Saturday, September 7, 2019
Healthcare Finance Essay Example for Free
Healthcare Finance Essay Houston Dialysis Center is a department of Houston General Hospital, a full-service, not-for-profit acute care hospital with 325 beds. The bulk of the hospital’s facilities are devoted to inpatient care and emergency services. However, a 100,000 square-foot section of the hospital complex is devoted to outpatient services. Currently, this space has two primary uses. About 80 percent of the space is used by the Outpatient Clinic, which handles all routine outpatient services offered by the hospital. The remaining 20 percent is used by the Dialysis Center. The Dialysis Center performs hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, which are alternative processes for removing wastes and excess water from the blood for patients with end-stage renal (kidney) disease. In hemodialysis, blood is pumped from the patient’s arm through a shunt into a dialysis machine, which uses a cleansing solution and an artificial membrane to perform the functions of a healthy kidney. Then, the cleansed blood is pumped back into the patient through a second shunt. In peritoneal dialysis, the cleansing solution is inserted directly into the abdominal cavity through a catheter. The body naturally cleanses the blood through the peritoneumâ€â€a thin membrane that lines the abdominal cavity. In general, hemodialysis patients require three dialyses a week, with each treatment lasting about four hours. Patients who use peritoneal dialysis change their own cleansing solutions at home, typically about six times per day. This procedure can be done manually when active or automatically by machine when sleeping. However, the patient’s overall condition, as well as the positioning of the catheter, must be monitored regularly at the Dialysis Center. The hospital allocates facilities costs (which primarily consist of building depreciation and interest on long-term debt) on the basis of square footage. Currently, the facilities cost allocation rate is $15 per square foot, so the facilities cost allocation is 20,000 Ãâ€" $15 = $300,000 for the Dialysis Center and 80,000 Ãâ€" $15 = $1,200,000 for the Outpatient Clinic. All other overhead costs, such as administration, finance, maintenance, and housekeeping, are lumped together and called â€Å"general overhead.†These costs are allocated on the basis of 10 percent of the revenues of each patient service department. The current allocation of general overhead is $270,000 for the Dialysis Center and $1,600,000 for the Outpatient Clinic, which results in total overhead allocations of $570,000 for the Dialysis Center and $2,800,000 for the Outpatient Clinic. Recent growth in volume of the Outpatient Clinic has created a need for 25 percent more space than currently assigned. Because the Outpatient Clinic is much larger than the Dialysis Center, and because its patients need frequent access to other departments within the hospital, the decision was made to keep the Outpatient Clinic in its current location and to move the Dialysis Center to another location to free up space. Such a move would give the Outpatient Clinic 100,000 square feet, a 25 percent increase. After attempting to find new space for the Dialysis Center within the hospital complex, it was soon determined that a new 20,000 square foot building must be built. This building will be situated two blocks away from the hospital complex, in a location that is much more convenient for dialysis patients (and Center employees) because of ease of parking. The new space, which can be more efficiently utilized than the old space, allows for a substantial increase in patient volume, although it is unclear whether the move will result in additional dialysis patients. The new dialysis facility is expected to cost $3 million. Additionally, furniture and other fixtures, along with relocation expenses of current equipment, would cost $1 million, for a total cost of $4 million. The funds needed for the new facility will be obtained from a 20-year loan at local bank. The loan (including interest) will be paid off over 20 years at a rate of $400,000 per year. Because the specific financing details are known, it is possible to estimate the actual annual facilities costs for the new Dialysis Center, something that is not possible for units located within the hospital complex. Table 1 (see Excel spreadsheet) contains the projected profit and loss (PL) statement for the Dialysis Center before adjusting for the move. The hospital’s department heads receive annual bonuses on the basis of each department’s contribution to the bottom line (profit). In the past, only direct costs were considered, but the hospital’s chief executive officer (CEO) has decided that bonuses would now be based on full (total) costs. Obviously, the new approach to awarding bonuses, coupled with the potential for increases in indirect cost allocation, is of great concern to Linda Rider, the director of the Dialysis Center. Under the current allocation of indirect costs, Linda would have a reasonable chance at an end-of-year bonus, as the forecast puts the Dialysis Center in the black. However, any increase in the indirect cost allocation would likely put her â€Å"out of the money.†At the next department heads’ meeting, Linda expressed her concern about the impact of any allocation changes on the Dialysis Center’s profitability, so the hospital’s CEO asked the chief financial officer (CFO), Roger Hedgecock, to look into the matter. In essence, the CEO said that the final allocation is up to Roger but that any allocation changes must be made within outpatient services. In other words, any change in cost allocation to the Dialysis Center must be offset by an equal, but opposite, change in the allocation to the Outpatient Clinic. To get started, Roger created Table 2 (see Excel spreadsheet). In creating the table, Roger assumed that the new Dialysis Center would have the same number of stations as the old one, would serve the same number of patients, and would have the same reimbursement rates. Also, operating expenses would differ only slightly from the current situation because the same personnel and equipment would be used. Thus, for all practical purposes, the revenues and direct costs of the Dialysis Center would be unaffected by the move. The data in Table 2 for the expanded Outpatient Clinic are based on the assumption that the expansion would allow volume to increase by 25 percent and that both revenues and direct costs would increase by a like amount. Furthermore, to keep the analysis manageable, the assumption was made that the overall hospital allocation rates for both facilities costs and general overhead would not materially change because of the expansion. Roger knew that his â€Å"trial balloon†allocation, which is shown in Table 2 in the columns labeled â€Å"Initial Allocation,†would create some controversy. In the past, facilities costs were aggregated, so all departments were charged a cost based on the average embedded (historical) cost regardless of the actual age (or value) of the space occupied. Thus, a basement room with no windows was allocated the same facilities costs (per square foot) as was the fifth floor executive suite. Because many department heads thought this approach to be unfair, Roger wanted to begin allocating facilities overhead on a true cost basis. Thus, in his initial allocation, Roger used actual facilities costs ($400,000 per year) as the basis for the allocation to the Dialysis Center. Needless to say, Linda’s response to the initial allocation was less than enthusiastic, but before Roger was able to address Linda’s concerns, he suddenly left the hospital to take a new position in another city. The task of completing the allocation study was given to you, Houston General’s current administrative resident. You believe that any cost allocation system should be perceived as being â€Å"fair,†but you also realize that in practice cost allocation is very complex and somewhat arbitrary. Some department heads argue that the best approach to overhead allocations is the â€Å"Marxist approach,†by which allocations are based on each patient service department’s ability to cover overhead costs, but this approach has its own disadvantages. Considering all the relevant issues, you must develop and justify a new facilities cost allocation scheme for outpatient services. Be prepared to justify your recommendations at the next department heads’ meeting.
Friday, September 6, 2019
Dutton Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence Essay Example for Free
Dutton Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence Essay Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence Introduction            This book was written by Dutton about domestic violence. It gave us the history about assault on spouses. Dutton talks of two major social phenomena that emerged in North American and the Western countries in Europe. Rights of women were acknowledged by everyone after long and tedious struggle of women to get recognized. It goes further to state the measures and incidences of violence including theories concerning women assault.            This book is very important for it teaches about recognizing one another especially those who have the violent personalities. It is good for the society for it educates one to accept others rights and difference between marriage duties and rights. This book shows us that we can eliminate all odds in our society and try make each and every person feel that he or she belongs to the society fully without any intimidation and discrimination.            Dutton’s ideas can be used to help those who have the abusive personality by encouraging them to attend psychiatrist’s teachings. It can be used to educate spouses in marriage so that they will evade future marriage problems. Also, in the current globalized world, the ideas in this book can help us socialize and live together in peace and harmony especially in a domestic set up. This book can help people who are married in other cultures to harmonize or leave those cultures and then live with the acceptance and respect of each other’s rights.            Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano: Volcano Press, 2004. Print.            In this book, Surviving Domestic Violence, Elaine wrote about several stories of women who had been subjected to domestic violence. She got these stories by interviewing and later writing them down. It talks of what each one of them went through and how they later managed to escape it. It gives reasons as to why such incidences were happening. After getting out, the women took a very long time to recover the psychological and wounds they got due to thisviolence but some were yet to fully recover for the ordeal they had gone through had impacted negatively on their lives. Those who managed to deal with stress after coming out said that they felt stronger than ever.            The different stories taught in this book are the true causes and effects of domestic related violence. They bring about what one goes through and how one feels while undergoing the violence. Also, it helps to understand what to do when such incidences happen. It also shows its effects and how they change one’s life therefore targeting those who abuse their partners. This book is a very ideal example as it shows us that those who have already freed themselves from the marital abuses can educate others like the youth and couples about domestic violence so that they refrain from it            The stories are very encouraging for they give the people motivation to solve their problems and also how one can escape this. They can be used by those specialists in parental guidance and counselling to help them shape their marriage when such incidences are reported to them and even before couples get married. The ideas in this book can enable those undergoing abuses to get out and look for a better marriage partner. One only needs to accept that he or she is undergoing domestic violence and therefore if it cannot be solved, one can boldly walk away and start life afresh. Marriage is not slavery but it’s a path towards achieving your goals in life as one needs a partner who is willing to assist where possible so that they make all their dreams in life to happen.            Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence Cook, Philip W. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. Westport: Praeger, 2009. Print.            Phillip exposes how men goes through domestic violence silently. He talks of how real it is that men are going through domestic violence without the society suspecting. He brings several stories of men who have been undergoing through such violence from their wives for a long time. Then he goes further to give tips that can help one to find freedom from any form of abuse. Then he addresses resistance and acceptance for those who are abusing their spouses and how they come to realize that each and every person deserves to be respected. He also talks of new great approaches that can be used to reduce domestic violence. He then gives survey statistics of domestic violence in Canada. It also talks about how the relationship changes between the offenders to their victims.            The story is helpful in realizing what some men go through. It gives statistics of domestic violence that people are not ready to talk about. The society is helped to recognize men who are undergoing domestic abuses from their spouses. It is helpful because statistics help people to know how long they have been living with their friends undergoing abuses without even realizing it. It talks of acceptance which can help those who are yet to accept their spouse the way he or she is. It is helpful for it shows how much men can be subjected to torture with use of dangerous tools such as knives, machetes and any other type of a life-threatening tool or machine so that one can force their partner to follow one’s commands.            Philip’s ideas can be used to know the men who are undergoing abuses experienced from their wives and enable us to help them come out of the problem. Also, it encourages courage especially those who are not courageous enough to come out and tell their ordeal to the society. This book can help men to free themselves away from any form of abuse and intimidation from their partners. This book is very important as it can be used to tell the extent in which men undergo violence in real life situations. Men can also use this book to help them evade any other form of domestic violence against them and therefore reducing the number of men who die as a result of domestic violence.            Howard, Louise, Louise Howard, Gene Feder, and Roxane Agnew-Davies. Domestic Violence and Mental Health. London: RCPsych Publications, 2013. Print.            This book has been written collectively by different authors who specialize in domestic violence ideas. It talks about prevalence and physical health impacts of domestic violence. It talks about types of abuses in marriage such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and coercive control and also it questions them and gives clues on how they are brought about and their solution. It also talks of effects of the person’s psychology which is deeply affected even in the future that may not get them out of his mind. It stresses on survival strategies to evade such abuses and also how one can control one’s mind to avoid damaging his or her psychology. This book also gives the kinds of interventions and responses people can take after or when you suspect any form of violence. Advices from professionals on domestic violence are also written down.            This book has directives on what causes mental problems after abuse. It also gives us ways on how to control ourselves and maintain a state of calmness so as not disturb our stressed mind. It educates us on different forms of domestic violence. It is an important text for it has pieces of advice on domestic violence from professionals’ point of view.            The story in this book can help us to evade mental problems due to domestic abuses and can be used by psychiatrists to know what causes a certain mental disorder and they can use the ideas here to enable their clients who are undergoing this problem to get out of it. It can also be used to educate couples so that when they are not in good terms to try to their best solve the problem before it gets out of hand. The advices written in this book can also be used in the same way to advice people especially those undergoing domestic violence depending on the root cause and the kind of violence.            Kubany, Edward S, Mari A. McCaig, and Janet R. Laconsay. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland: New Harbinger            This book is directed to those who have been freed from domestic violence and especially women. Due to violent domestic situations, one may develop post-traumatic stress disorders which are not easy to get out of one’s mind and can negatively affect that person. It is aimed at giving programs known as cognitive trauma therapy which one undergoes to help him or her come back to normal. It gives the techniques one can use them to help himself or herself by identifying any form of trauma and distress one has that can enable one to deal with it to help control and change his or her life .            This book is targeting those who have been affected by domestic violence so that they come back to normal. It is an educational tool for the society to understand the devastating effects of wife battering. Therefore it makes us to even identify those who are going through post-traumatic stress. It contains technics and procedures one can follow so that they make him deal any results brought by domestic violence. It is also helpful as it helps chase out any fears one has due to what they went through during that horrifying period of domestic violence.            Psychiatrists can use this book to help traumatized people come back to normal. The ideas here can help us to even identify those going through stress in their marriage so that they are helped before it’s too late. This book can be used also by the parents who are not in good terms to read and understand what one may go through if such incidences happen. The techniques in this book about dealing with trauma after violence can be used by psychiatrists to help clients who underwent this so that they identify what they are in trauma of and this can help them to accordingly better their lives. It can also be used individually as one can remember well what went wrong in that marriage and help better their lives. References Cook, Philip W. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. Westport: Praeger, 2009. Print. Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2006. Print. Howard, Louise, Louise Howard, Gene Feder, and Roxane Agnew-Davies. Domestic Violence and Mental Health. London: RCPsych Publications, 2013. Print. Kubany, Edward S, Mari A. McCaig, and Janet R. Laconsay. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland: New Harbinger Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano: Volcano Press, 2004. Print. Source document
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Differences on Reaction Time and Accuracy During Enumeration
Differences on Reaction Time and Accuracy During Enumeration Visual field differences on reaction time and accuracy during enumeration ABSTRACT This experiment tests the difference in performance of reaction time and level of accuracy between visual fields during enumeration. The results show that the left visual field has an advantage over the right visual field for reaction time and level of accuracy. However, the results of the repeated measures t-test found that there was a significant difference between visual fields for reaction time, but no significant difference for accuracy. Results show some support for our hypothesis that there are visual field differences in performances during enumeration. However, this experiment has to be further tested for validity. INTRODUCTION When people are shown an array of items, reaction times have been found to remain relatively constant till three or four items with few errors. However beyond that number, reaction times start to increase rapidly with more errors. This difference is known to be from subitizing and counting. The word subitizing was first introduced by Kaufman, Lord, Reese, and Volkmann (1949). Subitizing is the ability to know the sum of items without counting, with speed and accuracy. However, counting is a slower process, and used for larger array of items. Jackson Coney (2004) study examined 32 psychology undergraduates on enumeration. Their results showed support for differences between visual field on subitizing. There was no effect of gender or from hand used for response of answers. They found that there was a significant effect of visual fields on response times. There was faster reaction times and higher accuracy for the left visual field. They also found there were no significant beneficial effects of visual field on response time beyond 3 items. Participants had lesser errors in the left visual field than the right. Better performance in the left visual field is linked to processing in the right hemisphere. Also, a significant effect between visual field and number of items was found. The left visual field appears to have a better advantage when enumerating 2 to 4 items. They also found a significant effect of number of items, response time increased with number of items displayed. The largest increase in mean response time wa s between 2 and 3 items, and was highly significant. Accuracy also dropped as number of items increased. Nan, Knà ¶sche and Luo (2006) tested 14 right-handed, paid subjects on enumeration with an extra condition of distractors present. Their event related potential (ERP) was also recorded while they performed the experiment. Their results showed that reaction times generally increased with number of targets and distracter items. Further tests showed that there was a significant difference in reaction times between numbers of targets in each condition. Their results do not support the theory of subitizing and counting. In addition, there was no evidence of differences between accuracy rates and number of targets. There was also no evidence of hemispheric dominance in performance in subitizing or counting. This experiment will be examining difference in performance between visual fields, and reaction time on enumeration. This experiment is a modified replication of the Jackson Coney (2004) study, we will only be comparing data from 4 items and only from right handed participants. This experiment will aim to determine if their results of right hemispheric dominance can be replicated. This is useful as it would give a better insight about processes in the brain. My hypothesis is that there will be a difference in performance of reaction times and accuracy between visual fields on the task of enumeration. METHODS Design The independent variable is the visual field of the participant. There are two dependent variables, the response time, and accuracy of reponses. This is a within group design. A repeated t-test was used. Participants All 30 participants were voluntary, and are female psychology undergraduates. Participants were split into left and right handed group, but only the right handed group data were analysed. Apparatus Participants are seated in a cubicle room with adequate light with an Amiga 1200 microcomputer and 1084S monitor. This computer controlled the trial procedure, displaying and timing of stimulus and recorded results. The computer was linked to a monitor outside the cubicle, which displayed error and reaction time scores to the experimenter. Response is indicated by participants pressing 1 of 3 buttons, which correspond to the estimate of 3, 4 or 5 items shown. A chin rest was provided to ensure the participant’s head was 45 cm away and in the middle of the screen. Also, eye movements are tracked using a closed-circuit television system. Procedure Participants are seated in front of the screen and chin rest was adjusted to ensure they are at a relaxed and steady head position. Participants are first shown a blank screen (1000ms), and then a central cross appears for central fixation (1000ms). Stimuli are presented as black dots on a white background (150ms) and the blank screen reappears until they give a response. The whole cycle is repeated again. The number of stimulus ranges from 3-5. They were asked to indicate using fingers to press 1 of 3 buttons. The buttons correspond to 3, 4 or 5 number of items. Half of the participants were told to respond by pressing the button with their left hand and the other half were told to respond using their right hand. This is to control handedness response effects, however the responses from left handed participants are not analysed. Participants were also told to place index finger of their assigned hand above the â€Å"3†button and the other fingers on the other buttons. Before the real experiment started, participants are given 10 practice trial runs, but results are not taken into account and the experimental trial is followed immediately. For each trial, stimuli will have equal chance to be either shown on the left or right of the visual field. The locations of the stimuli are determined by randomly placing them in the slots of a theoretical 44 grid of the screen. Stimuli cannot be placed into neighboring spots in the grid. There are a total of 30 randomized trials. 10 trials will show 3 items, 10 trials will show 4 items and 10 trials will show 5 items. If an error is made, participants will hear the feedback from an auditory tone. Their reaction and accuracy of responses are recorded. Participants are told to estimate the number of stimuli on screen with priority on accuracy of response over speed. Only data from 4 item displays were analysed. RESULTS Mean reaction time for left visual field is 844.57ms (SD= 5.91ms), and 854.95ms (SD=6.27ms) for the right visual field. The average correct percentage for the left visual field is 84% (SD= 18%), and 86 %( SD=11%) for the right visual field. A repeated measures t-test was conducted to compare visual field and reaction times. There was a significant difference found, t (4) =6.29, p A repeated measures t-test was conducted to compare accuracy between visual fields. There was no significant difference found, and thus we have to reject our hypothesis. We cannot accept the research hypothesis. T (4) =0.172, p Graph 1: shows the mean of reaction times in ms between left and right visual fields. Graph 2: shows the mean of errors in percentage between visual fields. DISCUSSION The results from the repeated t-test for reaction times show that there are significant differences in the mean of reaction times between visual fields. The results from the repeated t-test for accuracy levels show that there a no significant differences in the mean average percentage of correct responses between visual fields. These results are supported by Jackson Coney (2004) study to a certain extent, they found that there was significant differences between visual field on reaction times and accuracy. Our study found that there were faster reaction times, higher accuracy for the left visual field. However the t-test found significant differences for reaction times, but not accuracy of responses. The results are in contradiction of what Nan, Knà ¶sche and Luo (2006) found in their study. They found that there was a significant difference in reaction times between numbers of targets in each condition. They also found no evidence of hemispheric dominance in performance during subitizing or counting. However, we did not analyze data between numbers of objects. We can only conclude that our findings show slight support for our hypothesis, as the overall findings do not fully support our hypothesis that there will be a difference between visual field on the task of enumeration. However, there is possibility that having significantly faster reaction time is due to strategies employed by participants unknowingly. Trick and Pylyshyn (1994) suggested that people use methods to help them estimate number of items, such as using patterns. This indicates that the differences in results could not be due to hemispheric dominance, but because of these strategies. In Nan, Knà ¶sche and Luo (2006) study, reaction times for with 6 items display had shorter reaction times compared to the 5 items. Study by Piazza, Mechelli, Butterworth and Price (2002) tested 9 male participants. Participants were shown a total of 32 different stimuli consisting of black dots on a white background. PET scans were also obtained during the experiment. Piazza et al. (2002) PET scans showed that areas linked to object recognition were activated in both canonical and without canonical arrangements. It suggests that pattern recognition was used in all conditions. These studies suggest that ther e was evidence of participants using pattern recognition to count items. As a result, these data could skew our data as the differences in reaction time could be due to other factors such as pattern recognition that aid in enumeration. Enumeration requires the assimilation of information received from visual stimulus has to be integrated first before it can be understood. According to this theory, the process would speed up if the visual stimulus is presented in one visual field. However, Delvenne, Castronovo,Demeyere and Humphreys (2011) propose an alternative hypothesis. They propose that high level tasks perform better when there is bilateral visual field presentation. Their study found that visual enumeration has fewer errors when the items are shown in two visual fields rather than in a single visual field. This bilateral field advantage is seen when more than four items are shown. The authors suggest that this effect is only seen when the task becomes too taxing for our attention. Further tests should also include results with gender being controlled for, and compare results between unilateral processing and bilateral processing of enumeration. Also, this experiment has threats to external validity as there is sampling bias. It cannot be generalised to the population, because only women participant data was taken into account. Also, if we are testing for visual field differences the results would be skewed if we only take results from the right handed participants. Previous studies such as Bourne and Todd (2004) have shown that handedness does affect hemi field bias in processing. As such, we can propose there could also be a processing bias for enumeration. In conclusion, the results have found that there was significant difference between visual fields for reaction times but not for accuracy of responses. The results suggest that there is some support for our hypothesis that there are differences in performance between visual fields during enumeration. However, further study should be done to check for validity of study. REFERENCES Bourne, V.J. Todd, B.K. (2004). When left means right: an explanation of the left cradling bias in terms of right hemisphere specializations, Developmental Science, 7, 19-24. Delvenne, J.-F., Castronovo, J.,Demeyere, N. Humphreys, G.W. (2011). Bilateral Field Advantage in Visual Enumeration. PLoS One, 6, e17743. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0017743. Jackson, N. Coney, J. (2004). Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition. Brain and Cognition, 9, 53-66. Kaufman, E.L., Lord, M.W., Reese, T.W. Volkmann, J. (1949). The Discrimination of Visual Number. American Journal of Psychology, 62, 498–525. Nan, Y., Knosche, T. R., Luo, Y.J. (2006). Counting in everyday life: Discrimination and enumeration. Neuropsychologia, 44, 1103–1113. Piazza, M., Mechelli, A., Butterworth, B. Price, C.J. (2002). Are Subitizing and Counting Implemented as Separate or Functionally Overlapping Processes? NeuroImage, 15, 435–446. Trick, L.M. Pylyshyn, Z.W. (1994). Why are small and large numbers enumerated differently? A limited-capacity preattentive stage in vision. Psychol Rev, 101, 80-102
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Shakespeares Hamlet is both Madman and Genious Essay -- essays resear
Madman or Genius? Scholars have been disputing the sanity of Hamlet, for over four hundred years, in the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Is he an insane madman or a vengeful, devious, genius? There are many contradictory ideas and theories on Hamlet’s so called psychosis, his procrastination in avenging his father’s death, and his actions towards his mother. In the first act Hamlet seems to be in a perfectly sane state of mind. It is the second scene where the reader begins to see a change in Hamlet’s character. Ophelia meets with Polonius and recalls the meeting she previously had with Hamlet. She tells her father that Hamlet came to her disheveled, and in a traumatized state of mind, speaking of "horrors." (Act 2 Scene 1 lines 83). Polonius immediately believes that he is "Mad for thy love?" (Act 2 Scene 1 lines 84). Ophelia answers a question posed by Polonius in which she responded that she had told Hamlet that she could not see or communicate with him any more. Polonius makes reference to Hamlet's madness once again by pronouncing what his daughter said, "... hath made him (Hamlet) mad." (Act 2 Scene 1 lines 109). This is where the argument of whether Hamlet is insane due to of his love for Ophelia begins, but a more confusing and complex situation is the struggle within Hamlet's mind. His personal struggle is revealed to the reader in scene one of the third act in the first of Hamlet’s several soliloquies. In this scene Hamlet recites his famous "To be or not to be, that is the question:" (Act 3 Scene 1 lines 57) speech. As Eric Levy puts it, â€Å"Though Hamlet is linked with the vulnerability of reason to emotion, he nevertheless displays extraordinary emotional control, despite extreme... ...o have fallen victim to their deceit†(Richardson 124). Also the fact that Hamlet thought that Polonius was Claudius adds to the evidence that Hamlet was in fact going insane. Hamlet's madness at times is justified, and at other times is pure insanity. At first Hamlet seems to be going mad over the fact that Ophelia is not allowed to see him. Subsequently it seems that Hamlet is going mad over the fact that he is overwhelmed with his father's death, and begins to fight with himself over the thought of suicide. He is then determined to avenge his father’s death and goes about torturing Claudius in a systematic and genius manner. Finally, Hamlet is caught up in his feelings about mother’s actions, which brings him back to the point of insanity. In conclusion, Hamlet is torn between two worlds, that of the rational and that of the distraught and insane.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
America Online: Is It For Me? :: essays research papers
America Online: Is It For Me? You have probably heard of the Internet, but you weren't really sure if it was for you. You thought about it, but after all it costs so much and things like pornography and improper language are used everywhere, right? Wrong! Perhaps, I can convince you that America Online will be worth your time and money. One of the main reasons that people don't go online is that they think that it costs too much. America Online or AOL doesn't really cost all that much. When you sign on you get from 10 to 50 hours free, depending on the software that you download. Once you run out of free hours you may choose to stay online with a monthly fee. This monthly fee can be either $9.95 or $19.95 depending on how many hours you plan on using. If you are concerned that your children will visit web pages you prefer that they don't, then you can put parental guards on that don't allow them to visit those web pages. If you aren't familiar with web pages, they are basically ads that you look at containing information about the company, person, or product. Also you can sign your child on as a child or teen which keeps them out of restricted areas. Perhaps your main concern is people finding out things that you don't want them to. They only know as much as you tell them. If they ask for your password, credit card number, or any other personal info, you don't have to tell them that information. When you first sign on AOL staff will ask for things like name, age, address, phone number, and your credit card or checking account number. These things remain confidential and are used only for billing purposes. If anyone ask for personal information you can easily report them to AOL. When someone is reported they are either warned or kicked off the Internet. You can also report people that swear or use any kind of offensive words. Many of the chat rooms are guarded by "online hosts" or people that belong to AOL. These "guards" make sure nothing bad happens in chat rooms. You can be sure that there are AOL staff in the romance rooms, especially, because that is where the most foul and vulgar language takes place. If you are too young to be in the room, they will tell you to leave and go to a room where people your age belong. The world "online" also offers thousands of Reference sources like Groliers Multimedia Encyclopedia and over 100 magazines.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Theme Of A Dolls House Essay -- essays research papers
Henrik Ibsen's, A Doll's House is definitely a unique story written by a very intelligent, complicated writer. I believe he intentionally wrote the play in a manner which would lead every reader to draw his own conclusions. He forces us to find our own interpretation of the play in context with our personal lives and experiences with the opposite sex. The theme may be interpreted by many as a study of the moral laws that men and women are required to follow by nature. I believe it is primarily based on the gender stereotypes that determine the role of women in society. During the time in which the play took place, society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were expected to play a role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children, and made sure the house was in perfect order. In Act I, there are many clues that hint at the kind of marriage Nora and Torvald have. It seems that Nora is like a doll controlled by Torvald. She relies on him for everything, from her movements to thoughts, much like a puppet who is dependent on its puppet master for all of its actions. In the beginning of the play, Nora did enact the stereotypical role, which she felt she was required to do. In once instance, Torvald feels that he must reteach Nora how to dance the tarantella. Nora of course pretends that she needs him to teach her every move in order to relearn the dance. In truth, this is an act and proves her submissiveness to her husband. Once he is finished te...
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Hinduism and Buddhism, and Their Respective Elements
Two known eastern religions and philosophies shared the area of India for centuries, which probably lasts up to this date. These two are Buddhism and Hinduism. Since both concept of Buddhism and Hinduism originated from a single source, it would be possible to identify similar concepts between the two, or at least some form of derivative of a concept belonging to one of the two mentioned religions and philosophies. The focus of this paper primarily entails the comparison between the two great religion philosophies of Buddhism and Hinduism. There is bound to be a difference between them, as one of them originated earlier than the other.One cannot simply judge that the latter one is a mere copy of the one that existed before it. In relation to death and the afterlife, there are two concepts which can be identified in both Buddhism and Hinduism: Reincarnation and Samsara, the Wheel of Life wherein rebirth is usually based. For now, it is best if the both Buddhism and Hinduism be discern ed and identified as a separate entity. The Two Eastern Religion Philosophies: Buddhism and Hinduism As mentioned earlier, the two primary religions and philosophies that proliferated in India were Buddhism and Hinduism. Both of which had a significant amount of followers.Buddhism and Its History. Basically, Buddhism is the basic religion to which its disciples and members follow the scriptures and teachings of Buddha. After Buddha's death, its followersâ€â€mostly monksâ€â€congregated in order to discuss which scriptures and teachings would fit best to the aims of Buddha and the proliferation of Buddhism around India, and in other parts of the world. Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism after witnessing a carnage he produced. After being converted, he dedicated his life and a whole lot of structures to Buddhism, and to Buddhaâ€â€his life and death.He ordered the construction of numerous pillars which contained the scriptures and teachings of Buddha, spreading it through these stone pillars (Boeree 1999). It was Emperor Ashoka who allowed Buddhism to proliferate across India and beyond its borders, sending messengers to promote Buddhism within those areas. Hinduism: a Brief History. It has been mentioned by historians that Hinduism dates back around 5,000 years ago, proving that it is a much older religion than Buddhism. The word was actually derived from the river â€Å"Indus†, from an area of which it originated (Kolanu 2009).The daily practices of the area's inhabitants gradually turned into a religion or concept, upon which it revolves around the peoples' religious, philosophical, and cultural practices native to the Indian sub-continent (Kolanu 2009). It has had many names before Hindu. However, many of its followers would prefer to call it as Hindu, after the nameâ€â€or at least a close version of itâ€â€of the place wherein it originated. It would be later known in history as one of the main religions in India, which is still qu ite true todayâ€â€Islam is the second main religion during the contemporary period.The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. The Four Noble Truths is one of the basic doctrines that Buddhist follow. It basically involved the dispossession of material things, which Buddhist do not really need. The First Noble Truth entails the realization that every aspect of existence is unsatisfactory as these are all subjected to birth, decay, disease, and death (Lorentz 2007). The Second Noble Truth is the cause of dukkha. The Third Noble Truth entails the freedom from dukkha, wherein one is required to remove the craving of the senses.The Fourth Noble Truth leads to the end of the dukkha by following the Eigthfold path: Perfect understanding, Perfect Thought, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood, Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness, and Perfect Concentration (Lorentz 2007). India's Caste System. Hinduism entailed a social hierarchy in which identified their society, based on social ra nkings upon which was born into, or had been reborn into. When the Aryans came to the Dravidian-occupied Indian subcontinent, they implemented a caste system which separated them from the Dravidian.It composes of four major components wherein the bottom was reserved for the Dravidian people. The topmost was known as the Brahmin class, made up of religious officials. The second was the Kshatriya, which was reserved for warriors and rulers. The third was the Vaishya, which was reserved for artisans and other skilled workers like farmers. The last one was the Shudra, wherein they serve the higher castes (Flesher 1997). Intermarriage was disallowed because they believe that it will reduce their rank. One is also required to perform well, and promote goodness in order to maintain the rank or move upward when they are reincarnated.The opposite happens to those who promote evil. It has also been mentioned that some Buddhist from other areas practice the same Caste system implemented by the Aryans. However, they implemented new ideas in order to promote equality among the classes, which is a chief principle of Buddhism. The Life of Buddha: Who was He anyway? Buddha was said to have been born in the body of Siddhartha Gautama, the prince of Kapilavastu which was near the Indian-Nepalese border, during the fifth century B. C. (Delattre 2009).At around this time period, India had a prolific spiritual heritage, with Hinduism at the forefront. It has been described in spiritual scripturesâ€â€probably from Hindu sourcesâ€â€that an ascetic will be born and become the greatest spiritual teacher. This ascetic would also realize the ultimate truth (Lorentz 2007). It has also been mentioned in Hindu scriptures that after the prince was born, seven Brahmin priests observed the baby, concluding that the baby will become a great spiritual leader who will leave his royal status behind him; the basic principle of Buddhism.However, his father wished for him to become a Great K ing, giving him the best education which a prince deserved. His curiosity of the world beyond the walls of their palace urged him to sneak out and realize the truth about the world they lived in. After this realization, he vowed to help the people by living life as an ascetic, leaving his royal status behind. While on his spiritual quest, he went under the wings of great teachers, to which he was able to surpass. Realizing that there is still dukkhas to be flushed away, he left his teachers and practiced by himself.He was able to attain his complete spirituality without the practice of extreme asceticism. For the next four or so decades, he ordained new followers and taught them what he had learned from his spiritual quest (Lorentz 2007); he became Buddha. End of the World at the Presence of Seven Suns In Buddha's sermon of the Seven suns, he envisioned that Seven suns would appear on the sky and wreak havoc towards the Earth, through a series of cataclysmic events (Jayaram 2007). T his will occur after many hundreds and thousands of years in the future; as do all â€Å"end-of-days†prophecies.In Buddha's version, the presence of the seven suns will cause the following: first sun would cause severe drought; second sun will evaporate streams and ponds; third sun will evaporate great rivers like the Ganges; fourth sun, after a long lapse, would evaporate the great lakes; After another long lapse, a fifth sun will gradually drain oceans; After yet another long lapse, a sixth sun will scorch the earth and cause volcanic eruptions; After another long interval, the seventh sun will turn the earth into a ball of flame and then explode and disappear. A Slight Taste of Death and the AfterlifeBoth Hinduism and Buddhism believed in reincarnation, as the caste system which they followed required reincarnation to reward or punish people. However in Buddhism, one must attain Nirvanaâ€â€enlightenment–in order to escape the endless cycle of reincarnation. If the person failed to do so, he or she will be reborn into one of the following six states of life: Heaven (has 37 different levels), Human life (under the caste system), Asura (Demi-Gods), Hungry ghost (taken literally), Animals (those who have killed animals), and Hell (the lowest level) (Tang, Urbandharma.org 2002). References Boeree, C. G. (1999). The History of Buddhism. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Delattre, M. (2000, November 18). The Illustrated Life of the Buddha. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Flesher, Paul. (1997, February 8). Social Organization: The Caste System. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Jayaram, V. (2007). Buddha's Discourse on the End of the World.Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Kolanu, P. (2009). The History of Hinduism. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Lorentz, M. (2007). Buddhism. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from Tang, T. H. (2002, March 22). Buddhist View on Death and Rebirth. Retrieved May 19, 2009 from
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