Themes InShooting An Elephant, By George Orwell - 840 Words

The Elephant has been Shot Recently I have read the essay â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† by George Orwell. The essay consists of Orwell reliving his younger years, when he was a Colonial police officer in Burma for the British Empire. He further describes the local’s disdain for European presence, him included. A constant theme that appears in the essay is roundabouts or contradictions; an example being Orwell claiming he hates imperialism, yet ironically works as an imperialist cop rather than quit the job. As the essay progresses, Orwell recalls when a tame elephant breaks loose and he had been tasked with responding to the rampaging beast. Once he had located the elephant, Orwell pursues the Beast with a newly obtained elephant gun while†¦show more content†¦Finally, Orwell makes the final and most fatal of all his contradictions: Betrayal. The first time Orwell talks about the elephant in the essay, he talks about a firearm of some sort while always mentionin g somewhere how he doesn’t want to shoot the elephant. He even says later in the essay: â€Å"As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him† (2). Orwell claimed he knew in his heart and mind that morally, he should not end the elephant. However, Orwell does in fact end the elephant. While Orwell describes the animal’s reaction, he adds: â€Å"An enormous senility seemed to have settled upon him. One could have imagined him thousands of years old† (3). Orwell had betrayed his morality to impress the crowd, which he summarized as â€Å"...Any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool† (4). Not only did Orwell shoot the elephant, he betrayed his moral code; that he â€Å"ought not to shoot him (the Elephant)†. He had sinned. In Inferno, The deepest level of hell, the 9th circle, has been reserved for people who commit treason. This further connects â€Å"Shooting an Elep hant† to the idea of Orwell’s personal hell. Orwell was in his own personal hell when he shot the elephant, and landed himself in the deepest pit of it. His agony shows when he describes the wounded elephant and says: â€Å"...The tortured breathing continued without a pause†¦ I felt that I had got to put an

Essay Autism A Disorder of Conflicting Causes and...

Autism: A Disorder of Conflicting Causes and Treatments Despite its 50 year-old diagnosis, autism is still one of the mostly commonly contracted and rarely treated childhood diseases. Studies suggest that as many as 1 in 500 children may display autistic symptoms. Manifestations of this disability include the stereotypical physical contortions and hand-flapping motions commonly associated with autism, as well as inability to relate to the outside world, limited social skills, lack of concentration, and hypersensitivity to certain stimuli-particularly noise (1). Perceived causes include poor fetal development, genetics, allergies, and a lack of crucial enzymes. Because for many years the disorder was thought to be a result of poor†¦show more content†¦This complements Courchesnes idea that there are fewer Purkinje neurons in the cerebral regions of autistic children. Because Purkinje neurons are responsible for programmed cell death, a lack of them could result in an overabundance of neurons in the brains of autistic infants. If i t is to be believed that humans develop many more neurological connections than are needed (the unnecessary neurons undergoing cell suicide in early development), then it stands to reason that a high neural density will result if there is an insufficient number of Purkinje cells. Likewise, the overabundance of neurons in the amygdala and hippocampus can potentially explain why autistics have difficulty responding to too much stimulus at a given moment: their systems overreact to the given input, and they respond by simply not reacting at all. These theories imply that autism has a genetic origin. Studies of a Massachusetts town have attributed autism to congenital environmental causes. In Leomenster, a high proportion of autistic patients were found in homes down-wind from the factory smokestacks (4). Another statistic states that a pregnant woman who either contracts rubella or is given a vaccine for the disease, carries a greater likelihood of having a child affected with autism. It has also been suggested that the pertussisShow MoreRelatedAutism And Its Effects On Children1013 Words   |  5 PagesAutism is now becoming a more increasing common disorder that appears before the age of 36 months. There is still no known cause or cure for autism and vaccines have been a great source of controversy as a possible vaccine-autism link. Five decades of research now give parents a wider range of treatments to choose from. Autistic children grow up in their own world, unware of the world around them (Ruffman, Garnham, Rudeiyt, 2001). There have been numerous studies on teachin g social skills techniquesRead MoreEssay about The Signs and Effects of Autism1370 Words   |  6 PagesEffects of Autism Autism is a rare disease that has been noticed for centuries. 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This review delves into neurological evidence of ASD as well is the prevalence of various comorbid conditions, how the environment effects and impacts these and the interventions and strategies thatRead MoreVaccination Is The Most Common Means Of Preventing Childhood Infectious Diseases?1661 Words   |  7 Pagesoccurred primarily among unvaccinated Amish communities in Ohio 14. Discussion of Lancet article that linked immunizations with autism The entire controversy surrounding vaccinations dates back to the publication of an article by Wakefield et al. 15 in Lancet in 1998 which has been fully retracted in 2010 16. The article linked MMR vaccine to autism spectrum disorder and gained massive media publicity. The results were eventually found to be fraudulent and following further investigations, AndrewRead MoreThe Mental Illness of Schizophrenia2374 Words   |  9 Pagescharacterized by psychosis , apathy and social withdrawal in combination with cognitive impairment, abnormalities that cause substantial disruptions in performance work , school, family and recreation. Among psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia is the most disabling disease and demand a disproportionate amount of resources to health . However, there have been considerable advances in the treatment and at present many sufferers can lead a reasonably normal life. The estimated annual incidence is 0.2 to 0.4Read MoreMedical Marijuana Should Be Legal1846 Word s   |  8 Pagesmedical value to it? Do we have enough scientific evidence to support the information we do have on medical marijuana? Is there a difference between smoking the plant or condensing the plant and filtering its cannabinoids out for proper medical treatment? What really are the short-term and long-term effects of medical marijuana? Does marijuana compare to other FDA- approved drugs? Medical marijuana may have a strong medical value to it. Individuals with illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, brain injuriesRead MoreVaccination Saves Lives : Children s State Of Health1795 Words   |  8 Pagesdiseases such as polio and measles that vaccines can now avert them from affecting children. However, some childhood vaccines administered during conflicting schedules are suggested to cause autism and other childhood development disorders. This notion was completely false as researchers have investigated each of these claims and concluded that vaccines do not cause chronic diseases that would hinder childhood development. Drugs and antibiotics taken to reduce the symptoms caused by measles once contracted

The Strain Theory free essay sample

The Strain Theory There are many theories to crime causations one in particular caught my attention, one that I believe is the most accurate. The strain theory was developed in 1938 by Robert Merton and then updated by Robert Agnew in 1985. AgneWs general strain theory is based on the general idea that when people get treated badly the might get upset and engage in crime. The general strain theory identifies the ways of measuring strain, the different types of strain, and the link between strain and crime. Agnew came up with two different ways to measure strain in an individuals life. The first way is the subjective approach, where the researcher directly asks the individual whether they dislike how they are being treated. The second approach is the objective view, where the researcher asks individuals about pre-determined causes of strain. The causes of strain are things that the researcher identifies as treatment that a member of the group being studied would dislike. We will write a custom essay sample on The Strain Theory or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The objective approach is most commonly used way to measure strain and it usually involves relationships with friends, families, and the community. But when doing research ne must consider that individuals have different reactions to certain types of strain. To get an effective measure of strain the researcher must first make a list of all the negative circumstances that can result in strain. The second thing to be considered is the magnitude, duration, and clustering of negative events. There are three major types of strain. The first is the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the second is the loss of positive stimuli, and the third is the presentation of negative stimuli. Agnew noted that the three positively valued goals members of society strive for are ) money, it is a cause for strain when it is not available through legitimate means and delinquents desire to gain large amounts of money. 2) status and respect, an individual strives to prove their masculinity by using criminal behavior. ) Last is autonomy, the power over oneself, this affects mainly adolescents and the lower class because of their position in society. The loss of positive stimuli can cause stress when an individual experiences a family death or a broken relationship with a friend or a romantic partner or it can be a result of the theft of a valued object. This could lead an individual to delinquency by the person trying to prevent the loss, retrieve what was lost, or to seek revenge on those who removed the positive stimuli. The presentation of negative stimuli can be through child abuse, neglect, neighborhood problems, and homelessness. The individuals who usually experience these negative events are adolescents with pain avoidance behaviors and Juveniles with the inability to legally avoid noxious stimuli. The link between strain and crime are the criminals feelings. Strain can be caused by negative feelings an individual has for example efeat, despair, and fear but the feeling most connected to crime is anger. Individuals become angry when they blame their negative circumstances and relationships on others. Anger incites a person to action, lower inhibitions, and creates a desire for revenge. Anger and frustration enables an individual to Justify crime. Also individuals who repetitively experience strain may be more likely to commit crime. The strain theory proposes that an increase in strain would lead to an general strain theory has come back in some crime causation explanations. Out of all theories that I researched, the strain theory made the most sense to me in explaining the cause of an individual to committing crime. The general idea is that when a person experiences negative stimuli they are most likely to engage in crime. I understand that individuals do get mad and seek revenge on those who brought them negativity or when a person is stressed over money they tend to engage in criminal behaviors. This theory seems to be the realest to me because I know people everywhere, everyday experience these events.

Who is the Hero of The Crucible free essay sample

In The Crucible, there are many opposing points of view make the reader speculate about who, the book’s true hero is. In my opinion, I think John Proctor is the true hero of this epic story. John Proctor fought valiantly for his wife’s freedom, his own freedom, as well as for the freedom of many others of the condemned. In the end, however, Proctor let the want of what was left of his good name to be kept clean to be his downfall. Even in the face of death though, John Proctor showed courage and confessed to witchcraft, which was the rational thing to do. John Proctor is one of the story’s most dynamic characters, and this is the reason that I think he is the true hero. In the very beginning of the play, we are led to believe that John Proctor is a sinner and a feared man among the townspeople of Salem. We will write a custom essay sample on Who is the Hero of The Crucible? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page John Proctor was having some sort of affair with Abigail, which we find out is called lechery, and we find this out while the two of them are talking in Betty’s room. John Proctor denies any involvement with Abigail, but Abigail then says â€Å"I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!† This makes us believe that John Proctor is cheating on his wife, Elizabeth, and that he is an evil man. On the contrary, John Proctor does many positive things, which outweigh the sins he has committed. Will Abigail use this information to try to blackmail John or his testimonies in the court later in the play? In Act II of The Crucible, we find out that Abigail Williams has charged Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft. Is Abigail finally getting her revenge for John denying that he does not love her? Proctor is outraged when he hears this, and Elizabeth thinks that Abigail wishes to take her place once she is hanged, and John knows this to be true. Abigail Williams said that Elizabeth had sent out her spirit and made it stab a needle into her stomach. John Proctor believes that Abigail is trying to get revenge on his wife for throwing her out, and John Proctor swears that he will do whatever he can to prove her innocence. John Proctor says â€Å"I will fall like an ocean on that court! Fear nothing, Elizabeth.† From this we can infer that Proctor would do whatever possible to save his wife, even if it means he must confess about his crime of lechery. John wants to make sure that the court knows this, and to use it to say that Abigail is doing this for her own purposes. We can infer that John Proctor will do anything to make the outcome in favor of him. In Act III of The Crucible, Proctor successfully gets Mary Warren, their housemaid, to testify in front of the court to prove that his wife is innocent. Mary has signed a deposition and tells the court that â€Å"It were pretense, sir.† Shortly afterwards in the court, we find out that Elizabeth had sent a claim to the court saying that she was pregnant. John Proctor is told that if his wife begins to show signs in a month, Elizabeth will be permitted to live for another year, but John Proctor wants to make sure that Elizabeth will be acquitted of all charges of witchcraft, and prove that the girls are lying. Proctor goes through all of the trouble of getting 91 other respectable landholding farmers to vouch that Elizabeth had no dealings with the Devil. Surely if someone tried as hard as John Proctor to prove that they or someone else were innocent and that so many people believe it, it must be true. John Proctor goes even further by getting Giles Corey to testify that Mr. P utnam prompted his daughter to cry witchery so he can buy their and when they are dead. From all of this we can infer that John Proctor is extremely perseverant and once he has his mind set on a task, he will follow through with it. Near the end of Act III of The Crucible, Elizabeth still continues to try to defend John, even though he has already confessed to his crime of lechery. Soon after, Abigail claims that she is being â€Å"attacked† by Mary’s spirit, which assumed the guise of a bird. Mary becomes so confused and flustered, but she goes to Abigail’s side and said that she will no longer listen to the Devil’s man, referring to John Proctor. When Proctor is questioned about this, he says â€Å"I say-I say-God is dead!† Surely he has just condemned himself to hang now? He starts to act crazy, saying things that would probably make anyone believe that he was a witch. If Elizabeth Proctor confessed to him being a lecher, the outcome would have been very decidedly different. All Elizabeth wanted to do was to try to keep what was left of John’s good name pure, and it was too late for her to confess after he told her that he did so. Proctor has tried so hard to prove h is wife’s innocence, as long as many others, but the sides had turned on him. He became a victim of the witchcraft hysteria, doomed to hang on the gallows. We all know that Proctor only meant well, but he had no clue that everything would turn out like it did. From this act we can infer that John Proctor can also be stubborn at times, but still continuing on the idea that he is extremely perseverant. It’s a shame that a man who tried so hard for the others to be condemned to hang because he wanted to keep his good name. In Act IV of The Crucible, we learn of Giles Corey’s death by being pressed and of John Proctor’s hint that he should confess to witchcraft. This shows that John Proctor was capable of reasoning, so that he would have been able to live with his wife and their new baby after it was born. He understands that he should not die for something he didn’t do, which shows that he is a logical, albeit somewhat rash. When he is questioned, he still defends all of the others that were condemned, showing that he would try to make it seem that they were innocent, even if it made him appear guilty. John Proctor does not want to sell out his friends, for if he does, he knows that they will surely be condemned to hang. When Proctor is given the document to sign his name saying that he confesses, he refuses to do so because he doesn’t want to be used to prove the church’s point. He let his pride get the better of him, and he didn’t want to have his name tarni shed any further. He tears the paper, and at this moment he realizes that there is still a shred of goodness left in him. He lets himself to be taken away to be hanged, and Elizabeth does not want to try and stop them, because she didn’t want to take away the good in him that he just found. In conclusion, we can infer that John Proctor was the true hero of The Crucible. Throughout the whole play we learned that he was capable of doing anything he set his mind to, and putting others before himself. John Proctor was a man capable of doing many things, including his pride and arrogance which have gotten the better of him in the end. He was an extremely perseverant man, and no matter what anyone else said, they could not stop him. He stood bravely in the face of death, knowing that he would go peacefully since he was finally able to forgive himself and found the good within him. This is the reason why John Proctor is the legitimate true hero of The Crucible.