Compare and contrast four sonnets Essay Example

Compare and contrast four sonnets Essay No mockeries now for them, no prayers nor bells; Owen shows himself to be cynical of the Christian religion, as he can not see how a loving God could have anything to do with so many deaths. In fact, Owen served three years as a parish assistant. Wilfred Owen died aged 25 on 4th November 1918, a week before the end of the Great War. He was completely unheard of at the time of his death, and only five of his poems had been published. Now he is revered as one of the greatest war poets of all time, and has been nominated the national poet of war.In this essay, I will be comparing one of his most celebrated works, the sonnet Anthem for Doomed Youth with two of Shakespeares sonnets (the renowned Shall I compare thee ? and Let me not) with John Donnes Death Be Not Proud. These poems are all sonnets, and for the most part follow a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. Sonnets are often employed when writing about a solemn subject, which is common to all poems I will be looking at, as the formal structure can often echo the mood.In both of the Shakespearian sonnets we are looking at, he wrote in the form, which is so much associated with him, known as the Shakespearian sonnet form. This celebrated form has fourteen lines and is written in three quatrains, these with a regular a,b,a,b, c,d,c,d, e,fe,f, rhyming scheme, and the penultimate and the last line being in the form of a rhyming couplet. The other two poems take on some all together different forms: John Donnes Death be Not Proud is written in the Italian or Patrician form. It has two quatrains that follow an a, b, b, a rhyming scheme and then a single quatrain with an c, d, d, e rhyming scheme followed by a rhyming couplet. The rhyming couplet is in fact a feature common to all the poems, as Wilfred Owens anthem for doomed youth, follows a semi-Shakespearian form. It again has three quatrains the first two with an a, b, a, b and c, d, c, d rhyming scheme, whilst the last quatrain differs slightly as it has and e, f, f, e rhyming scheme. The sonnet ends with a rhyming couplet. All of the poems I am studying share a common metre, iambic pentameter, although, it is not consistent throughout all of them.Shakespeare was writing in the 16th centaury and Donne about a century after. As a result archaic spellings are present in both the works of William Shakespeare and John Donne. In Shakespeares sonnet Shall I compare thee ? some examples of his use of archaic old-English spellings are, Maie and Sommer. It is interesting to note that in Let me not Shakespeare effectively uses negative vocabulary (not, no, never, although) with the effect of assuring that the positive seems true. He uses the negatives to prove that the points he is making are well-founded.John Donne (1572 1631) wrote Death Be Not Proud in about 1610, in the Elizabethan period. It is however difficult to date the writing of his poems, as none of them were published in his lifetime. It is thought that all his songs and sonnet s were written between 1590 and 1617. Donne wrote a group of sonnets which are referred to as the Holy Sonnets, of which Death Be Not Proud is one. He was a religious man, ordained in 1615, and became a royal chaplain in the same year.In the poem there are lots of examples of archaic spellings, and multiple uses of words like thou and thee. There are also some unusual spellings like poore and stroake. Donne was very experimental with genre, form and imagery. His work lacks conventional metric smooth sounding poetry, or the descriptive clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s of other poets of the time.As Wilfred Owen was writing much later, during the First World War, there are no instances of archaic spelling. His vocabulary, however, is quite traditional, and there are many usages of phrases that are no longer used in society today, such as: shires and pallor. He uses a lot of unusual and complex funeral and death related vocabulary, and this can be difficult to comprehend, as many of these traditional proceedings are no longer in practice at modern funerals.Throughout Donne sonnet, he is personifying death. We can even see this in the title, Death Be Not Proud, as well as examples like some have called thee mighty and dreadful, as he is attributing a human quality to death. Donne uses apostrophe when he directly addresses death, such as when he commands death to be not proud and condescendingly calls death poore death. This extended personification and usage of apostrophe are the most predominant literary devices he uses. I think that Donnes personification of death is a very effective as it successfully puts across the message of his sonnet, because it enables him to mock death.He also uses rhythm, rhyme, and metre to make his poem flow nicely and sound pleasant to the ear. In lines five to six, he uses a metaphor, by calling all paintings and drawings of death rest and sleepe. In line eight, there is an example of synecdoche, as, Donne means the whole body of the men will be a ble to rest rather than just their bones. This aids his religious contrast between body and soul. When Donne says Why swellst thou then, he means why is death swelled with pride and it is a rhetorical question, designed to make death question its reasons for being proud. The last line is very complex, And death shall be no more; death, thou shall die, as Donne uses death and the word die to mean three different things. The first death means death in its normal context: physical death. The second is the personified death, and it has the effect of a name. And die means ceasing to exist.Throughout Let Me Not, Shakespeare uses a varied and effective range of literary devices. The hyperbole in this sonnet is prevailing, and Shakespeare uses it to convince the reader that love is unchanging. Throughout the poem he also personifies love, like in line six when he says:That lookes on tempestsAt the end of the first quatrain Shakespeare uses repetition, which reinforces the unchanging nature of love:Which alters when it alteration finds,Or bends with the remover to removeShakespeare uses a metaphor in line seven, when he depicts love as a northern star to a boat.It is the star to every wondering barkeThis is a beautiful example of imagery, and a very effective metaphor as conveys the Shakespeares point that love is eternal, and it will exist forever, never altering.In Shall I Compare Thee Shakespeare again uses literary devices to great effect. He begins it with a question, which he proceeds to answer in the remainder of the sonnet:Shall I compare thee to a summers dayIn line five Shakespeare uses metaphor, to describe the sun; he calls it the eye of heaven.He personifies a summers day, in line six:And often is his golden complexion dimmd,This is another example of clever imagery, for often we say that someones face is clouded over with anger, or thoughtfulness, and this is effectively the opposite. Shakespeare is saying that, often on a summers day the sun can, unfortu nately, be dimmd by clouds.Of the four sonnets I am studying, I think that Wilfred Owen has used the most literary devices in his writing, to convey his powerful message. In his sonnet, Owen uses an extended metaphor; he is comparing the normal funeral proceedings, in peacetime, with the hasty and inappropriate goodbyes said to the soldiers who died for our country and future. He begins both stanzas with rhetorical questions, like Shakespeare does in his opening line of Shall I compare thee. He compares the soldiers to cattle, which is a very powerful image that would make anyone think twice about the inhumanity of the deaths in war.In line two, Owen personifies the guns, giving them the human emotion of monstrous anger.Line three: Only the stuttering rifles rapid rattle, is a clever use of both alliteration and onomatopoeia to create a gun-fire noise. This immediately gives the poem a far more atmospheric feel.He personifies the shells by calling them a Shrill demented choir, and t he shires by saying they are sad, as well as the bugles by saying they are calling the soldiers. The personification highlights that some things are beyond human control.In line eleven, Owen uses a metaphor to describe the tears of a dead soldiers friends and family, he says that they are holy glimmers.There is one theme that is included in all four of the sonnets: and this is the concept of immortality, and the afterlife. Shakespeare lived in a time where religion was incredibly important and the huge majority of the population followed the Christian religion. In Shakespeares poem, shall I compare thee, he talks of how his writing gives his love immortality, as her beauty and nature are captured in Shakespeares eternal lines that gives life to her.Let Me Not talks of the undying nature of love, and discusses how true love alters not with his breefe houres and weekes and lasts until the doom day or in Shakespeares words bears it out even to the edge of doome. Shakespeare is saying t hat love, like poetry is immortal.Johne Donne was a man of strong religious convictions, and his belief in God and the afterlife are shown throughout the poem. He says that death canst kill me, a reference to heaven, in which he believes. He is saying that death is not the end; rather that it is a middle stage, before ultimately being reunited with God or before your soules are deliverie to God. He says death is a short sleep before wee wake eternally. John Donne is undermining death and saying that death, who thinks himself mighty and powerful, is in fact a sleep which is pleasure.Although Owen served some time as parish assistant, his poem contains the least reference to the afterlife. There is however a mention of afterlife in the second stanza, when Owen says:What candles may be held to speed them all?Shakespeare discusses the nature of love in both his sonnets, although his beliefs and thoughts are expressed predominantly in Let me not. Sonnet 116 Let Me Not discusses the everl asting, and never changing nature of love. Shakespeare shows how he firmly believes that love, requited or otherwise, is a feeling that will stay with you until the edge of doom. True love, says Shakespeare, is an ever-fixed mark that does not cease when it is not returned or alter when it alteration finds. Shakespeare is saying that love takes no notice of the brief hours and weeks or the loss of rosy lips and cheeks, which are taken by time. The poem says that love is like the marriage of true minds. Shakespeare says love brings the minds of two people together, as marriage legally brings them together. Some think that perhaps this sonnet is addressed to a man. They think that the impediments and tempests that are discussed in the poem are references to the difficulties facing a homosexual relationship in the Elizabethan age. Personally, I think that Shakespeare is referring to all genres of true love, whether it be love of a man, a woman, or family love.The other Shakespearian so nnet that I am looking at, Shall I Compare Thee, talks less about the nature of love, but is a poem addressed to Shakespeares love, comparing them to a summers day. Throughout the sonnet Shakespeare explains why this comparison is not appropriate for his love, as they are far more sweet natured (temperate) and less fleeting, summers lease hath all too short a date. Shakespeare talks about how his loves beauty will not be lost, as they own (owest) it. He says that they will never die as they now growest in eternal lines, which is this sonnet that he has written about them.Donne does not talk of love is his poem, as it is purely concentrated on his religious beliefs about the afterlife. Likewise, Owen talks fleetingly about love. In line twelve, he talks about the pallor of girls brows. The girls of whom he talks are the wives, girlfriends, and mothers of the soldiers. In this brief line, he captures their grief and worry, about the soldiers on the front. In the next line, he speaks o f the tenderness of silent minds, by which he means the fond memories of the dead soldiers that their loved ones will be thinking of.Needless to say, war is most frequently mentioned in Owens sonnet, Anthem for Doomed Youth. Owen talks of war in realistic and shocking way, shattering all illusions of the nobleness and heroic nature of war. Owen is very keen to show how war robs men of their youth and is an inhumane and totally pointless slaughter of mankind. Especially as at the time there were many people writing propaganda to encourage young men to join the army. Owen wanted to shatter this unrealistic representation of war that they portrayed to people on the home front, and addressed many of his poems to one such propaganda writer, whos glorified war to the extreme. He talks of how men die as cattle. This disturbing images reminds us of the holocaust, which was also happening at that same time. Owen describes to the reader the constant monstrosity, and never ending sound of guns , rifles and wailing shells, none of which could ever be escaped by the soldiers out on the front.In Donnes poem there is a very inconspicuous reference to warfare: line seven says: and soonest our best men with thee doe goe. I think Donne is referring to soldiers when he says best men, as being in the army was a respected job, as it required endurance and bravery. Donne is talking about the deaths of young soldiers in war.The poem that I find the most powerful is without a doubt, Owens Anthem for doomed youth. It is easily accessible, and his use of irony and sarcasm really puts across the horror of war. His use of rhetorical questions makes the reader think, and the poem effectively makes you question the benefits of going to war, in comparison with the appalling negatives.Donnes poem Death Be Not Proud is about his religious values and attitude to the topic of death and the afterlife. Donne wants to shatter the almost universal fear of death, that everybody has and show that deat h is simple a stage before being reunited with God.Shakespeares sonnet Shall I compare Thee is one of the most famous sonnets of all time. It is beautifully written, and like Owen, he uses a rhetorical question at the begging which he proceeds to answer. His use of figurative language, conjures up some beautiful images, and it is a pungent and touching love sonnet. His other sonnet that I am looking at, Let Me Not, is a very potent poem about the nature of love. Shakespeares strength of conviction comes across very strongly, and his use of simplistic language and the present tense show that he intended to share his views on the common, universal topic of love with everyone.There are many similarities, both in language, form and themes between these four sonnets. However, each writer had a diverse aim when writing their sonnet and this can clearly be seen. The form of the sonnet was chosen for each of these poems to compliment the formal nature of their topic.

Essay Sample on School Accountability Programs

Essay Sample on School Accountability Programs School safety is improved through different means that can be assessed and evaluated. Schools are required to establish mechanisms of accountability, which will ensures efficiency, effectiveness, and performance. (Dwyer and Warger 1998). Schools also do carry out frequent organizational structure reviews and means of enhancing the safety. These reviews are geared towards identifying school personnel who require training on safety. At the same time, schools provide a suitable level of training on safety for all school personnel in school master plans for in-service training. It also goes along way to promoting high standards of safety by having proper equipment for protecting school property and records (Dwyer and Warger 1998). School accountability programs need to incorporate various key elements. Some of the principles that form basis of accountability programs in school safety include; emphasizing on involvement of students. There is no school safety program that can be successful if it does not involve students. Even if the program is well developed and implemented, it will not enhance school safety without incorporating students (Dwyer and Warger 1998). Many district schools enhance school safety by giving parents contract forms to sign on behalf of the students. These forms are supposed to administer and regulate the students conduct both academically and also socially. The contract forms are created by students together with their parents in guidance of school teachers and other personnel of the school. To maintain school safety the students are supposed to report cases of indiscipline to the authorities for action to be taken (Dwyer and Warger 1998).

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Podcasts for Training in an Organisational Setting - Research Proposal Example Podcasting offers consumer appeal, ease of use, and accessibility. The term podcasting, for the purpose of this research, refers to a technological tool that is mobile and has the capacity for internet communication, multimedia playback, and storage. A primary example of such a device is the famous iPod by the Apple Company. Although other podcast-enabled devices are available on the market, iPod is currently the preferred podcasting device (Apple 2006). The advance of technology has an obvious impact on the processes we use in an organization or institution. The suggested research will examine the affects of using podcasts for training in an organizational setting to determine its benefits and drawbacks on the training procedure. The following section of the proposal discusses the perceived relevance of the intended research, as it outlines and challenges the ability of the podcasting method to quantifiably enhance training in a given subject area. The second section presents comparable research studies through the literature review which focuses on podcasting in a first part, on the physiological and psychological aspects of learning in a second part. The third section relates to the methodology to follow in order to reach the research objectives outlined in the first section of the proposal. The details of the methodology utilized to test and measure our experiments are presented in that segment. The perspective of training with information-age technology offers a wide range of possibilities in several fields including higher education, medical and healthcare, business and management. Research Question/Why is the Research Important (300 words) Proposed Question: What do employees at my organisation (Boston Scientific) perceive as the benefits of podcasting Researchers forecast between 30 and 57 million people living in the United States will access and use iPod technology by the year 2010 - This estimate gives a general outlook on the advance of podcast-like technology into our everyday lives (Mindlin 2005). The Podcasting technology has enjoyed and continues to enjoy phenomenal growth in our society, particularly in higher education (Campbell 2005). Several institutions of higher education including Drexel and Duke University have recently introduced podcasting as a supplementary learning tool (Duke 2006). These universities embraced the technology as a way to leverage and improve the quality of their training, and the learning benefits of the technology are manifest. Dr. Lucic from Duke University concluded that the iPod initiative at Duke not only encouraged students to "think on their own", but also increased their level of creativity in how to use the technology to facilitate the learning experience (Dalrymple 2006). The adoption of the podcasting technology in these various institutions of h

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Sexually Transmitted Infections - Essay Example Treatment is with azithromycin (single, 1g dose) or doxycycline (100mg twice daily for a week). A possible complication includes pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This may lead to chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Treponema Pallidum and Neisseria Gonorrhoeae are both infections caused by a bacterium. While the infection with T. Pallidium (syphilis) manifests in the form of painless ulcers on the sites of infection, infection with N. Gonorrhoea (gonorrhea) presents in the form of painful urination, bleeding between periods and discharge from the vagina in women and discharge from the penis and painful, swollen testicles in men. Both infections may be passed from mother to baby. Syphilis may cause anomalies in babies (Syphilis, 2006). Both are diagnosed by detecting the bacterium in scrapings and samples. Syphilis may be diagnosed by detecting antibodies too. Both are treated with antibiotics. Both organisms can pass through blood to other organs. Complications of syphilis mainly involve the cardiovascular system and brain. Gonorrhoea causes PID. This in turn may lead to chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Both infections make the sufferer more susceptible to acquire HIV and if not treated, both may lead to death. I will explain that HSV

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English Essays Pride and Prejudice

English Essays Pride and Prejudice Introduction Jane Austens much loved novel Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813 at a time when family relationships in Britain were governed by rather rigid societal rules. Male and female roles were very clearly defined, and in the more wealthy families in particular, great effort was spent on maintaining moral respectability and financial security. This essay examines the various ways that Jane Austen depicts the related topics of love and marriage in the novel. It explores both the pressures upon different characters to behave in certain traditional ways, and the choices which are open to them, and explains how the author cleverly steers the reader towards an understanding of love and marriage which challenges some of the prejudices of her time. The traditional marriage of convenience The novel opens with a comic scene in which the mature married couple Mr and Mrs Bennet discuss the arrival of a new neighbour, Mr Bingley. It is clear from the start that the society in which the novel takes place is rather refined, since the house in question is called Netherfield Park and Mr Bingley is described as a young man of large fortune from the north of England (Austen, 1918, p. 1). The conversation is dominated by Mrs Bennet, who holds forth on the exciting prospect that this new neighbour might fall in love with one of their five daughters, while Mr Bennet exhibits a long-suffering tolerance of his wifes domestic chatter. The narrator maintains an ironic distance from the two speakers, illustrating Mr Bennets lack of comprehension for the social niceties of formal visits, and Mrs Bennets lack of comprehension of her husbands character: She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper (Austen, 1918, p. 4) whose main focus in life was to find a husband for her five daughters. This introductory chapter serves as a vignette of traditional marriage in upper class British society at the start of the nineteenth century since the Bennets belong to the ruling class by virtue of income, residence and manners (Downie, 2006), even though some critics such as Tuite (2002) persist in classifying Austens characters as bourgeois. According to Zimmerman (1968, p. 66) these two characters embody the salient qualities implied by the title of the novel: Mr. Bennet exhibits the detachment of pride and Mrs. Bennet the total involvement of prejudice. Greenfield (2002, p. 149) has more understanding for Mrs. Bennets obsessions, describing her as being plagued by realistic concerns about womens economic disadvantages. This means, in effect, that they are in many ways opposites, since the husband is clever, urbane and often silent, while the wife is rather foolish, provincial and prone to engage in gossip at very available opportunity. The pair appear to have found an accommodation with each other, but they are clearly not at all well matched in terms of their character, interests or intelligence. The family is clearly of modest means, and it is the dilemma of finding a suitable husband for all five girls which sets up the starting point for the rest of the novel. After setting the scene through this entertaining dialogue in the Bennet sitting room, the author then proceeds to introduce a series of characters and trace their different approaches to the resolution of this fundamental problem. One potential suitor presents himself in the form of the clergyman Mr Collins. He is first mentioned by Mr Bennet as a gentleman and a stranger (Austen, 1918, p. 62), whom he has invited to dine with the family. Significantly this news is greeted first with excitement, since these qualities might make him a suitable match for one of the daughters, and then horror, since it turns out that he is due to acquire through the legal process of entailment, the family home upon the death of Mr Bennet, thus giving him power over the fate of the rest of the family (Macpherson, 2003). The somewhat pompous Mr Collins comes with the express intention of marrying one of the five sisters. He is interested in Jane, the eldest and most beautiful sister, and a deal is struck between himself and Mrs Bennet that he should concentrate on the second daughter, Elizabeth, since the eldest daughter is already spoken for. The narrator indicates the business nature of this transaction with an ironic reference to the speed with which he agrees to change his mind and the indifference which he and Mrs. Bennet have for the feelings of the young women in question: Mr. Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth and it was soon done done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the fire (Austen, 1918, p. 72). Love plays no part in this transaction, and so the proposed marriage between Mr. Collins and Elizabeth is set to mirror the traditional fate of her parents. The two individuals would have little in common when they start out married life, and it would be their task to make their marriage of convenience work. In the event, however, this plan is thwarted by Elizabeths spirited refusal of the proposal from Mr. Collins, an act which her mother calls her own perverseness (Austen, 1918, p. 145). It is Elizabeths older friend, Charlotte Lucas, who steps into the role of suitable wife for the faintly ridiculous Mr. Collins. Perhaps because she sees her own chances of marriage fading, Charlotte herself is convinced of the primary importance of finding a good match, regardless of how one might feel about the person. She is convinced of the value of obtaining a respectable and at least moderately wealthy husband, since she discusses the blossoming relationship between Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet somewhat wistfully with the words Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance (Austen, 1918, p. 21). One critic astutely highlights the bitter compromise that Charlotte Lucass marriage to Mr. Collins represents: the pathos of Charlottes marriage is that, because of her intelligence, her ignorance must be a pretense (Weinsheimer, 1972, p. 408). This is the price that many women had to pay in order to obtain material security and social respectability in early nineteenth century Britain. Marriage for love A very different type of marital relationship is modelled in the novel by the eldest Bennet sister Jane and her suitor Mr. Bingley. From the very beginning it is clear that they love and admire each other. Jane, as the eldest of the Bennet sisters, is assumed to be the first to marry, and her extraordinary beauty and even temperament make her an obvious choice for the wealthy Mr. Bingley. He is attracted to her for reasons that might appear to be rather superficial in the first instance. She does not have much money, but she has other advantages. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley are both impressed by her appearance, since Darcy refers to her as the only handsome girl in the room and Mr. Bingley replies that she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld (Austen, 1918, p. 10). Young women who are in possession of great beauty are, in the world of Jane Austen, usually well placed in the marriage stakes. It also helps that Jane is submissive and calm, unlike her more assertive sister Elizabeth, who does not attract nearly so many admiring glances from the men. Assured of her comfortable marriage based on mutual love, Jane firmly believes in the importance of affection in marriage, and advises Elizabeth to consider this matter very carefully before committing to marry Mr. Darcy: Oh, Lizzy! Do anything rather than marry without affection. Are you quite sure that you what you ought to do? (Austen, 1918, p. 385). The relationship between Jane and Charles Bingley is presented as something easy and natural, as they attend various social functions and gradually get to know each other. By happy coincidence Mr. Bingley has a suitably large fortune, and the Bennet parents are happy to see their eldest daughter marry such a gentle and even-tempered man. Marriage for love is thus presented as something idyllic, but rather rare, and only achievable when circumstances happen to arrange themselves in propitious ways. It is only imaginable as an outcome for Jane, for example, since all of the other Bennet sisters have characteristics which make them less than suitable for such a marriage: Mary is too plain, Lizzy and Lydia are too headstrong, and Kitty is too young to attract the attention of the highly suitable but ultimately rather dull Mr. Bingley. This marriage proves the point that in early nineteenth century Britain, happiness in marriage is a matter of chance, although it can sometimes make both parties very happy. Illicit love True love is evident also in the relationship between sixteen year old Lydia and the dashing officer Mr. Wickham. In this case, however, there is consternation within the family when it is discovered that the two have disappeared together, without first completing the mandatory social formalities of courtship, parental approval, engagement and marriage. There are two dimensions to the problem posed by Lydia and Wickhams love: the first is moral, and the second is social. The moral issue derives from the Christian value of obligatory chastity before marriage. The self-righteous Mr. Collins writes an odious letter to Mr. Bennet, condemning Lydias character and advising the poor man to throw off your unworthy child from your affection for ever, and leave her to reap the fruits of her own heinous offence (Austen, 1918, p. 304). He even goes so far as to say the death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this (Austen, 1918, p. 304). Writing a century later one critic endorses at least some of the moral outrage that is expressed in the novel, but suggests also that there might be a more charitable motivation for Lydias behaviour: There is something absolute in her selfish recklessness, her reckless pursuit of her own pleasure without the least regard not only to others but even to herself he contributes to her comfort and enables her to realize her quite childish ideal of worldly importance as a married woman (Howells, 1918, p. xv). It seems that in her rush to achieve the status of a married women, Lydia forgets her duty to her parents and sisters and most seriously of all, puts her own future at risk by breaking all the rules designed to preserve her own value as a respectable woman. If Mr. Darcy had not stepped in to ensure that the roguish Mr. Wickham then things would have ended very badly indeed. While Elizabeth Bennet has some sympathy for her sisters folly, Mary Bennet spells out the awful consequences: Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable that one false step involves her in endless ruin that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful (Austen, 1918, p. 295). These sentiments reflect the harsh moral code of the times, the expectations of the community (Deresiewicz, 1997) and incidentally also the double standard that allows men all sorts of indiscretions but judges women by a single instance of immoral conduct. The second problem that Lydias elopement causes is a social one. The scandal caused by one sister will automatically have a detrimental effect on the reputation of the whole family, including the other sisters. It is no coincidence that this disaster is averted by the actions of a wealthy and powerful male: Mr. Darcy. In this period women did not have the right to decide upon their own fate, and they were dependent upon the actions of fathers, brothers, husbands, or in this case, husbands-to-be. By stepping in to aid the family, Mr. Darcy presents himself in the role of dashing hero. Elizabeth Bennet, who herself would no doubt be too proud to accept acts of charity on her own behalf, is bound to be mightily impressed by her suitors gallant behaviour. In this period women did not have the freedom to engage in communications that would increase their wealth or power, since meetings with the opposite sex were strictly chaperoned, and there was even an unwritten rule which forbade correspondence between marriageable persons not engaged to be married (Le Faye, 2002, p. 114). The author uses this critical incident to turn the readers attention towards the increasing likelihood of a match between Elizabeth Bennet and the dark and difficult Mr. Darcy. The ideal marriage The relationship which takes central place in the novel is that between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. A great deal of suspense is created through the initial animosity that is expressed between the two, and the growing attraction that they experience towards each other. Several of the minor characters, including the haughty Lady Catherine de Bourgh, seem to think that Elizabeth is not a suitable match for Mr. Darcy because of her relative poverty, her lower social status, and her rather unfeminine tendency to make witty and sometimes highly critical remarks. Elizabeth does not fit the profile of the ideal gentlewoman of this time. In similar ways, Mr. Darcy defies the definition of a gentleman, at least in the eyes of the young women he encounters in polite English society. He possesses some of the attributes of a romantic hero, such as good looks and great wealth, but his manners leave something to be desired, and he does not go along with all of the social niceties of dancing and visiting which most ladies expect of him. The story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcys gradual acquaintance is a motif that is often used by Austen and represents the common novelists fantasy of a poor girl who meets, and after a series of vicissitudes marries, the rich young man (Butler, 2001, p. 139). The twists and turns of love and hate which Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy experience are the necessary preamble to an ultimately happy ending. In Austens skilled and often ironic narrative, the reader is pushed and pulled into viewing different facets of both characters, appreciating their faults as well as their virtues, and developing a growing awareness of their mutual attraction. It is made clear by both characters that in fact they are romantically attracted to each other. Darcy declares his position in the middle of the novel when he boldly tells Elizabeth You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you (Austen, 1918, p. 195) while Elizabeth at the end of the novel assures her father about her feelings for Mr. Darcy: I do, I do like him, she replied, with tears in her eyes; I love him. (Austen, 1918, p. 389). In the end, when the marriage is finally agreed, and the two are set to launch into a lifetime of happiness together, a final word is left to Mr. Bennet, who writes to Mr. Collins, firing off a comic opposite to the earlier letter received from Mr. Collins, with the words: I must trouble you once more for congratulations. Elizabeth will soon be the wife of Mr. Darcy. Console Lady Catherine as well as you can. But, if I were you, I would stand by the nephew. He has more to give (Austen, 1919, p. 395). According to Newman (1983), this letter is an attempt by the Jane Austen to distance herself from the cliched ending of the romantic novel and to insert a little comedic irony. Mr. Bennet is poking fun at the miscalculations of Mr Collins, including his earlier condemnation of the Bennet family and his affectation in cultivating a connection with Lady Catherine. The affiliation of the Bennet family with Mr. Darcy removes the familys financial and reputational difficulties in one fell swoop. As it happens, Lydia and Mr. Wickham also escape the dire fate predicted by Mr. Collins, which all goes to prove that the merciless rules and restrictions of polite Christian society do not always end in the outcomes predicted by their most fanatical supporters. Courtship is a seductive, often illusory process with uncertain results (Hinnant, 2006). Spinsters, bachelors, widows and widowers Although Pride and Prejudice revolves mainly around the progress of various love and marriage relationships there are a number of other characters who are presented in isolation, and without an obvious partner. Two of the younger Bennet sisters, Mary and Kitty, fall into this category but the author presents their prospects very differently, Mary is described in terms of qualities which more usually would be used to refer to a man since she is fond of books, and of strict moralising. Distant cousins, uncles, and widows are presented as outsiders, apart from the interesting mainstream of society where the machinations over love and marriage preoccupy all of the women and most of the men. Jane Austen criticises some of the silliness that goes on in the centre of upper class society but she does not go so far as to recommend these isolated positions for any of her main characters. Only the stern and awkward sister Mary seems destined for this fate, and her role in the novel seems to be to act as a foil for Elizabeth. Without Elizabeths charm and wit, Mary will be left in the dreaded role of spinster, always looking on while others enjoy the benefits of marriage, and if they are lucky, also of romantic love. Conclusion This brief essay has shown that Jane Austen presents a witty and varied range of opinions on love and marriage in the early nineteenth century. The men have by far the greater range of choices, while younger women must remain constrained in mostly female company, awaiting rare opportunities to encounter eligible young men. The fact that the women are so easily interchangeable in the eyes of men, and so often resigned to their fate, highlights their role as little more than items of property in this patriarchal society. Each of the types of marriage outlined above are presented as viable choices for the Bennet sisters. The novels focus on Elizabeth, however, and the more interesting and nuanced path toward marriage that she travels, suggests that this alliance of two highly intelligent and moderately rebellious characters may well represent the ideal marriage from a nineteenth century upper class perspective. The novel plays with stereotypes in the minor characters, and stretches the limits of acceptable masculinity and femininity in the two main characters. Thus the novel challenges some, but not all, of the prejudices of the time and leaves the reader with a detailed and nuanced overview of love and marriage in this period. References Austen, J. (1918) [1813] Pride and Prejudice. New York: Scribner. Butler, M. (2001) The Juvenilia and Northanger Abbey. In S. Regan (Ed.), The Nineteenth-Century Novel: A Critical Reader. London: Routledge, pp. 136-143. Deresiewicz, W. (1997) Community and Cognition in Pride and Prejudice. ELH 64 (2), pp. 503-535. Downie, J. A. (2006) Who Says Shes a Bourgeois Writer? Reconsidering the Social and Political Contexts of Jane Austens Novels. Eighteenth Century Studies 40 (1), pp. 69-84. Greenfield, S. C. (2002) Mothering Daughters: Novels and the Politics of Family Romance, Frances Burney to Jane Austen. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press. Hinnant, C. H. (2006) Jane Austens Wild Imagination: Romance and the Courtship Plot in the Six Canonical Novels. Narrative 14 (3), pp. 294-310. Howells, W. D. (1918) Introduction to Pride And Prejudice. New York: Scribner. Le Faye, D. (2002) Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels. London: Frances Lincoln. Macpherson, S. (2003) Rent to Own: or, Whats Entailed in Pride and Prejudice. Representations 82 (1), pp. 1-23. Tuite, C. (2002) Romantic Austen: Sexual Politics and the Literary Canon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Weinsheimer, J. (1972) Chance and the hierarchy of marriages in Pride and Prejudice. ELH 39 (3), pp. 404-419. Zimmerman, E. (1968) Pride and Prejudice in Pride and Prejudice. Nineteenth-Century Fiction 23 (1), pp. 64-73.

Detriment of PSA Screening Essay -- Medical Research

Arguably the most essential and indispensable aspect of life is the attainment and preservation of good health. Individuals with health-related complications are often prevented from leading what many would consider to be a normal lifestyle. One of the several ailments that impedes typical human functioning is prostate cancer. The community of experts and professionals who have dedicated their lives to this field of study are, at this time, engaged in a substantive yet divisive and strongly opinionated dispute regarding a test considered by some to aid in the detection of this cancer. This highly scrutinized test is known as the prostate-specific antigen test, more commonly referred to as the PSA test. In the United States and more broadly the world today, the prostate-specific antigen test yields little or no positive results while having the potential to generate damage and destruction and, therefore, should not be administered on a regular basis as a means of detecting this form o f malignancy. Cancer of the prostate has retained its place as the leading source of cancer apart from the melanomas and carcinomas of the skin. In addition, this disease is the second leading killer among men in the United States that pass away due to cancer.1(p164) What then is the reason for such a polarized dialogue concerning a simple diagnostic tool that is relatively painless and noninvasive? The discussion on this issue, although simmering throughout the scientific and medical fraternity for a lengthy period of time, was in fact brought to a boil and to the forefront of the news in October of 2011 when a group known as the United States Preventative Services Task Force released their findings on the issue. The USPSTF report, considered to be... ...versy reignites ‘over-screening’ debate. PBS News Hour Website. 2011. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/10/psa-testing-controversy-reignites-over-screening-debate.html Accessed March 13, 2012. 4. Parker-Pope T. Prostate cancer screening shows no benefit. New York Times Online. 2012. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/embargoed-no-benefit-from-prostate-cancer-screening/ Accessed March 13, 2012. 5. Cauley DH. Chapter 150. Prostate Cancer. In: Schwinghammer TL, Koehler JM, eds. Pharmacotherapy Casebook: A Patient-Focused Approach. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2011. http://www.accesspharmacy.com/content.aspx?aID=55624057. Accessed March 13, 2012. 6. Allan GM, Chetner M, Venner P, et al. Furthering the prostate cancer screening debate (prostate cancer specific mortality and associated risks). Can Urol Assoc J. 2011; 5(6):416-421. DOI: 10.5489/cuaj.11063