Either Topic You Choose Is Fine Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Either Topic You Choose Is Fine - Research Paper Example Hawthorne tries to be objective to Puritans showing their good and bad traits in the plot of the novel; he embraces Puritan ideology when it comes to personal traits and values; however, he critiques its practices of biased attitude, severity of laws and collective sense of guilt. Puritans believed that people were born sinners and they had to devote their lives to purify themselves. The sense of guilt was considered to be collective; once the sin was confessed, the punishment needed to be introduced. In Puritan tradition, public shame was the biggest punishment for all people. Peer-policing and judgmental attitude to each other worked effectively to detect and scapegoat â€Å"a bad apple† (Johnson). This tradition was depicted through people’s attitude to Hester Prynne and her child. Marked by the scarlet A, she was supposed to be excluded from the society where she lived. Moreover, she was expected to suffer from guilt and shame caused by this severe punishment. Refusal to make a public confession was unacceptable in Puritan community where Hester lived. She understood that she attracts even more attention when she refused to confess, but she cared about the future of Dimmesdale who was too weak to behave the same way. Despite the expected development of the plot, Hester perceived her sin as a lesson to learn. She developed a great will power and strength to survive public humiliation and isolation. First of all, she did not disclose the personality of Pearl’s father who was a local preacher. Second of all, she learned to live under the circumstances which were designed to humiliate her without guilt. Instead of being destroyed by the sense of guilt, Hester was ready to face the consequences of her â€Å"sin† and cope with them. For instance, when the day of her punishment took place, she â€Å"sustained herself as best a woman might† (Hawthorne). She objected people who wanted to take away her daughter from her

Alzheimers Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alzheimers Disease - Essay Example The frequency of AD increases with each adult of decade life, reaching 20-40% of the population over the age of 85 (Fauci et.al, 2008). It is present in approximately 3% to 11% of people older than 65 years of age and in 25% to 47% of people older than 85% (Seidel et.al, 2006). The cognitive changes with AD tend to follow a characteristic pattern, beginning with memory impairment and spreading to language and visuospatial deficits (Fauci et al., 2008). Initially, patients present with "forgetfulness", with them having difficulty remembering recent events or names of familiar people. However, as the disease progresses, their cognition is affected and they no longer think clearly. Eventually, language deficits will present as problems in speaking, understanding, reading, or writing. Problems with simple activities of daily living (ADL) such as dressing, eating and solving simple calculations will soon follow. The most important risk factors for AD are old age & a positive family history (Fauci, et.al, 2008). The risk for AD increases with increasing age and although the most cases do not show an inheritance patter, there is Familial Alzheimer's Disease which is an inherited and rare form of this disease, occurring at an earlier onset. ... Females are affected more than males. At present, the only way to definitely diagnose Alzheimer'sis through a brain autopsy but for living patients, physicians can correctly diagnose Alzheimer'sdisease about 90 percent of the time based on mental and behavioral symptoms, a physical examination, neuropsychological tests and laboratory tests (Alzheimer's Disease Research, 2008). A thorough subjective and objective assessment is pertinent to do in a patient suspected of having AD. Signs and symptoms experienced by the patient, especially of mental and behavioral deficits, and a complete family history should be obtained from the patient. Physical examination and neuropsychological examinations are also performed to confirm or rule out any pathology causing other types of dementia. Brain scans such as MRI and CT Scan can show characteristic structural changes present in Alzheimer's disease as well as rule out brain tumors or ischemia as the cause for the dementia. EEG can also be performed to measure the brain activity of the patient. Neuropsychological examinations include the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), to help confirm that the patient is experiencing problems with intellectual functions (Alzheimer's Disease Research, 2008). Patients who have a family history should undergo tests in their early 30's to 40's and as a general screening, older population, especially those with initial symptoms should have Health Assessment 4 themselves tested in their 50's or 60's. The tests can be repeated every 6 or 12 months, to verify the degree of progression of the dementia. Non-pharmacological prevention strategies include early prevention and lifestyle modification. Proper diet, regular exercise