Visual Arts Analysis of Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints Essay

Visual Arts Analysis of Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints - Essay Example The contour and definitiveness of the black veil which highly contrasts the mild flesh suit of her child indicates how the Madonna, in the simplicity of her aura and strength in character as a mother, manages to secure the innocent even to beyond a physical warm keeping. The delicate treatment given to the shapes, especially of the painting’s chief concerns and the shades cast about the throne seemingly manifest gradual departure from the Byzantine standards so as to entertain a style which takes to greater consideration keen details of human sentiment. This naturalist approach may be observed to have been pioneered by Giotto Di Bondone in the way he worked with colors and symbolic arrangement of figures in space which chiefly acquired a linear perspective to serve his purpose of radiating inner human experience. Such modifications in the convention of Western art can be attributed to the essence of marking a transition from the grieving centuries of the Middle Ages to the muc h sought-after tranquility in the time of Renaissance by which intellectual restoration in arts, sciences, and humanities flourished. Since this period entailed new hopes for the European nations waiting for enlightenment to be ushered back in full measure, Giotto took the opportunity of getting critical attention in his involvement with artistic reformation which may be perceived in most of his murals and frescoes (â€Å"Giotto-The Inventor and Innovator†). The undertones of past suffering during the Dark Ages through the chosen mood of shades and the artist’s strokes of varying sharpness or lightness signify Giotto’s innovative contribution in allowing discernment of certain relevant human emotions flow out of the general impression the enthroned structure makes. It particularly responds to the summon of Renaissance for people to obtain back their religious faith and reverence toward the church and its superior role of resolving medieval lack of spiritual vita lity as one further understands the painter’s idea of substantial expansion when Giotto seated the Madonna and child on the throne for which he provided a generous portion of space which likely represents the continuous sensibility of religion and the adherence to the struggling progress of Christianity. The ‘rebirth of learning’ during the Renaissance period had truly shed light of regaining profound interests in several disciplines, especially in the fields of fine arts and architecture where the beauty of intellect flourished back to heights after the Dark Ages among the European nations. As the increasing pursuit for artistic excellence vividly reflects in the exquisite creations of genius artists like Giotto, others were equivalently inspired to develop art forms based on their revolutionary capacity. The ability to achieve prominence and the desired stimulus in the simplicity of style or in less intricate patterns may have influenced the 15th century contem poraries of Giotto Di Bondone to acquire similar interest of attaining to flexibility of form. As such, the three-dimensional persuasion of Leonardo Da Vinci in ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’, c. 1491-1508, made central the well-lighted faces to locate emphasis upon a sublime moment of holiness and humility in the manner

Knowledge Management (Assignement Question Details as Depicted Below) Assignment

Knowledge Management (Assignement Question Details as Depicted Below) - Assignment Example Now the question arises as to what exactly is knowledge and how is it different from information (Han 2001). Information is data organized in a proper form and in a way so that interpretation and analysis of the material is easy. Whereas when information is acquired by an individual it becomes knowledge. Knowledge is formally defined as acquaintance to information present. The main aim of knowledge management is to make knowledge available in a way to all those concerned in a way that it can be utilize in the best possible way so as to benefit the organization as a whole. This includes both social and technological effort. This subject has gained a lot importance in the corporate environment in the recent years because of several benefits it offers. For instance it reduces the chances of repetitive and redundant work. Everyone in the organization will know what information is already present and they will not waste time and resources on acquiring the same data and they will move ahead from that point, extending the thread from there (Steyn 2003). Apart from this in today’s world where the external environment is so volatile and fast changing that internal stakeholders especially decision makers have to work really fast to catch up with the fast changing trend and stay competitive. In circumstances like these information becomes a vital resource . Those who know are the ones who will survive. Apart from this another advantage that knowledge management offers is the reduction in time required to train new employees or to bring about a change in the organization (Foote 2001). Another aspect of today’s corporate world is that organizations have to stay flexible and to adapt to changes of the market. For this purpose change management has become a famous topic now a day’s for research and development and adequate knowledge management improves this process. The main argument that will be presented by this paper is

National Junior Honor Society Essay Example for Free

National Junior Honor Society Essay To be SCHA Queen would be a great accomplishment. I would be able to demonstrate my leadership skills and express my love for show and horses. As SCHA Queen, I would take great pride in being a spokesperson and representative for SCHA and be able to increase membership in SCHA. SCHA means a number of things to me. This was my first year, but I always looked forward to waking up and going out to ride. Another reason why SCHA means so much to me is it keeps me and my horse in shape for other things involving our riding career. Its always fun to see how much my horse changes and develops during the season, and even how I change throughout the season There’s no where to go but up, and that means improvement. SCHA has changed me by changing my attitude about competition. I’ve now learned that winning is not always everything. , it may sound cliche , but, everyone is a winner when you improve on anything. I also have become more confident horseman and I am able to push my horse to do his best. I have only been riding for about 3 years and SCHA has truly brought out my inner horseman. Now that I am more confident in my riding skills I try to teach my horse new things as well as teach myself. In addition to new skills and confidence I also made new friends. I met new people and learned some facts about riding I hadn’t known before. In general I am very shy and usually keep to myself, but this season has really taught me how to come out of my shell and talk to everyone. I now know that I can talk to anyone in the club and they will be more than glad to help me with anything I may need. A key part of being Queen would be helping others in SCHA. This would include encouraging others during their events and being a good sportsman. I can also give positive feedback about what a person is doing while riding, to help them in a way that they can ride better and be a better sportsman. To help others in SCHA I can share the knowledge I have learned in SCHA and my experience with horses. Just as other people have shared their knowledge with me, I can do the same for other people so the horse community can grow. My friends are always curious about what I do with horses and what SCHA is. I’m lways more than happy to share that information with them in hopes that they will be bit by the horse bug too. Â  As SCHA quee n I will bring a good values, leadership skills and a positive attitude to SCHA. It would mean a great deal to me to be able to represent SCHA at this level level.

The Goals Of Education Education Essay

The Goals Of Education Education Essay Since a student, I have nurtured the dream of being a teacher partly because of the powerful impact that my teachers had on me as role models. That dream was fulfilled two years ago when I was first given the opportunity to replace a teacher who took her maternity leaves at Imperial College and then I got to continue my journey in teaching in that same school. With only my BSC in Sociology as qualification and without any prior training in teaching, the first time I entered a form 5 class, the only vision that I had in mind was of regimented students following all my instructions and participating in the class. I was completely astounded upon the type of welcome I received from the boys: whistles and shouts. My first reaction was to maintain discipline as it is the main value of the college and thus, I had to adopt an authoritarian stance to maintain order in the class. As time went by, I discovered few changes in myself. I was no longer the screamer who had to yell in classes to get students do their work, the way that I delivered the lessons were different and the questions that I set for class tests and exams were suited to the needs of the learners. I also developed interpersonal skills which I used to deal with different types of students. This made me realize that education is not a destination but a journey where ones philosophy is constantly changing. 2. 0 TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 2. 1 The goals of education Education being a continuous process of learning, understanding and gaining knowledge is important for numerous reasons. Foremost, it teaches us how to fit into our social and cultural environment since it involves transmission of academic knowledge coupled with cultural heritage, traditions, customs and values which serves as a unifying force. In the National Curriculum Framework (2009), it is stated that within sociology, students should be taught about citizenship. Thus, school is the right place to plant the right seeds. Moreover, academics argue that the primary aim of education is to prepare people for work. However, as Rifkin argued in the End of Work, in this rapid technological era, the human workers are becoming obsolete for there are machines that work better and faster than human. As such, the aim of education can no longer be to prepare individuals for work but it should be focused towards developing talents and potentials in students for them to become versatile. I agree with Dewey here when he said that education should develop survival skills and problem solving ability in the students. Freires arguments in Pedagogy of the Oppressed redirected my attention to another goal of education which is to develop the enquiring minds of students and make critically examine our society and its institutions. The concept of liberatory education was appealing to me as a sociology teacher and a Marxist since it argues for an education that will lead to conscientization that is breaking through prevailing mythologies to reach new levels of awareness in the students minds, empowering them with a vision to transform social order. In this process, students should develop critical thinking skills or higher order skills (Blooms taxonomy) so they are able to analyze and interpret the multitude of perspectives and issues that they will come across during their lifetime. 2. 2 Teaching ideals To meet the above aims of education, there is the need for a professional teacher who not only acts with knowledge but also value the knowledge he possesses. Teaching to Transgress (1994) by Bell Hooks shed light on this issue. For Hooks, effective learning can take place when the teacher will see teaching as a sacred vocation aiming in the intellectual and spiritual growth of the students. Besides, teachers should also watch out for pupils assigned to their classes, catering for the poor, the disadvantaged, and the less able students. This is in line with Deweys statement:Every mind has its own form suggesting that individuals vary within stages and that education must as a result be individualized. Building on the work of Banks (1981), in the Mauritian context, the teacher should be able to maintain a multicultural school environment by reviewing his own attitudes, instructional materials, assessment methods, counseling and teaching styles. 2. 3 My Teaching practice My beliefs of what education is and the roles of an ideal teacher have shaped my way of teaching to a certain extent. To begin with, I believe in implementing goal-oriented lessons. Usually, I cater for both academic and social objectives. Empathy in terms of respect and care for the students is embedded in my teaching. In fact, it has certainly been a powerful tool in understanding and connecting with students from diverse backgrounds. I realized that students are very much the product of their times due to globalization. Their identity, self concept, ambitions and expectations from schools are all modeled by the media. Adjusting to the new situation is challenging and demanding. The traditional approach to teaching that is talk and chalk is working for few privileged pupils only and there is an urgent need to shift to a new technique. This is highlighted by Giroux when he said that we must move beyond reproductive approaches by recognizing that reproduction is a complex phenomenon that not only serves the interest of domination but also contains the seeds of conflict and transformation. Thus, I had to find ways to cope to the new situation. This led me to transform my class into a differentiated one in terms of both ability and cultural background to deliver the lessons tailored to the needs of the learners. If a child cant learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. Ignacio Estrada. There are a number of assumptions underlying this particular quote. It not only suggests that we need to cater for the learning styles of the students but we should also review our teaching strategies to meet their needs. I have adopted the student-centered or constructivist learning where students are given responsibility for their own learning which further becomes meaningful for them. I thus see myself as a facilitator, guiding the students to construct their own understanding of the world around them. Thus, opposing the banking education as argued by Freire where the teacher will deposit information in the minds of pupils, I opt for strategies where the teacher will serve as mediator while students will be active participants such as group work. I have an image of children as strong and capable beings. It is important to stimulate their growth by introducing new ideas and stretching them to progress. As far as possible I try to adapt the curriculum to their current social situations as well as religious and cultural backgrounds. Thus, I often think of students zones of proximal development to push them to the zone of potential development. For this very purpose, I consider the school to be the perfect arena for fostering life-long skills which are transferable to everyday life. Further, evaluation is done with the goal for students to improve. I share to the students what is expected, so that when I evaluate, they will know specifically what they need to improve on. This way, everyone is given a chance to succeed. Evaluation is not only done for the students but for my own sake as a teacher. As Hooks puts it rightly, teachers must be committed to a process of self-actualization that promotes their own well-being if they are to teach in a manner that empowers students. Therefore, I see to it that after each of my lesson, I do a self evaluation exercise so that I can identify my forte and weaknesses as a teacher and work upon them to improve in the next class. However, I come across many difficulties in my role as a teacher at Imperial College. Girouxs claim that the teacher is a mere specialized technician within the school bureaucracy instead of a transformative intellectual has led me to ponder on my own situation. The culture of my school is at odds with what I have learnt at the Mauritius Institute of Education for the former preach discipline and academic result while the latter caters for the all round development of students. As such, reconciling the two is a demanding task and this is reflected in the survey results  [1]  of the Teaching Perspectives Index by Dan Pratt and John Collins, especially where my beliefs score exceeds my actions score. Time is another factor that constraint me for doing additional things for the welfare of the students. 3. 0 CONCLUSION Being a teacher is the most noble job. The satisfaction that I obtain when my students excel in the subject matter is beggaring description. There had even been times when I thought that I was living a nightmare with students misbehaving and not following the class but then I got solace when I came across the following statement: The academy is not paradise. But learning is a place where paradise can be created. The classroom with all its limitations remains a location of possibility. (Hooks, 1994) I realized that I have a powerful tool (teaching) in my hand that I should use as much as I can. Readdressing disciplinary issues is possible and this requires commitment as a teacher and dialogue with students, school management and the wider community. REFERENCE BOOKS AND ARTICLES Dewey, J. (1897) My pedagogic creed, The School Journal, Volume LIV, Number 3 (January 16, 1897), pp. 77-80. Giroux, Henry A. (1988) Teachers as Intellectuals: Toward A Critical Pedagogy of Learning, pp. 122-123. Hooks, B. (1994) Teaching to Transgress. Education as the practice of freedom, London: Routledge. Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Seabury. Ministry of education, Culture Human Resources (2009) The National Curriculum Framework, Phoenix, Mauritius. INTERNET SITE http://www.teachingperspectives.com/ last accessed on 11 August 2012

Whole Exome Sequencing in Inherited Endocrine Disorders

Whole Exome Sequencing in Inherited Endocrine Disorders Background Molecular diagnosis is important in the management of various paediatric endocrine disorders including disorders of growth, metabolism, bone, hypoglycaemia and sexual development. Traditional PCR-based Sanger sequencing is the mainstay format for molecular testing in paediatric cases. However, the large number of gene defects associated with the various endocrine disorders renders gene-by-gene testing increasingly expensive and unattractive. The large number of potentially relevant genes makes it challenging for hospital molecular diagnostic laboratories to offer gene-based testing of all candidates. Given the high costs associated with single-gene tests, the selection of candidates for single-gene sequencing tends to be sequential rather than inclusive and parallel. In practice, different genes may be outsourced to different clinical or in some cases academic research laboratories which adds to the complexity. Using new high-throughput sequencing technologies, whole genomes, whole e xomes or candidate-gene panels (targeted gene sequencing) can now be cost-effectively sequenced for endocrine patients. In the near future, protocols involving next-generation sequencing would probably be considered as an appropriate component of routine clinical diagnosis for relevant patients. Defects of pituitary hormones lead to abnormalities in growth (e.g., short stature), sexual development, fertility, stress response and other metabolic processes. A number of genes coding for transcription factors have been identified, mutations in which cause medical disorders in humans associated with pituitary deficiencies [1-2]. Some of these factors, such as PROP1, TPIT, POU1F1, LHX3 and LHX4, play roles in the normal embryological development of the anterior pituitary. Mutations in these genes can lead to multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies and/or syndromic hypopituitarism [3]. The transcription factors such as HESX1, OTX2, SHH, SOX2 and SOX3 are involved in midline development. Mutations in these can cause septo-optic dysplasia or holoprosencephaly, both of which may include pituitary hormone deficiencies [4]. Other genes encode the precursors to pituitary hormones (growth hormone, ACTH [through processing of POMC], gonadotropic-luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, and thyroid-stimulating hormone). Mutations in these genes lead to phenotypes characteristic of individual hormone deficiency. The pituitary secretory cells themselves respond to signals originating in the hypothalamus, some of which are also peptide hormones with specific receptors expressed on the responding cells; mutations in these genes or their cognate receptors can also cause combined or specific pituitary deficiencies [1]. However, many cases of congenital hypopituitarism still remain unexplained and most are presumably due to other causes, either mutations in other deve lopmental genes or epigenetic influences during embryogenesis. Short stature is a common presentation to the paediatric endocrinology clinics. However, no cause is identified in a large proportion of patients who are classified as having idiopathic short stature [5, 6, 7]. It is estimated that the underlying cause for short stature remains unknown in approximately 80% of patients [8]. In a large-scale pooled Next-Generation Sequencing study to identify genetic causes of short stature, 4928 genetic variants in 1077 genes were present in patients but not in control subjects [9]. Large-scale sequencing efforts have the potential to rapidly identify genetic aetiologies of short stature. In another study, seeking to identify known and genetic causes of short stature by conducting whole exome sequencing of the patients with severe short stature and their family members, genetic cause of short stature was found in 5 out of the 14 recruited patients [10]. Rare genetic defects in the GH/IGF-1 axis have been found to cause short stature. A higher frequenc y of rare CNVs (common number variants) has been reported in patients with short stature [8, 11]. A recent study to define genetic characterisation of a cohort of children clinically labelled as Growth Hormone or IGF1 insensitive found that whole exome sequencing contributed to the diagnosis of children with suspected growth hormone and IGF1 insensitivity, particularly in the Growth hormone insensitive subjects with low serum IGF1 SDS and height SDS [12]. It may be now possible to identify likely genetic causes of short stature by implementing genomic investigative techniques like whole exome sequencing in many of these children who have unknown reasons for their poor linear growth. Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the most common cause of persistent and recurrent hypoglycaemia in infancy [13]. It is the result of unregulated insulin secretion from the pancreatic ÃŽ ²-cells leading to severe hypoglycaemia [13, 14]. This condition has been reported in nearly all major ethnic groups and affects at least 1/50,000 children of European descent [14]. CHI is caused by genetic defects in key genes regulating insulin secretion. The genetic basis of CHI involves mutations in nine different genes (ABCC8, KCNJ11, GLUD1, GCK, HADH, SLC16A1, HNF4A, HNF1A and UCP2), which regulate insulin secretion from the pancreatic ÃŽ ²-cells [14,15]. The most common molecular cause of CHI is the dysfunction of the pancreatic KATP channel encoded by the sulfonylurea receptor gene (ABCC8) and the inward rectifying potassium channel gene (KCNJ11) [14,15]. CHI can also be secondary to risk factors like birth asphyxia, intra-uterine growth retardation, Rh isoimmunisation and maternal diabetes mellitus or associated with various developmental syndromes [16]. Histologically, CHI can be associated either with diffuse insulin secretion or with focal adenomatous hyperplasia. Positron emission tomography scan using Fluorine-18 L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (18-fluoro DOPA-TC-PET-scan) has been used to distinguish focal from diffuse forms. Medical treatments of CHI include diazoxide (KATP channel activator), somatostatin analogue (octreotide) injections, and appropriate diet. The surgical treatment with subtotal pancreatectomy is required in diffuse CHI when medical treatment and dietary therapies are ineffective, whereas focal CHI can be cured with resection of the focal area of adenomatous hyperplasia [14, 15, 16]. Recently, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor sirolimus has been used in treatment of persistent severe CHI not amena ble to medical therapies [18]. CHI has been described as an associated finding in various syndromes like Beckwith-Wiedemann, Kabuki, Trisomy 13, Mosaic Turner, Sotos, Usher, Timothy, Costello, Central Hypoventilation syndrome and Leprechaunism (Insulin Resistance Syndrome) [17]. However, in many patients, with clinically defined syndromic features and with hypoglycaemia, no identifiable genetic cause contributing to hyperinsulinism is found. In a large series of 300 patients, genetic diagnosis was made only in 45.3% of the patients and mutations in ABCC8 were the commonest identifiable cause [19]. The vast majority of patients with Diazoxide-responsive CHI (77.6%) had no identifiable mutations, suggesting other genetic mechanisms [19]. Molecular diagnosis can be very important for clinicians to manage the patients more effectively and to counsel parents on the prognosis and disease recurrence. Whole Exome sequencing can be advantageous in these groups of patients to identify the mol ecular defects and to assess the coding variants that may be pathogenic in these patients [20]. Aims To identify novel genetic causes of rare inherited endocrine disorders in children with a focus on congenital hyperinsulinism, short stature of unknown etiology and IGF1 abnormalities by using whole exome sequencing. Experimental Design and Methods Patient Recruitment Patients with a diagnosis of CHI referred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, which is a national referral centre for CHI, will be recruited into the study. A written informed parental consent will be obtained. These patients will be biochemically confirmed as CHI using the following criteria: Blood glucose concentration of less than 3.0 mmol/l with detectable insulin and/or C-peptide Glucose requirement > 8mg/kg/min Low levels of ketones and fatty acids during the episode of hypoglycaemia Clinical and biochemical data will be collated from referral letter or by case note review. Patients with a secondary cause of CHI such as perinatal asphyxia, intra-uterine growth restriction, Rhesus isoimmunisation, infants of diabetic mothers and infants with Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome will be excluded from the study. Patients are considered to be unresponsive to medical treatment if recurrent hypoglycaemia episodes ( Patients attending the Paediatric Endocrinology clinic at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital with severe short stature (>3 SDS below mean) for age and sex in whom the standard clinical work up has not revealed a diagnosis for their short stature will be recruited into the study. Patients referred or evaluated for growth hormone insensitivity (growth failure, low serum IGF1 and normal/elevated serum GH) or IGF1 insensitivity (pre- and postnatal growth failure associated with relatively high IGF1 levels) will also be recruited into the study. A written parental informed consent will be obtained prior to the recruitment. Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) WES will be performed at the Centre for Genomic Research (CGR) based at the University of Liverpool. The test will be ordered after explaining the risks and benefits of testing to the patient and obtaining written informed consent. Each patient (and their parents or guardians) will be advised of the potential disclosure of conditions unrelated to the indication for testing that might warrant treatment or additional medical surveillance for the patient and possibly other family members. Peripheral-blood samples will be obtained to isolate DNA from the patient and both parents where possible. High-throughput sequencing will be performed using Illumina HiSeq2500. The genomic DNA samples from probands will be fragmented, ligated to Illumina multiplexing and amplified by means of a polymerase-chain-reaction assay with the use of primers with sequencing barcodes. Variants that were deemed clinically significant will be confirmed by means of Sanger sequencing. Parental samples, if available, will also be analysed by means of Sanger sequencing. Further functional analysis will be undertaken to establish the pathogenicity of the identified variant by utilising the in-house lab facilities at Institute of Child Health. Relevance of the proposed project Despite the advances in understanding the molecular pathogenesis, specific genetic determinants are not known in nearly 50% of patients with CHI and 80% of children with short stature. Whole exome sequencing in this group of patients will help to understand and identify the potential causative mutations in genes implicated in insulin regulation and growth. This will help the clinicians to provide optimal treatment and to counsel patients on disease progression and recurrence risk. Identification of novel genetic aetiology has the potential to identify novel therapeutic strategies for these patients. The applicant will spend time initially at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to recruit patients and then at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to learn the techniques of WES, bioinformatics and functional analysis. The applicant will then return to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Institute of Child Health, University of Liverpool to complete the study and strengthen the local research expertise relevant to next generation sequencing.

Jane Austen - Star of the Literary Sky :: Biography Biographies Essays

Jane Austen - Star of the Literary Sky      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 in a town called Steventon, Hampshire, near Basingstoke, England. In a family of eight children, she was the second eldest. Her mother was called Cassandra, as well as her older sister and her father was George Austen, the local rector (clergyman). When her sister Cassandra, who was only three years older and to whom she was really close, wanted to go to Oxford, she followed, but the two girls had to come back home after only a few months. They were inseparable. Their mom even declared once, "If Cassandra were going to have her head cut off, Jane would insist on sharing her fate." Despite the Oxford drop out, Jane did not lack education. Her brother James helped her study and with his help, she could afterwards "lay claim to a good knowledge of history as well as a little Latin, Italian and musical training." However, Jane decided in 1787 to dedicate all her spare time to writing. She wrote mostly in her parents' living r oom, accompanied by all her family. Her very first work consisted of three volumes of "Juvenilia," a series of parodies and satirical stories, which was only published after her death. At the age of only 19 she started working on "Lady Susan," who was going to be later known as "Northanger Abbey." In 1795 she started working on "Elinor and Marianne," which eventually became "Sense and Sensibility." Only a year after, she began "First Impressions," which later turned into the much appreciated, and the author's personal favourite, "Pride and Prejudice."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The surroundings of Steventon impressed Jane Austen immensely, which is why a lot of the landscapes in the outdoor scenes of her novels, resemble the gardens and walkways of her hometown. Unfortunately, Jane did not live in Steventon her whole life. In 1800, her family moved to a small town called Bath. Later, when her father died in 1805, Jane, Cassandra and their mother moved to a small village from southern England, called Chawton. After her father's death, they became very poor, as the funds that came from her father's clerical affairs stopped when he stopped breathing. This resembles the situation that Austen describes in "Pride and Prejudice," where it is explained that if Elizabeth Bennet's father died, her whole family's money, house and furniture would go to the closest male relative of the family.

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun Essay -- essays research pap

Lorraine Hansberry’s novel, A Raisin in the Sun, revolves around a middle-class African-American family, struggling during World War II. By reading about the Younger’s true to life experiences, one learns many important life lessons. One of the aforementioned would be that a person should always put family’s needs before their own. There are many examples of this throughout the novel. Just a few of these would be the example of Ruth and her unborn baby, Walter regaining the respect of his family, and Mama and her unselfish ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first event that shows one should always put family before oneself is the case of Ruth and her unborn baby. At first, Ruth is thinking about having an abortion, and has already paid a five-dollar down payment to the doctor. She explains to Walter her reasoning for such drastic measures by saying, â€Å"†¦I—I’m sorry about this new baby, Walter. I guess maybe I better go on and do what I started†¦ I guess I just didn’t realize how bad things was with us†¦ I guess I just didn’t realize.†(87) Ruth is going to destroy this baby because she feels that she and Walter just do not have enough money to support another family member, and feels that she and Walter will only bring the baby into a world of fighting. Beneatha also has influence on Ruth’s decision by asking, â€Å"†¦ where is he going to live? On the roof?†(58). Beneatha feels that if Ruth has another baby it would just complicate the living situation, which is strenuous enough as it is. Later, even with all of this negat ive energy, Ruth comes to realize that she should not take the life of her baby and decides to keep it. One of her reasons for this change of heart is that her and Walter have been getting along much better, and their constant fighting was one of the main reasons she did not want to have the baby in the first place. Also, now that they are all moving into a new house, there will be enough room for the baby. In the end, although having an abortion seems like an easy way out, Ruth instead thinks about the baby’s life rather than her own, and chooses not to terminate her pregnancy. Another example that proves this, is when Walter gives away his and Beneatha's money to buy a liquor store, and loses it all. He then tries to get the money back by selling their new house to Mr. Lindner, although the only reason Mr. Lindner wants to buy it is becau... ... buy the family a new house so that Travis would have a better place to grow up. Mama could have spent that money on something she wanted, but instead bought something that would make the whole family happy. After she buys their new house, Mama gives Beneatha $3000 dollars towards college and gives Walter $3500 dollars to better his future. Mama has given all of the insurance money to the people she cares about, and kept none of it for herself. She thought about her children’s future and decided to invest the money towards a better life for them. This is a very unselfish act on Mama’s part, a perfect example of putting family before oneself. Although sometimes people can get wrapped up in events that they feel only concern themselves, they should always take a moment to think about how their actions could be affecting the people they love. Friends will always come and go, but family is forever. If a person wants to stay close to their family, they have to consider things from both theirs and the other person’s points of view. For love, people have to sacrifice things that they might not want to, but they have to love their families enough to help them before they help themselves. Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun Essay -- essays research pap Lorraine Hansberry’s novel, A Raisin in the Sun, revolves around a middle-class African-American family, struggling during World War II. By reading about the Younger’s true to life experiences, one learns many important life lessons. One of the aforementioned would be that a person should always put family’s needs before their own. There are many examples of this throughout the novel. Just a few of these would be the example of Ruth and her unborn baby, Walter regaining the respect of his family, and Mama and her unselfish ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first event that shows one should always put family before oneself is the case of Ruth and her unborn baby. At first, Ruth is thinking about having an abortion, and has already paid a five-dollar down payment to the doctor. She explains to Walter her reasoning for such drastic measures by saying, â€Å"†¦I—I’m sorry about this new baby, Walter. I guess maybe I better go on and do what I started†¦ I guess I just didn’t realize how bad things was with us†¦ I guess I just didn’t realize.†(87) Ruth is going to destroy this baby because she feels that she and Walter just do not have enough money to support another family member, and feels that she and Walter will only bring the baby into a world of fighting. Beneatha also has influence on Ruth’s decision by asking, â€Å"†¦ where is he going to live? On the roof?†(58). Beneatha feels that if Ruth has another baby it would just complicate the living situation, which is strenuous enough as it is. Later, even with all of this negat ive energy, Ruth comes to realize that she should not take the life of her baby and decides to keep it. One of her reasons for this change of heart is that her and Walter have been getting along much better, and their constant fighting was one of the main reasons she did not want to have the baby in the first place. Also, now that they are all moving into a new house, there will be enough room for the baby. In the end, although having an abortion seems like an easy way out, Ruth instead thinks about the baby’s life rather than her own, and chooses not to terminate her pregnancy. Another example that proves this, is when Walter gives away his and Beneatha's money to buy a liquor store, and loses it all. He then tries to get the money back by selling their new house to Mr. Lindner, although the only reason Mr. Lindner wants to buy it is becau... ... buy the family a new house so that Travis would have a better place to grow up. Mama could have spent that money on something she wanted, but instead bought something that would make the whole family happy. After she buys their new house, Mama gives Beneatha $3000 dollars towards college and gives Walter $3500 dollars to better his future. Mama has given all of the insurance money to the people she cares about, and kept none of it for herself. She thought about her children’s future and decided to invest the money towards a better life for them. This is a very unselfish act on Mama’s part, a perfect example of putting family before oneself. Although sometimes people can get wrapped up in events that they feel only concern themselves, they should always take a moment to think about how their actions could be affecting the people they love. Friends will always come and go, but family is forever. If a person wants to stay close to their family, they have to consider things from both theirs and the other person’s points of view. For love, people have to sacrifice things that they might not want to, but they have to love their families enough to help them before they help themselves.