Three Cheers for Madness :: Nabokov Heller Montaigne Essays

Three Cheers for Madness Three of Psychology’s Least Wanted sit next to my desk and beckon me closer: A graying Humbert licks the corner of my eye and throws me a pitifully seductive glance; an anxiety-ridden Yossarian repeats over and over that the whole world is trying to kill him, and an almost robotic Montaigne sits as a kind of mediating force between the others, his head snapping back and forth from Humbert to Yossarian while his hands open and close books so quickly one might imagine his purpose is only to get a whiff of each cover’s staling odor. I need no special degree to deem them all nutcases. What I know of Humbert and Yossarian comes by way of Vladimir Nabokov and Joseph Heller, respectively, as they are the creators, surveyors, and closest contacts of the deceivingly fictional characters. Brilliant in their ability to characterize—to sculpt flat words into the kind of real live, dynamic human beings one might well share a cab with—Nabokov and Heller steal a rousing glimpse into the minds of two intensely confusing personalities and succeed in making us forget that the characters are only the brainchildren of the writers, and not the writers themselves. Oddball Michel de Montaigne seems to look on from afar, speculating in an essay entitled â€Å"On Books† about his impatience for a number of acclaimed writers and their works, while confessing his â€Å"particular curiosity to know the mind and natural opinions of [writers].† Knowing well that Nabokov is not the sex offender he appears to have studied so intimately, and that Heller is not the soldier living amidst the confusion he so thoroughly seems to understand, Montaigne would understand that â€Å"from the display of their writings that they make on the world-stage, we may indeed judge their talents, but not their character or themselves† (167). But this is more than I can handle, as my conceptions of these characters as well as the writers who shaped them seem altogether disturbing. While writing out their prescriptions for shock therapy (the paranoid soldier’s frustratingly ambiguous remarks have earned him a bit more of it than the others), Humbert nudges forward his notebook of scattered words and doodles—a notebook containing his deepest thoughts about Dolores Haze (or ‘Lolita’), the twelve-year old girl with whom he has been completely infatuated his entire middle-aged life. I expect to run my eyes over vile passages—perverse diagrams, even—reflecting his disconcertingly base attraction to the pre-teen.

In View of Traditional and Modern Ethics Essay

Introduction The study of philosophy has long been a part of our society. The field of ethics is one of the important branches of philosophy. Ethics deals about moral values our understanding of what is right or wrong, about life, about one’s rights and regarding the Divine being. What we are now is the product of the past. Ethics mold our personality. It is how we live our lives. Ethics guides us in seeking the answers to the many different queries we have in mind like why we exist, why we long for true happiness, and why can’t we avoid immoral acts. Traditional vs. Modern Ethics The focus of traditional ethics differs from the modern ethics in many ways. Traditional ethics goes back during the times of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates in the ancient times. These ideas of traditional ethics have become the basis of succeeding ethics foundations. The ethics being promoted today has already existed before. The world has changed. People have also changed. Thus, ethics change to adapt to the changes in the world and the people’s perspective. Ethical and political philosophy awakening started as early as 5th century B.C. in Greece by the Sophist. They desired to discover the essence of moral virtues, the â€Å"form of good† which is the ultimate source of reality and value. There are a number of themes or doctrines that emerged. These are skepticism, relativism, subjectivism, egoism, and hedonism. Some ethical egoists suggested that one’s highest objective is to lead a pleasant life focusing on his or her pleasures. It gave birth to Epicureanism and Stoicism. During the medieval times the Christianization of ethics took place with the coming of St. Augustine, St. Hildegard, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Later on utilitarianism emerged and also philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill. Around 18th and 19th centuries moral philosophy focused on politics. People were also exposed to Liberalism, Marxism, Communism, and Anarchism. Recent moral and political philosophers introduce the concept of normative ethics, emotivist, invisible hand mechanism, conservatism, socialism, and democratic socialism to name a few. Philosophers include G.E. Moore, W.D. Ross, John Rowls and other important names. Conclusion Moral issues are important concern for all people not just for the philosophers. All the philosophers from the ancient to the modern times have contributed to our own system of beliefs regarding life and the many issues of human existence. Indeed traditional and modern ethics are related and supportive of each other. Ideas of the traditional ethics are the foundation of the modern ethics. Advocates of modern ethics customized or revised the concepts of the traditional ethics to fit today’s society. Both traditional and modern ethics have influenced the way people think and analyze life and their society. Reference Moore-Bruder, (2005). â€Å"Moral and Political Philosophy.† Philosophy: The Power of Ideas, Sixth Edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies

Chicken Pox and its Vaccine

1. Do you agree that the chickenpox vaccine not receive top priority? If so, what disease would you like to see get more funding? If not, why?Yes, I agree that the chickenpox vaccine should not receive top priority, but still be funded. However, I would prioritize funding intensive research on diseases that have no known vaccine such as SARS. The devastation it has caused should serve as a warning to us that there are still more unknown, yet threatening diseases out there.2. Do you know of anyone who may have died due t complications from the chickenpox virus?No. I do not know anyone who have died due to complications of the chickenpox virus.3. Is there any hard evidence that you could find to get me to reconsider my decision to `kill` the funding for chickenpox vaccine?Funding for the chickenpox vaccine should not be completely stopped as it can cause   other complications including, encephalitis, pneumonia, arthritis, Reye’s syndrome and in rare cases, meningitis (Fackler and Golonka, 2006), which should not be taken lightly.4. What other vaccines (if any) may be used to help prevent chickenpox?There is no other known vaccine for chickenpox other than Varivax, however, one effective way to prevent it is to avoid people who currently have the disease.5. If funding for the chickenpox vaccine is pulled, do you think there would be a higher incidence of Shingles among older adults?No, because based on studies, the occurrence for Shingles among adults is only 15% and there is a separate vaccine for it (Curtis and Rea, 2007).Malaria and Its Vaccine1. Should drug and vaccine research be done if financial gain is not probable?Yes. Research for vaccines should still be done because lives are at stake. I believe that if researches talk to the right people and make them aware of the potential threat of a certain virus or disease, they should be able to get the funds they needed to develop a vaccine.2. If so, who should pay for this research?The government shoul d provide initial funding for researches such as this one. However, millionaires, such as actors all around the world, most of whom have strongly supported health-related campaigns such as the AIDS awareness, should also give their share in funding for researches on vaccines.3. Should the United States and other developed countries provide grants for research if their citizens will not benefit?Yes. I believe that first world countries, such as the United States, should fund researches for vaccines even if it will not benefit their citizens because it will still benefit others. Besides, these developed countries would never know when a certain disease would break out in their own countries and the vaccine that they helped fund is actually the cure.4. It all boils down to the question. . . Is health a right or a privilege?Health is a right. It goes beyond money or social status. One of the government’s crucial roles is to ensure that laws, which benefit even the poor, are passe d and implemented effectively.SARS and its Vaccine1. Do you agree/disagree that since there is currently a clinical trial vaccine for SARS that it should be a priority for funding, which can lead to further testing and approval for a safe vaccine? Explain.Yes. I agree that funding for a SARS vaccine should be prioritized. I believe that while there is no proven vaccine that could effectively prevent or treat the virus, every country is at risk. Therefore, every country should contribute whatever they can to be able to create a SARS vaccine.2. Are there any negative side effects in the clinical trial of the inactivated SARS-CoV vaccine? If so, what are they? Explain?According to a report of the Vaccine Research Center in the US, so far, the trial vaccine has no serious side effects. Based on report, ten healthy individuals, aged 18-50 years old, who were administered with the trial vaccine, tolerated it pretty well (Vaccine Research Center).3. Do you believe that there will be anothe r SARS outbreak in the near future? Explain?Yes. As long as there is not vaccine to cure SARS, there will always be a risk of future outbreaks. However, I also believe that if ever there will future outbreaks of SARS, it would be evolved or higher forms of the virus. There is a high possibility that this could happen since another virus, the Avian flu or Bird flu, is believed to be an evolved form of a previous virus.

A Synopis of The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe's short story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† takes place in the protagonist's house. It is told through a first-person narration given by the protagonist.It is unclear where the protagonist is or who the person being spoken to at the beginning of the story is. The protagonist's sex isn't specified but for ease of discussion â€Å"he† will be used to refer to the same.There were only two occupants of the house wherein the story unfolds: the protagonist and an old man. The relationship between them is not clearly established but it is clear that the protagonist is irked by the old man.The latter's most distinctive characteristic is his blue vulture-like eye.   There are few other characters introduced in the story: a neighbor who calls the police complaining of noises from within the house and policemen who investigate the said complaint.The story is moved by the protagonist's obsessive desire to murder the old man because of his frustration with the old man 's eye. He attempts to commit the deed several times but is disappointed. On the eighth attempt he enters the old man's room again and this time the   latter awakens and sits up. The light from the protagonist's lamp hits the blue eye.He imagines that he hears the old man's heart beating louder and smothers the old man to death. He chops the body to pieces and buries the pieces under the floorboards to hide his crime.However, when the policemen come to investigate the scream heard by the neighbor he imagines that he still hears the beating heart from underneath the floorboards.Fearing that the policemen hear the beating as well, he confesses to his crime and begs them to unfasten the boards and dig up the body.Works CitedPoe, Edgar Allan. The Complete Illustrated Stories and Poems. UK: Bounty Books, 1994.

Reviews on Three Art Works Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reviews on Three Art Works - Assignment Example The arts provide viewers with a pleasant feeling because the work features the calm expression of the nature. The main theme or subject for this work is flowers. As discussed above, these art works do not tell any particular story or make viewers confused with deep visual presentations. A full body is beautiful too is an artistic work of Noopur Goel. This art includes some contrasting plates that represent some eating disorders. The full figured drawing depicts the people’s modern eating habits and concerns. Here, the artist tries to link eating disorders to certain unhealthy modern lifestyle practices. In the art, one plate shows the name of an eating disorder- anorexia nervosa- which is becoming more prevalent in modern life attributed to some misleading beauty concepts. Similarly, different plates contain some anatomical drawings in order to relate food practices with human health. Different plates with images of different body parts reflect that each individual has a distinct food practice in these modern days. The full figured drawing shows a royal dining table which contains ‘equipments’ for the modern food practice. Therefore, the artist tries to convince viewers that modern lifestyle and related eating practices lead to a variety of eati ng disorders. Goel has used combination of some bright colors to indicate the lavishness of modern eating concerns. Modern lifestyle practices, eating disorders, and human health are the central themes of this art work. Evidently, the technique used for the creation of this work is a little complex one. Hostile World is an artistic work by Krstiyn Janae Solie. It is a drawing of armor. The armor is black in color and has long sharp metal projections. As the artist says, this drawing is a representation of defense mechanisms. Obviously, it surpasses the mere concept of physical defense. The glossy black color gives significant effect to the image. And the projections symbolize one’s intrinsic

How best to improve competition in the banking market Essay - 1

How best to improve competition in the banking market - Essay Example In most cases, application of the efficient structure hypothesis is projected in two primary ways depending on the nature of efficiency considered. When considering the X-efficiency form, the more efficient organizations have relatively lower costs, which results to higher profits and a larger share market. According to WISE, BLINDER & GORDON, (2001), this is true because of presence of superior ability in diminishing production costs. On the other hand, Scale Efficiency form serves the same purpose as the X-efficiency, since it works towards achieving production to the minimum average-cost point. Relationship between quiet Life Hypothesis and efficiency structure If quiet life hypothesis holds, then it implies that, the positive profit structure association is partially offset by cost increase from poorer cost efficiency, which explains why the profit-structure association is weak in numerous banks. A unified approach based on the both quiet life hypothesis, structure hypothesis can be used to define the degree to which competition, and stability in the banking sector is influenced (WISE, BLINDER & GORDON, 2001). ... Relationship between quiet Life Hypothesis and efficiency structure If quiet life hypothesis holds, then it implies that, the positive profit structure association is partially offset by cost increase from poorer cost efficiency, which explains why the profit-structure association is weak in numerous banks. A unified approach based on the both quiet life hypothesis, structure hypothesis can be used to define the degree to which competition, and stability in the banking sector is influenced (WISE, BLINDER & GORDON, 2001). Structure Conduct Performance The SCP studies of banking universally can be subdivided into two primary groups according to the measure of performance (JOHNSON, 2003). The groups include the use of measure of pieces of some banking products and service in order to capture the firm’s performance. The second involves the application of profitability measure such as return on assets or equity. Nonetheless, using the piece of a single product may be misleading sue to the multi-product nature of a bank’s output. On the other hand, profit measure may be more informative, however may exhibit difficulty in comprehending and interpreting due to the complexity of the accounting procedures. Relationship between QLH, ESH and SCP The relationship between market structure and performance treated within the framework of structure-Conduct –Performance (SCP) explains well, the competitive status of a banking system. The SCP closes relates with that efficiency Hypothesis (JOHNSON, 2003). When Efficiency Hypothesis is applied in a banking sector, the hypothesis defines that a bank, which operates more efficiently than its competitors achieve higher gains that results from low operational costs.

Technologies for Treating Hazardous Waste Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Technologies for Treating Hazardous Waste - Essay Example Sanitary landfill is the used of an area as an isolation place of the solid waste until the danger of the waste is reduced. This kind of treating solid waste can be successful if the area is large and the isolation is good (â€Å"Solid Waste,† n.d.). Gasification on the other hand is the exposure to high temperature/extreme heat with the use of oxygen to decompose the waste. It has the advantages of lessening the size of waste and makes the transportation of waste easier. This is a type of incineration that has no contribution to air pollution. Composting is one of the oldest ways to treat solid waste. It is used specifically to solid wastes that decompose. It makes the area of decomposition very appropriate to the waste, so that decomposition occurs faster (â€Å"Solid Waste Management† n.d.). From the said technologies, gasification is the best. It can be observed that it has more advantages. It lessens the volume of waste in a shorter time because it reduces the waste on the spot. It also does not contribute pollution to nature especially to air unlike other thermal treatment. It brings back energy. And lastly it demands less space compared to sanitary