow happily, he did not believe in human oppression. Control is constantly mentioned throughout the poem. For example in the first stanza chartered is mentioned which means governed by law. It clearly says in the second line that the Thames is chartered which is impossible because you cant control a river. It shows Londons extreme extent of control at that time. Even the mention of chartered streets suggests an uptight lack of freedom setting for Blakes contemporary people. The most powerful metaphor used in this poem is mind-forged manacles found in stanza two the last line. Manacles associated with restriction unable to have absolute freedom, also a common object associated with prison, imprisonment and portraying deep human truth. Mind-forged means the manacles have been created by peoples mind set trapping everyone in restrictions that must be followed. The image created via this metaphor would be a distinct one for Blakes contemporary day because convicts would be seen on the streets making their way to prison or commonly in London, during that era, off to ships for transportation to Australia. The metaphor strongly demonstrates Blakes belief, that the lack of freedom came from the ideas and outlooks placed on them by external authority, mentally people were controlled. The repetition of the word every is a word commonly used in stanza 2 it is to emphasize that everyone is effected by this state of depression and lack of freedom. It is also written in stanza one although relating to the amount of people that have the mark of weakness and woe. Mark is another word repeated found in the first stanza it is to signify the look of distress that is etched on their faces also to mark the lines that have been created because of their worries and weakness. A reference is made that links to The Chimney-Sweeper innocence and experience; this portrays Blakes obvious strong disagreement with the treatment of child chimney sweepers as he mentions them a lot. The next line in stanza 3 says Every blackning church appalls churches at that time were black because of the pollution present and soot coming from the chimneys. On a deeper meaning it could be said that the churches ignorant behavior towards the chimney sweepers problem has blackened them with shame. The irony is that the church is meant to be helpful place where many seek for help but the church chose to ignore and over look the problem. This is what Blake noticed unlike the people living in his society. The second strong image that is painted to the reader is the hapless soldiers sigh They show weakness and woe because they had fought in the French revolution and Runs in blood down palace walls Blake is trying to show that by oppressing freedom of speech, in England, at that time by the government the unhappiness of the English soldier could, its causes were ignored, lead to similar bloodshed here. Images of darkness are made similar to Blakes poems of the Chimney Sweeper (Experience) and (Innocence) through midnight streets The last image that Blake highlights has a shock factor because it talks about child prostitution. This can be seen as a type of child labour similar to Blakes view of the child chimney-sweepers, however instead they are child prostitutes. Also both youths lose their innocence through what society decides to ignore. Youthful harlots emphasises their youth and harlots gives a biblical tone. Blasts the new-born infants tear shows the birth of the child is not a happy event but a curse for the prostitute as it wasnt born out of love but through commerce. The new-born will only mean having to support the child with money, which these young children didnt have, it just continued the cycle of misery. The marriage hearse an oxymoron, what Blake is trying to convey is that the wedding carriage is basically a hearse leading to a kind of death. Men usually didnt marry out of love so would be unfaithful to their wives, they would usually contract a disease from the young harlot, said as the plague in the poem, and then pass it on to their wives and any babies that the married couple may want to have. This contradicts the idea of marriage which is a time that is meant to symbolise joy the contradiction is apparent through the word hearse Blake makes many of his messages clear in this poem, such as the abuse of child prostitutes by cruel adults and the abuse of chimney sweepers. He does this by stating their sad emotion, chimney sweepers cry the hapless soldiers sigh and youthful harlots curse these descriptions have a strong effect on the reader as they simply explain the hardship different people are going through. Blake makes sure he bases it on a wide range of people to convey to his reader that it is affecting everyone not just a small group of society. The Title of the poem The Human Abstract is a poem about the human spirit; abstract suggests non definite intangible quality found in the human brain. He uses a tree to represent the human brain and how it is easily controlled. Blake uses nature to convey his ideas this is shown in the poem A poison tree as well as this poem. His respect for nature is apparent and makes him a romantic writer. The poem has constant rhythm; the rhythm change helps present subject and tone. This poem is hard to understand and the least easy to depict the social message compared to the evil of anger, which Blake explains in A Poison Tree. The structure of Blakes poem consists of 6 stanzas and simple lines to convey his complicated messages. The rhyme scheme is ABAB although odd Para-rhymes are present for example fly and mystery. Many components of this poem echo the bible such as imagery and words. The first stanza has an arrogant tone one which is strange to Blakes writing. The reason for this verse is to show the attitude of several people in the society Blake was living in. A different tone to the rest of the poem is given where the phrases are stated as facts. Blake through the first stanza states that pity, an act of compassion, would not be possible if someone was not poor. Although Blake chose the word make as if society forces people into poverty so they can receive pity. The same is done with the word Mercy if mercy was not present if everyone was happy. Blake could be describing the way life was and trying to put across his message in an ironic way by placing it in the uncaring tone. The stanza is relevant to contemporary times but would shock many in Blakes time because British society was built on the principles of clear inequality, Blake certainly didnt approve of this inequality. An immediate tone change is made after the first stanza where the rest of the poem argues with stanza 1. Through out this poem Blake uses a lot of antithesis, also done in The Chimney-Sweeper, for example selfish love through these controversy phrases and words Blake might be trying to show everyone has an ulterior motive to anything which is usual an act of good nature. He puts mutual fear and peace in the same line trying to convey that there is only peace because would-be enemies are living in fear of each other. Blake makes good use of personification, Cruelty knits a snare, and the use of the word cruelty adds an uneasy quality. Cruelty in this poem is suggesting that all of us have some of this quality in each of us. The suggestion is that Cruelty makes a knitted snare and spreads his bait with care. The image is a strong one because the word choice is odd, knit and care is often associated with care and to place it with cruelty and bait makes it sinister. It then moves onto cruelty sitting with holy fears and watering the ground, to grow the plant, with tears Again images created are vivid and help explain his ideas, things seen as good acts and kindness have been transformed and linked with pitiless words to make it menacing. The tree that is growing is being made up of unappealing qualities Humility takes its roots. To show the tree is not something of beauty and nature soon spreads the dismal shade The colour image created is darkness and creates mystery, often used in Blakes poetry, darkness and mystery foretells the unknown which scares many because it links with fear. Nature is apparent by the mention of a caterpillar and fly which feed on the mystery, they could represent the idea of corruption and sickness. Biblical reference is often pinpointed by Blake, fruit of deceit this reminds us of the Garden of Eden and the fall from grace. This once more makes the reader see the tree as sinister with the inviting fruit that is actually deceitful. Mentioning of the raven conveys bad things as it is seen as a symbol of death. The raven is creating a nest with the thickest shade suggests mystery and shadows of the Human Abstract described. The word Thickest shows its the worst of death and that it is inevita ble. The last line of the poem obviously states the concept of the whole poem that the mysterious tree that has been growing made up of cruelty; humility etc is simply found in the human mind. Blake conveys that its existence is metaphorical rather than literal but the use of a tree shows the stages of growth and how the things surrounding it affect the way it is. The last line is very simple, conflicting with the rest of the poem, and accepting of this idea it shows the accepting nature of the society that Blake was surrounded by. The abstract way in which Blake described the human mind is far from clear given life isnt clear so the poem represents a humans life. The next poem is A Poison Tree a simple poem able to hold and reveal complicated messages. A Poison tree shares the nature aspect with The Human abstract the idea of a tree growing. Although The human abstract tree represents good and evil being part of every ones spirit and mind. In A Poison Tree the growing tree symbolises the growing of hate when anger is not expressed. The title is a central metaphor; its ironic because trees arent perceived as poisonous. The poem A Poison Tree is about anger and if kept inside could grow and become poisonous to one and others. Reference to the bible, like in The Human Abstract, is constantly made and the reader has to have some amount of knowledge on the bible, many in Blakes time understood his references as the bible was the most common book. All through out this poem the rhyming scheme is AABB. Similar to The Human abstract William Blakes mention of nature is common, linking him to the Romantic Movement. Blake conveys, simply, in the first stanza that when angry with your friend you express to them your anger and it will end. He put it simply by using the two words friend and end. Although it is a different situation when angry with your foe, by not expressing his feelings to his foe the anger grew insinuated through the words foe and grow It has a nursery rhyme like quality with simple choice of language and regular rhythmic words. Child-like ton is present I was angry He indicate that his anger and hatred has taken the form of a tree by the term watered By watering the plant with his tears and fears (metaphorically) it will encourage his hatred. The smiles and deceitful wiles represents the sunshine, simple natural metaphor. It could also represent the false attitude towards the foe. The tree then bears an apple, indication of the bible, the story of Adam and Eve where the couple is forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge the fruit being an apple. The apple, since it is forbidden is tempting. In this poem the apple is suspicious when it is described as shiny; shiny also makes the apple seem tempting. The foe steels the apple because he knew that it was mine. Darkness is again mentioned in Blakes poem when night had veiled, it is also mentioned in London to represent sinister acts. The narrator is cunning because he uses the apple to capture the enemy knowing that he would eat it because it belonged to him. A sense of immediacy is brought to our attention in the last two lines by the use of enjambment and quick change from past to present. The narrator finds his enemy dead after eating the tempting apple. At this point he is pleased Glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree This shocks the reader because the extent he has gone to because he did not express his anger, it then becomes apparent that the narrator is no longer feeling anger but wrath. The way he dies is quick and simple and shows anyone can feel hatred to this extent and perform this cunning deed. Simply Blake conveyed the message that if anger is expressed its good and relieving but if held, it turns into resentment, fear and hatred grows. William Blakes poems do not fit the age in which they were written as his ideas and messages he attempted to put forward have a contemporary outlook. The poems reflect the type of society Blake was living in. In each poem he expresses different controversial ideas; In The Chimney-Sweep Innocence and Experience he puts forward the immoral use of child labourers by putting it in the perspective of a child. In London it is stated how people are controlled easily and how he was against inequality. The message in The Human Abstract however complicated, talks about the human mind and how good and evil are two correlating things. Lastly in A Poison Tree Blake makes it clear that hate, to the extent of wrath, can be present in anyone, and that fear can grow into hate if not expressed. Today Blakes views would not be condemned and most would agree with his ideas. William Blakes views were strongly portrayed in his poems through his poetic devices, language, tone and structure.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Responsibilities of the Graduate Nurse

Responsibilities of the Graduate Nurse Privacy and confidentiality are important aspects of the nursing profession. It is important for the Graduate Nurse to understand and respect the need for patient confidentiality. As healthcare professionals, the nurse’s connection to their patients and colleagues depends on it. Nurses have the ethical responsibility to safeguard the information they obtain whilst caring for a patient. When patients entrust their healthcare and personal information to a nurse, they expect it to be kept confidential (Erickson Millar 2005, p. 1). In most situations, nurses must keep information given to them by patients confidential. However, they are required to report information they receive if they have serious concerns about the clients or someone else’s safety. It is also important to realise that confidentiality is not to be broken unless it is absolutely necessary. It is not something that nurses take lightly. They want to do what is best for the patient and a decision to break confidentiality only happens after a lot of thought, and should be done in consultation with the relevant supervisor. The nurse should only tell those who absolutely need to know, and this is usually a very small number of professional or relevant authorised people. In all areas of healthcare there will be many personal things that as a nurse we will learn about the people that they care for. A nurse will be privy to information regarding a person health, family, social history, personal needs and financial affairs. All of this information is to be regarded as confidential unless consent for the disclosure of such information is given by the patient or as stated earlier the nurse deems that there is a danger to the individual or to someone else. Nurses are only permitted to talk about these things at our workplace with other healthcare professionals who care for the same patient. It is also important to note that when nurses talk about a patients personal details that it is done in a respectful way. All individuals have the right to have their details and personal information kept private. There are laws in Australia which state what nurses can and cannot do with confidential information. Discussing confidential information of a patient in your care to other people outside of the workplace may lead to legal action. When a nurse discloses personal information about their patient they are breaking their duty of care to that patient. Confidentiality is seen as an obligation to the provider of information whereas privacy is an obligation to the source of the information. Confidentiality and privacy require that all parties must ensure that information is restricted to those who genuinely need to know, and that those people should only be told as much as they need to know and no more. For example, a healthcare professional may need to know of the medical condition so that they can provide advice, but not of the identities of the patients involved. Every person has the right to equal recognition and protection before the law. Everyone is entitled to equal and effective protection against discrimination, and to enjoy human rights without discrimination. This applies regardless of a person’s age, gender, race, disability, religion, marital status and a range of other personal characteristics. Scenario- An emergency medicine technician (EMT) responded to an emergency call regarding a possible overdose. On arrival, the patient was found unresponsive and transported to the hospital. The EMT later told a friend that she had helped transport the patient to the hospital for treatment of a possible overdose. The EMT’s friend told another nurse about the medical treatment. The EMT then learned that her friend worked with the patient (a nurse at the other hospital). The patient claimed that the EMT had defamed her and violated her privacy by publicizing information regarding her medical condition and making untrue statements including that she had attempted suicide. The patient was awarded $3,000 in compensatory damages and more than $30,000 in legal fees. Casual sharing of personal and health information regarding a nurse is a failure to respect them as a person. Nurses value the keeping of confidential information between friends, colleagues and other authorised individuals. All nurses should expect that our relationships with one another will allow us to trust that particular private information will not be exposed. Exposure of confidential information can lead to low self-esteem if made public. Everyone has secrets that they don’t want to be made public. Nurses need the benefit of confidentiality when seeking health advice or assistance. In order to support confidentiality of nurses private information, there needs to be respect for an individual’s autonomy and their right to privacy, the promise of information remaining confidential and the benefit that the security of confidentially offers us. Graduate nurses have the right to work in an environment that supports and facilitates ethical practice in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia (2008) and its interpretive statements. One provision of the code is ‘nurse’s value to management of information’. This statement refers to the management and communication of health information. Graduate nurses are entitled to the same moral, professional and legal safeguards as any other person in regards to their personal information. Personal information is any identifying information about a person that is verbal, written or electronic form. This information can relate to physical or mental health, including family health history. (McGowan 2012, p. 61). Factors that may influence confidential and private communication: Communication is the transfer of information between or among people. The practice of nursing utilizes constant communication between the nurse and the patient, the patient’s family, the nurse’s co-workers, supervisors, and many others. Professional relationships Graduate Nurses are required to care for and safeguard the public. They must practice autonomously and be responsible and accountable for safe, compassionate, person-centred, evidenced-based nursing that respects and maintains dignity and human rights. They must show professionalism and integrity and work within recognised professional, ethical and legal frameworks. They must work alongside other healthcare professionals, carers and families including the community. All nurses must use excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Their communication must always be safe, effective, compassionate and respectful. They must communicate effectively using a wide range of strategies and interventions including communication technologies. All nurses must practice autonomously, compassionately, skilfully and safely and must maintain dignity and promote health and wellbeing. They must assess and meet the full range of essential physical and mental health needs of people of all aged who co me into their care. Self-disclosure In nursing there are many boundaries that one must not cross. Self-disclosure is the easiest and most often crossed by nurses today. Self-disclosure refers to the nurse sharing personal information, experiences, feelings, ideas, thoughts and views with their patient. It can be comforting to the patient because it shows that the nurse has an understanding of the patient’s current situation and reinforces that their experience is not unique. Self-disclosure should only be used if it is deemed as helpful to the patient, aimed to benefit the patient and the focus will not remain on the nurse after self-disclosure has occurred. Self-disclosure can be used to promote and encourage patients to express fears, feelings and experiences. It also shows the patient that the nurse trusts them with personal information, making them feel more comfortable therefore reciprocating that trust. In deliberate self-disclosure the nurse intentionally tells the patient information about themselves. The nurse can tell personal experiences and their personal history or they can intentionally tell their feeling about the patient or the situation. This disclosure gives the patient a glimpse of the nurse’s life and likes. The patient did not ask to see these things; they were the nurse’s decision. Also information that the nurse posts online are another form of deliberate self-disclosure. Scenario- You are the nurse on a surgical unit preparing a woman who is undergoing a mastectomy. She is very upset and says that she feels alone. She is afraid she will no longer be attractive and she may even die. You are the same age as the patient and have also had a mastectomy. You are now healthy and work full time. You remember the challenges you faced when you were diagnoses and wonder if it would be helpful to share your experience with your patient. It is generally not appropriate to disclose personal information to patients. However, after careful consideration it may be appropriate for you to disclose a limited amount of information to the patient. You would firstly acknowledge the patients fears and then explore her grief and focus on her needs. It may then become apparent that it is appropriate to disclose a limited amount of information about your past experiences. The disclosure of personal information provides information, support and hope for the patient. Eg./ in relation to the patient feeling alone, the nurse may refer to a time when she also felt alone. The nurse would then offer information regarding a support group that helped the nurse and other patients in the same situation. Unavoidable self-disclosure is another type of disclosure that a nurse does not have much control over. Pregnancy is something that is disclosed at a certain point, whether the nurse wants to disclose it or not. A physical disability is also hard to hide whether it is a limp or a brace, as these are things that can be seen. A wedding ring or lack of ring show a patient if the nurse may be married. These forms of personal expression are outward expressions that are left to the patient to interpret. Another unavoidable self-disclosure is if a patient sees the nurse at an outside establishment such as a restaurant or the mall. This inadvertent disclosure sheds light on the nurse’s personal life and choices. Accidental self-disclosure occurs when the nurse discloses something by mistake. A nurse’s facial expression or subtle response to a patient is a good example of accidental self-disclosure. Emotions can be hard to control even for the most experienced clinician. Positive uses of nurse self-disclosure occur when the nurse uses the disclosure therapeutically. Always think about what you are going to use therapeutically and use good judgment at all times. A nurse talking about healthy lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise that has worked for them is a positive disclosure. The negatives of nurse self-disclosure is the fact that there is too much self-disclosure by the nurse. Therefore the roles can feel reversed and the patient can feel like they must comfort them. Nurse self-disclosure shows the patient and their family that the nurse is unable act in a professional way. Professional boundaries One thing that most nurses encounter daily is a patient asking them a personal question. Whether it is curiosity or uncomfortable silence, patients ask questions. Many nurses find it hard to redirect or reflect these questions, and end up answering them, especially if it is just casual conversation. Nurses need to practice situations like this so they know how to give a patient centered answer. It is the nurses duty and in the patients best interest to divert all conversation to the patient for a successful nurse patient relationship. Patients often ask these harmless questions not realizing that it is not in the best interest for them. Sometimes not answering the questions might make the nurse seem evasive and closed off. Nurses need to practice so their answers to the questions do not offend the patient that is making casual conversation Confidentiality When thinking about privacy and confidentially, it is important that the nurse questions themselves â€Å"what would I want if it was my personal and health information?’ Scenarios One of your nurse colleagues is expecting and its been decided that you will organize the baby shower. Not having access to co-workers addresses, you only look in the demographics portion of the electronic medical record to obtain this information. You do not look at any clinical information. Would this be OK? Answer: No, even demographic (address, phone number, etc) information is considered protected health information under the privacy regulations and should not be accessed without approval of the patient. You have a very good friend who is a nurse practitioner and is away from the hospital on vacation. While she is out, her breast biopsy results come back. Because she had told you she was having this procedure, you felt it would be the right thing to do out of concern to look up her results and call her with this information. Is this appropriate? Answer: No, just because a colleague chooses to disclose certain portions of her health information with you, it does not mean you have the right to continue and follow up on any related results or findings.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Imperialism: Historical and Biological Perspectives :: Essays Papers

Imperialism: Historical and Biological Perspectives Imperialism evokes images of past grandeur, expansive landholdings and wealth that do not seem to be conducive to modern-day existence. Yet as a general paradigm of behavior, imperialism may be more ubiquitous and inherent than first glance would suggest. By drawing analogy between the actions of historically imperialistic nations and bee colonies, a universal â€Å"imperialism† emerges, spanning history and nature. In the Roman Empire and current US â€Å"empire† (as some consider it), imperialism is manifested as binary hierarchies and symbols of power. Bee colonies, likewise, exhibit such extensions of imperialism. Thus, we can construct a paradigm for imperialism that functions in many times and places. One thing to note is that the Roman Empire fell, and people are pessimistic about the US’s current situation and global involvement; bees, on the other hand, have sustained their imperialistic behavior for millions of years. The pervasive behavioral similariti es between bees and man suggest an underlying genetic cause, but past and imminent troubles with human imperialism suggests that imperialism may also transmitted as a meme, a cultural entity, subject to natural selection. â€Å"The simplest definition of imperialism is the domination and exploitation of weaker states by stronger ones.† This â€Å"ancient and easily observable phenomenon.† is easily recognizable in the Roman Empire and current US foreign relations but harder to pick out in a colony of bees because very human constructs of states are applied. Imperialism is simply a concept I will use to discuss the behavior of bee colonies, though the universality of this behavior lies in nature. In other words, binary hierarchies (a distinctly two-tiered caste system) and symbols of organization and power can be identified in bee colonies, qualifying bees as imperialistic according to this construct. The Roman Empire is an archetype of the human execution of imperialistic tendencies. At its peak, known as the Principate (27BC-235AD), the Empire spanned Europe, Asia and Africa. The main drive of such expansion was not so moral or cultural, as â€Å"the approach of the Roman government was essentially pragmatic†¦The frontier peoples were to be tamed, neutralized, and exploited. The exposure of conquered barbarians to a superior way of life was part of this policy†¦not an end in itself.† In other words, holding land and exploitation were the priorities of Roman government in pure â€Å"parasitic† and imperialistic fashion. Additionally, binary hierarchy reveals itself in empires. In the Roman Empire, this binary system existed on numerous levels, including the humiliores and honestiores of the native Romans, the slaves and masters on farmland, and ruler and foreign subjects.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Germanic and Celtic Tradition by George MacDonald :: Germanic Celtin Macdonald Fairytales Essays

The Germanic and Celtic Tradition by George MacDonald One of the most interesting things about fairytales is how the author has borrowed ideas from ancient myths and legends and kept them alive in their writings. The Princess and the Goblin is one of these fairytales. In writing this novel, George MacDonald has incorporated much of the folk tradition in his characters and plot. Specifically, his concept of goblins seem to be drawn from the tradition of dwarfs, gnomes, and kobolds of Germanic myth and the fairies, or elves, of Celtic myth. In accordance with the Celtic and Germanic traditions, the goblins of The Princess and the Goblin dwell inside mountains, away from sunlight and especially away from those who live on the earth's surface. The Celtic story of the Green Children tells of two children who, after accidentally wandering up to the surface, had fainted under the sheer brightness of the sunlight (Curran, 129). The Germanic dwarfs only dared to venture out to the surface after nightfall, because the sunlight would turn them into stone (Kafton-Minkel, 34). Although MacDonald's goblins would not encounter the same fate as the Germanic dwarfs if they were to surface during the day, they do detest the brightness of the sun, and prefer to remain underground, surfacing infrequently and only at night (4, 61). The goblins' irregular, grotesque features are most likely a consequence of their subterranean habitat. The once humans "had greatly altered in the course of generations" (MacDonald, 4) and very much resemble t he dwarfs and other mine spirits of the folk tradition. Due to the lack of sunshine and unbalanced diet, MacDonald's goblins are short and "ludicrously grotesque in face and form" (4). Their long arms, nail-less hands, and toeless feet are only some examples of their deformations. However, because of their work, digging out precious stones, tunnelling through the mountainous rock, and living hard lives in their rough and crude cavern homes (Kafton-Minkel, 35), dwarfs and goblins are not weak, but broad, stocky, and unbelievably strong. Dwarfs are known to be "stronger, craftier, and more skilful than humans" (Kafton-Minkel, 34), and this characteristic is also attributed to the goblins in The Princess and the Goblin; although the goblin queen was surrounded by "such skilful workmen" (MacDonald, 207), she still hadn't had a replacement shoe made. Those are not the only similarities between MacDonald's goblins and the subterranean creatures of the folk tradition.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Comparing the Male Characters of Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess

Comparing the Male Characters of Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess The creation of a plausible character within literature is one of the most difficult challenges to a writer, and development to a level at which the reader identifies with them can take a long time. However, through the masterful use of poetic devices and language Browning is able to create two living and breathing characters in sixty or less lines. When one examines these works one has to that they are quite the achievements for they not only display the persona’s of two distinct men but also when compared show large differences while dealing with essentially the same subject. A brief examination of the structural aspects of â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† is needed before further analysis is done. One can break the poem up into twelve stanzas with an ababb stanzaic rhyme structure, though it is most often printed as a block poem. This would make it an alternately rhymed quatrain with a fifth line attached to create a couplet ending. The majority of the lines contain four iambic feet, though a few are nonasyllabic. Five of the twelve stanzas spill into the next stanza, thus detracting from their free-standing integrity. These stanzas are not syntactically self-containing and therefore the end-couplet value is undercut. If we examine the end of the eighth stanza we see that there is enjambment into the ninth stanza. In one long yellow string I wound, Three times her little throat around, And strangled her. (Browning, Porphyria’s Lover†, Lines 39-41) This does detract from the couplet though it emphasizes the tone, making the understated nature even more sociopathic. This is one example of how this simple tool in itself masterfully accentuates the overall tone of u... ...em we can learn the nature of love should allow people to conquer class distinction and that marriage should avoid sexist male tendencies. Inadequacy is a feeling that pervades both poems, and is evident through the voices of their protagonists. One can see its horrifying effect immediately. Men need to learn to deal with their possessive and aggressive natures in a way that creates a love that is beneficial to both partners not to just one. Browning, in these works, is painting the side the Romantics before him neglected to. Works Cited Browning, Robert, Robert Browning: Selected Poetry, (London: Penguin Books, 1989), pp. 17-8 and 25-6 Burrows, Leonard, Browning the Poet, (Perth: University of Western Australia Press, 1969), pp. 51-61 and 115-121 DeVane, William Clyde, A Browning Handbook, (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc. 1955), pp. 108-9

Monday, September 16, 2019

Cell phones aloud in school Essay

Most school administrators regard cell phones use as disruptive and distracting devices in class, as well as a form of cheating during tests; so schools made the policy that prohibit cell phones on school properties. But I believe that there are a few reasons why cell phones should be allowed in schools. Restriction of bringing cell phones to school may be good, but it also causes resentment among parents and officials. In the first place, nowadays increasing numbers of parents are purchasing cell phones for their children. They want them to bring along their cell phones at any time, in order to know their whereabouts and enable their children to make contact with them in case of emergencies. Of equal importance, students occasionally must inform their parents or drivers if they have last minute school schedule changes or something has to be done after school hours. Furthermore, there’re only disadvantages to go against parents, and prohibiting cell phones can also lead to inconvenience for students. Most schools only take in the negative effects of allowing cell phones into consideration but never think of the problems it may cause if cell phones are prohibited in school. Likewise the numbers of students that use cell phones to cheat on tests; distract and escape classes are just a few. Therefore there’s no reason for others to pay the price for those who make the mistakes. The teacher shall confiscate one’s cell phone if he or she has done the following things. This will then make the students feel that they’ve received fair treatment. Another reason cell phones should be allowed in school is because students are old enough to know what can be done and what cannot be done. In support of this, students aren’t happy about the fact that only teachers have the privilege of bringing cell phones to school. They feel that they are not being trusted and treated equally by the adults. Subsequently, more of them begin to violate school rule by bringing in cell phones illegally. I often heard them discussing about finding a perfect location to hide their cell phones when they overheard the principal is coming for checking up. Also students should be able to take responsibilities for their own things and actions; so allowing cell phones in school will be a good example. Now that we have discussed the problems of prohibiting cell phones in school, setting general guidelines will be the solution to these problems, using cell phones on appropriate time and location while allowing students to have the freedom to make calls. It does not only eliminate resentment; thus it’s a way to prove that whether students can be trusted or not. Should cell phones be allowed in school?

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Nick’s View That Gatsby Essay

How far do you agree with Nick’s view that Gatsby is â€Å"worth the whole damn bunch put together†? The title character of The Great Gatsby is a young man, around thirty years old, who rose from an impoverished childhood in rural North Dakota to become fabulously wealthy. Indeed, Gatsby has become famous around New York for the elaborate parties held every weekend at his mansion, ostentatious spectacles to which people long to be invited. And yet, Nick Carraway’s description of the protagonist asserts that Gatsby seems curiously out of place among the ‘whole damn bunch’ which inhabit this lavish, showy world. Indeed, despite the aura of criminality surrounding his occupation, his love and loyalty to Daisy Buchanan and ultimately his capacity to dream, set him apart from the inhabitants of East Egg and West Egg. A key criticism made in Nick’s first person, self-aware and retrospective narration is that the ‘whole damn bunch’ entertained by Gatsby lives in extravagance. In Chapter Three, comparative adjectives and adverbs allude to the idea that the parties they attend grow ever increasingly lavish; the narrator expresses how ‘laughter is easier’, an ‘opera of voices pitches a key higher’ and ‘groups change more quickly’. In fact, the sheer scale of the operation required to keep them excited is emphasised by details that Nick gives, including ‘a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour if a little button was pressed two hundred times by a butler’s thumb.’ But the ‘vacuous bursts of laughter’ and the dancing ‘in eternal graceless circles’ lend a degree of artificiality to the proceedings. Indeed, the tone of the narration reveals another major shortcoming, suggesting that this outward show of opulence by the inhabitants of West Egg and East Egg is used to cover up their inner corruption and moral decay. This decadence is first exemplified by the length of festivities. Nick states that after ‘the first supper’, ‘there would be another one after midnight.’ Society’s moral compass seems to invert completely, Nick ironically asserting that there were ‘two deplorably sober men’. Being drunk appears to be proper behaviour at such a party. Moreover, Fitzgerald’s comical use of voice suggests that being sober is more than just frowned upon, ‘their highly indignant wives’ exclaiming that they ‘have never heard anything so selfish in my life.’ But other guests contribute to this air of corruption; for example, the predatory nature of ‘Young Englishmen’ selling bonds is stressed by anaphora: ‘all well-dressed, all looking a little bit hungry, and all talking in low, earnest voices to solid and prosperous Americans.’ Such obsession with money is further emphasised by musical language and assonance; they were ‘agonizingly aware of the easy money and convinced that it was theirs for a few words in the right key.’ And as time passes, such vices become ever more apparent. Increasingly ‘women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands’, ‘said to be’ suggesting that some may have brought mistresses rather than partners. Nick observes one man philandering with ‘a young actress’, with his wife present. Her anger is humorously emphasised by simile, the narrator comparing her to ‘an angry diamond’. She ‘broke down entirely and resorted to flank attacks’, reduced to hissing into his ear, ‘You promised!’ By the end, the function had turned into ‘violent confusion’. Fitzgerald’s use of characterisation also emphasises the flaws of those immediately around Gatsby, Tom Buchanan in particular. Tom is Daisy’s husband, an extremely wealthy man, a brute, and an athlete. And his vices become apparent from the beginning of the book. His ignorance is brought out when he praises the ridiculous notions of ‘The Rise of the Coloured Empires’ that ‘the white race’, which is ‘the dominant race’ has to ‘watch out or other races will have control of things.’ The way he refers to it as ‘science and art, and all that’ and ‘scientific stuff’ only undermines his racist viewpoints even further. But more importantly, Tom is deeply immoral, Jordan Baker informing the narrator that ‘Tom’s got some woman in New York’. Nick is so incensed by Tom’s affair that his ‘own instinct was to telephone immediately for the police’. In fact, only a few months after their wedding, he appears to have had a fling with ‘one of the chambermaids in the Santa Barbara Hotel’. This series of affairs must have caused his wife some emotional damage. He does not even turn up to the birth of their daughter, Daisy casually informing Nick that ‘Tom was God knows where.’ In this way, Tom is neither attentive nor sensitive towards Daisy, especially in contrast with Gatsby. But Tom is not just unscrupulous but abusive. When Nick meets him in Chapter One, he asserts that he had ‘a cruel body’ which was ‘always leaning aggressively forward.’ And though Carraway never sees him being violent with his wife, there are hints of his unbridled physicality when Daisy reveals a bruise on her finger that, although accidental, was caused by that ‘brute of a man’. She says ‘accusingly’ that ‘you did it, Tom’. But the brutal streak really comes across when Tom is with his mistress. ‘With a short, deft movement’ he ‘broke her nose with his open hand.’ But the title character too has his flaws. Like ‘the whole damn bunch’, Gatsby lives extravagantly, replacing a guest’s damaged dress with one costing ‘two hundred and sixty-five dollars’. And like ‘the whole damn bunch’, he has made unethical choices, in his case in acquiring his fortune. Speculation among his guests first alludes to such decisions, Fitzgerald using the method of choric voices. Although various theories that ‘he killed a man once’ or that ‘he was a German spy during the war’ may appear unrealistic, later speculation, from Tom Buchanan in particular, does start to blemish Nick’s idealised conception of Gatsby. When they first meet, Tom presumes that Gatsby is ‘some big bootlegger’. This assumption may not be wrong, the antagonist discovering that Gatsby ‘and Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter’. In this way, though Nick never quite finds out what Gatsby did for a living, his greatest vice appears to be the source of his income. But while Tom’s report would never be objective, Fitzgerald’s characterisation of Wolfsheim also hints at the aura of criminality surrounding Gatsby. The author’s use of voice emphasises the gambler’s sleaze, pronouncing ‘connection’ as ‘gonnegtion’ and ‘Oxford’ as ‘Oggsford’. But he also appears sinister, wearing ‘cuff’ buttons made of ‘human molars’. Wolfsheim’s criminality is confirmed when Gatsby informs Nick that ‘he’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919.’ But the gambler may be involved in more dangerous activities than simply fixing baseball matches. Wolfsheim’s own dialogue suggests that he has experience in activities where men end up dead, explaining to Nick that ‘when a man gets killed I never like to get mixed up in it in any way. I keep out.’ The mysterious phone calls which Gatsby receives in no way vindicate him either. His reunion with Daisy is interrupted by one such call, the use of ellipses adding a sense of secrecy to his subsequent conversation: ‘Yes †¦ Well, I can’t talk now †¦ I can’t talk now, old sport †¦ I said a small town †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The confidential nature of the suggested business dealing may imply that Gatsby’s work is not legitimate. In fact, only after Gatsby’s death does he find out what would be said on the other end of the line. When Nick is mistaken for the title character, ‘Slagle’ rapidly explains that ‘Young Parke’s in trouble’ and that ‘they picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter.’ Words such as ‘trouble’ and ‘picked him up’ suggest that one of Gatsby’s subordinates may have landed himself on the wrong side of the law. Furthermore, the ‘frightened’ nature of Gatsby’s so-called ‘friend’ Klipspringer again alludes to the criminality of Gatsby’s business acquaintances. Over the telephone, Klipspringer even ‘demanded to know who I was before he would give his name.’ For such reasons, when Wolfsheim recalls how close he and Gatsby were, ‘thick like that in everything’, the narrator ‘wondered if this partnership had included the World’s Series transaction in 1919.’ Such implications about the way Gatsby has accrued his fortune also expose his deceit. In fact, early in the plot the title character lies to Carraway by saying that his wealth was inherited, that he is ‘the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West – all dead now.’ He also states that he was ‘brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years.’ In reality Gatsby rose from an impoverished childhood in rural North Dakota. His dishonesty is closely linked to his lack of authenticity. Indeed, Nick notices the manufactured aspects of his personality, put on to promote the image of the ‘Oxford’ man which he claims to be. The writer’s use of voice underlines his slightly forced characteristics. These include his affected accent – ‘an elaborate formality of speech’ which ‘just missed being absurd’ and his habit of calling people ‘old sport’. Moreover, Fitzgerald’s use of scene and place, his library specifically, alludes to the idea that he is not genuine. Owl-Eyes, one of his invited guests, is surprised that the millionaire’s books are ‘absolutely real – have pages and everything’, rather than being made out of ‘nice durable cardboard.’ This reaction implies a belief that so much about him is fake. Even when he realises its authenticity, Owl-Eyes compares him to ‘a regular Belasco’, a Broadway producer known for the realism of his sets. Thus, though he is putting on act, this theatrical persona which he has mastered is still a very convincing act. Indeed, The novel’s title itself – ‘The Great Gatsby’ – is suggestive of the sort of vaudeville billing for a performer or magician like ‘The Great Houdini’, again subtly emphasising the showy and perhaps illusory quality of Gatsby’s life. But despite both the nature of his work and this theatrical quality, Nick still suggests that Gatsby does not share the same level of moral decadence as the ‘whole damn bunch’ in his circle. Chapter Three serves to separate his personality from that of his guests. Anaphora underlines how he remains an outsider at his own function, Nick asserting that ‘no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder, and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby’s head for one link.’ Antithesis also contrasts Gatsby from the company he entertains; while ‘no one swooned backward on Gatsby’, girls were ‘swooning backward playfully into men’s arms’ Indeed, unlike the decadents he entertains, ‘he grew more correct as fraternal hilarity increased’. Gatsby’s acquaintances also reveal his merits. Meyer Wolfsheim stresses the basic nobility which defines his character, telling Carraway that he is ‘a man of fine breeding’, ‘the kind of man you’d like to take home and introduce to your mother and sister.’ Moreover, before the funeral, Gatsby’s father also underlines his son’s good nature by stating that ‘ever since he made a success he was very generous with me’. But he also reveals Gatsby’s great ambition and desire for self-improvement. Mr Gatz tells Nick that ‘Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something’ and that he placed great emphasis on ‘improving his mind’. Indeed, the ‘schedule’ – including activities such as ‘dumbell exercise and wall-scaling’, ‘study electricity’, ‘practise elocution, poise and how to attain it‘ and ‘study n eeded inventions’ – which he made ‘when he was a boy’ reveals that even before he knew what he wanted to be, Gatsby always desired to make something of himself. Furthermore, Chapter Five serves to explain that his method of acquiring millions of dollars, his lavish weekly parties and lifestyle and his manufactured persona are all merely means to a more worthy end. This end is winning back Daisy Buchanan. Indeed, in contrast with Tom’s cruel and unthoughtful treatment of his wife, Nick characterises Gatsby most of all with the admirable qualities of love for and loyalty to her. The title character’s speech alludes to his attempts to ensure that the reunion is perfect, the man asking Nick whether he has ‘got everything you need’. He specifically checks the day’s forecast in the hope that sunshine will emerge during the reunion, informing Nick that ‘they thought the rain would stop about four.’ The writer also uses scenes and places to enhance Gatsby’s need for perfection. For example, the reunion takes place at Nick’s house, perhaps reflecting how Gatsby wanted to meet the love of his life in a more secluded and romantic environment than his gaudy mansion. But Gatsby may also have organised the reunion at Nick’s house to impress Daisy, to give her a view of his ‘huge place’. He himself proclaims that his ‘house looks well’. However, the use of a first-person, self-conscious and retrospective narrator emphasises his efforts most of all. Gatsby almost redecorates Nick’s place, not only sending a man ‘over to cut my grass’ – to make sure the lawn outside was smart – but also adorning the interior with flowers, ‘with innumerable receptacles’. Hyperbole emphasises the extent of this renovation, as if a whole ‘greenhouse arrived.’ Further in the chapter, the author underlines the intensity of his love by presenting Nick’s speculation about Gatsby’s intentions as Gatsby’s actual thoughts. When Daisy goes from Nick’s place to her lover’s, Nick states: ‘I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes’, as if everything he has ever bought or owned has been simply to please her. Moreover, Gatsby’s decision to take the blame for Daisy over the death of Myrtle Wilson – telling Nick that ‘I’ll say I was’ driving – demonstrates the deep love he still feels for her and illustrates the basic nobility that defines his character. The image of a pitiable Gatsby keeping watch outside her house while she and Tom sit comfortably within is an indelible image that allows the reader to look past Gatsby’s criminality. Indeed, the fact that he wants ‘to wait here till Daisy goes to bed’, to protect her even after it appears that Daisy is not going to leave Tom, is a final testament to his undying love for her. Nick leaves Gatsby to watch over Daisy, as if his ‘presence marred the sacredness of the vigil’, the last statement suggesting that his devotion has moved to the extremes of religious worship. And yet, Nick’s final criticism of Gatsby questions the realism of such deep and uncompromising devotion. The parallels between his love for Daisy and religious worship – the title character ‘consumed with wonder at her presence’ – suggest that Gatsby, a man who stakes everything on his ‘dreams’, now appears to have dreamed too big. Even at the beginning of their reunion, Nick recognises the unrealistic nature of his ‘dream’. The way Fitzgerald presents Nick’s speculation about Gatsby’s intentions as Gatsby’s actual thoughts helps demonstrate that ‘there must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams’. Although Daisy possesses a number of virtues, although it is ‘not her own fault’, even she cannot match Gatsby’s ‘dream’. The narrator suggests that his ‘dream’ was so alive, that ‘his illusion’ had such a ‘colossal vitality’, that ‘it had gone beyond her, beyond everything.’ The repetition of ‘beyond’ emphasises that she cannot live up to Gatsby’s idealised expectations. The author’s use of poetic prose further emphasises how much the man has romanticized her. Indeed, metaphor likens Gatsby to an artist who decks his image ‘with every bright feather that drifted his way’, with every possible virtue. The alliteration of ‘f’ in the narration emphasises how permanent this idealised image has become, Nick asserting that ‘no amount of fire or freshness can challenge it’. Indeed, he expects too much, wanting ‘nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’ Tragically such expectations lead Daisy to change her mind, breaking down under his own pressure in Chapter Seven, exclaiming to Gatsby that ‘you want too much!’ But in Chapter Eight, Nick goes a step further, suggesting that Daisy, the object of his ‘dream’ is unworthy of his power of dreaming. Fitzgerald’s use of time and sequence, the narrative switching to Gatsby’s ‘story of his youth’, emphasises the influence of Daisy’s wealth and privilege on Gatsby. The narrator states that ‘her porch was bright with the bought luxury of star-shine’, and that she ‘vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life’, the repetition of ‘rich’ reflecting the aura of affluence which Gatsby is drawn to. Indeed, it becomes clear that Gatsby idolises both wealth and Daisy, the title character almost quantifying her, the fact that many men already loved Daisy increasing ‘her value in his eyes’. Indeed, his attraction to Daisy may be caused in part because of what she represents, the exclusive upper class which he aspires to be a part of. Daisy thus appears almost shallow and fickle, and because she is the focus of Gatsby’s life, his dream is simply reduced to a motivation for material gain. After Gatsby’s death, Nick writes that Gatsby must have realized â€Å"what a grotesque thing a rose is.† The rose has been a conventional symbol of beauty. Nick suggests that roses aren’t inherently beautiful, and that people only view them that way because they choose to do so. Daisy is â€Å"grotesque† in the same way: Gatsby has invested her with beauty and meaning by making her the object of his dream. Had Gatsby not imbued her with such value, Daisy would be simply an idle, bored, rich young woman with no particular moral strength or loyalty. But this capacity to ‘dream’, this ceaseless effort to recreate the past, reflects the vitality and optimism which Nick most respects about Gatsby. The active narrator first notices this quality when they meet in Chapter Three. Fitzgerald’s use of first person, self-aware and narration reveals Gatsby’s rare ability to make anyone he smiles at feel as though he has chosen that person out of ‘the whole external world’; it reflects that person’s most optimistic conception of him or herself. His smile ‘believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself’ and ‘assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.’ And because of such ability to hope, when Gatsby waves goodbye to his guests, Nick emphasises the contrast between the immorality of his work and the virtue of his motivation. While ‘they guessed at his corruption’, ‘he had stood on those st eps, concealing his incorruptible dream’. Nick alludes to such undying hope in the last lines of the novel, the narrator strolling along Gatbsy’s lawn one final time, just as the title character had done when Nick first sees him in Chapter One. And as he sprawls out on the beach behind Gatsby’s house, he muses that Gatsby had failed to realize that even before his reunion with Daisy, his dream had already ended, ‘that it was already behind him’, and that his goals had become hollow and empty. But though this dream had ‘eluded us then’, Nick envisions that people everywhere are motivated by similar dreams and that ‘tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further’. In this way, though there is an ambiguity over whether men such as Gatsby will ever reach their ‘dream’ – Fitzgerald leaving the phrase, ‘and one fine morning -’, open-ended – Nick Carraway recognises that the importance lies not in reaching the ‘dreamâ€℠¢ but in refusing to lose heart. In the same way, Gatsby’s own audacity and nobility of spirit to dream of creating a radically different future for himself, to dream of a life with Daisy, never let up. This is why one can agree with Nick’s viewpoint to a great extent. Even though his dream ends in failure – because his methods are criminal, because he can never gain acceptance into the American aristocracy, and because his new identity is largely a theatrical act – his deep-rooted ambition, his loyalty to Daisy and, uniting the two together, the strength of his capacity to dream, are what set him above the members of West Egg and East Egg. Gatsby is a visionary. This is why he is â€Å"worth the whole damn bunch put together†.