Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham Essay Example for Free

Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham Essay In the novel Of Human Bondage, the main character, Philip Carey, has a myriad of people whom are very influential in his life. William Somerset Maugham portrays Philip as having three women in his life that are of great importance to Philips character. These three women are Mildred Rogers, Norah Nesbit, and Sally Athelny. Mildred is a negative influence on Philip whereas the other two women serve as positive influences in Philips life. Of the three, Philip loves Mildred the most, though Mildred loves him not. Mildred is a negative influence on Philip. Though he loves her, she doesnt love him back. She is grateful toward Philip and rewards him with various degrees of affection. This forebodes the fact that she becomes a prostitute later on in the novel. While with Philip, Mildred distracts him from studying and causes him to spend all his money to take her out to eat and see musicals. This causes Philip to fail his two very important medical examinations. Mildred is a snobby, stupid, callous, shallow, vain, and selfish woman. Aware of Philips feelings for her, she takes advantage of him. She accepts his gifts and seeks his protection, but thwarts his affection. Philip forgives her for her deceitfulness and helps her when she is in trouble. In return for Philips love, kindness and generosity, she gives him pain, abuse, and misery. She proves her heartless nature when she runs away with Emil Miller, has an affair with Griffiths, and destroys Philips home. She also abandons her infant to the care of a stranger in order to enjoy life. This demonstrates her selfish nature. Mildred seems to be Philips foil. Theyre so different from one another that Mildred doesnt even understand Philip. Philips generosity, kindness, and love cannot be understood by such a selfish, vicious, hateful woman. Its a wonder how Philip is bonded to this human anti-epitome. Philip chose Mildred because she is the type of woman that was a challenge for him. He had just begun medical school and was feeling bored when suddenly he came upon this ill-mannered slut of a waitress in a tea shop. From that moment on, he couldnt get enough of her. He always tried to get back at her but never quite could. It was as if he was doomed to spend the rest of his life bonded to her. It was too much to bear for him. Her indifferent attitude toward him drove him mad over the brink of obsession. He tortured himself to try and  get a woman that he could never have and she would never love him back. He was even willing to marry her to get back at her for all the evil she inflicted upon him. Philip finally breaks through the bonds of love and sees Mildred for who she really is a conniving, callous prostitute. Norah Nesbit is another influential woman in Philips life. Though Philip doesnt love Norah, she is a positive influence in his life nevertheless. Norah pampers Philip using her motherly instincts and encourages him to do what he can for himself: go on vacation to take a break, and study hard for school to pass his exams. She is successful in convincing Philip to focus on his studies rather than herself. Therefore when hes with her, he passes all three exams without any trouble and has earned his vacation that he is reluctant to go on, but is persuaded by thoughtful Norah to do so. Unlike Mildred, Norah appreciates Philip and doesnt allow him to waste his money. Philip intentionally chose Norahs ilk because Norah is nurturing, kind-hearted, and loving. Philip chooses her in his time of need, after he is hurt by the harshness and pain that Mildred has inflicted upon him. She ameliorates him back to life after the thought and sight of Mildred has tormented him for many dreary months. Sally, the third and final influential woman in his life, helps Philip establish his identity in the world. The eldest child of Mr. Athelny, she is sensible, maternal, pretty, charming, and responsible. She is the pride of her family and wins the heart of everyone with her pleasant manners and warmth, including Philip. Sally falls for Philips simplicity and unassuming manner, but does not force herself on him. She patiently waits for him to recognize her appeal. While Philip vacations with the Athelnys in Kent, he begins to notice Sally and he realizes that he is attracted to her. He begins to see her regularly and decides to spend the rest of his life with her. She accepts his proposal of marriage. Sally is a contrast to Mildred. Sallys presence calms Philip, while Mildreds presence troubles him. His passion for Mildred had disrupted his life and career, but Sallys love gives him hope for a bright future. Philip learns to love Sally, though not like Mildred, and she loves him back. Therefore Sally is the best woman for Philip since they both love one another. Sally is there when Philip needs  her. Shes not pushy or demanding, so Philip chooses her because he needs someone of her ilk to depend upon after Mildred ruins his life yet again by making him homeless and penniless.

Elasticity of Pecan Market :: essays research papers

The article â€Å"Big Crop Won’t Reduce Pecan Prices† is about how the market for pecans affects the both the wholesale market and the retail market. The article describes how pecans are relatively inelastic around major holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is stated that there was a 150 million pound increase in pecans from the previous year. Since there was such a great increase in quantity supplied, the price decreased. Since the demand for pecans is relatively inelastic, consumers are not affected by a change in price. This article also describes the difference between the wholesale market and the retail market for pecans. Wholesale markets produce the pecans, and sell them to retailers for a low price; between seventy-five to eighty-five cents per pound. While the retailers purchase the pecans for a low price, they turn around and sell them to consumers for about five times the price they paid for them. The pecan producers have no control over the pric es that they sell the pecans at, and they have no control over the price that the retailers sell the pecans at.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The wholesale pecan market is a perfectly competitive market. There are lots of different suppliers, and it’s a highly standardized product. The demand and supply curves are relatively inelastic due to the craze for pecans during the holidays. The massive increase in pecans supplied causes the price per pound of pecans to decrease greatly. The graph (on the left) represents the increase in demand.    Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The graph above and off to the right represents the demand and marginal cost for a firm. In the retail market, they have control over the price at which they sell their products to consumers. In the article they state that the firms buy the pecans from wholesale markets for a small price, like eighty-five cents, and then they go off and sell the same pecans for $5.50. A decrease in the price causes a decrease in marginal cost.

Social Learning Theory Psychology

In the field of Psychology, learning theories are there to attempt to explain how people think and what factors ultimately influence their behavior (ETR, 2007). There are various types of learning theories which all include different concepts and approaches to distinguish an understanding of human behavior and thought (ETR, 2007). The social learning theory (SLT) is just one of many theories which fall under the category of learning theories.The social learning theory, which is also commonly known as social cognitive theory, is justified in the belief that human behavior is determined by a triangular effect relationship between environmental influences, cognitive factors, and behavior (ETR, 2007). To have a proper understanding of the social learning theory, one needs to have been adequately briefed in the major contributors of the theory, a thorough description of what the theory entails, assumptions about the theory, and the developmental process and practice which has previously a nd currently taken place. Accomplishment is socially judged by ill defined criteria so that one has to rely on others to find out how one is doing (Kearsley, 2008). † This was stated by Albert Bandura, who is one of the two major contributors to the social learning theory. Bandura was born the youngest and only male of six siblings on December 4, 1925, in Mundare, Canada (Pajares, 2004). Fast-forwarding through his childhood, Bandura eventually found himself attending the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His happening to fall into psychology was simply a fluke for him, for he was planning to get a degree in the biological sciences (Pajares, 2004). Bandura carpooled with peers to school who were all majors in engineering and pre-med, which entailed them to have early morning classes (Pajares, 2004). To fill his workload, Bandura had an open-morning spot to fill on his roster, which is where he fell into an introduction to psychology course (Pajares, 2004). He was instantly intrigued, which led him on his path to becoming one of the great contributors to this field. In 1949, he graduated with the Bolocan Award in psychology from the University of British Columbia (Pajares, 2004). His next task was to knock down graduate school, where he attended at the University of Iowa and received his Ph. D. in clinical psychology in 1952 (Pajares, 2004). Starting already in 1953, Bandura found himself teaching at Stanford University where he came across a well-educated student by the name of Richard Walters (Pajares, 2004). The two found themselves equally interested in the studies of explaining antisocial aggression in young males who came from wholesome households in upper-class residential areas in comparison to demonstrating that multiple opposing conditions may lead to behavioral problems (Pajares, 2004). This particular study led Bandura and Walters to co-write a book, Adolescent Aggression, in 1959 (Pajares, 2004). From there, Bandura wrote a chain of numerous books dealing with the social learning theory. Later he became a found member and elected President of the American Psychological Association in 1973 (Pajares, 2004). The second major contributor to the social learning theory came from a man by the name of Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist who was born in 1896 (Gallagher, 1999). Vygotsky was said to be a connoisseur of literature and philosophy (Gallagher, 1999). He attended the University of Moscow, where he studied and received a degree in law (Gallagher, 1999). It was not until 1924 when Vygotsky became interested in psychology (Gallagher, 1999). He had written a paper, The Psychology of Art, in 1925 which he used primarily in his thesis at the Moscow Institute of Psychology. Between the years of 1924-1934, before his death due to Tuberculosis, is when all his psychology work was practiced (Gallagher, 1999). In those 10 years of research and study of psychology, Vygotsky became an active follower of the sociocultural theory which suggests that development of a child relies on interaction with people and the tools or resources that the culture provides to help form their personal view of the world (Gallagher, 1999). The social learning theory (SLT), among others, is one of the most commonly used models currently. SLT is not a horribly complex model, for it is based around the interactions made from one another through observations, imitations, and modeling (Learning, 2008). Due to the fact that the SLT encompasses attention, memory, and motivation, it is said to be a bridge for psychologists between behaviorists and cognitive learning (Learning, 2008). The SLT focuses on the prospect that people learn through observing other people’s behaviors, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors observed (Learning, 2008). The social learning theory has three basic principles which make the breakdown of the theory very clear. The first principle is that people can learn through observation (Boeree, 2006). Bandura had conducted a well-known experiment known as the â€Å"Bobo Doll Study† (Boeree, 2006). In this study, Bandura had a set of dolls to which adult figures would interact with, in terms of gentle and/or aggressive behavior while children observed. Later, children were let into the room and were allowed to play with the same set of dolls that the adults had previously used. From observational learning, the children themselves inflicted the same type of behavior that the adults previously did. The children who observed a gentle act toward the Bobo doll reacted in the same way to pursue a more calm and loving affect toward the doll. In contrast, the children who observed aggressive behavior toward the Bobo doll also copied the same behavior of aggression toward the doll (Boeree, 2006). Bandura came up with three basic models of observational learning through conducting this study (Boeree, 2006). The first model is a live model. This involves an actual human individual who is acting out or demonstrating a particular behavior (Boeree, 2006). The second model is the verbal instructional approach. This involves giving the description and directions to acting out a certain behavior (Boeree, 2006). The third and last model is the symbolic model. This encompasses real of fictional characters. These characters are set to display behaviors in books, television, movies, or online media (Boeree, 2006). The second of the three basic principles is mental states are important to learning (Boeree, 2006). In greater detail, this involves and contributes to intrinsic reinforcement. Bandura was the contributor to this that previously noted that external, environmental reinforcement was not the only factor to influence learning and behavior (Boeree, 2006). This is where the idea of intrinsic reinforcement comes into place. This type of reinforcement is internal, which can include feelings of satisfaction, pride, and sense of accomplishment (Boeree, 2006). This is how the term of â€Å"social cognitive theory† correlates directly with the social learning theory. These types of reinforcements emphasize the internal thoughts and cognitions to help cooperate with theories of cognitive development (Boeree, 2006). The last of the three basic principles is that learning does not necessarily lead to change in behavior (Boeree, 2006). This means that observational learning does not define all observed behaviors; not all behaviors must be and are acting on (Boeree, 2006). One can learn something through observation without demonstrating the new information attained. These three main principles paved the way for more of Bandura’s work in the SLT, and the introduction to specific modeling process. The modeling process consists of four primary steps which lead to the development of understanding social learning theory. The first step is known by the word of â€Å"Attention† (Learning, 2008). This concept states that in order for an individual to learn, they have to be paying attention. It is possible for distractions of course, but anything that distracts one is going to ultimately have a negative effect on the observational learning taking place (Learning, 2008). A few examples of distractions could include being sleepy, groggy, sick, nervous, drugged, or even â€Å"hyper† in a sense can affect the learning process. All of those feelings can be competing factors with one’s attention span. Likewise, for something that may be of interest to the subject, full attention could be put into place and more dedication to observing and absorbing new information could happen (Learning, 2008). The second step is known as â€Å"Retention† (Learning, 2008). Retention is known as the storing process of observational learning. The ability or lack of to store or remember information plays an important role in the learning process (Learning, 2008). Retention, just like attention, can be affected by many different factors as well. This is also where imagery and language come into play. One is able to store information in terms of verbal knowledge or imagery knowledge, depending on the subject and situation. Later, one is expected to â€Å"bring up† the previously observed information if retention was successful (Learning, 2008). No need to say that retaining information is a vital aspect to observational learning. Third on the list of steps for the social learning model is â€Å"Reproduction† (Learning, 2008). This is where the performance of information retained is put into place. Once one has actually gone thorough attention and retained the proper information necessary, it is expected that one can perform the behavior initially learned (Learning, 2008). Of course, there are limitations to the ability of being able to perform certain tasks. For example, one can watch an Olympic gold medalist do an entire gymnastic tumbling routine on the mat, but may not have the ability to flex their body that particular way and be able to perform some of the stunts observed. This is why there is a leniency for the ability to perform tasks for the purpose that further practice may be needed (Learning, 2008). With a combination of practice of the learned behavior and continuous observation of the behavior, the performance level may have improvement and further skill advancement. The final of the four proper steps is â€Å"Motivation† (Learning, 2008). In order for most observational learning to be successful to any state, motivation is crucial to imitate the modeled behavior (Learning, 2008). There are several factors that Bandura stated to be a vital part in the motivational factor of the observed behavior performance. Reinforcement and punishment are key concepts in motivation levels (Learning, 2008). Past reinforcement, such as a reward after a proper outtake of the behavior, can motivate one to imitate the new observed behavior. In contrast, past punishment can be the same type of motivator. One who was punished previously for not conducting the observed behavior properly will make one want to conduct the new behavior successfully because they are aware of the consequences if not done properly (Learning, 2008). Also, promised reinforcements or punishments can do the same type of influence. A promised reinforcement, such as a treat, could make one strive to perform the task correctly. On the other hand, a promised punishment, such as a threat, can give the same affect (Learning, 2008).

Necessity Of Vaccines - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1787 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/07/29 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Tags: Vaccines Essay Did you like this example? Being a parent is never an easy job. It is not unusual for a parent to question if they are making the right decision for their child or not. Today, many parents often struggle with the decision to vaccinate their child. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Necessity Of Vaccines" essay for you Create order Many parents are concerned with the rare side effects that come with vaccinations, which is why they may be hesitant to choose to vaccinate their child.   Anti-vaccination may be rational to parents who choose to put their child over the public good, but it is not a reasonable choice. Vaccinations are the key to keeping the United States population safe from outbreaks of infectious diseases. According to the American Association of Pediatrics, vaccinations are 90% to 99% effective in the ability to prevent diseases with properly distributed. Not only are the extremely effective, they also save approximately 2.5 million children from disease each year.   However, not everyone in the United States receives these recommended vaccinations. As a result of unvaccinated people, the population as a whole is at risk. To resolve this problem, a new law should be put into place that does not allow people to choose not to vaccinate their children. This new law is crucial to the people of the United States as it is the easiest, safest, and most cost-efficient way to put an end to easily preventable disease outbreaks The urgent need for this new policy adoption in the United States stems from outbreaks that often occur in schools, which may cause students to miss several days of educational instruction. For instance, an elementary school in Denver, Colorado recently experienced a chickenpox outbreak that stemmed from unvaccinated children who attended the school. The school allows its children to not receive the proper and recommended vaccines if the parents of the child chooses to do so. In the school, there was a report that two unvaccinated children in attendance were experiencing symptoms of chickenpox (Kovaleski). In response to this, the school and its health officials told the parents of the other fourteen unvaccinated children who also attended the school that it was recommended that their children did not attend school. This was done to protect the unvaccinated children from the disease in school, since the risk of getting the disease was much higher for them. The vaccinated children at school were able to continue going to class due to their parents giving them the proper vaccines needed. However, because the parents of the unvaccinated children chose to be against vaccines, mainly due to religious reasoning in this case, these unvaccinated children were not able to attend approximately twenty-one days of school the amount of days in which the chickenpox virus could be dormant. The chickenpox vaccine, varicella, is 99% e? ¬?ective at preventing the chickenpox infection in children (Kovaleski), which is information that these parents knew, but disregarded. However, if the vaccination requirement law is put into place, chickenpox outbreaks would be easily avoided because all the unvaccinated children would not be attending a school where they could put their fellow classmates in harms way. Due to the fact that unvaccinated children not only put themselves at risk, but other children as well, proves just how crucial this law adoption is for schools. With the new law requiring all children to receive vaccines, rather than outbreaks occurring in schools, there will be herd immunity. Herd immunity refers to when a large group of vaccinated people come into contact with an infectious person; however, due to the fact that the majority of the people in the group are protected from the disease, the infected person will have Adi cult time passing the disease along ( Loving). A perfect example of herd immunity occurred in Richardson, Texas. In January of 2016, an Legislature and signed by Governor Jerry Brown in June of 2015, which proves that although it will be difficult to make this new policy nationwide, it is possible (California State Vaccine Requirements). The California bill does not allow any sort of exemption to vaccinations. If a parent wants their child to go to school, that child must be vaccinated†the religion and beliefs of the parents will no longer provide any sort of exemption. If a parent still chooses to not vaccinate their children, their only options are to homeschool their children, or move to another state. This restriction of the first amendment is not only ethical, but necessary because deciding not to get vaccinated does not solely a? ¬?ect said individual, butthe population around the individual. The premise of the bill is to make it entirely illegal to send unvaccinated children to schools, which is exactly w hat the new law will do but nationwide. The benefits of vaccinations include potentially saving a childs life in a safe and e? ¬?ective manner so requiring all people who attend schools to be vaccinated is clearly beneficial to all. According to the article Immunize for Good by Colorado Childrens Immunization Coalition, a website that delves into the benefits and risks of vaccines, vaccines are beneficial because they not only protect the person vaccinated, but the people in the surrounding area, as well. Vaccines are also the most cost efficient way to prevent infectious diseases because it is significantly less expensive to prevent a disease in comparison to how much money it costs to treat an infected group of people (Health and Medicine Division). It is concluded that there is no evidence proving that the proper vaccine schedule recommended for children is dangerous, and vaccines are the most cost efficient way to prevent diseases, so it is in the publics best intentions to receive vaccines (Immunize for Good). Despite all evidence pointing to the safety and benefits of vaccines, there are two main reasons that people are against vaccinations: religion and the false rumors of vaccinations causing autism in children. One of the main reasons parents choose not to vaccinate their children is because they believe that vaccinations are against their religion. In the present day, there is religious exemption to vaccinations, which allows people to not get vaccines because they believe it is against their religion. However, religious exemption is something that will no longer be available according to the new policy. There is some controversy over whether religious exemption is justicable or not for the sake of vaccines. For instance, many of the religions that are stereotypically known to be against vaccines actually state morals that show they are for and support the use of vaccines. For example, it is commonly known that some Catholics do not believe in the safety in vaccines; however, the Cath olic Church actually states there would seem to be no proper grounds for refusing immunization against dangerous contagious diseases (Religion and Vaccinationsa Quick Review). This statement proves that the Catholic Church is not against vaccines, but it actually states that to not vaccinate would be immoral. Another example of a typically anti-vaccine religion is Hinduism. Those who practice Hinduism live their lives in a manner as to respect life, so, they ultimately believe in any technology, such as vaccines, that would help them live healthier lives. The four major divisions of Hinduism have not once mentioned a problem with vaccinations (Grabenstein). Judaism, another quite popular religion, also supports vaccines for similar reasons to Hinduism, they believe that anything that will help enhance life is something to be supported. Also, Judaism support and focuses on the community rather than just one person when it comes to the prevention of disease, which is quite similar to the purpose of vaccines to protect the community. Along with the religions mentioned, there are many   Hulk 8 more such as the Amish, and Islam (Grabenstein), who do in fact support vaccines mainly because the religions understand that vaccines help people live longer and healthier.The second reason that some people are against vaccines is the cause of the false rumor created by Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield claimed to have found scientific evidence that proved that vaccines led to autism in children. It was later concluded that Wakefield found no evidence, rather, he lied and created false information to make it seem as though autism stemmed from vaccines (Vaccines Dont Cause Autism). Although the scientific consensus is against Wakefields research on vaccines, and he had his medical license taken away, people still believe that vaccines can cause autism. These people are victims of the psychological term, conformation bias. The confirmation bias means that the people want so badly to believe that vaccines are not safe, that any mention of their negative side effects, even if these sid e effects are proven to be incorrect, still stick in their minds. (Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism). Fortunately, many studies prove that autism does not come from vaccines. For example, one study measured the number of antigens, which are ingredients in vaccines that make the peoples immune system create disease-fighting antibodies, from vaccines. Then, they looked at the results after the vaccines had been used, which proved that the total amount of antigen after receiving vaccines was the exact same for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the children without the disorder (Study Linking Vaccine to Autism Is Called Fraud). Another claim is that the ingredient in earlier vaccines, thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, causes autism. However, no current vaccines contain thimerosal†not because it causes autism, because it did not†but solely as a precaution (Study Linking Vaccine to Autism Is Called Fraud). Therefore, all rumors and incorrect information claiming vaccines give children autism have been refuted, meaning there is no reason to not vaccinate children in fear of autism. As for the drawbacks of the policy plan, realistically speaking it is going to be difficult to induce such a big change in the United States because the people know they have freedom of choice. However, they need to realize that they do have a choice with this new law: either get their children vaccinated or have their children be homeschooled. The religious exemptions and the belief in autism exemptions have both been proven to be incorrect, so the people of the United States need to understand and realize that the only truly safe decision to make is to vaccinate children. As a conclusion, vaccines are safe, cost-efficient, and the easiest way to avoid disease outbreak. This new law that requires all students who wish to attend school be vaccinated is not only realistic, but a necessity to all of America. The outbreaks of infectious diseases that occur in schools every single year will decrease significantly with the implementation of the new law. With the enforcement of a new polic y that requires all students to have vaccines, lives will be saved. In order to protect the people of the United States, vaccines are an absolute necessity.