24 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

24 - Assignment Example ince teachers are the closest people close to children apart from their parents, they should help children to learn and muddle through cases of maltreatment. The teacher should create a good relationship with the child to develop trust. This may make the child to start opening up and express her inner feelings. If it turns out that the child is being abused, the teacher should stay calm and write down all that the child said in the written record plan (Marotz, 2011). The teacher should also teach the child communication and self-defense skills, which will enable the child to know what actions done to him or her are right or wrong. This will also enable the child to rebel, or refuse any kind of mistreatment. Before making any decisions, the teacher should report her findings to the head of the school of the suspected child abuse, and if not satisfied that the case has not been well handled, she has the right to report to a law firm that is against child maltreatment. She should not have any fear in reporting this, because, the information is kept firmly confidential and most reporting laws will provide security to the teacher just in case the parents or anyone intends to harm

Causes of war in Generals Die in Bed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Causes of war in Generals Die in Bed - Essay Example From this perspective, this essay will discuss how the causes of war are presented in Generals Die in Bed. The narrator says â€Å"We have learned who our enemies are – the lice, some of our officers, and Death† (Harrison 69). From where the officers are categorized they are by no means casual enemies of peace and, more importantly, not only within the military rankings. This is an implication that war has its original roots in political ideals and trickles down into the military for execution. For instance, the soldiers are given the controversial story about the sinking of the hospital ship Llandovery Castle by German soldiers, which court proceedings later proved otherwise. However, the controversy of the story politicized it, misleading the soldiers into thinking they were on a revenge mission. Further, when the narrator was sent to Britain after being wounded, a hospital orderly told him â€Å"that was bloody murder, brother. Our officers oughta be shot for that. She was carryin’ supplies and war material† (Harrison 48). Two aspects of the novel portray generals and, by extension politicians, as the perpetrators of war. The most notable one is the book’s title. Then, there is the ending where the narrator says â€Å"and when the war is done and youth stone dead, I’d toddle safely home and die - in bed† (Harrison 152). The implication here is that while generals strategize and send soldiers to war (ideally to war against the strategies of opposing generals and effectively the opposing young soldiers), they remain in the comfort of their homes. It is the soldiers who die in the trenches supposedly in a display of patriotism. However, the book’s titles as well as the ending are a statement that the war is in fact protecting the ideals of politicians through the military generals. This notion can still be viewed from the perspective of bureaucracy from the first chapter one day before

Development through the life stages P2 Essay Example for Free

Development through the life stages P2 Essay The causes of the life factor Down Syndrome Foetal alcohol syndrome Bullying Peer groups Smoking The effect on the development on an individual (PIES)The physical side effect to a child with down syndrome is that they have a small nose and they have a flat nasal bridge, they also have a small mouth, their eyes slant either upwards or downwards. They have weak muscle tone which means they are very floppy; they have big hands and have short fingers. They may have a weight problem which will cause them to put on weight and will affect how they do activities if they start to get overweight and be limited in what they do. They may share physical features from their parent which will make them different. For intellectual, the child may develop a lot of mental health issues while they grow older, many of them face having anxiety, repetitive and obsessive compulsive behaviours. For emotional, they may develop behaviours that could affect their emotions, they may start to get frustrated at the fact they are delayed with their communication. For social, they are not very confident and people will need to get them to interact with other people and get them into social groups.The physical side effect is the child will have low birth weight, their body features will not be fully developed which will mean they will have a small head, a flat face with a snub nose, they will also have a thinner top lip, they will also have widely spaced eyes. They may develop general or specific learning difficulties. For intellectual, the child may develop a few learning difficulties which will include poor memory, they also have difficulty to understand concepts such as the time and counting money. They also have bad language. For emotional, the child will have a lot of behavioural problems and for this they become hyperactive, they don’t have the ability to concentrate, they have a lot of anxiety and are very stubborn. For social, they have a lot of socialization problems which causes difficulty to build and maintain friendships. The physical side effect is that it can affect the way a person can act, they may resort into eating disorders especially girls. There may be the physical signs, for example bruising around the neck or arms, also scratches and scars. For intellectual, this can affect the way they are towards education if they are being bullied during school, they will not want to attend school so they can get away from the bullies, this will then effect there future. For emotional, it is an emotional distress, which will cause a lot of physical  and emotional pain to them. For social, this will affect how they will interact with other people; due to them being bullied they may find it hard to trust other people and to also want to become friends in case they are bullied again. This will affect how they develop in the future because they may start to isolate themselves from people if they believe they are not strong enough to stand up for themselves. The physical side may have positive and negative sides to peer groups, if you’re in a group and everyone in the group is skinny, it may lead to that person losing weight in a way they should which would affect the body functioning. For intellectual, the groups may tend to be distracted with work which will allow them to fall behind on their work and affect their future. For other groups, it may be different and they may all work together to help each other with work and to achieve what they came to education for. For emotional, the groups may lead to becoming violent towards other people which will bring out aggression in them, they may also have a friendly group which won’t do any harm to people. For social, being in groups will give them the opportunity to develop their social skills, which includes leadership, teamwork or sharing. The physical side effect is they will have a reduce the performance at all the physical training they will do. They have a higher risk of heart attacks/ strokes and will have a higher heart resting rates than non-smokers. It may also affect the financial strain which will cause more worry on a person especially if they have low income. For intellectual, smoking will lead a person to not concentrate for long; it may also lead for the person to be affected mentally. For emotional, the smoking will relieve the stress that they will be building up. For social, it can be a social activity which people will be able to interact with one another when they are outside smoking, sometimes depending on the people, it may cause negativity on relationships. Can the factor be identified before the birth of a babyAntenatal screening can be given at 13 weeks to determine the likelihood of the baby developing or developed the condition. When the women goes for her monthly check-ups, they can notice th e child’s development growth and they will know when the baby is born whether they have been drinking throughout the process of the pregnancyThis factor cannot be identified before the birth because it is the society and the  environment around them that will cause this.This factor cannot be identified because it’s the environment and the friendships that the person will develop when they are in education.The cannot be identified because they are either brought up with a family smoking which will make them more likely to smoke or they want to smoke because other people are smoking. How many the factor influence the life of an individualAll people will down syndrome depending on the condition may be able to live separate from their parents, they may find it difficult to cope but they could get a little bit of work to help them be like other people and not be different. Sometimes they get married and will live their lives.Most adults who have a drinking problem will need help to get them back on track and to be able to look after their child without them resorting back to alcohol. They can get lots of supervision help which they will be able to make day to day decisions with themFor some people, if they were bullied at a young age, it may affect the way they will interact with other people and will tend to isolate themselves, they are at a higher risk of having anxiety or depression. But if the bullying for them was a short term memory, they will forget about what has happened and will carry on with their lives. Depending on how the group has been, if the group had a negative affect then that person may be rude, mean and harsh to other people just like they have grown up doing with in their group. But if there was a positive affect then the person will stay the kind, innocent person they were which will give them more of a social life.Smoking may cause long term effects especially if they are addicted to it, some people along the way may develop cancer which is caused by the smoking which will lose their independents, depending on the condition it may lead to them not being able to live on their own. Care needs to be fulfil individual needsBoth children and adults both need regular check-ups to see how they are getting on and to monitor their health. They may develop some certain health problems and with the check-up doctors will be able to do something about it. The children may need help if they have learning difficulties, they will be able to have someone to keep close eye on them and to make sure that they are progressing, for the adults they will need help in controlling their drinking problem if they have one and to understand the damages that has happened.Any person will be able to receive counselling if they believe they cannot get over it and will need to open up  about how they feel, also having a friendly face who had not bullied the person could help to open up and talk about what had happened. Parents are the people who will be able to influence the child to change the way they were and to not be who they are or how they are turning into. This is when they will need to have someone to be there for them so they are able to open up about how they feel and to let all their aggression outThere can be talking therapies which will help change a person’s thinking and acting towards the smoking and change it positively to help t hem cut smoking and eventually quit.

In Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlehem

In Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlehem In Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlehem Royal Hospital [1984] 1 ALL ER 1018 Dunn LJ stated in the Court of Appeal that 'the concept of informed consent plays no part in English law' (per Dunn LJ at 1030). Is this still an accurate reflection of the law? In Sidaway, the plaintiff brought an action against the hospital and surgeon who performed an operation on her back. The operation she had undergone carried an inherent risk to her spinal column and nerve roots. Even if it was performed perfectly, there was still about a two per cent chance that she would suffer injury to her spinal column. As it turned out, the operation was performed correctly, but nevertheless, the plaintiff suffered injury to her spinal column. She brought an action for negligence based solely on the ground that she had not been warned of the inherent risks of the procedure and that she would not have consented to the operation had she been so informed. It was found in fact at the trial that the surgeon failed to inform the plaintiff that the operation was not necessary and was actually optional. It was also found that while she had been warned of the risk of damage to the nerve roots, she had not been warned of the less likely, but potentially more serious, ris k to the spinal column. It was also accepted that had the plaintiff been aware of these facts she would not have undergone the surgery. However, the trial judge also found that the course the surgeon had taken was backed by a ‘responsible body of medical opinion’ and therefore, applying the test formulated in Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1 WLR 582, the standard of care that the surgeon owed the patient had been discharged. This ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal and made its way to the House of Lords, where Dunn LJ’s quotation in the title is taken from. The House of Lords, by applying the Bolam test, also upheld the judgment on the ground that if a responsible body of medical opinion supported a course of action, this was sufficient to discharge the duty of care owed to a patient by a doctor. However, the reasoning in the case on the issue of informed consent is very enlightening. The first point to note is that Lord Scarman was the sole dissenting opinion in the case. Lord Scarman was of the opinion that, ‘the doctor’s duty arises from his patient’s rights. If one considers the scope of the doctor’s duty by beginning with the right of the patient to make his own decision whether he will or will not undergo the treatment proposed, the right to be informed of significant risk and the doctor’s corresponding duty are easy to understand: for the proper implementation of the right requires that the doctor be under a duty to inform his patient of the material risks inherent in the treatment.’(p. 888) Lord Scarman’s conclusion therefore was that the law ‘recognizes a right of a patient of sound understanding to be warned of material risks save in [exceptional circumstances]. This was not however the view of the other judges. Lord Bridge of Harwich for example, gave three reasons why the imposition of such a duty on patients would not be practical under English law. The first is that it would fail to take into account the reality of the doctor patient relationship in many situations. The doctor bases his decision to follow a certain course of treatment on a variety of factors and it would be impractical to expect him to educate the patient of the full implications of all of these factors. In fact, doing so may increase the trauma and stress of some patients. Secondly, the question of whether disclosure of information should have been made in any case would be best answered by reference to expert medical opinion on a case by case basis and not as a general rule applicable to all cases. Thirdly, Lord Bridge thought it would be impossible in practice for a court to apply a subjective test to the question of what was a ‘material risk’ that a pati ent should have been informed of, and what was an immaterial risk that would not require disclosure. This subjective test being one put forward in the American case of Canterbury v Spence (1972) 464 F. 2d 772. The statement of Dunn LJ quoted above was firmly upheld in the House of Lords. Sidaway however, was a case decided in 1984 and 1985. Massive advancements have been made both in the standard of medical care provided by doctors, and the requirements of the law in this field, in the intervening years. Therefore, it falls to be discussed, does the principal in Sidaway still apply? Perhaps the best starting place for such a discussion would be to follow Lord Scarman’s approach, quoted above, of looking at the right of the patient. The first right that all of us have, dating back to the early sources of the common law, is the right to bodily integrity. This right is so ingrained in our law that it can rarely be violated, even with the victim’s consent. As Swift J stated in the case of R v Donovan [1934] 2 KB 498 at 507, when it comes to violation of the principle of bodily integrity, ‘consent is immaterial.’ Furthermore, for the most part, the motive of the violator is often irrelevant and even the good intentions of a doctor will not excuse a violation of the principle. In the American case of Schloendorff v Society of New York Hospital 105 NE 92 (NY, 1914) Cardozo J put it clearly when he said that ‘a surgeon who performs an operation without the patient’s consent commits an assault,’ This position has been affirm ed in England in A-G’s Reference (No 6 of 1980) [1981] QB 715 where it was clearly asserted that it is the patient’s consent alone, and not the good motives of the doctor or any other public interest that make a doctor’s interference with the patient lawful. However, absolute as the twin principles of bodily integrity and patient consent appear, there are a number of exceptions in practice. The law distinguishes involuntary treatment, that is treatment that the patient does not consent to, from non-voluntary treatment, that is treatment that the patient is unable to consent to because he is for example unconscious or otherwise unable to provide valid consent. One justification for non-voluntary treatment is that the patient is presumed to consent, as it is highly likely that he would have done so had he been conscious. This approach however, does not have universal academic support (Mitchell, 1995). The more favoured justification comes from the law of necessity, which recognizes the need to act in an emergency, despite the fact that the necessary consent has not been obtained (Skegg, 1974). The requirements for this exception to apply are that the patient is unable to consent, that there is no one capable of consenting on his behalf, th at there is genuine urgency and that there are no known objections to treatment from the patient (In re Boyd, 403 A2d 744 (DC 1979)). The basic approach has been summed up succinctly by Lord Devlin (1962: p. 90) where he said ‘The Good Samaritan is a character unesteemed in English law.’ The principle has been developed further by the Canadian Supreme Court which has developed a distinction between procedures which are necessary and procedures which are convenient. While a doctor may be justified in performing a necessary procedure without consent, to perform a merely convenient one would be beyond what he is authorized to do. Two colourful Canadian cases illustrate the distinction well. The first, Marhsall v Curry [1933] 3 DLR 260, concerns a case where a doctor removed a testicle during the course of a hernia operation. While the patient was naturally dismayed to wake up to the discovery, the court held that the doctor had been justified in acting as he had because of the nature of the patient’s condition and the fact that the operation could not have been regarded as successful but for the doctor’s decision. This case is contrasted with that of Murray v McMurchy [1949] 2 DLR 442 in which the doctor tied a defective fallopian tube during the course of a caesarian section. This was held to have been convenient as the woman would have been at risk, had she undergone another pregnancy, and a separate operation to tie the tube could be avoided by performing the procedure now. However, the court found that the operation was not necessary in the legal sense and therefore a breach of the patientà ¢â‚¬â„¢s right. The relevance of these cases to English law was affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Devi v West Midland Regional Health Authority [1981] CA 491 which followed the Canadian courts reasoning. It should also be clearly noted that the consent of the patient, and the principle of patient autonomy takes precedence over any arguments of medical paternalism. This fact was stated in the two highly publicized and controversial cases of Re T (adult: refusal of medical treatment) [1992] 4 All ER 649 and Airedale NHS Trust v Bland [1993] 1 All ER 821. Also, where a doctor acts without any consent at all, law sees this situation as appropriate for a charge of battery. This will be the case where a doctor proceeds to act on a patient, despite the fact that the patient has expressly refused the treatment (Molloy v Hop Sang [1935] 1 WWR 714). It is also the case where the doctor proceeds to provide a patient with treatment that is materially different from the treatment that the patient consented to. This was the case in Schweizer v Central Hospital (1974) 53 DLR (3D) 494 where a patient consented to a toe operation, and the surgeon subsequently operated on the patient’s back. This is therefore. The starting position that led Lord Scarman to dissent from his colleagues in the Sidaway judgment. It is clear that the principle of bodily integrity is given the highest level of respect and protection under English law. Lord Scarman was saying that in order for a patient to exercise and enforce this right, he had to be informed of the details, risks and nature of a medical procedure. Further to this, Lord Scarman also was of the opinion that if a patient gave his consent without being properly informed of the risks and nature of the procedure he was consenting to, then this consent was in an important sense defective. This is the nature of the principle of informed consent, and requires that in order for a patient’s consent to be effective, and in order for a doctor to be able to properly act on it, the patient must have understood what he was consenting to. Sidaway was clearly a decision that rejected the concept of informed consent. This was recognized in Canada where the courts expressly refused to follow the decision and instead opted for upholding the informed consent requirement. One example of many is that of Haughian v Paine [1987] 4 WWR 97 in which the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decided not to follow Sidaway and instead ruled that a doctor had been negligent in performing an operation for which the patient had not been told the consequences of undergoing no treatment at all. This case followed quickly on the heals of Sidaway. However, as late as 1997, academics in England were still confidently asserting that â€Å"English law does not recognize the doctrine of informed consent† (Grundy, 1997: p. 211). However, by this time, the attention had shifted to another principle in English law that was providing patient’s with a choice. This principle can also be traced to the Sidaway decision, the very case that rejected the application of informed consent in England. In his dissenting judgment, Lord Scarman said (at p. 884), ‘Unless statute has intervened to restrict the range of judge-made law, the common law enables the judges, when faced with a situation where a right recognized by the law is not adequately protected, either to extend existing principles to cover the situation or to apply an existing remedy to redress the injustice.’ It is this principle of the law that has been leading to significant inroads being created into the Bolam test in the context of the information given to a patient to enable him or her to make a decision. The view of Lord Bridge that it would be impractical to expect the doctor to explain absolutely everything to the patient, has in fact been flipped on its head, and the prevailing sentiment now seems to be that it would be unreasonable for the patient to explain the entire circumstances of his life, medical, social, economic and otherwise, that would be necessary to make a truly informed decision and that therefore, it is the patient who is in a far better position to make the best decision based on the information available. Even in Sidaway a pure Bolam approach was being compromised. Both Lord Bridge and Lord Keith were of the opinion that, ‘When questioned specifically by a patient of apparently sound mind about risks involved in a particular treatment proposed, the doctor’s duty must, in my opinion, be to answer both truthfully and as fully as the question requires’ (per Lord Bridge at 898). If one was to think about this statement in practice, it is in fact a lot more significant a compromise than it may seem. In reality, it is extremely likely that the vast majority of patients would ask their doctor a large number of questions concerning the risks and relative benefits of different courses. It would be a rare patient these days who would see a doctor, hear of a course of recommended treatment, and then accept it unquestioningly. The easy availability of medical information, and access to education and awareness of relevant issues has been promoted in the last couple of decades to the standard where patients are likely to be highly informed on their conditions and the options available to them, and they will certainly expect to engage in a frank discussion with their doctor on the courses of treatment available. It could almost be assumed, that in cases where a patient did not ask about the risks of a procedure of his doctor, either he had sufficient knowledge and cons ented to the doctor’s approach, or abrogated his right to further information in favour of accepting the doctor’s assessment. The second inroad contained in Sidaway itself was asserted by Lords Bridge, Templeman and Keith to the effect that (per Lord Bridge at 900), ‘Even in a case where, as here, no expert witness in the relevant medical field contends the non-disclosure as being in conflict with accepted and responsible medical practice, I am of the opinion that the Judge might in certain circumstances come to the conclusion that disclosure of a particular risk was so obviously necessary to an informed choice on the part of the patient that no reasonably prudent medical man would fail to make it.’ Combined with the previously mentioned inroad, the two conditions together provide significant safeguards to the patient’s right to meaningfully consent. Even if the patient fails to touch on serious issues and risks in his own research, or conversation with the doctor, the doctor is also under an obligation to raise of his own initiative, particular risk that are obviously necessary for ‘an informed choice on the part of the patient.’ Without actually using the phrase, the standard that the court was setting out in Sidaway was in fact starting to sound quite close to the concept of informed consent, at least for the vast majority of cases, in practice. As identified by Gurndy (1997: p. 213) the approach adopted in Sidaway is in fact a limited form of informed consent, ‘for it acknowledges that: a patient’s right of decision should be recognized and respected; where the patient undergoes an operation involving a substantial risk of grave adverse consequences a doctor failing to disclose such risk would be negligent save for circumstances where there was some cogent clinical reason why the patient should not be informed.’ Since Sidaway therefore, there have been a number of cases highlighting the importance of the patient’s right to know, and putting the Bolam test into a subsidiary role as merely one of a number of factors that should be taken into account. In Blyth v Bloomsbury Health Authority [1993] 4 Med LR 151 (per Kerr LJ at 157) it was said, ‘The question of what a plaintiff should be told in answer to a general enquiry cannot be divorced from the Bolam test any more than when no such enquiry is made. In both cases the answer must depend upon the circumstances, the nature of the enquiry, the nature of the information which is available, its reliability, relevance, the condition of the patient and so forth.’ Without creating an express right to all information that is available, the court was saying that Bolam is just one of the factors that are relevant in questions of this type. In Smith v Turnbirdge Wells Health Authority [1994] 5 Med LR 334 (per Mr. Justice Morland at 399) the court went against Bolam when it said, ‘By 1988 although some surgeons may still not have been warning patients similar in situation to the plaintiff of the risk of impotence, that omission was neither reasonable nor responsible.’ Therefore, despite passing the Bolam test, the defendants failed on the grounds of a reasonable and responsible test. In Moyes v Lothian Health Board [1990] 1 Med LR 463 the court found that the overarching test was ‘whether the doctor has shown reasonable care for the safety of his patient.’ In Abbas v Kenney [1996] 7 Med LR 47 the court stated that ‘A doctor has a duty to explain what he intends to do and the implications of what he is going to do. It must be explained in such a way that the patient can understand.’ Therefore, to conclude, it is possible to say that while the courts purport to be applying the Bolam test, as set out in Sidaway, the fact of the matter is that they are actually operating on principles much closer to a practical understanding of a modified form of informed consent. There are numerous cases that show that the mere fact that a body of professional opinion would not have disclosed certain information will not be enough for a doctor to avoid a finding of negligence. At the same time, there are numerous judicial statements to the effect that doctors must inform their patients of the basic information necessary in order for them to exercise their right to consent. Therefore, while in theory there is no doctrine of informed consent in English law, the practical approach, stemming from Sidaway and subsequent practice, is that a modified doctrine of informed consent does prevail in English law, and any doctors who ignored this fact would be standing on very shaky legal groun d. Reference List Texts and Articles Beauchamp Childress, Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 3rd ed. 1990, Cambridge Buchanan Brock, Deciding for Others, 1989, London Campbell, Moral Dilemmas in Medicine, 3rd ed. 1984, Oxford University Press Castiglioni, A history of Medicine, trans and ed E B Krunghaar, 2nd ed. 1947 Fulford, Moral Theory and Medical Practice, 1989, Oxford Grundy, P., Bolam, Sidaway and the Unrecognised Doctrine of Informed Consent: A Fresh Approach, (1997) JPIL, Dec. 211 Lord Devlin, Samples in Law Making, (1962) Oxford University Press, Oxford Mason McCall Smith, Law and Medical Ethics, 4th ed. 1994, Butterowrths, London Mitchell, J., A Fundamental Problem of Consent (1995) 310 BMJ 43 Skegg, A., A Justification for Medical Procedures Performed without Consent, (19740 90 LQR 512 Cases Abbas v Kenney [1996] 7 Med LR 47 A-G’s Reference (No 6 of 1980) [1981] QB 715 Airedale NHS Trust v Bland [1993] 1 All ER 821 Blyth v Bloomsbury Health Authority [1993] 4 Med LR 151 Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1 WLR 582 Canterbury v Spence (1972) 464 F. 2d 772 Devi v West Midland Regional Health Authority [1981] CA 491 Haughian v Paine [1987] 4 WWR 97 In re Boyd, 403 A2d 744 (DC 1979) Marhsall v Curry [1933] 3 DLR 260 Molloy v Hop Sang [1935] 1 WWR 714 Moyes v Lothian Health Board [1990] 1 Med LR 463 Murray v McMurchy [1949] 2 DLR 442 R v Donovan [1934] 2 KB 498 Re T (adult: refusal of medical treatment) [1992] 4 All ER 649 Schloendorff v Society of New York Hospital 105 NE 92 (NY, 1914) Schweizer v Central Hospital (1974) 53 DLR (3D) 494 Sidaway v Board of Governors of the Bethlehem Royal Hospital [1984] 1 ALL ER 1018 Smith v Turnbirdge Wells Health Authority [1994] 5 Med LR 334

Pragmatism, Empiricism and David Hume :: essays research papers

Pragmatism, Empiricism and David Hume   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pragmatism is based on the philosophy that ideas must be tested and re-tested, that experiences dictate reality. Pragmatists also believe in no absolute truths or values existing. David Hume argues that, â€Å"no proof can be derived from any fact, of which we are so intimately conscious; nor is there anything of which we can be certain, if we doubt this† (Treatise 2645). Hume’s empiricist ideals were roots to early pragmatic thought, by way of the theory that, in our reality, nothing is certain and everything that can be sensed must be constantly qualified to find a place in reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hume’s position on our experiences deciding our veracity follows the school of pragmatism by staying away from any conclusive ideals. Thus, his angle on empiricism melds with pragmatism on the level of determining one’s self’s existence. Similar to Descartes, he explains that even, and more often than not as per constant perception, metaphysical experience can mold one’s identity. â€Å"And were all my perceptions removed by death . . . I should be entirely annihilated, nor do I conceive what is farther requisite to make me a perfect nonentity† (2645). Based so heavily in perception, he further deduces that when â€Å"insensible during sleep† and all perception of environment lies dormant, existence may halt (2645).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hume speculates most closely on miracles and opens his essay with the stance that, â€Å"A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature . . . the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined† (Enquiry 2647). He continues throughout his essay, supporting his claim and also breaking down Christianity, highly-based in such phenomena, proving the impossibility of the existence of miracles. This trend is something a pragmatist would argue against, firmly believing in there being nothing absolute. Yet, despite his resistance he concludes, â€Å"whoever is moved by faith . . . is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person . . . and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience† (2650). This statement, although a bit contradictory to his thesis, appeases to pragmatist thought, allowing for an explanation to those who are still det ermined to believe in miracles and the like and allows for them to own an identity under his definition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is at this end where his level of pragmatism veers from Charles Peirce to William James’ end of the spectrum.

Why John Brown Chose Violence :: essays research papers

Why do you believe that John Brown believed that the situation in the U.S. at the time could only be solved by bloodshed and not compromise?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that there are many reasons why John Brown believed that violence was the only way he could prevail in the fight to end slavery in the United States. First of all; at this time in history, issues were moving fairly quickly. As soon as Kansas was to become a territory, supporters from both the North and South rushed to settle on the land and tried to gain control of the vote in the area. Secondly, it probably seemed that any attempts at compromise at that time had not, and would not, get very far in the issue. Lastly, the most prominent reason I believe that John Brown felt violence was the only answer, was because of his belief in God. As he stated in his speech to the courts during his trial, he felt that what he did was not wrong. Sacrificing his life was worth it; even if it was just one step towards ending slavery, something that was so cruel and wicked anyway, his violence was no worse than the slavery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the Kansas-Nebraska Act was introduced in the U.S., the North was upset because the new territories would probably be pro-slavery. As soon as they could, both sides of the issue sent in settlers to try and gain control. This â€Å"race for Kansas† made the race to make a final decision on the issue of slavery in the U.S. an even more urgent issue. This battle to decide what side the two new territories would be on probably pushed the issue so hard it caused a lot of discomfort and probably hurried people like John Brown into making decisions quickly, because people were afraid. I believe that the rush to make a ruling for or against slavery was one reason why John Brown chose bloodshed over compromise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second reason I believe Brown picked violence over negotiation was because of the lack of communication. It probably seemed a hopeless endeavor to even try to correspond with the South on the issue, especially after violence had already begun in many places; not to mention in the act of slavery itself. It would have been very hard for either side to civilly speak or negotiate with the opposition in an reasonable manner.

A Background on William Blake Essay

A child of the Romantic Period, William Blake was a poet born into the lively grounds of Soho, England. Since childhood, people observed in him a keen sense of imagination. This recognition then encouraged his parents to support his career path as an artist (Merriman n. p. ). Blake was largely considered as eccentric or demented by his contemporaries, causing him to be denied in his lifetime the recognition he deserved. However, literary critics now consider him an influential force in the development of Romanticism (Barker n. p. ). Blake’s works and style of writing cannot be classified into a single category or genre. However, his works showed recurring themes of knowledge and innocence, heaven and hell, external reality and internal reality, and most of all, good and evil (Merriman n. p. ). Most of his works are expressed with simplicity, except for some of his later works. With this simplicity, Blake was able to portray opposing aspects of human nature. He achieved this superbly by using one literary piece to present the negative side of another earlier literary work. Sorrow: the Antithesis of Joy This style of Blake was highlighted in his two poems Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow. Infant Joy was presented to dwell on the joys of life, childbirth, and existence. Then, in contrast, Infant Sorrow came to life to demonstrate the sadness of life and human existence. Content Comparison. In Infant Sorrow, the infant’s realization that the world is an unhappy place to live in summed up human existence. This poem renders a bleak understanding of human conditions and strongly contrasts with the earlier poem, Infant Joy. This other poem celebrates childbirth, as shown by the infant christening herself as ‘Joy. ’ The voice of her mother celebrates with her baby too. However, the poem’s too-evident joyfulness invites suspicion. The mask of exaggeration can be unfurled to reveal a deeper understanding of human existence. Both poems share similar strong emotions in describing birth, and both use little to no figurative language. However, they differ in structures and in the portrayal of human oppression. The poems both describe the sentiments that surround the birth of a child. Infant Joy portrays the happiness of an infant for being alive (Blake 4-5). There is a sense of gladness because human existence is worth celebrating. When one is born, he/she is given civil rights and freedoms that are worth being born for. Nonetheless, the infant cannot realistically even be aware of herself in such a way. A source even notes that it is still the mother who provides the infant’s voice: she merely projects herself unto her baby’s seeming happiness (Gilham 3). Still, the mother’s voice (as herself) is also present in the poem. She also feels exuberant, so she sings for her baby (Blake 11). On the other hand, Infant Sorrow depicts the infant’s feelings of lack of safety and security, as well as experiences of oppression (Blake 5). The parents in this poem also express resounding emotions, as the â€Å"mother groaned† and the â€Å"father wept† (Blake 1). This first line of the poem emphasized the parents’ sadness and misery about the baby’s birth. Thus, both poems explore the avalanche of powerful feelings that come with childbirth. Use of Figurative Language. Both poems similarly employ little to no figurative language. For Infant Sorrow, the most striking figurative language is the simile, â€Å"Like a fiend hid in the cloud† (Blake 4). This indicates that the baby is like a criminal in the clouds of happiness. The irony stands out: here is a two-day old infant who normally feels peaceful and happy, but in reality should really feel like another criminal who cannot hide anywhere, not even in the comfort of his dreams. Another figurative speech is the pun of â€Å"sulk,† instead of â€Å"suck† (Blake 8). The baby sulks in being fed by her mother, which is confounding, because there should be a natural connection between feeding and existence, a connection that is more positive than depressing. For Infant Joy, there are no evident figures of speech. This makes the poem very straightforward to some extent. Curran calls this as having no word â€Å"in excess† (6), which have made the poem a pithy rendition of childbirth happiness. Structure and Rhyming Patterns. The poems also diverge in different aspects, beginning with their dissimilar rhyming patterns. In Infant Sorrow, Blake uses a regular AABB rhyme scheme for its two stanzas, but in Infant Joy, he utilizes ABCDAC for the first stanza and ABCDDC for the second. The dissimilar rhyming patterns depict the underlying chaos behind the sweet joy of the infant. This rhyming style suggests the incongruence that exists between what is said and what is not said in Infant Joy. Furthermore, the most distinct pattern in Infant Joy is the double rhyme that recurs in lines three, six, nine, and twelve. This rhyming pattern contrasts with the more stable rhyme of Infant Sorrow. As pointed out already, this signifies an uncertainty in the voice of the mother in Infant Joy, as she wishes her child a happy life. The mother could be suppressing the reality that happiness is rarely attainable, when human existence cannot be described as joyful at all. Other Structures. Both poems possess different structures that also impact their meanings. These poems use different strategies in illustrating human oppression. Infant Joy uses two voices of happiness and the theme of innocence to mask the latent doubts of insecurity in the mother’s voice. The voices come from an infant and mother who believe that human life is joyful and so being born into it must be a cause of cheerful disposition. The poem portrays the happiness of an infant in being born: â€Å"I happy am. /Joy is my name† (Blake 4-5). The mother feels high-spirited also and she sings for her baby. The poem also celebrates innocence by repeating the phrase â€Å"sweet joy† five times over in lines 6, 8, 9, and 12. The repetition emphasizes the sweetness of being born and being so young. Infant Joy, however, somehow masks an uncertainty. The mother keeps on saying that the baby is only two days old. In a way, it indicates that this is the main reason why the baby feels too happy; she is still too young to experience the harshness of living. Furthermore, there is a tone of wishful thinking about happiness from the mother. When she says â€Å"Sweet joy befall thee! † (Blake 12), it is more of a benediction rather than a conviction (Gilham 3). In here, human innocence has resembled a mask, a charade for a mother who wishes a form of short-term happiness for her baby. Blake undermines the happiness of human existence through Infant Sorrow, which directly assaults human innocence through dark symbolism, imagery, and figurative expressions. It is quite shocking that an infant would describe a new world as dangerous, one where the infant’s parents would weep or groan, as if in terror. Parents should be happy when they see their baby, but this poem paints an extremely contrasting picture. This point of view can be explained by the fact that Blake lived in a time of war (Curran 6). Thus, in the author’s context, he was right to say that a child born in such a society only â€Å"leapt to a dangerous world† (Blake 2). An infant described as a fiend is also hardly anticipated. This image is quite perplexing, because innocence has been plunged into the murky waters of evil (Blake 4). At the same time, the infant, who has just been born, already feels â€Å"bound and weary† (Blake 7). A baby should be free of the world’s numerous worries, but this infant is like an adult who has been disillusioned by the burdens of human life. The infant even sulks upon his mother’s breast. â€Å"Sulk† is a pun for â€Å"suck,† which renders a different interpretation of depending on a mother for nurturance (Carson 150; Bender and Mellor 300). â€Å"Sulk† underscores the resistance to the passive role of the baby in society (Gilham 4). The struggles of the infant symbolize the struggles of adults against the oppression from political and economic forces of society. The â€Å"swaddling bands† indicate how people also struggle to fight the institutions that make it impossible for them to enjoy their civil liberties. Infant Sorrow, hence, takes the voice of an adult who has briskly shaken off the pretensions of modern liberties. Blake used infants as the starting point of his argument about human existence. Conclusion Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow may directly oppose each other in the choice of words, structure and rhyming pattern.  Underneath them, however, are the same strong human emotions, portrayed simply with little use of figurative language. These poems possess the voice of a weary and dissatisfied adult who wants to escape but cannot wholly leave society. The innocence and happiness was a mere mask for the realities of life. They also express inconspicuously the voice of a human being who constantly fights the battle against dominant social institutions that trample on civil liberties. Ultimately, both poems remarkably render in diverse ways, the tortures of human existence.