Elderly Person :: History

Elderly Person Chang Sing Lok, also know as Uncle Lok is famous for his mouth watering â€Å"Chau Kuey Teows† which is a kind of fried noodles. He is very well known in Taman University, Petaling Jaya for his exquisite dish. He was born on March 23, 1926 at ShenYang, eastern China and he was brought up there until the age of 9. He is the youngest of the six children in the family and that is why his parents named his last name as Lok, which means six in Cantonese. He is from a poor family. His father was a cook and his mother was a maid. Both parents served a rich family in ShenYang. He was brought up in a village and he spent his formative years nurtured by the humble, traditional values of Chinese village life. He lived with his family in a typical wooden house and the crystal clear water of the stream nearby his house was made his playground. As years passed, the World War II occurred. The Japanese army invaded most of the eastern part of China. At that time, most of the citizens of China had migrated to the other countries since they could not suffer the hardness of life in China. Chang Sing Lok had also decided to migrate to ‘Tanah Melayu’. So he came to ‘Tanah Melayu’ with about a hundred of others Chinese who had decided to migrate to ‘Tanah Melayu’ too by a very old style ship. At first, life was not very good and not stable since he had not get any job. It was because there are too many labour sources in ‘Tanah Melayu’ at that time. Furthermore, he was also too young for any heavy job. Finally, he got a job at a Chinese restaurant as a cleaner. He helped the employer to cleanup the entire restaurant as well as washing all the plates. It was there he first started gaining knowledge of cooking. At that time, he had a negative attitude towards the past, as he had went through lots of difficulties and struggled his way through World War II, where he had lost his family, friends and property. But he had a more positive attitude towards the future. According to him, future is the continuity of the present and if he succeeds in his present life, he believed that the future would be better for him as well as his family.

Teaching Young Students Essay -- Education, Language, Music

Preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are essential years in children’s life for learning how to read and understanding the basic fundamentals of language arts. Some of these concepts include letter recognition, sight word recognition, capitalization, punctuation, and reading fluency. Everything that children learn during these important years will follow them the rest of their lives. Reading and writing must start with the very basics of letter identification and then progress to writing and reading words and sentences. It is important for children to have a positive learning experience because reading is a very important skill that will continually be needed in everyday life. Whole language and balanced literacy are two commonly used methods for teaching language arts to beginning students. There are many activities used to teach young children how to read and write including the use of music in the classroom, sight words, games, and worksheets. There are two main approaches to teaching reading to young students. One common approach is whole language. Kate Walsh states that whole language â€Å"emphasizes connecting children with meaningful text as the preferred path to developing fluent readers† (10). In whole language, using the context of the sentence to figure out a word is essential. Walsh further explains the importance of context cluing in whole language by describing it as â€Å"having children identify new words by discerning their meaning in the context of the text† (10). Another approach to teaching reading is balanced literacy which, unlike whole language, â€Å"fuses the literature-based approach with some phonological instruction but only on an â€Å"as needed† basis† (Walsh, Glaser, Dunne 10). Mixing these two conc... ... the student must understand the difference between an uppercase and lowercase letter and when to use them in different situations. Independent exercises are important in the learning process for children because it makes them feel like they have accomplished something on their own, and they show what the child truly knows. There are many different approaches to teaching language arts to young learners. It is important to understand that every classroom and every child is different. Different activities and methods should be used with different children and different situations. Learning the basics of language arts will follow with children throughout their years of schooling and throughout their life. Learning how to read and write for a young student should be a positive and fun experience. Through different methods, many teachers have made learning fun!

Application to Clinical Psychology Paper Essay

Introduction ~ Deme Science with all its marvels and wonders continues to press forward making extraordinary breakthroughs. Psychology plays a key role in many of sciences steps forward, each branch of psychology focusing on a specific techniques and theories. In the document the center of attention is surrounding the application of clinical psychology, this branch of psychology is unique as it all realms of an individual’s issue. Specifically speaking, anxiety is the psychological disorder that is under review through the processes of a clinical psychologist, thus concentrating on the biological, psychological and social factors of the disorder. Discussion of what routes of treatment is best for this particular disorder, what outside sources (friends, family , and co-workers) might be involved in the treatment plan, and how would this plan be presented to individual. All of these explorations and others will be answered as we journey into the application of a clinical psychologist such as the ca se of Little Albert. Brief Overview of Little Albert ~ Patricia The case of little Albert was an experiment that was conducted by behaviorist John B. Watson who carried one of the most influential psychology studies out in 1920, which is also known as the Father of Behaviorism. The Little Albert experiment was also conducted by a graduate student Rosalie Rayner, who accompanied John B. Watson during the demonstration, which took place around Little Albert ninth month of growth. During the case of Little Albert, Watson, and Rayner often expose the child to several series of various stimuli to see the reaction of the child. In the experiment, Watson and Rayner would bring out different objects toward Albert to see if he would have any anxiety toward a white rat (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Although, Watson, and Rayner were both interested in the study of Little Albert, they both were reward a grant to study reflexes, and instinct in  infants. During Watson’s experiment, he exposed Little Albert to white lab rat to see if the child wou ld react to the lab rat in fear. The next time Albert was exposed to the rat, Watson made distressing loud noise while hitting a steal bar with a hammer creating how emotional response could be conditioned or learned. At first response the child seem to become frighten by the loud noise, however, at second response the child began to cry after repeatedly hearing the loud noise (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). While the experiment took place, Little Albert was soon introduced to a white rat combine with a series of other stimuli, which included a rabbit, burning news paper, and a mask. During this process of experimentation, every time Little Albert was shown the white rat pairing with the loud noise, he would begin to cry. The instant the rat was shown to Albert the second or third time, he would began to cry at the sight of the rat alone. Watson wanted to determine if Little Albert would become fearful as a loud sound of the hammer would create a distressing noise near the child that present how classical conditio ning can be use to condition, and emotional response (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). However, Albert fear of the white rat was not the only conditioning, but he was introduce to a wide variety of similar objects as well, such as a white rabbit, Raynor’s furry white coat, and a mask that symbolize Santa’s white beard. Watson had conditioned a fear response in Little Albert during this process to see if the same response of fear would transfer to other objects. During his experiment, Watson discover that Little Albert f ear did in fact extend to other furry animals, and objects, however, before Watson could remove any of signs of phobia, Albert’s mother remove him from the hospital (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). Biological, Psychological, and Social Factors ~ Kimberly According to most research that has been done on the case of Little Albert, it does not seem that there are many biological factors that affect the case. According to Web MD (2012), a mental illness caused by a biological factor includes an abnormal balance of special chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. It can also be genetics, brain defects, or even prenatal damage (2012). Little Albert seemed to be normal in that sense to most. However, evidence collected by several researchers say that Little Albert was not a healthy and normal infant as Watson had described (Beck, Fridlund,  Goldie, Irons, 2012). Analysis of the film of little Albert suggests that Little Albert had substantial behavioral and neurological deficits (2012). It was suggested that in these films Little Albert’s unresponsive nature was like that of severely mentally challenged child (2012). So while some may think biological factors played no part, they actually may have. Psychological factors play a huge role in the case of Little Albert. Psychological factors can include psychological trauma suffered as a child, such as emotional, physical or sexual abuse (WebMD, 2012). While Little Albert was not physically or sexually abused, he was in a sense emotionally abused. He was purposely conditioned to be scared of first a noise and then of a rat and the noise. Anytime he saw a rat or anything that resembled a furry object he was scared. He was taken away from the hospital before the conditioning could be reversed. This is something that was a trauma to him and therefore the reason why psychological factors play a huge role in his case. Social factors also played a role in the case of Little Albert. The main social factor that sticks out in this case is that of family. Little Albert’s mother allowed him to be in the hospital and have these experiments to take place. With that being said, she is at fault for Little Albert having the phobia that he did. His mother also took him from the hospital before there was any chance to remove the phobia (Meyer, 2009). Intervention of Little Albert~ Jeffery Since there is no evidence of any biological factors that were evident in the case of Little Albert, then there is no way to implement any biological interventions for him. But we can see that psychological factors played a significant role in his anxiety and as such Cognitive –Behavioral Treatment could be effective in helping him overcome his disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) of various Anxiety disorders is based on the presumption that the disorder is a result of constant perceptions that there is a need to be afraid of a particular object or item, which then results in the an increase in maladaptive and habitual interactions among cognitive, behavioral, and physiological response systems. Maladaptive cognitive  responses include a pre-attentive bias to threat cues (Mathews, 1990), negatively valenced images and worrisome thinking (Borkovec & Inz, 1990), and cognitive avoidance of some aspects of anxious experience (Borkovec, Shadick, & Hopkins, 1991). Maladapt ive behavioral responses include subtle behavioral avoidance (Butler, Fennel, Robson, & Gelder, 1991) and slowed decision-making (Metzger et al., 1990). In the case of Little Albert he was definitely conditioned to be afraid of rats and certain noises which then led to fear and anxiety over anything that reminded of these objects. In treating a person for anxiety the therapist would build a relationship with the patient thus instilling trust and alleviating a certain amount of fear and anxiety at the beginning. As this trust increases the therapist would teach the patient to the idea of self awareness, where the client begins to recognize subtle changes in their anxiety levels and recognize what is triggering this anxiety. Such things as poor thinking, external cues, physiological activity, and then as they recognize these cues implement newly learned intervention techniques to help lower their anxiety levels. This form of treatment then focuses on both the psychological and social factors that the individual must learn to deal with. Since it was the mother that was responsible for these tests being done on Little Albert and then pul ling him out of treatment before any therapy to correct the anxiety was able to be performed, Family Systems intervention could also be beneficial to helping them deal with his anxieties. This systems intervention approach is different than other approaches in that it includes the family unit in the counseling and treatment sessions. So in a case such as little Albert, both he and his mother would be in the treatment program. This treatment then helps the individual understand how their disorder is impacting others and helps the family understand what trigger points are and how to recognize them so they can help their loved overcome the disorder. As these sessions continue the past is explored as to what may be the cause of their anxiety and how they have impacted each section of the family and how each family can contribute to helping overcome the disorder. In the case of Little Albert the Therapist would help them to focus on the psychological causes and the social causes of this disorder and to learn new thought processes and support systems to correct his way of thinking. Conclusion ~Deme In closing, our case study â€Å"Little Albert† who had been subjected to classical conditioning using a stimulus to promote a certain behavior – fear and anxiety. In the practice of clinical psychology is imperative to get all parties involved for successful treatment. The approach of intervention is sensitive and clinical psychologist makes every effort to move forward with hopes of the case study not relapsing. In the case of treating Little Albert and the treatment for his fears and anxiety through the application of clinical psychology, however, no real conclusion for this case study was ever provided; therefore, we can only suggest the steps of the clinical psychologist according to the specific structure for treating individuals. References: Craske, M.G., Barlow, D.H., & O’Leary, T. (1992). Mastery of your anxiety and worry. Albany, NY: Graywind Publications Incorporated. Fridlund, A.J., Beck, H.P., Goldie, W.D, & Irons, G. (2012, January23). LITTLE ALBERT: A Neurologically Impaired Child. History of Psychology. Advanced online publication. doi:10.1037/a0026720 Goldfried, M.R. & Davison, G.C. (1969). Clinical behavior therapy. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Inc. Meyer, R. G., Chapman, L. K., & Weaver, C. M. (2009). Case studies in abnormal behavior (8thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education/Allyn & Bacon. WebMD. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/mental-health- causes-mental-illness

Charles Dickens – Pip’s problems come from arrogance

Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is the tale of one character's troubled journey of self delusion in the pursuit of false ideals. Pip, the book's protagonist, is a morally good and honest boy corrupted by the glitz and glamour of nineteenth century bourgeois society. Although Pip's arrogance and pretentiousness ultimately creates a great deal of problems for him, it would be inaccurate to claim that they are the central causes of Pip's troubles. Instead it is the lack of affirmation and self-worth he experiences in his early childhood that instigates his downward spiral of morality and must be blamed for the cause of his problems. Fortunately, Pip is able to eventually realize the nobility of humble characters such as Joe and understand the importance of values such as compassion in gaining true gentility. Primarily, Pip's lack of self-confidence and lowly impression of himself are the most notable aspects of his early childhood. Under the tyranny of Mrs Joe, Pip is constantly made to feel inferior and has his self-esteem destroyed with snipes such as â€Å"in a low reproachful voice (she said) â€Å"Do you hear that? Be grateful. â€Å". Not only is he physically abused in the household having been â€Å"brought up by hand† but also there is clearly a lack of adequate love and affirmation in his childhood years, reinforced with the absence of a mother and father. Though Pip is able to find some refuge in his friend and father figure Joe, it seems hardly enough to build his self-worth. As well as this, he must contend with the obnoxious and overtly pretentious Mr Pumblechook. The Christmas dinner scene in which Pip is constantly patronized by the mean-spirited adults in his life is almost a parody of disparagement. Harbouring this sense of inferiority, Pip's visit to Satis House evokes in him the fantasy of reinvention that ultimately brings about his downfall. The supercilious Estella, encouraged by Miss Havisham, mocks Pip's â€Å"coarse and common† ways, further playing on his lack of self-worth and eating away at his self-confidence. The highly impressionable young boy, fuelled by this inferiority, sees the glamour of Satis House as his only chance of ‘bettering' himself. It is here he forms the illusion that becoming a gentleman consists of merely assuming the outward trappings of gentility – an illusion that will ultimately create a great deal of trouble for him. He is caught up in the allure of Estella's beauty and her lifestyle, yet fails to see that beneath this exterior lies a loveless and heartless world. Therefore it is Pip's dissatisfaction with himself combined with the influence of his visit to Satis House that is the fundamental source of his problems. This being said, once he is given the financial means to live out this fantasy his priggish arrogance further distances him from his true and honest childhood values. Debt, bad company and a wasteful lifestyle are the troubles that come with his obsession to uphold the gentlemanly faiade he has created. Most notably, his pretentious treatment of Joe, â€Å"If I could have paid money to keep him away I would have paid it,† denize him association with this noble character and in turn denize him the ability to realize the importance of the values he stands for. Likewise there is the manner in which he patronizes Biddy â€Å"You never had a chance before you came here, and see how improved you are! † The rejection of these noble characters prevents him from being able to gaining true ‘gentility'. As Pip himself incredulously states after helping Herbert â€Å"to think, that my expectations had done some good to somebody,† for his expectations combined with his arrogance had succeeded only in creating problems for him. While Pip's ability to learn the importance of humility is vital to his redemption, it is his return to compassion and good heartedness that rescues him and allows him to become a better person. Although initially Pip's motives for protecting Magwitch are entirely selfish, attempting to maintain his own credibility in London, he begins to develop a sense of concern for the old man, as his childhood value of compassion is gradually reinstated. This compassion becomes the first step towards obtaining true gentility. From there the loss of his fortune and his symbolic illness in which Joe appears selflessly nursing him back to health and paying off his debts provides Pip with a vital lesson in fellow feeling. Pip can finally understand the nobility of characters such as Joe, Biddy, Clara and Wemmick (Walworth). He embraces the simple lives of these characters and also learns humility, by leaving to work for Herbert in Egypt, living an earnest and hardworking life. After years of such a humble lifestyle, Dickens rewards his protagonist with the love of Estella, who has likewise come to understand the importance of â€Å"a good Christian Heart. Therefore, the central cause of Pip's problems was clearly the result of years of self dissatisfaction caused by a lack of love and affirmation. This self-worth was dealt a mortal blow upon his arrival at Satis House, the consequence being Pip's fantasy of re-invention that ultimately leads him to much of the troubles in his life. His boorish arrogance mana ges to create further problems for him and it is not until his rediscovery of the importance of compassion and fellow feeling that he is able to become a true gentlemen.

Family Assessment

Running head: HEALTH ASSESSMENT Family Focused Health Assessment Nancy E Gundersen Grand Canyon University NRS429v December 4, 2011 Family Focused Health Assessment This paper will assess a family interviewed using Gordon’s 11 functional health patterns. It will summarize the findings for each health pattern from a designated number of interview questions. The author identifies two wellness nursing diagnoses based on the author’s assessment of the family health patterns and the answers provided to the interview questions. The family interviewed was a husband and wife who live active lives. They have recently moved from Colorado to Texas and both have new jobs. They have 3 children and 2 grandchildren who reside in Oregon and Colorado. The wife recently went through radiation therapy for MALT lymphoma and the husband recently learned he has been living with only 1 kidney and a herniated disk. The husband has had gout since he was twenty five and the wife was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome at age eighteen. These conditions have been controlled by diet and medication. Otherwise this family is fairly healthy. They are from different backgrounds and different cultures but have adapted their own traditions and health habits. Both are mastered prepared and share similar hobbies and interests. Summary of functional health patterns; 1. Values, health perceptions a. Both family members value health and do not have cultural influences as it relates to how they obtain a healthy lifestyle. They understand that eating right and exercising will increase their chances of regaining their health. 2. Nutrition b. Both family members work fulltime and have a very full schedule. They arise early and are out the door with a minimal breakfast. The husband has a slim fast nutrition drink while the wife may have a bowl of cereal or slice of toast. Their lunch habits vary. The wife usually brings lunch with her that includes a sandwich or protein bar. The husband usually goes home for lunch and will make himself a cup of soup or a leftover salad. The wife usually does not arrive home until 6:30 or 7pm while the husband is home by 5pm. He is able to make healthy dinners as he enjoys cooking. They both try to stay away from t he foods that will bring on symptoms of gout or irritable bowel syndrome. 3. Sleep/Rest c. The husband does not usually have problems falling asleep but will get up during the night to use the bathroom. He only uses sleep aids when he travels as his sleep patterns are interrupted. The wife has a hard time falling asleep because of the stresses of the day and will occasionally use an over the counter sleep aid if she is unable to get a good night sleep for several days. 4. Elimination d. The husband has no issue with proper elimination. He attributes this to eating a lot of salads. The wife however, because of her irritable bowel syndrome will sometimes alternate between having constipation and diarrhea. She takes a probiotic routinely, benefiber and drinks plenty of water in addition to trying to watch what she eats to stay regular. . Activity/Exercise e. Both family members consider exercise as an important part of their daily life. Recent illnesses have prevented their ability to do strenuous exercise. The husband most recently hurt his back and the wife has not yet fully recovered from her radiation treatment. Both do other forms of activities however including taking stairs inst ead of elevators, walking nine holes of golf and routine household chores such as yard work. 6. Cognitive f. Both family members do much better when they are in control of a meeting or situation. They feel clear headed and better prepared. They both have periods when they may forget to do something they were asked and have learned to write things down to help prevent this from happening. 7. Sensory-perception g. Both family members are dealing with conditions that have not allowed them to be as active as they have been in the past. They frequently complain of joint pain or muscle aches. They try to stretch and work up to more strenuous activity. Gout causes joint pain and a recent diagnosis of a herniated disk has increased back pain for the husband who is going to physical therapy once a week. 8. Self-perception h. The wife was diagnosed with cancer. This was a very stressful situation and the husband felt helpless as he could not alleviate her symptoms. The wife was afraid and felt helpless and fearful. The husband has also come to the realization that he is not able to play golf like he use to as he has restrictive movement due to his back problems. They both feel discouraged at times and have feelings of despair. 9. Role Responsibility i. Both family members feel they communicate well with each other and have developed routines that fit their lifestyle. The wife does not like to cook but the husband does so that works out very well. The husband’s recent role of caregiver while the wife was going through radiation therapy was a situation they both had to deal with but in different ways. The wife stated she always thought she would be the one caring for her husband not the other way around. 10. Sexuality j. The recent stresses that both have gone through has affected their sexual patterns. Moving, a critical medical diagnosis, a new job, making new friends and leaving their children was very difficult for both. Each stated they just worked through it. 11. Coping k. They both have been through a lot this past year and ? and it is maintaining a level head, knowing that they can count on each other and using logic not emotion to deal with issues has gotten them through some difficult times. Wellness nursing diagnosis The wellness nursing diagnosis within this family that might be candidates for intervention would be in the areas of activity and exercise and sleep rest patterns. The recent diagnosis for both family members has affected their normal exercise routine. Their wellness nursing diagnosis would be the readiness for an enhanced exercise program. They need more exercise to increase their aerobic cardiac health and need to resurrect the exercise routine that they enjoyed prior to their illness. Their risk diagnosis is disuse syndrome and the husband is at risk for peripheral neurovascular dysfunction and impaired physical mobility. If this family does not follow a proper exercise program that best fits their health condition and lifestyle they can easily become sedentary and increase their chances for other health risks. The actual wellness nursing diagnosis for both family members is they currently have activity intolerance. The nursing wellness diagnosis for sleep-rest pattern is necessary for this family is they need to have a program established to enhance their sleep habits. They both have interrupted sleep patterns and use medication to help them rest. They both have disturbed sleep patterns and are at risk for sleep deprivation. The actual nursing wellness diagnosis would be sleep pattern disturbance and sleep deprivation. This family has done exceptionally well coping with the recent health issues they have had to face. They are a team and stated they need to regain their health. Continuing their healthy lifestyle, with all the obstacles, has only brought them closer together. They are working hard to get healthy again and building up their stamina when it comes to exercising is top of their list. They continue to do research on what may be beneficial for them and will do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. References Edelman, M. Health promotion throughout lifespan 7th edition. Mosby Elsevier. Gundersen, N. E. (2011, December 4). Family health assessment. (Interview with Mr. and Mrs. John Howard) (Mr. and Mrs. John Howard, Trans. ) (Interviewed using Gordon's 11 functional health patterns as a guide). Austin Texas (Original work published 22 Questions developed using Gordon's 11 functional health patterns). Weber, J. R. (2005). Nursing diagnoses (Wellness, risk and actual) grouped according to functional health patterns. In Nurses handbook of health assessment 5th edition Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams &Wilkens. Retrieved from http://jxzy. smu. edu. cn/jkpg/Uploadfiles/file/TF_06928152357_nursing%20grouped%20by%20functional%20health%20patterns. pdf Family Assessment Family Assessment a) Family form A definition of family: â€Å"A family is two or more persons who are joined together by bonds of sharing and emotional closeness and who identify themselves as being part of a family. † Friedman (1997) The Jordan’s are a nuclear family. The family members include husband, wife and three children. Dad is forty four years old, Mom is forty one years old and the three boys are seven, nine and eleven. The children are all in school, the parents help the seven year old who is in second grade with his homework. While I was visiting, the youngest child was working on a book report.He was asking several questions of his Mom during the interview. The boy was very well-mannered and said â€Å"excuse me† before asking for help. The nine and eleven year old boys are quite independent with all their school work. When they have a bible reading schedule related to their worship, they read together as a family. b) Patterns of Interaction/Communi cation The wife does all the domestic duties with the help of the oldest child. This family are Jehovah’s Witnessess and culturally, the husband is the bread winner of the house and should work hard to provide for the entire family. The wife should take care of all the house work.Jehovah’s Witnessess believe the wife should not work. The Mothers job is to make sure the entire family’s needs are met. This includes caring for her children emotionally, physically and psychologically. Like the Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, the family is seen as an emotional unit. I did observe Mrs. Jordan as a very compassionate, concerned and emotional mother. She was very serious when talking about her children; she felt strongly that the boys should be able to come to her with any issues, good or bad. Mrs. Jordan is also responsible for the family budget and finances. When asked â€Å"Who has the power and authority in our family? Mrs. Jordan replied, â€Å"The Bible, J ehovah’s Word has the power in our family. It is the essence and the foundation of our family. † If there is a decision to be made that affects the whole family, the husband and wife make the decisions, but the husband is the head of the household. The family believes in what the bible says, â€Å"The Golden Rule†, â€Å"Treat others the way you want to be treated. † The developmental theory considers overtime the family unit foes through various phases that can be predicted based on norms. The family development approach examines role expectations within the family unit.I asked the family, â€Å"Are there any role assessments, such as â€Å"the good child† or â€Å"neat freak† the boys laughed and look at each other. Then the mom quickly responded, â€Å"No. Not at all. Our children know the law contained in the Bible and are governed by its principles. † They all seemed to be comfortable when answering the questions in the interview , although their answers were somewhat vague, the dad did not participate much in the interview. Instead, he was answering calls and working from home. The family was asked if they engage in any activities together. The family volunteers in Life Saving Preaching Work.They are all involved in this ministry that saves lives. In other words, they share the gospel with others, believing that they with come to know the Lord. The husband is also a volunteer in the medical field. He was not specific when answering this question. The Jordan’s also have what they call â€Å"round table discussions† which they partake in every Friday night. c) Boundaries I wanted to know if their family had any subjects that were difficult to discuss together. The family brought up the subject of racism. Mrs. Jordan shared a story about other children in school making racial comments to her child.This was devastating to Mrs. Jordan and she found it very hard and complicated to discuss. She felt anger toward the children that bullied her son. We discussed other boundaries as well. For example, I asked if the family members interact with groups outside of their family, Mrs. Jordan said â€Å"We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses and as such, we are a part of an international brotherhood and we do not need invitation before visiting any of our brothers and sisters what we do not do is associate closely with non-witnesses, because bad association spoils useful habits. Everyone in the family seemed to agree with mom on this subject. In fact, the middle boy shared that they were only allowed to have a sleepover with other children born into Jehovah’s witnesses with manners based on the bible. He also mentioned that it is a rule in their house; they can only play their videos or watch TV on Friday, Saturday and Sunday until noon. d) Family Values & Norms The Structure Function Theory suggests the family is viewed as an organization; roles, values, and communication are integral components. The Jordan’s differ from many families I know because of their strong religious beliefs.The Jordan’s values are based on the bible and all of them are equally important, according to Mrs. Jordan. She also stated â€Å"Honesty, it’s a way of life. † It is also very important to the family that they are sharing the gift of everlasting life with others who decide to listen to their preaching work. The family likes to spend time with each other every day. During breakfast they read their daily devotionals, and the father says a prayer on behalf of the whole family before they depart for the day. e) Religion Religion is very important to the family, and they have strong religious beliefs that may affect their healthcare decisions.They are to put their spiritual well-being before any other things. As a Jehovah’s Witness, they do not accept blood transfusions under any circumstance, even in the face of death according to scriptures Le viticus 17:10, 11, Leviticus 17:13,14, Acts 15:22-29. When asked if the family attended church, Mrs. Jordan informed me that they do not attend church, but they do attend regular meeting at their Kingdom Hall. Mrs. Jordan said, â€Å"We are fifth generation Jehovah’s Witnesses therefore we are born and raised to do everything according to the bible.When asked if the family attended church, Mrs. Jordan informed me that they do not attend church, but they do attend regular meeting at their Kingdom Hall. Mrs. Jordan said, â€Å"We are fifth generation Jehovah’s Witnesses therefore we are born and raised to do everything according to the bible. f) Culture g) Family Stressors Lastly, I wanted to know if the family is currently dealing with any stressors. Currently Mrs. Jordan says that she is bored at home and would like to go back to work. h) Family’s Strength and Resources The children were very well behaved during this interview.The oldest son, took my coat, and asked if I would like anything to drink. I thought the three boys were all extremely well mannered, gentlemen. The Father did not participate much in the interview; he was also very polite and welcoming. The Jordan family has much strength such as, communication, honesty, love and discipline. Like Mrs. Jordan I feel that discipline is a form of love. The family I connected, they sound time with one another and they help each other out. In addition, the family has many resources in their community of Jehovah’s Witnesses.From what I understand this is a very connected community. They are likely to find the help of others in their community if they needed. Summary I think the family and I both learned a few things from this interview. I particularly found it intriguing that the family reads the bible together every day. If and when I have children of my own, I will have this tradition with my family as well. I found out more interesting information when I asked questions regard ing the family’s health care. The family uses primary prevention measures such as; a healthy diet and exercise.The entire family has a membership at a fitness gym. The family is however against immunizations because they believe it can cause other health issues. The husband is a doctor and says he â€Å"has knowledge† of the serious side effects. I can understand the concern as parents, but as their nurse it is my job to explain both the risks and benefits. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly recommends that the risks and benefits are discussed by a nurse or doctor before any refusal documents are signed. That means that we are to teach on each vaccine and the disease it prevents.I would also refer them to the AAP website that has information on immunizations, providing parents an opportunity to ask questions about their concerns and attempting to understand parents’ reason for refusing one or more vaccines. It is important to maintain a supportive relationship with the family. The AAP encourages documentation the health care provider’s discussion with the parents of the serious risks. Have the parent sign the refusal for and keep it the patient’s medical record. The secondary prevention measures were regular checkups which are performed by the mom and dad.The dad is a neurosurgeon, and the mom has a nursing degree. The husband is the wife’s primary physician also. She also admitted that she has never had a dental checkup, but the children have. She never had a mammogram and doesn’t intend to until she is sixty five years old. And lastly, when asked about medication taken, Mrs. Jordan explained, no one is on any medications. The goals I develop must be realistic, asking myself, â€Å"to what extent can the goals be achieved? † I personally feel like the parents are adamant regarding the children’s immunizations.I would however provide them with the information from the AAP website to increase the knowledge or provide them with information that they may have previously misinterpreted or misunderstood. I would set a goal with Mrs. Jordan that she gets her annual mammogram and dental check-ups every six months as recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA). The National Cancer Society (NCI) recommends that women age forty or older have screening mammograms every one to two years, and the standard recommendation is to visit a dentist twice a year for check-ups and cleanings. Family Assessment Family Assessment a) Family form A definition of family: â€Å"A family is two or more persons who are joined together by bonds of sharing and emotional closeness and who identify themselves as being part of a family. † Friedman (1997) The Jordan’s are a nuclear family. The family members include husband, wife and three children. Dad is forty four years old, Mom is forty one years old and the three boys are seven, nine and eleven. The children are all in school, the parents help the seven year old who is in second grade with his homework. While I was visiting, the youngest child was working on a book report.He was asking several questions of his Mom during the interview. The boy was very well-mannered and said â€Å"excuse me† before asking for help. The nine and eleven year old boys are quite independent with all their school work. When they have a bible reading schedule related to their worship, they read together as a family. b) Patterns of Interaction/Communi cation The wife does all the domestic duties with the help of the oldest child. This family are Jehovah’s Witnessess and culturally, the husband is the bread winner of the house and should work hard to provide for the entire family. The wife should take care of all the house work.Jehovah’s Witnessess believe the wife should not work. The Mothers job is to make sure the entire family’s needs are met. This includes caring for her children emotionally, physically and psychologically. Like the Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, the family is seen as an emotional unit. I did observe Mrs. Jordan as a very compassionate, concerned and emotional mother. She was very serious when talking about her children; she felt strongly that the boys should be able to come to her with any issues, good or bad. Mrs. Jordan is also responsible for the family budget and finances. When asked â€Å"Who has the power and authority in our family? Mrs. Jordan replied, â€Å"The Bible, J ehovah’s Word has the power in our family. It is the essence and the foundation of our family. † If there is a decision to be made that affects the whole family, the husband and wife make the decisions, but the husband is the head of the household. The family believes in what the bible says, â€Å"The Golden Rule†, â€Å"Treat others the way you want to be treated. † The developmental theory considers overtime the family unit foes through various phases that can be predicted based on norms. The family development approach examines role expectations within the family unit.I asked the family, â€Å"Are there any role assessments, such as â€Å"the good child† or â€Å"neat freak† the boys laughed and look at each other. Then the mom quickly responded, â€Å"No. Not at all. Our children know the law contained in the Bible and are governed by its principles. † They all seemed to be comfortable when answering the questions in the interview , although their answers were somewhat vague, the dad did not participate much in the interview. Instead, he was answering calls and working from home. The family was asked if they engage in any activities together. The family volunteers in Life Saving Preaching Work.They are all involved in this ministry that saves lives. In other words, they share the gospel with others, believing that they with come to know the Lord. The husband is also a volunteer in the medical field. He was not specific when answering this question. The Jordan’s also have what they call â€Å"round table discussions† which they partake in every Friday night. c) Boundaries I wanted to know if their family had any subjects that were difficult to discuss together. The family brought up the subject of racism. Mrs. Jordan shared a story about other children in school making racial comments to her child.This was devastating to Mrs. Jordan and she found it very hard and complicated to discuss. She felt anger toward the children that bullied her son. We discussed other boundaries as well. For example, I asked if the family members interact with groups outside of their family, Mrs. Jordan said â€Å"We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses and as such, we are a part of an international brotherhood and we do not need invitation before visiting any of our brothers and sisters what we do not do is associate closely with non-witnesses, because bad association spoils useful habits. Everyone in the family seemed to agree with mom on this subject. In fact, the middle boy shared that they were only allowed to have a sleepover with other children born into Jehovah’s witnesses with manners based on the bible. He also mentioned that it is a rule in their house; they can only play their videos or watch TV on Friday, Saturday and Sunday until noon. d) Family Values & Norms The Structure Function Theory suggests the family is viewed as an organization; roles, values, and communication are integral components. The Jordan’s differ from many families I know because of their strong religious beliefs.The Jordan’s values are based on the bible and all of them are equally important, according to Mrs. Jordan. She also stated â€Å"Honesty, it’s a way of life. † It is also very important to the family that they are sharing the gift of everlasting life with others who decide to listen to their preaching work. The family likes to spend time with each other every day. During breakfast they read their daily devotionals, and the father says a prayer on behalf of the whole family before they depart for the day. e) Religion Religion is very important to the family, and they have strong religious beliefs that may affect their healthcare decisions.They are to put their spiritual well-being before any other things. As a Jehovah’s Witness, they do not accept blood transfusions under any circumstance, even in the face of death according to scriptures Le viticus 17:10, 11, Leviticus 17:13,14, Acts 15:22-29. When asked if the family attended church, Mrs. Jordan informed me that they do not attend church, but they do attend regular meeting at their Kingdom Hall. Mrs. Jordan said, â€Å"We are fifth generation Jehovah’s Witnesses therefore we are born and raised to do everything according to the bible.When asked if the family attended church, Mrs. Jordan informed me that they do not attend church, but they do attend regular meeting at their Kingdom Hall. Mrs. Jordan said, â€Å"We are fifth generation Jehovah’s Witnesses therefore we are born and raised to do everything according to the bible. f) Culture g) Family Stressors Lastly, I wanted to know if the family is currently dealing with any stressors. Currently Mrs. Jordan says that she is bored at home and would like to go back to work. h) Family’s Strength and Resources The children were very well behaved during this interview.The oldest son, took my coat, and asked if I would like anything to drink. I thought the three boys were all extremely well mannered, gentlemen. The Father did not participate much in the interview; he was also very polite and welcoming. The Jordan family has much strength such as, communication, honesty, love and discipline. Like Mrs. Jordan I feel that discipline is a form of love. The family I connected, they sound time with one another and they help each other out. In addition, the family has many resources in their community of Jehovah’s Witnesses.From what I understand this is a very connected community. They are likely to find the help of others in their community if they needed. Summary I think the family and I both learned a few things from this interview. I particularly found it intriguing that the family reads the bible together every day. If and when I have children of my own, I will have this tradition with my family as well. I found out more interesting information when I asked questions regard ing the family’s health care. The family uses primary prevention measures such as; a healthy diet and exercise.The entire family has a membership at a fitness gym. The family is however against immunizations because they believe it can cause other health issues. The husband is a doctor and says he â€Å"has knowledge† of the serious side effects. I can understand the concern as parents, but as their nurse it is my job to explain both the risks and benefits. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly recommends that the risks and benefits are discussed by a nurse or doctor before any refusal documents are signed. That means that we are to teach on each vaccine and the disease it prevents.I would also refer them to the AAP website that has information on immunizations, providing parents an opportunity to ask questions about their concerns and attempting to understand parents’ reason for refusing one or more vaccines. It is important to maintain a supportive relationship with the family. The AAP encourages documentation the health care provider’s discussion with the parents of the serious risks. Have the parent sign the refusal for and keep it the patient’s medical record. The secondary prevention measures were regular checkups which are performed by the mom and dad.The dad is a neurosurgeon, and the mom has a nursing degree. The husband is the wife’s primary physician also. She also admitted that she has never had a dental checkup, but the children have. She never had a mammogram and doesn’t intend to until she is sixty five years old. And lastly, when asked about medication taken, Mrs. Jordan explained, no one is on any medications. The goals I develop must be realistic, asking myself, â€Å"to what extent can the goals be achieved? † I personally feel like the parents are adamant regarding the children’s immunizations.I would however provide them with the information from the AAP website to increase the knowledge or provide them with information that they may have previously misinterpreted or misunderstood. I would set a goal with Mrs. Jordan that she gets her annual mammogram and dental check-ups every six months as recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA). The National Cancer Society (NCI) recommends that women age forty or older have screening mammograms every one to two years, and the standard recommendation is to visit a dentist twice a year for check-ups and cleanings.

The Road

Why do you think McCarthy has chosen not to give his characters names? How do the generic labels of â€Å"the man† and â€Å"the boy† affect the way you /readers relate to them? While reading The Road, a novel written by Cormac McCarthy, I was jerked from the warmth, comfort, and safety of my home and thrown into a cold, dark, and desolate world, walking alongside â€Å"the man† and â€Å"the boy†. McCarthy composes his work so graphically that readers are drawn right into the story.I believe Cormac McCarthy wanted the figures in this book to be universal, so that the reader could imagine him/her self as â€Å"the boy† or â€Å"the man† at any given moment, and to be able to feel as they do. To do this McCarthy did not designate the characters in his book with names, and because of this, I was able to connect with â€Å"the man† and â€Å"the boy† on a personal level and envision myself uniting with them in their chilling journe y. As the reader, I was deeply overwhelmed with many mixed emotions such as compassion, sadness, happiness, disgust, remorse, and fear.I have pity for the characters in the book The Road, because â€Å"the man† and â€Å"the boy† have to pass day to day struggling to survive in a frigid bleak world where food is scarce â€Å"They squatted in the road and ate rice and cold beans they’d cooked days ago. † â€Å"Already beginning to ferment. †(McCarthy 29). The landscape is blackened, and mankind is almost extinct â€Å"The mummied dead everywhere. †(McCarthy 24). As I read on I noticed myself connecting more deeply with the characters.When the boy’s mother takes her own life, I was deeply saddened and my heart broke for â€Å"the boy† simply because his mom, someone he cherished and loved so much, had given up on hope and faith and deserted him. I just wanted to take hold of the child and comfort him even though at this moment he has no clue his mother has left. I also felt sorry for â€Å"the man†, one, because he has to tell his child where his mother is â€Å"For the love of God woman. What am I to tell him? † (McCarthy 58), and two, because his love and best friend was in such despair and there was nothing he could do to impel her to stay.As a mother, in some ways, I also felt sorry for the mother in this book, because most women dream of the day she will have a child of her own to love, care for, and teach, but this mother had to give birth to her son after the great catastrophe, and instead of bringing her tears of happiness, it brought tears of sorrow. She now knows that she has to raise her son in this dark and barley habitable world and that it will be a constant struggle to survive. â€Å"My heart was ripped out of me the night he was born†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (McCarthy 57).On the other hand though, I am also disgusted with the mother for the one reason that she gave up, and now her family , especially her child, has to suffer the consequences due to her actions, but again, given that I put myself in her situation, would I do the same thing? While reading I also felt deep sadness in many parts, for one instance, when â€Å"the man† dies, at this point in the book I had tears streaming down my face. â€Å"He slept close to his father that night and held him but when he woke in the morning his father was cold and stiff. † â€Å"He sat there a long time weeping†¦ (McCarthy 281). â€Å"He knelt beside his father held his cold hand and said his name over and over again. †(McCarthy 281). At one part in the book, remorse, disgust, sadness, and compassion were the stirred emotions that hit me all t once. It was the time when a thief robs â€Å"the boy† while he is asleep on the beach. When â€Å"the boy† was first robbed I was angry and disgusted with the thief who had robbed a sleeping innocent child, I could never see myself doing th is especially in a situation where food is hard to come by and staying warm is almost impossible!When they finally catch up with the thief â€Å"the man† points the gun at him and threatens to shoot him. â€Å"The boy† is pleading with his father not to kill the thief. â€Å"The man† says to the thief â€Å"Take your clothes off. †(McCarthy 256). â€Å"Take them off every goddamn stitch. † (McCarthy 256). Eventually the thief is completely naked, â€Å"the boy† and the thief are begging â€Å"the man† not to do this, but the man looks at the thief and says â€Å"You didn’t mind doing it to us. †(McCarthy 257). Now I feel that the thief is getting what he deserves.When they leave the thief standing in the road â€Å"the boy† becomes extremely upset, â€Å"And They set out along south with the boy crying and looking back at the nude and saltlike creature standing there in the road shivering and hugging himself. â⠂¬  â€Å"Oh Papa, he sobbed. †(McCarthy 258). I am now starting to feel the compassion the boy has towards the thief â€Å"He was hungry, Papa. † â€Å"He’s going to die. †(McCarthy 259). They finally take the thief’s clothes back and pile them in the middle of the road and I am glad of this.Later as they were lying down at camp I believe the man was starting to feel guilty, and he spoke â€Å"I wasnt going to kill him, he said. † â€Å"But the boy didnt answer. † â€Å"They rolled themselves in the blankets and lay there in the dark. † â€Å"He could tell the boy was awake and after a while the boy said: but we did kill him. †(McCarthy 260). When â€Å"the boy† made this comment I felt deep remorse and disgust in myself for having felt so harshly toward the thief in the beginning.I also felt happiness and relief in this story when â€Å"the man† and â€Å"the boy† found the underground shelter beh ind the house in the field, I felt as if I was there with them discovering the grand riches this den held! â€Å"Oh my God, he whispered. † â€Å"Oh my God. † â€Å"What is it Papa? † â€Å"Come down. † â€Å"Oh my God. † â€Å"Come down. † (McCarthy138). â€Å"Crate upon crate of canned goods. † â€Å"Tomatoes, peaches, beans, apricots. † â€Å"Canned hams. † â€Å"Corned beef. † â€Å"Hundreds of gallons of water in ten gallon plastic jerry jugs. †(McCarthy 138).In this underground hideaway was everything they needed to survive. I was so overwhelmed with joy and comfort that I forgot for a moment about the cruel cold world above. During many portions of this novel I experienced also many sensations of fear. The most prominent passage is where â€Å"the man† and â€Å"the boy† come across a house and both are vulnerable due to fatigue and starvation. â€Å"They’d had no food and littl e sleep in five days and in this condition on the outskirts of a small town they came upon a once grand house sited on a rise above the road†(McCarthy 105).As they start toward the house â€Å"the boy† becomes frightened and â€Å"the man† or father tries to reassure him that everything is okay and that they have to go inside. At this point I am feeling a little uneasy about the two entering the house. As they cross the porch â€Å"the boy† is trying to convince his father not to go inside, agreeing with the boy I imagine myself in his shoes and I am pleading for â€Å"the man† not to enter. â€Å"The man† is determined and tells the boy â€Å"We’ve got to find something to eat. † â€Å"We have no choice. †(McCarthy 106).When inside the home â€Å"the boy hung on to his hand. † â€Å"He was terrified. † (McCarthy 107). While investigating the house they come across a door in a room next to the kitchen that m ight have been considered a pantry at one time. â€Å"In the floor of this room was a door or hatch and it was locked with a large padlock made of stacked steel plates. †(McCarthy 108). â€Å"The boy† again tries to plead with his father to leave, and I again right along with him, but now my tension and curiosity is starting to rise a bit, wondering what is underneath this door. The man† believes there is a significant reason for this door being locked, so he makes his way to the tool shed â€Å"half dragging the child and went sorting through tools† (McCarthy 109). He retrieves a shovel, heads back into the house, and pry’s the door open. Now I am holding my breath just waiting for the outcome, good or bad, I do not know, but I am very anxious. â€Å"He started down he rough wooden steps. He ducked his head and then flicked the lighter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (McCarthy 110).â€Å"Coldness and Damp. † â€Å"An ungodly stench. † (McCarthy 110). What came next caught me completely off guard! Huddled against the back wall were naked people, male and female, all trying to hide, shielding their faces with their hands. † â€Å"On the mattress lay a man with his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt. † â€Å"The smell was hideous. † â€Å"Jesus, he whispered. †(McCarthy 110). Now I am in a complete state of shock, fear, and disgust. Unbelievable! All at once I am feeling the fear and shock of â€Å"the man†, â€Å"the boy†, and the mangled victims that have been terrorized, probably raped, eaten or at least half dismembered and eaten by the wicked and ruthless barbarians! Then one by one they turned and blinked in the pitiful light. † â€Å"Help us, they whispered. † â€Å"Please help us. †(McCarthy 110). My heart is now beginning to race. When they finally reach the top of this grave, â€Å"He shoved the boy through the hatch and sent him sp rawling. † â€Å"He stood and got hold of the door and swung it over and let it slam down and he turned to grab the boy but the boy had gotten up and was doing his little dance of terror. †(McCarthy 111).As if this horrific and vivid image engraved in my head was not enough, McCarthy immediately throws me into a sheer state of terror and panic. â€Å"†¦ the boy was pointing out the window and when he looked he went cold all over. † â€Å"Coming across the field toward the house were four bearded men and two women. † â€Å"He grabbed the boy by the hand. † â€Å"Christ, he said. † â€Å"Run. † â€Å"Run. † I had to literally set the book aside, go outdoors, calm down, and smoke a cigarette to calm my nerves. Finally my heart rate returned to normal and I picked up the book and continued to read.After I completed this part in the story and discovered that â€Å"the man† and â€Å"the boy† had escaped I got up ch ecked on my children to reassure myself that they were asleep safe and warm in their bed, I quickly ran back through the house like a child with a sense of fear that something was going to jump out and grab me at any moment, I jumped in the bed got as close to my husband as possible and eventually drifted off to sleep. When I finished reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy, I was astonished at how deep I was able to connect with the characters and the fact that this book touched me as deeply as it did.It also made me think what if†¦? In reality if this were to happen would I have the courage and strength of â€Å"the man† and â€Å"the boy† or would I be like the mother as McCarthy states it â€Å" †¦a faithless slut†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (57), who has taken death as a new lover. Over all I personally believe that this novel was absolutely fantastic, even though I had nightmares for a few nights after I had completed the book. This just goes to show what a great writer McCarthy is, he touches his readers so deeply they even dream about his work. I would defiantly pick up this book and read it again just for fun. The Road The post-apocalyptic novel â€Å"The Road†, written by Cormac McCarthy was published in 2006. [1] It deals with the journey of a father together with his son, who try to reach the coast after America, its nature and civilisation has been destroyed by some catastrophe. Therefore some important issues are implied: travelling, fear of death, nuclear war, goodness, religion, cannibalism and of course the relationship between father and son. Maybe that is the reason why McCarthy dedicated the novel to his son: John Francis McCarthy. In 2007 McCarthy won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for this novel. 2] In 2009 the Novel was made into a film, also called â€Å"The Road† and directed by John Hillcoat. [3] There are some interesting aspects, regarding the similarities and differences between the novel and its cinematic adaptation. The Novel Cormac McCarthy tells the story of a journey, made by father and son. They survived a nuclear catastrophe, which is not described in detail and want to go south in order to reach the coast. They have a card in order to carry their habits. They hope for a humanitarian climate, nourishments and other peaceful survivors. Due to the apocalypse, they have to deal with a lot of trouble during their trip. In order to survive despite the lack of food, a lot of people became cannibals. Cannibalism is no option for the man and his son, because they belong to the good ones. Therefore they have to be carful who they trust and their search for food is more difficult. In addition they have to take care for their clothing, especially for their shoes because it is very cold since the catastrophe. [4] â€Å"Mostly he worried about their shoes. That and food. Always food. † (McCarthy, 2006: 17) [5] The most problematic aspect is the fathers task to raise his son under such circumstances without neglecting the sense of humanness. The world he knows was completely destroyed and there is no common childhood. The son has to cope with aspects like cannibalism and suicide very early. He also has to accept the circumstance, that his father is going to die sooner or later and that he needs to be able to live on his own when the time comes. His father tries to prepare him as good as he can. McCarthy tells the story among 287 pages. He uses 3rd person narration, where the narrator is omniscient, because he knows about thoughts, dreams and fears of the father and his son. His style of writing without chapters stresses the travel motive. It highlights the fact that the protagonists have to go on and on until they reach the coast and that there are no other important stages in between. Another important technique is the avoidance of names which means that both protagonists remain anonym. This technique highlights the aspect, that in case of a nuclear catastrophe, this scenario could happen to anyone. The father and his son serve as representatives for humankind. In addition there are no concrete names of places which indicates, that this scenario could not just happen to anyone, it could also happen anywhere in the world. There are two more aspects, which remain unclear. The first one is the fate of the mother. The book does not make clear what happened to her because for them, it does not matter. She is gone and that is all they need to know. Secondly there are no details mentioned when it comes to the catastrophe which also indicates that it is not important what happened. The man and his son are alive and so they have to challenge the circumstances, indifferent what caused them. â€Å"The clocks stopped at 1:17. A long shear of light and then a series of low concussions. (†¦) A dull rose glow in the windowglas. (McCarthy, 2006: 52) McCarthy creates a very desperate imagery. His preferred chosen words are dark and sad. He uses short sentences, which guarantees that the novel is written in a minimal, but tough very closely style. [6] â€Å"No list of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one’s heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes. † (McCarthy, 2006: 54) Even the dialogues between father and son or between them and strangers they met are very short. In addition there are a lot of details described, no matter if they are tolerable or hardly shocking. â€Å"They could smell something cooking. Let’s circle around, the man said. (†¦) They left their food cooking. (†¦) What is it? He said. What is it? The boy shook his head. Oh Papa, he said. He turned and looked again. What the bay had seen was a charred human infant headless and gutted and blackening on the spit. † (McCarthy, 2006: 198) The two unnamed Protagonists The son is about 10 years old and was born after the catastrophe. That is why he does not know the world as it was before. He has although no childhood like one would think of. He has to grow up without his mom, knowing that his father will also fade away one day. Therefore he has to learn very much important skills in a short amount of time. He has no real toys and no other kids around him. In contrast he knows how to kill himself and feels responsible for his father, who became ill. It is important to say, that the son serves as a symbol for hope. â€Å"He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God God never spoke. † (McCarthy, 2006: 5) Not only for his father, also for other people they met. For example Ely, the second stranger they met thought that he was an angel. Within the story the young boy grows from a child with a lot of questions and fears to a boy with a big sense of humanity, who knows a lot about the world he lives in and feels responsible for other people. â€Å"The man squatted and looked at him. I’m scared, he said. Do you understand? I’m scared. (†¦) You’re not the one who has to worry about everything. The boy said something but he couldn’t understand him. What? he aid. He looked up, his wet and grimy face. Yes I am, he said. I am the one. † (McCarthy, 2006: 259) The father can be characterized as a reactor. Whenever it comes to violent actions he is just acting in self-defence. He knows the world as it has been before the catastrophe, and feels sorry for his son but he also knows that he can not hold the horror away from him. He faces the fact that his son h as to live on his own one day and that it is his job to make sure that he will be able to do so. Therefore he is distrustful when it comes to strangers. He always reminds his son to be less helpful and a bit more wary but often he does not succeed. In addition he is very ill and weak. The only reason why he is able to go on without committing suicide is his son. Everything he does is for him. â€Å"He held the boy close to him. So thin. My heart, he said. My heart. But he knew that if he were a good father still it might well be as she had said. That the boy was all that stood between him and death. † (McCarthy, 2006: 29) Ending The ending of the novel is a happy one. They manage to reach the coast and the father dies in peace. After some days other survivors appear. There is another man, a woman and two other children, a boy and a girl. The boy talks to the man and makes clear that they belong to the good guys who â€Å"carry the fire†, which means that they do not kill and eat other people. After he made that clear, it is okay for him to go with them. Therefore the ending implies a new beginning, because it could be possible that the boy and the girl create descendants one day, which would be a first step to get a new population. â€Å"The woman when he saw him put her arms around him and held him. (†¦) I am so glad to see you. She would talk to him sometimes about God. He tried to talk to God but the best thing was to talk to his father and he did talk to him and he didn’t forget. † (McCarthy, 2006: 286) The Movie The movie â€Å"The Road† was published in 2009. John Hillcoat (Director) and Joe Penhall (Screenplay) produced a cinematic adaptation of the novel with the same title and story which takes 111 minutes. The role of the father is played by Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee plays the role of the son. [7] As already said, the story is almost the same. There are just a few changes within it. For example there are some flashbacks to the time before the catastrophe and shortly after it, when the mother was still alive. In addition there are some omissions because of details which would have been too shocking, like the passage with the infant corpse. [8] Despite those supplements and omissions Hillcoat and Penhall did a really good job. They managed it to copy the imagery of McCarthy’s special style of writing into the atmosphere of the film. Therefore they used a number of techniques. [9] The depressive and sad atmosphere is easily created by mostly grey and brown colours. Furthermore the film was produced in wintertime, when there automatically lies snow and the trees are without leaves. The film implies no ordinary scenery, because it is not a complex story. The contrast comes when the flashbacks to the time before the catastrophe are shown. The colours change into very intensive ones, it is summer and you always hear nice piano music. One could also argue that the piano serves as a symbol for the presence of the mother and for civilisation because it represents culture. When the father remembers his wife there is always piano music which accentuates the scenes. Later in the film he has to cut an old piano into pieces in order to get wood for a fire. This is a clear indication that he is angry with his wife because of her decision to commit suicide. Those scenes are different to the few passages about the mother in the book. She is not a big issue in the novel. Within the book the story is told by an omniscient 3rd person narrator. In the cinematic adaptation the man tells the story. This is a contrast to the book, where the actions, feelings and thoughts of the man are part of the narration. On the one hand one could argue that this contrast is problematic because in the end the father is going to die and the way of narration could be too personal. But on the other hand Hillcoat and Penhall had to choose someone who tells the story and they had no other opportunity if they want to have the option of flashbacks and omniscience. According to the protagonists there is one other existing difference. In the book the boy seems to accept his fate and tries to make the best out of it. He grows up very fast and is rather adulty than childish. In the film he collects some artefacts like a broken comb of his mother, wears her clothes and also has a few toys. He is often scared and cries when he is. All in all, the boy is played like a child and not as grown up as he is described in the book. The overlapping aspect is the importance of â€Å"to carry the fire†. He is always asking if someone carries the fire, which means not to kill other people and disregard morality and values. The biggest difference between the novel and its cinematic adaptation is the ending. In the book it is described as a happy end. The father dies, the son meets another family who also carries the fire and can go with them. In addition the family has a daughter, which means that there is a new beginning for civilisation implied. This procedure is the same at the end of the film but there are some details which change the situation. Firstly the thumbs of the veteran are missing or garbled. That was also the case when they met the thief who has stolen their cart with all their goods. Those missing fingers can lead to the suggestion that he had been a member of a cannibalism commune. This would also fit to the question why a family should voluntary incorporate another hungry child. In fact there is no food left and every additional person is a risk at the same time. One also has to remember that they have a dog in the movie, which is pure luxury according to the circumstances they live in. According to those details there are two possibilities: either they are just as friendly and careful as the boy and it is an act of charity, or they see their chance in getting extra food without killing someone of their family or group. Novel or Movie? In my opinion both works are really great. I like the novel of McCarthy very much because of his style of writing and the atmosphere within the story. The dialogues are short, concise and therefore fit totally in. In addition the characters with their actions, thoughts, feelings and dreams as well as the ending of the story are simply realistic. There are some differences when it comes to the cinematic adaptation but those are no reasons for regarding the film as inferior. As already said, I think that Hillcoat and Penhall did a great job because it must have been very hard to transport McCarthy’s style of writing into a movie. What I like most is the ending of the film. It is less clear than in the book and every viewer can decide which option seems to be more realistic. I think the interpretation of the ending refers to ones personal character traits. If the viewer is as prudent, distrusting and sometimes hopeless like the father he will maybe be more likely to see it critical. In contrast a viewer who is as optimistic as the son will probably see the details as unimportant and therefore recognize the ending as a happy end, like the one of the book. This opportunity of individual interpretation is a great aspect of the movie.Bibliography McCarthy, Comac. The Road. New York: Vintage Books, 2006 http://www.buecher.de/shop/krimi–thriller/the-road/mccarthy-cormac/products_products/detail/prod_id/22749892/session/0c16e28341622398e76f09549b0dc89c/ (23.02.2012) http://www.cormacmccarthy.com/works/theroad.htm (23.02.2012) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/ (23.02.2012) http://sweetcheese.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/41jilx9r0rl_ss500_.jpg (23.02.2012) http://quaterlyconversation.com/the-road-by-cormac-mccarthy-review (23.02.2012) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/ (25.02.2012) Movie: â€Å"The Road†, Universum Film GmbH: 2009 http://www.beyondhollywood.com/the-road-2008-movie-images-gallery/the-road-movie/ (25.02.2012)

American Born Chinese Essays - Buddhism In China, Free Essays

American Born Chinese Conformity can be defined as acting in a socially acceptable way while behaving in ways that may not be typically how a person acts. Throughout Gene Luen Yangs novel American Born Chinese, three main characters try to change themselves in order to fit in with the people that surround them. The characters struggle to find themselves and identify with their surroundings, but by doing so, they forget who they are and why where they come from is so important. The monkey king, Jin Wang, and Danny all put their greatest efforts in to mask their true identities and become something they arent. Eventually they realize who they are is who they are meant to be, and they should not try to change themselves any longer. Throughout the whole novel, the characters can be seen as disguising or hiding ones own true colors, soon after discovering that being ashamed of oneself is not the correct way to go about fitting in. The Monkey King tried to fit in and master the arts of kung-fu. He did so, and strived to reach immortality. When he waits in line for what seems to him like an eternity, he is politely turned away, showing his embarrassment to all around him. At this point, he is determined to make a change to himself into somebody who would be let into the land of immortality, despite his monkey self. After this, the Monkey King spends his days training, his nights meditating, and forbidding himself of food and water. He achieves the four major disciplines of invulnerability, to fire, to cold, to drowning and to wounds, and continues his new routine in order to achieve more. When he allows himself out of his chamber, he is shocked when he receives a notice saying he is being sentenced with death for trespassing upon Heaven. Although the Monkey King thought he was doing something successful in his training to become somebody he was not, in reality, he was just hurting himself even more. There is a r eason why he is not granted immortality, and his kind is not meant to live the life he was striving for. He attempts to overcome it all and get himself to heaven, being stopped upon the entrance, I created you I say that you are a monkey, therefore, you are a monkey (Yang 69). Shortly following this he is informed, I am Tze-Yo-Tzuh, all that I have created- all of existence- forever remains within the reach of my hand. You I have created. Therefore, you can never escape my reach (Yang 70). Despite the Monkey Kings best efforts to transform himself, he is reminded by his creator what he is meant to do, who he is, and who he is not. Jing Wang enters his new school and is immediately belittled by his teacher and classmates due to his nationality. Nobody takes the chance to get to know Jin and immediately he is categorized by the students as different just because he is Chinese. Because of this, Jin tends to put his culture and nationality to the side and focus on fitting in as a normal American grammar school student. At one point in the beginning of the novel, when Jin is speaking with a woman in the doctors office of his mother, he is asked what he wants to be when he grows up. His response is that he wants to be a transformer, and then continues to tell the woman that his mother thinks his idea is silly. The womans response to him is, Its easy to become anything you wish, so long as youre willing to forfeit your soul (Yang 29). This can also become foreshadowing to the events to follow, as Jin begins to change himself to fit in with the rest of the kids in his school. Jin feels shame in his nationality and turns away from another new Asian student when he tries to befriend him. At first, Jin denies his friendship and tries to act better than Wei-Chen, like the others treated him when he first arrived. Jin wants nothing to do with his culture and feels ashamed to be compared to the new student because