Writers on Writing The Power and Pleasure of Metaphor

The greatest thing by far, said Aristotle in the Poetics (330 BC), is to have a command of metaphor. This alone cannot be imparted by another; it is the mark of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an eye for resemblance. Over the centuries, writers have not only been making good metaphors but also studying these powerful figurative expressions  Ã¢â‚¬â€ considering where metaphors come from, what purposes they serve, why we enjoy them, and how we comprehend them. Here — in a follow-up to the article What Is a Metaphor?  Ã¢â‚¬â€ are the thoughts of 15 writers, philosophers, and critics on the power and pleasure of metaphor. Aristotle on the Pleasure of MetaphorAll men take a natural pleasure in learning quickly words which denote something; and so those words are pleasantest which give us new knowledge. Strange words have no meaning for us; common terms we know already; it is metaphor which gives us most of this pleasure. Thus, when the poet calls old age a dried stalk, he gives us a new perception by means of the common genus; for both the things have lost their bloom. A simile, as has been said before, is a metaphor with a preface; for this reason it is less pleasing because it is more lengthy; nor does it affirm that this is that; and so the mind does not even inquire into the matter. It follows that a smart style, and a smart enthymeme, are those which give us a new and rapid perception.(Aristotle, Rhetoric, 4th century BC, translated by Richard Claverhouse Jebb)Quintilian on a Name for EverythingLet us begin, then, with the commonest and by far the most beautiful of tropes, namely, metaphor, the Gr eek term for our translatio. It is not merely so natural a turn of speech that it is often employed unconsciously or by uneducated persons, but it is in itself so attractive and elegant that however distinguished the language in which it is embedded it shines forth with a light that is all its own. For if it be correctly and appropriately applied, it is quite impossible for its effect to be commonplace, mean or unpleasing. It adds to the copiousness of language by the interchange of words and by borrowing, and finally succeeds in the supremely difficult task of providing a name for everything.(Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, 95 AD, translated by H.E. Butler)I.A. Richards on the Omnipresent Principle of LanguageThroughout the history of Rhetoric, metaphor has been treated as a sort of happy extra trick with words, an opportunity to exploit the accidents of their versatility, something in place occasionally but requiring unusual skill and caution. In brief, a grace or ornament or add ed power of language, not its constitutive form. . . .That metaphor is the omnipresent principle of language can be shown by mere observation. We cannot get through three sentences of ordinary fluid discourse without it.(I.A. Richards, The Philosophy of Language, 1936)Robert Frost on a Feat of AssociationIf you remember only one thing Ive said, remember that an idea is a feat of association, and the height of it is a good metaphor. If you have never made a good metaphor, then you dont know what its all about.(Robert Frost, interview in The Atlantic, 1962)Kenneth Burke on Fashioning PerspectivesIt is precisely through metaphor that our perspectives, or analogical extensions, are made--a world without metaphor would be a world without purpose.The heuristic value of scientific analogies is quite like the surprise of metaphor. The difference seems to be that the scientific analogy is more patiently pursued, being employed to inform an entire work or movement, where the poet uses his met aphor for a glimpse only.(Kenneth Burke, Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose, 3rd ed., University of California Press, 1984)Bernard Malalmud on Loaves and FishesI love metaphor. It provides two loaves where there seems to be one. Sometimes it throws in a load of fish. . . . Im not talented as a conceptual thinker but I am in the uses of metaphor.(Bernard Malamud, interviewed by Daniel Stern, The Art of Fiction 52, The Paris Review, Spring 1975)G.K. Chesterton on Metaphor and SlangAll slang is metaphor, and all metaphor is poetry. If we paused for a moment to examine the cheapest cant phrases that pass our lips every day, we should find that they were as rich and suggestive as so many sonnets. To take a single instance: we speak of a man in English social relations breaking the ice. If this were expanded into a sonnet, we should have before us a dark and sublime picture of an ocean of everlasting ice, the sombre and baffling mirror of the Northern nature, over which men walk ed and danced and skated easily, but under which the living waters roared and toiled fathoms below. The world of slang is a kind of topsy-turveydom of poetry, full of blue moons and white elephants, of men losing their heads, and men whose tongues run away with them--a whole chaos of fairy tales.(G.K. Chesterton, A Defence of Slang, The Defendant, 1901)William Gass on a Sea of Metaphors- I love metaphor the way some people love junk food. I think metaphorically, feel metaphorically, see metaphorically. And if anything in writing comes easily, comes unbidded, often unwanted, it is metaphor. Like follows as as night the day. Now most of these metaphors are bad and have to be thrown away. Who saves used Kleenex? I never have to say: What shall I compare this to? a summers day? No. I have to beat the comparisons back into the holes they pour from. Some salt is savory. I live in a sea.(William Gass, interviewed by Thomas LeClair, The Art of Fiction 65, The Paris Review, Summer 1977)- If there is anything in writing that comes easy for me its making up metaphors. They just appear. I cant move two lines without all kinds of images. Then the problem is how to make the best of them. In its geological character, language is almost invariably metaphorical. Thats how meanings tend to change. Words become metaphors for other things, then slowly disappear into the new image. I have a hunch, too, that the core of creativity is located in metaphor, in model making, really. A novel is a large metaphor for the world.(William Gass, interviewed by Jan Garden Castro, Interview With William Gass, ADE Bulletin, No. 70, 1981)Ortega y Gasset on the Magic of MetaphorThe metaphor is perhaps one of mans most fruitful potentialities. Its efficacy verges on magic, and it seems a tool for creation which God forgot inside one of His creatures when he made him.(Josà © Ortega y Gasset, The Dehumanization of Art and Ideas About the Novel, 1925)Joseph Addison on Illuminating MetaphorsAllegories   when well chosen, are like so many tracks of light in a  discourse, that make everything about them clear and beautiful. A noble metaphor, when it is placed to an advantage, casts a kind of glory round it, and darts a lustre through a whole sentence.(Joseph Addison, Appeal to the Imagination in Writing on Abstract Subjects by Allusion to the Natural World,  The Spectator, No. 421, July 3, 1712)Gerard Genette on the Recovery of the VisionThus metaphor is not an ornament, but the necessary instrument for a recovery, through  style, of the vision of essences, because it is the stylistic equivalent of the psychological experience of involuntary memory, which alone, by bringing together two sensations separated in time, is able to release their common essence through the miracle of an  analogy  Ã¢â‚¬â€ though metaphor has an added advantage over reminiscence, in that the latter is a fleeting contemplation of eternity, while the former enjoys the permanence of the work of a rt.(Gerard Genette,  Figures of Literary Discourse, Columbia University Press, 1981)Milan Kundera on Dangerous MetaphorsI have said before that metaphors are dangerous. Love begins with a metaphor. Which is to say, love begins at the point when a woman enters her first word into our poetic memory.(Milan Kundera,  The Unbearable Lightness of Being, translated from the Czech by Michael Henry Heim, 1984)Dennis Potter on the World Behind the WorldI just sometimes very occasionally am conscious of what I would call grace but its corroded by intellectual reservation, by the sheer improbabilities of thinking in that mode. And yet it remains within me — I wouldnt call it yearning. Yearning? Yes, I suppose thats a lazy way of putting it, but somehow the sense continually threatening to be present and occasionally flickering into life of the world behind the world which, of course, is what all metaphors and in a sense, all art (again to use that word), all of that is about the worl d behind the world. By definition. It is nonutilitarian and has no meaning. Or  appears  to have no meaning and the strangest thing that human speech and human writing can do is create a metaphor. Not just a  simile: not just Rabbie Burns saying My love is  like  a red, red rose, but in a sense, it  is  a red rose. That is an amazing leap, is it not?(Dennis Potter, interviewed by John Cook, in  The Passion of Dennis Potter, edited by Vernon W. Gras and John R. Cook, Palgrave Macmillan, 2000)John Locke on Illustrative MetaphorsFigured and metaphorical expressions do well to illustrate more abstruse and unfamiliar ideas which the mind is not yet thoroughly accustomed to; but then they must be made use of to illustrate ideas that we already have, not to paint to us those which we yet have not. Such borrowed and allusive ideas may follow real and solid truth, to set it off when found; but must by no means be set in its place, and taken for it. If all our search has yet r eached no farther than  simile  and metaphor, we may assure ourselves we rather fancy than know, and have not yet penetrated into the inside and reality of the thing, be it what it will, but content ourselves with what our imaginations, not things themselves, furnish us with.(John Locke,  Of the Conduct of the Understanding, 1796)Ralph Waldo Emerson on Natures MetaphorsIt is not words only that are emblematic; it is things which are emblematic. Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact. Every appearance in nature corresponds to some state of the mind, and that state of the mind can only be described by presenting that natural appearance as its picture. An enraged man is a lion, a cunning man is a fox, a firm man is a rock, a learned man is a torch. A lamb is innocence; a snake is subtle spite; flowers express to us the delicate affections. Light and darkness are our familiar expression for knowledge and ignorance; and heat for love. Visible distance behind and befo re us, is respectively our image of memory and hope. . . .The world is emblematic.  Parts of speech  are metaphors, because the whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind.(Ralph Waldo Emerson,  Nature, 1836)

Representation of Masculinity the Renaissance Family and...

Representation of Masculinity the Renaissance Family and Shakespeares Macbeth Familiarity with Shakespeares work often leads to awareness to the representation of masculinity, gender roles, and the patriarchal order as these subjects are often greatly reflected in his writing. Renaissance concept of order meant there was a shift from what used to be an Open Lineage Family, to a Restricted Patriarchal Nuclear Family. In turn, Renaissance families saw an increase in obligations to the church and state. Shakespeare (with the use of irony) often played with typical renaissance beliefs and ideologies, giving his work both historical and critical value. With the endorsement of an ideal marriage based†¦show more content†¦Another form of masculinity demonstrated in these plays are valour, kinship and honour; William Segar takes the radical position that there are but two arenas of action for men; business and honour Smith B Shakespeare and Masculinity (43) The tension charged exchange between Mowbray and Bolingroke in the opening scene of Shakespeares Kin g Richard 2 in an all male arena, where both men throw down gages in a physical display of manliness and are prepared to settle their dispute by combat is clearly located in Segar s arena of honour. There I throw don my gage, If guilty dread have left thee so much strength As to take up mine honours pawn, then stoop By that and all the rites of Knighthood else Will make good against thee, arm to arm, (1.1.69,73-76) However, this warring with words a womanish undertaking whilst dolled up to the nines Healy M William Shakespeare Richard 2 (52 in chivalric tournament gear was a great show of maleness and virility. This contrasts with Shakespeares Macbeth whose masculinity is initially defined by courage and honour on the battlefield. Shakespeares King Richards masculinity is initially defined by honourable and just decision making within kingship.Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Macbeth : Women s Agency2261 Words   |  10 PagesEnglish 201 24 November 2014 Relative Masculinity in Macbeth: Women’s Agency William Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the agency that is created for women when men are pushed into proving their own masculinity. In order to fully understand Shakespeare’s portrayal of masculinity in Macbeth we must first examine the stereotypes of the Elizabethan era that effected Shakespeare’s writing. â€Å"Defining what a female was supposed to be and do was an act of Renaissance culture, as it has been for other timesRead MoreEssay on Changing Gender Roles in William Shakespeares Macbeth2817 Words   |  12 PagesChanging Gender Roles in William Shakespeares Macbeth  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Much attention has been paid to the theme of manliness as it appears throughout Macbeth. In his introduction to Macbeth in The Riverside Shakespeare, Frank Kermode contends that the play is about the eclipse of civility and manhood, [and] the temporary triumph of evil (1307). Stephen Greenblatt emphasizes the same idea in The Norton Shakespeare, crediting Lady Macbeth for encouraging her husband through both sexual taunting

“The Last 203 Days of Sarah’s Life” free essay sample

Sarah’s daughter Kaye expressed her feelings throughout the video, the frustration, the good and bad days her mother had, all of which affect the care givers state of being. Listening to the sadness in Kaye’s voice reached me. I was able to relate with her situation because I just recently heard the same from my own aunt who takes care of my grandmother. It’s the hardest thing to witness when the care giver is breaking down from built up frustration. Sarah and Kaye began the film with what turns out to be 203 days before Sarah’s death. Sarah is terminally ill and although she’s in great pain and discomfort, her state of mind is clear and defined. She wore a wig and cared about what she looked like, getting her nails done and all. Half way through the film you can see things are taking a turn for the worse. We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"The Last 203 Days of Sarah’s Life† or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sarah’s physical appearance changed quite a bit. She wore no make up, the wig was gone and she was slower and in much more visible and audible pain. Up until two weeks ago, I knew that a hospice was a place where the terminally ill go to die. I had no clue as to how the staff relates to the clients or what their primary focus would be. The staff members from the hospice in the film were primarily concerned with Sarah’s level of pain and how they could help alleviate it. They treated her with respect and did not patronize her in any shape or form. All of which was mentioned in the last chapter of our textbook. Kaye had mentioned three things her mother feared, dirtying herself, loosing her mind and being put in a nursing home, then she mentions how all of her fears came to fruition. Sarah herself said at one point â€Å"†¦I have no idea what it was all about†. My take on her comment was that although she came to accept her inevitable death, she did not have any philosophical answers to give anyone. The film began with hospice care being administered at Kaye’s home and it seems that by that time Sarah had gone through her stages of realization and had now accepted her death. I realize that witnessing all this makes me better aware of what happens, but knowing what to expect and going through it are definitely two different things. Eventually Kaye was not able to continue providing the care her mother required. Although the decision to move her mother to the hospice was difficult to accept, it was a welcomed event. Kaye had gotten to the point where she couldn’t cope physically. In the end, when Sarah died, Kaye seemed like having had her mother in the hospice was the best way to have conducted their affairs. Watching the film was definitely enlightening. It was an eye opener to the benefits of hospice care. Having been around for some time I have experienced the loss of a loved one but my case was different and did not require the use of hospice care. The film is definitely worth watching.

Starbucks Case Study free essay sample

A Intro to Business 3/26/2013 Case Study Consumer Behavior in the Coffee Industry Did you know one franchise alone dominated an entire payment-processing market in just one year? You might have heard of this giant company by the name Starbucks. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, had a significant role in the company’s growth. Starbucks has steadily dominated the coffee market and has even extended to being a 3rd home for many of its consumers. Based in Seattle, Starbucks had significant competition when it opened its first store in the Pike Place market in Seattle, yet still managed to become superior. Starbucks used new advertising tactics and presented a unique experience for its customers, all of which was a game changer in the business world. Starbucks was created when three friends opened a small store to sell coffee beans and roast in 1971[1]. Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowler and Zev Siegl opened their store in the heart of the unique open air market in downtown Seattle. We will write a custom essay sample on Starbucks Case Study or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Located just off the harbor, Pike place market was the optimal location and attracted many residents and tourists. After ten years of incredible growth, Jerry Baldwin hired Howard Schultz as head of management. When Schultz first started, he slowly learned the coffee industry and helped made subtle but significant changes. For example, Schultz noticed that â€Å"first-time customers sometimes felt uneasy in the stores†[2] so he developed â€Å"customer-friendly sales skills and produced brochures that made it easy for customers to learn about fine coffees†2 Schultz had the vision of making Starbucks a coffee lounge versus a bar after being inspired by eastern traditions. Even though he did not agree with the new direction, Baldwin allowed Schultz to open one espresso bar and in 2 years, Schultz was able to buy out Baldwin and equity owners with the help of investors in 19921. Howard Schultz initially saw the power of consumer behavior early on when he realized Starbucks began to be a social gathering mecca for people instead of just an espresso stand. When Schultz first noticed the ‘seismic change in consumer behavior,’ he adopted a free-Wi-Fi service and mobile payment service and noticed that Starbucks began to attract people as if it was a third home for coffee enthusiasts. Although he jokes about not getting rent from consumers, it allowed Starbucks to create an online-experience in their ‘3rd home’ which was unique to the coffee scene in the United States. With scheduled deliveries and privatized ad networking, Starbucks was maximizing its profits and allowing an experience for coffee enthusiasts that did not make them feel locked-into paying. This shift in consumer behavior was in response to the cultural need for a place between home and work. As social beings, humans thrive for an excuse to hang out and socialize or participate in a community environment. This amazing experience that Starbucks supplied needed to be fine-tuned like any business plan. Like any business, Starbucks had challenges, such as their management of spending. In an interview entitled Business Brilliant, Schultz said that too much was focused on the customer instead of the infrastructure. To improve this, Schultz developed a unique experience in the store with the paired pastry-drinks and released free Wi-Fi for customers. In addition to free-Wi-Fi, mobile payments allowed consumers to avoid lines and continue their private work in the confines of the lounge. Soon Starbucks was thriving and announced that â€Å"the opening of 150 new stores in five years significantly exceeded the 1987 business plan’s objective of 125†[3]. Like every company, Starbucks faced unique issues in their business which slowed down growth initially which in effect slowed down growth in the long run. Schultz attributed the biggest hold-back in the long run to not investing in the supply chain, technology or manufacturing. Although Starbucks was marketing their franchise extremely well, they did not invest ahead of the growth curve and the infrastructures became under-par. In the Business Brilliant, Schultz candidly admitted that Starbucks â€Å"solely accelerated growth of the company. † Moreover, Schultz said the issue was that Starbucks â€Å"needed competency well beyond the size of the company and needed the kind of capability they didn’t have. † Since their infrastructure’s efficiency in the short run was hindered by technological limitations coupled with access to capital, the entire store chains needed to be shut down. Schultz defined the event as a need to redesign their image and retrain their employees. Starbucks was losing grip on the customers and their loyalty because the experience of Starbucks was losing its unique features. All of these internal and external issues that Starbucks was facing were all connected with values and company image according to Schultz. Schultz was so specific with the Starbucks experience that when he smelt burning cheese in a store he decided to ask the workers and they told him â€Å"So what, profits are up! † Soon after this, Schultz decided to close down and retrain all stores and employees. He sent out a press release admitting that Starbucks was misrepresenting itself. Although no one had accused or criticized Starbuck’s prior to his declaration, it was a bold move which negatively impacted the financial strength of the Company. However, the action proved loyal to the consumer and enhanced brand loyalty for Starbuck-addicts. This root issue of misrepresentation in the Starbuck’s experience and the company vision was so significant to Schultz that he needed rework his company from the ground up. This road block of ‘conserving the core businesses’ and ‘pushing for relevant innovation’ made Schultz tweak and adjust the Starbucks experience constantly but effectively. While Schultz attributes the root issue for Starbucks to be company image and adapting core values, could it be possible that the vision and image were not correctly portrayed because of unwise funding? Schultz does admit the funding issues contributed to the core issue of misrepresentation of company image and values, but he does not see the two issues in separate environments. Schultz assigns the core issue to misrepresentation and the surface symptoms to be funding. However, more funding or a different funding plan with more focus in infrastructure would have changed the outcome. The core issue was funding and the symptoms of the core issues were misrepresentation because of resource allocation. While their short term fixed costs of infrastructure and labor were solved, their reserved and recurring allocation towards the upgrades of their infrastructure lacked significantly. If properly funded before and seen ahead of the curve, their growth could have been anticipated. This is evident through the need to shut down and retrain employees. It’s clear that the total fixed and variable costs exceeded their revenue initially. Like all companies, there was a start-up curve but when the curve was dealt with, resource allocation was not the focus. The best plan of action ideally would start with addressing resource allocation. Starbucks was able to stay in business and have great growth so it’s clear the management was able to properly allocate their average variable costs and fixed costs for the most part. Nevertheless, it would have been best if the costs were optimized and revenue was set aside for changes in infrastructure. Funding should have been directed at things which would have produced stability in the long run. This would have lowered their total costs and properly funded their infrastructures for the long run and short run. Schultz should have looked at the management immediately after buying out the company and properly hired people with skills that would be able to guide Starbucks through significant growth. Investment in infrastructure to avoid long-term costs would have saved Starbucks from funding issues at later times. In addition to optimizing their infrastructure for the long run, Starbucks needed to invest more in manufacturing and supply chain for the success in the long run. For example, Starbucks should have initially allocated more funding towards small upgrades in their infrastructure such as ovens versus microwaves to avoid unpleasant scents in the customer’s experience. This also connects to Schultz’s emphasis on hiring employees and affiliates based on similar values. If the decision to hire those employees would have initially been more focused on similar values in addition to management skills, the variable costs to upgrade the infrastructure in the long run would have been lower because the management would have been more motivated to deal with the issue before the CEO had to see the symptoms. Finally, the management of Starbucks needed to choose their employee’s more wisely from the start. If Schultz would have chosen his employee’s based on the similarity of their values and the company vision, little issues such as smell in the customer’s experience would have been dealt with more efficiently. This connects to optimizing their infrastructure but focuses on the employees instead of the technology. It’s important to treat both with separate solutions because Schultz reminded us that the employees can only work with the assets they are provided with. This small change in the focus of the start-up of the company could benefit the image of Starbucks very efficiently and in a cost-productive way. Schultz jokes about not getting rent from Starbucks admirers yet he also notes that the potential to plug into the social media of the internet and create the environment was more beneficial than the issue of customers hanging out inside the store. The evolving Starbucks experience caused consumers to have incredible brand loyalty over alternatives such as Pete’s Coffee and Tea and Tullies. Yet the quick and agile response of technology was exactly what Starbucks needed to put it ahead of the ‘growth curve’ in social media while its competitors struggled behind. Schultz’s solutions were effective in the short run but he still realized his long run potential was limited by resource allocation. The problem with Starbucks and consumers was not the shift in demand for coffee consumers but it was resource allocation and initial planning. Howard Schultz’s plan of action was headed in the right direction apart from the minor mix-up between the surface symptoms and the core issue. In addition to new work practices, Schultz integrated new management and had to let go many of the people he knew were limited to the knowledge of the short-term. This new resource allocation towards what Schultz called ‘the backside’ of the company, allowed the company to finally resolve its funding and allocation issues. The new plan of action consisted of hiring new employees and investing in infrastructure to anticipate growth and new forms of technology; the poor management habits of the past from would not hinder Starbucks in the future. Similar to my suggested plan of action, Schultz’s initiative consisted of new employee’s, new technology and investing in the short term. If Schultz’s would have put more funding towards infrastructure to bring stability in the long run, he would have been able to manage the shift in consumer behavior and maintain profit without the need to close down the stores for retraining. The issue for Starbucks is not losing customers but how to accurately represent the company’s values. Moreover, if the employees were chosen correctly and the infrastructure was properly optimized, Schultz plan would have worked perfectly. All in all, every company in any industry is going to face challenges and have limited resources to meet them in an efficient manner. Howard Schultz used the resources he had to best manage Starbucks and handled the big issues he had efficiently and creatively. The future of Starbucks all depends on its management and commitment to adhering to the company vision and values. After experiencing the 2000-2008 period, one can see that the values will inevitably shift with changes in management. 4] The future of Starbucks is highly dependent on how long Howard Schultz continues to be an active part of the company and in shaping its vision. If affiliates and employees are chosen intelligently and have values matched properly with the company’s mission, Starbucks’s vision should be passed down effectively through each generation of new management. Nevertheless, the rise and fall of competitors in a market is inevitable and time will tell if Starbucks will eventually be surpass ed by a competitor. Starbucks will be a primary educational focus for many business programs. It is one of the best managed franchises in history and will remain one of the most successful for a long period of time. Like any business, Schultz received criticism for extreme responses yet these responses excelled the growth of the company. Much like my suggestions, Schultz acted quickly and made extreme changes which were crucial to repairing the infrastructure. Unlike most companies, Starbucks’s major focus is promoting the company image and values instead of putting profits first. Works Cited I. Schiff, Lewis. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Coming to NYC. Inc. com. INC, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. II. Starbucks Corporation History. History of Starbucks Corporation – FundingUniverse. Funding Universe, n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. III. McGraw Hill. Starbucks Corporation. Starbucks Case Study. MHHE. com, n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. [1] Funding Universe, Starbucks Corporate History [2] McGraw Hill, Starbucks Case Study, Starbucks Corporate History [3] McGraw Hill, St arbucks Case Study, Starbucks Corporate History [4] Funding Universe, Starbucks Corporation History

Free Essays on Lifes Sanctity. An Analysis Of “Put Me Out Of My Misery, Shoot Me!“ On Euthanasia

Life’s Sanctity â€Å"Do you know what it’s like to be unable to scratch an itch or pull up a blanket? Do you know the horror of ‘living’ with no sensory stimulation other than torturous pain for days upon days, weeks upon weeks, months upon months and years upon years† (Larsen 77)? In â€Å"Put Me Out of My Misery, Shoot Me!† by Ron A. Larsen, there is a very clear message supporting the need for legalized euthanasia. Larsen tries to convince the reader to support assisted suicide by using very explicit details in describing the suffering the old woman is experiencing. He is clearly a supporter of active euthanasia, where an overt effort is made to bring about death, such as administering a lethal injection. â€Å"Push a needle into my veins; press a pillow to my face; put a bullet to my head-as an act of love† (Larsen 78). To make an active effort to put a person out of misery is very controversial, although I agree completely in the patienceâ€⠄¢s or patience guardian’s right to deny any medical treatment. Proponents for euthanasia justify their case on the three moral principles of mercy, autonomy, and justice (Battin 18). Opponents contend that life is too precious for anyone to end it. They also claim that euthanasia would lead to devaluation of human life, because it would force medical professionals and patients’ families to judge the worth of other lives. However, isn’t forcing hopelessly ill patients to continue their suffering and total dependence on others a devaluation of human life? â€Å"And please do not speak to me of the sanctity of life, for this is not life† (Larsen 77). Larsen clearly thinks so. â€Å"For decades I was a beautiful woman-vibrant, charming, athletic, and sexy. Men stared and whistled at me on the street from my teens until I was past sixty. They wanted to mate with me, to possess me† (Larsen 76). Larsen makes us merciful by opening our eyes to the possibility that it m... Free Essays on Lifes Sanctity. An Analysis Of â€Å"Put Me Out Of My Misery, Shoot Me!â€Å" On Euthanasia Free Essays on Lifes Sanctity. An Analysis Of â€Å"Put Me Out Of My Misery, Shoot Me!â€Å" On Euthanasia Life’s Sanctity â€Å"Do you know what it’s like to be unable to scratch an itch or pull up a blanket? Do you know the horror of ‘living’ with no sensory stimulation other than torturous pain for days upon days, weeks upon weeks, months upon months and years upon years† (Larsen 77)? In â€Å"Put Me Out of My Misery, Shoot Me!† by Ron A. Larsen, there is a very clear message supporting the need for legalized euthanasia. Larsen tries to convince the reader to support assisted suicide by using very explicit details in describing the suffering the old woman is experiencing. He is clearly a supporter of active euthanasia, where an overt effort is made to bring about death, such as administering a lethal injection. â€Å"Push a needle into my veins; press a pillow to my face; put a bullet to my head-as an act of love† (Larsen 78). To make an active effort to put a person out of misery is very controversial, although I agree completely in the patienceâ€⠄¢s or patience guardian’s right to deny any medical treatment. Proponents for euthanasia justify their case on the three moral principles of mercy, autonomy, and justice (Battin 18). Opponents contend that life is too precious for anyone to end it. They also claim that euthanasia would lead to devaluation of human life, because it would force medical professionals and patients’ families to judge the worth of other lives. However, isn’t forcing hopelessly ill patients to continue their suffering and total dependence on others a devaluation of human life? â€Å"And please do not speak to me of the sanctity of life, for this is not life† (Larsen 77). Larsen clearly thinks so. â€Å"For decades I was a beautiful woman-vibrant, charming, athletic, and sexy. Men stared and whistled at me on the street from my teens until I was past sixty. They wanted to mate with me, to possess me† (Larsen 76). Larsen makes us merciful by opening our eyes to the possibility that it m...

Connecticut gubernatorial election 2014 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Connecticut gubernatorial election 2014 - Essay Example Unlike most states, elections are held separately for the positions of governor and lieutenant governor. The winners get a chance to run together on the same tickets. History has it that Malloy and the incumbent lieutenant governor, Nancy Wyman, were re-nominated. There are several people running for the governor position such as Visconti Joe running as an independent candidate and Thomas Foley. The incumbent governor and the incumbent Lieutenant were nominated meaning there were no primaries held. In his statement, Malloy said that he was going to run again for the position. He assured the people that his campaign would be about the people. He emphasizes on the work they have done together over the last three years. He insisted that the campaign is all about the things that his leadership backed by the people need to accomplish in the next coming term (Yazbak A19). Malloy is currently fifty-eight years of age. He stands to be the first democratic governor to seek re-election in Connecticut (Yazbak A19). He is running against his core competitor for the Republican Party, Tom Foley. He defeated Tom in the 2010 elections by a margin of 6404 votes. Malloy is hardly beginning his campaign from scratch. The Democratic Party has collected $2.3 million since January 2013 in preparation for the election. The money is going to help the party to organize an active campaign in a bid to reach as many voters as possible in order to create a positive impact to all the voters (Murphy). Already Malloy and the organizing team for the campaign have named those to take key positions in the campaign trail. Malloy reassured his candidature since February when he embraced president Obama’s effort for minimum wage to be set at $10.10. He ensured that the agenda is set as a priority for the 2014 campaign (Murphy). Carefully scrutinizing any other polls conducted in the last several months, there is no particular one where

Determining acceleration due to gravity using a simple pendelum Lab Report

Determining acceleration due to gravity using a simple pendelum - Lab Report Example ttl 19). This is due to earth’s radii changes caused by both altitude and latitude variations as one moves to the poles whereby distance to the crust continues to decrease. This is because at the poles the surface is flattened compared to the equator where there is bulging due to a large radius, which is the reason behind an individual’s location being the determinant of g. In quest to find g, this experiment utilizes the following formula, T = 2? / ? = 2? v (L/g) = 2? v (L/g) by rearranging g = 2?L / T2 Methodology Experiment Materials required Piece of string, which is lighter such that its weight is negligible Hook Pendulum or bob Stopwatch Meter rule or tape measure Supporting board for hook Steps to perform experiment The first step entailed setting up the experiment. This is by hanging pendulum or bob using a string from the supporting board where there is a hook, then adjusting L to approximately 50cm or appropriate length that will act as the initial value. Then displacement of a pendulum using a certain angle before released to swing back and forth took place. It was essential to ensure motion in this case was vertical instead of erratic elliptical, which mostly develops due to inappropriate displacement. Timing was at intervals of 10 oscillations for each chosen L until it reached about 125cm and having at intervals of 15cm, then tabulating obtained data. Data values were L, T and angles. After tabulation, calculation commenced to ascertain T2 and g values. Recording of data included g and its mean values besides standard error deviations. The last step encompassed plotting of L vs. T2 graph with the intention of ascertaining its slope, which was the value for g (Serway, Jewett & Vahe? 465). Results Table 1: Data Results L (M) T50 (S) T (S) T (S) T (S) T (S) T2 (S2) g (M/S2) 50 65 80 95 110 Discussion Formula and effects on experimental accuracy Based on the experimental results, error in L prompts a linear relation error in any resultin g value of g. This implies suppose there was a 10% error in value of l, it will reflect an erratic value of g having a margin of 10%. In addition, an error in g exhibited a squared or parabolic relationship with error evident in the value of T. Suppose T had an error bearing a margin of 10%, this will reflect 21% value of g. This is because 1.10 x 1.10 = 1.21 Controlling and measuring length String used in this experiment was light together with heavy mass. The purpose of the latter was to ensure the center of pendulum’s oscillation system was as close as possible to the center of the mass of fishing sinker. Then calculating mass of the string compared to that of the sinker commenced. There was also a need to increase the length of the string to ensure less percentage error restricted by 8m measuring tape (stairs were approximately 15m high). Accuracy’s margin was set at  ±5 or approximately 0.07% over 7.5m. It entailed one hour to wait for effective completion of st ring’s stretch and twist caused by the suspended mass, which was a lot of time. To rectify this problem in the next experiment, it would be essential to use a light string as well as measuring stretch before starting. Calculation of maximum centripetal acceleration commenced with the aid of angle created by pendulum (where PE converted to KE). However, this affected both string and accuracy of the data due to unknown stretch