Existentialism vs. Naturalism in Native Son - 1657 Words

When I was recently suffering from the dreaded sweet tooth syndrome, I hadn’t the slightest clue that the result would lead to a personal and universal philosophical debate worthy of comparison to Richard Wright’s Native Son. I found a bag of Dove milk chocolates in my cupboard, and proceeded to snack mindlessly. If you have ever had a Dove chocolate bar, you may know that the foil wrappers include adorable anecdotes, encouraging you to â€Å"take a well-deserved bubble bath†, or reminding you that â€Å"when two hearts race, both win†. After merely two chocolates (I swear), I came across a wrapper that I found somewhat hysterical in nature. â€Å"Follow your instincts,† it beckoned, and I wanted to laugh out loud. What did this even mean? I began to†¦show more content†¦Both philosophical means of studying human nature â€Å"belongs to intellectual history†. They strive to bring a strong sense of objectivity and â€Å"coldness† to their studies. They are based upon reasoning and logic, and want to see human beings scientifically. The key difference between naturalism and existentialism is the exercise of free will, and the individual’s ability to find meaning in their life. Naturalist perspective argues that humans cannot dictate their own lives. Their belief is that an individual’s life is determined by its environment, heredity, circumstances, and so forth, whereas existentialists are based upon the concept of the individual acting out of free will. The purpose of life is to reject outside authorities or impacts on one’s life. Therefore the essential question referring to Native Son is; does Bigger take control of his own life, or is his life established by his surrounding circumstances? The plot of Native Son contains examples of both existentialism (arguably) and naturalism. Primary models of existentialism would be the Bigger’s murders of Mary Dalton and Bessie. His reac tion is not one of regret, but one of euphoria; â€Å"He had done this. He had brought all this about. In all of his life these two murders were the most meaningful things that had ever happened to him.† Bigger’s possibilities have always been stunted by racism, but after these murderous acts, he is â€Å"free† to act (and to live with the consequences

Effects of capitalism Free Essays

Capitalism West has been an important destination in American history. First it was a discovering target for Louis and Clark, later it became a spot for people to seek riches in gold rush. Whether it was for money or establishing settlement west has become an important place for American people. We will write a custom essay sample on Effects of capitalism or any similar topic only for you Order Now For these reason, one of the family who moved out west were the loads. During 1930’s, Midwest was hit hard by the great- depression. And to aggravate these effects dust bowls were sprawling all over Midwest. The Joads were immensely devastated by these conditions in ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ by John Steinbeck. First the author shows how the all over Midwest families were the target of dust bowls because the land was over used and crops weren’t rotated. Because people couldn’t grow their own crops, they had to borrow money from lenders, only to end up in debt they couldn’t pay. Since the debt wasn’t paid their land was taken away by the banks and corporation leaving them without Job or income. To coup this process The Joads decided to head out west looking for an opportunity to feed their family. But their hopes will be overturned by the misery that awaits them. In chapter 19 of ‘The grapes of wrath’, Steinbeck summarizes how Capitalism has left man-kind to turn Inhuman. During the 30’s the rich were becoming richer and poor were becoming poorer. There was a distinct line between upper and lower class. Whether it is Oklahoma or California, the wealthy showed no gratitude for the poorer. In Oklahoma the banks wanted to make profits from land by combining thousands of acres together. Same situation applied in California. But the land in California was stolen from Mexicans by the early â€Å"tattered feverish† squatters. Steinbeck uses distinct diction to assert that early settlers in west can be compared with incoming Okies. As time went on, these squatters’ children had lost their lust for land. Even though their forefathers had earned the land through hostility, But for newer generation â€Å"the hunger was gone, the feral hunger, the gnawing, tearing hunger for land†. Author uses this run on sentence to explain how the lives of the land owners were effortless, because hunger is one of the instincts that motivates mankind. Since their predecessor had left them wealthy, the owners didn’t value the land. These owners had distinct themselves from farming. They had lost their lust for â€Å"a shining blade to plow it, for seed and a indmill beating its wings in the air†. Steinbeck uses imagery to demonstrate the importance these tool would hold for a farmer, but the owners did not recognize them because they had separated themselves from farming. Since their connection with land is lost, the owners turned their attention to making money and profit. Steinbeck illustrates the shift from man-power to machines during the 30’s. One man on tractor can replace twelve families on a farm. With this revolution the man shifted from a farmer to a ‘shopkeeper’ and ‘manufacturer’. This transition made the land owners less sympathetic to land. Farming is no longer their main occupation because â€Å"the crops were reckoned in dollars, and land was valued by principal plus interest†. Steinbeck compares rich owners with banks in Oklahoma. The owner no longer tarmed tor teeding their tamily or tor survival, but tor making solely profit. In contrast of rich owner the Okies only want to farm to feed their family and for their love of land. Steinbeck shows the owners in California had become so powerful â€Å"crop failure, drought, and flood were no longer little deaths within life, but simple losses of money’. But this reason would be death within life for a farmer in Oklahoma. If a farmer had experienced crop failure or drought, it could mean they had to go into debt for feeding their family. The banks took the land from the farmers because of the debt. This resulted in mass migration from Midwest to California. Since the rich owner treated farming like industry, they did not care for their workers. Steinbeck shows that the â€Å"Owners followed Rome†. He compares the migrants with slave because the owner gave low wages only enough for surviving and not living. This shows the greediness of the farm owners. This also portrays the affect that capitalism has had on the rich owners. In ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, Steinbeck shows the unpleasant conditions of working class during the 30s. During those times people from Midwest suffered socially and economically. Thousands of people migrated west to seek a better life, only to be left devastated. In difference from the misfortune farmers, the banks and rich land owners took advantage of new machine age to increase their wealth and profit. This in turn lead to industrial farming and left the farmers Jobless. It shows the selfishness of upper class and hardship of the farmers. The result of capitalism led to a chaotic situation between landowners and the poor. How to cite Effects of capitalism, Papers

Cirrhosis – Liver Disease

Questions: What cause the cirrhosis (liver disease) and why? Critically discuss any social issues related to the cirrhosis (liver disease) such as: -The social issues that might happen to the sick person at home and at work e.g the ability to work or the relationship with family members, friends, or other. - The long term affects of drinking and smoking to human health. - The budgetary for governments of alcohol and tobacco use? Answer: Introduction Liver Cirrhosis is the disease in which the healthy liver tissue is replaced by a scar tissue. This prevents the normal functioning of the liver. The flow of blood via the liver is blocked by the scar tissue. The liver is not able to perform the vital functions of the body like metabolism, production of protein and blood clotting factors are produced less in the body. Ascites or fluid accumulation inside the abdomen is considered as the common problem of cirrhosis. It is related with poor life quality, increased infection risk and poor continuing effect. Other associated life-threatening problems are hemorrhage of esophageal varices and hepatic encephalopathy. The one and only option left for the treatment of advanced cirrohis stages is a liver transplantation. Excessive consumption of alcohol is considered one of the major factors contributing to liver cirrhosis (Better Health Channel, 2015). Causes of Liver Cirrhosis The major causes of liver cirrhosis are hepatitis C, fatty liver and alcohol abuse. The fatty liver can result in liver cirrhosis which results due to obesity and diabetes. Other causes of liver cirrhosis include chronic viral infections for example: hepatitis B, C and D. Blockage of the bile duct can result in liver cirrhosis. The blockage of the bile duct stops the flow of bile formed in the liver to the intestine. Other causes of liver cirrhosis are repeated failure of the heart with the fluid backing up into the liver. Inherited diseases like cystic fibrosis or hemochromatosis result in liver cirrhosis (Webmd.com, 2015). Few inherited diseases like cystic fibrosis, disease associated with glycogen storage, alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency are associated with the cause of liver cirrhosis. In case of glycogen storage disease, human system becomes incapable to utilize glycogen, which is a type of sugar and is translated to glucose. This serves as the energy source for the human system . Other causes are reactions with prescription drugs, extended exposure to ecological toxins and parasitic infection. Long term effects of drinking and smoking to human health Excessive consumption of alcohol damages the functioning of the liver. The liver cells are damaged by the excessive consumption of alcohol. The alcohol is broken down by liver so that it can be removed from the body. The harmful substances of the blood are removed by liver. The liver can become excessively damaged if one consumes more alcohol. It is difficult for liver to process the alcohol. Excess and chronic consumption of alcohol causes damage to the liver. Drinking alcohol for many years can damage the liver cells and the liver becomes incapable to digest the alcohol. However the amount of alcohol consumption that causes liver cirrhosis can vary among people. A woman drinking the same level of alcohol has higher risk of developing cirrhosis than a man. Children are more prone towards liver cirrhosis. However liver cirrhosis can occur as a result of genetic predisposition of any injury related to the liver. Smoking is rarely considered to be the cause of liver cirrhosis. The functions of the liver are largely affected by the consumption of coffee. Excessive consumption of coffee reduces the functional capability of the liver and results in liver cirrhosis. Consumption of coffee reduced the serum level of total protein and albumin content. However smoking resulted in the rise of the serum level of the body and decreased the albumin level. Consumption of coffee and smoking and alcohol drinking affects the normal functioning of the liver. A person has to undertake regular medications in order to survive from the adverse effects of liver damage (Nlm.nih.gov, 2015). Protection against liver disease Cirrhosis of the liver can be protected by reducing the intake of alcohol to a considerable extent. This will not reduce the normal functioning of the liver. One should check his lifestyle and food habits in order to avoid the disease. Liver is considered as the second largest organ in the human system. It creates protein and generates bile to clear proteins and simplify fats. Therefore, protection against liver cirrhosis is very much significant. Individual should consume less fructose, fired and processed foods that contain hydrogenated oils and trans fats. Detoxification of system is also important because liver help the human system to process and remove harmful substances via sweat, feces and urine. Detoxification helps to increase and support natural process. Symptoms of the disease The indications of liver cirrhosis vary from one stage to another. In the initial stages no symptoms may be present. But along with the disease progression symptoms may become noticeable. The symptoms of liver cirrhosis include weakness of the body, loss of hunger, fatigue, itchy skin, fluid retention or edema, swelling in legs, abdomen, ankles, weight loss, easy bruising, orange or brownish colored urine, faded stools, personality changes, disorientation, confusion, fever and presence of blood in stool. One can suffer from jaundice where the skin color will change to yellow. Social issues related to the disease A person affected by liver cirrhosis will not be able to lead a healthy lifestyle. An acute level of the disease will prevent an individual from working. The person has to stay under regular medication. Liver cirrhosis can cause an individual to become very sick and consequently it is become difficult for the person to perform important and productive work activity. Because of the illness the person may feel weak or unwilling to work in their own respective workplaces. This can badly affect the income of the family and this condition can become worst if the affected individual is the only working person of the family. Conclusion Liver cirrhosis is incurable. But in some cases the treatment of liver cirrhosis can reduce the likelihood of the condition of becoming worse. The treatment of liver cirrhosis is done by treating the underlying cause of liver damage. The treatment of hepatitis or viral infection can increase the longevity of the person suffering from the disease. Apart from medicinal treatment palliative care can also be offered to the affected patients so that the affected individuals get relived from the stress, pain and serious indications because of liver cirrhosis. The aim of this type of care is to modify quality of life of the affected individuals and their family members. References Better Health Channel, (2015).Liver disease - cirrhosis - Better Health Channel. [online] Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Liver_disease_cirrhosis?open [Accessed 21 Feb. 2015]. Nlm.nih.gov, (2015).Alcoholic liver disease: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. [online] Available at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000281.htm [Accessed 21 Feb. 2015]. Webmd.com, (2015).Cirrhosis of the Liver Stages, Causes, Symptoms, Treatments. [online] Available at: https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/cirrhosis-liver [Accessed 21 Feb. 2015].