Nature v. Nurture in Mark Twains Puddnhead Wilson and Those Extraordi

Nature v. Nurture in Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins What makes a person who they are is a difficult dilemma. Mark Twain's novel, "Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins" is a critical analysis of how nature and nurture can cultivate emotions and free will, which in turn affects the life of individuals. "Twain's faltering sense of direction began about slavery, moral decay, and deceptive realities (Kaplan 314). The debate of `nature versus nurture' has been one of the most intriguing scientific and cultural issues for most of the twentieth century, in determining the behavioral aspects of human beings. The changes in environment, society, education, political influences, family values and morals and other external influences, combined with physical genes determines how mankind will evolve into adulthood. Both nature and nurture, in combination with emotions and free will, control the behavior of human beings and determines who we are. Anthropologists, who study humans and their origins, generally accept that the human species can be categorized into races based on physical and genetic makeup. For example, many slaves had physical differences from their counterpart white race, such as dark skin and wiry hair. Throughout history, the study of Sociology has had a significant impacted the `nature versus nurture' debate. Social Darwinism based its theory on genetic determinism and natural selection, advocating a capitalist economy, promoting racism and the inherent inequality of such as society. Karl Marx, also an advocate for capitalism and slavery, applied the Marxist philosophy to the practice of science, emphasizing environmental influences determined behavior. Max Weber is known his ... ...lard Stern, Nahra, Nancy. American Lives. New York, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 1997 Sandler, Martin W., Rozwenc, Edwin C., Martin, Edward C. The People Make A Nation. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Inc. 1975. Skinner, B.F. A Brief Survey of Operant Behavior. Cambridge, MA: B. F. Skinner Foundation. 1938 Skinner, Ellen A. Perceived Control, Motivation, & Coping. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. 1995. Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins. New York, NY: W. W. Norton and Company, 2005. Wachs, Theodore D. The Nature of Nurture. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. 1992. Wilson, Jim. Criminal Genes. Popular Science. Pars International Corp. New York, NY. November 12, 2002. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/1282176.html

“Blueback” by Tim Winton Essay

Essay Question: How does Tim Winton use the elements of narratives to covey his theme? Have you ever read a story about a boy whose best friend is a fish? In Blueback by Tim Winton this is exactly what happens. Like in many of Winton’s stories Blueback is set in a seaside town in Western Australia. Winton uses the setting, characters, conflict and resolution to portray the message that we should protect the environment and not plunder the oceans for our own benefit. The main Characters in Blueback are Able and his Mum, Dora, who live in the sleepy seaside town of Longboat bay. Winton constructs Longboat bay as a peaceful quite place that belongs only to Able, Dora and Blueback, a place were they enjoy diving and were â€Å"Able swims with his mother in turquoise waters †. Winton constructs this setting to make the reader think of it as a healthy easygoing place to live away from the city. Winton makes Abel’s home sound like a very pleasant place to live being nestled between Longboat bay with its abundant marine life and pristine national park, with thriving wild life. Able and Dora enjoy the simple life and are very self sufficient and do everything from fixing motors to collecting abalone and selling the shells. Able and Dora take advantage of the land and go fishing and planting crops Dora Tells Able that â€Å"Able and his mother lived of the sea and land. Jackson had been living here like this for more than a hundred years†. Able is constructed as a strong willed character that does his best to help other people and the environment. When Able sees Costello â€Å"stripping the reef bare† he goes out to try and stop him and in the process saves Blueback, this to me shows that Abel is a very unselfish person. Another example of able being unselfish is when Longboat Bay is almost ruined by an oil spill, and Able rushes home from the city to try and help. Able and his  wife even quit their jobs to look after his mum when she gets sick. Winton constructs Able as a character that makes us think about the environment and other people more. One of the main conflicts in Blueback is when Able and Dora try to save Blueback from Costello. Able sees Costello taking all the fish and all the Abalone from the bay attempts to stop him. Able quickly boards Costello’s boat and throws the abalone back into the water hoping they might survive. Meanwhile Dora swims down to check on Blueback. Able swam down to his mother and realised that Costello was trying spear Blueback, Costello had already shot one spear that had missed Blueback my the narrowest or margins and was reloading. Unexpectedly Blueback swam away. On the surface Dora told Able that she â€Å"Biffed† the fish on in the head to scare it away. Winton uses this conflict to make the reader think about not taking to much from the ocean for your own benefit and preserving what we have. Costello is constructed as a mean selfish character who is only interested in doing something for his own gain. Costello is the complete opposite of Able and only thinks about himself and doesn’t care for the environment at all. Dora describes Able as a â€Å"hard case† and says there is nothing Able can do to stop him taking all the abalone from Longboat Bay. Even though Able does stop Costello taking more Abalone he still took many undersize fish and broke the law. When Able got on Costello’s boat he saw that, â€Å" the deck was awash with blood, Able had speared fish nearly every day of his life but he had never seen such slaughter like this.† Winton uses Costello’s character makes the reader think about being more aware of actions that may impact other people and the image of a deck awash with blood to make people feel disgust. Winton uses the setting, characters, conflict and resolution to tell his story and to give us the message that we must protect the environment. He does this by having two main settings in Blueback, the first is Able’s home, a peaceful tranquil bay and the second setting, the city which is constructed as a dull noisy place that Able describes as â€Å"hemmed in†. The main message in this novel is that we must preserve what we have.

Enzymes Laboratory Report

ENZYMES LABORATORY REPORT Introduction The utilization of any complex molecule for energy by an organism is dependent on a process called hydrolysis. Hydrolysis breaks complex molecules into simpler molecules using water. Similarly, the process that is the reverse of this is called dehydration synthesis, which removes water from simpler molecules. However, because hydrolysis occurs very slowly, living organisms use biochemical’s called enzymes to speed up the reaction. In this lab exercise, we studied the nature of enzyme actions using live yeast cells as our source of sucrose. The enzyme will then break the sucrose into one molecule of glucose and fructose. Because sucrose is a large molecule that cannot enter most cells, yeast will produce sucrase and secrete it into cell membranes. The sucrose will be hydrolyzed into small six-carbon monosaccharide’s which can enter into the cell membranes. The sucrose can be obtained from a 0. 5 percent solution of â€Å"dry baker’s yeast in water†. In parts A and B, the experiment will study the optimal temperature under which the yeast cells degrade sucrose using varying pH and temperature of the environment surrounding the yeast cells. Part C will study the effects of extreme heat on enzyme activity and part D will focus on the saturation point for enzymes using varying substrate concentrations. Materials and Procedure See pg 79-82 section: Enzymes â€Å"Experiments in Biology from Chemistry to Sex† Fifth Edition By Linda R. Van Thiel Results In test A. ffect of pH, the results we obtained for tube #1 was a solution color of orange and a color activity of 3. For #2 was also orange and color activity of 3. For #3 was orange and a color activity of 3, for #4 was green and a color activity of 1, and finally for #5 was blue and a color activity of 0. From our results, it shows the optimum pH is tube # 1-3. The control in this experiment was test tube 3A, with a pH of 7, as this pH was neutral. In test B. effects of tempera ture, the optimum temperature is shown on our graph to be two different points (either 24 or 60 degrees). For our results we received a solution color of blue for tube 1, and a color activity of 0. For tube 2, we received a solution color of orange and a color activity of 3. For tube 3, we received a solution color of green and a color activity of 1, for tube 4; we received a solution color of orange and a color activity of 3. Finally, for test tube 5, we received a solution color of blue, and a color activity of 0. The highest rates of activity were found in test tubes 2 and 4. The control in this experiment was test tube number 2, which was kept in the temperature environment of 24 C [room temperature]. In test C. Effect of Denaturation, the boiled sucrose and sucrase received slightly lowered color activities than the non-boiled tube. Shown on graph 8. 3, the graph begins with no movement in rate of activity followed by a steady increase in the color activity. The results show that test tube 1, which was boiled sucrase and sucrose, had a solution color of green and a color activity of 1. Test tube 2, which contained boiled sucrase had a solution color of green and a color activity of 1, test tube 3, which contained boiled sucrose, had a solution color of orange and a color activity of 3, finally test tube 4, which was neither boiled, had a solution color of red, and a color activity of 4. From the results, the neither boiled tube had the highest color activity. The control in this experiment was test tube 4, which was completely untouched. In test D. Effect if substrate concentration, the higher concentrations of sucrose received a higher color activity. The graph is represented by a constant followed by a steady drop as the concentration of sucrose decreases. The results showed that in test tube 1, which contained 100% of sucrose, the solution color was red and the solution gained a color activity of 4. In test tube 2, the concentration of sucrose of 50%, and the solution color was also red, which a color activity of 4. In test tube 3, which contained 25% sucrose, the solution color was orange, and had a color activity of 3, in test tube 4, which contained 10% concentration; the solution color was green and had a color activity of 1. In the last test tube, which had no concentration of sucrose, the solution color was blue, and had no color activity. The control in this experiment was test tube 5 which contained no sucrose at all. Discussion In the first test, the test of the effect of pH, the results show the effect of pH increases the rate of reaction as having a slightly acidic pH will increase the actual reaction while supporting a more basic pH will decrease the reaction. In our results, it shows that the pH reaches an optimum pH of 7 before decreasing. The results are not completely accurate, as the first three tubes all had a color activity of 3. The actual results should have had a slightly higher color activity for the optimum pH (which would have been from a pH of 5-6) and a lower color activity for the starting and ending pH. Experimental error may be caused by unwashed test tubes and slightly inaccurate amounts of solution being placed into test tubes. The second test consisted of the effects of Temperature. Temperature (as represented in graph 8. 2) increases rate of reaction in the enzyme until reaching an optimum point, and then decreasing rapidly. However, in our results, we were accurate until we reached the optimum point, (37 degrees). Instead of this being the highest point for rate of reaction, we obtained a color activity of 1. Because 37 degrees was the optimum temperature, this should have been the highest point and the highest rate of activity. However, we had an experimental error in the form of accidently placing the 3rd tube in the wrong temperature environment. The third test consisted of the effects of Denaturation. In this test, the tube that showed the highest color activity was tube four because it was not exposed to the higher temperatures. Enzymes that are boiled, or exposed to extreme temperatures could denature the protein component thus destroying the enzyme. However, by boiling the substrate, the enzyme’s rate of reaction increases. However in our data, the first and second test tube should have contained no color activity as such extreme temperature would have already destroyed the enzyme. There could have been experimental error in the length it took to boil the test tube as it may not have reached its required amount. The last test consisted of the Effects of Sucrose Concentration. By increasing the amount of substrate, the rate of reaction will also increase as it is more likely that substrate molecules are closer to an enzyme molecule. However, this is only true to a certain limit as demonstrated in the chart. Both test tube 1 (which contains 100% of sucrose) and test tube 2 (which contains 50% of sucrose) have the same color activity despite the significant difference in concentration. This is because the concentration of substrates has reached an approximate saturation point, which is seen in this enzymatic reaction to be 50%.

Future of Food Essay

In the passed couple of decades, the foods we deem to be natural or of the Earth are instead Genetically Engineered. The term Genetically Engineered does not mean that the entire vegetable or food is fake but rather means that there is at least one genetically modified ingredient in the food that is sold all over stores, which raises a great health concern for many people. In the feature production of the documentary known as The Future of Food looks at how modern day technology has changed the food we consume and the effects it can have on our health. In watching this film about all the advancements that science has come to in the world with the food being eaten everyday, both the positive and negative effects of all those technological changes, its only right to think of the countries that barely have enough food in general or the people who are losing their livelihoods because of the advancements created by science in first world countries. A first world country like the United States has not only a great amount but also lots of variety of nutrition; however, even this is still not enough to â€Å"satisfy† such a wealthy nation because steps are still being taken to continue to â€Å"improve† nature. Projects were done that helped produce corn in all kinds of different colors and creating bigger than normal sized strawberries. A question seems to arise, is all this technological advancement necessary? Are we as a society taking unnecessary measures to â€Å"fix† something that is natural and worked since the beginning of time? In the medical world, many health problems have been examined where food and nutrition were identified as partial contributors to the problem. This film helped in explaining how enzymes are used to knick corn DNA and how foreign DNA was then presented into the corn cell walls. Consuming the genetically modified corn caused allergic reactions and stirred a health concern about labeling genetically modified foods. In my particular opinion it should be the people’s right to know whether the food they’re ingesting has been altered genetically or tempered with from its natural state. Nevertheless, this does not belittle the question as to why it is necessity to alter the food in the first place. In order to formulate a ground based opinion I need to weigh the positives and negatives. Natural food always has the benefit of being â€Å"natural,† however, genetically engineered foods sometimes has the advantages of looking more appealing, tasting better and/or having a longer lasting flavor. I have experienced this first hand I have grown a distaste to certain organic foods simply because they just didn’t taste nearly as good as those that are genetically engineered even though the organic foods were supposed to be fresher and of course natural. This certain taste for food could just be that I got too used to the taste of all the preservatives that go into foods. It’s interesting how I got used to chemically preserved foods and genetically engineered tastes that overtime became the good tasting ones while the healthier ones were rejected by my taste buds. Another benefit is that genetically engineered foods end up being cheaper because they have a greater resistance to environmental conditions that would normally spoil the unaltered form and are also made in quantities not given the same attention organic foods are given to be fresh and ripe. Being that they are made in greater quantity, they are available for more people for cheaper prices, becoming the food of choice. The question would be, are the quantities made and the decrease in prices good enough to outweigh the negative effects of genetically engineered food? Another point and question would be why do many countries still remain unfed and continue searching for methods to feed their fast growing populations if these genetically engineered foods are produced in such a surplus manner? Keeping the advantages of genetically engineered foods in mind, there are definitely several noteworthy disadvantages too. An advantage was the surplus of food, however, how is it a benefit if such foods are harming the body? Some would agree that it is better to feed and raise a healthy smaller sized population with natural, unaltered forms of food than to infect a large population and have them suffer from the repercussion caused by the food they had consumed. Also, most people that are not keeping up with this field of work do not know that there are these bodies that have consumed the modified foods for such prolonged time periods and have overtime probably developed immunity to the side effects the modifications can have. In these genetically engineered foods the DNA is altered, and just as changes in human DNA lead to disorders, consumption of foods with altered DNA may have the same fatal effects. Certain genetic modifications can even go as far as cause cancers and brain and organ damage. A huge disadvantage that most people do not notice, especially those who live in urban areas, is that due to the production of the genetically altered foods a lot of farmers have been put out of jobs. These farmers are not needed as much anymore because more crops can be made for cheaper and therefore they no longer make as much money on each crop they plant and sow as they once did, as was shown in Central American countries. Now days, while technology could be helping the economy by decreasing the price of foods for people, it is also harming people who depended on the unaltered food to bring them income. The U. S. economy and industry is choosing quantity over quality, which is not beneficial to our health but instead just our wallets. I believe that its not fair for people not to know what is in their foods and usually people don’t seek food that can hurt them, therefore, it was crucial that the â€Å"Genetically Engineered Right to Know† act get passed. It would allow people to know what they are consuming from the labels on the foods and therefore prevented conditions that could’ve risen from individuals allergic to a modified substance. The Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration is supposed to be on top of the foods produced and their effects. Nevertheless, it seems that genetically modified foods don’t cause enough of a significant threat in order for them to take action and stop the advancement, rather than promote it and seek ways to improve it. What would bring this matter to a flashing red alert? Though I admitted that genetically altered food does taste better, I still do not agree with the fact that I am consuming and enjoying the taste of unhealthy food. People often look for the most ripe fruits and healthy looking vegetables when they go shopping, but for a lot of produce these bigger fruits and vegetables end up being the modified ones. Though I personally have only been able to see the advantages of these foods, I realize that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits of having genetically modified foods. From a realistic point of view, being a student on a low budget it would be unpractical for me to purchase anything but the cheap genetically altered food. Looking even at the bigger picture, many individuals and families have the same outlook I do. Therefore, many people may be against the genetic modification of food, yet not much course of action will be taken. People are comfortable with their life styles, making the cases and effects of modified foods not seem like such a big deal. This shows that the wrong approach is probably being taken to bring this to significant awareness. To promote foods that are not going to be altered, there needs to be ways to produce the same great quantities and keep prices affordable under the economic conditions of the country and the budget of the average American Family. It was crucial to pass an act that will help identify the genetically engineered goods but still it is not sufficient enough to solve the issue at hand. This matter is truly a very controversial issue, containing both pros and cons; therefore, we as a government and a knowledgeable society we need to take a stand and incorporate more ideas in to solving this domestic problem.

Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Essay - 3

Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information - Essay Example There is virtually no need to worry about differences in opinions since they are healthy so long as people remain calm and state their opinion in a polite manner. Respect is therefore identified as an effective communication tool which allows you to do that because it emphasizes the other person’s right to have a different viewpoint to your own. There doesn’t have to be a right and a wrong in everything. b. Focus on the other person Being in another person’s shoes ought to facilitate communication. One should be able to understand and appreciate that whatever he or she is saying is expressed with a lot of ease. It is thus advisable that one really listens to what another person is saying and gives him/her a good chance to speak. It is worth noting that much impossibility accompanies any action of trying to speak and listen at the same time. So one needs to make sure there is much time when he/she is not speaking, so that he/she can listen what the other person ha s to say. Take note of what is being said. c. Read between the lines Any assumptions have the possibility of leading to several problems, but there is a middle ground. Over and over again, people can be nervous of speaking their mind, but their worries and their feelings do not get away, they just fester and make people feel bad. One is proficient enough to employ some knowledge about the person being spoken to, to be familiar with situations of holding back on another person. He/she could then gently look into in the area or reassure them that they are safe to speak their mind. Determining where the gaps are in a situation that entirely depends more so on being sensitive to the next point. d. Body language It may be of surprise that more of the messages are conveyed through body languages than by verbal communications. One has to ensure that your body language says that you are open and willing to listen, and watch out for what the other person’s body language is saying to y ou. Reading body language is a really effective communication skill. e. Considering responses A number of conversations are thrown off course by an overemotional response. That destroys effective communication and can be evaded via taking deep breaths, stepping back slightly and thinking prior to speaking. An efficient communication proficiency that is often over-looked is the acknowledgment of gender divergences in communication. One fact is that men in most cases do communicate on factual levels, while women do it on emotional levels. It can lead to misapprehensions. Action Plan Good goals are effective in enhancing communication skills. SMART (Specific and Strategic; Measurable; Action Oriented; Rigorous, Realistic and Results Focused; Timed and Tracked) goals framework is a fundamental tool for individuals to use in creating effective goals and action plans. Specific and Strategic (S) A Goal needs to be simple and plainly written, with adequate specificities to determine whether they have been accomplished. A goal is defined as strategic only if it serves a significant purpose and when it concentrates on something which is likely to have a large impact on the overall vision. Measurable (M) Whatever is cannot be measured, cannot be managed whatsoever. What measures of quantity, quality, and/or impact can be used to determine whet

An empirical study of the existing Indian fashion brands operating in Essay

An empirical study of the existing Indian fashion brands operating in the United Kingdom fashion market - Essay Example It is the fashion designer’s job to create fashion and make clothing for those demanding fashionable clothes. The fashion designers influence the prevailing fashion tremendously and have a grave effect on what will the future fashion be (Images KSA Technopak Study, 2005). As Rabolt & Soloman (2004) explain, global fashion is when a particular type of fashion is famous across the globe for instance big brand names like Channel and Armani. Fashion has become an international commodity because with globalization, people travel form one country to another taking their culture and traditions with them. They cannot completely adapt to the environment of the region they are travelling to because their culture and tradition as may differ from that region. However, Zwaag and Nagrath (2005) defend that they also want to mingle with the people and thus seek to dress in a way that is somewhat mid way –it represents their culture and at the same time helps them be a part of their current surroundings. Moreover, those who experience people from other cultures coming into their country, are influenced by them and they also want to alter their way of dressing etc. thus such an interaction of people belonging to different cultures evolves fashion as people dem and clothes that is a product of the influence of different cultures. New art, culture, tradition etc, also inspire the fashion designers and they seek to incorporate that into their work. Thus as Rabolt & Soloman (2004) add, with globalization, fashion has broken its bounds of traditional cultures and seeks to become global. Indian Fashion industry has become global as globalization influenced the country. With India’s economic boom, many industries prospered and so did the Indian fashion industry as the purchasing power of the people increased. Moreover, according to Schiffman and Kanuk

Plays of William Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plays of William Shakespeare - Essay Example Everything in life had its place and every individual was expected to respect the social hierarchy. The Elizabethan age had its own unique rules about the social structures in the society and people were bound by the social rules. The main objectives of these rules were to ensure that the society followed a certain social values and that the class structured is maintained in the society. In his plays – Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, The Tempest, Richard III, and Othello Shakespeare certainly addresses the idea of an ordered society as well. In all the plays these characters both uphold and break down assumptions about the ordered world in Shakespeare’s time by conforming to the society’s values and at the same time breaking the social order. In Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice is the slave of a pert tongue. She is extremely intellect, wild and strong. Unlike the other female characters in the play, she does not want to bow down to the patriarchal rule. In the p atriarchal society of the play, the women are governed by values of the society imposed by the men. Men in turn are governed by their expectations in their women. Male superiority and the subordination of women are seen throughout the play. This is mainly because of the fact that during that period men were considered to be superior in the society. The character of Beatrice does not conform to the typical characterization of the Elizabethan time, but it must also be kept in mind that this may be done to portray the strong characters in a farcical way. Beatrice is portrayed as a strong character who speaks her mind. Her pert tongue and her quick thinking can be seen when with her sharp reply to Benedick, â€Å"It is so indeed, he is no less than a stuffed man, but for the stuffing - well, we are all mortal" (Shakespeare). She often uses her wit and play with words to win an argument. This type of attitude and wit in a woman is rarely portrayed in Elizabethan era where women were tre ated as second class citizens. By portraying Beatrice as a witty, clever and strong character, Shakespeare breaks the social order of the women’s role in a society. In the play The Tempest, Shakespeare dissolves the society and embraces a new social order. In the play, Caliban is portrayed as the offspring’s of the devil and a witch, but at the same time he represents the creature of the earth. Throughout the play, he is referred many times as "natural man†, this is in sharp contrast to the Elizabethan social order. Like the character portrayal of Beatrice in â€Å"Much Ado about nothing† Caliban is given a place in a society which breaks the rigid social stratification. Caliban does not follow the social hierarchy by refusing to be under anyone’s control. Caliban acts on his own instincts and cannot be suppressed by Prospero as he loves his freedom. He made it very clear that he is the rightful owner of the Island, â€Å"I must eat my dinner. This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother, which thou tak'st from me. When thou cam'st first† (Shakespeare). This breaks down the social hierarchy as any land belongs to the king and cannot be claimed by people of lower status. But, then again, we also see the obvious social implications regarding the hierarchy, with the representations of Caliban’s character. In Shakespearean time, the social classification was rigid and he illustrates this rigid social structure throughout the play. He exemplifies how men of a certain