Analysis on Two ways of seeing a river by Mark twain

Now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had made a valuable acquisition. But I had lost something, too. I had lost something which could never be restored to me while I lived. All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river! I still keep in mind a certain wonderful sunset which I witnessed when steamboating was new to me. A broad expanse of the river was turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold, through which a solitary log came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water; in another the surface was broken by boiling, tumbling rings, that were as many-tinted as an opal; where the ruddy flush was faintest, was a smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore on our left was densely wooded, and the sombre shadow that fell from this forest was broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail that shone like silver; and high above the forest wall a clean-stemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the unobstructed splendor that was flowing from the sun. There were graceful curves, reflected images, woody heights, soft distances; and over the whole scene, far and near, the dissolving lights drifted steadily, enriching it, every passing moment, with new marvels of coloring. 2 I stood like one bewitched. I drank it in, in a speechless rapture. The world was new to me, and I had never seen anything like this at home. But as I have said, a day came when I began to cease from noting the glories and the charms which the moon and the sun and the twilight wrought upon the river's face; another day came when I ceased altogether to note them. Then, if that sunset scene had been repeated, I should have looked upon it without rapture, and should have commented upon it, inwardly, in this fashion: â€Å"This sun means that we are going to have wind to-morrow; that floating log means that the river is rising, small thanks to it; that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff reef which is going to kill somebody's steamboat one of these nights, if it keeps on stretching out like that; those tumbling ‘boils' show a dissolving bar and a changing channel there; the lines and circles in the slick water over yonder are a warning that that troublesome place is shoaling up dangerously; that silver streak in the shadow of the forest is the ‘break' from a new snag, and he has located himself in the very best place he could have found to fish for steamboats; that tall dead tree, with a single living branch, is not going to last long, and then how is a body ever going to get through this blind place at night without the fr iendly old landmark? † 3 No, the romance and the beauty were all gone from the river. All the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat. Since those days, I have pitied doctors from my heart. What does the lovely flush in a beauty's cheek mean to a doctor but a â€Å"break† that ripples above some deadly disease? Are not all her visible charms sown thick with what are to him the signs and symbols of hidden decay? Does he ever see her beauty at all, or doesn't he simply view her professionally, and comment upon her unwholesome condition all to himself? And doesn't he sometimes wonder whether he has gained most or lost most by learning his trade?

Developmental Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Developmental Issues - Assignment Example From birth, children learn a lot from their surrounding. Their environmental factors also influence their lives. They do not adopt or construct any behavior biologically, but rather do so culturally. The culture makes a child label things as right or wrong, normal or abnormal. One of the most important lessons that young children learn is the gender roles and their qualities. These are taught through different mediums, intentionally or unintentionally. The mediums can be their parents, community, and culture or through the media to which they are exposed. The researchers have debated a lot on this matter and they have proven that a vital source for gender role stereotyping is television and it is the most powerful medium. Children learn very quickly from television and set great standards for children behavior, beliefs and policies (Witt, 2000).   Gender role stereotyping is the â€Å"socially and culturally define prescriptions and beliefs about the behavior and emotions of men a nd women (Signorielli, 1991)†. Actions are thought of as masculine or feminine and the actions that are associated with males are resistant to any change. â€Å"Researchers agree that children establish sex-roles very early in life and that television contribute a lot in creating gender-role expectations (Witt, 2000)†. ... The physical appearance and jobs assigned to the character are often based on the traditional stereotyping. Females are never seen as the heroes or the min character of the cartoon. They are mostly in the supporting roles. The females are shown as well dressed, pretty, and delicate and problem creators, while the males are shown as powerful, successful and problem solvers. There are many examples of gender stereotyping and violence in the cartoons for example, superman, Spiderman, Scooby doo, Flintstones, teenage mutant ninja turtles etc (Schmuckler,1998). I watched different cartoons and television shows that portray gender roles. It was evident in almost every television show, but the one that I feel had very clear examples for this was Rugrats. It has three boys and two girls. â€Å"Angelica† is portrayed as reluctant, creates clashes and acts as the boss to all. The boys are shown as the helpers, well wishers, fighting for everyone and handling the reluctant Angelica. And in the end of every episode, angelica is proved wrong and left out by all the other babies. In this cartoon, girls are shown as bossy, rude and over confident which is naturally not true. And the boys are shown as polite, friendly and loyal. This is not the only example; even Disney cartoons have gender role stereotyping be it Mickey Mouse, Donald duck, Cinderella or any other cartoon. Most of them have very few female characters. For example; there are very less episodes in which Donald duck’s wife made an appearance. In Cinderella, women are shown as delicate, beautiful, hard working and caring. The prince is portrayed as strong, confident and loving. The relation of opposite genders is more a fantasy than reality. This makes children start

Managed Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Managed Care - Essay Example Accreditation is the significant process that Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) need to pass in order to prove their credibility and quality. Both, service providers and customers consider the certification as highly important because it indicates that an organization has attained the standard of quality defined by the accrediting agency. The major Accrediting Agencies in the United States are ABQAURP, NCQA & HEDIS, The Joint Commission, AAAHC & AAAASF and URAC. Although the criteria for accreditation vary depending on the type of Managed Care Organizations and the accrediting agency, there are certain common factors that are applicable in the review. The Agencies usually consider the â€Å"MCO’s quality management program and its impact on operations, at utilization management and how it is carried out, at the MCO’s treatment of members and so forth.† (Kongstvedt., 2003 p. 239). TRICARE is a managed care option of Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) initiated by Department of Defense (DOD). The service has been delivered through its worldwide Military Health Service System (MHSS). DOD provides Tricare civilian health benefits for military personnel, military retirees, and their dependents through its 11 health service regions. It has also established a new administrative structure to supervise the delivery of health care. (Kongstvedt, 2003 p.1131). Tricare Standard (Fee for Service Program), Tricare Extra (Preferred Provider Option), Tricare Prime (HMO Option), US Family Health Plan, and Tricare Reserve Select (TRS) are some of the major plans of Tricare. As compared to other managed care services in the United States, Tricare offers more steady high quality health care benefits and reduced costs. Tricare service is accessible according to the priority of the beneficiaries as follows; active duty members, family members o f the active prime members, retirees and their family members, family

Comparative analysis essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparative analysis - Essay Example It focuses on a discussion on the socio-economic opportunities that exist in the United States of America. The author of the article goes further and highlights challenges that are usually ascribed to the processes or efforts directed by different quarters towards accessing these opportunities. Both the article focus on the realities ascribed to the socio-economic opportunities that have been associated with the United States of America, which are compared to other socio-economic opportunities of other countries. The first article, by Tim Harford highlights specific challenges that poor people face in the United States as they strive to access socio-economic opportunities for development. This is compared by some countries like; Finland, Denmark and Canada. The second article by Elisabeth also focuses on the realities associated with accessing socio-economic opportunities in the United States; she compares this with other countries located in Europe and Asia. The two articles also exhibit similarity in owing to the fact that they point out the reasons why certain groups have not been able to access the socio-economic opportunities in the United States, for instance: In the article by Tim Harford, he posits that many young people have not been able to access socio-economic opportunities in the United States due to the fact that they do not commit their efforts and time towards accessing these opportunities. In the second article, Elisabeth indicates that many people in the United States fail to access the socio-economic activities available owing to the fact that they fear failure hence do not attempt to make any effort. However, the two articles also exhibited slight differences in relation to the information provided. The article published by Tim Harford focuses more on the comparison of the manner through, which poor people access socio-economic opportunities in

Borderline Personality Disorders Research Paper

Borderline Personality Disorders - Research Paper Example Often patients who are difficult are labeled with the disorder without fully exploring all other possible explanations for behavior (Wirth, 2001). While it is considered one of the most often diagnosed conditions in the clinical setting with 10% of the population suffering from the disorder, one of the problems in asserting a defined prevalence of the disorder is that often it is associated with addictive behaviors or misdiagnosed (Swift 2010). There are three primary theories that guide the treatment of borderline personality disorder. Clinicians look to biological, cognitive-behavioral, and psychodynamic causes in order to approach an effective course of treatment (Gunderson and Links, 2008). In the assessment of behavior disorders, finding a cause can be an illusive prospect. One of the predominant issues with the disorder is the overwhelming feminization of the condition, the diagnosis being one of the first areas of concern when treating a female patient. The relationship that w omen have with their social environment is a primary concern in the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. ... The disorder can define the future of those who suffer from its effects with a series of unstable and unsuccessful relationships. Self-destructive behaviors will also be common creating an inability to find success and move forward into a stable and secure life. The criteria for diagnosis will appear in early adulthood marked by a variety of effects within variations of context. The primary diagnostic criteria include emotional instability, inappropriate or intense anger, self-destructive acts, impulsivity, unstable relationships, identity disturbance, and chronic feelings of emptiness or boredom (Wirth-Cauchon, 2001). These basic criteria is further defined by a list of contexts from which a refined diagnosis can be assessed (see Appendix 1). The condition has the highest prevalence amongst women, one of the primary causes appearing to be sexual abuse in childhood with a variety of effects then manifesting as a result later in adulthood. As well, other forms of abuse such as neglect , emotional abuse, or physical abuse have appeared as precursors to the development of the disorder. In a study that compared other patients to BPD patients, 71% had suffered traumas of physical abuse while 68% had suffered sexual abuse, while 62% had witnessed serious domestic violence (Wirth-Cauchon, 2001, p. 66). The most common comorbidity associated with BPD is that of substance abuse. However, according to Lee, Bagge, Schumacher, and Coffey (2010), the effects of BPD are no higher or lower in substance abusers as they are in non-substance abusing patients. Therefore, the substance abuse seems to be a part of the of the self-destructive behavior rather than a

Deontological Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Deontological Ethics - Essay Example This project aims to shed more light on deontology and virtue ethics, which are some of the principles on which philosophy is founded. The term deontology is derived from two Greek words: Deon, which means duty and logos, meaning study. Contrary to aretaic theories that normally focus on the character and personality that is instilled within us, deontology is based on the deontic theories which normally guide and asses some of the decisions that we make in our day-to-day activities. In making such decisions; nevertheless, we are expected to take into consideration the aspects of the society that are morally required, morally forbidden and are morally permitted. Concisely, we can refer to deontology as the moral aspects of our life that guides some of the decisions that we make. Deontological theories can be classified into several categories, which range from agent-centred, patent-centred, contractarian, as well as deontological theories based on Kant. The agent-centred theories hold the belief that decisions should normally be made based on objective reasoning (Burnor and Raley 426). The patent centred theories, on the other hand, argue that decisions should normally be based on the rights of various people within the society. In as much as some aspects of these theories are different, they share the ideology that choices cannot always be justified by their effects. This is to imply that no matter the moral outcome of some decisions, they should not be carried out. Unlike consequentialism, which does not take into consideration some of the aspects of society, the deontological theories have largely been appreciated. It is because they provide those who are involved in the decision-making process to consider various aspects within the society including friends, family members as well as some of the projects that are being undertaken by the community. Similarly, scholars have often argued that the deontological theories are not too demanding. This is

Tax Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Tax - Research Paper Example Inherently, the Democratic Party openly endorses a tax system that will see the wealthiest, together with corporations pay their fair share of tax. Moreover, they are calling for decisive steps to be made in order to restore fiscal responsibility. Actually, Obama proposes that tax for people earning over $250,000 annually be raised. Essentially, this will affect about 1% of the country’s population, and moreover, this is expected to reduce the deficit with about $ 4.2 trillion in the next decade. In addition, democratic platform follows the framework for corporate tax reform that was introduced by the president (Kapur 5). Actually, the reform advocates for use of closure of corporate tax holes so as to pay for lower tax rates. Notably also, the platform also seeks to undo corporate tax credits together with deductions for the businesses that mainly shift jobs overseas and in the same time lower the rates for the corporations that have invested in the country, especially in res earch and manufacturing. On the other hand, Gleckman, purports that the 2012 republican platform proposes an absolute overhaul of the federal tax system and instead, it calls for a national sales tax or value added tax as the best solution to the country’s budget problems (4). Further, the republicans claim that the move will involve instituting a value added tax, which entails a tax that will confiscate money at different stages of production process. More importantly, Romney also plans to cut taxes by 20 percent, for all as well as do away with alternative minimum tax together with estate tax as well. In addition, his tax plans also speaks of eliminating taxes on investment income for the couples earning an income of below $200,000 (and $100,000 for individuals), as well as maintain the current low tax rates for those with high incomes. The US federal income tax structures base on models of aggregation in expenditure. Application of the Euler equation approach of Hall (978),