Of Mice and Men Assignment Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Assignment Essay Q. With reference to chapter four, what do you learn about prejudice and injustice in 1930s America? Of Mice and Men was set around the 1930s in California, America; where at the time of this classic novel was located. The New York Wall Street stock market had hit an all time low which led to and helped contribute to The Great Depression. Unemployment had hit and harsh poverty too had meant that migrant workers travelled to California in search of work. As the paragraph continues, we learn that the living conditions and working conditions were very poor. Workers couldnt do their jobs properly and were always worried about being canned as they say. Living conditions werent very good either; the ranches were very dirty, compact etc. I believe that Steinbeck wrote this novel because of his past experiences. He was a labourer, he worked very hard, the characters in this book can relate to Steinbeck himself, he wanted to express his views for everyone to see. Also, you can really tell that in Steinbecks opinion he is in favour of the workers in this novel. He being a labourer sways his views as in favour of the workers; you can tell he really thought The Great Depression was an awful experience to be involved in. When you see what his characters are saying, they reveal his feelings and thoughts, give good and bad memories, only inside a book. As we are in chapter four, we learn many things about some of the main characters. At the very beginning, we learn about the relationship of some of the characters with each other. The scene is set in Crooks room, many of the men have gone to the cathouse which is basically a whore house; most of the men have gone but Crooks, Lennie, Candy and Curleys wife have not gone. The most probable reason for this is due to the fact that Crooks, is a black stable buck and also an outsider, Lennie was told not to go by George, Candy is a very old man and Curleys wife is a woman. Even though Lennie doesnt really understand, he stumbles across Crooks room and decides to go in. Lennie really sets this chapter alight; he breaks off the divide between black and white and wants to make friends with Crooks: Lennie smiled helplessly in an attempt to make friends. Despite not knowing he is doing it, he is helping out a divide of people and bringing it together. He is such an interesting character but he wouldnt really know that he is so different to the other characters. Noiselessly Lennie appeared in the open doorway and stood there looking in no one else in the bunkhouse would have had the guts to enter Crookss room although Lennie didnt really know he wasnt supposed to. Lennie does quite the opposite to the others, which makes him so astonishing. A major part in this chapter shows how the other characters act when he is around. His actions and works influence others to bring back memories of their childhoods and really open up to him. kI was born right here in California. My old man had a chicken ranch is one example of Crooks opening up to Lennie as he would do to no other person. The characters relax more with Lennie in reflection of this chapter. One more interesting thing in this section of the book is the way Lennie is and is not affected by prejudice and injustice. At one part, he is affected by prejudice and injustice as he witnesses it happening and is picked on by others; Listen Nigger, you know what I can do to you if you open your trap? This shows prejudice and injustice around him towards Crooks. On the other hand, he is not affected by it as he has George to protect him from it and also doesnt really understand what it is. A vast part of prejudice and injustice in his book is the way Crooks is treated. Crooks is a middle aged black man who has had to work hard all of his life. Sadly, his role on the ranch is an unfortunate one. He is not allowed in the bunkhouse at all, or play games with the other members or be with them at certain times. He lives way out of the way of everyone else in a small room and spends most of his time there. This really shows how black men were treated in this period of time. Luckily, Crooks is not treated as badly as he could have been. He has an education and can read and write which can and also cannot help him at times. For instance, he can understand what others are saying about him, which is not very good. They dont like him because of the colour of his skin. Listen Nigger. This shows the colour of his skin being used against him by Curleys wife. As Lennie enters the room, Crooks does not really want him to come in, You got no right to come into my room. Soon after, they get into conversation and are soon talking normally after opening up to each other like friends would. When Candy enters, he tells him he might as well come in as everyone else is. Soon, he joins in conversation too. Not until Curleys wife enters though, do we see a change in Crooks. He doesnt have any power over anyone in the ranch and soon goes back into his shell. Women were not treated well either, of course, but Curleys wife could say or do whatever she wanted to a black man, including Crooks. You know what I can do to you if you open your trap? This shows Curleys wife overpowering Crooks and unfortunately Crooks cannot do anything about it. With Crooks being educated and able to read, he has set himself real goals. He has learned how to cope with the bullying and racism and knows what to do. By not setting his goals too high, he does not expect anything too good, therefore does not mean he is too sad about what happens to him through his lie. Another person who plays a part in giving and experiencing racism is Curleys wife. She has certain powers compared to other women yet is still treated badly like other women. We learn that with women along with black people, had less power and were discriminated badly; therefore this shows that Curleys wife situation was similar to most other women, they were not respected and were treated badly. The men do not really like her in reflection, the likes of George, Crooks etc. dont really warm to her at any time. Her reaction to this is to snap at Crooks in this particular part of the book, she cannot take her anger out at anyone as she does not really have the power to apart from Crooks, so she bullies Crooks in this part, Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I can get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny. Curleys wife enters Crooks room with auction, she asks a question to which she knows the answer to, so she can join them, Any you boys seen Curley? shows this. In this chapter, we have to feel a bit sorry for her. We see how lonely she is at this time and since she is not allowed to be with anyone else, she cannot help herself looking for companionship. The reason behind her being so bitter about her life is simple; nothing has ever really gone right for her. By marrying Curley it has not helped her at all and she really thought she would make it as a Hollywood star, however, this did not turn out to be the life that she wanted, Think Im gonna lead with his left twice and then bring in the ol right cross? This piece shows her loneliness and her trouble which leads on to when she is told she is not wanted by the guys, she tells of her sadness and also decides to take it out on Crooks to help herself, it shows a similarity with Crooks, deprived of her rights and very lonely. Finally, the last person in this chapter to experience injustice and prejudice is Candy. A very old man, he was a typical old man who was not well liked, lonely and had a poor time of living with a bad job too. Candy, like most old men back then had a big worry of being canned as he was not really needed. There was no pension schemes or benefits, he would have had no where to go and would have probably just died. I planted crops for dam near everybody in this state, but they wasnt my crops, and when I harvested them, it wasnt none of my harvest. This shows Candy has worked very hard but does not have much and is not appreciated. The dream to have a place with George and Lennie means so much to him as if it does not happen, he will be eventually canned and have nowhere to go, You god dam right were gonna do it. This shows passion for the dream ranch. In truth, Candy is very similar to the dog he had. He, like the was old, not wanted and not of much use. This is very significant as you can see how much he was appreciated by everyone; not at all. In conclusion, we learn so much about life in the 1930s in America. We have four different accounts of people being treated unfairly and having injustice upon them. Lennie, Crooks, Curleys wife and Crooks all experience racism in some way. Lennie is abused for being quite clumsy and slow as well as being big, Crooks was racially abused for being old and black, Curleys wife is not liked because she is a woman and Candy is abused for being an old man. As you can see, there is not ethnic minority groups that escaped being abused; 1930s America was a racist and prejudice place to be. The writer Steinbeck is really sending a strong message out to the readers here. He tries to tell us all about how life could be if you were in a minority group. He repeats certain phrases and words to show enthusiasm of how bad it really was. All of his characters have strong points of view towards one another and really act as if they were real people. Basically, John Steinbeck shows that racism and injustice were strong in the 1930s and whoever you were, you could not really avoid it. Steinbeck gets this message across very well to the readers, by showing the characters different attitudes towards each other; most of the time there were not very pleasant. Whether you were black or white, male, female, disabled or anything else, you had a very good chance of either giving or being racially abused in America in the 1930s.

Modern Lifestyle Essay

Modern Lifestyle Essay The modern lifestyle has a number of advantages which includes easing peoples life, saving hundreds of peoples lives by the new development of medicine and vaccines. On the other hand different modern life style patterns have negative effects on health physically, psychologically, and socially. One of these modern ways of living is the high intake of fast foods. This is due to specific reasons such as the short time specified for eating and choosing healthy food. Lack of physical activity combination with fast foods leads to bad effects on the hearts health. Use of high technology machines is another way of modernity. Although use of these machines has helped in saving the time to do a lot of tasks, the wrong use of them will indirectly affect health. Another point is the advanced transportation which reduces the time needed to travel and made travelling an enjoyable time. Last, is the use of computers and internet in the communication, transfer of information, and entertainment as w ell. Altogether will constitute the elements of a sedentary life style. That means, high fatty foods intake and lack of physical activity. Which both are caused by fast foods, depending on high technology machines and transportation, and sitting long hours in front of the computer. Modern life style increases the risk of obesity. Consequently, leading to diabetes, heart diseases, and cancers. Pollution caused by the machines and advanced transportation causes different respiratory diseases. Furthermore, it leads to atopic diseases which are group of hereditary diseases contributing to allergies and asthma. Psychologically, persons are prone to increased stress level and depression. Social isolation will occurs due to spending long time on computer and internet. Effects of modern life style Nobody can ignore the usefulness of modernization on our daily life, especially on how much it makes life of humans easier. This is particularly correct about the new evolution of the new development of medicines, vaccines that save people from the fatal endemic diseases. On the other hand, Modern life style becomes more and more an important factor influencing health state of most developed countries. Unhealthy behaviors responsible for increasing the mortality of the cardiovascular, cancers, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. There is increasing evidence that following a healthy lifestyle including appropriate diet, satisfactory physical activity level, and healthy weight can provide significant cardiovascular and metabolic benefits. From that we come to a conclusion that different modern life style patterns affect our health physically, psychologically, and socially. The main life style patterns that are going to be discussed in this research are the use of high technology machin es, fast foods, advanced transportation, and the use of the computer including internet and video games that is being used by almost every member of the family. The way people eat today is far different the way people ate before. Hundred years ago people used to include a lot of fruits and vegetables in their diet. This gives a lot of nutritional value to their meals, and decreases the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases which is related to the less fat content of these foods. These days people have very bad nutritional habits, especially with the fast widespread of fast food culture particularly between young people which they continue to carry on the same eating habits in their adulthood. According to Shepherd et al. (2001), the promotion of healthy eating is high on the health policy agenda in the UK.They mentioned that young people are particularly important group, as poor eating habits established during teenage years may be maintained into adulthood, creating a number of cardiovascular and other health related problems later in life. Ed Edelson (2009) mentioned in his article that data from 2003-2006 shows that 11.3 percent of chil dren and teenagers were at or above the 97th percentile in body mass index for their age. This shows that overweight teens have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults (Para.6).The reason for peoples poor eating habits is the less time provided by them to prepare a healthy food which probably would take time. Furthermore, people dont spent enough time to eat and choose correct and healthy meals. Everyone is just busy in building their future ignoring the fact that this might be interrupted by diseases caused by their poor eating habits. Other reasons include the need for both the man and women to join the work field. This means that the women will be away from home for long hours and depend on the fast foods to feed her family. Therefore, children will acquire this habit and they wont be able to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy food. In addition to poor eating habits, lack of physical activity is a major problem in this todays life. That is, if it is together pr esent with the high consumption of fatty foods, they will lead to disastrous effects on the persons health status. So, maintaining regular exercise is good for the well being of an individual health and helps prevent so many heart and metabolic diseases. The use of modern technology makes living better and brings certain advantages to people. Such advantages include fast communication and improvement of travelling. Before, people use animals to help them travel from one place to another which might take days to travel. Now, we spend only few hours using the air planes which make the journey easier. The use of new technology machines is also now in our home. We do most of the house cleaning with machines, which actually makes the life very easy. Every day a new machine is invented for human use to ease their lives. According to Emmanuel Mesthene (n.d.), Technology is neither good nor bad, it is neutral(page 12).This means that technology can bring us luxuries, but it also can cause problems. It is a matter on how the technology is used according to him. Computer and internet are being introduced into most houses. Although they have a lot of advantages, they have adverse effects on people health. Jayashree, 2007 said Internet has been perhaps the most outstanding innovation in the field of communication in the history of mankind. As with every single innovation, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages(Para.1). According to her the advantages include better communication, and faster way of getting information, and for entertainment. The internet has made the world smaller; it also provides services for people use. Children also now use the computers very widely. It is even being introduced in the teaching curriculum of majority of schools. They also use it in playing video games for their entertainment and joy. Even a lot of adults enjoy the video games as well. All of the past modern life style patterns lead to adopting sedentary life style which combines eating high calorie diet and lack of physical activity. Which are major risk factors for getting a lot of different diseases. In my opinion, sedentary life style includes the wrong use of available high technology machines and transportation as well. Physical effects of modern life style patterns especially the fast foods and the lack of physical activity increase the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases. Acharia (2007), wrote in his article Modern Life Style Could Damage Your Heart, The modern lifestyle, which puts people under constant stress, could severely damage major organs and lead to heart attacks, kidney disease and dementia(Para.1). Other diseases caused by sedentary life style include type two diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Doctors said that sedentary life style is a modifiable risk factor. This means that this risk factor can be prevented and changed by following a healthy life style. A healthy life style means healthy eating and regular exercising. Obesity, which is a major health problem of industrialized countries, is a result of following sedentary life style as well. A study done by Rodriguez,Nvalbos, Martinez, and Eschobar (2009), results shows that the highest levels of obesity associat ed with daily alcohol consumption, greater consumption of television, and sedentary pursuit. A lower prevelance of obesity is observed among those with active physical activity. (Para. 1) Pollution caused by the use of high technology machines and transportation contributes to many respiratory and skin diseases as well. Furthermore, Herbert et al. (2009) study showed that so-called western lifestyle may contribute to the development of atopic diseases. (Para. 1). Atopic disease means the hereditary tendency to experience immediate allergic reactions such as asthma or vasomotor rhinitis because of the presence of antibody in the skin or bloodstream. The effects of modern life style on the psychological status of people are still on research. But, most researchers agree that to some extent modern life style indirectly impact psychosocial life of individuals. Experts from university of Washington have warned that the way modern technology has been breaking peoples connections with the natural world may give rise to a major psychological problem. One of these effects includes increasing the stress level due to the so many obligations todays person might take. Even though some degree of stress might be useful in order to handle different problems we face every day. Chronic stress will have effects on the persons physical state as it will lead to many diseases. Raylopez, (2009) said in his article about causes of stress in modern life style In modern lifestyle, however, stressful stimuli are continues and stress is daily, so the pressure builds up and eventually causes damage to the body.(Para. 4). A healthy life style will have its positive effects on the psychological status of the individual which will directly affects his physical status as well. The use of high technology machines will reduce persons self independence and make him depend in doing his job on the machines. This will subsequently reduce the self satisfaction. As doing a job on your own will make you more confident about your abilities. Brendan, (2009) cited from lardies research findings in his article Depression Caused By Modern life style. Those findings are conclusive that depression primarily stems from modern living: social isolation, fast food laden diets, physical inactivity, sleep deprivation, and less exposure to the outdoors. (Para.6) .Depression finally will damage persons life physically and socially and will deprive him from his normal life. Socially, modern life style affects the social relationships very strongly. Especially with the use of internet to chat with others. People use internet messenger widely in their communication with others. This will lead to social isolation as a result of spending long time on the internet. As consequence, the person will isolate himself at home and deprive himself from family and friends social gatherings. Using the internet may lead to declines in visiting with friends and family. Irina, Robert, and Lee, (2004). They mentioned also that frequent internet use has negative social outcomes. They cited in their research the results of other research findings which includes; internet is associated with increases in depression and social isolation Kraut et al. (1998).(Para.3). Irina,Robert, and Lee, identified that frequency of internet use associated with declines in spending time with family and friends and in attending social events. (As cited in Nie et al. 2002). (Para.3). Conclusion To sum up, different modern life style patterns affects our health in different aspects physically, psychologically, and socially. I think that if the peoples awareness about these effects doesnt increase, this may lead to dangerous consequences in the near future. Adopting this life style patterns and especially sedentary life style for long time might threaten peoples life. If this happens then the community health will be affected and we will be having high percentage of diseased and disabled persons. Which finally reduce individuals productivity and development of their own communities. The best way for reducing the effects of these modern patterns of living is by educating people about its effects on their lives. Particularly concentrating in educating children as changing the way these children live will affect future generations coming after them as well. Another part of resolving the problem is the proper use of high technology machines and advanced transportations. Such prop er way means correct use in benefiting the humanity not affecting it and increasing the self dependency in doing different tasks of the day. Promoting healthy life style which includes proper eating, physical activity, and better way of communicating and socializing in the community will have its positive impacts. Furthermore, it will reduce the risk of getting so many diseases which cardiovascular diseases and cancers are at the top of them. Finally, maintaining peoples health is a primary goal of any country that probably would make her spend millions of dollars to achieve it as people are the real wealth of a country.

Toni Morrison and Emily Dickinson Poetic Description :: Poetry Poem

Toni Morrison and Emily Dickinson use poetic description to engage the reader into the moment. Poetry is a language with different elements. Some say that poetry has to have literary elements such as metaphors and similes. Others stress rhythm and rhyme as the most important part of poetry. Personally, poetry can be about anything and have no clear definition to it. Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"Success is Counted Sweetest† has rhythm and rhyme, metaphors and similes. In Morrison’s novel Sula, the scene where Hannah dies also has poetic elements. In the poem â€Å"Success is Counted Sweetest† the speaker states that â€Å"those who ne’er succeed† (2) place the highest value on success they â€Å"count† it â€Å"sweetest†. In order to understand the richness of this, the speaker states one must feel â€Å"sorest need.† (4). Dickinson states that the members of the victorious army â€Å"The purple host/Who took the flag today† (5-6) are not able to label victory as well as the defeated or dying man who hears from a distance the music of the victors. People tend to desire things more intensely when they do not have them. This poem goes to show that Dickinson is pretty aware of the complicated truths of human desire. Dickinson switches roles and speaks on behalf of the dying man, who hears the victorious celebrating. To the dying man, defeat meant that he had lost everything. This poem causes the reader to think about what success and failure are truly about. To the dying man on the field of battle, barely living would have been a priceless success. Instead, the men celebrating victory are those who won the war. Dickinson uses each verse to relate a different perspective of success and need. In the first, she introduces how those who long for something they never have achieve a greater thrill of achievement than somebody who had the same thing the deprived sought for all along. In the second verse, Dickinson discusses the victorious soldiers who acquired something apparently neither here nor there to their existence. This thought is associated in the final verse when the tragedy and yearning of the wounded is revealed. In Morrison’s â€Å"Sula† the death of Hannah is very poetic. To begin with, Hannah takes a nap and dreams of a red bridal gown. She tells Eva about it, but Eva is too distracted by Sula’s adolescent behavior to think much about it.

Crime and Punishment: Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov Essay -- conflict,

Throughout the novel of Crime and Punishment, and any work of fiction at that, the characters exhibit specific personality traits that dictate their make-ups, social interactions and behaviors. These characterizations control the overall development of the story. Characters’ personalities play a vital role in analyzing and understanding character development as well as underlying themes, especially in the novel at hand. Specifically, the central character Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov illustrates the conflict between good and evil in one’s personality. Raskolnikov’s personality conflict is so extreme in duality that he can be identified as both the protagonist and antagonist of this story. From this point comes the question of to what extent does the personality conflict of Raskolnikov dictate his beliefs, actions and therefore contribute to overall plot development? Due to Raskolnikov’s contradictory nature, he demonstrates intense levels of egoism and self-absorption alongside madness and agony. These aspects lead him to commit heinous criminal actions which physically and emotionally hurt others. Ultimately, he commits the greatest damage to himself through a descent into madness which he disavows. Raskolnikov’s personality can be summed up by the meaning of â€Å"Raskol† in Russian which translates to â€Å"split†. Raskolnikov personifies an individual demonstrating antithesis in both his actions and thoughts. The author Fyodor Dostoevsky also incorporates symbolism of the number two throughout the story to further signify this duality of personality. Examples include Raskolnikov not eating for two days, two children being saved from a burning house, and two gates and two courtyards at the house of the pawnbroker Alyona Ivanovna, wh... ...ntually express remorse for his crime. Raskolnikov's dual personality also is the primary force which drives the plot of this novel. The action and events occur as a result of the character’s personality driver. When the focus of his internal personality is egocentric, the external action reflects this viewpoint. His internal examination of consciousness leads the plot to moving in that direction. The plot of Crime and Punishment seems to be an external mirror which reflects the continual inner conflict of Raskolnikov's dual personality. Works Cited "Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov." Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. . Swinson, Stephanie. "Motives for Murder in Crime and Punishment." Watermarks 2002. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .

Euthanasia Essay - Oregons Measure 16 For Assisted Suicide :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Oregon's Measure 16 For Assisted Suicide In passing the legislation known as Measure 16 in the state of Oregon, were there deceptions involved? Did the media play along with proponents of assisted suicide, denying media coverage to opposing viewpoints? What did proponents do immediately after passage of Measure 16? This paper will seek to satisfy these questions and others. Â   The "centerpiece" of the campaign to pass Measure 16 was a 60-second television ad featuring Patty A. Rosen (head of the Bend, OR chapter of the Hemlock Society and a former nurse practitioner). In it, Rosen urged the public to "Vote yes on 16" and gave an emotional personal testimonial to the illusion of slipping away peacefully after taking pills: "I am a criminal. My 25-year-old daughter, Jody, was dying of bone cancer. The pain was so great that she couldn't bear to be touched, and drugs didn't help. Jody had a few weeks to live when she decided she wanted to end her life. But it wasn't legally possible. So I broke the law and got her the pills necessary. And as she slipped peacefully away, I climbed into her bed and I took her in my arms [Rosen's voice cracks with emotion] for the first time in months...." (1) Â   A statement signed by Rosen also appeared in the Oregon Voters' guide, distributed just prior to the vote on Measure 16: "She [Rosen's daughter] took the necessary medication herself and I was there when she fell asleep for the last time." (2) But it turned out that Rosen's account was different than an earlier version of this "true story" which was so effective in promoting a "pills only" measure to the voters. (3) Two years earlier, during the campaign for California's ballot initiative -- which allowed for both pills and a lethal injection -- Patty Rosen, then Patty Fallon, told a far different version of her daughter's death: "So she went to sleep. I didn't know about plastic bags. I wish I had. Because...It seemed to be back firing. And I was fortunate enough at the very last to be able to hit a vein right.... [B]efore I could do that, the one son came into the room.... took his hands and held her veins for me.... I said, 'Oh God, she's startin' to breathe again.' And [the other son] said, 'I'll take a pillow. Euthanasia Essay - Oregon's Measure 16 For Assisted Suicide :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide Oregon's Measure 16 For Assisted Suicide In passing the legislation known as Measure 16 in the state of Oregon, were there deceptions involved? Did the media play along with proponents of assisted suicide, denying media coverage to opposing viewpoints? What did proponents do immediately after passage of Measure 16? This paper will seek to satisfy these questions and others. Â   The "centerpiece" of the campaign to pass Measure 16 was a 60-second television ad featuring Patty A. Rosen (head of the Bend, OR chapter of the Hemlock Society and a former nurse practitioner). In it, Rosen urged the public to "Vote yes on 16" and gave an emotional personal testimonial to the illusion of slipping away peacefully after taking pills: "I am a criminal. My 25-year-old daughter, Jody, was dying of bone cancer. The pain was so great that she couldn't bear to be touched, and drugs didn't help. Jody had a few weeks to live when she decided she wanted to end her life. But it wasn't legally possible. So I broke the law and got her the pills necessary. And as she slipped peacefully away, I climbed into her bed and I took her in my arms [Rosen's voice cracks with emotion] for the first time in months...." (1) Â   A statement signed by Rosen also appeared in the Oregon Voters' guide, distributed just prior to the vote on Measure 16: "She [Rosen's daughter] took the necessary medication herself and I was there when she fell asleep for the last time." (2) But it turned out that Rosen's account was different than an earlier version of this "true story" which was so effective in promoting a "pills only" measure to the voters. (3) Two years earlier, during the campaign for California's ballot initiative -- which allowed for both pills and a lethal injection -- Patty Rosen, then Patty Fallon, told a far different version of her daughter's death: "So she went to sleep. I didn't know about plastic bags. I wish I had. Because...It seemed to be back firing. And I was fortunate enough at the very last to be able to hit a vein right.... [B]efore I could do that, the one son came into the room.... took his hands and held her veins for me.... I said, 'Oh God, she's startin' to breathe again.' And [the other son] said, 'I'll take a pillow.

Cross-cultural communication, Essay

The purpose of this essay is to use reflection on an aspect of my learning that I have come across so far as a student nurse, and how I plan to use this knowledge when I start my placements. This will give me a good base on which to build my interpersonal skills. After having a brief introduction on various religions, it brought to my attention the diversity in multi cultural societies and how, as a nurse I need a good understanding of treatment and communication barriers that I will come across. The United Kingdom (UK) has welcomed a mixture of ethnic groups, each bringing with their own culture, with their own language. Multiculturalism is an ideology that promotes the institutionalism of communities containing multiple cultures. I have taken it upon myself to find out information to gain more knowledge on different religions, values and beliefs, and the different aspects of care this relates to. This will then enable me to support patients and their families more efficiently, effectively and in a patient centred manor. In terms of using reflection throughout this essay, I Plan to use Gibbs Reflective Cycle (Gibbs 1988). This will help with structural preferences. I will also be reflecting individually on some of the knowledge I gained. Reflection aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice to show the interrelation of skills and knowledge. Reflection relates to me as a student nurse as suggested by Hargreaves (1997 pp.04) â€Å"that reflective practice is often included in professional education programs as a way of encouraging practitioners to critically evaluate their behaviour, beliefs and ideas on practice†. She states that this will lead to improved clinical expertise and, consequently, improve nursing care. Description The first Lecture I received on Religion was an Introduction to the chaplaincy team. They provide spiritual guidance for anyone needing advice, courage and support. Wittenburg-Lyles E, (2008) explains that The Chaplaincy team are able to provide visits to local places. This lecture increased my awareness of faith and moral issues. During my placements, I will come across many different cultures and religions. This is when I realised I needed to do a lot of research into different faiths to enable me to support my patients and their beliefs. I was given an example that I may come across. Some religious belief in praying on their knees, if a patient for some reason needed to have their leg amputated, this would then effect a certain aspect of their life. Therefore I would need to support them in a way that they could still meet there religious needs. I will reflect on this in practice by widening my knowledge on different religions. Next, we explored Morals, Values and beliefs; here I learnt about the responsibilities I will have as a nurse, for example, how to respect patient’s dignity and privacy (Baillie, 2011). I have an understanding that each individual is unique. I will reflect on this in practice by treating each patient as an individual. Regardless of their race, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs or political beliefs. Thirdly in another lecture, I was introduced to two service users and cultural perspectives in health care. A Buddhist from the Chaplaincy service came in to the university. I found it very interesting finding out some Buddhism’s beliefs. For an example, death is inevitable and Buddhists like to prepare for death when meditating. Buda’s also like to carry a small Buda, picture of a Buda or beads for chanting to remember their teacher. We then had a talk about Christianity from a Catholic Farther. I learnt that there will be dietary requirements inside Christianity, as some Christians will only eat fish on a Friday, no meat. They also like to carry on them a symbol of Christianity. That may be beads, holy water or a wooden cross. Christians do not like to be overly exposed during personal care needs. This has now widened my knowledge on two different religions. I shall reflect on this by taking the knowledge I have gained into practice, for when I come across patients with these beliefs. As a nurse sometimes there will be conflict when it comes to religions of employees but you must not to be judgemental, (Nursing and Midwifery council (NMC), 2010). Because of being a nurse, this is mainly due to infection control. Some staff maybe asked to remove clothing or jewellery, which could be against their religious beliefs, although head wear is now allowed for nursing and doctors. Some would argue this is discrimination, as some can get away with it. I think this is a typical example of how religious beliefs can also affect staff as well as patients and relatives. NMC (2010) states that as a nurse I may recognise diversity and respect with cultural differences, values and beliefs of others including the people you care for and other members of staff. Feelings I feel the lectures I attended were very interesting, it was not until this point that I realised it would be a very interesting topic to reflect upon and learn more about. Both the Buddhist and the Christian, were very helpful when anyone wanted to know anything, they both leased with the class at the start of their lecture by making a plan of what, we as a class wanted to cover throughout the duration of the lecture. I do feel that I held back too much when it came to questions at the end and could have asked some more questions myself, all though others asked similar questions to what I was thinking. The information I gained during these three lectures has been useful. But I felt as if I still needed to widen my knowledge further by doing some research. I believe the first step is to be self aware of my own cultural beliefs. Being self aware is crucial as will identify any prejudices or attitudes that could be making a barrier in front of good communication, best practice and patient advocacy. Festini F (2009) comments that, Effective communication is the main aspect of delivering culturally competent care. This is where I needed to reflect upon myself by looking into the Johari Window and the four Quadrants. Being self aware is a two way process. If we do not know who we are, we don’t know how we appear to others. This made me realise I need to become more confident in myself when asking questions in front of my group. This will take time with feeling comfortable. Evaluation Throughout my learning on this topic so far, it has been very useful to see where my knowledge is lacking. I know need to research further into this topic. It has given me the incentive to widen my knowledge. These lectures on religion have been an eye opener. I have realised there is so much complexity in relation to region and different faiths that as a nurse, I will need to know about. Previously I would have had no knowledge on this. I will improve on this by using a range of research ideas to gain knowledge which will then increase efficiency, I will continue to reflect on this area in order to develop as a nurse. Analysis It was at this point I realised that although the information that I have gained so far has been more than useful, it did not answer all my questions. As I still need some more guidance on what to do in situations I may come across when out in practice, whether this may be communication or treatment barrier issues. Morals are influenced by cultural values, beliefs and religion, not only by the law (Griffith and Tengnah, 2010). Morals values and beliefs and assumptions influence healthcare. I understand that cultural and language barriers can complicate situations. As a professional I must have the ability to interact effectively with clients and other professionals. During social interaction, I believe that nurses should avoid stereotyping when caring for patients from different cultures, suggested by Alexis, (2011). I have come cross a few patients from different religions with their own languages whilst I have been working in care. When communicating with a patient that does not speak English as their first language, care can be compromised if effective communication is not used. When explaining something to the patient, there needs to be a balance between using simple sentences without being patronising. For example I would ask do you hurt anywhere, or are you in any pain? Instead of saying, are you in any discomfort? I would encourage staff not to use as many medical terms, I understand this may otherwise be confusing and distressing for the patient. I would only ask one question at a time to avoid overwhelming the individual. When asking patients these questions, I must also understand a patient’s cultural perceptions and experiences regarding pain (Magnusson, 2011). I can reflect on this when I go into practice by involving their cultural perceptions when decision making on pain relief. I think sometimes a quiet time is a good time to access your patient’s communication skills. I would then have more time to look at their non-verbal clues, posture, facial expressions, is there any eye contact used or maybe there are signs of anxiety. When situations arise around communication barriers I work with other members of staff, the patient’s relatives and different members of the multidisciplinary team so that I can find out the best ways possible to communicate with them, and any particular activities of daily living or rituals (Roper, Logan and Tierney, 1998), that are important and relevant to their cultural needs. In some of my findings, I came across some good examples of how there could be a barrier between you and your patient in terms of personal care. I found that some patients do not feel comfortable if they are being touched by the opposite sex. Others dislike their heads being uncovered, they must keep it covered with clothing for modesty. These views come mainly from Jewish and Islamic religions. I found it very interesting to know that two different religions may not like a certain part of care to be carried out but for two completely different reasons. Asian Americans do not like any touching of the head as their view is that it is impolite, as they believe that their spirit resides there. I found out that in some cases all you need to do is ask for permission. This reflects back to good communication skills. I consider the main objective of communication between the nurse and patients is that messages are understood accurately. My research told me that most health agencies have access to medical interpreters for major languages. There is usually a member of the family that maybe helpful by speaking English, but they are not as reliable as interpreters, explained by, Griffith, (2009). Another reason why not to use a family member as an interpreter is that they might only translate the bits that they want the patient to hear and not the full story. I understand that if there is a family member interpreter or a professional interpreter, the potential for misunderstanding can increase. I found the information from Ting Toomey (1999) very interesting for this. She describes three ways that culture can interfere with effective cross cultural understanding. These being, Cognitive constraints, Behaviour constraints and Emotional constraints. I believe that it is crucial that all staff should document the specific communication skills that are needed with each individual patient and the patient’s response. As suggested by Festini, (2011). Weather this be in the medical record or a care plan. In my past experiences it is also crucial that these affective communication skills are past on through handovers, which increases the opportunity for successful staff-patient interactions, (Randell, 2011). I plan to take my ideas and past experiences into practice with me. As I feel it works brilliantly and is effective in terms of meeting patients, beliefs and preferences. I am also aware that each placement I go to may have a different way of doing things. I look forward to gaining new knowledge that may better my communication skills for people with cultural preferences. It is also essential to remember privacy when assessing a patient from a different culture. A quiet setting is always best, most importantly somewhere where you will not be disturbed. This is where I would utilise my background knowledge into different religions, and use different strategies with in my knowledge. For example, some religions do not like direct eye contact. I read more into this when I spoke to some of the students in my class, as some of them are from different cultures. One from Zimbabwe explained to me that in Zimbabwe they only look people into the eye when they are looking for a fight or trouble. He also explained how he had to change his perception of others looking at him when he moved to the UK as every English man he came across looked into his eyes, this at first was scary for him, but he is now okay with it. This has brought to my attention that although this cannot be avoided, I as a nurse should still be respectful to their beliefs and consider the patients preferences. I also researched some of the decisions that patients make in connection to religious beliefs regarding treatment. Law can be used to challenge the decisions a parent or next of kin (NOK) decides but this usually only happens when the treatment is life saving. The NOK or the patient themselves need to be able to make an informed decision in order to give consent or refuse treatment. I am aware that some religions refuse certain life saving treatments, and understand my role as a nurse is to advocate in my patients best interest, inform the patient or NOK of treatment options and consequences of refusing treatment. Emergency situations will not arise everyday in my nurse training or career, but I have more knowledge of my role should I be faced with this type of situation. Where religion may sway a patient’s decision all other options for treatment should be considered (Haan, 2005). As a nurse, it is my job to ensure my patient has an advocate, alternatives, and support to understand consequences of treatments and what will happen if they refuse. Conclusion Initially I was unsure of which area of my learning I should reflect upon. After having worked in care previously, I felt looking into religion would not only be something good to reflect on but something interesting I could also learn upon. After everything I have learnt within this topic so far, I have gained a new perspective on religions, morals and beliefs. . I wasn’t sure whether I was going to use a reflective model because I wasn’t sure if it was going to be appropriate as it is very structured. Once I had started to educate myself on a Multicultural Society and throughout planning my notes I began to realise how helpful it was to have a structure, I was able to structure my notes into different sections which proved to be very useful. Throughout writing my essay I have learnt to have a lot more belief in myself and the ability I have in writing an essay. But I have been able to identify my lack of knowledge on religion and culture. I think social issues will arise when staff members have a lack of understanding and knowledge of different religious beliefs, other than their own. This gave me the incentive to learn and research more to gain a better understanding, and widen my knowledge. Therefore I will be able to educate other nurses. I belief I could still now, expand on this knowledge further and I plan to do this throughout my time as a student and in my future career. Action Plan My action plan will include and implement a method of reviewing everything that I have learnt from past experiences and research, thereby using reflective thinking. I will be apply the knowledge I have Learnt and encompass this in practice as a student nurse and also a registered nurse, which will help me become a safe and competent practitioner. If I was to come across a patient with specific religious beliefs I feel I could support them as well as their family by, not only by ensuring I provide good holistic care but also allowing them to maintain a good link with their religious beliefs. If I was to come across a patient that I could not talk to, I would use past experiences by using models and pictures which to a degree would be a great help. This would help the patients to identify their treatment procedures or help me to identify their needs. I understand that some patients I meet may have a family member that may make the decisions as their next of kin, or medical power of attorney. I believe I would also need to communicate well with the family member. I would take into consideration maybe a spiritual advisor, not just painkillers as a healer. In some people’s eyes, their god or spiritual leader is their way of healing. If in my career I come across a child patient for example in A&E, which had a religion barrier in the way of treatment. I would have to support certain legislations to ensure the refusing of medical treatment did not cause death, if parents deny this; I would have to involve other professionals. From my findings I now have good cross cultural communications skills, this can enhance my nursing. I could build the patients confidence in situations I may come across. By being aware and alert I feel I could improve the patient’s safety and wellbeing by minimising any cultural differences. I will enable my patients to continue with their religious practice whilst in a health care setting. â€Å"Word Count: 3004† References Alexis, O. 2011. Health and cultural sensitivity in a diversifying society. British journal of healthcare assistants , 5 (6), p.297. Baillie, L. 2011. Respecting dignity in care in diverse care settings: strategies of UK nurses. International Journal of nursing practice. 17 (4) p.336. Festini, F., 2009. Providing transcultural to children and parents: an exploratory study from Italy. Journal of nursing scholarship, 41 (2), pp.220-7. Forrest, M.E.S., 2011. On becoming a critically reflective practitioner, Health information and libraries journal, [online] Available at: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2008.00787.x/full [Accessed 01 may 2012]. Griffith, J.K., 2004. The religious aspects of nursing care. 4th ed. UBC School of Nursing. Griffith, R. and Tengnah, C., 2010. Law and professional issues in nursing. 2nd ed. Cornwall: Learning matters Ltd. Haan, J., 2005. A Jehovah’s witness with complex abdominal trauma and coagulopathy: use of factor VII and a review to the literature. American Surgeon, 71 (5), pp. 414-5. Hargreaves, J., 2002. Reflecting on your expert practice. Nursing Times Net. [online]28 February. http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice-clinical-research/reflecting-on-your-expert-practice. [ 29 April 2012]. Logan, Rogan, Tierney., 2000. The Roper, Logan and Tierney (1996) Model: perceptions and operationalization of the model in psychiatric nursing with in a health board in Ireland. Jan Journal of advanced nursing, 31 (6). Pp.1333-1341. Magnusson, JE., 2011. Understanding the role of culture in pain: maori practitioner perspectives relation to the experience of pain. New Zealand medical journal. 124 (1328), pp.41-51. Randell, R., 2011. The importance of the verbal shift handover report: a multi-site case study. International Journal of medical informatics, 80 (11), pp. 803-12. Wittenberg-lyles, E., 2008. Communication dynamics in hospice teams, understanding the role of the chaplain in interdisciplinary team collaboration. Journal of palliative medicine, 11 (10), p.336. International online training program on intractable conflict, 1999. Cultural barriers to effective communication. [online] Available at: www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/cultrbar. htm [Accessed 10 April 2012) Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2010. Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwifes, London: NMC

Rates of Reaction Essay

An enzyme is a protein molecule that helps other organic molecules start chemical reactions with one another; however, the enzyme itself is not affected by the reaction. A substrate is the substance acted upon by the enzyme. In this lab, catalase is the enzyme and hydrogen peroxide is the substrate. Catalase is found in both plant and animal tissues, and is abundant in plant storage organs. In this experiment, catalase is used from potatoes. Catalase is important to living things because it prevents the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the cell. Hydrogen peroxide is produced naturally as a byproduct of metabolism. It tends to disrupt the cells’ chemistry, too much can kill a cell. Therefore, the presence of catalase is needed to survive. Catalase breaks down the toxic hydrogen peroxide into harmless water and oxygen. If the concentration of the substrate hydrogen peroxide is related to the reaction rate of the enzyme catalase, then an increase in the concentration of hydrogen peroxide will increase the reaction rate of catalase. Catalase: Methods and Materials In order to experiment and determine the affects concentration has on reaction rate, you will need several materials. Such as, potato extract, crushed ice and water in a large beaker to keep the catalase cool, since catalase is sensitive to temperature. Hydrogen peroxide solution is needed at six different concentrations (10%, 25%, 40%, 60%, 75%, and 100%). Also, 0% hydrogen peroxide is needed, which is just simply water. In addition, you will need a 10 ml graduated cylinder, a 50 ml beaker, forceps, paper dots (Whatman #1 filter paper, 1 cm diameter), a paper towel, a stopwatch, and graph paper. During this lab, be careful of the hydrogen peroxide because it can damage skin and clothes. Be sure to immediately rinse and spills with water. Throughout the lab, always keep the potato extract in the ice-water bath; catalase is very sensitive to warm temperatures. For starters, 0% hydrogen peroxide was tested as the control group; 10 ml of hydrogen peroxide was measured of using a graduated cylinder. This sample is then poured into a 50 ml beaker. After swirling the potato extract, using forceps a paper dot is picked up and immersed into the potato juice for five seconds. Then the dot is drained on a paper towel for 10 seconds. Using the forceps the dot is picked up and placed in the bottom of the beaker containing the hydrogen peroxide solution. Soon the dot was expected to rise to the surface because the potato juice’s catalase would break down the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. The oxygen gas gets trapped in the pores of the paper and caused to float. A stopwatch was used to measure the time in seconds from when the dot touched the solution until it reached the surface. The data was then recorded. The class was split into groups and each group was assigned a different percentile of hydrogen peroxide solution.