Nuclear Power and Radioisotopes Essay Example for Free

Nuclear Power and Radioisotopes Essay Radioisotopes are considered as a double-edged sword. They can be the greatest innovation in science, or the cause of death. Radioisotopes are isotopes that are produced artificially or naturally through the process of synthesis and separation. These combinations of protons and neutrons are unstable and give off a radioactive wave. Radioisotopes can be used for many different functions such as an atomic bomb or to help in the field of medicine. They are very important and without them, doctors would have lost a very important tool. In the field of medicine, radioisotopes are used to provide information about the functioning of a person’s specific organs or to treat disease. The idea of using radioisotopes is to â€Å"image internal structures and processes† in the human body (Ioffe). This is similar to using an X-rays. The advantage to using radioisotopes is that it can show all of the internal structures. X-rays can only see hard tissue like bones but radioisotopes can show a diagram of all soft tissue like muscle. Radioisotopes are not only limited to imaging processes. Another use is to treat diseased organs or tumors by â€Å"killing cancerous cells† (Ioffe). This process is called radiation therapy. Some examples of the radioisotopes in this process are â€Å"Iodine-131, phosphorus-32† and for â€Å"more radical uses, Boron-10 to specifically attack tumor cells† (Ioffe). In the process, radioactive elements are inserted near the tumor. Radiation is more harmful to growing cells and cancerous cells grow at an uncontrolled rate, giving them a disadvantage to radiation exposure. The cancerous will start to be destroyed and when it is all gone, there is no chance for the tumor to grow back again. An important factor in radiation therapy is that the radiation kills all cells indiscriminately. Although it is impossible to control the isotope to only kill the bad cells, the hope is that the radiation kills off more cancerous cells and less of the healthier cells. Without Radioisotopes, tumors would have to be removed in a different way. Tumors would have to be surgically removed. The down side to this process is that if all of the cancerous cells were not removed, the tumor has a chance of growing again. Making diagrams of the internal structure would also be hindered without radioisotopes. Technologies such as MRI scanners and CAT scans would not exist without radioisotopes. These clearer and more advanced imaging would not be available. Without radioisotopes, the field of medicine would have been left in a huge disadvantage. Although radioisotopes can be very beneficial, it has caused a lot of controversy throughout the world. Using radioisotopes causes radioactive waste. All isotopes have half-lives, the time taken until the amount is half of the initial amount. Half-lives can vary from each isotope. There are isotopes that have low half-lives where level of radiation â€Å"drops to less than 1% of the original amount in a matter of hours or days† (Newton). These can be stored safely until the amount can be safely thrown away. Other isotopes have half-lives over a millennium such as Uranium-235 which has a half-life of 713,000,000 years (Newton). These radioisotopes continue to emit harmful radiation for practically forever. To safely dispose of such long lasting isotopes require â€Å"burying them deep in the earth, a procedure that still has not been satisfactorily demonstrated† (Newton). There is no way to safely dispose of or to store these isotopes. As a result, the environment is harmed by the radiation that will never fade. These long lasting radioisotopes also happen to frequently be used in nuclear energy plants, which is also a very controversial topic. The energy given is a great amount but with dangers. Chernobyl and Fukushima are examples the negative side of nuclear energy. When disaster stuck, much off the radiation started to affect the environment and the people. Chernobyl had to be evacuated and even now after twenty-five year, the area is still dead. There is much fear that comes with radioisotopes and how they are used. There are not only positive results that come with using radioisotopes. Many problems can be created. Radioisotopes can also help out the future generations of humanity. As mentioned before, the nuclear power plants causes’ controversy, but it also produces solid results. The world faces a problem with pollution. Nuclear energy, however, produces no pollution from the process of creating energy. Today, the energy produced by nuclear power plants exceeds â€Å"360 gigawatts† (Merriman). This is a huge amount of energy that makes clean energy as well; much different than fossil fuels that creates many tons of carbon waste. For a better future, carbon emissions have to be cut down. Nuclear energy is also gaining popularity. Overseas and in Britain, â€Å"by 1990 it was obtaining more than 70 percent of its electricity† through nuclear energy (Merriman). This is an example of the potential that nuclear energy has. Over half of the electricity supplied in a whole nation was coming from nuclear energy. The future generations will gain a great asset to obtaining a clean and powerful energy source. Radioisotopes can be used for various functions. The isotopes can also cause many problems. The question is whether the isotopes give more than it takes away. As a chemistry student, I feel that radioisotopes are very important. They are the reasons why such advance technologies in medicine and energy are available. Even though there are negative aspects in using the radioisotopes, the benefits outweigh the downsides. Radioisotopes can kill the patient when applied too much dosage, but without radioisotopes, there may not have been a chance for recovery. That should make incentive for more research to go into radioisotopes and making them safer. There is no reason to be afraid of them. With more research, the safety of using radioisotopes can be increased. There are present dangers to using radioisotopes but it is still beneficial to use them

Techniques of Phacoemulsification

Techniques of Phacoemulsification Phacoemulsification is the preferred mode of cataract surgery today and considered better than other modes because of the lesser surgical time, better post-operative results, lower induced astigmatism and speedy visual rehabilitation. Cornea is a transparent structure and maintenance of transparency is attributed to the barrier function and the active fluid pump of the corneal endothelium. Endothelial damage during surgery is considered as a important parameters of surgical trauma. Endothelial cell density decreases at a greater rate after cataract surgery than it does in healthy, unoperated corneas. Corneal endothelial cells are non-dividing cells; hence having limiting regenerative capacity following surgical trauma. Corneal endothelial cell loss during surgery is affected by multiple variables like irrigation solution turbulence, direct mechanical trauma by instrument, nuclear fragments, IOL contact; heat generated during phacoemulsification can damage corneal endothelium during cataract surgery. In a study done by Hayashi K et al in 1996 they tried to identify the risk factors for corneal endothelial injury. They concluded in this study that older age, small pupil diameter, high nucleus grade, large nucleus, greater infusion volume, type of IOL implanted, and a greater amount of ultrasound energy used during surgery were associated with endothelial cell loss. Further studies carried out to identify variables affecting amount of endothelial cell loss which are related to various parameter of machine as well as technique of surgery. These variables also included medicinal substance used during surgery like irrigating fluid, type of viscoelastic substance used. Most of the studies indicated that endothelial cell loss is related to the more ultrasound energy used, amount of irrigating fluid or mechanical trauma by any mean. Site of incision, type of viscoelastic and irrigating fluid has less correlation with amount of endothelial cell loss. Though in special circumstances modification of these variables helps in getting better outcome of surgery. If we talk about the technique of phacoemulsification there are various nucleotomy techniques which are described. Every technique is unique in its application so it has an impact on amount of endothelial cell loss occurred due to surgical trauma. In this study we interpreted the effect of two types of nucleotomy techniques divide and conquer versus direct chop on endothelial cell loss. 60 eyes of 60 patients who underwent cataract surgery by these two different techniques were included in the study and amount of endothelial cell loss was measured and compared in two groups. All surgeries were performed by same surgeon and all other parameter and variables were kept constant like grade of nuclear sclerosis, type of machine used, type of irrigating fluid, viscoelastic and type of posterior chamber intraocular lens implanted. Study subjects were divided into two groups, Group1 included the patients who underwent phacoemulsification by divide and conquer technique and Group 2 included patient who underwent phacoemulsification by diect chop technique. The mean age of patients in group1 was 62.13 + 7.03 (SD) years and in group 2 was 61.77 + 8.37 (SD) years . The grade of nuclear sclerosis, graded by comparing with LOCS III chart was Grade 2 in all 60 eyes of the 60 enrolled patients. In group 1, 17 were male and 13 were females 18 were RE and 12 were LE. The median pre-operative specular count in this group was 2091 cells/mm2 with a mean specular count of cells/mm2(SD ). In group 2, 18 were male and 12 were females 16 were RE and 14 were LE. The median pre-operative specular count in this group was 2037 cells/mm2 with a mean specular count of cells/mm2(SD ). The intra-operative parameters assessed in thus study were two, the fluid volume used and the effective phaco time. In group 1 the average fluid volume used was 145.67 mL (SD 16.34 ). The average Effective phaco time was 14.70 sec (SD 2.77). In group 2 the average fluid volume used was 137.33 mL (SD 10.80). The average Effective phaco time was 12.67 sec (SD 2.34) Corneal endothelial cell counts were evaluated at 1 week, 4 weeks and 12 weeks post-operatively in both groups. Endothelial cell loss was calculated in this series as the difference between the pre-operative specular count and the specular count at 12 weeks. Further, the Endothelial cell loss (%) was calculated as: ECL (%) = Pre-op specular count-Post op count at 12 weeks x 100 Pre-op specular count The mean endothelial cell loss in group1 was 489 cells/mm2(SD 133.44).. The average endothelial cell loss (%) in group1 was 21.5%. The mean endothelial cell loss in group1 was 489 cells/mm2(SD 133.44).. The average endothelial cell loss (%) in group1 was 21.5%. The endothelial cell loss was analyzed statistically and its correlation to, effective phaco time and fluid volume was studied. In this study, the follow-up period was 3 months because Beltrame et al52 and other workers53, 54 have determined that a 3-month period was sufficient to allow stable and complete endothelial wound healing. In this study, the variables were analyzed with respect to their effect on the outcome using appropriate tests for statistical significance (SPSS17.0).Effective phaco time and fluid volume used showed a strong positive correlation to the endothelial cell loss (p-value

Individual Freedom And Rights

Individual Freedom And Rights Is it most important to value ones own life, happiness and interest or to obey the higher authority of the state? This statement raises the question of the individuals freedom and rights in comparison to the states control over individuals life. In this paper I will be arguing against Socrates and Confucius view of placing the state ahead of the individual. This paper is constructed along my line of defense which looks at the issues and arguments around the individual freedom and rights. This argument largely dwells on the concept of freedom from Socratic and Confucius philosophy, Christianity and individual freedom and also modern/postmodern thinking on this subject. The concept of freedom and rights in ancient Greek Philosophy Socrates and Confucius are two major philosophers who tried to develop the relationship between the individual freedom, rights and the state control (Philosophy study guide). According to Beck both Confucius and Socrates lived in cultures where hereditary privilege was the main factor in social status. Neither of them was extremely high-born, but they certainly were not peasants either (Beck 2010:14) .Socrates contributed much on political discussion, he did not engage in political career. He was so much concerned with how state laws were implemented in city life style, which determined a healthy relationship between the citizens and the state. However, this relationship should not be forced or coerced on them rather it should come naturally. Both Socrates and Confucius teachings were meant to prepare men for the world of politics. This is why they both stressed the value and importance of ideals and portrayed the ideal state in the midst of various prevailing governments which were far from perfect. They criticized their unjust practices and diagnosed their problems. Socrates seems to have gone into more detail in delineating the different types of government (Beck 2010:7). But Confucius went further by teaching about the importance of self control and temperature. It taught about the ideals of social controls and proper behavior. Beck maintains that for Socrates and the Greeks personal behavior was focused more on the individual as his own responsibility of self-discipline and did not extend so strongly into the social milieu. The rules of propriety were designed to bring harmony in relationships, while temperance is concerned with the harmony within the individual (Beck 2010:5 ).This shows how individual freedom and rights played an important role in the mind of the Greeks. Of course, the State is important but too is individual liberty. However, both men emphasized the need for advancement of knowledge. This knowledge is to be taught in schools and public places. Confucian philosophy it today, being practiced in Japan, Korea and China. It puts much emphasis on learning and educational values but imitating the master teachers words and deeds. Education is therefore, being used to correct some unbecoming behavior from the ethical perspectives (Philosophy study guide). The ideals of Confucius philosophy has been translated into human behavior and values in the Far eastern societies. Taking the lessons from the Socratic and Confucius ideology, this philosophy emphasizes the need to practice virtue and temperature at all times, thus avoiding friction and rash actions (Beck, 2010). Christianity and individual rights Christianity was born in Palestine at the time of Roman colonial rule. The relationship between Christianity and the State was somewhat not healthy, as these two entities often collided both in principle and practice. Being a Roman Citizen at the time would incorporate many responsibilities and roles which one needed to follow. However, the Romans were considered to be atheists for their insistence on emperor worship. Roman Citizens were commanded by the law to publicly follow and worship the cultic figures that represented the Roman gods. This worship was characterized through private and public worship and giving of sacrifices (Stumbaugh Balch, 1996) in special places and temples. However, for many years intellectuals and philosophers began to question this cultic worship. Roman Citizens were required to perform some rituals, prayers and sacrifice to company their worship. Through this worship all citizens were obliged to affirm their allegiance to the emperor. Christians refused to follow the demands of the state to follow the worship of demi gods of Roman religions. As a result, this refusal led to the persecution of Christians who insisted in worshipping their only God and Lord Jesus Christ. Christians decided to live in different set of life style which is different from the religious institutions of the Roman Empire and its social environment. This shows the unhealthy relationship between the state and the church. This forced the Apostle Paul to address the issue of obeying the state laws and control in the Romans Chapter 13. The divine right of rulers has been disputed and discussed over the years. The question often asked is whether Christians are obliged to follows state laws and regulations. How far should Christians go to obey the laws of the state even when it is against their religion? For many years, Christian theologians and theologians have tried to grapple with the concept of the State and the Church. There are those who believe that the Church and State are mere sides of the same coin and therefore, Church leaders should be involved inn the affairs of the State. This view was largely developed by theologians such as Martin Luther, Zwingli and John Calvin (Stumbaugh Balch, 1996). It is through this theological thought that led to State Churches such as the Church of England and Lutheran Churches that are commonly found in the Scandinavian countries. On the other hand, there are those theological views which holds that Church is supreme over the State because it subscribes to the higher heavily powers. It is this divine authority which makes many churches to argue that they subjected to divine power and not state control. Those theologians who subscribes to this thought argue that the State is in subsidiary position to Church. Through out the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church view developed the notion that Church and State must be separate or remain separate entities. This thought also advocates that State and Church that must not just remain separate but is also independent of one another (Bramsted, 1978). Most of theologians hold the view that Church and State different entities and have different origins. The Church owes its origin and allegiance to God and therefore Christian followers need to express their allegiance from God. Whereas the State, is seen as the divine institution that has been put in place by God for human Society to exercise power and authority of human beings. However, the Church has no control over men, but can only appeal to their minds, hearts and consciences. As a result, those who have accepted to be under the rule of the Church must adhere to Cannon laws, rules and regulations (Stumbaugh Balch, 1996). In this case, the church would exercise authority over them, control their behavior patterns, thoughts and lives. The Church also has the power to correct, admonish or even discipline those who contrary to the rules of their faith. The concept of freedom and rights in modern European philosophy Modernity is considered to be the period between 1750 to late 1960s. The development of ideas in the western world is closely connected with the philosophical thoughts of their day. This period was associated with enlightenment thought often associated with scientific progress, technological advancement and industrial revolution. This new thinking permeated social thinking, values and relations. One those of those philosophers who contributed greatly to the development of enlightenment thinking in relation to individual freedom and rights were Jean Jacques Rousseau. Jean Jacques Rousseau, who lived between 1772 to 1778, is one of those philosophers who committed his life to follows the ideal of liberty during his political career. He followed the political line of republican persuasions and sympathized with the Republican ideals. He argued that the advent of western civilization corrupted the goodness of human nature (Friend, 2004). He emphasized that progress in the arts and sciences contributed to moral degeneration and the decay of modern societies. He argued that human beings existed because they live social groups that later produced inequality. And therefore, once people begins to live in fixed relations like social groups, the quest for freedom begins to emerge because they want to free themselves from social bondages and oppressive social contracts. Therefore, this is the beginning of social inequalities and oppressions. Concerning Civil Society, Rousseau argues that it was founded by the person or people who emerged by enclosing people in groups. Then it claimed ownership over the piece of land. Therefore, civil society has been used by individuals to justify and maintain relations in property, which is based on inequality and associated moral decays (Friend, 2004). However, although people have the will to choose what is right for them, it is important for everybody to set aside their own personal and ethno-cultural interests for the common good of others. Although, the concept of common goal is important, most scholars believe that it leads to a form of dictatorial leadership or authoritarian leadership. It also leads to dictatorship of the majority. The other European who developed this concept of the rights of man is Thomas Paine. He advocated for the rights of man theory was about the defense of the Principles of French Revolution. The other philosopher who contributed to the development of individual freedom was Thomas Pain. According to Paine, human beings are born with equal, human rights even though they do not live isolation with others in the society. Every human being has the right to live in freedom and enjoy the benefits of cooperation with others in the society. However, this is not often realized, in our societies because these principles are often violated because human beings are not perfect. They have imperfect and naturally deprived nature that always wants to do evil. Paine argued therefore, that the natural rights of all people can only be secured when people learn to deposit those rights which they cannot uphold as individual human beings. Nevertheless, the state has the overall of the individuals life especially when it comes to addressing the issues of violence against humanity. The state also has the overall rights over the protection against the harm of others. To him, it is only the state that has the mandate to ensure the stability of our societies. This means that a legitimate government must be based on the concept of people rule for the sake of the people (Friend, 2004). This type of government is what is often refereed to as democracy. It is only the democratic government that can be considered as a legitimate form of government which represents the rights of the people. Democratic governments are meant to defend and protect the rights of individual human beings and secure the security of all citizens (Bramsted, 1978). The concept of freedom and rights in the post modern world views Much of the western culture resulted from the matrix of the enlightenment period. It promoted the attitude of tolerance towards others and relative view towards belief of any time. The Enlightenment doctrine promoted then doctrine of individualism, purporting that individuals are free, emancipated and must act in autonomy. The basic principles democracy is based on the notion of government consent, in other words, it is about people centered government that is elected by people for the people. The power given to people derives from the electorates. The concept of individual rights to freedom has attracted lots criticism from the intellectual communities and philosophers. The Marxist philosopher argues that the rights of individual go contrary to social progress because they are not in line with cultural or historical relativity (Bramsted, 1978). Postmodernism rejected the enlightenment views that characterized much of then 18th to 19th century. Post modernism promoted the notion of pluralism, individualism and relativism. It rejected the notion of one blue print or overall dominant theme that dictates the thinking of man. Instead, it calls for the plural form of human relations. It opposes the notion of meta-narratives and calls for one many narratives in expanding human story. Contrary to the Enlightenment theory, post modernism attacks this concept of development or progress or the so called notion of forward match of history. Therefore, the principles of justice, freedom and rights in the postmodern world view are very much fragmented. It is also socially constructed depending on the social, economic, cultural and political contexts. The World western mostly exercise liberalism which is based on freedom and rights of individual human beings. This is why post modernism is often in loggerhead with modern enlightenment theor y (Bramsted 1978). However, the Liberal individualism which subscribes to Liberal democracy promotes the ideals of civil and political liberties. Civil liberty is big movement in the USA that pressures for the rights of Citizens. The theory of rights advocates for the rights of others and as well as their own. Such rights include life and liberty of others. This view has developed into human rights movement that taken centre stage in the world of politics advocating for universal human rights. Liberalism emphasizes the value of universal freedom and cosmopolitan citizenship. This view argues that individuals are allowed to display distinctive commitment to their personal lives but not to enforce them others. Civil liberties also argue that the government has no right to infiltrate into their personal lives. This means that we all have the rights to live a peaceful and free life without interference from the state (Bramsted, 1978). Personal Opinion Freedom is some thing which we all cherish and hold on to ideally. But individual freedom is something that is socially constructed. The concept of freedom has been misinterpret and misconceived. These views of freedom are erroneous in nature. Some people think that freedom is the absence of laws, regulation and restrictions. I have personally heard a teenager shouting back saying that they want to be free from their parents rules and regulations. Some even think that freedom is without anarchy or live a life without rules and regulations or rules. Many people and especially young people think that freedom is about living irresponsibility, without being responsible or being accountable to any body. For some people freedom is about the avoidance of work and obligation. This equates to laziness and being slack. But from my own understanding, freedom demands much of our time and work than when in bondage. When your are bound, you are well looked after by your captors for instance when you are in prison, it is the responsibility of the prison authorities to look after you. Further I have heard some people saying that freedom is retiring from responsibility. But is not true because one cannot separate freedom from responsibility these are two sides of the same coins. Indeed, some extend, say that freedom is about relaxation from social boundaries and rules, but this is misconception. One does have to relax because they are free. By and large, some even argue that freedom is being released from external control. They argue that it is about being left alone to do what they want or like without control from the parents, employers or even the government. Conclusion This paper has attempted to answer the question whether it most important to value ones own life, happiness and interest or to obey the higher authority of the state. It is question which address the question of individual freedom and rights. Individual freedom and rights are two concepts that are intertwined together. One cannot do without the other. The concept of freedom is often associated with being released from the external controls whereby one thinks that they are not held accountable or responsible to the others. These two views have been very contentious for many years as scholars contend with them. Beginning with the Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Confucius, individual freedom and rights were discussed in more details. These philosophers taught that although we are free agents were are still subjected to human control and governance. This means that we are still obliged to follow the rules and regulations of the state. However, the issue of obeying the state and its decrees is what caused much friction between the church and the state. For many years, the first century were persecuted by the Roman governments for now disobeying the emperors orders on cultic worship. This factor was taken board by theologians for many years latter as to whether the church is free from the powers of the state. This is also implied as to whether indeed Christians are free from following the rules and regulations ordered by the state. During the enlightenment period various thoughts began to emerge concerning the issue of individual freedom and right from modern Europe philosophers. These discourse produced further debates on liberalism, democracy and human rights. Following the end of modernity the postmodern paradigm began to emerge to give different views to those ones held by modernity thinkers. The post modern mind view argues that there is one met narratives, that we all have our stories of what is right and wrong, we should follow what is appropriate for us. I would not subscribe to any of these views but a mixture of both. I would like to argue that individual freedom is there, but we have to be accountable to what we do to others. Our concept of freedom, rights and happiness must be inline with the laws of our societies.

Creationsim vs. Evolution :: Science Religion Essays

Creationsim vs. Evolution Intro Who or what really is our greatest of great ancestors? Most major religions and early groups of people have an answer to this common question. The Greek myths declare that only Geia (the Earth) and a great sea of Chaos were in the beginning, and in a soap opera fashion the gods eventually came forth, who eventually created humans (Bierlein 47-8). The Chippewa/Algonquin Native Americans believe that the great Earth Mother had two sons, a good one and a bad one that ended up creating the plants, animals, and humans (61). In the Christian, scientific Western Hemisphere, we believe in two possible answers -- one, that we descended from Adam, who was created from the mingling of the dirt of the ground with God's breath into His image (a doctrine held by religious Creationism), or two, that we evolved from monkeys which evolved from bacteria, which evolved from non-living chemicals and lightning (the scientific theory of evolution). These two theories both have credibility - the Bible is one of the oldest and most extensive historical documents we have, recorded with great precision, while evolution is very logical and builds on numerous scientific disciplines. Yet creation and evolution seem diametrically opposed. If we were created randomly and purposelessly, as evolution suggests, then the creation account of a sculptor molding his clay to make man appears erroneous. So scientists often call the Genesis account a â€Å"myth† – a story conceived by early man to explain away his questions. Christians are often offended by implications like these, and end up attacking science’s claims. In turn, many scientists feel distaste for people who don't accept their elegant theory and their mounds of evidence, and thus reject the others' view. Though a war has been established pinning these two theories against each other, this dichotomy is actually a false one. Christians do not need to give up their faith and scientists can start believing in God. These two clashing but persuasive theories, creation and evolution, can be reconciled. First, these theories need to be defined. Definition Evolution is the theory that all living organisms can be traced back to a common ancestor, which came into being from non-living elements, by natural laws. Darwin’s contribution to this theory was the mechanism by which species could evolve – natural selection.

Media :: essays research papers

As we look at our society and culture as a whole, we see that violence does exist in vast amounts. The problem of violence is compounded by the constant saturation that media coverage often provides. The media creates an almost artificial world for young people who do not have a single family member or extended family member to provide any small measure of love and kindness towards them. Naisbitt suggests that the boys involved in the Columbine shootings were absorbed in an environment full of violence. By means of television, movies, video games and other sources of electronic entertainment these boys became engrossed by aggression and violent behavior (81). While Naisbitt says that it is the violence that drove these boys to commit such a heinous crime, he never proposes that it could have been the lack of family that led these young boys to violence. Often we do not see that people are driven towards violence of the media because of family neglect. Overall, we need to create an environment in which parent and child can easily live and play together, so we can draw their attention away from this enticing entertainment. If we find that it is often the â€Å"latch-key† children whose parents work that more quickly turn to violence, then can we create programs to keep these children otherwise occupied? Violence serves as a diversion and a source of entertainment for children, but if we are able to create an enriching setting for our youth, one which places family on a high level we can often avoid many of the violent acts which do take place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we live in a world where we can feel loved and supported, we do not take wrong turns as often. It is not necessarily a family that one needs to maintain a violence free existence, but the inclusion of loving and caring people in one’s life. Perhaps more thinking about how to build family outside the traditional definition of the perfect family is necessary in one’s own quest against violence. When I think about my own transition from living in a small town just outside of Boston, a relatively safe large city to the completely new city of New Orleans, I recognize a basic truth about family. As I find myself in an entirely different part of the country engrossed in an entirely different culture, I often feel unsafe and alone in this city, new to me which I call my home .

Old English Lyrical Poetry Essay

The second part allegorically represents that the troubles of the seaman are the troubles of earthly life and the call of the ocean is the call in the soul to go to its true home with God.The poem is remarkable for (as Legouis puts) – â€Å"The somber and violent pictures it gives of northern seas in which sufferings from cold mingles with the pains of water and wind†. The Ruined Burg or the Ruin:- * It is an elegy not for the misfortune of a person but for a place. * The unknown poet laments for the vanished glory of a great city, probably the Roman built city Bath, which was turned into debris by the Anglo-Saxon aggression, Conquest and settlement. * The poem can be divided in three parts- ) First the poet describes the ancient gorgeous buildings now deserted and rootless and tottering. b) Next he goes to muse on its golden past and its adorned and crowded noble princess and warriors. c) Finally he contrasts the runions present with the pompous past. * The poem is rem arkable for its nostalgic melancholy and for its descriptive nature. Deor’s Lament: * It is a poem of 42 lines, divided into stanzas and it is included in the Exeter Book. * It is the lamentation of Deor, a scop who after years of service has been supplanted by another minstrel, Herrenda. Finally he consoles himself by considering the misfortune of others. * It is written in strophic form throughout and each strophe ends with a refrain. * There are altogether seven sections in the poem. * In the first five sections, the mentions the adversities that befall others but ends with a note of consolation in the sixth section he speaks of the misfortune of mankind in general. And in the seventh section the poet mentions his own misfortune. In this way the poem is logically well-knit.It remains plainly heathenic in sentiment. The Wife’s Complaint: * It is a kind of monologue. * The narrator is a woman whose husband has left her and gone to the sea. She is forced to live in an old dwelling dug out of earth under oak by her husband’s relatives. She sitting under the tree laments over her miserable lot all day. Friendless and fore shaken she bewails her loneliness and the vows of love that have come to nothing. * The poem is rich in melancholy feeling. The Husbandà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Message: * It exists in fragments. A good many lines of this poem are lost for ever. * An exiled husband sends his message to his wife by means of letters carved on a piece of wood. The wood tells the wife its own life story and its journey in a ship. It tells her that though the circumstances let her husband out of home he has been able to gain a position of wealth and dignity. Finally it bids her to join with her husband in the place of exile. * To some critics the poem is a sequel to ‘The Wife’s Complaint but some would to see it as an independent poem.

Language Paper Essay

Language can be looked at differently from other types of cognitions. There is a need for language in one form or another to have the ability to communicate with other human beings. This communication is the basis to how human beings express themselves to those around them. With this expression comes the ability to formulate thoughts. These thoughts can be translated to others through language. This language play an important role when analyzing, problem-solving, creating reasons, communicating needs, and making plans. Without the existence of language the attempt for humans to achieve goals would be almost impossible to accomplish. Goals would have to be accomplished be figuring out an alternative method than language to be used for sciences, history, mathematics, and the ability to explain past experiences or cultures. Because language is such an important communication tool, this paper will go into the definition of language and lexicon, evaluating the key features of language, with a description of the four levels of the language structure and processing, and analyzing the role of language processing in cognitive psychology. . Define Language Because there is so many different ways of language it can be difficult to provide just one. Cognitive psychology defines language as a system of communication that is governed by a system of rules and can express an infinite number of propositions. In addition, natural language has two criteria. First it must be governed by a set of rules knows as grammar. Second it must be productive – an infinite number of things can be expressed (Galotti, 2015). But there are some factors that are deemed to be critical in the communication of human language. The factors that are deemed critical are: communicative, arbitrary, structured, generative, and dynamic  (Willingham, 2007). These critical items that are necessary for the formation of language starts with communicative. Communicative will allow communication between individuals. Arbitrary which means that a sound will stand for a meaning. Language, which needs to be structured and must follow a logical order to make sense. Generative which means that there are a limitless number of meanings that are associated to the word. Dynamic which means that language is constantly changing, growing, and adapting (Willingham, 2007). Define Lexicon Lexicon is defined as the mental store and is thought to be the keeper of the cognitive processor’s knowledge of words, which also includes the spelling, pronunciation, definition, and parts of speech (Galotti, 2015). Most researchers have a belief that when people recognize words through the process of matching where the spoken word will be compared with a mental dictionary. This mental dictionary is known as the lexicon. The lexicon is the foot bridge between language and knowledge (Willingham, 2007). This communication bridge for lexicons will vary depending on how and where a lexicon is used. However, the grammaticalizations will be different depending on the type of language being used. The words and expressions used in each language will be the lexicon for that individual language. Therefore an individual person’s own set of vocabulary would have their own personal lexicon attached to it that would be their own personal storage unit of their knowledge. Evaluate Key Features of Language Charles Hackett identified 13 features of human language and how the human language is differs from other forms of communication. Four key factors are vocal-auditory channel, specialization, arbitrariness, and traditional transmissions. Vocal-auditory channel is defined as the means that the standard human language occurs vocal (creation of sound by mouth) type of communication that can be perceived by hearing it (Hyde, 1998). Specialization is the use of organs in the production of speech and these organs are able to adapt to the task of speech. Example would be the lips, tongue, a throat of a human that have been specially adapted to the task of speech and not just to assist as an eating apparatus. Whereas, dogs do not  have the physical capabilities for the speech sounds that humans have the capability of because dogs lack the necessary specialized organs (Hyde, 1998). Arbitrariness is where there is no necessary connection between form of the signal and what is being referred to. An example would be a very large object like a whale and yet it is referred to with a very short word. Some would argue that four-legged animals could then be referred to as the sounds they make. However, the sounds animals make do not always translate across culture borders and therefore even onomatopoeic words would be to some extent also arbitrary (Hyde, 1998). Traditional transmissions has the meaning that human language is not something that exist from birth. Even though language does not exist from birth humans are born with some ability to perform language. In order for humans to perform language they will need to learn, acquire, the language that is spoken around them from others who speak the language. Learning language by listening to others is different from the communications in the animal world. In the animal world animals are born knowing their entire systems. Such is the case with bumble bees who are born with the knowledge of dance and song birds that are born with the knowledge of bird-songs. Describe the four levels of language structure and processing The four levels of language structure and processing are phonemes, words, sentences, and text. Phonemes is the shortest segment of speech that if changed would change the meaning of the word (Goldstein, 2014). There are 44 phonemes that make up the basic unit of sound (Galotti, 2015). The basic unit of sounds will vary from different languages. The study of the different ways that phonemes can be combined in any language is called phonology. Once you have put the sounds together the task then becomes to put the sounds in a coherent way, identifying the meaningful units of language and this aspect is known as morphology (Galotti, 2015). These sounds then become words, sentences, and text. Words should be placed in a sentence will have importance to the understanding of the sentence. Text will be a group of sentences that once placed together will be the formation of the paragraph in reference to a certain subject. Analyze the role of language processing in cognitive psychology How humans process information is a key factor in cognitive psychology. Language is what is used as the main source of communication for humans and is influenced by both internal and external factors and since cognitive psychology is the investigation of all mental abilities the processing of language plays an important role. There are two different proposals in regards to the relationship of language to other cognitive processes. The modularity hypothesis proposed that there are some aspects of language, especially syntactic processes, will function autonomously, and independently of any other cognitive process. This recent proposal awaits a more rigorous empirical testing even though there is some evidence does exist. The second proposal is the Whorfian hypothesis of linguistic relativity, even though it is very interesting it has so far not received strong or empirical support (Galotti, 2015). Cognitive psychology is the science of how the mind is organized to produce intelligent thought and how the mind is realized in the brain (Anderson, 2015). With cognitive psychology being the study of how the mind is organized to produce intelligent thought this knowledge is through either written or verbal communication. The written or verbal communication through language enables an individual to communicate thoughts and emotions. It is these thoughts and emotions that cognitive psychology attempts to understand. Conclusion Language is a system of communication that is governed by a set of rules and can express an infinite number of propositions. Natural language has two criteria. First it must be governed by a set of rules knows as grammar. Second it must be productive – where an infinite number of things can be expressed (Galotti, 2015). Language plays an important role in the regards to cognition because it is the main communication tool used by human beings. Language has to have a storage place where pronunciation, definition, and parts of speech are stored. The storage place is called the lexicon. Lexicon is the bridge between language and knowledge. Language is a system of communication that is governed by a system of rules (Galotti, 2015). There are 4 levels of language, structure, and processing. In addition, Charles  Hockett identified 13 key features of the human language. The ability to turn language into communication through words, and then pull information from a person’s experiences, education, environment, and culture is a magnificent feat to accomplish, and it is through language that people are able to express their ideas because of the role cognition plays within language. References Anderson, J. R. (2015). Cognitive Psychology and its implications (8th ed.). New York, New York: Worth Publishers. Galotti, K. M. (2014). Cognitive psychology in and out of the laboratory (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Goldstein, E. B. (2014). Sensation and perception (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Hyde, K. (1998). The features of human language. Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://people.exeter.ac.uk/bosthaus/Lecture/hockett1.htm Willingham, D. T. (2007). Cognition: The thinking animal (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon