Tolkiens Lord of the Rings as a Catholic Epic :: Lord of the Rings Essays

Tolkien's Lord of the Rings as a Catholic Epic It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us. To begin with, it must be remembered that Catholic culture and Catholic faith, while mutually supportive and symbiotic, are not the same thing. Mr. Walker Percy, in his Lost in the Cosmos, explored the difference, and pointed out that, culturally, Catholics in Cleveland are much more Protestant than Presbyterians in say, Taos, New Orleans, or the South of France. Erik, Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, points out that the effects of this dichotomy upon politics, attributing the multi-party system in Catholic countries to the Catholic adherence to absolutes; he further ascribes the two-party system to the Protestant willingness to compromise. However this may be, it does point up a constant element in Catholic thought---the pursuit of the absolute. Here we must make an aside in regard to the U.S. Catholic culture in America is practically non-existent, except in attenuated form among such peoples as the Hispanos and Indians of Northern New Mexico, the Cajuns and Creoles of Louisiana and the other Gulf States, and the old English Catholic settlements of Maryland and Kentucky. Elsewhere the Faith was brought by immigrants, and its attendant culture has, like all imported ones in the States, veered between preservation and assimilation. This was exacerbated by the fact that Catholic leadership in the United States was early committed to a programme of cultural melding. In addition, this leadership was primarily Irish, a nationality which had been deprived of much of its native culture by centuries of Protestant Ascendancy. Hence it has been extremely difficult for Americans, even American Catholics, to understand or appreciate the Catholic thing (as Chesterton described it) in a cultural context. I am reminded of the astonishment of a classmateof mine (from a typical American Catholic High School) at seeing an anthology of Catholic poetry. This situation has been greatly accentuated in the past twenty years by the changes occurring after Vatican II. This being so, it will be necessary to describe a little of the uniquely Catholic world view. In fine, it is a sacramental one. At the heart of all Catholic life is a miracle, a mystery, the Blessed Sacrament.

Edgar Allan Poes The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar Essay -- Facts

Edgar Allan Poe's The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar Edgar Allan Poe's The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar is one of his more interesting works. Granted, this is one of his lesser-known works, but nevertheless this short story is clear example of the obsession theme that is so prominent in the majority of Poe's work. In fact, the obsession the narrator in the story closely resembles Poe himself because he was somewhat obsessed or infatuated with mesmerism for a while. This could be one example where Poe allows the reader into himself (as the narrator) or this could be yet another of Poe's tricks on his audience. In either case, this is a fascinating work that combines his trademark Gothic style with numerous customs and ideas of the day in a short yet substantial work. It would be somewhat accurate to call Poe "the inventor of American Gothic." American gothic did exist before Poe, but he was the man who took this genre to its zenith. Poe's stories generally have some element of the supernatural or mysterious in them, a solitary speaker who is normally "not normal" (many ask "Am I mad?" or insist they are not mad), usually set somewhere in Europe in some remote place at midnight. His brand of American Gothic allows for both the supernatural and physiological interpretations. Many of his narrators show some degree of madness and obsession. In fact, obsession seems to be evident in nearly every Poe tale. Poe's concept of madness is two-fold: physiological and mental/ psychological. Roderick Usher in The Fall of The House of Usher is an example of being mad from a psychological condition of his family practicing incest. The narrator in Ligeia is another example of this physical madness, this man was suffering from al... ...ffman, Daniel. Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe. New York: Doubleday, 1972. Howarth, William. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Poe's Tales. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1971. Forclaz, Robert. "Psychoanalysis and Edgar Allan Poe: A Critique of the Bonaparte Thesis." Ed. Eric W. Carlson. Critical Essays On Edgar Allan Poe. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1987. 187-195. Gauld, Alan. A History of Hypnotism. Cambridge UP, 1992. Matthews, Terry C., . Writing Scientific Papers. Decatur, Il: Millikin University Biology Department. Ostrom, John Ward. The Letters of Edgar Allan Poe. Vol 2. NewYork: Gordian Press, 1966. 2 vols. Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case." The Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe, 1850. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe. The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. 19 Nov. 2001. 9 Dec. 2001. http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/vldmard.htm.

My Thoughts About “Do You Speak American?”

After watching this video, I asked myself â€Å"Do I speak American? † Absolutely, the answer was no. In the past, I thought American English was only a language which pronounced â€Å"r† heavily. Surprisingly, according to the map of dialect, America can be divided by seven parts. They are Eastern New English, NYC,Philadelphia, The North, The Midland, The South and The West. And different regions of America have different dialects. In terms of the dialect of American English, I have a re-understanding of this language. I find it is interesting, even surprising, and I am more curious about that.The dialects of American English is really interesting. Honestly, when I hear a conversation or a speech, I can hardly recognize the accents without special note, although sometimes I can recognize the obvious accents according to the meaning of the sentence. For example, most young California say [? ] to replace [? ], say â€Å"like† as â€Å"lake†. According to my personal experience, when I traveled to Miami, Florida, I heard that most people in there said â€Å"lift† as â€Å"left†. Moreover, Net English used among young people is another part of interest.For example, â€Å"das kool† equals â€Å"that is cool†, â€Å"lol† means â€Å"laugh out loud†, â€Å"How ya doin hun† is â€Å"how are you doing honey? †, â€Å"g2g† means â€Å"got to go†, etc. Maybe they think typing English in this way is more convenient and fashionable, however, I do not think so. Furthermore, experts recommend that TV series is a good way to recognize and learn dialects since the actors of a program are come from different regions. At last, teenagers prefer to use some new words of phrases to express an common meaning, such as â€Å"bling bling† refers to expensive jewelry.This is popular and sometimes I also use that to express myself. Actually, I am surprised about the dialects of Americ an English in the following aspects. Firstly, in North America, people will laugh at lobsterman’s dialect and make fun with the way they speak. As far as I am concerned, we should respect different languages and cultures. Even though we cannot understand the way of communication, every dialect must has its own value to exist. Moreover, although people dislike some dialects, they can always imitate those dialects they hate. It is unbelievable.In addition, I watched these three DVDs without subtitle. So when I watched the CD2 which introduced the dialects in the mid-land, I found it was difficult for me to understand what people said. However, it is easier to understand what the north and west people said. I think it means that the people of mid-land and south have strong accents. Frankly, there are some points that I do not know before I watching this video. First of all, Philadelphia shakes the American speech more than any other city. Secondly, the Black and the White cannot communicate with each other by using English at the beginning.Thirdly, some people who come from the mid-land consider New Yorker speak bad English, since New Yorker say â€Å"water† as â€Å"[w? :d? ]†. To be honest, as for me, I like the dialect of New York. Fourthly, some pronounciation of dialect are totally different from the original pronounciation. For example, in Ohio and Michigan, â€Å"yins† means â€Å"you†, and in north, â€Å"ayuh† is equal to â€Å"yes†, etc. Finally, looking at magazines to find new words is a job, its purpose is to update the dictionary. To sum up, I don’t think I am speaking American even though I am in New York now.The dialects in United States are diverse. In my opinion, dialect is a component of cultural activities. And some dialects are related to history, some are related to the life style of different region. There are a variety of expressions for dialects. Those include the differences of pron ounciation, the new words for common meaning, net English, etc. Most important, no matter what kind of language we say, we should respect all of them and admit the existence value of them. At last, I think watching different American TV series is a good way for me to improve my American English.

Deontological Vs Utilitarian Ethics Essay

Kant believed that morality is dependent upon reason, that to act rationally was the same as acting morally. He placed a high value upon duty in determining the moral worth of an action. Kant’s deontological ethics is essentially an ethics of duty or obligation. As such, he claims that the moral worth of an action depends solely on whether or not it was done exclusively from a sense of duty. If an act is done simply because one is so inclined, the act has no moral value. This principle holds true even if inclination happens to be in agreement with duty. To illustrate this point, he uses the example of a truly beneficent person. He says that while kindness to all man is a duty, there are some who are naturally inclined to be kind. He asserts â€Å"But I maintain that in such a case an action of this kind, however proper, however amiable it may be, has nevertheless no true moral worth, but is on a level with other inclinations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gregory and Giancola, 82). When these spread kindness while motivated by their own inclination to be kind, their kind acts have no moral value, because in his view in order for an act to be moral, it must be done for the sake of duty alone. Essentially, deontological ethics says the less inclined one is to perform an act that duty calls one to, the more moral worth the act has. While deontological ethics is completely independent of inclination, utilitarian ethics is in many was based upon it. Utilitarianism is built on hedonism, which is the claim that pleasure is the supreme good for man. The main idea of utilitarianism is that man is naturally inclined to seek pleasure and avoid pain and this natural inclination is to be embraced as it will lead man to the supreme end, which is happiness. Utilitarian ethics says that moral acts are those that promote pleasure and avoid pain while immoral acts do the opposite. In is definition of utilitarianism, John Mills says that as far as possible, pleasure in its highest quantity and quality should be promoted and this for the greatest number of people possible. He says, â€Å"†¦that standard is not the agent’s own greatest happiness, but the greatest amount of happiness altogether†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gregory and Giancola, 92). In my view this means that according to utilitarian ethics, the moral act is the o ne that brings pleasure to the greatest amount of people.

Case Study of Low Blood Pressure

Case Study of Low Blood Pressure Mr Jones has a BP of 90/60. Please name the appropriate health terminology in relation to his BP. Normal Range = Hypotension Low blood pressure is referred to as hypotension, especially in the arteries of the systemic circulation. Hypotension is generally considered systolic blood pressure less than 90 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) or diastolic less than 60 mmHg. A person’s blood pressure reading appears as two numbers. The first and higher of the two numbers is a measure of â€Å"systolic† pressure or the pressure in the person’s arteries when their heart beats and fills them with blood. The second number measures â€Å"diastolic† pressure or the pressure in the person’s arteries when their heart rests between beats. A desired blood pressure is less than 120/80. In people who are considered to be healthy, low blood pressure without experiencing any symptoms is commonly not a concern and does not need to be treated. Low blood pressure may be a sign of an underlying issue, particularly in the elderly, where it might cause inadequate blood flow to their heart, vital organs, and brain. Fortunately, chronic low blood pressure without symptoms is rarely serious. Health issues may happen, however, when a person’s blood pressure suddenly drops and their brain is deprived of an adequate blood and oxygen supply. The condition may lead to light-headedness or dizziness. A sudden drop in blood pressure usually happens in a person who has risen from a prone or sitting position to a standing one. When this occurs it is referred to as, ‘postural hypotension’ or ‘orthostatic hypotension’. Another type of low blood pressure may happen when a person stands for extended periods of time. This is referred to as, ‘neurally-mediated hypotension’. Postural hypotension is considered to be a failure of a person’s cardiovascular system or nervous system to react appropriately to sud den changes. Usually, when a person stands up, some of their blood pools in their lower extremities. If this remains uncorrected, it would cause the person’s blood pressure to fall or decrease. A person’s body usually compensates by sending messages to their heart to beat faster and to their blood vessels to constrict, offsetting the drop in blood pressure. If this does not happen, or does not happen quickly enough, postural hypotension is the result. Blood Pressure and Aging The risk of low and high blood pressure commonly increases as a person ages due in part to changes during the aging process. The flow of blood to a person’s heart muscle and brain declines as a person ages, many times as a result of plaque build-up in their blood vessels. While the causes of low blood pressure may not always be clear, it might be associated with things such as: Heart arrhythmias Heart failure Heat exhaustion or heat stroke Hormonal issues such as an under-acti ve thyroid, diabetes, or low blood sugar Liver disease Pregnancy Some over-the-counter drugs Some prescription medications Widening of the blood vessels Causes of Sudden Drops in Blood Pressure Sudden drops in a person’s blood pressure may be life-threatening. A number of different things may cause this type of hypotension. The causes of sudden drops in blood pressure may include: A reaction to alcohol or medication Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction Heart muscle disease High body temperature Loss of blood Low body temperature Sepsis Severe dehydration from diarrhoea, vomiting, or fever People at Risk of Postural Hypotension Postural hypotension, or low blood pressure when a person stands up quickly, may happen to anyone for a number of reasons such as lack of food, dehydration, or simply being overly fatigued. It might also be influenced by a person’s genetic make-up, medication, aging, psychological factors, dietary ones, or acute triggers such as allergy or infection. Postural hypotension happens most often in people who are taking medications to control high blood pressure or, ‘hypertension’. It may also be related to strong emotions, pregnancy, diabetes, or hardening of a person’s arteries. Seniors are affected by postural hypotension in particular, especially seniors who experience high blood pressure or autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Hypotension after eating is a common cause of dizziness or even falls. It is most common after large meals containing a lot of carbohydrates. Medical science believes it is caused by blood pooling into a person’s vessels in their stomach and intestines. A number of medications are associated with postural hypotension as well. The medications may be divided into two major categories: Medications used to treat high blood pressure such as beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium-channel blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors Medications that have hypotension as a side effect such as anti-psychotics, neuroleptics, nitrates, anti-anxiety agents, tricyclic antidepressants, sedative-hypnotics, and medications for Parkinson’s disease Some causes of naturally occurring postural hypotension exist. For example, dehydration and electrolyte loss might result from vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive blood loss during menstruation, or other conditions. A person’s age associated decline in blood pressure regulation is another example and is something that might worsen due to certain health conditions or medications. Some diseases may cause postural hypotension as well. Diseases such as Shy-Drager syndrome or, ‘multiple system atrophy,’ nerve issues such as peripheral neuropathy or autonomic neuropathy, cardiovascular disorders, nutritional diseases, or alcoholism may cause postural hypotension. Blood Pressure Ranges Listed below are the ranges for Low ( Table 1 ) Normal ( T able 2 ) and High ( Table 3 ) blood pressure respectively. Systolic pressure (mm Hg) Diastolic pressure (mm Hg) Pressure Range 90 60 Borderline Low blood Pressure 60 40 Too Low Blood Pressure 50 33 Dangerously Low Blood Pressure Table 1 Low Blood Pressure Range Systolic pressure (mm Hg) Diastolic pressure (mm Hg) Pressure Range 130 85 High Normal Blood Pressure 120 80 Normal Blood Pressure 110 75 Low Normal Blood Pressure Table 2 Normal Blood Pressure Range If one or both numbers are usually high, you have high blood pressure (Hypertension). Systolic pressure (mm Hg) Diastolic pressure (mm Hg) Stages of High Blood Pressure 210 120 Stage 4 180 110 Stage 3 160 100 Stage 2 140 90 Sta ge 1 Table 3 High Blood Pressure Range Figure 1Visual representation of Systolic and Diastolic Ranges       Age Systolic BP Diastolic BP 3-6 116 76 7-10 122 78 11-13 126 82 14-16 136 86 17-19 120 85 20-24 120 79 25-29 121 80 30-34 122 81 35-39 123 82 40-44 125 83 45-49 127 84 50-54 129 85 55-59 131 86 60+ 134 87 The average Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure is affected by age, as shown in Age Males (mmHg) Females (mmHg) 1 – 3 80/34 – 120/75 83/38 – 117/76 4 to 6 88/47 – 128/84 88/50 – 122/83 7 – 10 92/53 à ¢â‚¬â€œ 130/90 93/55 – 129/88 Table 4 Average Systolic and Diastolic Ranges of Neonates and Infants Table 5 Average Systolic and Diastolic Ranges of Children and Adults

International Monetary Fund Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Monetary Fund - Essay Example ..As Jacob Viner put it 'trying to reverse the whole trend of policy and practice of the world at large in the field of international economic relations since 1914 and especially in the ill-fated years since 1929" (www.globalexchange.org). From the establishment the Bank was planned to challenge protectionism and economic depression. The Government of United States was chiefly involved in designing The World Bank and it is situated in Washington. It was based on a synthesis of the economic theories put forward by Harry Dexter White (U.S.) and Maynard Keynes (U.K.). America had 36% of the voting power in 1946 and offered the biggest part of the official finances and hence was considered as a dominating power. Moreover, the president of The World Bank has always been an American. In 1944, at Bretton woods conference, two different but complementary institutions were established. IMF was designed to help government maintain their balance-of-payments, whereas, the World Bank was founded with the basic intention of post-war re-stabilization of countries by giving loans to the affected countries. The proper name given to The World bank is 'International Bank for Reconstruction and Development'. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund were set up in the finishing stages of World War II, at a convention in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire; USA. The participants signified the governments quickly to win the battle in opposition to fascism. The participants wanted to rebuild Europe and the global economic system which was harshly affected by that destructive war (Peet, 2003). The main objective of the conference held at Bretton Woods was among the British and US delegations addressing the moderate and conservative ideas of worldwide economic institutions. Maynard Keynes represented the views of British Delegation and proposed that the new IMF should be a helpful fund for the countries facing economic crises, to aid them in maintaining economic and employment activities during periodic crisis. This vision recommended an IMF serving governments to operate as the US government had during the New Deal in reply to the great downturn of the 1930s. On the other hand, the US delegation put forward a view that IMF should be more similar to a bank and the needy countries are liable to return the debts on time. This view was more conservative and was less concerned to solve the problems of recession and unemployment. However, the US vision succeeded and this is the way how economic crises have been controlled since WW-II (Harris, 1988). The International Monetary Fund has been helping the governments facing economic crises since the Second World War by offering them, loans for a certain period of time. These loans are widely known as 'Structural Adjustment' loans as their main objective is to aid borrowing governments to adjust the structure of economic activity. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established on December 27, 1945. Twenty nine states accepted its Articles of Agreement in the expectations of avoiding a reappearance of the economic procedures that donated to the United States Great Depression in the 1930's. Other objectives of the IMF comprise the endorsement of international monetary cooperation, the development of worldwide trade, and the feature that has become its major identity is the loan of funds it provides to member countries.

PBL2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PBL2 - Essay Example The ischemic necrosis of kidneys gradually heals by undergoing progressive fibrous scarring (Alpers, pg. 1012). Destruction of extracellular matrix occurs. The regenerative capacity of renal tissue is maximal in cortical tubules, less in medullary tubules, and nonexistent in glomeruli. Hence this is the correct answer. B: Granuloma formation: Granulomas are formed following chronic inflammation and are encountered in some immunological mediated reactions, infections and some non-infections conditions. Some of the common conditions in which granulomatous inflammation occurs are tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, cat-scratch disease, leprosy and syphilis. The granuloma consists macrophages mainly (Kumar, pg.83-84). Hence this is not the correct answer. C: Liquefaction: Liquefaction or liquefactive necrosis is a condition in which the affected cell is completely digested due to powerful hydrolytic enzymes. It usually occurs in fungal and bacterial infections and causes formation of abscess. Also, ischemic injury in brain causes liquefaction (Mitchell, 138). Hence this is not the correct answer. D: Metastatic calcification: Deposition of calcium salts in otherwise normal tissue is known as metastatic calcification. It occurs due to elevated calcium levels. It is commonly seen in the kidneys and lungs. Hence this is not the correct answer. A 25 year old-woman sustains a deep laceration over the right forearm in a motorcycle accident. The wound is cleaned and sutured. During the next 3 months, the wound heals with formation of a linear scar. Which of the following nutritional factors is required for proper collagen assembly in the scar tissue of the patient? A. Folic acid: Folate, the useful form of folic acid is an essential nutrient for the production and maintenance of new cells because it is needed for the replication of DNA. It is not useful for collagen production. Hence this is not the correct