Socrates on Unexamined Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Socrates on Unexamined Life - Essay Example Socrates insistence on this claim portrays that human beings are born or called to reflect upon their beliefs, speak to seek out, account for what they do not know and know, live accordance to their views and defend those beliefs that make a meaningful and well-lived life. Socrates was right to make this claim (Plato, 2015). It follows human nature to live examined lives. For instance, we naturally live by the directions of pain and pleasure. Human beings are naturally drawn to the forces of wealth, power, and reputation. Socrates’ call to live an examined life does not necessarily show insistence to reject such inclinations and motivations (Plato, 2009). Instead, his claim was an injunction to appraise the true worth of the human soul. He believed that people should live by reflections upon their everyday values and motivations, and most importantly, to inquire knowledge into the real world and worth. Subsequently, if there is any. In case there is no value, it is upon the pe ople to pursue the things that they believe are truly valuable.Socrates’ thoughts on examining life prepare one to be as good, as he or she could. During his jurisdictions, he examines the lives of the juror. Socrates, who awaited prosecution at that time, ends up being the prosecutor when he surreptitiously accuses those behind his conviction and sentences him of failing to live a good life that respects humanity (Plato, 2009). He challenges them that they would never escape from self-examination just by executing him.

Music therapy

Music therapy Music and Medicine Music is heard in many places we go. We hear it while watching television at home. We often turn in on in the car. We hear it while shopping, riding elevators, sitting in waiting rooms, and in many areas as we go about daily life. It has the ability to incite great passion, make people angry, or break a heart and bring one to tears. William Congreve, a playwright and poet, wrote the Mourning Bride. In Act I, Scene I he said, Music has charms to soothe a savage beast. If one believes that to be true, it is easy to conclude that music is intentionally used to control mood in various venues in our life. For purposes of this paper, we will explore how music is used in the healthcare setting. We will, based on research, determine if music has an effect on patients and the healing process. The writings of Plato and Aristotle were some of the early indicators that suggested music could improve health. For those of us who believe the Bible, we know that theory was in practice long before these writers. The Bible says in I Samuel 16:23, Whenever the Spirit of God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul, he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. From the beginning, music has been used to soothe the soul. Modern music therapy formally began in the twentieth century after World War II. Musicians would travel to hospitals across the United States to visit veterans who were suffering from shell shock. It only makes sense that the healthcare field would catch up and deliberately incorporate music into the healing process. Medicine relies on evidence-based practice. This means that there should be significant research to support putting that practice into place. There have been multiple studies to support using music therapy as part of a holistic approach to healing. Music therapy is defined as, the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Currently, there are college curriculums dedicated to training music therapists, and the American Association of Music Therapists is in existence. Therapists are trained to assess and identify patients needs based on physical, social, and emotional factors, as well as, their cognitive abilities. While one knows that music is used by many people, it is documented that patients have improved outcomes when a trained, professional music therapist is in control of this portion. This is based on their ability to determine what is in the patients best interest due to their assessment findings. There is no beginning or ending age where music is a benefit. Expectant mothers often play music to their unborn babies. It is said to release endorphins in the mothers bloodstream causing her to have happy feelings. These feelings are transferred to the baby. Music is also often played in a hospice setting where people are dying. It is thought to foster peaceful feelings with the patient and family during this difficult process. Obviously, most people have preferences as to what kind of music they like. Some studies suggest, based on MRI findings, that although we may differ in our preferences, our brains receive different kinds of music in much the same way. A couple of particular areas of the brain were looked at under MRI while participates listened to music that they had never had before. Those areas suggested that although the auditory experience may have been pleasing to some and not others, the brain highlighted increased activity in the same regions. So, even listening to something one does not particularly like, does not necessarily mean it will facilitate negative feelings. Which leads us to health benefits of music. Dr. Daniel Levitin, a psychologist who studies neuroscience of music at McGill University, performed several studies to determine the chemical reaction of listening to music. In one particular study, he was looking to see if patients who were waiting on surgery and listening to music were less anxious than those who were not, and which group required anti-anxiety medications. He found that music listeners were less anxious, required less medication, and had decreased levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone. Music listeners also had higher levels of immunoglobin A, which is an antibody related to immunity and having higher counts of cells that fight bacteria. The American Cancer Society also utilizes music therapy in treating oncology patients. They have additionally done research on its benefit. They found that, along with traditional treatment, music could help relieve pain, as well as, reduce nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy drugs. It also reduced depression, heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. All of this seems incredibly important when one is in a fight for his life against cancer. One of the most promising areas of music therapy is seen in children. According to the American Psychological Association, from pre-term babies to older children, the studies have been promising as to the effects of music on healing. Babies in an intensive care unit are surrounded by intense and intimidating equipment. It can assault their senses twenty four hours at a time. Playing music to drown out the constant noise of that equipment has been shown to improve their sleep and eating patterns, and it can decrease the stress level of the parents there with the children. As with adults, children fight various illnesses. However, adults, most often, cope with difficult procedures better than children. The sheer idea of having a procedure will overwhelm a child more violently. They often react even before the procedure is started. One particular music therapist, at Boston Hospital, began working with a child who had to go for an x-ray and was extremely anxious. He followed the child th roughout the process, constantly engaging her with instruments and music, and only stopped after the procedure was over. She never realized her x-ray was done, because she was so engaged in the activities. Autistic people have a difficult time engaging others, expressing their feelings, and some have problems with language development. Studies have shown music can cause improvements in these areas. Autistic children often are found to have incredible abilities related to music, and it helps reinforce positive behaviors. Our brain often associates memories with music. That is an important fact in treating Alzheimers and dementia patients with music therapy. It has been shown to improve thought processes, memory and emotions. Another promising area of treating with music is in Parkinsons patients. It is not necessarily the sound of the music, but the vibrations from the music. The American Psychological Association has seen improvement of symptoms in these patients. It seems low frequency vibrations improve gait, reduce tremors, and make them less rigid. Hospitals and doctors offices play music in hallways, waiting rooms, and in most procedure rooms. It has a calming effect on patients, visitors, and staff alike. It reduces stress and anxiety, and makes an unpleasant situation, bearable. And the list goes on and on. While there will always be some who do not see the benefit, there is countless research supporting the use of music to improve healing. There continues to be research done on this subject daily. While conventional medicine makes leaps and bounds in countless areas, we should not discount holistic treatments. What was good enough for Saul in the Old Testament, is still good enough today. References Berkeley Wellness. Music as Medicine. Berkeley University of California. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Landau, Elizabeth. This is Your Brain on Music. CNN. Web. 15 April 2013. Landau, Elizabeth. When Patients have Music Emergencies. CNN. Web. 23 August 2013. Novofney, Amy. Music as medicine. American Psychological Association. Web. Nov. 2013. n.p. I Samuel 16:23. Bible Hub. Web. n.d. n.p. 4 Ways to Use Music as Medicine. Aging Care. Web. 21 March 2013. n.p. How to Play Music for Your Baby while Pregnant. Smarter Baby. Web. 16 Dec 2008. n.p. Music Therapy. American Cancer Society. Web. n.d. n.p. William Congreve. Answers. Web. n.d. Ridenour, Annette and Sadler, Blair. Improving Healing Through Art and Music. Healthcare Design. Web. 31 October 2007.

Themes In African Creation Stories :: African Culture Essays

Themes In African Creation Stories Like all cultures, African cultures inevitably had to deal with the issue of "How did we get here?" To answer this pressing question, the people invented stories that reflect the values, morals, and norms of their individual societies. When one examines these stories, one can gain insight into what these cultures were like. "An African Cosmogony" tells of how the world was created through a powerful being named Bumba, who regurgitates the sun, moon, stars, and the first nine living creatures. One of the values that appears in this story is the responsibility of each person to do his fair share for the community. Each of the nine animals plays its role by creating more creatures to populate the world. For example, the small fish, Yo, brings forth the world's fish, while the beetle creates insects. This theme is further exemplified by the three sons of Bumba, who each try to do their part to complete the earth. However, one learns that one should not try to do more than one is capable of, as Chedi Bumba does, or the results will not be favorable. Bumba also makes it clear that those whose behavior is detrimental to the community have no place in the community. For instance, Tsetse, lightning, is chased away for being a trouble-maker. Bumba sums up this sense of community by saying, "Behold these wonders. They belong to you." The earth is both the property and responsibility of every creature. Lastly, the respect each person should have for the dead is shown through the ants, created by Nyonye Ngana. These creatures "went searching for black earth in the depths of the world and covered the barren sands to bury and honor their creator." "An African Story of the Creation of Man" takes a much different approach to explaining the origin of humankind. It tells of how the creator Juok molded each race from the colored clay of that region. Juok then provided humans with the things necessary to fully enjoy and appreciate life. Among these gifts were two legs, arms, ears, eyes and a mouth. This story depicts the perfection of humans in the sense that they are fully equipped with everything needed for practical purposes. It serves to make people value what they have and their ability to perform many tasks. The regurgitation theme is continued in "Egyptian Cosmogony and Theogony.

Penny Byrne Essay

Penny Byrne is an Australian born artist. She was born in Mildura, Victoria, Australia. She lives in Melbourne and owns her own studio. She is interested in ceramics and works as a ceramics conservator. She did a bachelor of fine arts ceramics in Melbourne in 1987 and graduated from west Dean College in the UK after doing ceramics and glass conservation and restoration. She also did a bachelor of laws at La Trobe uni in Melbourne and uses her knowledge of political and social issues in her art. Penny Byrne uses her knowledge of ceramics and knowledge of world issues combined with simplicity and in your face messages in her artwork ‘how much can a polar bear #2’ (2008, sculpture, ceramic, 9. 5x7x11cm). Her artwork makes a public comment on the melting polar ice caps due to global warming and the effect that this is having on the polar bears. Byrne uses her knowledge of ceramics in this sculpture as she appropriates this ready-made ceramic polar bear figure. She has taken a polar bear figure and put scuba diving gear on it to make it innocent and helpless. She uses relevant choices of material as she isn’t creating more waste, putting across this environmentally friendly message. The message she is putting across is made obvious through her use of scuba diving gear and the title of the work. She wants people to think about the polar bears and the environment she cares so much about and she achieves this through simplicity and easy understanding. The overall meaning of this artwork is that the polar bears are struggling, to find food sources, to adapt to new climate and that we aren’t helping, in fact we are making it worse. This is obviously a topic that Byrne feels strongly about. I find that she works well to channel her personal interests into the work and her uses of materials are appropriate to her knowledge, and the message she is putting across. Overall with the simplicity of the message and the use of appropriate materials are effective and work well with the knowledge and personal interest shown in her work. She uses this in many of her of her other works such as ‘the four horse men of the 21st century apocalypse’.

Andrew Jackson2 essays

Andrew Jackson2 essays My name is Andrew Jackson, and I was the 7th president of the United States. People tell me that I have a lot to be proud of, because I wasnt just a president, I worked as a prosecuting attorney, and I fought in the war. Ive heard people say that I was the best-loved and most-hated president the young nation had ever known. I named a era after myself, and always lived according to the rugged, straightforward code of the American frontier. In 1802, I was elected major general of the military force. The turning point in my life was definitely my service in the War of 1812. One of my first victories was over the Creek Indians. Inspired by the British attacks on the Americans, the Creeks raided frontier settlements in Georgia and Alabama. My Tennessee military and I crushed the Creeks at the battle of Horseshoe Bend, Alabama, on March 27, 1814. After winning that battle, I was then ordered to defend New Orleans. I built up my small regular army, and recruited frontier riflemen from Tennessee and Kentucky, and also gathered a force of volunteers. On January 8, 1815 the British troops charged. It was a massacre; the British withdrew after suffering 2,237 deaths, while we only lost 71. We won the battle, however fighting the battle was a tragic mistake. Only days earlier, December 24,1814, a peace treaty had been signed. Communication was so slow, that the news just didnt reach me in time. Of course my little victories didnt affect the outcome of the War of 1812, but it did make me a national hero. With the exception of Gen. William Henry Harrison, no American except me had achieved anything like military triumph. In 1817 I was ordered to the Alabama-Georgia region to defend settlers against attacks by Seminole Indians from Florida. In 1818, I pushed into Spanish-held Florida, and captured Pensacola, and hung two British soldiers as spies. When Spain offered Florida to the United St ...

What Is Iambic Pentameter in Poetry

What Is Iambic Pentameter in Poetry SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The term iambic pentameter sounds like it’s more at home in a science textbook than it is in your English class. But believe it or not, iambic pentameter is a type of poetic meter! In other words, iambic pentameter is a term that refers to a very specific type of rhythm that you find in poetry. Knowing what poetic meter is and how to find it is an important skill for the AP Literature exam, and it can be really impressive if you discuss it properly in the AP exam’s essay portion. We know poetic meter might sound scary- heck, anything that has to do with poetry can be scary!- but we’re here to help. In this article, you’ll learn what iambic pentameter is, discover how tofind it in a poem, and analyzeiambic pentameter examples in poetry. Let’s dive right in! "Penta" means "five," so you know there will be five of SOMETHING in iambic pentameter. (Spoiler alert: it has to do with the number of iambs in each line!) Iambic Pentameter: Definition and Meaning To understand iambic pentameter, it’s easiest to break the phrase down into two parts. Part 1: Pentameter Let’s start with pentameter. In poetry, meter is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a verse, or line, of a poem. Whew! That’s already a lot! Let’s unpack that a little bit. A syllable is the number of vowel sounds that are present in a word. Consonant sounds don’t matter! The more vowel sounds a word has, the more syllables it has! (Quick refresher: vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.) So for example, â€Å"question† has two syllables, â€Å"flexible† has three syllables, and â€Å"do† has one syllable. Don’t make the mistake of thinking long words must have more syllables than short words! Syllabation has everything to do with the vowel sounds a word has, not the number of letters. For example, the word â€Å"screeched† only has one syllable whereas â€Å"utopia† has four! But poetic meter is more than just the number of syllables in a verse: it’s the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. So what makes a syllable stressed or unstressed? Well, we’re glad you asked! A stressed syllable is a syllable that has five tests all on the same day. (Just kidding...but we couldn’t resist a dad joke.) But seriously, a stressed syllable is a syllable that’s emphasized within a word. It’s the syllable that stands out, and it often has a long vowel sound. Let’s look at a few words to see what we mean. Take â€Å"meter,† for example. Meter has two syllables, and the first one is stressed. But when you say â€Å"meter,† you pronounce it ME-ter, not me-TER. That’s because the first syllable is stressed. That makes the second syllable- or the one that doesn’t have emphasis- unstressed. Another example is â€Å"computer.† In this word, only the middle syllable is stressed. You pronounce it com-PU-ter, not COM-pu-ter or com-pu-TER. Not all words have stressed syllables! For example, â€Å"homemade† has two unstressed syllables. (It would sound silly to say HOME-made or home-MADE.) Although there are complex ways to determine stressed and unstressed syllables, the easiest way to determine the stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry is to read the verse out loud. You’ll definitely be able to hear if you’re pronouncing a word funny! (In our favorite clip from the movie A View from the Top, Mike Meyers demonstrates this perfectly.) But what makes a poem have pentameter specifically? Well, a poem with pentameter has five stressed syllables in a line. Here’s an example of a line with pentameter from Shakespeare’s â€Å"Sonnet 18.† The line reads, â€Å"Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines.† Okay, so let’s break this line up into syllables by using hyphens instead. If we count the syllables in this line, we end up with 10, and the line would look like this: â€Å"Some-time too hot the eye of hea-ven shines.† Now let’s look at the stressed syllables. In this line, every other syllable is stressed. So when you read it out loud, it sounds like this: â€Å"Some-TIME too HOT the EYE of HEA-ven SHINES.† That means the line has five stressed syllables, which tells us that this verse uses pentameter. (And because we know this is a Shakespearean sonnet, we also know that the whole poem will be in pentameter.) When all of a poem’s lines have the same number of stressed syllables, we say that the poem has meter. Poems can have all kinds of meter. Poems where lines have six stressed syllables in each line are written in â€Å"hexameter,† and a poem with three stressed syllables in each line would be in â€Å"triameter.† In the case of a poem with pentameter, every single line of the poem will have five stressed syllables in some combination. Did you know that poetry has feet? METRICAL feet, that is! Part 2: Iambs Now let’s tackle the â€Å"iambic† part of iambic pentameter. An iamb is a type of metrical foot in poetry. (A metrical foot is a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables that repeats itself throughout a verse, stanza, or poem.) An iamb is a very specific type of metrical foot that has one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. In order to figure this out, it’s best to read the poem out loud. You can underline each part of the word that is a stressed syllable, which will allow you to visualize the pattern. (There are actual, formal marks that linguists and literature scholars use to indicate rhythm and meter, which you can find here if you’re interested.) Here’s a line from Shakespeare’s â€Å"Sonnet 37†: â€Å"And by a part of all thy glory live.† Let’s go ahead and break it into its stressed and unstressed syllables, which looks something like this: and BY a PART of ALL thy GLO-ry LIVE See how the stresses alternate with unstressed syllables perfectly? Each pair of unstressed and stressed syllables- like â€Å"and/by† and â€Å"of/all†- is an iamb. Because each line of this poem uses this alternating structure of unstressed and stressed syllables, we would say that the poem iambic. Randall Munroe/xkcd Putting It Together: Iambic Pentameter So now let’s put all of our new knowledge together. If an iamb is a combination of syllables, and meter is a certain number of stressed syllables, then iambic pentameter is a specific arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables. In iambic pentameter, each line of the poem has to have five iambs! To see this at work, let’s look at another line from a Shakespearean sonnet, this time from â€Å"Sonnet 104.† The line reads, â€Å"Have from the forests shook three summers' pride.† First, let’s break the line down into its syllables using hyphens: Have from the for-ests shook three sum-mers' pride Now, let’s add the stresses into the line by capitalizing each stressed syllable: Have FROM the FOR-ests SHOOK three SUM-mers' PRIDE Now, let’s count the metrical feet by adding a / in between each piece of the pattern: Have FROM / the FOR / ests SHOOK / three SUM / mers' PRIDE Because this line has five feet that each contain an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, we know that it’s a verse written in iambic pentameter. When the whole poem is written with the same rhythm, we can say that the poem has iambic pentameter, too! Iambic pentameter is a popular poetic form, especially in English poetry. Many people think of it as the â€Å"standard† poetic meter, likely because Shakespeare’s sonnets are all written in iambic pentameter. But some modern poets, like Wallace Stevens and John Keats, use iambic pentameter, too. Iambic Pentameter in Poetry: â€Å"The Waking† by Theodore Roethke Now that you know what iambic pentameter is, let’s test out your new skills with a poem that wasn’t written by Shakespeare! Let’s take a look at a few stanzas from â€Å"The Waking† by Theodore Roethke, one of the most famous poets of the 20th century, which is a good iambic pentameter example. The second stanza reads: We think by feeling. What is there to know? I hear my being dance from ear to ear. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Okay, try doing this one on your own. Copy and paste this stanza into your word processor and see if you can break each line into syllables. Then capitalize the stressed syllables. Once that’s done, put a forward slash in between each metrical foot. Once you’re done, check out the correct meter in the box below: we THINK / by FEE / ling. WHAT/ is THERE / to KNOW? i HEAR / my BE / ing DANCE / from EAR / to EARi WAKE / to SLEEP / and TAKE / my WAK /ing SLOW See the pattern of iambs (an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable)? Because each line has five iambs, you know the poem is written in iambic pentameter! Let’s try another iambic pentameter example from the same poem. Here’s the stanza: Great Nature has another thing to do To you and me; so take the lively air, And, lovely, learn by going where to go. Do the same thing: separate the syllables by a hyphen, then go back and capitalize every syllable that you think is stressed. Here’s the finished mark-up: great NA / ture HAS / a-NO / ther THING / to DO to YOU / and ME; / so TAKE / the LIVE / ly AIR, and, LOVE / ly, LEARN / by GO / ing WHERE / to GO. Did you get it? We’re sure you did now that you’re an iambic pentameter expert! If you want some more practice working through iambic pentameter examples, you canrepeatthis exercise on almost all of Shakespeare's sonnets. (Hey...maybe you can find the ones that aren’t exactly in iambic pentameter, too!) You can find all of Shakespeare's sonnets courtesy of OpenSource Shakespeare. Now What? If this post was helpful and you want to learn more about how to analyze literature and poetry, check out our step-by-step analysis of Tom Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. Studying for the AP Literature exam already? Here’s the ultimate AP literature reading list that will help you ace your AP exam. There are two AP English tests: the AP Literature exam and the AP Language Composition exam. Learn more about the AP Language Composition test and how it differs from its literary equivalent here.

Race and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Race and Gender - Essay Example In families where mothers work outside, most of the fathers have dominated childcare (changing the infants’ diapers and bathing the infants); indeed, results showed that such infants achieved average social skills and enjoyed the external stimulation from their fathers, as they were as skillful and loving as the infants’ mothers were (Blau et al 2006). There is a preference of equalitarian marriage where both spouses share work responsibilities, home making and child rearing (Lewis & Sussman, 1986). Other family members including the offspring’s have also been involved in different tasks within the family. For example, in the African rural settings, the male children could look after the livestock owned by the family, and other communities allowed their females to build houses for the male counterparts for example the plain and highland nilots. Policies affecting paid work and family Different family members are concerned with different tasks and certain policies both traditional and corporate affect their performance. Maternity policies apply to the expectant mothers both the young and adult mothers (Blau et al 2006). Such a policy ensures that, for example, in the corporate sector, the expectant mother is subjected to a maternity leave for a defined period before and after childbirth. This ensures that the mother does not strain in terms of performing certain family duties. This is also evident in the traditional society setting as the family members perform family tasks while the expectant mothers have maximum rest. The social policy has a number of parental leaves that are usually granted to either the mother, father or both members. The... The report stresses that nonstandard employment defines poorly paid, insecure, and unprotected type of employment, which in essence cannot support any given household because of poor pay. This type of employment entails part time, temporal, on-call work and both the worker and employer face different advantages and disadvantages. Workers with scarce expertise or skills may benefit as they are given managerial and overseer posts in the employment. The female gender benefits from the part-time nature of the work and they can balance between the work and their family care. In general, the employees are not fixed to the employers timetables throughout as it provides flexibility to other chores. This paper makes a conclusion that structured flexibility provides opportunities for some groups that would be excluded, such as expectant females. The employer can perform the desired work at their own convenience because they only offer the opportunity when it arises, and this reduces the costs incurred. The author declares that the worker faces job insecurity, as there is no guarantee for full time employment, and hence financial instability of the workers. Incomes from the nonstandard jobs are low, resulting into low living standards of the workers. Discrimination and abuse occurs due to gender, for the women who work as house helps, they are usually subjected to sexual harassment by their employers, the workers health is not guaranteed as they work at their own risks, workers are not subject to benefits such as pensions, health care and medical coverage.