Counterstereotype Essay Example for Free

Counterstereotype Essay Stereotypes are so prevalent in our everyday lives that people don’t even realize that they are making racist comments. They are so use to making these comments in their own inner circles, that they don’t even realize how detrimental they can be outside of their circle. Stereotypes affect people’s social lives, emotions, and how people interact with their environment. Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination are known to be related but having different concepts. Stereotypes are regarded as the most cognitive component, prejudice as the affective and discrimination as the behavioural component of prejudicial reactions. That slight pause in the processing of a stereotype gives conscious, unprejudiced beliefs a chance to take over. With time, the tendency to prevent automatic stereotyping may itself become automatic. Past studies have shown that people perform poorly in situations where they feel they are being stereotyped. Are there lingering effects of prejudice? Does being stereotyped have an impact beyond the moment when stereotyping happens? Stereotypes have an enormous impact of how we feel. It affects people’s social lives, emotions, and how people interact with their environment. Regarding the quote, â€Å"If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? From The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare, even after a person leaves a situation where they faced negative stereotypes, the effects of coping with that situation remain. People are more likely to be aggressive after theyve faced prejudice in a given situation. They are more likely to exhibit a lack of self-control. They have trouble making good, rational decisions and are more likely to over-indulge on unhealthy foods. These days’ people are afraid to be themselves, because they fear other people. They don’t want people to think something bad for them. Secrets, thoughts, and ideas, are all held down. Stereotypes can be an obstacle as to how open you are with people and how you make people feel when you are with them. Instead of focusing on all the mistakes of each person, we should start paying more attention of how unique each person is. Stereotype causes people to feel lonely and even sometimes depressed. It’s also harmful for their environment and their social life. We should keep stereotypes out of the picture, even though sometimes we can be victims ourselves. The study of culture may someday tell us where the seeds of prejudice originated; for now, the study of the unconscious shows us just how deeply theyre planted.

When and Why Good Proteins Go Bad

When and Why Good Proteins Go Bad The body manufactures proteins by chaining together smaller molecules called amino acids. Once the amino acids are chained together, they fold into complex three-dimensional shapes. How a protein folds determines what a protein does. In the 1950s, Nobel laureate Linus Pauling figured out that for most proteins, there are two preferred basic shapes: An alpha helix, where the protein folds into a right-handed spiral coil; and A beta sheet configuration, like a stack of folded cardboard panels. Chris Dobson, the head of Cambridges chemistry department, is one of the worlds leading experts on proteins. He found that proteins dont always fold up correctly into their native state. Using chemical agents and heat energy, Dobson showed that it was easy to unfold protein molecules. And once unfolded, the misfolded molecules can morph into long, thin fibrils that stick together and grow into clumps, or amyloids, which over time could lead to amyloid diseases. Such amyloids almost never build up in healthy living cells because the cells have control systems to prevent molecules from misfolding. But these cellular controls can fail for multiple reasons such as genes, environment, and age. Even though each disease involves a different protein alpha-synuclein is involved with PD, tau and amyloid-beta with Alzheimers, and huntingtin with Huntintons disease the cellular control systems fail in much the same way. In 1972, a physician named Stanley Prusiner watched one of his patients die of a rare condition called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In this rapidly progressing disease, patients suffer dementia, memory loss, and hallucinations. He discovered that this disease had linked to two other infectious neurodegenerative disease: scrapie a disease that affects sheep and goats with a kind of animal dementia; and kuru a disease of the Fore tribe in New Guinea. Prusiner noted that the three diseases had much in common. All were 100 percent fatal. All left sponge-like holes in their victims brains. All killed without evoking an immune response. All required long incubation times generally measured in years. All appeared to be contagious; when brain tissue from deceased sheep or people was injected into healthy animals, the recipients got sick. In the 1980s and 1990s, scientists found four other diseases that behaved like scrapie, kuru, and Credtzfeldt-Jakob disease: bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease; a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease resulting from eating BSE-diseased cattle (vCJD), something that had caused a massive public health scare in Britain; and two very rare hereditary diseases, fatal familial insomnia and Gerstmann-Strà ¤ussler-Scheinker disease. But most remarkable was that this set of diseases appeared to be carried by a pathogen unlike anything seen in the history of medicine. The mysterious entity was very difficult to kill. Scrapie brain tissue, for example, remained infectious even after being frozen, boiled in water, soaked in formaldehyde, exposed to ionizing radiation, and flooded with intense ultraviolet light- processes that were known to rapidly destroy the DNA and RNA inside pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Prusiner spend years trying to isolate the infectious agent. He found no virus. He claimed that the disease was directly spread by proteins not just any proteins, but infectious ones, which he called prions. In 1997, Prusiner received the Nobel Prize for discovery of prions. Something similar seems to happen with all amyloid diseases: misfolded single proteins (monomers) stick to other molecules to form oligomers, which grow into fibrils, which become amyloid plaques. Along the way, growing fibril structures can break off and serve as templates for secondary amyloid growth. The secondary spread of fibrils is quicker in pure prion diseases like scrapie; thats what may account for prion diseases animal-to-animal contagiousness. But the idea is the same for noncontagious diseases like PD. And compelling evidence that alpha-synuclein could spread in a prion-like manner in fact emerged in 2007, data that persuaded neuroscientists and chemist. In 2007, by performing autopsies of neural grafting patients, Swedish scientist Patrik Brundin and the neuropathologist Jeff Kordower came up with two conclusion. First, the fetal transplants did not stop the progression of the disease; even after the transplanting of the new cells, the disease process continued. Second, the misfolded alpha-synuclein was truly capable of jumping from cell to cell in a prion-like fashion. Given time, the misfolded protein could spread throughout the brain. This was somewhat of a paradigm shift, and a new era in PD research started. Dobson believes these protein-folding disease will be easier to cure than cancer. To slow down Alzheimers and PD, you need to reduce the amount of beta amyloid and alpha-synuclein. One compound named Anle138b has proved effective in mouse models of PD. It crossed the blood-brain barrier, caused no adverse effects at high doses, and significantly reduced oligomer accumulation. As a result, Anle138b-treated parksinsonian mice experience less nerve call degeneration and survived much longer than untreated controls. Key Takeaways Misfolded proteins can morph into an amyloid form leading to amyloid diseases such as PD, Alzheimers, and Huntingons disease. Stanley Prusiner discovered prion, an infectious agent composed entirely of protein material, that can fold in multiple ways, leading to disease similar to viral infection.

Calculators Essays -- Essays Papers

Calculators Calculators in the Classroom As the world changes and grows, more things are created to make people's everyday lives easier. One tool that can be used in school to help facilitate math is the calculator. This technology allows students to use a machine to obtain answers instead of using PPA (Paper and Pencil Arithmetic). Like any technology, there is fear on how to best use it to help facilitate growth in students. If the calculator is used properly in the classroom, it can be a beneficial tool for pupils. The calculator enables students to concentrate on math instead of focusing on tedious tasks that are not used in everyday life such as long division. If the calculator becomes a tool that elementary students use more often in the classroom, it will only help them become better students of mathematics over time. One of the many things that prevent the calculator from being more widely used in the elementary school are the many negative myths about calculators and how they adversely affect students in elementary schools. One belief that is held by many parents and teachers is that calculators hinder students’ ability to grow as thinkers. People believe that the calculator is doing the work instead of the students. This idea is absurd. Pupils need to push the buttons on the machine and in the correct order to come up with the right answer (Lambdin, Lindquist, Reys, Smith & Suydam, 2001). In fact the calculator enables the student to use more of their intellect because the machine allows the student to free itself from performing arduous tasks which allows the student to focus on how he or she obtained the answer (Lambdin et al, 2001). Another impediment to using ca... ...ad to be done so the results would be precise. This one experiment involving a tool of mathematics integrated science and math. This is just one way that the calculators can be used to benefit elementary students. If the calculator is used properly in the classroom, it can be a great tool that benefits students and teachers. This machine allows teachers to focus on other school subjects that they would have spent on teaching aspects of mathematics that are no longer used today. The tool is beneficial to the pupil because if it is used properly, it allows the student to spend time on how they came to answer instead of reaching the answer and leaving class because time ran out. As teachers and students use the calculator on regular basis, more people will see that in fact it is a tool that is necessary for the student to grow and not a hindrance.

The Rise and Fall of Shakespeares Lady Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

The Rise and Fall of Lady Macbeth         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lady Macbeth's character is one of complexity;   slowly,   but continuously changing throughout the play.   What begins as a struggle for power and a longing to shred her femininity turns Lady Macbeth into what she fears most - a guilt ridden weakling.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the beginning ( I, v, 43-54) ,   we see Lady Macbeth reacting to the news of her husbands success and King Duncan's visit.   This ignites her lust for power.   In the quote â€Å"...unsex me here, /   And fill me from the crown to the toe top full/ Of direst cruelty!   make thick my   blood;.../ Come thick night,/   And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,/ That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,†Ã‚   Lady Macbeth talks of wanting all of the cold blooded aspects of â€Å" manliness† so she can kill King Duncan with no remorse - she sees herself   as having these qualities more than her husband,   and because of this,   in a sense, wishes to shed her womanhood.   We can see this ruthless nature more in depth in the quote â€Å"I would,   while it was smiling in my face,/   Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,/ and dash'd the brains out,   had I so sworn as you/ Have done to this† (I,vii,56-59)   She is obviously a very bitter female, frequently referring to her role as a woman,   both physically and emotionally in negative ways.   In the above quote,   Lady Macbeth is commenting on her husband's lack of gall,   stating,   that quite frankly,   she would make a better man than he.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although still a very strong woman,   we see the first signs of weakness in Lady's Macbeth's character in Act II,   Scene ii,   12-13.   She says,   â€Å"Had he not resembled/   My father as he slept,   I had done it.†Ã‚   She is giving an excuse for not killing Duncan herself.   As you can plainly see,   this is not the same Lady Macbeth that would bash a baby's brains in in the beginning of the play. Throughout the play,   Macbeth's character grows stronger as Lady Macbeth's will regresses.   It even gets to where Macbeth will not include his wife in his villianous schemes,   where at one time,   it was Lady Macbeth who was implementing these schemes in his head in the first place.   In a sense,   the two characters switch roles;   Lady Macbeth taking a backseat to her husband almost becoming wallpaper for the rest of the play.   The turning point for Lady Macbeth is when she learns of her husband's slaying of Macduff's family.

Galapagos Essay -- essays research papers

Kurt Vonnegut's Galapagos was written one million years ahead of the year 1986 AD. In this book, Vonnegut argues that the ultimate effect of humanity's sociological problems with technology is that man's intelligence will be the downfall and destruction of the human race. The essential point made by Vonnegut in this work is that the "great big brains" of humanity drives people to go further into technology and create new weapons that will lead to the demolition of man kind; Vonnegut disagreed against virtually every technological development (made by â€Å"big brains†). It was the humans’ â€Å"big brains† that always gave them foolish or reckless ideas that almost always had negative results. Though it may tell the rest of your body to do the things that make you eat, breathe and sleep, it will occasionally tell you to something that might endanger or kill you. For example, Mary Hepburn’s big brain was telling her she had nothing to live for, and gave her the urge to grab the plastic wrap from her red gown to suffocate herself and commit suicide (page 26). Kurt Vonnegut journeyed into the minds of each of the characters, the readers are be able to know what the character was thinking, which played a good part in the story; particularly because the author made mention to how the great big brains of one million years ago (1986 A.D.) gave people all of these thoughts and ideas that people â€Å"today† can’t do with their smaller brains. The characters begins with a ghost of a deca...

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

The only constant is change. It is inevitable that every person throughout their life will transform in some way—for good or for bad. Changing for the better usually starts with a selfish, egotistic person who is trying to be less interested in him/herself, and more interested in others. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, this type of transformation is easily recognized. â€Å"When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness~Joseph Campbell. McMurphy parellels the previous quote by Joseph Campbell, and by examining his actions and relationships, the reader is able to see that he is transformed from an originally selfish man into a self-less hero. Randal Patrick McMurphy is introduced as an extremely selfish man who will do anything to benefit his own personal gain. This is evidently displayed through the description of his past actions, and also through the w ay he treats the other patients on the ward. Motivated by self-interest throughout his life, McMurphy’s past can not only be labeled as that of a criminal, but of an egotistical criminal who completely disregards the feelings of others repeatedly. â€Å"McMurry, Randle Patrick. Committed by the state from Pendleton Farm for Correction. For diagnosis and possible treatment. Thirty-five years old. Never married. Distinguished Service Cross in Korea, for leading an escape from a Communist prison camp. A dishonorable discharge, afterward, for insubordination. Followed by a history of street brawls and barroom fights and a series of arrests for Drunkenness, Assault and Battery, Disturbing the Peace, repeated gambling, and one arrest—for Rape. † (Kesey 44) The charges that Randall proudly displays while he is introducing himself manifests that his character is irresponsible on account of his behaviour for Drunkenness, violent—shown through Assault and Battery charges, and deranged which is evident in his arrest for Rape. Each of these characteristics that make up his criminal personality can be associated with that of an extremely selfish and negligent man. Furthermore, McMurphy displays his mercenariness when it comes to his repetitive gambling. Not only was McMurphy charged for this in the past, but his disregard for the rules and his lack of sensitivity for the well being of others allow him to continue to gamble with the patients in the Oregon asylum. McMurphy is constantly hassling the patients to gamble with him on subjects such as poker, the Chief lifting the control panel, and McMurphy driving Big Nurse insane—with the knowledge that he is going to win. Many of the patients in the ward are in debt because of McMurphy. â€Å"How much did you lose, Bruce? Mr. Sefelt? Mr. Scanlon? I think you all have some idea what your personal losses were, but do you know what his total winnings came to, according to deposits he has made at Funds? Almost three hundred dollars. † (222) Treating his fellow patients like this and disregarding the consequences that they will face due to his gambling, McMurphy show’s the reader that he is only there to benefit himself. The once selfish personality that McMurphy heavily displays in the beginning of the novel is starting to undergo change. The fishing trip that McMurphy plans for the patients is a distinct event where the reader is able to see a transformation because he shows characteristics of his selfish side, but also of his new self-less personality. Before going on the fishing trip, McMurphy cheated the other patient’s by charging them too much money. â€Å"Seventy dollars? So? I thought you told the patients you’d need to collect a hundred dollars plus ten of your own to finance the trip Mr. McMurphy. † (197) Big Nurse questions McMurphy until it is completely obvious that he was making money off of taking the patients on this trip. Contrasted to this act however, while on the boat McMurphy helps each of the men to act for, and stand up for themselves. He teaches them to laugh, fish, and act like a man even though they have been suppressed from their ability to do so with Big Nurse. â€Å"They could sense a change that most of us were only suspecting; these weren’t the same bunch of weak-knees from a nuthouse that they’d watched take their insults on the dock this morning. (215) McMurphy set aside his time to help these men because he could tell they needed to learn for themselves—it was only then that they would be able to stick up to Big Nurse. He is becoming more and more aware of the responsibility he has on teaching and leading the men. Another event where both sides of Macks’ (McMurphys’) personalities are displayed is thro ugh the simple action that he takes by standing up to the Nurse. Cheswick takes great pride in McMurphy’s actions and starts to follow them. However, when McMurphy finds out he is committed, he completely disregards the importance of his status, nd stops helping Cheswick— who commits suicide right after he says â€Å"I do wish something mighta been done though.. † (151) After this incident, McMurphy’s rebellious nature goes from self-interest to devotion of helping the other inmates, and he enshrines himself in being an example for them so that nobody ever gets hurt like Cheswick did. Once McMurphy realizes how important the power and responsibility that he has put on himself is, the transformation from a self-interested criminal into a respected hero was complete. He dedicates his time, and well-being to aid the others patients who could not do so for themselves. McMurphy was their hero. In the showers one day, George—a germophobe—was having a tough time with the black boys and could not defend himself. In seeing this, McMurphy stepped in: â€Å"I said that’s enough, buddy† (229) McMurphy repeatedly argued, and fought with the boys’ until he was taken away by aides of the Disturbed ward. The punishment: Electroshock Therapy. In this situation, McMurphy was not previously aware of the consequences, but still gave himself to helping another. Following this incident, McMurphy is well aware of the consequences he would face—but still made a conscious decision to do all that he is able to for his friends. A hero is considered to be a man noted for nobility and courage; especially one who has risked his life. McMurphy is a hero; a martyr; a figure of Christ. After Billy had slit his throat due to the tyrannous power of the Nurse, McMurphy attacked her. Knowing full well that this action would result in a lobotomy, he did it anyways for Billy and the others on the ward. Even though he sacrificed his own life, he stood against oppressive powers and displayed to the others his bravery and loyalty. â€Å"We couldn’t stop him because we were the ones making him do it. It wasn’t the nurse that was forcing him, it was our need that was making him push himself†¦ It was us that had been making him go on for weeks, keeping him standing long after his feet and legs had given out, weeks of making him wink and grin and laugh and go on with his act long after his humour had been parched dry between two electrodes. (267) Easily compared to Christ, McMurphy acted as a saviour and saint to his fellow men. His death was dignified, and it was for other people. A truly heroic transformation was completed throughout McMurphy’s commitance at the Oregon State Asylum. He started out as a self-involved criminal who was treating the fellow patients poorly, and slowly became more herioc as he showed signs of helping the men, mixed with his old self ish ways. Ending off, Randal P. By examining his actions and relationships, McMurphy is finally seend as a man who sacrificed himself for a greater cause; he evolved into a hero. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a Classic American novel that is filled with correlating events that portray women as monsters through misogynistic actions and language. Throughout time, society advocated that man was the dominate role that was in charge in almost every aspect, while women stayed at home and were inferior figures. However, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest shows how society acts misogynistic, or shows hatred towards women, when there is a reversal of these stereotypical gender roles; women are instantly depicted as monsters and uniformly terrifying. McMurphy’s actions in the ward, Kesey establishing women as over-oppressive, and women being portrayed as terrifying figures all illustrate how society acts misogynistic when there is a reversal in the roles of men and women. The man figure thrives off being dominant and in control, and when that power is threatened or not in place, male figures instantly bash the women society. McMurphy’s actions towards the nurse, such as disrespecting the nurse, indicate misogynistic qualities as it signifies women do not deserve respect. When McMurphy is enrolled in the hospital, Nurse Ratched has a set of rules set forth that everyone is to comply to so they can become healthy. However, McMurphy being the misogynistic character that he is, starts a war between the nurse and himself as he finds the rules overbearing. McMurphy then shows a hatred of women as he disrespects the nurse and fails to comply to the rules she set in place. He begins by being loud and obnoxious and disrupting the peace in the ward, and when the nurse asks him to quiet down he only becomes more difficult by showing his naked body. The nurse goes to confront him about being loud and â€Å"McMurphy steps out of the latrine door right in front of her holding that towel around his hips† (86). The nurse states that he cannot run around the ward revealing his body, but only laughs in her face and gets a kick out of her being uncomfortable. By lacking the wherewithal to comply to such simple rules that were established by the women work force reveals a sense of misogyny in the novel. He is not only disrespecting and establishing his hatred for the nurse and the women in the hospital, he is teaching the other patients that it is okay to have a hate for women. When McMurphy is forced to attend the meetings that are meant to help each patient get problems off their chest, he states that â€Å"she’s a bitch and a buzzard and a ball cutter† (54) for bringing up Harding’s issues with his wife. Nurse Ratched sees that the issues that Harding experiences with is wife are part of the reason why he is wrapped up in a mental ward, and McMurphy only uses misogynistic language to describe the nurse. McMurphy continues to show his misogynistic characteristics has he disobeys the rules of the ward at a higher level; he physically harms another patient. When McMurphy is trying to be restrained for fighting he only â€Å"drove a fist square in the center of the white, starched chest† (237) of the aide that worked for the nurse. The fight in the shower only further signifies the hatred of women that McMurphy had. He decided to disrupt the peace in the ward and not only make the life difficult for the nurse but difficult for her workers. Kesey strengths the idea of misogyny as he establishes the nurse and other female characters, such as the nurse, as over-oppressive figures who emasculate the male characters. The purpose of the ward is to enable patients to receive treatment that will help them get better so they can function in society. However, Kesey implies that women are merely characters who are detrimental to the male’s as they castrate them. For instance, Chief Bromden’s mother is portrayed as this overbearing character who turned his father into a weak alcoholic from a big strong chief. The chief’s father was a big man and married a women from Dallas, and he signifies that the emasculating began as his mother made them take on her last name, Bromden. The Chief proceeds to portray his mother as an emasculator as he states, â€Å"my mother made him to little to fight any more and he gave up† when the government was trying to take away his tribe and land (188). Thus, a sense of hatred is brought forth as the Chief is stating that women will turn you form a big, strong man into a weak alcoholic, just as his mother did to his father. Similarly, Billy Bibbit’s mother will not let him develop sexually and treats him as an infant to be watched over by the nurse. When Billy goes and has sex with Candy, the prostitute, he gains this sense of manhood and dominance. However, the nurse is portrayed as an emasculator as she threatens to tell Billy’s mother that he has had sex; ultimately taking away the manhood he briefly gained. The nurse states, â€Å"Mrs. Bibbit’s always been so proud of your decision. I know she has. This is going to disturb her terribly. You know how she is when she gets disturbed, Billy; you know how ill the poor women can become† (271). Scared of loosing his mother’s love Billy’s voice â€Å"scraped the white, bare walls of the seclusion room† and he â€Å"lifted his chin so he was shouting at the moon of light in the ceiling† (271). After Billy commits suicide over the situation, and everyone suggests that the nurse is the reason Billy killed himself. Thus, the idea of misogyny is further noticeable in the text as Kesey is applying that women are these over bearing individuals that strip men of their manhood. Within in the novel, Kesey illustrates the demeanor of the women character as terrifying and almost monster like. This creates a misogynistic undertone within the text as women are not being portrayed as a nurturing figure, they are these terrifying people that the men are afraid of. Right away the image of the nurse is depicted as this huge monster like an image that punishes for any wrong doing. In the beginning of the novel the aides of the nurse are slacking from their job, and as the nurse sees them mumbling together in a group Chief Bromden indicates that she is going to â€Å"tear the black bastards limb from limb† and that she â€Å"blows up bigger and bigger, as big as a tractor† (5). The nurse is being portrayed as this beast like figure that takes on this hideous form whenever she is unhappy with people and their actions. Fundamentally, there is a misogynistic setting being set forth as the Chief is indicating that a women in power, such as the nurse, takes on these hideous qualities. Rather then being depicted as upset or annoyed with the aides, any nurturing and loving qualities are instantly stripped as she is described as a creature. In a sense women being terrifying figures is further evident as Harding, a patient in the ward, proclaims, â€Å"We are victims or matriarchy here, my friend, and that doctor is just as helpless as we are. He knows all Ratched has to do is pick up that phone you see sitting at her elbow and call the supervisor and mention, oh, say, that the doctor seems to be making a great number of requisitions for Demerol† (56). Ultimately the Nurse is being portrayed as this terrifying figure that must be obeyed, and when disobeyed she can have it so you are addicted to the strongest drugs possible. A misogynistic undertone is being established as it is evident that Kesey is attempting to insinuate that women in the text are centralized on having complete and utter control rather then on helping patients get better. Another character that underlings the misogynic undertone in the novel is Billy Bibbit’s mother; she is a terrifying figure in the eyes of Billy. Billy has dreams of going to college and looking for a wife, however, when he brings these topics up with his mother â€Å"she only tickled him with the fluff and laughed at such foolishness† (254). Thus, women are being presented as these terrifying figures that will not let you escape from their grasp. They want to have complete control so they can always establish the rules. Society is based of the status quo of men and women; men love being in control over the women and dictating the rules of a society. However, when a women seizes power in a particular culture there can be a sense of misogyny that is established. Such examples of McMurphy’s barbaric actions in the ward, Kesey establishing women as controlling figure, and women being noted as feared all underline misogynistic qualities that a society takes on when males are upset with a women in power. These qualities all are detrimental to the women society; they are not being illustrated as caring and loving, they are presented as people who create a struggle for everyone else. Just as the society of the mental ward has a hatred for Nurse Ratched, they take on these qualities in attempt to force her to leave, so they can be set free from her grasp. They want a new leader for the ward and by being misogynistic they believe that it will cause the nurse to leave as no one wants to live hated in a society. Furthermore, the ward acts with misogyny as they strive to tire the nurse out from all the stress being created so that she will eventually break down and give up her position. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a tale of rebellion against the obvious authority cloaked within the walls of an insane asylum and redemption through it. The setting is one played out many times before in various hero stories. A man enters a foreign place, meets oppressed indigenous people, decides to help them see the light, and gives his life for the greater good. In this case the protagonist is not the narrator, but rather McMurphy, a con-man and gambler who fixes his way out of hard labor and into a seemingly cushy hospital setting. Little does he realize he just signed his freedom away to Gestapo dressed as nurses. From the moment he steps into the hospital his freedom is questioned. The nurses acting as dictators, especially Nurse Ratched, try to take complete control of every patient, of every aspect, and the more one struggles the harder their life becomes. For McMurphy what is a challenge to established sanction in the beginning, becomes a fight for the freedom of all patients in the end. The power of the nurses dictatorship runs in three themes throughout the book; false diagnoses of illness, women emasculating men, and social destruction of natural impulses and drives. The emasculation of men is a theme found through out the entire novel. Not only are the men weakened through embarrassment, but also destroyed through castration. Seeing the men gathered for their talks with the nurses was just one of the many ways the men were destroyed emotionally. Bromden himself commented on this torture of patience which in a sense took their balls. The struggle there is not against just one woman but an entire system. A matriarchy set up with easily controllable subordinates to Ratched and watchdogs who are the men full of anger working underneath her. This power struggle is not an unknown phenomenon to the men there as most of the patients have had controlling women in their lives before. One great example of this is the mother of the narrator who is a woman that took control just as the women of the hospital. Bromdens mother turned his father into an alcoholic weakling and even made him take her last name further weakening the chief. Another example came later in the novel when McMurphy commissioned a prostitute to sleep with Billy. This form of therapy did seem to help him recover, however Nurse Ratched threatened to tell his mother because of which he committed suicide. This idea of suicide was not the only one as another of the patients castrated himself and others commented that all a man had to do was wait a bit. Moving further into the oppression of men we step into the realms of the destruction of impulse. The novel makes a strong distinction between the natural and the mechanical. Bromden, being a man of the land and the son of a Native American chief, is the embodiment of nature trapped within social confines. He is born free as he hunts with his father as a child until the government buys out the land and so starts his battle to regain his place in nature. The hospital and the staff are all seen as agents of the unnatural. The staff is described as consisting of mechanical parts and the hospital it self has is a machine at the control of Ratched. Bromden goes on to describe a fog machine that is used to fill the hospital and cloud the vision of the patients. This of course is symbolic for the clouding of judgment and in effect the manipulation of sanity as a mind unable to see clearly will not be one to make sound decisions. McMurphy’s entrance into the hospital is a representation of natural impulse and raw sexuality clashing directly with the mechanical. As he walks in he laughs and Bromden comments how that is the first real laugh he has heard in long time. Later in the novel McMurphy brags about his conquests of a young girl which led to his incarceration adding to social constraints presented in the story. As the novel nears end McMurphy does free many of the patients which symbolizes the return to the natural and a weakening of authoritative grip when they walk out of the hospital. This however, is directly tied in to him loosing his mind via lobotomy. This brings the final theme for the subjugation of freedom found within the story; false diagnosis. Sometime before McMurphy ever stepped foot in the asylum there was a rebel before him. Though this man did not seem to challenge the system as harshly as McMurphy he was not a roll over either. He did, however question the process which is evident from his inquiry to the medication he was taking. He was treated via intense electro shock therapy and lobotomy from which he lost his ability to reason, his fighting spirit, and indeed his personality. The man became a human cow for which he was later released and praised as cured by Nurse Ratched. This was an erroneous diagnosis as the man was perhaps as healthy as most. The issue was brought up in the novel stating that a man of sound mind questions, however it is insane to do so at the challenge of authority as majority rules. The case was very much the same for McMurphy. When he rebelled he was not seen as a man rebelling but a patient loosing a grip on reality. Though, it is unclear whether Nurse Ratchet really saw it that way, it would seem that she was too concerned with having absolute control to care for the peoples well being. This in turned caused to the patients treated inhumanly within the hospital and leant to the fear of leaving. What happened in the hospital was tragic and in many ways analogous to a dictatorship of a nation. When a dictator has absolute control of a country the people must have a fear instilled in them in order to remain in control. This is how the hospital operated with Ratched unchallenged based on the fear of what she may do to the men there. This was the case until McMurphy showed them to live out side the confines of a mental prison of fear.

Children Literature

Children Literature in a Pluralistic Society Mariela Cuevas ENG/290 June 1, 2012 Dr. Denese Wolff How theoretical models and critical approaches apply to children’s literature. The importance of understanding the complexity of the way children’s learn is crucial. Each age faces a different challenge and opens a door to a new learning step. Children are like sponges and the responsibility of teaching children is an experience that only teachers that have the passion of education can understand.Children develop a personality and character within the first seven years therefore selecting a good school is as important as creating good food habits, sleeping routine, or reading the appropriate books. Every action can create an impact in a child. Prospective teachers have the responsibility to learn how children develop and the complexity of each age. Learning to understand children’s abilities and curiosity can only be a benefit for the child and the teacher. The book selected is â€Å"The Giving Tree† by Shel Silverstain.This book offers a message that teaches a good lesson about the importance of giving and receiving. The book is very simple vocabulary, and nice simple designs as well. Easy to read, and understand. â€Å"The Giving Tree† offers a simple environment in which the reader can relate. The little boy growing at the same time as the tree is. The tree offers any assistance to please the boy without expecting anything in return but company and fulfilled the need of being needed. The history at the end leaves a good sensation. There are many theories about the child development; however, four of them are relevant to mention.The theory of Jean Piaget focused on the intellectual development. Erik Erikson wanted to understand better about children social development, and Lawrence Kohlberg focused on the moral side. The fourth theory from Vygotsky although explains about social development differs significantly from the rest of theories. One theory that would apply for this book would be the Kohlberg’s Theory of the development of moral judgment in which children start learning about what is right and wrong in life. Kohlberg divides his theory in two stages, or levels, the pre-conventional and the conventional. The Giving Tree† is a book in which children read about giving and receiving. Children learn about sharing moments fun and not so happy too. The book also touch the subject about the evolution of life starting with a little boy looking to play in the swing and ending with an elder man looking to sit. Books as â€Å"The Giving Tree† can offer a different message during the childhood, because every age has a different level if understanding therefore â€Å"The Giving Tree† is a highly recommend lecture for children even after the elementary age.