Idealism vs. Pragmatism in Don Quixote

Don Quixote is about an old, retired man named Alonso Quixano. He spends most of his time reading chivalrous tales-so much so that he hardly eats or sleeps, causing people to think he has lost his mind. One day, he decides to become a knight and go out in search of adventure. He renames himself Don Quixote de la Mancha, and his horse Rocinate. He enlists Sancho Panza, a neighbor, to be his squire, promising him governorship of an island. The two sneak off in the early dawn, and the adventures begin The first example of idealism vs. ragmatism was in the opening scene. A young Alonso is shown outside in a field playing and talking to himself, pretending to slay some enemies. His fantasy is shattered and he is brought back to the real world when his mother calls him inside to go to bed. The next example comes when Alonso is talking to his friends, who happen to be workers. He is optimistic that all of their lives could turn around and that there is an even bigger world full of opportuni ty out there just waiting to be discovered.All of his friends are realistic and tell him that they are going to be working for their entire lives. Next, Alonso Quixano wanted to be a knight. The barber was over at his house to give him a shave, and everyone was in the room. He started talking about his dreams of being a knight, and everyone laughed at him, telling him to just let the barber shave him. He ignored them, though. He ran outside and made his plans with Sancho Panza to escape and find an island to govern. This brings us to our next example of idealism vs. pragmatism.Alonso and Sancha take off on their horse and donkey, respectively. Remember, they are in search of an island. They will not be able to get to an island on their animals. After this, Don Quixote de la Mancha thought he would bring glory to himself and Sancha Panzo by killing the â€Å"giant monsters† that they ran into on their way to an island, when in reality the monsters were just windmills. He also thought a bleating flock of sheep were an army of singing soldiers. As you can easily tell, idealism and pragmatism are both extremely strong and important facets of Don Quixote.

High School and Public School Enrollment Essay

In the essay â€Å"Still Separate, Still Unequal,† the author Jonathan Kozol criticizes the educational system practiced in the urban areas of the United States and where he writes about his beliefs that minorities are being placed in poor conditions while the Caucasian majority is obtaining funding for the schools that the majority of them attend. He supports his personal viewpoints, with statistics which he himself gathered from different schools around the U.S. Kozol starts out his essay with logic to prove that the school systems of today are separate and unequal by using demographics from public schools from the larger cities in the country; for example, â€Å"In Chicago, by the academic year 2002-2003, 87% of public school enrollment was black or Hispanic; less than 10% of children in the schools were white. In Washington D.C., 94 % of children were black or Hispanic; less than 5% were white (220).† He emphasizes on these statistics to prove his point that schools are still segregated. Later in the essay the author then mentions in his essay that the word â€Å"diversity†, â€Å"cease to have real meaning; or, rather, they mean the opposite of what they say(223).† Kozol mentions that when he â€Å"visited in the fall of 2004 in Kansas City, Missouri, for example, a document distributed to visitors reports that the school’s curriculum ‘addresses the needs of children from diverse backgrounds.’† He goes on explaining that when he went â€Å"from class to class, [he] did not encounter any children who were white or Asian—or Hispanic (223).† He then makes the reader connect emotionally by writing comments that high school students and third graders from segregated neighborhoods and public schools made about their different situations in their school. For example, he quotes a letter that an eight-year-old girl wrote to him saying, â€Å"We do not have the things you have. You have Clean things. We do not have. You have a clean bathroom. We do not have that. You have Parks and we do not have Parks. You have all the thing and we do not have all the thing. Can you help us (224)?† Kozol then presents facts about how physicians were removed from elementary schools. The author continues presenting conversations with people that he met. Jonathan Kozol’s essay shows how the school system today is in fact still divided and unequal according to somebody’s skin color or race even though the course of ‘Brown vs. Board of Education’ allegedly resolved this. Prev Page

Microeconomics and macroeconomics Essay

Microeconomics is the branch of economics which deals into a more ‘individual’ scope of the study, such as the choices made by people in terms of the utilization and allocation of resources as well as the pricing of goods and services. In addition, it includes taxes and the policies created by governments. This field of economics deals with supply and demand together with other factors that acts as determinants in identifying the price levels for particular companies in specific industries. This is exemplified by how microeconomics focus on a specific company’s potential to maximize its production as well as its capability to lower its prices to better compete in the particular industry that it belong to (Investopedia, n. p. ). On the other hand, macroeconomics deals with the behavior of the economy as a whole. Unlike microeconomics, it does not focus on specific companies but rather takes into account entire industries and economies. This field of economics studies phenomena that take place in a wide scope of the economy like the effects of Gross National Product (GDP) with unemployment, national income, rate growth as well as price levels. A good example is how macroeconomics measures the effects of the rise and fall of net exports in a country’s capital account and also how the unemployment rate affects the status of the GDP (Investopedia, n. p. ). Nevertheless, even though these two fields of economic are different from each other, they are actually interdependent. This is due to the fact that most of the issues that fall under each field overlap and thus, they compliment each other. Basically, microeconomics has a bottoms-up approach while macroeconomics has a top-down approach. Nonetheless, they should be understood and analyzed in order to fully comprehend how the economy works (Investopedia, n. p. ). Distinguish between positive and normative economics. Positive economics is responsible in providing a system of generalizations, which could be used to make accurate predictions regarding the effects of any variation in circumstances. It is free of any ethical position or normative judgments. Keynes further elaborated on this idea by saying that it deals with â€Å"what is â€Å"and not with â€Å"what ought to be† (Economist’s View, n. p. ). Being the case, positive economics is or can be an objective science because it is judged according to precision, scope, and conformity as well as with empirical evidences. Positive economics deals with the interrelations of human beings with each other as well as with the economy (Economist’s View, n. p. ). Normative economics, on the other hand, is different from positive economics because it takes into account subjectivity in its analysis. It deals with â€Å"what ought to be† rather than what is really happening because it is heavily dependent in value judgments and theoretical scenarios. Normative economics tend to represent opinion instead of an objective perspective. Moreover, normative economics could be valuable in establishing goals and new ideas. However, it should not be the basis for policy decisions (Investopedia, n. p. ). References â€Å"Milton Friedman: The Methodology of Positive Economics. † 26 November 2006. Economist’s View. 19 July 2008. . â€Å"Normative Economics. † 2008. Investopedia. 19 July 2008. . â€Å"What’s the difference between macroeconomics and microeconomics? † 2008. Investopedia. 19 July 2008. .

HYDROCEPHALUS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

HYDROCEPHALUS - Essay Example Hydrocephalus is a pathological state in which the amount of the cerebrospinal fluid rises from the normal amount in the ventricular system (Mitchell et al 2007). Hydrocephalus can result due to many causes which mainly result in altering the normal pathway of the cerebrospinal fluid. The mechanisms include a rise in the formation of the fluid from the choroid plexus or if the re-absorption of the fluid becomes altered. These two reasons are not very common and hydrocephalus is more frequently associated with a blockage in the normal circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (Govan et al 1995). Hydrocephalus mainly results due to other diseases that affect the human body. The causes may be associated with pathologies of the ventricular system or they may be due to causes outside the ventricular system. Meningitis associated with bacteria, sarcoidosis, trauma to the head and hemorrhages within the subarachnoid space are highlighted as the causes not within the ventricular system that result in the blockage of cerebrospinal fluid. Tumors, colloid cysts, and formation of abscess within the cerebellum, formation of hematomas within the cerebellum or the brain-stem and Arnold Chiari malformation are the intra-ventricular causes that result in hydrocephalus (Davidson et al 2009). Hydrocephalus can affect people from all age groups. It affects infants, people in their old ages as well as adults. Women with increased weight have a risk of developing this condition and these women do not present with any other underlying cause. If a young child is affected with hydrocephalus, the head increases in size. This is owing to the fact that the sutures in the child are open which provides space for the spread of the cerebrospinal fluids. In adults, the sutures are closed and it is because of this that the patient does not present with an increase in head size (Davidson et al 2009; Mitchell et al

The effect of video gaming on children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The effect of video gaming on children - Essay Example Various studies in both laboratory and home environments have confirmed that when children play violent video games such as Thrill Kill, Grand Theft Auto or Manhunt it can increase violent behaviors and thoughts. Furthermore, playing violent video games is likely more detrimental for children than watching violent television shows or movies because interactive video games are particularly engrossing and require the player to develop a personal association with the violent characters of the game. Children playing violent video games, at least in the short run, appear to affect hostile behaviors by promoting aggressive thoughts. Long-term effects are likely to be long lasting too because the player is repeatedly and intensely trained then practices violent acts. It becomes progressively easier to access this negative behavior on a sub-conscious level for use when faced with future aggravating circumstances. Children who are repeatedly exposed to violent video games take the risk of altering their basic personality structure. The resulting changes in everyday social relationships may lead to a steady increase in aggressive actions. The interactive environment of the video game suggests its influence is more dominant than the more extensively researched movie and television media. With improved realism and the trend of including increasing amounts of explicit violence in games, those who play (and those who buy) violent video games should be aware of the potential negative conse quences. Infamous consequences have caused far-reaching discussions regarding the effects of video gaming on children. For instance, a national conversation resulted regarding what relationship video games had to the Columbine High School killings where two students massacred 13 and wounded 23 before committing suicide. While several motivations could have played a part in their reasoning, no one has been able to identify specifically what provoked these students to fire repeatedly at their schoolmates and teachers but violent video games have been highlighted as one potentially contributing dynamic. The two teens had played Doom often; a bloody, brutal firearms game that is utilized by the military to instruct the U.S. military forces on how to kill more proficiently. To what extent this video game influenced the actions of these two students has been debated since the 1999 incident. The Entertainment medium, it is widely acknowledged, is a tremendously influential aspect for all people. It is logical to believe video games, especially the ones that depict violence, will have an effect on the violent behavior of impressionable children. Currently, little research exists which has thoroughly examined the connection between violent actions and violent video games. â€Å"Although the belief that the media are causing a harmful effect is wide-spread in the public, knowledge about the nature of the negative effects and how they work seems to be lacking. A good illustration of misinformed nature of the topic among well-meaning people occurred just after the shooting at Columbine High School† (Potter, 2002 P. 3). Because too few studies exist, parents lack needed knowledge regarding the effects video games have on their children. However, this absence of reliable information doesn’t prevent amateur psychologists, parents mostly, from accusing anything and everything except their precious kids or themselves for the violent acts their children commit. A similar ex ample might be a parent that blames their child’s violent tendencies, drug use or suicide on a line in a certain song. If a child unfortunately tends their life, the lyrics of a song may have been the last straw but the underlying bale of emotions producing their feelings of hopelessness and depression was much more to blame for the act. Parents too frequently look for the most convenient target to place blame instead of placing responsibility on their kids’ or their own weak parenting skills. â€Å"We are a country full of finger pointers. When tragedy occurs, we blame the media, the movie industry, the video game industry; the list goes on and on. However, no one bothers to look in the most obvious place, the mirror† (Potter, 2002 P. 3). Usually, it is the parents who purchase violent video games then have the game, in conjunction with the television, babysit their children. If these parents were worried about a relationship between video violence and their ch ildren committing violent acts then why did they buy the game to start with and why do they permit their kids to watch violent cartoons repeatedly or

Yes and No - Life is Absurd Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Yes and No - Life is Absurd - Term Paper Example After an assessment, this paper will point out some underlying ideas on which both Smith’s and Feinberg’s differing views are based. A backgrounder Michael Smith is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities whose interests include the philosophy of the mind. His article Is That All There Is poses a question which embodies the position of the philosophical school of Absurdism that man is incapable of ultimately finding inherent meaning to life. In the article, Smith implicitly avows his absurdist philosophy, nothing short of revealing his growing up experience in an undeveloped suburb of Melbourne, Australia’s capital city. Smith’s schooling was not remarkable, except for the intellectual cream of his school’s teaching staff. Mr. Taffe, one of his respected teachers, came prominently in his recollection as the teacher who introduced him to the French language and culture. The opportunities afforded by Mr. Taffe allowed Smith to attend a Waitin g for Godot theatre performance. As an adolescent with a malleable mind, Smith felt strongly influenced by the play’s dramatic portrayal of life’s tragic lack of meaning. The play belongs to the genre of the Theatre of the Absurd which portrays horror and tragedy with characters caught up in situations of hopelessness and absurdity. In Smith’s own words, the play impressed on him the â€Å"utter pointlessness and tragedy of human existence† (Smith 77). This sense of hopelessness would linger throughout the life of Smith in spite of such wonderful experiences as having a family. Later in his career, Smith would garner career achievements such his being a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities. But in spite of his success he says he felt the intellectual â€Å"dissonance† in his life, and this prompted his study of Joel Feinberg’s paper â€Å"Absurd Self-fulfilment.† Feinberg’s essay Feinberg’s essay was a challeng e to Smith’s enduring adolescent dissonance. In his critique, Smith found an ally in Thomas Nagel, an American philosopher widely known in the field of the philosophy of the mind. Nagel’s What Is It Like to Be a Bat held a sceptical view of the world, as the mind is obstructed by three barriers to human consciousness-- physical, functional and mental. Smith then expounds his five arguments arguing against Feinberg’s propositions which upheld coherence to human life as such, and the redeeming value of fulfilment to save human life from being tragic: 1. What makes a life absurd? Smiths lays the ground for discussion as he explains Feinberg’s explanation of what is absurd, namely: the irrational/incongruous in things/activities/attitudes of the individual person. For Fienberg, the Absurd can be likened to the mythical Sisyphus who perpetually rolls a rock uphill, the rock rolling down the other side again and again. For Fienberg, there is a spectrum of absur dities from the extreme-intrinsically worthless, to the absurdly trivial, the burdensome-ill-designed, and misfits in terms of pretensions of aspirations. With sweeping insight, Smith viewed Feinberg as positing different levels of absurdity, some more and others lesser the extreme being the thought of life as totally pointless. Smith clarifies that his adolescent dissonance does not redound to absurdity in the extreme case. 2. Can a pointless human life be saved from being tragic by being fulfilled? Smith gave cognizance to Feinberg’s position that human lives can both be pointless to a certain extent and at the same time fulfilled, again to a certain extent. Feinberg’s own definition of fulfilment is â€Å"an individual’s having and exercising the capacities that are centrally involved in her being the individual that she is†

Primary Source Anaylses Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Primary Source Anaylses - Research Paper Example Psychoanalysis is the field of psychology that is attributed to Sigmund Freud for its development. The basic concepts of psychoanalysis are centered around interpretation and observation, with the interpretation of dreams being one core principle of the methodology.2 In his work â€Å"The interpretation of dreams†, Freud relates the foundation of his principles and beliefs in the interpretation of dreams as they are a core factor in understanding the psychological behaviors and reactions of a patient. Written in the year 1900, the work is an example of the direction of psychology as it moved forward as a scientific pursuit. The concept of analyzing a patient to find causality was an important theory in moving the scientific research of psychology forward. Freud uses himself as an example in order to make his points about the importance of dreams. He uses the example of eating salty foods late at night in order to promote a thirst, which he says is always preceded by a dream of this type of content.3 Freud uses himself liberally throughout the work in order to establish this foundation. In order to define his concept of wish fulfillment and the function that dreams have in providing this revelation about the often hidden desires of a man or a woman, he suggests that fulfillment does not always suggest just something that is wanted, but that it might reflect fear, a reflex or even a reproduced memory.4 The intention of the work that Freud does in writing â€Å"The interpretation of dreams† is to create a field of psychological study that is centered on dreaming. He establishes dreams as valid objects of study rather than a presumption of either supernatural flight of the mind or of frivolous thoughts that might have preoccupied traditional thought before this time.5 The intention of Freud to relate his field of study to a defined psychology means of research is relevant to the

Investigating Dynamic Malware Analysis tool Research Proposal

Investigating Dynamic Malware Analysis tool - Research Proposal Example Signature based detection is susceptible to invasion. Since the pattern or the signature is obtained from a familiar malware, this detection technique is easily evaded by obfuscating a program such as junk insertion and packing (Mishra, 2010). Even simple obfuscation such as code re-ordering and inserting no-ops can create a variant of malware able to evade signature-based detectors. This technique is also not able to detect unknown malware. The signatures of this program are architecture by close observation of known malware hence signature-based detection is only able to detect â€Å"known malware.† At times, signature-based detection fails to pick a variant of an already known malware. In this respect, signature-based detection offers minimal zero-day protection (Venugopal & Hu, 2008). In addition, the signature database grows exponentially since the detector uses a specific signature for every variant of malware. Heuristic scanning bears a close resemblance to signature scanning with the only difference being, instead of checking for particular signatures; heuristic scanning will check for certain commands or instructions within a program, which are not typically found in application programs (Aycock, 2006). The heuristic engine ultimately is better placed to sense for potentially malicious executions in previously unexamined and new malicious behavior such as virus replication mechanism, payload of Trojan or worm distribution routine. Generic virus protection renders all other malware scanners obsolete and offers sufficient protection to stop any malware. The user is saved from weekly software updates since the software is able to detect all malwares. Although heuristic malware check offers tremendous benefits, today this technology is not adequate. Virus writers are able to come up with viruses that disregard the

Power point presentation about Firewall Technologies Essay

Power point presentation about Firewall Technologies - Essay Example These threats lead to the creation of the firewall technology in order to protect a computer or network of computer which is connecting to the internet. A firewall is defined as a "computer, router, or other communication device that filters access to the protected network" (Abie 2000). Thus, it gives the implication about the main tasks of a firewall. Accordingly, a firewall inspects traffic network passing through it and is responsible for permitting or denying access. In addition, Cheswick and Bellovin specifies certain processes which characterizes a firewall which include: "all traffic from inside to outside, and vice-versa, must past through it; only authorized traffic, as defined by the local security policy, is allowed to pass through it; and the firewall itself is immune to penetration" (Abie 2000). In summary, a firewall serves as a filter allowing the access of a trusted network and rejecting "untrusted" ones. The emergence of firewall technology occurs during 1980s far before the internet has gained popularity in global users. Traditionally, a firewall is a term used to denote a "wall to confine a fire or potential fire within a building (Firewall 2008)." The use of firewall in internet has been triggered by the attack of Morris Worm making internet connection vulnerable to its adverse effects. Because of what happened, the whole community becomes aware of the realities of such attack which can threaten the computers accessing the internet (Firewall 2008). Thus, the online community sought for a protection in order to ward off the threat of viruses, worms, and other which can be very harmful and disruptive to the internet users. This is when firewall technology came into being (Firewall 2008). The beginnings of first generation firewall technology can be traced to the paper released by engineers of Digital Equipment Corporation in 1988 (Firewall 2008). This is referred to as packet filter firewalls which lays down the foundation of a technology that will further be improved and developed. Thus, after the work of these engineers, companies like AT&T Bell Labs and scientists Bill Cheswick and Steve Bellovin continued the long process of research and released a more efficient and complicated versions (Firewall 2008). Packet filtering is a firewall technology which acts by "inspecting the packets which represent the basic unit of data transfers between computers on the internet" (Firewall 2008). A packet filtering router typically filter packets based on four fields namely, source IP address, destination IP address, TCP/UDP source port, and TCP/UDO destination port (Chadwick 2004). These functions of packet filter are used to block connection from specific hosts or networks, to specific hosts or networks, from specific ports, and to specific ports. Because of their relative simplicity, this type of firewall perform only basic operations including "examining the packet header, verifying the IP address, the port or both, and granting and denying access without any changes" (Abie 2000). Packet filters are regarded for their speed and

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

History - Essay Example Even though well documented sources for this time period are lacking and a lot of the available information is believed to have a mythical and folktale nature, nevertheless, the Vikings were present and have managed to leave their mark on Scotland during this historical period. Also- called the era of the Dark Ages in Europe Vikings were often called Scandinavian warriors or Norse, due to their primary origins. The Vikings nation was known with its polygamy meaning that men had more than one wife (Flow of History, 2007). Thus plenty of children were born and soon enough the nation had to expand. The younger ones were determined to find new lands, in far better and warmer places. Adventure was in their blood. Soon Northern Europe had plenty of Vikings in their lands (Flow of History, 2007). In the early ninth century Vikings occupied, Italy, France and England, later on even Byzantium, they were so brave to travel that even reached North America. Having the best sailing ships, fearless Vikings soon invaded many lands. A remarkable body of Scottish Gaelic oral tradition has survived into the twentieth century, some part of which relates to the Vikings and other Norse themes. Its content cannot, however, be taken at face value as a straightforward form of historical sources material. For instances, the heroic ballads and legends containing a ‘Viking’ element are set within a marvelous and magical world. (Graham-Campbell & Batey 2005, p. 46) In the late 8th century huge ships arrived at the coast of North Britain and Scotland. Viking warriors were said to raid and plunder what is now Edinburgh in the 793 AD (Barett, 2003). Many of the associations with the Vikings include terror and savage. Many preserved paintings from this period depict Vikings and their horrible invasions and attacks which still carry a significant

Specifications & Documentations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Specifications & Documentations - Research Paper Example The requirements of the project ought to contain the main objectives that are described in details and are precise (Demetrovics, Knuth & Rado, 2005). The requirements of a project are competent of presenting an original tool for the severe evaluation of the quality of the project. This is because; the final review of the project must be capable of showing a clear and precise requirement. Unfortunately, the idea of meeting all the requirements in a project does not ensure that the project will meet the required quality. Therefore, there is the implementation of a clear outline of the specifications that the project can use to achieve the right quality of the product (Duenas, 2006). Categorization of the Requirements For the computer project to be effective and be capable of implementation of a given set of task, then a requirement which is essential and is of the most priority is categorized. The categorization of the requirements needed for the project include the input devices as we ll as the output devices. There is also the category of usability and performance. Similarly, there is categorization of the requirement of target platform parameters and also the scalability categorization. They include the user requirements. This requirement category describes the chief needs and the goals of the user. This user requirement is often carried out at the end of the task analysis. This is because the user is capable of examining the final goals the project has been able to meet without many complications (Duenas, 2006). The second category of the requirement is the system requirement. This requirement has more than one meaning, first, it can mean the capability of the system with which, and also on which and moreover through which a given product is... The paper tells that there are a variety of system models which the computer system has. There is the data processing model. This model shows how the system data undergoes processing at various stages of the process. Second, there is the model called the composition model. This model shows how the system entities are chiefly made up of other minor entities. Third, there is the system modem called the architectural model. This model displays the system principal sub systems. Fourthly, there is the classification model. This model shows how the entities have a common and similar characteristic. Finally, there is the model called the stimulus or the response model. This final model displays the system’s reaction to the major event of the system. Additionally, there is the semantic data model. This model describes the chief logicality of the structured data that is to be processed by the system. The model further sets out the main entities of the system and their relations to each other. Moreover, it sets the distinction between the chief relationship of the entities and of the entity attributes of the system. The semantic model is further utilized in the designing of the database. This can easily be capable of the implementation of using the relational databases. Eventually, there is no given specific notation that the model provides for the association of the system. The system model processing involves the process called the process model of the system. This process model displays the overall processing and also the procedures that the system supports.

What A Good American Should Be Like Essay Example for Free

What A Good American Should Be Like Essay To many, America is already a much developed country. Yet a lot of Americans themselves find it difficult to accept that their country is already at its peak success. Why? This is primarily because of the unequal views of both races and people’s economic status. These two are only a few of the many reasons why Americans refuse to say that they have already attained the American Dream. In this paper, two views of two different writers shall be examined. Namely, Leon E. Wynter who wrote the essay â€Å"Transracial America Sells†, and Langston Hughes who wrote the poem â€Å"Let America Be America Again† Before the writings are to be observed and examined, it’s very important that we gain knowledge about who the writers really are so as to be able to understand why they have views such as what they wrote. Leon E. Wynter has been writing for the Wall Street Journal for about 10 years now and has also been a regular contributor to the National Public Radio. His essays and articles which are published in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times and New York Newsday are usually a series of discussions on how the elimination of racial discrimination, specifically that of the black-Americans and the white-Americans, in the marketplace could contribute to the attainment of the American dream of equality. On the other hand, Langston Hughes is known for his poetry and compositions on how the old America used to dream of a free America in the future. He’s also known for contributing so much to the Harlem Renaissance through his written works. His writings show of his opinion on how laboring the people could help eliminate the inequality in the American society. As we go through these paper, several questions are to be considered to clearly understand what these two writers really suggest for the fulfillment of the American dream. Here are some of the questions we must consider: Which vision of the American dream is more compelling? Will the American dream be fulfilled by the marketplace or by labor? Which writer has a deeper understanding and what are the problems with the views of the less convincing writer?

Outdoor Recreation And Leisure Tourism Essay

Outdoor Recreation And Leisure Tourism Essay Outdoor recreation and leisure is very present in the Mauritian context. Being an island, Mauritians as well as tourists try to benefit the most from the unique environment and climate which is ideal for leisure activities (Badat, 2009). As the island offers a wide range of prospects in terms of outdoor recreation, such as trekking, kayaking, snorkeling amongst others, it is a must to experience at least one among them (MTPA, 2011). In this respect, the study selects a particular outdoor recreation and studies the various aspects which are involved within. Aim of study An in depth analysis of Yemaya Adventures Objectives of study To identify the activities provided and its impacts. To identify the marketing strategies of the organization. To find out to which extend the organisation is sustainable To participate in an activity provided by the organization. Methodology With regards to our outdoor recreation project, all start with contacting several leisure providers like Dive Sail Travel, Cap Soleil, Ican Tropic , Yemaya Adventures and so forth. At first, it was quite difficult to contact those companies as it was time consuming, the person in charge was unable to provide us with clear and accurate information and the prices that are charged for those activities were too expensive. Finally, we contacted Yemaya and while dealing with the person we noticed that there was effective communication compared to other organizations and the prices were cheaper. Thus, we decided to go for Yemaya Adventures. Moreover, for our methodology participant observation and interview were used as our research instruments. Participant observation is a very commonly used observation technique (REF ) and in this method, one needs to participate in order to obtain data. Through participant observation one can obtain first-hand data as well as in depth information about the leisure provider. However, it is very time consuming. We also interviewed the manager of Yemaya Adventures, Mr Patrick Haberland and this enables us to know about the organisations other activities that they provide, how they market their organization and what is more crucial is to what extent the activities of the organization is sustainable. Overview of Yemaya Adventures Literature review Definitions and Concept of Leisure, recreation and tourism   Leisure, recreation and tourism are generally viewed as key components in peoples lives (Lynch and Veal (1996). Outdoor recreation brings happiness to people as it gives recreational opportunities to them.   Leisure means various things to different people and therefore it consists of many definitions given by many researchers.   For instance, Fava (1964) stated that leisure is the time which an individual has free from work or other responsibilities and which may be used for the purpose of relaxation, diversion, or personal development.   In contrast, according to Godbey (1999), a leading researcher in the field of leisure education said that leisure is typically related with spare time or situations in which people have the luxury of choice.   Sylvester (1999) stated that, we must not neglect the fact that in ancient time, leisure was considered as a luxury and was affordable by affluent people only.   Recreation   The term recreation is originated from the Latin word of recreation and recreate which means to refresh and to restore (Edginton et al 1995). Examples of outdoor recreation involve: Visiting parks and natural areas. Visiting historical and archaeological sites. Outdoor concerts and festival. Golf and kite flying   Forest activities like wildlife safari, camping and tree climbing. Importance of Outdoor Recreation   Research has shown that outdoor recreation activities undoubtedly contribute positively to one health as well as well-being (Boniface, 2000; Dickson, Gray and Mann, 2008).   Through recreation activities, people get the opportunity to enjoy the natural environment if they are doing adventure activities, interact with other people (Berman and Davis-Berman, 2000). Moreover, study has illustrated that the way life alters with the loss of link which inevitably result to poor lifestyles (Godbey, Caldwell, Floyd and Payne 2005).   Nowadays, the new generation mainly children are more likely to be at risks than their parents.   Children currently have more possibilities of health problems, such as asthma, obesity, vitamin D deficiency since they have inactive lifestyle as well as lack of physical exercises (REFERENCE). Consequently, it may lead to cardiovascular, pulmonary and mental health problems in adulthood (REFRENCE).   Children from poor backgrounds are more likely to be away from green space as they have built environment such as bad housing condition, traffic congestion and so forth (REFERENCE). Today the world is connected with technological gadgets and children tends to stay more in front of their computers, television, playing video games and after school hours they need to complete their homework therefore youngsters miss the contact with the natural setting, they also miss the chance for stress reduction, healthy development, physical activity and restoration (REFERENCE). Benefits of Outdoor Recreation Economic benefits: Outdoor recreation economically benefits a country. For example, among all activities, bicycles are viewed as more sustainable compared to other activities and it brings over $ 81 billion into the American economy annually (Knight, 2012). Moreover, he also stated that bicycling also provide 770,000 direct jobs for people. Social Benefits Australian and International research stated that the notion of outdoor recreation participation is considered as an important facilitator of personal and community development. According to one Australian researcher, he said that outdoor recreation as a search for personally meaningful involvement (McIntyre 1992, p. 70). Lynch and Veal (1996), assert that outdoor recreation is highly beneficial to the local communities as it promotes physical health, psycho-social well-being, self-actualization, spirituality, family bonding, child development, self-identity, social skill development and environmental education. Social and psychological is beneficial in two ways. At first, during participation, people are more likely to experience the enjoyment with the activities that they have chosen its locality, its passion and personal satisfaction. Finally, after participation there is a change in the persons state of mind (Shreyer Driver 1990). For instance, there might be an increase in social responsibility through having a feeling of belonging to an outdoor recreation community and it also reduces stress. Environmental Benefits Those people involved in outdoor recreation tend to be more willing to preserve and conserve the environment, for example, they provide management strategies to reduce the negative environmental impacts. Participants who are motivated to help in conservation initiatives on a particular place which they love and feel attached. By doing so, this will surely establishes the environment and contributes to the environmental sustainability. Motivation for outdoor recreation   According to Iso-Ahola (1980), individuals are encouraged through defined objectives as well as rewards which can be either extrinsic or intrinsic.   When a particular activity is occupied in to acquire compensation, it is known as extrinsically motivated.   In contrast, intrinsically motivated is when a person is self motivated to achieve something or engaged in the activity for its own sake.  Ã‚   Moreover, Iso-Ahola thinks that leisure behavior is mainly caused by intrinsic aspects which are linked to self-expression, competence as well as agreement which implies freedom of choice.   Nevertheless, recreation choice should not be regarded as unlimited.   The ability for individual to choose from a range of recreational activities cannot be compromised due to the fact that individuals motivation to be indulged in a given outdoor recreation is projected in the selection made from various outdoor activities. Furthermore, choice is encircled by many pitfalls such as physical capability, affordability, awareness, time restrictions and family obligations.   These limitations differ among people and the demographic, socio-economic and other groups. Demand and Participation   Demand is an economic term used in order to illustrate the link that exists between the quantities of a good that people will buy as well as the prices that they will have to pay.   In other words, it refers to the ability and willingness to pay for a particular product.   The elements of demands are as follows:  Ã‚   1. Effective, expressed or actual demand is the actual number of participants, for instance it reflects the number of people that participate in countryside recreation. The number of people involved in such activity might be expressed per day or per year.  Ã‚   2. Latent or suppressed demand refers to unfulfilled demand.   Therefore, it is where an individuals desire to participate has not been fulfilled due to some reason.   But if the situation alters such a desire may ultimately become effective demand. However, such demand is not easy to quantify as it relies on peoples wishes and desires as well. When taking into account suppressed demand it can be emphasized that the latter gives rise to two elements namely: deferred demand and potential demand.   When reference is being made to deferred demand refers to demand that is unfulfilled due to a lack of amenities, for example, if a large number of people wish to go to the swimming pool but the problem is that if there is no swimming available then this want will be unfulfilled and demand will be postponed until a swimming pool is provided.   In contrast, potential demand is demand that is unfulfilled simply because there is a shortage of personal resources such as income or mobility. But, if there is an improvement in terms of personal situation it can undoubtedly be fulfilled in the future. 3. Lastly it can be said that there will be people who will surely prefer not to involve in recreational activities and this is known as no demand.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Factors affecting demand for outdoor recreation can be classified into : > Demographic characteristics   > Socio-economic characteristics   > Situational characteristics   Demographic Characteristics   In terms of demographic characteristics there are several factors that affect the recreation preference and it includes age, sex, marital status and family diversity.   Research has shown that young male who are single are more likely to involve in outdoor recreation and even if they are married they are unwilling to have children (Booth, 1989; Genet 2001; Booth Peebles, 1995).   These participants are really interested in their education and they inevitably want to get well paid jobs. Socio -economic characteristics   Price   From an economists perspective, price is considered to be a key factor in determining price as customers decision but the price of leisure is complicated with regards to many other products.   For example, a normal product consists of a single price but while comparing it to the price of leisure activities it is different as it consists of separate elements such as the valid nature of the leisure, other price like costs of transport, parking, equipment, clothing and accommodation might be charged.  Ã‚   Economists stated that as leisure involves time, therefore the opportunity cost of that time in terms of its possible earning power should also be included in the list mentioned above.   According to Gratton and Taylor (1985) he argued that the price of a product affects demand in two different ways.   First and foremost, the average cost of participation which involves all types of costs such as entrance fee, equipment and so forth might affect demand in terms of decision making to involve in the activity.   Thus, the higher the average cost, the lower the participate rate.   Secondly, marginal cost is the cost that has an impact on the frequency of participation.   For example, in association with leisure activities there may be fixed costs involved like membership fee, buying of equipment and so on.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Income   Income can be viewed as a feature that enables people to buy a leisure product.   Research has shown that in the second half of the nineteenth century there has been a drastic change with regards to income growth. It was then that the development of mass leisure started and simultaneously there was a constant increase of income and this has definitely an impact on growth of leisure. Affluent people have always enjoyed their leisure; therefore it can be made crystal clear as income increases people will surely have more leisure. Situational characteristics   Time   Self-employed people generally have better control concerning their time plan and these people are more likely to have more leisure time.   Mobility   Car ownership has increased dramatically because the income of people has risen and cars are more affordable to buy and run.   If a person does not possess a vehicle, therefore he or she might be disadvantaged in terms of site, journey, timing and duration of the trip.  Ã‚   External factors affecting demand for outdoor recreation are: Recreational opportunity is highly dependent upon availability and accessibility of recreation sites.   Thus, the nature of recreation sites as well as availability will surely rely upon several things such as carrying capacity, ownership, distribution, quality, access and degree of development.   These reflect three important elements which consist of economic, behavioral and political.   Hence, it helps both private and public sectors in terms of good decision making with regards to recreation provision. While making decision to visit any particular recreational sites, accessibility is considered to be a key element in influencing participation.   Moreover, how crucial it is, as an element in decision making in influencing the what and where of recreation involvement is explained by Chubb and Chubb (1981:153) :   People participation will increase if all other external and personal factors support participants, however if the site is not accessible it might certainly be a problem. Recreation travel behavior   While going to any particular site for recreation, distance is really important and for most movement, a distance-decay effect can be known so that the power of interaction diminishes as distance increases.   In this context, if a recreational site consists of greater distance and involve more effort and time, might not be supported by participants.   But, not all activities are time consuming as it relies on the types of activities that one is taking part in.   The impact of longer distances will be negative to some extent as the more a person travel, he or might be tired and found it to be unpleasant.   On the other hand, such effect may be encouraging in situation where a person is travelling by cruise.   The latter may enjoy and the longer the distance the greater the desire to extend it. Recreation choice behavior Forecasting of recreation behavior would have been taken into account if more was known with regards to factors influencing decision-making to attitudes, motivations and perceptions.   This would be very helpful as it would explain: 1. Why some sites and activities are suitable;   2. Why some recreational firms are failures while others are satisfied by participants; 3. Why and how alternative recreation are ranked. The recreation alternative process is influenced by peoples perceptions of what recreational opportunities are available.  Ã‚   Natural environments as recreation settings   Driver et al. (1987) demonstrates that natural surroundings are really crucial in attaining the preferred result from leisure. Research conducted in Colorado have shown that participants like to enjoy mostly in nature, therefore, natural environment plays an integral role in achieving the result as well as satisfaction required from involvement in certain forms of recreation.   According to Kaplan and Kaplan (1989), participants satisfaction is associated with natural settings through integration mind and body in the leisure activity.   Hence, environmental aspect beyond doubt is considered to have a dominant influence on recreation behavior and this has first derived from gurus like Schreyer et al. (1985), he propose that the most helpful demonstration of the environment for the explanation of behavioral choice is considered as important.   They also stated that people are more likely to explore the natural environment location which will undoubtedly allow them to behave in the ways they wish and consequently this will enable them to achieve a desired cognitive state.   Thus, the theory that recreation experiences are closely linked to recreation location is fundamental with regards to the notion of the recreation opportunity spectrum. Outdoor recreation constraints: Since the past few decades, much research has been made on the constraints of outdoor recreation. Constraints are factors that limit peoples participation in leisure activities, peoples use of leisure services, or peoples enjoyment of current activities (Jackson Scott, 1999). As per Crawford, Jackson and Godbey (1993), there are three major types of constraints namely intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural. Intrapersonal constraints consist of the psychological characteristics of an individual that interact with personal preferences, thus the constraints that will affect personal preferences. For example, the self-esteem that an individual has or the perceived physical skills that he/she has. As for interpersonal constraints, they are the constraints which involve the interaction and relationship among individuals. For example, access to friends or relatives company for a particular recreation. Finally, structural constraints are those constraints that affect the participation of an individual in a particular leisure activity. Structural constraints intervene between the personal preferences of a person and that persons participation in the recreation activity. For example, the cost of participating in a leisure activity or the problems involved with the facilities for an outdoor recreation. Moreover as per the hierarchical model developed by Crawford, Jackson and Godbey (1993), more importance is assigned to the intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints and the structural constraints are considered as less important. This is so because people, while going through the participation decision-making process; there are constraints which will interact with motivations and preferences and thus shape the level of participation in the recreation or leisure activity. But however there are ways of negotiating through the constraints whereby people manage to participate in the recreation activities. Among the various constraints that exist, Jackson (1993), found that time was amongst the most important constraints as well as cost. As per the other researches made, it has also been noted that lack of money, transportation, and other structural items were factors contributing to constraint (Coyle Kinney, 1990; Kay Jackson, 1991; Samdahl Jekubovich, 1997; Williams Fidgeon, 2000). As for Walker and Virden (2004), they noted that constraints on time are the strongest ones, and the ones that are the most common in the various researches made. More recently, Jackson (2005) stressed the importance of understanding structural constraints, opining that no constraint or type of constraint is experienced with equal intensity by everyone, although time-related and cost-related constraints rank along with the most generally and strongly experienced inhibitors of the achievement of leisure goals and a balanced lifestyle Jackson (2005) also discussed the importance of recognizing that constraints may vary greatly across the different subgroups of the population, and across individuals. Most of the relevant studies (Alexandris Carroll, 1997; Jackson, 2005; Horna, 1989; Jackson Henderson, 1995) have come to the common conclusion that women face more intense leisure constraints than men, and this result mainly from lack of time. They tend to suggest that womens place within society, womens roles and responsibilities, often limit womens freedom of choice. Furthermore, lack of technical skills, private transportation and of financial resources are also experienced by women more intensely than men (Harahoussou, 1996; Harrington Dawson, 1995). Types of outdoor recreational activities Recreational activities fall under different categories which are mountain activities, forest activities, beach and sea activities and some more such as fresh water activities, aero activities, desert activities, family activities and cultural and historical activities. This is due to the fact that there are thousands of outdoor locations and different types of activities that can be done at different sites. Under each of these above mentioned categories there are different recreational activities that can be undertaken : * Mountain activities- trekking, rock climbing, mountain biking, motorbike expedition, skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing and canyoning * Forest activities- wildlife safari, camping, bird watching, elephant safari and tree climbing * Beach and sea activities- snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, boat fishing, wind surfing and water sports * Fresh water activities- angling, canoeing, white water rafting, water sports and sea kayaking * Aero activities- gliding and ballooning * Desert activities- camel safari and desert jeep safari * Family activities- theme park and safari park * Cultural and historical activities- indigenous culture, museum and metal detecting All these activities mentioned here, cannot be practiced everywhere. It depends on the destination if it can provide for such environment. There are activities which may fall under more than one category. Recreation Opportunity Spectrum: A recreation opportunity as the name implies, is the choice to participate in a preferred recreation activity within a preferred setting and to enjoy the desired experience. The Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) which was developed in the United States (Clark Stankey, 1979), is first of all a tool which is used to plan outdoor recreation so as to identify in which categories the activities fall. It is also a framework for recreational planning whereby the opportunities present for recreation are defined. The objective is to provide diverse recreational experiences and manage them simultaneously in conjunction with other needs for land use (Yamaki and Shoji, 2004).   The recreation opportunity spectrum that considers the diversity of recreation experience (Brown 1978, Buist 1982, Clark 1979, Driver 1978) will improve the utilization plan in this respect.   For instance, in Japan, the provision of people with recreational opportunities in a natural setting will add to the conservation of the natural landscape (Yamaki and Shoji, 2004). The recreational opportunity spectrum is important so as to be able to make provision for different types of activities in different types of settings for people with different tastes. There are three types of settings in the recreation opportunity spectrum namely: managerial, physical and social. The ROS Inventory characterizes and represents recreation opportunities as mixes or combinations of settings and probable experience opportunities arranged along a continuum or spectrum of ROS classes. The spectrum is set out in terms of seven ROS classes as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Primitive (P); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Roaded Modified (RM); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Semi-primitive Non-Motorized (SPNM); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rural (R); and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Semi-primitive Motorized (SPM); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Urban (U). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Roaded Natural (RN);2 The classes that make up this spectrum are differentiated from each other in terms of differing degrees or types of remoteness, naturalness and social experience as shown below. Water and Land Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (WALROS) The WALROS is an improvement of the Water Recreation Opportunity Spectrum which itself is sourced from the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum. The WALROS is also a tool which helps planners to make better decisions but it lays much emphasis on water resources such as reservoirs, lakes, rivers, bays, estuaries, wetlands, major springs, coastal zones, and protected marine areas.As our recreation activity was kayaking, the WALROS is more appropriate than the ROS. The WALROS unlike the ROS has only six classes which are namely: Primitive Semi primitive Rural natural Rural developed Suburban Urban Primitive setting: A primitive WALROS area is a large expanse of natural resources far from development and settlement. Human activity is rare and seldom. The water resources and shorelines appear natural, showing little evidence of past human use. Management relies on visitor cooperation and stewardship, and management activities often focus on resource protection, restoration, and monitoring. A sense of remoteness, wildness, solitude, and self-reliance is dominant among visitors. Visitor comforts, conveniences, and concentrations are not appropriate to a primitive setting. Examples of primitive settings are large expanses of lands and waters that are miles from development and settlement. The settings are commonly designated as wild and scenic Rivers, backcountry lakes, headwaters, marine reserves or other types of protected areas. Semiprimitive setting: A semiprimitive WALROS area is a large expanse of natural resources that is far from any city or metropolitan area and a considerable distance from small communities or developments. Natural resources dominate the landscape. Development is minor, and human activity can merely be sensed. However, a semiprimitive setting may include evidence of human activity such as distant farming operations, powerlines, livestock, small buildings, old roadways, historic structures, and historic logging or mining. These water resources are often within large expanses of public lands and waters. Management, in the form of patrols, facilities, and signage, is seldom noticeable and the visitors are expected to have their own equipment and skills enabling navigation and enjoyment of this setting. Visitors desire a sense of tranquility and an escape from their daily routine. Facilities are rural and blend well into the setting. Resource protection is highly important. The opportunit y for visitors to sense nature is widespread. Visitors sense solitude and remoteness. Examples of semiprimitive settings are large expanses of State lands and waters that are commonly designated as wild and scenic rivers. Rural natural setting: A rural natural WALROS area is a considerable distance from metropolitan areas and communities. Natural features are predominant on the landscape, and the presence of development is occasional or infrequent. Agriculture, tourism, and outdoor recreation are often primary industries. Many rural natural areas are large enclaves of public lands and waters. Natural resources dominate the landscape. The sights, sounds, and smells of development are infrequent. Natural-looking settings border the water resources. Water controls or other structures are occasional along the shoreline. Management is occasionally noticeable in the form of patrols, facilities, signage and full services. Visitors desire a sense of tranquility and escape from their daily routine. Opportunity for visitors to sense nature is prevalent as are occasions to enjoy periods of solitude. Recreation use, diversity, socialization, concentration, sense of security, and conveniences are periodic and occa sional. Examples of rural natural areas include unincorporated rural areas with secondary and unpaved roads, single residences, farms and ranches, rural county, small stores and fuel services stations, and areas bordering or surrounded by large expanses of public lands and waters. Rural developed setting: A rural developed WALROS area is beyond a metropolitan area and the suburban ring of development. Rural developed areas may contain working farms, ranches, and towns. In this setting, primary road networks are common. Although development will be prevalent and common, the setting has a rural sense because of a scattering of forests, water resources, hills, valleys, wetlands, open spaces, and agricultural lands. Naturally appearing shoreline edges are common, although various water controls or other structures are also common. Recreation management is prevalent and common but not as extensive as in an urban setting (e.g., personnel, rules, facilities, signs, services, conveniences, security). Recreation use, diversity, socialization, concentration, sense of security, and conveniences are less common than in a developed suburban or urban setting. The sights, sounds, and smells of recreation and non-recreation use are common, yet interspersed with locations and times when the urbanized visitor may experience a sense of tranquility and escape from everyday challenges. Examples of rural developed areas include areas with country estates, second homes and cabins, dams, power stations, primary and secondary roads, communication lines, resorts, marinas, small communities, full service campgrounds, farms and small commercial and industrial establishments. Suburban setting: A suburban WALROS area is on the fringe of the urban area. The sights of development and built structures are widespread. The built environment tends to be commercial and residential. The sights of commerce and everyday living are very obvious and prevalent. Natural-appearing settings can be found in community parks, greenways, trails, open space, natural areas and tidal marshes. The water resources tend to be highly channelized or altered to contain large fluctuations in water flow and for the protection of public safety and property. Recreation management is prevalent (e.g., personnel, rules, facilities, signs, services, conveniences, security). Recreation use, diversity, socialization, concentration, sense of security, and conveniences are also prevalent and obvious. The sights, sounds, and smells of recreation and non-recreation use (e.g., municipal, industrial, residential) are obvious but not dominant in a suburban setting. Examples of suburban WALROS areas ca n be found on the outer edges of most metropolitan areas in the United States and include parks, and trail systems. Urban setting: An urban WALROS area can be found in extensively developed and populated cities and metropolitan spaces where virtually the entire landscape contains manmade structures. Municipal, industrial, commercial, and residential land uses dominate, and the sights are typical of a city environment. Natural features may be found in small neighborhood parks, commercial courtyards, streetscapes, residential gardens, or landscaping. The water resources tend to be highly channelized, manipulated, or altered to contain large fluctuations in water flow and to protect public safety and property. Management presence is common and obvious (e.g., personnel, rules, facilities, sig

Application of the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms

Application of the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms The Application of the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms In Pediatric Nursing Practice Krista Kelly Introduction Every human being regardless of age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or physical ability will experience pain or unpleasant symptoms at some point in their lives. Pain can be defined as an unpleasant, subjective sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage (International Association for the Study of Pain, Subcommittee on Taxonomy, 2008). This definition acknowledges not only the physical nature of the pain experience, but also recognizes the psychological aspect. Pain is a highly subjective experience and can only be accurately described by the person experiencing it. According to the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (2013), nurses have an ethical responsibility for assessing and alleviating pain using appropriate, evidence informed pain management. It also states that nurses are also obligated to advocate for change in the care plan when pain relief is inadequate. The theory of unpleasant symptoms (TOUS) is a middle-range theory that was developed by nurses to enhance the understanding of relationships among multiple symptoms and symptom experiences to manage unpleasant symptoms through effective interventions (Lee, Vincent Finnegan, 2017). The TOUS has three major concepts that will be discussed in further detail throughout this paper. The purpose of this paper is to describe, analyze and evaluate the TOUS and its relevance to pediatric nursing practice. This paper will identify a clinical situation on a pediatric unit and will indicate how the TOUS provides direction for guiding nursing practices. Lastly, this paper will assess the utility, strengths and weaknesses of the TOUS. Description of Theory According to Smith Parker (2010), theories help guide our actions, help us reach desired results and give evidence to what has been previously achieved. Specifically, middle-range theories are abstract, yet are concrete enough that it provides a link between nursing research and practice. The middle-range theory of unpleasant symptoms was introduced in 1995 as a means for incorporating existing information about a variety of symptoms (Lenz, Pugh, Milligan, Gift, Suppe, 1997). The TOUS incorporates three major components: the symptoms that a patient is undergoing, the factors that influence symptoms and that give rise to the nature of the symptoms, and the effects of the symptom experience. Each individual symptom is considered a multidimensional experience that can be measured together with other symptoms or measured independently (Lopes- Junior, de Omena Bomfim, Nascimento, Pereira-da-Silva, Garcia de Lima, 2015). Although symptoms differ from one another, they share four common domains including: duration, intensity, quality and distress. The duration of a symptom refers to the time that the symptom occurs at, or the frequency of the symptom. Intensity indicates the severity, strength or amount of the symptom being experienced by the individual. Whereas, the quality of pain can be used to describe what the symptom feels like to the individual. For instance, pain can be described as sharp, dull, achy or throbbing. Lastly, the distress domain of the symptom experience refers to the degree to which the patient is bothered by it (Lee et al., 2017). The same symptom may be unbearable to some individuals but could be much less severe to others. Thus, it is important to ask patients how much they are bothered by the symptom to gain a better understanding of how they are interpreting the experience and the meaning they associate with it (Lenz, et al.,1997). In the TOUS, there are three factors that influence each of the previously mentioned domains: physiologic factors, psychologic factors and situational factors (Lenz, Supp e, Gift, Pugh, Milligan, 1995). Physiologic factors include the normal functioning of the body systems, the presence of any pathology and the individuals energy levels. Psychologic factors incorporate the individuals mental state and their reaction to their illness. Lastly, situational factors pertain to aspects of the individuals physical and social environment that can affect their experience and reporting of symptoms. Examples of social environment include: lifestyle behaviours, social support, employment status, and access to health care services. On the contrary, physical environments can include but are not limited to variables such as noise, light, temperature and polluted air/water; all of which can influence symptoms (Lenz Pugh, 2014). According to Lenz Pugh (2014), the outcome concept in the TOUS is performance. Performance refers to the outcome or effect of the symptom experience and how it impacts the individuals functional status, cognitive functioning and physical performance. For example, certain symptoms may affect an individuals ability to perform the activities of daily living or may alter their memory, concentration or problem solving skills (Lee et al., 2017). Application to Clinical Practice The assessment and management of pain or unpleasant symptoms are essential skills while dealing with the pediatric population. With children, especially infants and toddlers who are unable to communicate, it can be extremely challenging to identify the presence of pain, which in turn makes it difficult to treat. Therefore, it is important to assess pain by receiving input from the child and their parents or care givers. In the case when a child is unable to communicate, their family and caregivers should be able to advocate for suitable interventions to manage pain based on what they know about their child and the current situation (RNAO, 2013). The TOUS exemplifies a perspective that not only includes the physical domain of the human experience, but also recognizes the importance influence of psychological and situational factors, as well as their interaction on the symptom experience (Lenz Pugh, 2014). The writer was able to apply this theory in the pediatric setting while caring for an eight year-old female patient who was experiencing painful urination and abdominal pain related to a urinary tract infection. Looking at the physiological factors, this patient had a history of a fever for the past month, lower abdominal pain and a decreased appetite; otherwise her diet was classified as tolerated. Regarding the psychological factors, the patient expressed she was happy, as she was being discharged that afternoon. While the writer was taking vital signs, the patient was alert, oriented, compliant and aware of why she was in the hospital. As the writer was providing care for this patient, it was evident that there was suppo rt from her father, mother and little brother, all who provided positive words of encouragement to get well soon. The updated version of the TOUS states that symptoms can occur alone or simultaneously, thus this paper will focus on multiple symptoms experienced by the patient; painful urination and abdominal pain. The patient expressed that she experienced a burning and painful sensation while urinating and that it had been occurring for the previous four days. When asked to rate her pain on a severity scale from 0-10, she rated her pain as a 4. In regards to the distress of her symptom, she mentioned it really bothered her during the night, as she was frequently waking up with the urge to urinate. In regards to the patients performance, she was unable to fulfill her social role as a grade four student, piano student and dance student as she stayed in the hospital for five days. She was also unable to assist her mother and father in playing/ taking care of her younger brother as she was experiencing abdominal pain that restricted her from doing so. The TOUS is valuable tool for nurses as it helps collect the previously mentioned data, which in turn helps nurses individualize interventions that fit the patients needs and unique pattern of symptoms (Lenz, et al.,1997). In order to manage symptoms effectively, these nursing interventions should include the evaluation of the symptoms individually and as a whole in order to comprehend their interactions (Lopes-Junior et al., 2015). Understanding symptoms of patients is important because experiencing multiple simultaneously occurring symptoms, as opposed to one symptom can have more negative effects on patient outcomes. Ultimately, understanding these multiple symptoms can help improve clinical management of an illness or disease (Lee et al., 2017). Assessment of Overall Utility There are both strengths and weaknesses in the utility of the TOUS. The TOUS can be used to improve the understanding of the symptom experience of individuals in various scenarios and provides information that is useful for nursing interventions that can decrease, prevent or manage negative symptoms and their unpleasant effects (Lenz Pugh, 2014). However, the TOUS lacks detail that may be useful in working with a specific symptom or illness in a given clinical population, such as pediatrics. Specifically, the TOUS has focused only on subjectively perceived symptoms rather than objective observable data. Neonates, infants and toddlers or children who are cognitively impaired, are incapable of verbalizing their pain. Therefore, pain or unpleasant symptom assessment should also be based on behavioural and physiological cues rather than just subjective information. For example, an infant may display pain by frowning or clenching their jaw and crying uncontrollably. They may moan, whimpe r or have a difficult time being consoled by a parent or caregiver. Being agitated, squirmy or rigid can also be indicative of pain or unpleasant feelings in infants and should be noted (Merkel, Voepel-Lewis, Shayevitz Malviya, 1997). The TOUS does an excellent job at looking at the individual in a holistic manner, such that it considers the interactions between individuals and their environment, the multidimensionality of symptom experiences of the individual and uses a biopsychosocial approach (Lee et al., 2017). While constructing an individualistic health care plan for patients, the TOUS does not include an intervention component within the model. This may indicate that the theory is more useful for observing concepts, examining their relationships, and developing tools to measure the concepts/relationships than for developing specific interventions for particular symptoms (Lenz, et al.,1997). In the future, the theory should include suggestions for interventions on specific symptoms for health care providers to use in practice. Conclusion The purpose of this paper was to describe, analyze and evaluate the TOUS in a clinical pediatric setting and its connection to nursing practice. The uses, strengths and weaknesses of the theory were also presented. The TOUS is a middle-range theory that emphasizes the importance for nurses to understand that physiological, psychological and situational factors can influence multiple symptoms, which in turn can affect the individuals performance. It is also critical to realize that the performance outcomes can loop back to impact the symptom experience itself, as well as to alter the influencing factors (Lee et al., 2017). Overall, this theory can be applied in different settings to understand symptoms of individuals, however specific nursing interventions are currently lacking in this theory. With continued research and studies, this theory can only increase in its practicality to health care professionals and caregivers. References International Association for the Study of Pain, Subcommittee on Taxonomy. (2008). Pain terms: A list of definitions and notes on usage. Pain, 6, 249. Lee, S.E., Vincent, C., Finnegan, L. (2017). An analysis and evaluation of the theory of unpleasant symptoms. Advances in Nursing Science, 40 (1), E16-E39. Lenz, E.R., Suppe, F., Gift, A.G., Pugh, L.C., Milligan, R.A. (1995). Collaborative development of middle-range nursing theories: Toward a theory of unpleasant symptoms. Advances in Nursing Science, 17 (3), 1-13. Lenz, E.R., Pugh, L.C., Milligan, R.A., Gift, A.G., Suppe, F. (1997). The middle-range theory of unpleasant symptoms: An update. Advances in Nursing Science, 19 (3), 14-27. Lenz, E.R., Pugh, L.C. (2014). The theory of unpleasant symptoms. In M. J. Smith (Ed.), Middle range theory for nursing (3rd ed.), (165-195). New York: Springer Publishing Company. Lopes- Junior, L.C., de Omena Bomfim, E., Nascimento, L.C., Pereira-da-Silva, G., Garcia de Lima, R.A. (2015). Theory of unpleasant symptoms: Support for the management of symptoms in children and adolescents with cancer. Revista gaucha Enfermagem, 36 (3), 109-112. Merkel, S.I., Voepel-Lewis, T., Shayevitz, J.R., Malviya, S. (1997). The FLACC: A behavioural scale for scoring postoperative pain in young children. Pediatric Nursing, 23 (3), 293-297. Registered Nurses Association of Ontario [RNAO]. (2013). Assessment and management of pain, third edition. Retrieved from http://rnao.ca/sites/rnao-ca/files/AssessAndManagementOfPain2014.pdf Smith, M.C., Parker, M.E. (2010). Nursing theory and the discipline or nursing. In M.E. Parker M.C. Smith (Eds.), Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (3rd ed.), (pp.3-15). Philadelphia, PA: Davies.

Open Boat vs. Hurricane Hugo :: essays research papers fc

Humanity tends to see itself as being somewhat important in the grand scheme of the Universe. We speak of "fate" as if we were put here for some reason, or purpose. We have our religions, which often serve as an engine to drive our lives and as a means to give meaning to them. But why do we think of ourselves in such a superior fashion? Would the Universe stop if we were suddenly taken away? In his short story, "The Open Boat," Stephen Crane shows us a Universe totally unconcerned with the affairs of humankind; it is an indifferent Universe in which Man has to struggle to survive. The characters in the story come face to face with this indifference and are nearly overcome by Nature's lack of concern.1 In a similar account, my family was faced with the same Universe and the damage that can be done without compassion. We were faced with a fight for our lives, and the battle was a tough one. 2 My family, like the characters in the story only survived through persist ence and cooperation. Crane said it best when he wrote, in our constant struggle for survival, all we have is, â€Å"stubborn pride—and each other.† 1 Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat" gives us a dose of reality that at first seems bitter, but it gradually induces a catharsis and in the end stands as testament to the human spirit. His claim that the Universe will never bend to the will of man is outweighed by his reassurances that we will always have each other. And when we contemplate "a high cold star on a winter's night"1 we will not need to feel alone, because we can always turn to another person. I learned this through my own personal struggle, but I was not alone, my family went through the same storm, and we survived together. 2 My family was resting peacefully in their beds Thursday, September 21, 1989, the night that Hurricane Hugo struck the South Carolina coast. Earlier in the evening my father kissed us goodbye and went to work the night shift at his job. My grandparents had come to our house because they were staying at Myrtle Beach for vacation and the coast had been evacuated in preparation for the storm. We lived in Columbia, which was centrally located in the state, so we thought that we were out of harms way.

Jack In The First Five Chapters :: essays research papers

At the start of the novel, there has been an atomic explosion, and the children have been evacuated in an aircraft with a detachable passenger tube. The aircraft has been attacked and released the tube while flying over tropical seas. The tube has crash landed in the jungle of a tropical island, and the plane has flown off in flames. This is the point when the novel starts. There are four main characters in the book – Ralph, Piggy, Jack and Simon. Simon is part of the choir, which is led by Jack, but Ralph and Piggy are not members of the choir, and are in no way related. There are no adults – "There aren’t any grown ups" (P.43)Ralph has found a "conch" (P.21), and has used it to call all the boys on the island together. This is where Jack is introduced into "Lord of the Flies""Something dark was fumbling along" (P.26). This refers to the choir walking along the beach in the distance. This use of language shows us that the choir is dark, evil, and sinister, and immediately Golding tells us that this group will not be a "good" force on the island. The choir are a militaristic group – "marching approximately†¦with a hambone frill" (P.26). This shows us that their leader is in total control of the group. This leader is Jack – "The boy who controlled them†¦his cap badge was golden" (P.26) This shows the authority and status that Jack has over the choir. When the choir reach the platform, Jack shows off – "swaying in the fierce light†¦his cloak flying" (P.27). This is an attempt to impress the group, create a good impression, enough so he commands their respect as well as the choirs’, enough so that he can eventually control them as well as the choir. Jack does not introduce himself to everyone; he first words to the group are "Where’s the man with the trumpet?" (P.27). He just gives out demands, and expects the group to answer him. This is what he is used to. Jack is a direct contrast with Ralph – "peered down at Ralph†¦(the conch) did not seem to satisfy him" (P.27) This shows us that he believes no-one is as good a leader as him, and that the conch, which called the group together, is below him. This is "simple arrogance" (P.29) on the part of Jack.

Racial Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System Essay

It is generally agreed that discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin is morally wrong and a violation of the principle of equality. Race refers to groups of persons who are relatively alike in their biological inheritance and are distinct from other groups. Ethnicity is a cultural phenomenon referring to a person’s identification with a particular cultural group. Racism in its most general sense can be defined as â€Å"social practices which (explicitly or implicitly) attribute merits or allocate values to members of racially categorized groups solely because of their ‘race’†. The issue of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system is controversial because there is substantial evidence confirming both individual and systemic biases. Although, many people believe there is no systematic racism in criminal justice; research in the past and present displays racial minorities are treated unfair and unjust in all aspects of the criminal justice system. African Americans and Hispanics for decades have accused law enforcement officers of racial profiling (Banks 66). Solid evidence of discrimination exists in many stages of the criminal justice process, including the police use of deadly force and the application of the death penalty. There are at least three aspects to racism: personal prejudice; ideological racism, where culture and biology are used to rationalize and justify the superior position of a dominant culture; and institutional racism, where the policies and practices of institutions operate to produce systematic and continuing differences between racial groups (Banks 67). To determine whether racial discrimination exists within the criminal justice system, criminologists have conducted research studies that have examined the major decision points within criminal justice systems in the United States (Banks 68). Many report suggests that racial discrimination does occur at some points in the criminal justice system. Following the Rodney King incident, the report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (also called the Christopher Commission) (1991) found that there was excessive use of force by LAPD officers and that this was compounded by racism and bias (Banks 69). An agreement about racism exists among criminal justice administrators, policymakers, and academics. The conclusion that racial discrimination is proven to be in the justice system certainly does not follow from the research on the subject. But a majority of scholars would certainly agree that there is a substantial body of evidence proving that racial bias inheres in certain practices and policies of both the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems. The controversy about racial discrimination in the criminal justice system remains unresolved. While most research proposes an absence of systematic racial discrimination, there is agreement among researchers that acts of discrimination does occur at specific decision-making points. Regardless of the conclusions of research studies, there is a widespread belief among minorities that the system discriminates against them and is therefore unjust (Banks 84). Works Cited Quigley, Bill. â€Å"Fourteen Examples of Racism in Criminal Justice System.† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 July 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. Banks, Cyndi. Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2013. Print. ABC 20/20 What Would You Do Vandals Racism In America Pt. 1 ABC 20/20 What Would You Do Vandals Racism In America Pt. 2

Educatinal Technology Essay

Examine three (3) of the issues you feel are most important in shaping the role of technology in education. Analyze why they are most important ones The role of the education in this global world is increasing each day. There are a lot of ways, strategies and approaches to increase quality of education. One of most effective way is integrating technology in to the education. That is called educational technology. There are a lot of advantages of technology in the class but I will give information about three advantages of technology in the classes which are freedom, equality of the education and creativity. Technology in the education is giving more freedom to teachers and students. How? As a mathematics teacher in a public school I can give examples from my own experiences. I use smart board and smart pad in my classes. I prepare my lesson plan as software and I reflect on the board or on the screen. While I am walking around the class I can teach. I don’t have spent my time for writing the definitions or questions and cleaning the board. I don’t have turn my back to the students which is helping me for classroom management. As another example when I am teaching geometric figures even three dimensional figures now my drawing is not a problem anymore. With Mimio smart board I can visualize better. My students have more time to learn. And I put my class notes to website for students who missed the day or who couldn’t understand well. They still have chance review everything that they missed. I think this is the most important issue for role of the technology in the education. It is giving more time for teaching. It is another sole role of the technology in teaching, giving equal opportunity to all students. There are a lot of people who are seeking for education but they cannot reach it because of lack school or teacher . Maybe it is not common in U. S. A but around the world it is common. For these people technology is only hope. Or some people like me who have to support a family and want to get a degree; online education is the only way. With technology everybody has an opportunity to learn. For some special and minor issues technology is helping us so much too, for instance I have a student who is dyslexic. To make him focus to class and understand better tablet computers are very helpful. In my country Turkish Government is giving free tablets to all students. The last and I think most important benefit of the educational technology is increasing creativity. With standing front of the board and giving lecture we cannot individualize the education. It is a known fact every bodies learning way and level is different, from this perspective each person is unique. Especially if there is a big diversity in the class lecturing will not help. And if all students learn the same thing with same way it will not develop their creativity conversely it will decrease the creativity. To enhance students’ creativity we have to integrate technology in the education. With this way the students can learn with their own way and level. There is a web site that I use in my math applying classes (www. studyisland. om) , at the beginning of the year students are taking a diagnostic test and depends their results system is giving a unique way to each student, may be the system is not perfect but the idea is so beautiful. In twenty first century we are aware of that education is more complicated than we taught. Teachers are facing with different problems such as dyslexia, ADHD/ADD, asperger syndrome. To individualize education technology is very helpful. Increasing technology using will develop creativity ,freedom and opportunity in the education. ———————– Page | 1 Page | 1

An Imaginary Life and Wordsworth Essay

In both David Malouf’s novel ‘An Imaginary Life’ and William Wordsworth’s poems, it is palpable how diverse times and cultures influence the significance of the association humanity can have with the natural world. There are four key techniques which are portrayed by both writers, portraying of characters, symbolism, imagery and concern; these techniques are presented through themes. The portraying of characters is shown through the theme of finding oneself in nature, symbolism finding hope in nature, imagery is emphasized through the indication that it is easier to connect with nature as a child and concerns towards the writers are accentuate through the theme of drifting away from nature. These themes help the writers highlight their techniques to the readers. Although both writers share the same views on nature, their context allows them to differ greatly from one another. Both Malouf and Wordsworth write through certain characters, Malouf wrote in his novel ‘An Imaginary Life’ through the character Ovid and Wordsworth through first person. An imaginary Life was written in a post-romantic era and tells the story of the Roman poet Ovid’s exile from Rome – the centre of culture at the time – to the bleak wilderness at Thomis, near the Black Sea. Here we have a person absolutely dependent on language – a poet – forced to live in a world where the landscape, the language, all is alien him. Eventually, with the assistance of the Child, a youth reared in the wild, Ovid comes to accept his new surroundings. He does this by using the power of language and imagination to construct this new world for himself in a way that is meaningful. His finding of a familiar flower, a poppy, in the wilderness, evokes for him the magical power of language to construct human reality. This reflects his personal views on nature as he himself chose to leave society and become a part of and appreciate nature. Wordsworth on the other hand wrote in first person, making it clear to his audience that these are his views and opinions. His mother died in 1788 at the age of eight and his father in 1783 at the age of thirteen. From there Wordsworth considered nature to be an adoptive parent. He rejected society, ‘Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher’, this shows how Wordsworth idolizes nature, he portrays nature as ‘light’ and puts it into a superior position. Wordsworth introduced the romantic era, at the time poems were written to allow the reader to feel the emotions of the composer. Nature was considered high in the romantic era, Wordsworth’s, unlike Malouf, finds his connection with nature at a young age. This is because of his personal context of losing his parents as a child and having no sturdy adult guide, Wordsworth was forced into nature and away from society whilst Malouf chose to leave society and find nature. Although the romantic era was filled with ‘nature lover’ Wordsworth was said to have an unnatural and concerning relationship with nature, referred to as a ‘nature worshiper’. This comes as a concern to most readers. In his poem ‘Tintern Abbey’ Wordsworth writes â€Å"I cannot paint/ What then I was,† showing and essentially fathoming over his ‘boyish days’ when a blunt â€Å"passion† and a â€Å"feeling† that had no need of â€Å"any interest/ Unborrowed from the eye† Developed from the natural world of Tintern Abbey. Despite never being conspicuous, religion has been implemented into the poem, most of it pantheistic. Wordsworth describes himself as having a â€Å"far deeper zeal / of holier love† Creating the image that mental images of nature can build an enigmatic perceptivity of the holy. Malouf sets no major concerns with his audience however he did drift away from modern society to connect with nature. The times in which both writers wrote allowed their opinions on the attraction to nature to differ. Symbolism is used in both writers’ texts, In David Malouf’s novel An Imaginary Life, one of the most compelling positions of characterization circuits around the Child. Malouf analyzes the contention of the affiliation connecting an old man, Ovid and the Child, and the modifications it brings in human personality. The Child in An Imaginary Life is not a child as a child, but here, the Child is a wild boy, as a symbol of barbaric or uncivilized society and mirrors the method of reflection and of the deepening of humanity’s evolution into a new self. Ovid represents civilized man who has to face changed life situation, in â€Å"new place†, as an exile. In this process, the inner balance of Ovid self-ness has been tested through many experiences. Furthermore, the figure playing main role in Ovid’s process is The Child. Thus, the chronology of the meeting between Ovid and the child in Tomis is really about the process of shaping selfness. Wordsworth on the other hand symbolizes nature and people as one. In his poem ‘Strange Fits Of Passion I Have Known’, he continuously symbolizes the moon with the search for his love. As the moon falls his hope becomes lost. In almost all his poems, Wordsworth used ‘I’ as a symbol to portray his own emotions. Both writers symbolize their hope in nature using certain descriptive languages. Both writers use nature as a symbol entirely. Word worth, in his poem ‘The Prelude’, symbolizes nature, â€Å"Free as a bird to settle where I will†, this shows he symbolizes a bird with himself. Imagery is used in all kinds of writing, it helps the readers understand what the author is seeing and feeling. Ovid, in An Imaginary Life has a ‘fear’ of wolves eating him on page 56, this is ironic as the child who saves Ovid was raised by wolves, and he quotes â€Å"What if the next tongue to touch me was a wolf’s tongue? Rough, greedy.† Malouf also wants his readers to imaginatively come to terms with the suffering and cruelty that resides in Australian history; in the treatment of the Aboriginal people by white settlers. Malouf’s novels deal with the idea that there is a blurred boundary between history and fiction. Official history is revealed as partly a fiction – something that gets modified over time. But unofficial history, the lives of ordinary people, is in a sense the â€Å"true history†¦.the secret history† that can be brought to life through fiction. Wordsworth on the other hand portrays imagery through beauty. Using descriptive language such as â€Å"soft/gentle breeze†, â€Å"lofty cliffs†, Tintern Abbey has great imagery used by Wordsworths, for example: â€Å"Here, under this dark sycamore, and view These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts, Which at this season, with their unripe fruits, Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves ‘Mid groves and copses. Once again I see These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines Of sportive wood run wild: these pastoral farms, Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke Sent up, in silence, from among the trees! With some uncertain notice, as might seem Of vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods, Or of some Hermit’s cave, where by his fire The Hermit sits alone.† It can be concluded that although two people share almost the exact same views, to appreciate and allow others to appreciate nature, they both wrote in very diverse ways. This is clearly due to historical, literary and authors context. Both Wordsworth and Malouf show the quality and importance of humanity’s relationship with nature and how times and culture influence the relationship. Although they are influenced by very different cultural and social values, both writers have the same goal, which is to understand nature and become a part of it. Wordsworth learns through his interaction with nature in â€Å"Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour, July 13, 1798,† and â€Å"It’s a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free,† that there is a spiritual presence in the landscape. Ovid’s interaction with nature helps him break down the divisions between people and their environment to become at one with it. B oth writers demonstrate how interaction with nature is necessary to appreciate it.

The Assualt – Views About Past and Present

In his novel The Assault, Harry Mulisch illustrates a clear example at how human memory can aid us in pursuing a better future ahead of us. As Anton watched the motor boats on the first page of the novel he was amazed at how fast the motor boats moved and the wake they left behind. Each time he saw them zoom by he would try to follow their wake however its pattern became so distorted he could not follow it. Along side the motor boats were the gondolas where they were propelled by the captain pushing a stick back thus moving his boat forward. He then takes this approach on life and lives while constantly bringing up his past. Every time he attempted to look at what the future held in store for him he was sent back towards looking at the past. By looking back and searching for his past he was able to progress into the future without feeling the unbearable light of the future. Mulisch uses an extensive amount of light and dark metaphors, and structure in order to show us that if we desire to progress through a less painful life we should reflect upon our past before we look too far ahead into the future. Mulisch structured his novel in such a way that the reader can unmistakably understand the past form the present. In the very beginning of the book Anton and his family are going about their lives however there is not a single trace of light. Mulisch makes this point very clear for everyone is turning out there lights in case of a bombing run. In addition he writes that all was dark as the murder was committed and peter took the carbon lamp. These had all happened in the past and therefore Mulisch is stating the past is dark. As the reader reaches the end of the book and the final scene is of Anton walking away in the middle of the day, when the sun is the highest, we conclude that the present is light. This juxtaposition is further backed by the chapter structure Mulisch chose to use. Although many if not all books, rise in chapter number such as this one, Mulisch chose to use years and dates for chapters to very clearly indicating the movement from past to present. This structure and juxtaposition as well as the metaphor of light and dark as representing future and past allows the reader to follow Anton’s progression through out. As one scans the novel a noticeable pattern forms in that as the episodes (chapters) progress, so does Anton’s knowledge of his past. This is done through Mulisch structuring the novel so that Anton meets a new person and gains a new piece of his past as time goes on. His past first comes back to him when he travels back to Haarlem after living with his Aunt and Uncle in Amsterdam since the murder of Fake Ploeg was committed. Here he is greeted with multiple objects that remind him of his past and one of which is the herring bone pattern on the quay. Mulisch writes, â€Å"With sudden excitement he recognized the herringbone pattern of the brick pavement. He had never noticed it in the old days, but now he saw it realized it had always been there. (Mulisch page 62) The herringbone patter represents how much distortion Anton’s memory has about the night the murder was committed. It is this confusion that Anton is excited by and he then strives to find answers through out his life both consciously and unconsciously. In addition to the herringbone pattern on page 62 he also meets Mrs. Beumer and Mr. Beumer. Ant on does not like the presence of them when he first meets them but it is because of their connection to his past that leads him to another connection; The monument on the quay. From hear Anton feels like he has an unbearably empty hole inside of him. When something is empty, in an existentialistic view such as Mulisch, it must be filled and for Anton that something is knowledge of his past. The Episode concludes with Anton thinking of himself floating at the center of the earth. There he would â€Å"be able to reflect upon the state of things in eternity. † (Mulisch page 76) Mulisch Has Anton percolating this idea in order to show the reader that Anton is clearly going to reflect upon his past. Shortly after Anton’s acquaintance with Haarlem and the Beumers he walks into Fake Ploeg Jr. n Anton’s flat. Here they are both greeted with past and they have quite the talk about it. While this is going on Anton is attempting to light a stove filled with dark oil. As the conversation between Anton and Ploeg Jr. escalates the dark oil has yet to light up. At the most enraged part of the conversation Fake decided to throw a stone and after this, a cloud of dark soot from the stove and covered Anton’s flat. Ploeg Jr. was a connection to Anton’s past and the dark soot covering Anton’s flat is representative of a piece of his past he just acquired through Ploeg Jr. This was not an easy feat for Anton was trying to speed up the process while talking to Ploeg Jr. as represented by having to much oil on the stove and trying to light it. This is all occurring while Anton has a headache which plunge him into darkness because of the pain. This then indicates that the past does in fact aid Anton in the way that he lives less painfully. This motif of dimming light (future and pain) with darkness (past and relief) comes up another time while lying on the beach on page 126. Mulisch uses the metaphor of a book for the intended purpose of illustrating the light and dark motifs as Anton was blinded by the whiteness of the pages reflecting the sun onto him. Later in the same scene Anton falls asleep in the light of the beach and awakens to another of his splitting migraines. A few lines down however Mulisch writes that â€Å"in the soothing shade, it had almost disappeared. † Giving way to the motif mentioned earlier. Among the actions that take place in the beginning of the novel, Anton meets a woman whom he meets in a jail cell. It is only when Anton is taken out of the cell and sees blood that his curiosity raises even more. This along with the assault itself fades away into Anton’s memory like the wake of the motor boats. As he grows older he begins to think about this woman even more. This is particularly set on by a man named Cor Takes who talks to him about his girlfriend. With this new found information Anton keeps attempting to put a face on the woman in the cell for he thinks it is the woman Takes was talking about (Truus Coster). Anton keeps looking forward to who the woman in the cell was and during this time period, episode three to the final episode, he has constant migraines which plunge him into darkness in order to stop the pain. Mulisch structured this episode as this to show the reader that looking towards the future is dangerous and we should rely on our past before we make assumptions. Mulisch then has Anton stop thinking about Truus for he concurs that she must look like Saskia. Anton accepts this conclusion and his migraines start diminishing. This further extends the conceit of dark and light as ways of representing past and future, good nd bad. At the end of the final episode Anton has now spent 36 years searching for his past and finally he comes to a conclusion when he meets his old neighbor Karin Korteweg. Anton finally hears the whole story about his past and he is unusually at ease with this information. Mulisch used this to state that Anton had finally been vindicated of his past. The book ends in mid day, commonly known as when the sun is at its brightest point. Mulisch uses this structure and juxtaposition of the begging of the book to extend the light and darkness motifs in the novel. Although we can walk through our lives looking towards the future it is much harder than if we walk facing the past. When we look to the future we feel as if our past is always weighing us down such as the panoptic-con of the Nazis during WWII. When we do feel its weight we tend to have a harder time progressing through what each one of us consider our meaningful life. We should always reflect upon our past no matter how much we want to ignore it because by doing so we make better sense of our future and are ultimately brought into the light with no pain. After all â€Å"Everything comes to light. † (Mulisch page 128)