The Plague - Novel Analysis Essays - Plague, Epidemics,

The Plague - Novel Analysis The Epidemic in a Few Pages The Plague is a novel describing the plague epidemic in the large Algerian city of Oran in the 1940s. In April, numerous rats staggered into the open to die. Once a mild hysteria gripped the population, the newspapers began searching for any action they could take. Finally, the authorities arranged for the daily collection and cremation of the rats, but by mid-afternoon they were already pilling up again. When a cluster of cases of a strange fever appeared, Dr. Rieux's partner, Castel, became certain that the illness is the bubonic plague. He and Dr. Rieux are forced to confront the indifference and denial of the authorities and other doctors in their attempts to urge quick, decisive action. Only after it became impossible to deny that a serious epidemic was ravaging Oran, the authorities did enforce strict sanitation measures, placing the entire city under quarantine. The public went into shock due to their sudden imprisonment and intense longing for absent loved ones. Many people indulged in selfish personal distress, convinced that their pain was unique in comparison to the rest of the town's. Father Paneloux delivered a stern sermon, declaring that the plague is God's punishment for Oran's sins. Raymond Rambert attempted to escape Oran in hopes of rejoining with his wife in Paris. He tried to escape with the help of Cottard's criminal buddies. In the mean time, Meanwhile, Rieux, Tarrou, and Grand relentlessly battled the death and suffering of the plague. Rambert eventually finalized his escape plan, but, upon learning that Pieux was separated from his wife, Rambert became ashamed to flee. He chose to stay behind and continue to fight the epidemic. Cottard committed an unknown crime in the past, so he has lived in constant fear of arrest and punishment. He found the plague to be a sign of relief because he was no longer alone in his fearful suf fering. He accumulated a great deal of wealth as a smuggler during the epidemic. Since the exile lasted for so long, the people lost their selfish obsession with personal suffering. They came to view the plague as a disaster that was everybody's concern, and many confronted their social responsibility and joined the anti-plague efforts. When M. Othon's son suffered a prolonged, excruciating death from the plague, Dr. Rieux shouts at Paneloux that he was an innocent victim. Paneloux, deeply shaken by the boy's death, delivered a second sermon that modified the first. He declared that the inexplicable deaths of innocent people forced the Christian people to choose between believing everything or believing nothing at all about God. When he fell ill, he refused to consult a doctor, leaving his fate entirely in the hands of divine Power. He died clutching his crucifix, but the symptoms of his illness did not truly match those of the plague. When the epidemic ended, Cottard could not go on. He began randomly firing his gun into the street until he was captured by the police. Grand, having recovered from the plague, vows to make a fresh start in life. Tarrou dies just as the epidemic was ending, but he battled with all his strength for his life, just as he helped Rieux battle for the lives of others. Rambert's wife joined him in Oran right after the city gates were opened. Dr. Rieux's own wife died of a prolonged illness before she and her husband could be reunited and the public quickly returned to its old routine. Once I finally finished reading this novel, I was overjoyed. I was interest in the bubonic plague and that was the only reason I chose this novel. Camus could have very easily increased the enjoyment of reading by correcting a few problems, but there were some aspects that I loved about it. If I am reading any type of writing and I stumble upon a word that I cannot say, I improvise with something that to anyone else would sound like a sigh of relief but it sounds as it looks. The Plague, due to my limited ability to pronounce French names, was filled with characters that practically had no names. I find it difficult to keep track of each

Mayoral Debate essays

Mayoral Debate essays During October 2003, a bug was found in the mayor's office prior to the Philadelphia Mayoral election. Once the bug was found the FBI stated that it was placed in connection with certain investigations but they declined to state the nature of the investigation. That the bug was found so close to the election date has raised the Mayors ire. He has suggested that the bug was apparently planted by the FBI in support of Sam Katz a Republican candidate. Sam Katz refuted these reports and said that it was about time that the corrupt practices of John Street, a first term Democrat candidate was exposed. Suspiciously, a poll that was released after the bugging incident indicated that it probably affected the results making both side of the stories questionable. As a result of this incident, Katz and his opponent John Street found themselves in a debate that was The Street Katz debate' held not only the state but the entire country enthrall. Most of the nation watched the debate as the themes of corruption', television' and politics' always hold a certain entertainment value and as such, a diverse audience found itself following the debate, even if they had previously found nothing of interest where politics was concerned. The language, the style, the argument and the actual rhetoric itself had great import as both the leaders realized that the debate could make or break their careers. Each of the debaters was interested in taking the offensive to ensure a strong argument so that none of the audience saw them as the criminal' party. Politics today is assuredly not a simple job; it's a game that has to be played with all the drama and pomp of a Hollywood movie. Taking this background into account we can accept the words of Katz who says, "All that has gone on in the last couple of weeks puts an exclamation point on basically 100 years of Philadelphia being a city corrupt...

Stem cell research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Stem cell research - Essay Example First and foremost argument made by the scientific community is that human stem cell research is said to promise new life changing treatments and possible cures for many debilitating diseases and injuries, including Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, burns and spinal cord injuries (Young, 2-16)1. Human stem cells can be obtained from a number of sources. The first is IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment, where surplus embryos (and unfertilized eggs for creating embryos) are donated for research with the consent of the donor rather than being destroyed following treatment. The second source is aborted tissue where stem cells are taken from the aborted foetus. Another is umbilical cord blood, rich in stem cells. These cells are harvested following the baby’s birth. The most controversial is perhaps therapeutic cloning, where cells are created for research that is genetically identical to the donor (patient). This is done by removing the nucleus of an egg and fusing this egg with any enucleated cell from the donor. This will create an embryo genetically identical to the donor. Cells can then be harvested from this embryo for treatment. Being an exact replica, there is potentially less chance of rejection following transplantation. Umbilical cord blood, the placenta and even the amniotic fluid have in fact been found to be rich in stem-cells (McGuckin, et al 245-255)2. Stem-cells have also been found in almost every body tissue such as the brain, pancreas, liver, skin, fat, muscle, blood, bone marrow, lungs, nose and tooth pulp (Fisher, 2005)3. The US President’s Council on Bioethics recently published a whole white paper on Alternate Sources of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.4 Sometimes these cells could be taken from the recipient patients themselves, avoiding any immune-rejection difficulties. At other times they are

Compare the Impact that the American Revolution had on Women and Research Paper

Compare the Impact that the American Revolution had on Women and African Americans - Research Paper Example However, the number of slaves was relatively small, and they worked and lived in every colony. States in the North had begun implementing laws that abolished slavery outright or promoted gradual emancipation even before the ratification of the Constitution. Among the legislations was the 1787 Northwest ordinance barring slavery form new territories during that period, therefore slavery existed effectively in the southern states and became the peculiar institutions of that region. Between the eve of the civil war and the federal census of 1790, the slave population rose to four million from approximately seven hundred thousand2. The revolution brought radical changes in sentiments, opinions, and principles to the American people. Ideas and issues that had an impact on the political, social customs, racial and gender roles in the thirteen states colonies had to be addressed as they united to form the United States. Despite the fact that the concept of an autonomous was not new, calls t o design and implement a democratic republic was of major concern to a relatively large number of colonists. At the end of the eighteenth century, majority of towns (especially Massachusetts) began experiencing firsthand republicanism through town elections and meetings. This promoted termination of British monarchy authority and limitation of the governing powers of elected public leaders, which subsequently appealed to individuals of all social status in all the colonies. Nonetheless, some key individuals in the society did not embrace the idea of a complete overhaul of the political system3. Majority of the high-class colonists ideally wanted an end to the hereditary aristocracy without essentially dismantling the existing social hierarchy. They were against the idea of a government that would consider everyone equal, from rich business people and property owners, to poor farmers and tenants, a well as slaves and women. Their conservative argument was that equality of all social classes would lead to illegal outbursts similar t those of the Boston Tea Party and Stamp Act crisis. The fight for independence from the Great Britain by the leaders of the colonies led to a broad concern for wider focus on social reforms, including slavery, religion, women’s rights, and voting rights4. The Declaration of Independence upheld the equality of all men, though the state leaders did not fully support these sentiments. The right to vote was strictly the business of white males who owned property with a certain value. The legislatures had the general assumption that individuals in society who lacked property did not a significant stake in the government, the moral prerequisite, and the proper work ethic to vote intelligently. Nonetheless, American leaders often highlighted the morel wrong of slavery, complaining on the attempts of the parliament to make them slaves, though majorities of the founding fathers were slaveholders. Of particular note was in 1775 when the royal governor of Virginia announced freedom to slaves who were willing to rebel against their masters, a move that received enormous outrage from the southern states. Similar attacks on the slavery institutions came under attack during the revolutionary era5. Early nineteenth century saw slavery ban in northern states and the prohibition of further importation of slaves by the federal government. In the northern states, slavery had a negligible

World War II Essay Example for Free

World War II Essay II (WWII), 120,000 Japanese Americans, US citizens or not, were forced out of the west coast after the attack of Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which allowed local military commanders to establish exclusion zones from which any or all persons may be excluded. Americans of Japanese descent were forcibly interned in different camps in the US. The military felt that this was a necessary action to prevent any espionage and pro-Japanese actions in the west coast. Regardless of the mass evacuation, a number of Japanese Americans served in the military forces. In fact, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) is the most highly decorated unit in US military history. Asian discrimination The discrimination against the Asians in the United States started even way before the incarceration of Japanese Americans in WWII. In the late 1900s, laws were passed that explicitly prohibited Japanese to become citizens of the US. They could not have a land of their own and were not allowed to marry outside their race. They could only buy homes in certain areas and were prohibited to work in certain industries. The Immigration Act of 1924 stated that aliens who were ineligible for citizenship would not be allowed to immigrate to the United States. When Japan had been establishing its colonial rule in the 20th century, news of brutality of Japan came into the US. In particular, Japans colonization of China was widely condemned by the US government. As a result, prohibitions on oil and supplies were placed on Japan. The Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 further strengthened the anti-Japanese sentiment of the Americans especially when eyewitness reports of violence reached the country. The anti-Japanese sentiment reached its peak when the appalling attack on Pearl Harbor transpired on December 7, 1941. This impelled the United States to wage war against the Japanese Empire. This anger was further fuelled by how Japanese treated American and other western prisoners of war, the Bataan Death March, and the Kamikaze attacks on American ships. Internment Executive Order 9066 Starting 1939, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been compiling information on prominent members of the Japanese community. These data in the Custodial Detention Index (CDI) were used to classify the persons according to their possible danger to the country. A few hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, the Attorney General, given a presidential blanket authority, announced that the FBI, using the information in the CDI, would be detaining dangerous enemy aliens who may put the security of the nation in jeopardy. Some believed that Japan would launch an attack on the west coast. Many officials doubted the loyalty of the Japanese residing in this area, their judgments mostly based on racial bias. They also feared a possible tampering of water system or arson. The distrust to the ethnic Japanese was more strengthened by the fact that many of them were educated in Japan, where schools emphasized reverence for the Emperor. This planted suspicion of espionage by the Japanese Americans. On December 30, the Attorney General authorized raids even without search and warrant arrests to all houses of Japanese lineage provided that there is at least one Japanese alien. General John L. DeWitt, commanding officer of the Western Defense Command, advocated the removal of enemy aliens from zones in the west coast. He insisted that there were indications of sabotage by the Japanese Americans. Although various agencies, such as the FBI, found no evidence of such a claim, their reports were suppressed by high officials. DeWitts recommendation easily made its way to the War Department who readily approved it. When President Franklin Roosevelt was presented the order, he readily signed the order without consulting the Cabinet. His support of the internment was a great show of support to the Americans that would be rewarding in the coming election. Exclusion, removal, and detention On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 authorized the Army to designate military areas from which any person may be excluded. Although there was no explicit command to evacuate the Japanese Americans, the order was carried out only to people of Japanese ancestry. The Italians Americans and German Americans, whose countries of origin were also at war with the allies of the United States, did not experience the same fate as the Japanese Americans. On March 11, the Office of the Alien Property Custodian was given discretionary authority over alien property interests. Many of the assets were frozen, causing financial difficulty for the people affected and hindering them from moving out of the exclusion zones. On March 24, Public Proclamation No. 3 enforced a curfew from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am for all enemy aliens and people of Japanese ancestry within the military areas. A few days later, another proclamation prohibited them from leaving Military Area No. 1, which is the entire Pacific coast to about 100 miles inland, until an order allows them to leave. On May 3, Japanese Americans were ordered to live in the assembly centers until transferred to relocation centers. The unfounded mass removal of the Japanese Americans took place around 8 months. Japanese Americans lost most of their properties since they were allowed to bring only what they could carry, such as clothing and personal effects. Numbered tags were given to them as a means of their identification and their belongings. Residents of twelve Latin American countries with Japanese ancestry were also interned to US internment camps. After WWII, most of the Japanese Latin Americans were not allowed to return to their countries and instead were deported to Japan, where they suffered hardships as Japan was severely damaged by the war. Of more than a hundred thousand Japanese Americans subjected to the mass removal program of the government, two-thirds of them were US citizens by birth. Farming as a cause of anti-Japanese sentiments Much of the prejudice against the Japanese Americans was intensified due to the competence of the Japanese in the agriculture industry. Being ingenious people, they eventually had their own farms and other businesses. A number of thriving businesses owned by Japanese Americans were strong competitors in the agricultural industry. The Japanese Americans had developed sophisticated means of irrigation that allowed the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and flowers on lands that could not be used for farming previously. The first-generation Japanese Americans, the Issei, indeed prospered in the 20th century, but their fate turned when they lost their farm during the internment. This, however, pleased the white farmers as they could take over Japanese farms. Because the Japanese Americans were removed from their farms, laborers were needed to take over the lands of the Japanese. Immigrations from the Mexican border started coming to Mexico. However, thousands of Nisei, children of first-generation Japanese that were US-born, were still needed to save the farming industry so thousands of them were released from camps. But for the Japanese Americans who remained in camp, they strived to irrigate and cultivate barren lands in areas near the internment camps. Because of their hard work, they were able to build farm lands that are still productive until the present.

Why the Major Cities of Britain Were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 - 19

Why the Major Cities of Britain Were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 - 1941 Immediately after the defeat of France in the June of 1940, Adolf Hitler gave his generals the orders to organise the invasion of Britain. This plan was code-named Operation Sealion and its objective was to land 160,000 German fighters along a forty mile stretch of south-east England's coast. It was only a few weeks before a large fleet of vessels was ready for attack. Among them 2000 barges lay waiting for the go ahead in German, Belgian and French harbours. As Hitler's generals were concerned about the damage the R.A.F could inflict upon their armada the invasion was postponed until the British air force had been annihilated. On 12th August the mass bomber attacks on radar stations, aircraft factories and fighter airfields began; This attack was followed by daily raids on Britain, this became the beginning of the Battle of Britain. Although these plans were drawn up Hitler was never very keen on them, his lack of enthusiasm caused their abandonment on October the 12th 1940. Instead of invasion Hitler switched his efforts to pounding Britain into submission with gruesome sustained nightly bombing campaign. 'Blitz' the German word for lightening was applied by the British press to the raids carried out over Britain in 1940 and 1941. This concentrated direct bombing of industrial targets and civilian centres began on 7th September 1940 with heavy raids on London and other major cities. Manchester (marked ('A') London Belfast Sheffield Coventry Portsmouth Glasgow Edinburgh Canterbury Newcastle Norwich Su... ...r pipe. Censorship of photographs was very common during the blitz. Photographs were not always censored because they showed death and disasters of the worst kind, but also because they portrayed the misery and angst of civilians, and depicted the widening gap between the ways of life of the working classes in comparison. However all the censorship could not hide the damage nor repair it and it could not erase the images of burning and dismembered corpses in the minds of the people. Although the people stoically stood shoulder-to-shoulder against the onslaught, what they suffered was nothing compared to what the Germans were going to suffer. As Sir Arthur (bomber) Harris said when he had the new generation of long-range heavy bombers at his disposal "They have sown the wind, now they will reap the whirlwind".

Critical Analysis of Beowulf

Grendel Deep within the earth, in the frigid darkness laid the mighty beast Grendel. His tall, grisly frame trembled as the melodious hymns floated down to his lair. The joyful music sounded like liquid gold and it stung Grendel's ears. He howled a mournful, drawn-out growl in pain. After several days of the Earthwalkers' continuous celebration, Grendel was becoming steadily impatient, thirsting for retribution. How he longed to taste the bitter, metallic blood that coursed through their veins, and how his whole body ached to cause mayhem.The enormous demon was growing weary of hearing about how the world was created. He was tired of them drinking, and celebrating, all while he suffered within the black, bleak cave he was banished to. He would make them suffer, though. Grendel was a deft demon, and he was ready to demonstrate how powerful he truly was. Children of Cain, such as Grendel, do not often sit idly by, as those whom carouse the victories of the Gods that banished Grendel an d his familiars to the Underworld.Forever was Grendel to be punished for the death of Abel, a crime of which he did not commit. To make matters worse, his familiars were on the losing end of the war against God's creatures, thus casting them deeper within the shadows. However, that would not be the case today. It had gone on long enough. Grendel's large feral body trembled in anticipation – he would strike them tonight. He would spill their blood in the streets and show them what such a mighty creature can do. Then, as the icy blanket of night crept across the Above World, Grendel emerged from his cavern.His muscular legs propelled him quickly across the grassy fields to Herot, and as he went, Grendel wondered how the warriors would be recuperating from their celebrations. As he approached Herot, he found all of the warriors scattered throughout, all in a deep sleep. As he stepped lightly on the ground, Grendel sniffed the air. A fowl stench of brandy mixed with the bitter sc ent of their sweat intoxicated Grendel. His canine ears perked as he heard the slow, rhythmic beating of each of their hearts. He walked among their numbers, gazing upon each potential victim and sizing them up.Who would provide the best kill? Who would give him the luscious blood he so eagerly wished to taste. Finally, he came upon the perfect victim – a boy, about to become a man, his warrior's helmet was slightly askew on his sandy-colored hair. A silvery trail of drool slid from his lips and out onto the cold stone floor as he snored quietly. He had obviously never experienced battle, for his armor was made only of thin leather and had not even a fleck of dirt on it. Grendel's black lips curled upwards as he gazed down upon his unknowing victim.The power of the demon could crush his skull in a second, splattering the boy's hopes and dreams all across the stone floor. No, that would be too abrupt – and it wouldn't be the warrior's death that this boy obviously so ea gerly desired. No, Grendel would enjoy this. So with one slash of his razor-sharp talons, the boys throat was cut. Long ribbons of scarlet ran down his almost severed head and down onto the floor. The instant his neck was cut, his eyes shot wide open in horror, staring for only a moment at his murderer.The fear, now etched eternally in his face, was like that of watching your worst nightmare transpire right in front of your eyes. That moment was everything Grendel wanted from his journey into mayhem. That single moment was what captured Grendel's thirst and made it even stronger. Grendel licked the crimson beads from his claws and savored the coppery taste. He could feel it enter his body and it made him even stronger. Every one of his muscles throbbed in eagerness to slaughter more people, to taste more blood, and to incite even more fear. He moved swiftly between his victims, his footsteps barely making a whisper.After a few more throat cuttings, Grendel decided he would massacre more by crushing a few skulls. Moving up to one rather rotund warrior, he grasped the warrior's head within his long fingers, and the instant Grendel felt the warrior awaken, he squeezed with tremendous force. Within that moment, the warrior's body felt limp, his enormous weight now pulling Grendel's arm down. The demon could feel the sharp fragments of bone and helmet inside his hand, and the warm, stickiness of the blood as it ran along his fingers. Over two dozen more, he did this to, before carrying all of their bodies back to his lair.On his way back, though, he made sure that they left a long river of blood towards his cavern. Grendel greatly anticipated the awakening of the other warriors. As soon as day broke, he was not disappointed – those whom Grendel had spared began to cry and moan as they discovered the fate of their loved ones and compatriots. Their joyous songs of celebration turned to marred hymns of lament. Now that was music to Grendel's ears. In fact, the magnitude of excitement Grendel felt made it impossible for him to stay within his cavern that night.Just like he had done last night, he crept out of his lair and slaughtered even more of the warriors. As the months drew on, eventually the remaining warriors would try to combat Grendel, or run and hide. Each warrior, young or old, met the same fate as those Grendel had killed on his first night. A gruesome and gory death awaited any and all who Grendel wanted to kill. Years began to pass, and Herot became abandoned, thus making Grendel the only inhabitant. No longer were stories told of the creation of the world, but instead of Grendel's power and hatred.