Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews free essay sample

The latter, an Italian word used to describe short stories, supplied the present generic English term in the 18th century†. (Wikipedia) So, Henry Fielding was born in a period in which the novel was not fully developed, and he could be considered as a pioneer of this genre. His first major novel was â€Å"The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and his friend, Mr. Abraham Adams†, published in 1742. The novel was a satire of the Samuel Richardson’s novel â€Å"Pamela† as a continuation of â€Å"Shamela†, a pamphlet which was a parody of â€Å"Pamela†. But the difference between â€Å"Shamela† and â€Å"Joseph Andews† lies in the parody, meanwhile â€Å"Shamela† is a parody, â€Å"Joseph Andrews† started as a parody but finally the novel turned into an independent work, the characters and plot have their own history. The following and most famous work of Henry Fielding was â€Å"The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling†, published in 1749. We will write a custom essay sample on Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In this novel, Fielding expresses a lot of things of his own life and things of the situation of England in that moment. But, on the contrary of which is thought, â€Å"Tom Jones† is not an historical novel in the sense of express a lot of things of the context of Great Britain (for example, the Jacobite Revolution in which Fielding was very interested, is only named two times in the book, which makes the reader set the novel in a context and a specific period but do not try to tell all the story of England), but in the sense of creating â€Å"histories† of its characters, Fielding was an innovator with this structure. So the novel is considered an historical novel but not in the sense in which most people understand it. Henry Fielding had a lot of works, novels and plays. But the purpose of this essay is to make a comparison between the two novels named before, â€Å"Tom Jones† and â€Å"Joseph Andrews†, focusing on their structure in which will be analyzed the characters, and the style of the two novels trying to find the similarities and the differences. 2. A COMPARISON OF THE STRUCTURE IN TOM JONES AND JOSEPH ANDREWS 3. 1. CHARACTERS Although, there are a lot of characters in both novels, this essay is going to focus on the most important characters such as Tom Jones, Sophia Western and Allworthy in â€Å"Tom Jones†, and Joseph Andrews, Fanny, and Parson Adams in â€Å"Joseph Andrews†. Tom Jones is the main character of the novel â€Å"The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling†. And Joseph Andrews is the main character of the novel â€Å"The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and his friend, Mrs. Abraham Adams†. As main characters they have many things in common. For example, at first, it was believed that Tom Jones was the son of Jenny Jones, so he was â€Å"adopted† by Mr. Allworthy and he was treated like a boy of the lower class, but finally, he discovered that he was the son of Bridget Allworthy, and his uncle, Mr. Allworthy named him heir of all his fortune. In â€Å"Joseph Andrews† was something similar. At first, it was believed that Joseph was the son of Mr. Gaffer Andrews and Mrs. Gamer Andrews who also belonged to the lower class, but finally, Joseph Andrews discovered that he is the son of a gentleman called Mr. Wilson. But a difference between Tom and Joseph is how they deal with women. Joseph was pursued by Lady Booby and he rejected her and left her house in which he was working as a servant. He travelled to his home again and he met with Fanny, a girl who he was in love with. But Tom had many affairs with women, for instance, with Molly Seagrim, and after confessing his feelings to Sophia Western (who was deeply in love with him), Tom began an affair with Lady Bellaston and Mrs. Waters. Anyway, Tom Jones is gentleman who always tries to treat women with respect. Tom also treats women with the utmost respect, obliging their desire to be courted by pretending to be the seducer even when they are seducing him. Tom refuses to abandon Molly for Sophia and is plagued by his obligations to Lady Bellaston. Nonetheless, Toms refusal of the tempting marriage proposal of Arabella Hunt—whose last name underscores the fact that Tom is hunted more often than he is the hunter—indicates that he has mended his wild ways and is ready to become Sophias husband. Toms gallantry reveals itself in his relationships with men as well as women, however. This spirit is evident in Toms insistence on paying the drinking bill for the army men at Bristol, and in his gallant defense of himself in the duel. Sparknotes) On the contrary, Joseph Andrews tries to be a gentleman but he is not. And Joseph is, as C. J. Rawson has noticed, something of a parody of a gentleman rather than a gentleman. It is really a distinction between nature and nurture, for Joseph is born a real gentleman (without knowing it) but does not quite manage to carry himself like one: he has â€Å"the most perfect Neatness in his Dres s, and an Air, which to those who have not seen many Noblemen, would give an Idea of Nobility† (38-39; 1, 8). But those who have seen many noblemen would, presumably, not be deceived by such an appearance. (Varey) Anyway, although Joseph Andrews is not a real gentleman â€Å"in his manner†, he is â€Å"unaffected†, â€Å"honest†, and â€Å"candid† (Varey). In â€Å"Tom Jones†, we find the character of Sophia Western who is the other main character in the novel. She is the person in who Fielding shows the virtue of the innocence. But, although she is like a delicate girl and innocent, she faces her father and her aunt because she loves Tom and she does not want to marry Bilfil. Sophia is the essence of womanhood in the novel. She is very honest and obedient in the novel but she also has a sense of independence towards her father’s wishes. After she and Tom are lovers and Tom is extradited from the town Sophia is willing to go against her father’s order to stay and marry Blifil and she leaves the town to go and find Jones. Although Sophia is very honest and loving she does not think like Jones. She is not dedicated like Jones. She puts her personal interest before the welfare of others. The History of Tom Jones) In â€Å"Joseph Andrews†, we find the character of Sophia in â€Å"Tom Jones†, Fanny she is the girl who is in love with Joseph and she has a lot of similarities with Sophia, both of them are innocents and sensitive, but they fight for their love. She has sensibility, sweetness, and gentility; in short, she is the perfect object for Josephs love, and the way in which she immediately takes to the road in search of Joseph af ter hearing of his plight testifies that she too has a depth of feeling all too rare in this novel. Yet she also possesses a deep sense of modesty; and, in all honesty, one must admit that Fanny is a little too perfect. But part of her charm is in the way Fielding uses her in his comic contrasts. (Cliffnotes) Finally, the last character of â€Å"Tom Jones† which will be analyzed is Mr. Allworthy. The reader only has to read the last name of this character to realize how he is, and how he is going to act along the novel. Allworthy is the person who takes Tom Jones and â€Å"adopts† him when he knew that Tom Jones’ mother commit a sin being pregnant of a man and not marrying with him. He is the protector of Tom Jones; he is like an ideal man: He is intelligent, virtuous, charitable, compassionate and cautious. Tom is good, generous and honest, but he has a lack of caution and a faith to use it as an obstacle to the temptations of the flesh to be like Mr. Allworthy. But in â€Å"Joseph Andrews† we find Parson Abraham Adams. He is who leads Joseph in the adventures. Although he is a little bit â€Å"dreamer†, he is the character which set the moral basis in the novel. Adams is a very good man and yet a very human man; he has his head in the clouds and although his feet are on the ground, they are usually in puddles. Comic though he is, he is the firm pivot of the novels moral influence. It is his belief in charitable action which distinguishes him as a parson from such hypocritical boors as Trulliber. Like Joseph and Fanny, he acts on his feelings, and it is because of this affinity that he is such a fine guardian and guide to the young pair. (Cliffnotes) 2. 2 STRUCTURE / STYLE Henry Fielding was known for his style of writing. In â€Å"Tom Jones† and â€Å"Joseph Andrews†, he represents the virtues, and he uses the satire. According to the structure, â€Å"Joseph Andrews† has a lot of picaresque: the action takes place on the road and in inns. And the most of the events, in which Joseph or Adams are involved, are independent from each other. Fielding introduces such events, and the stories between the main story, to underline and satirize the selfish and hypocritical behavior which is common in all the classes of the society. Fielding creates a lot of characters of all types, from the lower class and upper class such as aristocrats, landowners, clergies, doctors, lawyers, actors, drivers and innkeepers. In Joseph Andrews characters of inferior rank and manners are numerous. [†¦] The list includes more innkeepers, an hostler or two, a coachman, and various rustics. His portrayal of these â€Å"inferior† characters and their conversation shows Fielding’s familiarity with the lower classes and their speech, which he insists is as important to the novelist as a knowledge of â€Å"upper life†. (Bissel: 69) The structure of â€Å"Tom Jones† is very similar to â€Å"Joseph Andrews†, but it is a novel larger, which includes evocations of the life in the land and scenes of the London life. In the preface of â€Å"Joseph Andrews†, Fielding notes that he sees the novel as an â€Å"epic poem in a mocking tone and prose†. The epic poem represented a narrative way renowned for the tradition in which the author could inspire himself, without fear of the critics, when he wanted to create a new kind of literary work. â€Å"Tom Jones† is a novel extraordinary good planed. It is supported in the structure of the epic-poem: a central action which moves forward with regular steps to a final target and of which events contribute in some way to the whole narration. Tom Jones, as a new Ulysses, he sees him forced to leave his home, and after a lot of adventures which polish his personality and put his qualities down, finally he comes back to his home to meet with his â€Å"Penelope†, the faithful Sophia Western. The period of adventures reminds a lot to the picaresque atmosphere of â€Å"Joseph Andrews† and, as in this one, the war deeds take place in inns. The influence of Cervantes in â€Å"Joseph Andrews† is obvious and the author himself admits it. Parson Adams and Joseph Andrews, as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, go through the paths and share adventures which are told with humor. More obvious than any of these, the influence of Cervantes appears not only in the resemblance between Don Quixote and Parson Adams, but also in a number of similarities in manner and incident. (Battestin) Adams and Don Quixote are characters, who due to their idealism lose contact with the reality; both of them assume the good intentions of th e different characters they meet and that is the reason why all people trick him. As Adams looks like Don Quixote, Joseph Andrews looks like Sancho Panza. There are some similarities between them. Sancho represents the realism and Joseph personifies an extreme idealism almost grotesque. Sancho is a character who develops along the novel. At first, he is the rational character and Don Quixote is crazy, but finally it is to the contrary and Sancho goes crazy. And Joseph also develops. At first, he seems like a ridiculous character and without personality, but along the novel he leaves of being the parody of Pamela and he turns into a character with personality and own identity who matures and starts to realized of the reality that is around them. At the end, he turns into a character which has a more realistic vision of the world. In â€Å"Tom Jones†, the main character with the same name is the version of Don Quixote and he has the services of his own Sancho Panza who is represented in the character of Partridge, the ex-teacher of the school, victim of the destiny, who, as Tom Jones, has been exiled because of a crime which he did not commit. Of course, the humor is present along the novel and it is one of the bases of it. There are characters really hilarious such as Partridge, the servant of Tom Jones, (as it has been already said, the Sancho Panza of Tom Jones). He is always making Tom losing the patience with his plenty of verbosity and his never ending Latin cites. Another example is the Mr. Western, Sophia’s father, a mixed of bad manners, little drunk and fan of the hunting, who is responsible of many of the funniest scenes of the novel. The ability of Fielding for the satire never ends. He satirizes all the social classes, they all come off badly and there is not any character hich is not satirized. â€Å"Tom Jones† is a novel really modern. Fielding knew how to represent the double moral of the human beings, the inevitable tendency to the contradiction and the debility about the temptation; the heroes of this story give in to reprehensible impulses (at least from the point of view of the moral of that period), and their behavior is not always as people could expect. Fielding show s the inconstancy of the soul through the funny adventures, but with a background of clever satire far from negligible. Moreover, the fact that the women of this story are the model of behavior and being judged with a very advance look is very relevant. The tutor of Tom, Mr. Allworthy (whose last name shows how he is), put wisely in balance the behavior of the young’s mother, whom he accuses of have a baby without husband; additionally, he convinces Sophia’s father to allow her daughter of getting married with the person who she believes is the best. The aunt of Sophia faces his brother to defend the social position of the woman as a member of the society, with the same rights and duties as men. It is vital to appreciate the limited role that Fielding gives to burlesque; he is attempting to describe the real nature of comedy, just as Joseph Andrews will attempt to discover the real nature of everyone and everything. In linking himself with Hogarth, the comic history painter whose works are in the exactest copying of nature, Fielding presents an argument later echoed by Henry James: The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life. When it relinquishes this attempt, the same attempt that we see on the canvas of the painter, it will have arrived at a very strange pass (The Art of Fiction, 1884). (Cliffnotes) 3. CONCLUSION In summary, as it has been shown in this essay, â€Å"Tom Jones† and â€Å"Joseph Andrews† have many similarities. Fielding reproduces the same moral and virtuous style in both of them. He makes the main characters with similar personalities such as Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews, or Sophia Western and Fanny. In the style, the reader can see how Fielding tried to recreate in his novels (a part of the influence of the classical literature such as â€Å"The Odyssey†), the influence of Cervantes’ â€Å"Don Quixote†, and the introduction of the picaresque in his novels. At first, it was believed that â€Å"Joseph Andrews† was inspired in â€Å"Don Quixote†, but the fact is that â€Å"Tom Jones† has a lot of that picaresque and the role plays of the main characters as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. And of course, in both of them, the reader can find lots of moral and satire. In addition to the fact that â€Å"Joseph Andrews† started as a parody of Pamela, it became as an independent novel and finally it was a novel with personality and different stories. It became in a critic, a satire of the social classes and the society in general of his time, as â€Å"Tom Jones†, which was considered as an historical novel, but not because of the references to the History, but to the creation of histories between the characters and the similarities between them and the reality. 4. WORKS CITED Bissel, Frederick Olds. Fieldings Theory of the Novel. New York: Cooper Square Publishers Inc. , 1933. Print. Compton, Neil. Henry Fielding Tom Jones. A Casebook. Macmillan, 1970. Print. Inserni, . Primary Characters:.   The History of Tom Jones Analysis of Characters. Blogger, 13 Sep 2011. Web. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. Johnson, Maurice. Fieldings Art of Fiction. Eleven Essays on Shamela, Joseph Andrews, Tom Jones and Amelia. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1969. Print. Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding.   Cliffnotes. John Wiley amp; Sons, Inc.. Web. 21 Mar 2013. The Moral Basis of Fieldings Art. A Study of Joseph Andrews. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 1959. Print. Tom Jones (Novela).   Wikipedia. La Enciclopedia Libre. Wikipedia Commons, 12 Mar 2013. Web. 21 Mar 2013. Varey, Simon. Joseph Andrews. A Satire of Modern Times. G. K. Hall amp; Co. , 1990. Print. Withington, Keri. Character analysis: Joseph Andrews, by Henry Fielding.   Helium. Where Knowledge Rules. Helium Inc. , 05 May 2007. Web. 21 Mar 2013.

Political Science 101 essays

Political Science 101 essays There are those wordsmiths in our great society who, when they dont like the connotative meaning of a word, simply change the meaning of the word to suit their purposes. This has been done incrementally and successfully for the last several decades. The political radicals of the 1960s continue to convulse our society as the baby boomers age in place. What I will endeavor to do is to explain in basic terms the meanings of several political terms that we hear thrown around in the media with a seemingly careless concern for their actual meanings. I will discuss the meanings and practicalities of Socialism, Capitalism, Liberalism, Conservatism, Communism, Fascism, Nazism, and Libertarianism. It is important to note that the meanings of these words have been steadily changing since the 1960s, so my words may sound out of date to those who have not read a book or newspaper published before 1968. I will start with the oldest, and most successful economic model ever evolved. Capitali sm has been around since one hominid (of course, this assumes you believe in evolution) traded an animal skin for a newer, sharper flint knife. This economic model has literally been around for more than a million years. Remember, capitalism is an economic model and not a political philosophy. Those were evolved to modify capitalism to suit people. Politics comes from the Greek root word Polis, or people. Politics and political models evolved to distribute the wealth generated by the free market capitalistic system. Liberalism and Conservatism have been particularly warped over the last several decades. At the turn of the last century, Theodore Roosevelt was called a liberal. The U.S. President that launched the United States onto the world stage was labeled a Liberal because he was progressive. The Democrats of the time were the conservatives, because they felt the U.S. had no business involving itself with the outside wo...

Building a Networked Organization

MWH is a global engineering services firm considered to be a leader in water, hydropower and environmental remediation. It was trying to turn the geographically organized department into one organized by function and the reorganization will depend on effective collaboration. The existing relationships are providing through ONA analysis, a method for mapping relationships among people in a group. This case looks into the old structure under which departments are fragmented by geography and constrained by hierarchy and other gaps in connectivity. Challenges are listed for discussion and recommendations are provided for steps to be taken to align the department’s network with MWH’s business objectives. An IT department organized by geography instead of functionality had been acceptable when MWH was smaller, which is now impossible for the IT department to deliver sophisticated, standardized solutions. The information-seeking relationships that existed at the birth of iNet were based on shared geography, not on shared functional areas. . There was only limited collaboration across the IT business centers and this fragmentation results in internal customers experiencing varying levels of service, functionality and costs for technical solutions and applications. Even more crucial was service to external customers. 3. The lack of standardization. Employees had no strong process base to guide them and they got work done by turning to other people for help.The leaders of the various IT groups met two or three times a year in an effort to drive standard approaches for the company, but the groups continued to operate independently, each serving its own master and employing its own measures and processes. 4. There was limited collaboration between some locations for MWH, this imposed a big challenge for the iNet project because some are planned to be built into important serve locations globally. Some groups were not providing optimal solutions to customers because they did not leverage each other’s expertise, therefore higher than industry average IT cost lead to lower competiveness of service quality and cost. 6. There was hierarchy exist. Overall, there was a relatively high level of collaboration among the most senior iNet employees, but less connectivity was evident among those at lower levels. 7. The network size varied a lot from 1~2 to more than 25 overloaded by some people which reveals a serious asymmetry of the relationship distribution. 8.A lot of relationships existed within immediate team only; few had any ties outside of MWH. 9. The serendipitous interactions could preclude effective information-seeking. RECOMMENDATION All the issues addressed above occurred from inefficient organization structure and lack of collaboration, which can be solved by carefully designing and building a networked organization. Following are the reconditions for successfully carrying out iNet project to: 1) Increase responsiveness and adaptiveness through real time operation. 2) Maximize the knowledge potential of the enterprise by leveraging expertise companywide and share information. ) Minimize disruption and duplication, which promises delivering optimal solution and with lower cost. Recommendations are from two aspects: restructure company departments and better managing networked relationships throughout the whole organization. Organization Restructure 1. Fluid boundaries MWH need to breakdown the geography base departments and carry out a function integration to increase its capacity to respond quickly and effectively to market forces, therefore improve the quality of conformance to customer requirements and reduce costs.Centralization of like tasks or functions and management of geographically separated units will enhance a more network-oriented improvement. From exhibit we can see that the new organization structure has fewer departments and levels, all the new departments are no longer designed according to geography but functions. However, having a revised organization structure graph is far from enough. To make it work, the manager needs to make sure there is no longer geography boundaries exit. New operational structure need to push functions out or pull them back in different departments as they suit company’s strategy.Large-scale integration of functions and systems required to fully manage the operation and service p rocess. 2. Information infrastructure Executives must use powerful technology to allow information to flow seamlessly across, out of, and into the company. Well-planned technical architecture need to be set up to allow information to move freely. MWH need to build up an integrated and overarching architecture for the entire company, not just a patchwork of current system linking to individual’s solutions. A through analyze of existing technology support will be needed to balance with the infrastructure requirements of the iNet project. . New management structure Advance IT systems will help to remove some mid-level management positions and creates a flatter structure, therefore, old control and planning style will be revised. Senior managers should be able to see into a larger group of employees with technology, while push down information simultaneously. Senior management should be linked with each other, therefore be able to draw on the entire management team for input when it comes to important decision process. The entire control and planning process will then become an on-line, real-time, team-based, coordinated process.This change will create deeper understanding of issue facing each senior manager and activities need to be adopted, thus more proper coordination at the senior management level. It also provides opportunities to move decisions either up or down in the organization. Team decisions making will be easier and faster, as geographically separated departments can concurrently access and assess data and communicate at the very first time. 4. Expertise group To better utilize the knowledge of experts in the organization, expertise group need to be carefully designed and make sure they can provide help and share information easily.Every knowledge worker should belong to at least two separate teams, which helps the organization achieve cross functional co-operation as well as helping individuals gain a broader perspective. Social relationship Management 1. Management of interdependence Under iNet, there is going to be considerable interdependence among all management actives. Instead of taking full control over the immediate lower level employees in the department, managers need to cope with unclear lines of authority and decision makings which rely more on interactions from other teams and departments. The managers need to share resources more freely and perate in a more diffuse responsibility and accountability environment. 2. Management of role complexity In old MWH organization structure, ONA analysis revealed the existence of highly hierarchy: senior and highly relied people had full control over the resources while lower level and highly peripheral employees with limited access to resources and authority. Within the networked organization, as the complexity of shared work, decision making, expertise and accountability increase, employees need to be involved in more complex network recourses to gain stronger skill to adapt the new responsibilities.The manager’s challenge here is to give employees confidence and resources to gain these skills including tools/techniques necessary, conceptualization, experience and interpersonal skills necessary to work efficiently with other. This can be achieved from assigning expertise groups to help and trainings. 3. Management of information seeking In the old structure, many employees seek information from their immediate teams and many others tend obtain inf ormation mainly from serendipitous interactions.The social capital was tight, informal relationships was unseen among employees, while the new networked form company functions efficiently with its flexible relationships. On one hand, managers need to improve the information seeking process for more efficient result. Formal relationships are best cemented by having agreed written process and common members in all teams. Higher trust and openness rather than higher formality environment need to be created for critical linkages. Frequent communication throughout the network must be encouraged; small groups developing its own communication dose not foster the net work spirit.On the other hand, besides of formal relationships, employees should be encouraged to maintain their personal and professional networks, even beyond the identifiable needs of the current team. 4. Management of culture Another big challenge the manger need to work on to foster iNet is creating trust culture in the organization. Transforming from the traditional structure, trust is one of the most important forces. Employees must have a clear understanding of task intent, information, and trust in the people, resources and technologies available.As a global company, establishing a trust-based culture is more difficult for MWH because of the diversified locations and mixed nationalities, there is no control over individual’s location, training, and experience. The relationship between people is fluid. Moving information in the networked organization and more complex roles demands a higher level of trust and dependence between managers and employees. This trust-based culture can be grown from joint training, team work and other continued integrations and reinforcements.

Editorial Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Editorial Overview - Essay Example Likewise, there is a need to check on sentences that were too long and which necessitate the use of appropriate punctuation marks. As such, the author is recommended to go through the manuscript in greater detail to make the necessary proofreading and corrections, as deemed necessary, prior to final submission and publication. In addition, the content needs to be revised in terms of reliability and accuracy of the information that were presented. For instance, in the prologue, as Detective Inspector Richard Moore was noted to remove the dead man’s possession, one of the items mentioned was â€Å"a thick silver wrist wetch (check spelling, should be watch), a birthday present from his wife† (Attached Fiction Essay par. 1). The author should add more details to explain how he knew that the watch was a present from the dead man’s wife (for instance, viewing from the inscriptions at the back of the watch). Overall, the manuscript was well-written and could be considered for publication after addressing the points and issues that were above

Stem Cells Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stem Cells - Research Paper Example Cell-based devices are among the most appropriate techniques that surgeons have proposed. These approaches may provide effective therapeutic opportunities for repairing damaged bones due to injury or disease. The source of cells for cell-based approaches includes xenogenic, allogenic, and autologous cells. Scientists have discovered the use of Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC), which have proved to be effective in the repair of damaged bones. The source of the ESCs includes the blastocysts’ inner cell mass, which undergo fast cell division to replace the lost bone tissues. ESCs differentiate into osteogenic cells in selective culture environment. This property makes the ESCs to be effective in repairing or replacing the lost bone tissue (Kahle et al., 2010). Materials and Methods C57BL/6 mice acted as the source of the inner cell mass of blastocysts, which provided the embryonic stem cells. It was necessary to test the cells to ensure that they were positive for the experimentation. 1.5 x 106 cells were cultured in every Petri dish containing Dulbecco Eagle to enhance osteogenic differentiation. Dulbecco Eagle was changed in a daily basis and the embryonic stems cells were split once after two days through detachment with trypsin (Kahle et al., 2010). ... 2. Kitchen, S. G., Shimizu, S., & An, D. S. (2011). Stem cell-based anti-HIV gene therapy. Virology,  411, 260–272. Background There is a pressing need to develop an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. It has been a deadly disease because scientists have not yet developed effective medication or vaccination strategy. However, scientists have developed antiretroviral drug therapy, which has enabled the infected individuals to live for long before the virus takes full control of the immune system. There is a need for new techniques that can replace or complement existing antiretroviral drug therapy. It will be significant for scientists to develop new techniques that will fully control the virus and restore the damaged immune system. The recent technology of developing stem cell-based therapy as well as the technologies that make it possible for these cells to undergo genetic modification, has motivated scientists to work toward finding an appropriate medication for HIV infection (Kitchen, Shimizu, & An, 2011). Scientists have used hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy technique to ensure that the immune system of the infected individuals develops a long-term resistance to HIV. Hematopoietic stem cells have the capability of differentiation and self-renewal that bring about hematopoietic lineages. New genes due to hematopoietic stem cells have the ability to continue producing the anti-HIV genes in the differentiated cells, which includes cells such as macrophages, CD4 and T-lymphocytes (Kitchen, Shimizu, & An, 2011). Methods Because of the recent stem cell technology, scientists have a number of techniques that will possible cure HIV infection. They have employed a variety of methods to bring about an appropriate intervention such as

Long-Term Effects and Societal Impacts of Alcohol Consumption Essay Example for Free

Long-Term Effects and Societal Impacts of Alcohol Consumption Essay Studies have shown that both long-term and short-term alcohol consumption affect every organ in the body in one way or another (College Drinking Changing the Culture, 2012). Some of the most commonly affected organs are the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, stomach, kidneys, and lungs (College Drinking Changing the Culture, 2012). Alcohol consumption has also been shown to affect one’s mental health as well as cause damage to the developing fetus (Fergusson, 2009). â€Å"Short-term† alcohol abuse refers alcohol consumption over days, weeks, or a few months; while â€Å"long-term† alcohol abuse is referring to high consumption of alcohol over several months to several years. Alcohol abuse also goes beyond the human body; it touches every part of society, particularly families and the economy, and likely has affected every human being in way or another. Organs Affected by Long-Term Alcohol Consumption Brain The short-term effects of alcohol consumption are more obvious because they are the effects that are seen when someone is intoxicated: slurred speech, lack of balance, poor memory, and blurred vision. The long-term effects of alcohol consumption on the brain are a little more subtle. One of the most common findings amongst long-term alcohol consumers is thiamine deficiency (thiamine is also known as vitamin B1), which is an essential nutrient for all tissues in the body (â€Å"Alcohol Alert†, 2004). The approximately 80 percent of alcoholics that have a thiamine deficiency are at a great risk of developing Wernike-Korsakoff Syndrome, a disease that consists of two syndromes, Wernike’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s psychosis (â€Å"Alcohol Alert†, 2004). Wernike’s encephalopathy causes mental confusion, paralysis of the nerves that move the eyes, and difficulty with muscle coordination, which 80-90 percent of the time develops into Korsakoff’s psychosis, a chronic syndrome characterized by memory and learning problems (â€Å"Alcohol Alert†, 2004). Heart While studies have shown in recent years that the antioxidants found in red wine can actually decrease one’s risk of developing heart disease, The American Heart Association states, â€Å"Drinking too much alcohol can raise the levels of some fats in the blood (triglycerides). It can also lead to high blood pressure, heart failure and an increased calorie intake†¦Excessive drinking and binge drinking can lead to stroke. Other serious problems include fetal alcohol syndrome, cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death† (American Heart Association, 2012). Alcohol can also affect the heart indirectly. Long-term alcohol consumption can lead to conditions such as obesity and/or diabetes, which put one at a greater risk of developing coronary artery disease (American Heart Association, 2012). Liver The liver is the organ in your body that filters out toxins, such as alcohol, from the blood. Drinking more alcohol than the liver can process can actually damage liver cells, and over a long period of time can cause alcohol related liver diseases such as fatty liver disease (build up of extra fat in liver cells), alcoholic hepatitis (swelling and damage of the liver), and alcoholic cirrhosis (scarring of the liver where soft healthy tissue is replaced with hard scar tissue) (American Liver Foundation, 2011). The damaged liver cells caused from long-term alcohol abuse can lead to inflammation, increasing the risk of liver cancer (â€Å"Alcohol Use and Cancer†, 2012). Liver disease can be fatal, and complications from liver disease may include build up of fluid in the abdomen, bleeding from veins in the esophagus or stomach, an enlarged spleen, high blood pressure in the liver, brain disorders or coma (from hepatic encephalopathy), and/or kidney failure (American Liver Foundation, 2011). Pancreas Long-term alcohol consumption can lead to chronic pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatitis can result from blockages in the pancreatic duct, although in alcoholics it is more commonly caused by damage to the pancreatic tissue due to the by-products of alcohol metabolism (Apte, 1997). Alcohol abuse is the most common cause for patients with chronic pancreatitis, and can usually be treated with diet modifications (avoiding alcohol and low fat diets) and medications for pain relief, without requiring surgical intervention (Freedman, 2012). Some studies even claim that long-term alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, although the studies on these claims have shown only a minor increased risk and have been mostly inconclusive (Ye, 2002). Gastrointestinal Tract The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the first stop that our foods and beverages have in the body. Alcohol usually moves from the stomach to the small intestine rather quickly, however sometimes alcohol is left behind and can actually irritate the inner lining of the stomach (College Drinking Changing the Culture, 2012). Unabsorbed alcohol left in the stomach can also increase digestive juices (hydrochloric acid), halt the digestive process and rob the body of necessary nutrients, and react with medications (such as aspirin) causing gastritis, ulcers, or severe bleeding (College Drinking Changing the Culture, 2012). Alcohol has even been linked to cancers in the GI tract. Cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx (voice box), and esophagus are believed to especially increase the risk of cancers of smokers because of the possibility that alcohol acts as a solvent for the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes, allowing these harmful chemicals to penetrate the inner linings of the digestive tract (â€Å"Alcohol Use and Cancer†, 2012). Bacteria in the colon and rectum can convert alcohol into large amounts of acetaldehyde, a chemical that has been shown to cause cancer in some lab studies (â€Å"Alcohol Use and Cancer†, 2012). Kidneys Long-term alcohol consumption has also been shown to compromise kidney function, particularly in patients with established liver disease (Epstein, 1997). Some studies have even shown that alcohol abuse can altering the form and structure of the kidneys, noting that many alcoholics have increased kidney size and/or swelling compared to non-alcoholics (Epstein, 1997). In Dr. Murray Epstein’s research on kidney function and alcohol abuse he has stated, â€Å"Chronic alcoholic patients may experience low blood concentrations of key electrolytes as well as potentially severe alterations in the body’s acid-base balance. In addition, alcohol can disrupt the hormonal control mechanisms that govern kidney function† (Epstein, 1997). Lungs One of the systems that is not as widely linked to alcohol consumption is the respiratory system, however recent studies have helped establish this link. For example, recent studies have shown that alcoholics are actually more prone to lung infections (such as pneumonia) (Joshi, 2007). More specifically, long-term alcohol consumption can decrease the levels of glutathione (an important antioxidant) in the lungs by as much as 80-90 percent (Joshi, 2007), which in turn leaves the lungs more susceptible to infection. Some pulmonologists have even found that prolonged and heavy exposure to alcohol can complicate asthma management, as well as worsen lung function and increase mortality in patients with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) (Sisson, 2007). The reason why the effects of long-term alcohol consumption on the lungs is not as widely studied is because most often the lung impairment goes undetected until acutely insulted by trauma or sepsis (system wide infection) (Joshi, 2007). Breasts Recent studies are now showing that even a few alcoholic drinks can increase the risk of breast cancer in women, particularly of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer (â€Å"Drinking Alcohol†, 2012). Alcohol can increase levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer (â€Å"Drinking Alcohol†, 2012). According to breastcancer.org, â€Å"Compared to women who dont drink at all, women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer. Experts estimate that the risk of breast cancer goes up another 10% for each additional drink women regularly have each day† (â€Å"Drinking Alcohol†, 2012). The Effect of Alcohol Abuse on Society Families Alcoholism affects each member of the family, and can even affect unborn children. The most commonly affected family members are the spouses and children of alcoholics (Berger, Silverstein, and Wekesser, 2003). Studies have shown that some of the most common symptoms found amongst spouses of alcoholics are feelings of hatred, self-pity, avoidance of social contacts, suffering from exhaustion, and/or becoming physically or mentally ill (Berger, Silverstein, and Wekesser, 2003). Children of alcoholics commonly express symptoms such as low self-esteem, loneliness, guilt, feelings of helplessness, fears of abandonment, poor performance in school, and/or chronic depression (Berger, Silverstein, and Wekesser, 2003). Unborn children can be affected by alcohol abuse when a woman drinks a significant amount of alcohol during the pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most common disorder related to alcohol use during pregnancy. A baby that has been diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome may have the following symptoms: poor developmental growth in the womb and after birth, decreased muscle tone and poor coordination, delayed development, heart defects such as ventricular septal defect (VSD) or atrial septal defect (ASD), and/or problems with facial features (â€Å"Fetal alcohol syndrome†, 2012). The Economy In 2011 the U.S. Centers for disease Control (the CDC) reported that alcohol abuse costs the United States approximately $223.5 billion a year, with the government paying more than 60% of the health care costs of alcohol abusers (Fox, 2011). This enormous cost includes, but is not limited to, factors such as lost productivity due to alcohol-related illnesses, medical/health consequences of alcohol abuse, lost productivity of criminals/victims from crimes involving alcohol, and motor vehicle accidents (fatal and non-fatal) in which alcohol was involved (â€Å"Economic Costs of Alcohol Abuse in the United States†, 2000). Source Article: McCambridge J, McAlaney J, Rowe R (2011) Adult Consequences of Late Adolescent Alcohol Consumption: A Systematic Review of Cohort Studies. PLoS Med 8(2): e1000413. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000413 References: Alcohol Alert. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Oct 2004. Web. 8 Oct 2012. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa63/aa63.htm. Alcohol Use and Cancer. American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, 27 Jan 2012. Web. 8 Oct 2012.http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/DietandPhysicalActivity/alcohol-use-and-cancer. American Heart Association. Alcohol and Heart Disease.www.heart.org. American Heart Association, 04 Apr 2012. Web. 8 Oct 2012. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/MyHeartandStrokeNews/Alcohol-and-Heart-Disease_UCM_305173_Article.jsp. American Liver Foundation, . Alcohol-Related Liver Disease. American Liver Foundation. American Liver Foundation, 04 Oct 2011. Web. 8 Oct 2012. http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/alcohol/. Apte, M, M Med, J Wilson, and M Korsten. Alcohol-Related Pancreatic Damage. Alcohol Health Research World. 21.1 (1997): 13-20. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh21-1/13.pdf. Berger, G, H Silverstein, and C Wekesser. Alcoholism and Its Effect on the Family . AllPsych Journal. AllPsych Journal, 14 2003. Web. 23 Oct 2012. http://allpsych.com/journal/alcoholism.html. College Drinking Changing the Culture. Alcohol and You: An Interactive Body. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 13 Aug 2012. Web. 8 Oct 2012. http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov Drinking Alcohol. Breastcancer.org. Breastcancer.org, 17 Sep 2012. Web. 8 Oct 2012. http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/alcohol. Epstein, Murray. Alcohol’s Impact on Kidney Function.Alcohol Health Research World. 1.21 (1997): 84-93. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh21-1/84.pdf. Fergusson, DM, JM Boden, and LJ Horwood. Tests of causal links between alcohol abuse or dependence and major depression. PubMed. March (2009): n. page. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19255375. Fetal alcohol syndrome. PubMed Health. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 08 Aug 2012. Web. 8 Oct 2012. Fox, Maggie. CDC: Alcohol Abuse Costs U.S. $224 Billion a Year. National Journal. National Journal, 17 2011. Web. 23 Oct 2012. http://www.nationaljournal.com/healthcare/cdc-alcohol-abuse-costs-u-s-224-billion-a-year-20111017. Freedman, Steven, and J. Thomas LaMont, eds. Patient information: Chronic pancreatitis (Beyond the Basics). Up To Date. Wolters Kluwer Health, 11 Jul 2012. Web. 8 Oct 2012. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/chronic-pancreatitis-beyond-the-basics?source=see_link. Joshi, Pratibha, and David Guidot. The alcoholic lung: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and potential therapies. American Journal of Physiology Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. 292.4 (2007): L813-L823. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. http://ajplung.physiology.org/content/292/4/L813.full.pdf html. Sisson, JH. PubMed. PubMed. 41.5 (2007): 293-307. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17764883. United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Economic Costs of Alcohol Abuse in the United States. 2000. Web. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/economic-2000/alcoholcost.PDF. Ye, W, J Lagergren, E Weiderpass, O Nyrà ©n, H-O Adami, and A Ekbom. Alcohol abuse and the risk of pancreatic cancer. GUT An Internati onal Journal of

Dantes Lucifer: The Denial of the Word :: The Divine Comedy

The four words constituting the first line of Inferno 34, however, are and are not Virgil's own words. On the most obvious level, these words are his own in that the text attributes them to him. At the same time, they are not his, since they are a quotation of the first line of a hymn by Venantius Fortunatus.3 And yet, the last word, inferni, must be attributed to Virgil under all respects, for he utters it without borrowing it from the hymn that Venantius Fortunatus wrote in honor of the cross and Christ. Through Virgil, Dante the auctor, therefore, rewrites and parodies this sacred hymn at the conclusion of the infernal cantica exactly when the two wayfarers approach Lucifer.4 Although neither name is mentioned, both are conjured up. Inferno 34 thus begins by invoking a contrastive binomial, Christ and Lucifer. The irony inherent in the Christian hymn's adaptation for the purpose of announcing Lucifer's appearance to the Pilgrim stems, most strikingly, from subverting a text written for a sacred purpose and now employing it for a profane one.5 No longer the sacred poem ( «Vexilla regis prodeunt ») written by a Christian poet, the new and profane poem ( «Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni ») is proclaimed by a pagan, is dedicated, as it were, to Lucifer, and is inscribed within the book of the Commedia. Whereas the Christian Venantius writes a poem to his king, Christ, the pagan Virgil, unable to write a poem for the king whose law he opposed (Inf. 1:125), intones a poem to his de facto king, Lucifer, and he does so by borrowing and perverting a sacred text. In fine, Dante the auctor records this new hymn to Lucifer in his text, as if he were the scribe of Virgil the poet. This opposition between Christ and Lucifer is further emphasized by another textual element, which focuses on nomen. The Inferno, in fact, is the text where the word Dite __ Lucifer __ is inscribed and where the word Christ is never recorded. Thus a written sign characterizes Lucifer in the first cantica, whereas the text's silence typifies Christ. As we shall see, however, the meaning of this verbal presence and absence is ultimately turned around: Lucifer's presence becomes a failure, whereas Christ's absence signifies a victory. As a sign of his textual presence throughout the first cantica, Lucifer, the character whom the Pilgrim contemplates in the nethermost pit of the universe, is designated by means of various words and circumlocutions.