Human Nature Essay Example for Free

Human Nature Essay Human nature is based on self-preservation and selfishness in both Rashomon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. In The Lottery human nature is selfish because they kill someone in the community for their own personal gain. Selfishness also has a negative effect in Rashomon due to the harmful extremes the servant takes to stay alive. The way human nature is portrayed in these two stories is sometimes similar to the way people act in real life. In Rashomon the servant turns into a thief for the purpose of staying alive. He knows better than to steal from a woman who is already poor and living amongst corpses but he steals from her anyway. He tries to justify his actions when he says â€Å"You won’t blame me, then, for taking your clothes. That’s what I have to do to keep from starving to death. † His words show that he knows what he is about to do is wrong, but stating his reasons for why he needs to do it makes him feel better. At the beginning of the story he has no intentions of becoming a thief. Soon he realizes how bad his conditions are, this weakens his morals and his first priority becomes survival. This shows that when it comes to staying alive people become selfish and less concerned with other humans well being. Humans will go to extreme measures to get what they need even if that involves harming others. This story uses a lot of animal imagery to show how people become violent and tend to forget their morals when it comes to survival, it becomes almost like â€Å"dog eat dog. † An example of this is when the woman is picking hair out of the corpses to make a wig in hopes of selling it for money; this behavior is animal like. Why is it that people resort to crimes and immoral acts before considering other options when it comes to survival? In The Lottery the community is selfish because they sacrifice someone so their crops will grow. They need their crops to flourish so they will not go hungry; this is a form of self-preservation. In real life we have laws to stop people from committing various crimes. In The Lottery there are no laws to stop them from acting like animals and stoning each other. The fact that we have laws proves that we have them because some people do not have morals or choose to ignore them in certain circumstances. Laws were created to keep communities in order and civilized. Self preservation makes people forget about the well-being of others and instead focus on themselves. We see this in The Lottery when it says, â€Å"Mrs. Delacroix picked up a rock so large she had to use both hands to lift it. † In the beginning of the story Mrs. Delacroix and Mrs. Hutchinson are friends but at the end of the story when it comes down to her crops flourishing or her friend; Mrs. Delacroix is selfish and stones Mrs. Hutchinson to death. This example shows people are selfish and put their own needs first. Another example of this is when Mrs. Hutchinson say’s â€Å"it’s not right, it isn’t fair†, she is not talking about the lottery she means it is not fair that she was chosen. She would have no problem stoning someone else to death so that she could live and her crops could flourish. Human nature is portrayed the same way in Rashomon and The Lottery. In both stories the people are selfish and harm other people to benefit themselves. In Rashomon he beats up a woman and steals her clothes so he can survive and in The Lottery the community kills Mrs. Hutchinson so their crops will flourish. Their reason for being so selfish is self-preservation. The servant doesn’t want to die so he steals from a woman who has less than him. The community in The Lottery needs food to survive so they take part in the lottery. In both stories the people act like animals because they have no laws or rules to stop them from doing so. The difference between these stories is that in Rashomon it is only two people acting immoral but in The Lottery a whole community is acting uncivilized. In both stories human nature is portrayed negatively. In comparing this to current times, I find that Hurricane Sandy brought out the worst and the best in people. I live in a waterfront community that was badly affected by the hurricane. Some people’s homes were destroyed or flooded but that didn’t stop people from robbing homes in my neighborhood. At night we had police driving around with spotlights checking on homes and properties. Some people chose to steal generators right off others driveways. News reports talked about opportunist who broke into damaged businesses and stole whatever they wanted. Criminals broke into flooded homes and took what little salvageable items were left. When faced with a problem people have the option to rise to the occasion or not too. Unfortunately more people choose not to. This is what makes human nature selfish for the most part. After reading the newspaper this morning stealing generators seems pretty insignificant. I came across a story I can’t seem to get past. The Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Newton Connecticut. I cannot understand how someone could go into an elementary school and shoot innocent children for their own selfish reasons. I cannot comprehend how someone could kill his or her own mother over a petty argument and feel no guilt. It scares me to know we live in a generation where human nature is so selfish that sending your children to school has become dangerous. Because human nature is so selfish children at such a young age are exposed to so much hatred. No six or seven year old should have to watch their classmates die for no reason other than the killer was simply having a â€Å"bad day† and needed to take his anger out on someone. The one aspect from this story that shows me human nature is sometimes still selfless is Victoria Soto. Victoria hid her students in closets and other spaces so the killer could not find them. When the killer approached her classroom door and asked where her students were she replied the gym; she was then shot. Victoria Soto may not have been able to save herself but she saved an entire classroom of innocent children. It is sad that a horrific event like this needs to take place before human nature changes because for twenty-seven children it’s a day too late. In both Rashomon and The Lottery the people go to immoral extremes for selfish reasons. In The Lottery the community stones someone for their own personal gain. In Rashomon the servant harms a woman in worse conditions than him self for the means of survival. The way human nature is negatively portrayed in these two stories is unfortunately similar to the way people act in real life.

Psychology in Julius Caesar Essay -- Psychology Analysis

The Psychological Approach analyzes characters based on Freud’s conception of the human psyche-- id, ego, superego-- as well as relationships and conflicts within the story. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare develops Marc Antony and Brutus using these two methods; Marc Antony convinces the town people to revolt by controlling his id and ego, while Brutus is developed as honorable through his relationship with Cassius, his reputation, his progression from being manipulated to standing up for himself, and the choices he makes in difficult positions, such as whether or not to kill Caesar After Marc Antony’s speech, he convinces the town people to revolt against the conspirators by controlling ego and not letting his id overrun him. â€Å"The id is the primitive urge to seek pleasure without concern for boundaries† (Losh). The conspirators killed Caesar, who Antony loved very much. It is possible that his id compelled him to want revenge on the conspirators. The ego, which deals with the part of the mind interacting with the environment and people, would make Antony rationalize and realize that he couldn’t kill the conspirators, but he could get other people to, like the mob. Knowing this, Antony could have intentionally convinced the mob to revolt against the conspirators, but he couldn’t just come out and tell them to. He had to make them want to kill the conspirators, and think that it was their idea by addressing their ids. If Antony got the mob on his side about Caesar, they would feel betrayed by the conspirators and their ids would make them want immediate revenge. By convincing the townspeople that Caesar was a great man and leader, and that he didn’t deserve being killed for the reasons that the conspirators gave, Antony got the mob... ...very noble Roman bears of you† (II, i, LINEE!!!!). It is possible that he wants to maintain this reputation so that he is well liked, and can have some control over the people. Works Cited Heller, Agnes. "Julius Caesar." The Time Is Out of Joint: Shakespeare as Philosopher of History. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002. 311-335. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Vol. 115. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Dec. 2010. Losh, Elizabeth. "Sigmund Freud." Twentieth-Century European Cultural Theorists: Second Series. Ed. Paul Hansom. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 296. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Jan. 2011. O’Dair, Sharon. "Social role and the making of identity in Julius Caesar." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 33.2 (1993): 289+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 7 Dec 2010.

Facilitated Communication Essay

PsycINFO Article: This article is about a study that was conducted to determine if there is any positive correlation between behavioral deficits and facilitated communication (FC). In the study 12 students with Autism where tested before and after FC therapy, to examine if there was any benefit from the therapy. The results showed no positive correlation between FC and social interactions. The intended audience of the article would be anyone who wants to know more information about FC. Both of the main authors are from the Department of Special Education at The University of Kansas. The motive of the article is to show that is no direct benefit of FC when treating children with autism. ABC News Article: This article provides information about what FC is and how is works. In the article the author explains that there is no evidence for FC’s reliability or validity. It also points out the problem of the facilitator being the only person, who is communicating, not the children. I think the intended audiences of the article are parents who have autistic children. The author is Dr. Lori Warner from HOPE Center for Autism. Her motive is to provide information to parents who have concerns about FC. APA Web Article: This article explains what FC is and how it was thought to be a new breakthrough treatment method for people with autism and other mental handicaps. The article explains the faultiness of FC through evidence that facilitators were sometimes answering questions for the patients when they were not looking. It also mentions that after many studies there has been no evidence that supports any positive correlation between FC and autism. This article’s intended audience is anyone who is truthful information about FC. This is an extremely credible article because the APA wrote it. Its motive is to provide facts about FC and its fallacies. Client Brief: In the articles that I read, I found no evidence supporting positive benefits of FC. In my opinion, I do not believe that FC will benefit a child with serve mental handicaps or autism. However, I do not see any problem with  using keyboards and other forms of FC to communicate better with your autistic child. If you were making some progress in communication skills, then I would continue exploring ways to better communicate with your child. I would also recommend looking into some other options that might have better results and validity. Works Cited American Psychological Association. (2003, November 20). Facilitated communication: Sifting the psychological wheat from the chaff . Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/research/action/facilitated.aspx Myles, B. S., Simpson, R. L., & Smith, S. M. (1996). Collateral behavioral and social effects of using facilitated communication with individuals with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 11(3), 163-169, 190. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/618883072?accountid=14556 Warner, L., (2008, October 23). What is facilitated communication, and will it help my child with autism?. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AutismTreatment/story?id=5387585

Fear Of Manipulating A Spinal Injury - 1634 Words

Focusing my attention back on the PL, I moved to check the one place unseen and began removing his helmet. His head was protected, but tilting his chin back was one thing I didn’t want to do for fear of manipulating a spinal injury. It also is what finally exposed and opened the small hole in his throat from an apparent piece of shrapnel and he began to bleed profusely. I immediately called the medic away from one of the less seriously wounded to help me with the bleeding. I packed the wound but loosely, not wanting to interfere with what was left of his airway and then pulled him up to my lap so I could maintain pressure on the wound. He was still dying. Running out of options, I checked his airway again and manipulated his tongue†¦show more content†¦Shortly thereafter, he regained life signs and consciousness, attempting to sit up even. I called for a litter and directed he be secured and ready to move, meanwhile contacting the Command Post to provide a situ ation report and moving to check on other casualties at the CCP. At this time I had twelve that needed evacuation and eight more walking wounded. There were barely enough lucid Soldiers to pull security, but my biggest problem was that the QRF had not arrived yet. Searching for an improvised solution for the PL who I believed was expectant at this point, I saw an Afghan National Army truck parked nearby with a driver who seemed as though he was trying to help. I directed that the PL be loaded onto the back of the pickup truck with two ambulatory Soldiers who could pull security on both the surroundings and the driver. I sent the medic to monitor his airway. The interpreter conveyed my directions to the driver to take the Soldiers straight to our Entry Control Point at the AP, and I instructed the PL’s security to take the vehicle by any means necessary if the driver did not follow directions. Our Platoon Leader was now conscious and responsive, and I told him where he was going and why. Less than fifteen minutes after the attack, the PL and his fight for life was on his way to next level care. As the truck pulled off our 3rd Platoon arrived as QRF. The QRF medic took over where ours had left off. All the casualties were stable and