Bradstreet and Wheatley: A Discussion of Two Distinct American Women Poets from the 17th and 18th Centuries

When one peruses an anthology of American literature from centuries past, it is not unusual to find that many of the writers represented are men. However, there were many notable female writers in America back then as well. This essay will discuss two American women poets who lived in two different centuries -- Anne Bradstreet in the 1600s and Phillis Wheatley in the 1700s -- and how the time periods they lived in and their backgrounds affected how their poetry was received

The Accessibility of the American Dream to Racial Minorities in America

For centuries, people have had the American Dream. It has permeated the media in various forms: Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby,” and even the movie “An American Tail,” where animated Russian mice sing, “There are no cats in America and the streets are full of cheese!” The term “the American Dream” was first made popular in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America. Adams believed the American Dream was a “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (214) He did not see it as a dream of riches or material goods, but of being able to reach one’s full potential and to be acknowledged for one’s efforts “regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” (Adams 215) This idea of equal opportunity for all to reach their potentials and to be recognized for their achievements is clearly appealing and immigrants have poured into the United States of America from all over the world chasing this dream. After Christopher Columbus first landed in America, many Caucasian Europeans followed suit and, quickly outnumbering the Native Americans, became the majority race in America. Even with the immigration of millions of Africans, Asians, and Central and South Americans to the U.S., the Caucasians’ status as the majority race has not changed. Since Adams’ vision of the American Dream was that it applied to everyone, it should not matter if a person is a part of a racial minority or not. However, race has always been an issue, no matter where a person may be in the world, and this brings up a pertinent question: while the American Dream is meant to apply to everyone, has it ever really been accessible to everyone, racial minorities included

The Mote in Hazel\u27s Eye: The Blurred Vision of Flannery O\u27Connor\u27s Wise Blood

While some authors start writing their novels with a full outline in mind, Flannery O’Connor’s first novel, Wise Blood, began with a short story written for the Writers’ Workshop at Iowa State in December 1946. This short story, titled “The Train,” was inspired when O’Connor was on a train going home for Christmas. She recalls, “‘There was a Tennessee boy on it in uniform who was much taken up worrying the porter about how the berths were made up” (qtd in Gooch 134). Then, O’Connor wrote Wise Blood’s larger story as a part of her masters’ thesis, but upon hearing about a cash award for a novel written by a Writers’ Workshop student, O’Connor began working on the novel that would eventually come from this story. The resulting product, Wise Blood, left my Senior Seminar class moved, but confused. Wise Blood’s main plotline revolves around Hazel Motes, a man so jaded by religion that he decides to form the Church Without Christ, preaching that everyone is clean if Jesus doesn’t exist. However, a significant portion of the novel is dedicated to the antics of Enoch Emery, a teenage zoo employee who becomes quickly attached to Hazel. He steals a mummy to serve as the “new jesus” Hazel preaches and later becomes completely fascinated by a man in a gorilla suit. While Hazel’s story ends with his death after coming to terms with his faith, Enoch’s story ends with him in a gorilla suit, trying to shake the hands of whoever he encounters. We weren’t sure how Enoch’s subplot related to Hazel’s, or what was really going on in Enoch’s story at all. Since Wise Blood began as a story written for a school requirement, I would like to explore how this unique beginning might have affected O’Connor’s blurred vision for the novel and how it might account for the novel’s seemingly disjointed nature

An Unusual Cause of Abdominal Ascites.

Abdominal ascites is most commonly caused by portal hypertension from liver cirrhosis. When present, portal hypertension is associated with an elevated serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) ≥1.1 g/dL. In contrast, a SAAG < 1.1 g/dL suggests malignancy, tuberculosis, pancreatitis, or nephrotic syndrome. Here, we present a case of low SAAG ascites caused by epithelioid peritoneal mesothelioma in a woman with no known liver disease. The diagnosis proved elusive until diagnostic laparoscopy with biopsy was performed

Relations amoureuses et sexualité : perspectives d'adolescents et de jeunes adultes vivant avec le VIH depuis la naissance

Les jeunes infectés par le VIH depuis la naissance, maintenant au seuil de l'adolescence, doivent non seulement faire face aux enjeux développementaux propres à l'adolescence mais aussi composer avec une maladie chronique, sexuellement transmissible et socialement stigmatisée. Peu de recherches ont porté sur la vie amoureuse et à la sexualité de cette première génération d'adolescents. S'appuyant sur un devis mixte (qualitatif et quantitatif), cette étude vise à décrire les perspectives de ces jeunes au sujet : 1) des relations amoureuses et sexuelles; 2) de la gestion des risques; et 3) des enjeux de divulgation du statut infectieux. Pour ce faire, dix-huit adolescents et jeunes adultes, âgés de 13 à 22 ans qui ont été suivis par les services pédiatriques du Centre maternel et infantile sur le sida du CHU Sainte-Justine à Montréal, ont participé à une entrevue semi-dirigée individuelle et ont complété un questionnaire autorévélé. Selon les résultats obtenus, la majorité des jeunes s'est adonnée à des activités sexuelles alors que dix d'entre eux ont eu une relation sexuelle avec pénétration (vaginale et/ou anale) à un âge moyen de 14 ans pour les filles et de 15 ans pour les garçons. Tous les jeunes actifs sexuellement ont rapporté avoir utilisé le condom à au moins une reprise. De ceux qui ont rapporté avoir protégé leur première relation sexuelle, plus de la moitié mentionne la prise de risques lors des relations subséquentes (par exemple avoir des relations sans condom ou sous l'effet de l'alcool ou de drogues, activités sexuelles avec des partenaires multiples, etc.). Les entrevues réalisées auprès des jeunes inactifs sexuellement illustrent les interrelations entre les relations amoureuses, l'initiation sexuelle et la divulgation potentielle du statut infectieux. Pour ces jeunes, s'engager dans une relation amoureuse et éventuellement sexuelle ne semble envisageable que dans la mesure où le partenaire est informé de leur statut infectieux. Pour les participants actifs sexuellement, la gestion des risques renvoie non seulement aux risques de transmission du VIH mais surtout au risque d'être rejeté par leur partenaire amoureux dans les situations de divulgation du statut infectieux. Ils sont d'ailleurs une minorité à avoir divulgué leur statut infectieux qu'il s'agisse d'un partenaire sexuel ou amoureux. La perception des risques et les stratégies déployées pour y faire face fluctuent en fonction du contexte relationnel, qu'il s'agisse de rencontres avec des partenaires occasionnels ou stables. Dans le contexte d'une relation avec un partenaire significatif, le condom est perçu comme un rappel de sa différence et comme une barrière à l'intimité. De plus, la perception des risques est relativisée au fil du temps et de l'expérience, en particulier quand la charge virale de l'adolescent est indétectable et que des prises de risques antérieures se sont avérées sans conséquence pour le partenaire. Ces résultats soulèvent des pistes d'intervention éducatives et préventives en matière de santé sexuelle. Ils permettront d'offrir à ces jeunes un accompagnement adapté à leurs besoins à une période critique de leur développement psychosexuel. \ud ______________________________________________________________________________ \ud MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : VIH, transmission verticale, adolescence, relations amoureuses, sexualité, gestion des risques, usage du condom, divulgation du statut infectieux

Interface Design Practice and Education Towards Mobile Apps Development

AbstractMobile apps development has been gaining popularity in Malaysia over the past 3 years. An app usually refers to a software application or programme. Although the development of software applications have been around for decades, app development on mobile devices reached the shores of Malaysia, mainly due to the popularity of Apple's App Store. Software development and complex object-oriented programming have been the exclusive harbour of technology hobbyists, IT professionals and business executives for many years. The flourishing presence of Web applications and the over-whelming influence of social media has augmented our need for greater connectivity, sharing and online presence. These have allowed smartphones and gadgets to become mainstream. This paper looks at how a design institution in Malaysia provides the growth of mobile apps development, and in supporting the national agenda to drive the Malaysian web and mobile application development industry to global standards. The paper highlights the practice and education of user-centered interface design towards mobile apps development in the country

Management of Agitation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has radically altered delivery of care in emergency settings. Unprecedented hardship due to ongoing fears of exposure and threats to personal safety, along with societal measures enacted to curb disease transmission, have had broad psychosocial impact on patients and healthcare workers alike. These changes can significantly affect diagnosing and managing behavioral emergencies such as agitation in the emergency department. On behalf of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry, we highlight unique considerations for patients with severe behavioral symptoms and staff members managing symptoms of agitation during COVID-19. Early detection and treatment of agitation, precautions to minimize staff hazards, coordination with security personnel and psychiatric services, and avoidance of coercive strategies that cause respiratory depression will help mitigate heightened risks to safety caused by this outbreak