Magnifying and Obscuring Essay Example for Free

Magnifying and Obscuring Essay The stories of John Updike’s â€Å"AP† and William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† both make use of the first person point of view in narration but with very different and quite powerful effects that also affect other elements of the story. The ways in which these two stories play with the individual elements of a piece of fiction show just how important it is to make sure that these individual elements are all taken cared of and built-up with equal care and attention, because a problem with one element can result into a problem with the entire story; the elements must all be able to work together to support each other and to weave a tight story. â€Å"AP† uses the first person, non-omniscient, singular point of view (POV) narration to build rapport with the main character, Sammy [for example: â€Å"Im in the third check-out slot, with my back to the door, so I dont see them until theyre over by the bread; I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through. † (Updike 560)]. This connection with Sammy is a very important one because it is pretty much the driving force of the story; learning of what’s going on in a teenage boy’s head while there are half-naked girls walking about can make an interesting read. This point of view is really what helps push the reader on along as she or he plods through the â€Å"AP† plot. With â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, on the other hand, we are given the first person, non-omniscient, plural point of view. Obviously, because it is plural it cannot be the view of the main character, Miss Emily Grierson. Instead we seem to have the entire story narrated to us by the entire town [â€Å"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral; for a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin† (Faulkner)]. This works to increase the mystery that surrounds Miss Emily and her house because we never really knew what she is thinking or feeling. This point of view, giving an air of mystery, again, helps push the reader on to discover what happens throughout the story. Relating with the use of the POV are the different story plots. Here, we can see a great difference between â€Å"AP† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† because we find that one is mainly character-driven while the other has a strong plot that keeps the readers going through the story. It is â€Å"AP† that is, obviously, character-driven because of its simple plot of a boy wanting to elicit the attention of some pretty girls, which is quite common. Even the events in the story and the simple chronological way that it folds are quite ordinary; it is really Sammy – his thoughts and his feelings – that make a reader interested in the story. And, even up to the ending, readers are all interested only in Sammy’s fate and no one else’s [â€Å"I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter† (Updike 564)]. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, on the other hand, we have a story with a strong plot, aided by the effective point of view narration, which moves the story along. The story hooks readers into the plot by making them curious about who Miss Emily Grierson is from the very beginning – readers are wondering why she is a â€Å"fallen monument† and what is so interesting about the â€Å"inside of her house† (Faulkner). The non-linear timeline that the story follows also strengthens the mystery of Miss Emily because the building block to her life must be pieced together slowly and with a certain amount of intuition, at first. Now, the characters of the two stories are also very different – one is as open to us as a book laid flat-open, while the other is mystery to the very end. With Sammy of â€Å"AP†, we never seem to see a concrete glimpse of in terms of physical appearance but the readers would all know him if they met him. The first person narration lets us in on all the things that makes Sammy think and tick with that little grocery stop. In his observation of the girls, we find a young man with a keen eye and, also, an eye for beauty. He also shows us the ability of a good imagination when he imagines how the girls behave and how their relationships with each other must be like as when he describes the tall girl as: â€Å"a tall one, with black hair that hadnt quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very striking and attractive but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much. † (Updike 561) Sammy, as we can surmise, is a boy that is very much in-touch with his surroundings and his imagination. The characterization of Miss Emily, in contrast, is one that is left murky and shadowy. Because we only see her through the townspeople’s eyes, we never really see her clearly; we can only watch her through the stories, the memories, and the patchwork guesses that these observers give us. But even from this blurry view of Miss Emily through a window, we can see how guarded and closed-off she is from her environment [as when she acted ignorant of Colonel Sartoris’ death (Faulkner)] – the total opposite of Sammy. In â€Å"AP†, we are set-up in a small grocery store that effectively concentrates our attention on no one and nothing else but Sammy and his current preoccupation. The AP grocery store acts as the perfect magnifying glass to help us focus on our main character and how he deals with the current situation. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is set-up up throughout decades of a life and in different places of the town; this manner of a setting makes for even more mystery as the reader tries to fill in all the gaps between the years that the narrators had no contact nor any knowledge of what went on in Miss Emily’s life. The vast setting diffuses the readers’ minds and it wanders across time and space, searching for a complete picture of Miss Emily Grierson. These two stories, perhaps more different than alike, prove that good stories don’t need to follow a certain pattern to mold in order to be good; it is in the writer and the dedication to his work that makes a story count. Works Cited Faulkner, William. A Rose For Emily. 16 February 2008. Fu Jen University: Department of English Language and Literature. 26 June 2009 http://www. eng. fju. edu. tw/English_ Literature/Rose/el-text-E-Rose. htm Updike, John. â€Å"AP†. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature Eighth Edition. Ed.

Alzheimer’s Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, meaning it attacks the neurons within the brain. Neurons are the areas of the brain that allow for chemical messages, or neurotransmitters, to be transmitted. These neurons are necessary for connections with other nerve cells, and without them, the neuronS ultimately die. Alzheimer’s is a form of, and the most common cause of, dementia, or loss of intellectual capacity and personality. ("Dementia.") Alzheimer’s disease, or AD, is not a normal part of aging, although risk of developing the illness increases with age. The onset behavior of the disease normally doesn’t appear until age sixty and older. Though symptoms that appear before age sixty have occurred, it is less common and tends to run in families; these early onset also tend to progress more rapidly. (â€Å"Alzheimer’s Disease†) AD is one of the top ten most leading causes of death in America. In fact, estimates say that as many as 5.1 million people in the U.S. may have Alzheimer’s; that number steadily increasing with the growing elderly population. (â€Å"About Alzheimer’s†) In the last forty years, AD has become a prevalent topic amongst the medical and non-medical communities affecting lives and families; giving us motive for further our understanding of the brain. Alzheimer’s disease has been known since the turn of the century but was not a prevalent concern until the 1970s. In 1907, Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, documented a case of a fifty-one-year-old woman who was suffering from severe cognitive disabilities. She exhibited difficulties in areas such as memory, language, and social interactions. (Reger 1) After death, Alzheimer performed a brain autopsy using silver staining techniques. This allowed him to ... ...int. â€Å"Dementia.† Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 02 May. 2015. Reger, Beth. "Alzheimer's Disease: A Brief History and Avenues for Current Research." Journal of Young Investigators: Undergraduate, Peer-Reviewed Science Journal 6.2 (2002): 1-3. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. Robinson, Lawrence, Joanna Saisan, and Jeanne Segal. "Alzheimer’s Disease: Signs, Symptoms, and Stages of Alzheimer’s." Helpguide.org: Expert, Ad-free Articles Help Empower You with Knowledge, Support & Hope. HelpGuide, Mar. 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. "Studies Demonstrate Link Among Alzheimer's Disease, Down Syndrome and Atherosclerosis." ScienceDaily, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 3 May 2015. Wattamwar, Pandurang, and P. Mathuranath. â€Å"An Overview of Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease.† Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology 13.6 (2010): 116. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 12 April 2015.

Philippine History Essay

I admire what Jose Rizal did in helping and gaining the liberty and freedom of our country. What he did was heroic because he fought for freedom in a silent but powerful way. He did not form and train soldiers and use swords and guns in fighting for democracy. He did the very effective tactic in inspiring and educating his fellow Filipino. His writings were very powerful that had opened the eyes of millions of Filipinos in that time. It serves as their encouragement during their very disappointing situation. Jose Rizal awakened the Filipino’s hopes and dreams to have freedom and peace for every while living under the abusive and corrupt Spaniards. He expressed his love to the people through his inspiring novels, essays, articles and poems rather than a force of aggression. Rizal’s great love and sensitivity to the needs of the people especially to the misfortune ones was overwhelming as evidence by his sincere services to the people as doctor, engineer, teacher, artist, farmer, and the like. His impressive intelligence made a great impact to all and that’s what makes him the Philippine Hero.This is just some of Rizal’s traits that prove his heroic deeds to our country. His honoring deeds has to be followed and live by everybody. His example is exceptional and worthy to be called a Hero. I am convince that such act may seem unattainable but it starts with doing the right thing in some little ways may a big difference and impact to the society. Being a teacher was one of Rizal’s profession and if all teachers would have the same passion as of Rizal, surely a small town, city and country would also produce great students and/or citizens of our country. The Philippine revolution led by Andres Bonifacio was fueled by the writings of Jose Rizal, the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, which made a more lasting impression. This is one of the best arguments of those who believe that Rizal is rightfully the national hero. Rizal was truly an inspiration to many Filipinos during the Spanish period. According to the historian Rafael Palma, Rizal was more deserving of the national hero title. Rizal was even thought to have suggested that Antonio Luna lead the revolutionary  forces since Luna has studied military science which was a brilliant idea to lessen casualties against the powerhouse Spanish militia. Rizal believed that only an army that was well prepared and had enough arms would ensure victory .

The Human Eye Is A Perfect Well Designed Optical System

Abstract According to the report for the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, at least 1.5 million Americans weakened their vision due to use of technology. However, thanks to advanced technology and innovation people can choose between glasses and contacts as a therapy for improving their eyesight. Contact lenses have become the fastest progressing medical devices in optometry and have seen a number of significant improvements and developments since its existence (Schaeffer, 2011). According to Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, the first plastic contact lenses were produced between 1938-1940 in the United States and the first soft lenses came later in the 70s. Keywords: Contact lenses, glasses, cornea, astigmatism, eye†¦show more content†¦Perovic had. I did not want to look anything like her! First day of school was right around the corner and as I was getting ready for it questions kept circulating in my mind. What would my friends think? I was the only one with glasses. How would I play sports with glasses? Would I still get invited to birthday parties? Will boys like me? Some of my friends thought my glasses were cool, but deep inside I knew they were just trying to make me feel good. I still got invited to the parties, but boys did not like me. But all of that did not bother me as much. What bothered me the most is that I could not play sports with my glasses. They kept slipping from my nose or falling off my face on the ground whenever I tried jumping or doing cartwheels. I thought my life would never be the same.  ¬ Loss of vision can happen at any age, even at birth, it is not only geriatric condition. With increased use of technology people’s eyesight gets worse causing eyestrain, loss of vision and other problems. More than 30 million people in the U.S. wear contact lenses due to eye conditions such as myopia, hyperopia, keratoconus, astigmatism, or presbyopia (Ã… ¢Ã„Æ'lu et al., 2011). Though contact lenses seem to be a recent phenomenon, the famous Italian architect, mathematician and inventor Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) produced the first known sketches for it five hundred years ago (Siviglia, 2010). This paper will examine the