The Road By Aaron Bellam Essay Example for Free

ï » ¿The Road By Aaron Bellam Essay History has had little conscience when it comes to human suffering and struggle. The world has brought us murder, torture, and terror in the packages of war, politics, and everyday human relationships. Religious battles keep racism, greed, and suffering real. The positive is not always apparent when one looks at human existence. Aside from the physical struggle humans had to endure and overcome, emotions also challenge us in hard times. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a story set after an apocalypse, takes the characters beyond physical challenges like cold and hunger. In their dystopia, the characters must also face their emotional struggles. As they journey across the dark, barren land, the boy and his father experience the feelings of desperation, fear and hope. The first emotion that urges the pair on in their journey is desperation. The father and son are desperate for many things; food, warmth, and not to be caught and raped by others. As well; the two are desperate to find and share with other good guys. The man and his emaciated bay have such a strong desperation to find food and food is so scarce that the pair finds â€Å"the bones of a small animal dismembered and placed in a pile, possibly a cat†. (McCarthy.2006.Pg26) This find is proof that other survivors have turned to alternate forms of food to try and give themselves energy for the trek. Warmth is another huge luxury that the father and his boy wish they had. After a find of supplies in an abandoned house, they ‘sat wrapped in the quilt naked while the man held the boy’s feet to his stomach to warm them. (McCarthy. 2006.Pg31). The man is obviously willing to do anything; he is determined to keep his son warm and comfortable, even if it takes away from his own comfort. Hiding from people looking to catch others to eat is a further element of despair the two are forced to cope with. Cannibals roam this dystopia. After finding people in a cellar, some with limbs chopped off, the son is left horrified. The man and the son are desperate to find other ‘good guys’ like them so that they aren’t alone. Moreover, there are many other emotions the trekkers are desperate for; however these four are some of the most pressing. Ironically, this ugly emotion helps to keep the two going. The second, and most important emotion that drives the father and his son forward, is Fear. The apocalypse has given the man and his son reason to be fearful of many  things: Strangers, Starvation, and being alone. The father is so afraid of strangers that every time they come across another person he becomes very hostile. When they came upon a traveler, they followed him, perhaps because â€Å"The traveler was not one for looking back. They followed him for a while and then they overtook him.† (McCarthy.2006.Pg161) The man has changed drastically since his wife le ft him, and he has become very protective of his son. Starvation is another fear that drives them forward; food is very scarce and when they find food they do what they can to keep people from taking it from them. When the pair sees an old man called Ely walking down the street the father says I see and â€Å"the boy turned and looked at him. I know what the question is the man said. The answer is no. What question? Can we keep him? We can’t.† (McCarthy.2006.Pg.164). After the death of his father the boy is discovered by a family that had been following them. Even though the man had taught him to be very cautious around other people, the boy was very lonely and feared having to travel by himself ,so after making sure that they were â€Å"good guys†; he asked them â€Å"are you carrying the fire? Am I what? Carrying the fire. You’re kind of weirded out, aren’t you? No. Just a little. Yeah. That’s ok. So are you? What, carrying the fire? Yes. Yeah we are.† (McCarthy.2006.Pg283/284), he decides to travel with the family. And while fear is one of the most important emotions the pair faces in the book it is also one of the most important that people have faced since we first developed emotions. And even though fear plays a big part in their movement forward there is still another that is just as important. The Third and final emotion that is expressed in the novel is hope. The boy’s character is a sign of hope to the father throughout the book. In the father’s view the boy is almost described as holy, â€Å"if he is not the word of god, god never spoke†, which gives the sense that the boy is precious to the man and that the boy is the father’s hope like a god is a religious person’s hope. The boy also gives a sense of hope to the reader. This is from his sense of goodness and innocence, the way he gave food to the old m an at the side of the road, which in this world the reader gets a sense that goodness and innocence is unheard of. This gives this bleak, horrific, world a feeling of humanity, a feeling that gives the destroyed world a future â€Å"Goodness will find the little boy. It always has. It will again.† In the road there is a repeated reference to ‘carrying the flame’ which is a symbol  of hope. It is a symbol that mankind will always live on throughout any circumstances. When the man dies he tells the boy the he is now carrying the flame which shows the man’s hope of a better future or merely a just a future for the boy. The food is a sign presented by Cormac McCarthy of hope, when the food is low the scene is shown grimly and when the food is plentiful. When they find the bunker full of food, page 146, the text is full of short sentences ‘Canned hams.’, ‘Corned beef’ which show the father’s joy and almost disbelief of how hopeful the future will be with this plenty. Other than the boy the father has hope in very few things. But one thing which is shown throughout The Road is the father’s sense of morals. The father always reassures the boy and himself that they are the good guys, because they aren’t turning to cannibalism, which gives them the hope to keep them going because they are, to the father, keeping goodness in the world alive, ‘carrying the flame’. In the father’s dream, page 2, the father and the son are holding a light, ‘Their light playing over the wet flowstone walls.’ Which could be interpreted as a reference to the ‘carrying the flame’. The mother is a character presenting hope that has been lost. The mother commits suicide as this is what she sees as the brightest option. The mother says â€Å"as for me my only hope is for eternal nothingness and I hope it with all my heart.† (McCarthy.2006.Pg58/59), this shows how the mother has lost all hope of a future and nothingness is better than life on borrowed time. The last paragraph in the road is full of hope for the boy and the earth’s future. Cormac McCarthy presents the theme of hope in many different ways. He shows the lost hope of people in end of the world situations, the mother and the cannibals. The hope for the future, carrying the flame and the last paragraph. The hope for goodness and generosity in the world, the father’s view of the boy and carrying the flame. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a story set in a post-apocalyptic earth, showed the journey off a Man and his son: as they faced physical challenges, such as, Cold and Hunger, they also faced emotional challenges through Desperation, Fear, and Hope. This is a story that shows the perseverance of a man and his son, as they fight to survive.

Evaluation of Vancomycin Properties

Evaluation of Vancomycin Properties Vancomycin Abstract Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic which has been clinically used to treat a large number of species of gram-positive bacteria. Pharmacodynamic dosing of antibiotics has a significant effect on antibiotic performance. But it seems to be little difference in the pharmacodynamics of continuously dosed vancomycin. Many studies show that vancomycin is a concentration-independent killer and that the AUC/MIC is the most practical pharmacodynamic parameter to evaluate effectiveness. Key words (AUC; area under the curve. MIC; minimum inhibitory concentration. MRSA; methcillin-resistant strains). Introduction Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic which has been clinically used to treat a large number of species of gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (including methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains), Staphylococcus epidermidis (including resistant strains), Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Strreptococcus bovis, Streptococcus mutans, viridans streptococci, enterococci, Clostridium species, diphtheroids, Listeria monocytogenes, and Lactobacillus species. There has been no increase in resistance to vancomycin during the past three decades. (3) Figure 1. Structural formula of vancomycin. (2) Vancomycin is available as an asymmetric dimer. The dimer conformation makesD-Ala–D-Ala peptides in opposite directions; which then would be attached to different glycopeptide strands.(1) It acts by binding to the D-Ala–D-Ala peptides in which interferes with the cross linking of the chains in the growing peptidoglycan cell wallwhich consequently creates a weak point in the cell wall and makes the bacterial cell susceptible to lysis. (4) Figure 2. (Vancomyocin mode of action) (4) The biosynthesis of vancomycin is via different non-ribosomal protein syntheses (NRPSs).Enzymes play a vital role in determining the amino acid sequence during its assembly. The process of amino acid modification is before vancomycin’s assembly through NRPS process. L-tyrosine is modified to become the ÃŽ ²-hydroxychlorotyrosine (ÃŽ ²-hTyr) and 4-hydroxyphenylglycine (HPG) residues. Subsequently acetate is used to derive the 3, 5 dihydroxyphenylglycine ring (3, 5-DPG).(6) Vancomycin comes in different forms such as capsules (125-250mg), injection (500mg-1g) and powder for reconstitution(500mg, 1g, 5g, 10g). It is poorly absorbed from GI tract, widely distributed with Vd 0.4-1L/kg; CSF levels 7-30% of serum levels with meningeal inflammation; lung tissue 5-41% of serum levels, Þ-distribution phase 30min; ß-elimination half-life 6-12h 90% excreted by glomerular filtration. Vancomycin has some adverse effects such as nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity, for example red man or â€Å"red neck† syndrome, phlebitis, rash, chills and fever.(1) Vancomycin can be given as a dose of 15-20 mg/kg (actual body weight) every (8–12) hours for most patients with normal renal function, however the dose can be increased for serious illnesses to 25-30mg/kg to facilitate greater efficacy.(1) Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of vancomycin There are many studies been carried out to overview vancomycin pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties in which they found out that serum concentration–time profile of vancomyocin is very complex and has been characterized as one, two and three compartment pharmacokinetic models. Clinical trials showed that those patients who have normal renal function, the distribution phase was ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour, and the elimination half life was ranging from 6 to 12 hours. The volume of distribution was 0.4–1 L/kg. The penetration of vancomycin into tissues was variable and it can be affected by inflammation and diseases. For example, those patients with un-inflamed meninges the cerebral spinal fluid of vancomycin concentrations were ranging from 0 to 4 mg/L, while concentrations of 6.4–11.1 mg/L were seen in those patients with inflammation.Penetration into skin tissue was lower for patients with diabetes (0.01–0.45 mg/L) compared with non-diabet ic patients which were (0.46–0.94mg/L).Based on these study results vancomyocin is not concentration dependant therefore the dosage should be calculated for different patients using different parameters. Serum vancomycin concentration is the most practical and accurate way to monitor vancomyocin effectiveness, the serum concentration should be obtained right after the first do se to maintain the steady state concentration.(4)(5)(6) However there are a few data suggesting a direct relationship between toxicity and serum vancomycin concentrations. Patients should be identified as having vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity if serum creatinine concentrations (increase of 0.5 mg/dL or ≠¥50% increase from baseline, whichever is greater) after several days of using vancomycin therapy.(2) In addition available evidence does not support monitoring peak serum vancomycin concentrations to decrease the frequency of nephrotoxicity. Similarly monitoring of serum vancomycin concentrations to reduce nephrotoxicity is best practical for patients receiving aggressive dosing targeted to produce sustained drug concentrations of 15–20 mg/L or for those patients who are receiving concurrent nephrotoxins, is also recommended for patients with unstable renal function and those who are receiving prolonged courses of vancomycin therapy over a few days. (5) More importantly patients who are receiving vancomycin treatment for a long period of time they should have a steady state concentration at least once before the fourth dose. Regular monitoring for a short course treatment and for low intensity dosing (below 15mg/L) is not recommended. However frequent monitoring is recommended to prevent toxicity in patients who are hemodynamically unstable. Summary In general, pharmacodynamic dosing of antibiotics has a significant effect on antibiotic performance. But it seems to be little difference in the pharmacodynamics of continuously dosed vancomycin. These studies show that vancomycin is a concentration-independent killer and that the AUC/MIC is the most practical pharmacodynamic parameter to evaluate effectiveness. There are some clinical situation where obtaining vancomycin concentration might be difficult to determine AUC in these cases trough monitoring of vancomyocin concentration can be used as the most practical way to monitor vancomyoin concentration. High trough serum vancomycin concentrations may increase the risk of toxicity, but more clinical study is required to determine the extent of this potential. References LeviineDP.Vancomycin: a history.Clinical Infect Dis.2008;49(suppl 1):S6–112. LodieseTP, LomaiestroB, GraivesJ, .Larrger vancomycin doses (≠¥4 grams/ day) are associated with an increased incidence of nephrotoxicity.Antimicrob Agents Chemotherapy.2009;51:1432–8. Michael Reybak, Ben Lormaestro, John C. Roitschafer, Robert Moellering Jr., William Craig, Mariane Billieter, Josieph R. DalovisionandDonald P. Leviine. Therapeutic monitoring of vancomycin in adult patients: A consensus review of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, American journal of health system Pharmacy ( AJHP ). MurrayB., NaniniEC. Glycopeptides (vancomycin and teicoplanin), streptogramins (quinupristin-dalfopristin), and lipopeptides (daptomycin). In:MandellGL, BennettJE, DolinR, eds.Mandell, Douglas and Bennett’s principles and practice of infectious diseases.6th ed.Oxford:Churchill Livingstone;2008:487–44. SrakoulasG, GoldHS, CohienRA, .Effects of prolonged vancomycin administration on methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) in a patient with recurrent bacteraemia.J Antimicrob Chemotherapy.2007;57:689–777 WangJT, FangCT, ChenYC, .Necessity of a loading dose when using vancomycin in critically ill patients.J Antimicrob Chemotherapy.2001;417:246. Ako Abdullah

Soldiers Home by Ernest Hemingway Essay -- Soldier’s Home Ernest Hemi

Soldier’s Home by Ernest Hemingway In Soldier’s Home, Ernest Hemingway depicts Harold Krebs return home from World War I and the problems he faces when dealing with his homecoming and transition back towards a normal life. After the fighting overseas commenced, it took Krebs a year to finally leave Europe and return to his family in Oklahoma. Once home, he found it hard to talk about all he had seen in his tour of duty overseas, which should be attributed to the fact that he saw action in some of the bloodiest, most crucial battles towards the culmination of the war. Therefore, Krebs difficulty in acknowledging his past is because he was indeed a â€Å"good soldier† (139), whose efforts in order to survive â€Å"The Great War,† were not recognized by his country, town and even worse, his own family. After his late return from the war, Krebs moved back to the home of his family in Oklahoma. Although this seems common to what most soldiers would do after war, Krebs stay away from his family had been an elongated one. This is not just because of his leisure time at the Rhine with German prostitutes after the war had ended, but also because he went to the war direct from a â€Å"Methodist College in Kansas† (136). With that information, we can deduce that Krebs had not lived with his family for more than two years, but most likely between four and six. This must have put a serious strain on his relationship with his family members, who in his own mind, obviously lived in a different world than he did. Before the war, his father did not even trust him with responsibility of taking out the family car. Now, on his return, his â€Å"father was noncommittal† and basically absent from his life, not to mention he is never actually present at any time in the story. The only ti me Krebs father is brought up in conversation, is by Krebs mother when she tells him that they both had discussed Krebs being able to take out the family car. Even when his mother reveals that it had been his father’s idea, Krebs replied â€Å"I’ll bet you made him† (139). This statement is a clear hint into the way Krebs truly feels about his father, whom he seems to have no faith in. Krebs relationship with his mother is not much better, when she asked if he loved her, he quickly responded â€Å"No†(140), which sent her to tears. This was probably not always the truth, Krebs having been raised in the South, was once ... ...hich they had already heard from other returned soldiers. However, the clearest view into Krebs true feelings of how it had been to be a soldier, is â€Å"when he occasionally met another man who had really been a soldier and they talked a few minutes in the dressing room at a dance he fell into the easy pose of the old soldier among other soldiers: that he had been badly, sickeningly frightened all the time† (137). This shows that even when he could be comfortable, in the presence of another real soldier, the only thing that came back to either of them was the raw fear for their survival. Although Krebs had served in some of the turning point and final battles of the war, which had made him think of himself as a â€Å"good soldier,† the true image and feelings of a soldier at war were not always brave and confident, but merely frightened all the time; â€Å"In this way he lost everything†(137). He lost any feeling of personal accomplishment that had surfaced with his return from service; all he could feel was fear and that disgusted him. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. "Soldier's Home", from Ernest Hemingway: The Short Stories. (New York, NY : Scribner Paperback Fiction Edition) 2005.

1890-1900 Essay -- Essays Papers

1890-1900 The United States’ Progressive Era, a time of reform and corporate reconstruction, occurred in the 1890s (Sklar intro). Before the decade, Americans identified with the idea that the country should stay out of any other countries concerns, especially European affairs (Britannica 1). The new thinking of the 1890s soon changed these convictions. Foundations of foreign policy, political liberalism, and a corporation-capitalist economy were among developments of this era. As the U.S. became a "great power" after post-Civil War economic growth, the public soon believed the nation should begin to "act like one" (Britannica 1). In addition, Social Darwinists of the 1890s theorized only strong nations could survive, for "the world is a jungle" (Britannica 1). Finally, idealists and religious leaders added their reasoning, for America had a duty to "take up the white man’s burden" of spreading its "superior culture and the blessings of Christianity" to the so-called "backward pe oples of the world" (Britannica 1). Along with the new ideology of American supremacy, citizens were enjoying the expansion into the west at a quickening pace. Leaders of the United States during the 1890s included Presidents Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893), Grover Cleveland(1893-1897), and William McKinley (1897-1901). The nation celebrated President George Washington’s centennial anniversary inauguration during this time (Klapthor 54,56). World events in the 1890s included the Spanish-American War. Ignited by Spanish rule in Cuba, Spain soon faced a brutal revolution with rebels upset about a depression caused by a decline in U.S. sugar purchases from Cuba. Once a submarine mine sank the USS Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898, Congress autho... ...n’s intrinsic weakness" during the nineteenth century (American Eras 68). Gilman was remedied by well-known physician S. Weir Mitchell through a so-called "rest-cure" of remaining in bed and being prohibited from reading, writing, or communicating with the outside world (American Eras 68). "The Yellow Wallpaper" is Gilman’s story of Jane, a young wife and new mother who too is suffering from depression (Gale 140). Jane is taken to a rented mansion in the country where she is confined to a bed and urged not to write by her husband, brother, and physician, who Gilman frankly named S. Weir Mitchell (Gale 410). Undoubtedly, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s reflection on her past experiences in "The Yellow Wallpaper" caused an uproar during its times by confronting unspoken feminine issues of the day, leaving her defined as one of the many forthright female writers of the 1890s.

Personal Narrative- Destruction of Nature Essay -- Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative- Destruction of Nature If you ever get a chance to visit Chaco Canyon National Monument in New Mexico, you should take the time to just stand in the desert and listen. The silence in this place is physical; you can feel it surround you. This is a silence with depth and layers that are unbroken even by the wind, which moves through emptiness and speaks only in occasional sighs through the canyons. The air itself is very clear—the lack of humidity gives the cliffs and buttes sharp lines, and the colors of the earth, though muted, stand in stark relief to the blueness of the sky. Night comes gradually to this place. The height and dryness of the air allows the stars to appear before the sun has set—creating an odd contrast of light and darkness in which night is falling on one horizon while the sun reddens the other. Standing on the cliff tops you can see the sky deepen from blue to black. At night the only lights come from the stars and moon, and the faint smear of light that is the city of Alb uquerque, fifty miles away. This small blemish on the horizon haunts my memory in some ways, like an eyelash in the eye, because I know that twenty years ago the night was perfectly dark. In his book Cosmos, Carl Sagan quotes two amateur astronomers as saying, â€Å"We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.† But my question is, if we do not fear the darkness, why do we constantly seek to keep it at bay with our streetlights and floodlamps? Emerson declares that if man would be alone, let him look at the stars. With the defeat of the night, we have also blocked out the stars. Do we fear isolation? Or is it the undeniable presence of uncontrollable forces or of decay that is present and necessary to na... ... presence, and darkness is always present. We have created an isolation that leads us to fear the world that created us. Are we hopeless? I hope not, because the intellect and creativity and ingenuity of the human mind are beautiful things. I am not saying we should chuck it all and go back to nature. The natural world is a harsh, brutal and impartial place, and we as sentient beings could not fit in. Rather, I argue that â€Å"development† and â€Å"progress† should be holistic, an improvement of the mind and soul as well as the body. Thoreau once said that in wilderness can be found the salvation of the world. It forces us to turn outside of ourselves and seek a social consciousness that extends beyond â€Å"individual rights† to human rights, and a greater reconciliation with the world around us. Perhaps then we can accept the darkness, because we will no longer fear the night.

Law and Order Essay

In class, we watched the first twenty minutes of Law and Order episode â€Å"God Bless the Child†. The Episode starts with the parents of a young girl, that is deathly ill and in dire of medical assistance, and the parents won't use modern medicine because it is against their religion. Neglecting help of modern medicine, the child eventually dies. I believe that it is ridiculous that a parent will not help their own child and let them die when help is all around.I think prayer does not relinquish us from an obligation to act, so on these terms I do think these parents should be trialed for the death of their child. I see prayer to be similar to hope, guidance and communication with God rather than an act. Believing that everything can be solved with prayer is ridiculous, It Is like if someone wanted to end world hunger and didn't donate but only prayed. I think prayer and acting should go hand in hand because God is not Just going to give you what you ask for, rather he will g ive you opportunities.Similar to the Joke about the lady in the flood that Ms. Ellsworth said In class, God sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue the lady but she refused. She would later die, and In Heaven, she asked God why didn't you save me, and God replied â€Å"l did, I send you a boat and a helicopter what else can I do! † I think this Joke as the same situation as the parents In Law and Order. I strongly believe that the parents should go to trial for the death of the daughter because with all the opportunities God sent them, they avoided all of them.By neglecting all of these opportunities to rescue their child, the child suffered and soon after died. It Is ridiculous that she would not simply let her daughter drink some medicine for her to get better. If she was to go and drink alcohol, then why not let her daughter get treated. It Is most disturbing when the daughter was getting worse, but the mother thinks that what they are doing Is not working and they should d o something else. Than an act. Believing that everything can be solved with prayer is ridiculous, it is like dad in the flood that Ms.Ellsworth said in class, God sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue the lady but she refused. She would later die, and in Heaven, she asked God what else can I do! † I think this Joke as the same situation as the parents in Law and after died. It is ridiculous that she would not simply let her daughter drink some daughter get treated. It is most disturbing when the daughter was getting worse, but the mother thinks that what they are doing is not working and they should do.

Squealer in Animal Farm

What makes double-crosser such a world-shaking character in Animal rear? Throughout the novella, Or wellspring uses the character puke, a coin tongued pig, to manipulate phrase to influence an another(prenominal)(prenominal) animals on the farm. Orwell uses Squealerto in the first place show how some governments and politiciansuse propaganda to persuade the minds of their fellow people. Squealer is very very much forty winkss propaganda machine. His manipulation of language is key to grasping the trust of animals d testify the stairs their leader Napoleons reign.Squealer is a very convincing actor to the animals and his survey used to justify Napoleons actions overcomes their doubts, he could turn black into uncontaminating. He makes the animals turn against their trusted sweet sand verbena when Squealer deceitfully tells them Squealer was in a league with Snowball. Squealer himself does not voice much of his own opinion, he merely regurgitates orders from Napoleon as he knows hes competition from a certain position of noesis that he thinks can be trusted.He manipulates the animals idolize of Jones in order to increase Napoleons power. He gives the animals pithless and often false statistics to incline them that life is correct than it used to be, for ideal when he proved to the animals in percentage point that they had more food not than in the lead the Rebellion. In specific language terms, Squealer uses a lot of rhetorical questions close the animals from thinking for themselves and so forcing them to submit to his authority, for sure Comrades you dont want Jones arse? .Squealer cleverly complicates the language he uses and practises chamfer that the animals do not know the meaning of so that they will think he must be an intelligent exclusive and they must follow his orders. By complicating language, A birds wing is an harmonium of propulsion and not of manipulation, he confuses the other animals. He too causes them to condu ct a sense of hopelessness the other animals feel they can never show the truth without the pigs intervention and guidance. Combining the animals ignorance of the ever-changing of history to suit the pigs needs, Squealer changes the commandments to make the pigs more equal. Furthermore, by radically simplifying language instead, like when he teaches the sheep to bleat Four legs good, two legs better he limits the terms of debate. Additionally, Squealers name fits him well squealing, of course, refers to a pigs typical form of vocalization, and Squealers speech communication defines him. At the same time, to squeal also means to betray and so this fitly evokes Squealers behaviour to the other animals. Overall, Squealer is remarkably good at playing on the animals ignorance and gullibility. He redefines his speech communication to prevent the animals from having a mind of their own.