Essay Shooting an Elephant

In the essay Shooting an Elephant,George Orwell uses plenty of imagery to show a specific scene to the reader. He goes into full detail during the shooting to evoke his senses and emotions at the time of the event. This is shown to the audience when describing the natives and the gruesome deaths of the Dravidian coolie and the elephant.

Orwell claims to be "all for the Burmese and all against the British and his ideas are truly apparent in his descriptions of the "wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lockups...who had been Bogged with bamboos," who are portrayed as victims of harsh British rule. The prisoners had been dealt with like animals and were stored restrained in small cramped rooms inside the maximum inhumane situations. Revealing the dirty work of the British empire by operating as a police officer, Orwell encounters the brutalities of the empire up near.

After coming across "an old woman...violently shooing away a crowd of naked children, he witnesses a dead body sprawling in the mud. The imagery used to explain the corpse graphically paints a gloomy portrait: his face had scored a trench a foot deep and a couple of yards long. He was lying on his belly with arms crucified and head sharply twisted to one side. His face was coated with mud, the eyes wide open, the teeth bared and grinning with an expression of unendurable agony."

At the moment that the narrator looks back on the crowd of natives behind him, he depicts the people as a sea of yellow faces, hungry for action and excitement. The image of a rumbling sea, tossing and turning with excitement, creates a sense of power behind the fa?§ade of the once helpless natives. Even though Orwell did not want to kill the tranquil creature he knew that it was the only thing he could do to not look like a fool in front of the natives. This shows that he was being forced to do something he wasn't really able to do on his own. Orwell feels this power as a firm force pressuring him to shoot the elephant.

Orwell paints a picture for the reader so vivid that one feels as if they are prone on the hillside. After firing two more rounds he goes on to say that was the shot that did for him. "You could see the agony of it jolt his whole body and knock the last remnant of strength from his legs...He trumpeted, for the first and only time. And then down he came, his belly towards me, with a crash that seemed to shake the ground where I lay." - After firing his two remaining rounds into the elephant's chest, "thick blood welled out of him like red velvet...the tortured breathing continued without a pause".

He compared the blood to red velvet, he presents a visual and richly textured picture that sticks out from the opposite language and efficiently increases the gravity of the death. He describes these horrible events with such detail that the reader is guaranteed that they are forever burned into Orwell's mind.

Orwell uses the imagery in this essay to move the reader's senses and obtains feelings of sympathy for not only the elephant but Orwell himself. Ultimately, this essay helps as an extended metaphor for his feelings towards the British imperialist regime. His hatred for the empire under which he serves and mixed feelings towards the Burman people is obvious throughout the body of work.

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Orwell is Working as the Police

Orwell is working as the police officer of Moulmein, Burma, a British colony. In the eyes of the village, Orwell is, like the rest of the English, a military occupier, leaving him loathed by the majority of the village. Although the villagers never stage a revolt, they do express their repugnance by harassing Europeans at every given opportunity. Orwell is tripped up during soccer games and insults are hurled at him as he patrols the streets of Moulmein. Even the young Buddhist priests torment Orwell. While Orwell may hold military supremacy and symbolic authority, he is still relatively powerless against the jargons and abuses he receives from the Burmese people.

Orwell is both theoretically and secretly on the Burmese side and is opposed to the domineering empire he serves, so the actions of the Burmese people confuse him. With his role of handling despicable prisoners, grants him a firsthand view of the dirty work of Europe, causing him to feel enormously guilty for his role in everything. This leads Orwell to contradictory thinking and causes him to pit different sets of his personal principles against each other. It is apparent that his morality starkly opposes the abuses that are caused by both his empire and his role within that empire. With his hasty bitterness of being humiliated, paired with a sense that those participating in this humiliating, should see him as their superior and their better. While Orwell considers the British Empire an immoral tyranny, he still despises the impudent Burmese who continue to make his time there, torture. Orwell even states that his mindset is one that is shared by many of the other officers in the British Raj.

Orwell's story takes a turn when one day he receives a call from another policeman, informing Orwell that a rogue elephant has been rampaging through town. Orwell makes his way to where the elephant was last seen. En route, locals explain to Orwell that the elephant is having an outbreak of the must, when a tame elephant who is held in chains, breaks their restraints and goes berserk. This is where the elephant can be viewed as a symbol of colonialism. Much like the Burmese people who have been colonized and who also torment Orwell, the elephant has been provoked into this destructive behavior by being oppressed. As Orwell continues to track the elephant, he tries to make out what is what in this situation.

Much like is previous experiences in Asia, he is discovering that the story begins to make less sense as he gains more knowledge. In the same way, he does cannot comprehend precisely how he squeezes into the power dynamics of colonial Burma, Orwell struggles with finding a clear narrative of the elephant's mysterious rampage. Clearly, colonialism and the power dynamics it involves are much too intricate to be withheld in a single straightforward point of view.

After finding a victim of the elephant lying dead in the mud, Orwell orders a subordinate to retrieve a firearm large enough to stop an elephant in its gigantic tracks. As the gun is brought to Orwell, he discovers that the elephant is in a nearby rice field. Now followed by almost the entire village, Orwell walks to the field. Even previously disinterested residents are now following after hearing of the weapon Orwell is carrying, wishing to see the great beast shot. Orwell's feelings of discomfort become apparent as he had not planned on shooting the animal, he had simply wanted it as self-defense. However now with the pressure of the whole village weighing on him, it appears that the Burmese appear to wield the power over Orwell, undermining the colonial hierarchy.

Orwell no longer appears as an authoritative figure, rather a spectacle, he begins to sense he cannot completely control the situation he has been placed in. Orwell and the crowd enter the rice fields, only to discover a calm animal eating grass. Orwell compares killing an elephant to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery, and now looking at a peaceful animal, he comes to the decision that he cannot shoot it. Orwell empathizes with the oppressed Burmese, identifying that the elephant is a passive, peaceful creature that has been ushered into rebellion only by its maltreatment. Much like the elephant is to Orwell, Burma is essentially a valuable piece of property, yet another metaphorical link between colonialism and the peaceful elephant.

As the crowd grows to over two thousand people, Orwell feels as he is a magician tasked with entertaining his crowd, and comes to the conclusion that he is now obliged to shoot the elephant. By being placed in front of a crowd, Orwell has to take on a performative persona that makes him act opposite to every rational instinct within his body. Orwell states, when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. Realizing that he committed to killing the elephant the moment he spoke for the weapon to be brought. Orwell cannot tolerate mistreatment from the people, even though he realizes that he, a colonist, is in the wrong.

Orwell continues to fight his inner thoughts to kill the elephant. He says that it appears Grandmotherly to him killing it would be a waste of an expensive commodity, along with a form of murder. Orwell decides to approach the animal, putting himself in danger in order to see if the animal behaved aggressively, and if it did, he would shoot. Orwell's fear of humiliation is now the driving force behind his decisions. It appears that the conventions of imperialism are what is causing Orwell to feel bound to perform such an inhumane and irrational deed. He loads the gun, lies down, and takes aim.

Orwell's description of the elephant's distress is unbearable, and Orwell is clearly emphasizing the barbarity of his actions. He depicts the elephant as almost most magnificent right as it falls with defeat, symbolizing its moment of bodily defeat, becoming a more powerful representation of the illogical viciousness of colonization. The way in which Orwell killed the elephant, is in the same as how the British are inhumane not out of necessity, but rather out of ignorance regarding both the land and the people it has colonized.

Orwell's decision to kill the elephant was contentious. The owner of the Elephant was angry, with right. However, being Indian, had no legal right to react. Orwell continues to note that he is thankful that the elephant killed a man, giving his actions legal reasoning. Orwell even ponders if any the other police officers would understand that he killed the elephant solely to avoid looking like a fool. Orwell's conclusion is that although logic can be paced into colonialism from afar, the real underlying inspiration of its savagery is the simple triumph of irrational uncertainty and the role-playing over ethics or human empathy.

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Modern Political History

The many aspects of one's life aids in the creation of an identity. The way an individual defines themselves showcases what matters in his or her life. Religion, gender, employment, and more recently political affiliations have facilitated in determining one's identity. The term identity politics supports this idea of an identity being associated with a political party. More recently within history, choosing a political party to support does not necessarily need to coincide with what you believe in but focuses more on the person that you think you are. In other words, the idea of identity politics focuses on the idea of supporting a group not for the message that the candidates preach but instead the social group in which people identify with.

In modern political history, identity politics has made its way into the past couple presidential elections. While having a bias over a certain candidate may not always be the most reasonable but in the case of Hilary Clinton in the 2016 election, her supporters mostly being female is defensible. For many females, Clinton was able to give women a voice and was seen as an advocate for all of the female endeavors throughout history. On the contrary, there are many disagreements to go against the reasoning behind the immense female support and to showcase all of the wrong within identity politics. To sum, Clinton provided females with a sense of hope which is why she gained so many females devotees; however, after her defeat, Clinton and her female supporters were equally disappointed, and the loss had an impact on the female community.

The large amount of female support for Hilary Clinton in the past presidential elections stems down to the large amount of oppression that females have faced. Over the course of American and world history, women have faced oppression in almost every aspect of life. In roughly every culture, females are seen as less powerful compared to males.

This has created an undeniable hierarchy between the two sexes. The demand for equality officially began in 1848, when 300 women and men signed the Declaration of Sentiments at Seneca Falls wanting an end to the segregation and discrimination against women. Before this, women were treated poorly and only seen as the caretaker of the home. Their main duties involved caring for the family, child bearing, cooking, and cleaning. On the other hand, the role of the man was to support the family economically. Many females have stood up for this cause and have started a feminist movement to gain female power. Activists such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were some of the first females to share their voice and to speak on behalf of the entire female community demanding for more rights and equality of the sexes.

This new wave of feminism also created the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 which further expanded and strengthened the fight. The goal of this organization was to fight for an amendment that granted women with the right to vote. Earlier that same year, the 15th amendment was established allowing black men the right to vote. This change added fuel to the fire and inspired many females to keep fighting for their cause. In 1869, Wyoming territory was the first to grant females twenty-one and over the right to vote. This again motivated members of the National Woman Suffrage Association to keep fighting for their goal. Eventually, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho implemented this right. By 1918, approximately seventeen more states and territories permitted women to share their voice and were allowed to cast their ballot in elections.

Numerous speeches, parades, walks, meetings, and various other forms of demonstrations eventually caught the eye of President Woodrow Wilson and other government officials over the course of the long fight that the women have sustained. During these events to raise awareness for women's right, many females were injured or served jail time. Despite the pain and the loss of time that some of these women endured, all felt that it was a necessary inconvenience in order to reach their end goal. In 1918, Wilson showed female support foreshadowing the end to the female injustices.

One of the most important break throughs for female rights is the right for females to vote. Voting allows for people to have their voice heard and to be a part of a change. To emphasize, one of the greatest gifts about living in the United States and having a government based off of elections is being able to share an opinion on the issues effecting both males and females. Almost one hundred years of fighting finally granted US women the right to vote. On August 26, 1920, Females were permitted the right to vote under the addition of the 19th amendment. After the females gained the right to vote, over eight million females shared their voice in the election of November 1920.
The opportunity for women to vote created an alliance amongst all females.

The unity over fighting for equal rights has created a political identity amongst women over any candidate that expresses female rights and showcases what women fought over for decades. Hilary Clinton embodies this dream that females once thought would never be possible which is the main reason why her past presidential election gained so many female supporters. For so many years, women were fighting simply to share their opinion on who they thought should be president; however, none of them ever imagined a female being in the oval office. Nevertheless, the one-hundred-year fight that women endured for their right to vote created a union and bond amongst women which is evident in the immense amount of female support of Hilary Clinton in the presidential election of 2016.

As previously mentioned, the historical context of women oppression has paved the road ultimately creating a strong female community. Hilary Clinton used this knowledge to attempt and gain all of the female supporters for her political elections. Clinton knew that females wanted to see a change after all of the hardships that they needed to undergo to simply receive the right to vote. In other words, if a female was in the oval office, then there could be real changes and the female vision would be completed. Clinton started making her feminist army during the 1995 World Conference for Woman. At the time, she was the first lady of the United States; however, females still viewed her as a link to women's rights.

During Clinton's speech and plea, Clinton refers to herself as the voice for all of the females that do not have a voice. She strategically mentions all of the endeavors that females have had to endure such as female abuse, prostitution, and the right to have an abortion trying to bring out the sympathy and also the anger within women to demand a change. Additionally, the speech is to motivate females and to have them thinking about their lives. Clinton does not want the females to have at peace with their current situation and instead, she wants them to have an uprising. She finalizes her speech by leaving female empowered and ready to make a difference:

As long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace around the world -- as long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last, overworked, underpaid, not schooled and subjected to violence in and out of their homes -- the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realized (Hillary Clinton's Plea for Women's Rights)
As a consequence, Hilary Clinton was linked to the female voice. Through the many years that led up to her running for president, Clinton spoke many times about the same subject. Each speech gained her more followers and ultimately allowed her to have a huge female following.

In a like matter, Clinton based her election promises focusing on females and minorities and for the most part excluding the rest of society. Her audience targeted those that have little confidence not to speak on their own. She assured many changes to the female community that would allow them new freedoms and more rights than they have never had. She focused mainly on the single mom community because they were fragile and have been hurt before. Clinton wanted to be the one that these individuals could look upon for comfort and security, to bring them out of their lows in life, and to boost their moral. She worked to reduce the pay gap which has been a persistent issue since men and women have been working together. More specifically women of color have been affected by this the most, so she gained the African American women's support. She worked greatly to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to give equality in the workplace.

Moreover, Clinton worked to help single mothers not only have the choice to create a family but to be able to properly pay for it. Many single mothers were struggling to support their family so Clinton stepped in to be the one that a single mom can rely on. She became the face of Planned Parenthood, an organization that helps provide reproductive care for females that they might not be able to afford otherwise. Clinton donated thousands of dollars for the cause and was even showcased on some of their advertisements. In addition to this, she was forming her campaign off the idea that she will promote affordable contraception as well as safe and legal abortions. Her opposing presidential candidate was anti-abortion which gave her a majority of the votes for females since the mass of women community wanted to have the rights over their own body.

She additionally, plead for the rights of women to have paid leave especially after welcoming a new baby to a family. Clinton showed her understanding of the difficulty of a single mom by expressing her sympathy of how expensive childcare can be. In fact, she worked to promote the Affordable Care Act to emphasize her commitment to mothers being able to afford child care and to support a family. The numerous speeches and endorsements that Clinton was involved in showed the public her devotion to female rights.
Despite the many arguments that Clinton had for the female community, many of her supporters did not follow her campaign and simply voted for Clinton based off of her appearance and what she was to the female community: a woman.

While there are many reasons why someone would vote for Clinton, one of the main reasons is simply because she would be the first female president. One of the listeners on a radio station called National Public Radio, sent in a clip from a conversation he had with his eight-year-old daughter Penelope. In the clip she marvels at the fact that there is a potential woman that could be the first female president of the United States. Penelope also mentions to her father, You should vote for her, after her father asks why she responds with, Because she's a girl (Kurtzleben). Even though this is the mindset of an eight-year-old girl, many people of various ages felt this same way. Making Hilary Clinton president would change history and many people wanted to be involved with the change.

The question of why the United States which is a majority female, has never been run by a woman still persists today. Identity politics plays a huge role in how people chose their candidate for the past election. Many people could identify with Clinton and what she embodied as change for America. Seeing oneself in a potential candidate for the president of the United States would create some bias and fog up judgment. In regards, The question at issue here may well be whether "the issues" and identity can really be separated from each other. For someseeing yourself represented in office can itself be an issue(and) some women's and minority groups' issues haven't gotten as much attention as they might with a more diverse government (Kurtzleben). Political Identity will always be present within elections because voters want to see themselves in future elected members.

As mentioned in the quote, separating identity and issues can be an impossible task that would interfere with the future success of choosing a president based off of their promises and simply not just their appearance.

On the other hand, the use of identity politics creates a diversion within the United States. For many years, women have been fighting to be seen as equal compared to men; however, by creating this feminism organization, it hinders all progress. Clinton used the female supporters simply for votes; however, she never could understand the issues that females have been faced with due to her extremely privileged life. To start, Clinton was an advocate for single moms; nevertheless, was not a single mom herself. This fact makes it hard for females to believe what she was preaching to be true. Many of her supporters caught on to this idea that Clinton might not be the right person to fight for female rights. Visually, Clinton was the ideal candidate to embody what the feminist movement stood for; however, was not able to relate to these women due to the privileges that she had within her life.

A majority of the candidates for the past couple presidential elections have been associated with a specific group simply based off of their appearance. Despite the ability to identify oneself with a candidate, political identity creates corruption within the election system. Choosing a future leader of the United States should be based strictly off of their moral and their promises for the future. With the ideology of political identity, candidates would not need to speak a word and they still would have supporters. The corruption that comes with political identity is not beneficial to the state as a whole and only the only benefit is the creation of sub groups.

The United States has a thirteen-letter traditional motto that embodies the main idea of what the nation stands for. E Pluribus Unum which translate to Latin: Out of Many, one. Over the course of history, this motto has been threatened by the growing division within the states. The idea of political identity aids in this division by not unifying larger groups and only creating smaller subgroups. The ideology of political identity is inclusion to division. This idea works to unify races, genders, and religions but fails to create one United States. Linda Chavez, a FOX News Analyst, talks about the importance of our motto and recognizes how the saying no longer is representative to America as a whole. She further discusses the evil within the elections and how the candidates try to portray mistrust on the other members running for office:
Hillary Clinton plays to her constituencies among minority voters and women, stirring fears that the Republican Party would turn back the clock to the Jim Crow era and deny equal pay for women. Donald Trump stokes resentment among whites that Mexicans and others are stealing their jobs and infesting their neighborhoods with crime (Chavez)

Chavez paints the picture how these presidential candidates are only trying to gain the support only of the people that identify with each. For Clinton, she specifically targets women and minorities. For trump, his audience targets white males. Both candidates, determined to win, create fear and hysteria in order to gain the supporters of their intended subgroups. This fear and resentment last longer than the presidential election. Riots, marches, and speeches stem from this fire created between both of the presidential candidates. Instead of putting water on the flame, they both continue to add oil, hoping it will benefit them when it comes to counting votes.

Since the beginning of America, individuals have been searching to be more than just a skin color. Later on, females wanted to be seen as more than just a housewife and wanted to be in the same position as males. More recently, immigrants and minorities wanted to prove their loyalty to the United States by showcasing that they can be hardworking citizens that is more than just what they were labeled with. These groups that faced oppression no longer wanted to be identified with a name that discrimination them. Instead, all of these subgroups desired to identify as an American and to live with the same rules and respect as other citizens. Through time, this progress has hindered, and individuals are wishing to go back to their previous identity. In the most recent elections, people are voluntarily discriminating themselves and forgetting what their ancestors have worked so hard to receive.

The most obvious downside to political identity is the inequality and the injustices that is creates within the United States. In regard to the 2016 presidential election, Hilary Clinton devoted her time to gaining the support of females and being the voice that these women could count on. This creation of a female subgroup of her supporters caused them to be segregated from the rest of society. Her empowerment caused them to identify with female instead of American. If Clinton were to win, this could help females regain their voice and to feel the power that they have lacked throughout history; however, her loss showcased the diversion and inclusion they created on their own.
In an article preceding the results of the election, Jacobs reveals how the loss for Hilary actually led to a hinderance for women in the workplace.

The article highlights how the devotion of females towards Clinton lead to the belief that female power is still not as great as male power. Since all of Americans knew the intention of Clinton to boost the morale of females and to inspire them to reach heights that they never knew was possible, when Clinton lost, it showcased how females are unable to have the capability to achieve such great heights. If there were to be a scatter in the supporters for Clinton and not just a majority of them female, Americans after the election might not have the same feelings and emotions towards the group.

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Hillary Clinton is a Female Figure

Hillary Clinton is a female figure and is well known around the world. Hillary Clinton is married to former US President Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton is an American politician, and served as the First lady, from 1993 to 2001. Clinton (Hillary) also served from 2001 to 2009, as the Junior US Senator for the state of New York . In addition , Clinton was also the 67th United States Secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Hillary Clinton ran for presidency twice in the last decade, and lost in both elections. Clinton lost to former president Barack Obama and lost to current president Donald Trump.

In both occurrences she won the majority of popular votes but was over passed in the delegate votes. Hillary clinton is known as a Democrat but it wasn't always that way. Hillary Clinton was at one point a Republican, campaigning for Barry Goldwater in 1964. Clinton ended up switching parties in 1968, and went on to work for Democratic nominee, George McGovern in 1972 and Jimmy Carter in 1976. Hillary Clinton is a very well rounded person , sharing many different traits such as knowledge and experience in law, politics, factory working, being nominated and receiving a grammy, journalism, and creative writing. Hillary Clinton has an arsenal of books written by her.

Such as, Hard Choices, Living History, An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History, Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets, It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us, The Unique Voice of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and What now ?. Although only 3 of all the books mentioned were best sellers, its still impressive to have 7 books under her belt even though she isn't an established Writer. One book in particular , What Now ?, caught my attention because Clinton describes the outcomes and the life after her loss in the presidential election. She describes many different ways on how she coped with the reality and pain that the presidential loss brought to her. Clinton shows off her different styles of writing from bibliographies to children's books. Hillary Diane Rodham was born on October 26, 1947.

Hillary Clinton is the big sister of two younger brothers, she was raised in the middle class neighborhood of Park Ridge ,just outside of Chicago Illinois . Coming from humble beginnings ,Hillary's childhood was the picture of the American Family. Her mother ,Dorothy Rodham , was a homemaker and her father, Hugh Rodham, designed and sold drapes. Despite Hillary coming from a republican household and one with traditional views, her parents both decided that their daughter was too intelligent to and too ambitious to be held back and live a mediocre life. Or for anyone to say that she couldn't do something because she was a girl. Outside of being a normal kid involved in various sports such as softball , and swimming. Hillary became obsessed with politics and this was an interest that would be encouraged and fostered by her father.

Between Girl Scout meetings , the student council, and the school newspaper at Maine East High, Hillary was volunteering in political campaigns. At the age of 13 she followed the 1960 U.S. presidential election very close, Hillary uncovered evidence of electoral fraud against republican candidate Richard Nixon. She got to action , getting the word out campaigning anyway that she could, but later on in her career this would be a guy's mess should have to clean up. In Hillary's late teens she found that her childhood supportive Republican party did not pair well with her developing involvement in civil rights and anti-war movements. Midway through her degree at Wellesley College Hillary decided to switch teams and become a democrat. Pursuing her interest in politics and Justice Hillary Clinton decided to sign up for Yale Law School in 1971 and there she would become friends with a man named Bill Clinton, who will later go on to become the 42nd US president.

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Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 26, 1947 to Hugh Ellsworth Rodham and Dorothy Howell Rodham. Hillary lived a decidedly middle-class lifestyle growing up. She was raised by Methodist parents, and during one of her Sunday school trips, she had the opportunity to see Martin Luther King Jr. speak. This opportunity, along with pulling upon her mother's experience growing up when her parents abandoned her at a young age, inspired Hillary to fight for social justice and the needy children. After graduating from Main State High School, Hillary went on to earn a high honors degree at Wellesley College, in Massachusetts.

She was known here as the first ever student to give a commencement speech. From there, she worked toward a law degree at Yale Law School. It was here she met her husband, the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton. Hillary graduated from Yale with a Juris Doctor degree. Upon graduating, Hillary went the unconventional route and began working for the Children's Defense Fund, where she gathered crucial testimonial which led to the passage of legislation that began to provide quality education to students with disabilities via the state. Hillary then went on to serve as a congressional committee lawyer which investigated President Nixon. Once ended, she moved to Arkansas where she most notably co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.

Hillary was married in October of 1975 to Bill Clinton. In 1979, Bill became the governor of Arkansas, which made Hillary the 1st Lady of Arkansas, and she used the platform to her advantage by further defending family access to health care and by uplifting educational standards. In February 1980, Hillary and Bill had their only child, Chelsea Clinton. Bill Clinton became president in 1992, which afforded Hillary the title of First Lady of the United States. Using her position, Hillary fought avidly to reform the status of the health care system, giving families much needed help to afford quality care.

When efforts failed, Hillary remained tenacious in her pursuit, working across the Democrat line to collaborate with Republicans, where she was then successful in creating the Children's Health Insurance Program, which cut uninsured rates by half, and provides health insurance coverage to over 8 million children. Hillary ran for congress in 2000 and was elected as the 1st female senator from New York. Working again towards her crusade in health care, Hillary expanded TRICARE, which helped provide healthcare to Reserve and National Guard families.

While in congress, Hillary also worked to push the launch of Farm-to-Fork, which benefitted rural areas and small towns in New York to get their products sold in school, restaurants, and universities. Hillary ran unsuccessfully for president in 2008. When she ceded defeat, she still threw her support behind democratic nominee, Barak Obama.

He then returned the support and asked Hillary to serve as the 67th Secretary of State. During her tenure Hillary became an advocate human rights, and general rights of women, young people, LGBT, and girls worldwide. Hillary served as the Secretary of State until 2013. Hillary Clinton firmly advocates for fair tax, stricter gun control, equal distribution of wealth, utilizing clean energy and reducing impacts of climate change, combating terrorism, increasing disability and early childhood education rights, better health care, immigration reform with an emphasis on full and equal citizenship, ending poverty, capitalizing racial equality, boosting small business, easier voting rights, strengthening social security and Medicare programs, Women's rights and increasing the opportunities available for women, maintaining a strong and secure military, changing the criminal justice system, increasing job opportunities and wages, and providing secure housing.

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Wilde’s Purpose in Writing

Wilde’s purpose in writing this play about Victorian society was to expose the foolishness of the society and show readers that the posh people and their social values were ridiculous. During that time, Victorian society cared mostly about wealth, social status, bloodlines and other irrelevant qualities of a person. Wilde displays these concepts as foolish. We can sense his attitude towards this during the part in the story when Lady Bracknell is questioning Jack to see if he would be a good husband for her daughter, Gwendolen. When Jack tells her that he doesn’t have any parents and that he was found in a handbag, she says, “Lady Bracknell. Mr. Worthing, I confess I feel somewhat bewildered by what you have just told me…

To be born or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution.” (Wilde, 994). This quote shows that Victorian society doesn’t care about true love, but in terms of marriage, they care about the wealth and bloodlines of the person.

I feel that Wilde finds his characters funny because he overexaggerates their personalities and makes them seem uptight, posh and snobby. He uses this over exaggeration in his satire to portray the Victorian society as silly. This is ironic because Wilde uses comedy to expose the seriousness of the society and their social values. Wilde finds the characters funny because of their stupidity. For example, when Gwendolen likes Jack because of his pretend name, which is Ernest, Jack says to Gwendolen, “Jack. Gwendolen, I must get christened at once—I mean we must get married at once. There is no time to be lost.” (Wilde, 990).

Wilde displays this scene in a humorous manner since Gwendolen loves Jack because of his fake name, Ernest. When Jack realizes that Gwendolen thinks ‘Jack’ is a plain name, he wants to get christened at once/change his name, so she will continue to love him and marry him. Although Wilde believes that the Victorian society was full of useless social values, in this satire, he uses funny traits in the characters to expose the foolishness of their beliefs.

Through the subtle hints in the text, Wilde reveals that he views the characters as silly people who only care about the irrelevant qualities of a person. Wilde believes that the mindsets of Victorian society are stupid and that the characters’ behaviour is foolish. For example, when Lady Bracknell asks about where Jack lives, the satire quotes, “Lady Bracknell. …What number in Belgrave Square? Jack. 149. Lady Bracknell: (shaking her head) The unfashionable side. I thought there was something. However, that could easily be altered. Jack. Do you mean the fashion or the side?

Lady Bracknell. (Sternly) Both, if necessary, I presume.” (Wilde 993). From this quote, Wilde shows that the behaviour of Lady Bracknell is ridiculous. He adds actions in the text to overexaggerate her spoken words. After hearing where Jack lives, Lady Bracknell shows her disapproval by shaking her head. She talks harshly about Jack’s unfashionable home and her stern actions express her seriousness. Where someone lives is not important, which is why Wilde includes hints in the text to ridicule the behaviour of the society. Through these subtle hints, Wilde emphasizes the dramaticism of Victorian society and how he views their reactions towards useless social values as foolish.

Alford’s point of view makes him less sympathetic to the other actors he satirizes. I think this because Alford wrote this satire to expose the foolishness of the overdramatic acting of extras, and even though he is included in that group of people, this satire confirms that he doesn’t approve of this overdramatic acting. For example, “…A tall, fiftysomething woman who appeared to be a recent graduate of the Lucille Ball School of Clown Makeup made such a spectacle of repeatedly dropping and then retrieving her umbrella that an assistant director was forced to take the umbrella away from her; the woman divested of her gimmick, then devoted her energies to shrieking.” (Alford, 1000).

From this quote, Alford brings out the negative aspects of the overdramatic acting of the extras, and his critical point of view does not make him sympathetic towards them. Alford shows contempt for the extras as he does not agree or encourage the people that overact. Instead, he dislikes it, and in his writing, Alford expresses that he wants the other extras to stop making fools of themselves.

Alford’s inner thoughts add humor to the satire. Since he doesn’t say these thoughts out loud, he is able to be more critical towards the other actors he satirizes. He keeps these thoughts to himself because they’re rude or very sarcastic. Even though his inner thoughts may be considered offensively critical towards some people, these assumptions and ideas are also true.

For example, “Seldom, I have seen such a preponderance of scenery-chewing: my colleagues’ every utterance and movement seemed to offer ready proof that vaudeville is not dead.” (Alford, 1000). This thought is offensive towards his colleagues and other people, but by including these words in his inner thoughts, the story becomes more entertaining as his thoughts add even more criticism to ridicule the overdramatic acting of the extras. These thoughts display his perspective on the over-acting of the extras who were trying to get attention. Even though he keeps the thoughts to himself, his humorous criticism makes it interesting for the readers.

Throughout the satire, we can find subtle hints in the text to identify Alford’s level of seriousness about his topic. From my analysis, Alford may seem like he is not serious about the overdramatic acting of the extras, because in some parts of the satire, Alford makes half-hearted jokes. However, Alford is serious about this topic because this topic is important enough for him to write a satire so he can expose the over-dramatic acting of the extras. Within the satire, he includes unsympathetic criticism, showing the sterness of his ideas. For example, “By the late afternoon punchy, I was shrieking…‘Zilla monster ate me baby!’, causing the self-appointed expert to glare at me and say, ‘Lets keep it real, huh?’. This statement might have chastened were it not for the other extras.” (Alford, 1000). Alford expresses that his over-dramatic acting was stupid, but many other extras made themselves look more foolish. In this quote, Alford uses a funny and sarcastic tone, but Alford is serious about this topic and would like the extras to stop making fools of themselves. In some parts of the satire, when he is not using harsh criticism, he expresses the sincerity of his opinion by using a humorous tone.
In my opinion, the satire “The Importance of Being Earnest” is more successful. In this satire, Wilde mocks the foolishness of Victorian society, which is a significant topic targeted at a larger audience. Even without directly conveying his own view, the readers are able to understand the purpose of Wilde’s satire through the hints in the text. Derived from the characters, Wilde portrays idiotic beliefs and personality traits to prove how thoughtless the society was. For example, when Lady Bracknell suddenly became interested in Jack because of Jack’s high income, Wilde quotes “Lady Bracknell.…What is your income? Jack. Between seven and eight thousand a year. Lady Bracknell. (makes a note in her book) In land, or in investments? Jack. In investments chiefly. Lady Bracknell. That is satisfactory.” (Wilde, 992). This quote shows the absurdity of the posh Victorian society where social values were imprudent and people became obsessed with the unimportant aspects of life. Directing this at the Victorian society, Wilde successfully combines ironic humor and informed criticism to create an implicit argument for reformation of the society and their values.

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Satire in the Importance of being Earnest

The surface overview of Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest paints the image of an amusing comedy merely for entertainment purpose. Evidently, Wilde employs numerous techniques such as trickery, sarcasm, and jokes which are central to humor studies. Although a majority of the readers, critics, and reviewers agree that The Importance of Being Earnest is pretty funny, it justly castes a satirical limelight on the Victorian era (Wilde also wrote during the Victorian era).

Victorian era was mainly characterized by improved political stability, increased wealth, and stringent cultural norms. In particular, the cultural norms involved some rules of conduct that highly influenced an individual's social standing. Additionally, the rules of conduct in the Victorian era guided people on how to behave in a socially accepted manner especially in the public. These are the very ideals that Wilde satirizes in his play. As such, this paper's primary objective is to discuss why Wilde satirizes the viewers whom he expects to buy the tickets to watch the play and the reaction he might be aiming to evoke in his audience.

Majority of the literary works are an illumination of the events that take place in a society and The Importance of Being Earnest is not an exception. Therefore, in as much as Wilde is popularly known for the use of satire in the majority of his writings, The Importance of Being Earnest sheds some light on the happenings that blanketed the Victorian era. It is for this reason that Wilde chooses to satirize his viewers who in this case are his audience. The Victorian era was commonly known for the strict moral codes that guided how people behaved in the public (Phegley 3).

In other words, people were expected to demonstrate proper behaviors approved by the society. Nevertheless, Wilde is satirical of this Victorian ideal especially when he exposes the hypocrisy behind behaving properly in the public. Thus, Wield through his all-rounded characters shows that while it is right to exhibit acceptable behavior while in the public, the same people tend to deviate from the moral codes when not in public. Jack and Algernon portray less than ideal manners when they both fake their identities as Earnest so as to attract the attention of the city girls who are obsessed by the name. Jack, for instance, disguises as Earnest while in town and as Jack while in the country (Wilde 9).

Additionally, Wilde satirizes the audience who highly aspired to live earnest lives but on the other and practiced double morality. The concept of earnestness in the Victorian era was of great importance (Valentinov Krastev, 3). Indeed, it was a prestigious concept used to refer to the people perceived as having a purpose in life, those that adhered to the moral codes of the Victorian age, and for those who strived to achieve certain goals in life (Valentinov Krastev, 9). In general, earnestness was a worthy title for the individuals who demonstrated self-control, self-respectability, and self-denial. The cult of earnestness, thus, is one of the aspects that led the majority of the Victorian people to lead lives of double morality. On one hand, the people lived a double life to maintain the respect of the conventional Victorian society while on the other hand, they choose to live frivolously to satisfy their desires. Algy and Jack survive by lying and living as Earnest imposters all because they want to gain moral freedom.

Similarly, Cecily leads a double life where she imagines that she is already married to Earnest. Cecily maintains that a diary usually chronicles the things that have never happened, and couldn't possibly have happened (Wilde 32). Arguably, it is palpable that people had no right in leading personal lives dictated by no stringent moral standards.

Wilde mocks Victorian people who have no better ways of breaking away from the cocoon of the slim social ties and ideals than living deceptive/double/duals lives. Gwendolen is also aware of the ideals that have found their way in the monthly expensive magazines and pulpits (Wilde 16). It is the desire to untie from the social fa?§ade and immersing in secret pleasures that Jack and Algernon frame imaginary characters. Jack Worthington is, for instance, a very respectable judge of peace in the province but cheats that he has a younger brother, Earnest. Thus, Jack justifies his reasons for frequent visits to the town to rescue his mischievous brother from one problem or the other (Wilde 11).

In the same way, Algernon prefers going to the country bunburying to avoid the dinner engagements with the aunt. Dinner parties exhibited an ideal of family life and were taken seriously. It is also deducible from Algy's words to Jack You are one of the most advanced Bunburyists I know (Wilde 11) that it is not only Jack and Algy who secretly deviate from the ideals. Algy's sentiment is an indication that the majority of the Victorian people were so bound by the social ties but behaved differently while on their own.

One defining style used by Wilde is the manner in which he makes fun of the audience while amusing them through his characters. He is critical about the marriage of convenience which also intrinsically related to the concept of earnestness. Love and marriage were important aspects of the Victorian era (Phegley 5 ). Moreover, the families of the time were not only patriarchal but also authoritarian whereby the choice of a spouse was partly a responsibility of one's parents (Phegley 5).

Of the importance to note, in this instance, is that the decision to arrive at a marriage agreement was also determined by the mutual benefits of economic and social exchange. The companionate marriage was also a Victorian ideal and love was a crucial component of such a marriage. In this view, Wilde indirectly mocks the audience for remaining blindfolded by the pursuit for earnestness. Instead of falling in love for love, the Victorian people instead contradicted the marriage ideal and fall in love with merely the name Earnest as well as gaining material possession. Gwendolen confesses to Jack that she was destined to love him from the moment Algernon mentioned that he has a friend by the name Earnest (Wilde 17). According to Gwendolen, " my ideal has always been to love someone of the name Earnest" (Wilde 17). Cecily is also a victim in pursuit of earnestness and psychologically engages Earnest Worthing long before his proposal.

Undoubtedly, the Victorian era was known for the classification of people into different social classes. As a result of the prominence of the social classes, people's daily lives were determined by the social class to which one belonged (Khan 515). Lady Blacknell, a middle-class person, makes the decision of who marries Gwendolen. At first, Gwendolen accepts Jack's proposal mainly because he bears the name Earnest. Blacknell, on the other hand, is opposed to the proposal because Jack exhibits unacceptable behavior such as smoking and lacks a good profession and a title to his name (Wilde 20).

In short, Jack fails to meet the qualifications for a middle-class suitor. Blacknell opens to Jack that you are not down on my list of eligible young men (Wilde 20). Similarly, when Blacknell learns about Cecily's engagement to Algernon, she opposes their union by arguing that the latter does not belong to Cecily's social class. It is nonetheless ironical how Blacknell suddenly changes her stand when she learns about Cecily's fortune of about 130,000 pounds. The lady appreciates that there were some social possibilities for Algernon's proposal to Cecily (Wilde 73). Later in the play, Blacknell consents to Jack's proposal to Gwendolen when it is revealed that Jack is Algernon's elder brother. These instances unveil the hypocrisy of Victorian ideals, particularly in love, courtship, and marriage.

The name Earnest as used in the play goes beyond the surface meaning. The use of Earnest in the play denotes the qualities of an ideal man in the Victorian era and which include a man who is passionate, loving, sincere, trustworthy, and honorable. However, the reader knows that possessing the name does not guarantee the individual of such qualities. Further, a reader understands that the It is a divine name. It has a music of its own (Wilde 17). In this case, therefore, Wilde seeks to evoke the reaction that the audience should search for their true character which is not merely represented by their names. Furthermore, Wilde's play acts as an eye opener to the audience about the insincerity of the Victorian ideals and how they had been duped into living the ideals. For instance, the adherence to the Victorian ideals led the people to live dual lives whereby they tried to exhibit the socially acceptable behaviors in public but at the same time breaking the social norms to meet their desires like Jack and Algernon.

In summary, Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a satire of the ideals of the Victorian era. Notably, the era was characterized by very high moral standards among other factors such as growing wealth and political stability. The concept of earnestness arguably one of the defining features of the Victorian era. However, one question that Wilde appears to raise and to which he calls upon his audience to ponder about is whether there is an inherent relationship between a mere name and the actual character of the individual. Therefore, the Victorian understanding of earnestness is the root cause of the moral fa?§ade, hypocrisy, and dual morality. It carried the meaning of an ideal Victorian man/husband who was supposed to be loving, caring, honest, and trustworthy. Thus, to demystify this falsehood, Wilde creates Jack and Algy who pretend to be Earnest all in the name of winning the love of the young women, Cecilia and Gwendolen. Hence, Wilde wants to evoke the emotions of his viewers by challenging them to face the truth and find the actual character in one's personality other than the name.

Works Cited

Khan Amin T. Social Classes in Victorian Era. International Journal of Advance Engineering
and Research Development, 4(7) 515-520. Print.
Phegley, Jennifer. Courtship and Marriage in Victorian England. Abc-Clio, 2012. Print.
Wilde, Oscar. The importance of being earnest. Broadview Press, 2009. Print.
Valentinov Krastev, Stilian. "Double Morality and the Temperance Issue in Victorian
Literature." (2017). Print.

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Oscar Wilde’s the Importance of being Earnest

Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest takes place in the Victorian Era and follows Jack Worthing, a man who creates a fake identity named Earnest in order to escape his home life and win the heart of Gwendolyn Fairfax, an aristocrat from London. It also follows Jack's friend Algernon Moncrieff, who later also pretends to be named Earnest in order to marry Jack's ward Cecily Cardew. Both Gwendolen and Cecily have a silly belief that they are destined to marry a man named Earnest. Lady Bracknell, the play's antagonist, tries to control their relationships by pointing out that an aristocrat in society must uphold their position in society through marriage. Wilde deliberately makes the characters and the conversations between them humorous and entertaining to appeal to the audience.

In the Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde consistently uses humor to highlight the Victorian society's notions on the institution of marriage. Wilde helps the audience better understand Victorian values by hilariously painting an unflattering picture of the aristocracy's ridiculous views on marriage.

Lady Bracknell is perhaps Wilde's most outrageous character in the play, as she tries to take control over each engagement that takes place. When Lady Bracknell is informed of Cecily's engagement to Algernon, her response towards her is cold. She immediately begins asking probing questions such as "Mr. Worthing, is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the larger railway stations in London?" Lady Bracknell is gravely concerned about the impact that Algernon's marriage to a woman of lower status could do to her family's reputation. The conversation becomes amusing when Jack informs her of Cecily's family's wealth and status. Lady Bracknell comically responds, "A moment, Mr. Worthing. A hundred and thirty thousand pounds! And in the funds! Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive young lady, now that I look at her" (Wilde, 1894).

Lady Bracknell's dramatic change in tone towards Cecily and Algernon's engagement is comedic. In a matter of a few seconds, she went from disproving of Cecily to agreeing happily to the engagement purely because of her greed. She is suddenly supportive of the marriage only when she learns that Cecily comes from a respectable family with an inheritance in her name. Marriage, a typically serious topic, is discussed lightly by Lady Bracknell, who discusses several selfish reasons for marriage besides the love between two people. Wilde creates this hilarious contrast in Lady Bracknell's attitude to reveal the Victorian era's warped priorities regarding marriage. He creates a character with such eccentric opinions to highlight the absurdities in the mindset of aristocrats. Through Lady Bracknell's humorous responses, she reveals her true opinions on marriage, which is marriage for wealth and social status.

Gwendolen's standards for marriage are absurd in a way that is much different than Lady Bracknell's. She is less concerned with wealth and status, but instead infatuated with the name Earnest. Gwendolen says to Jack, "The moment Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a friend called Ernest, I knew I was destined to love you." In this line, Gwendolen tells him that just his name was enough for her to fall in love with him. Their conversation becomes even more humorous when Jack asks her what she thinks of the name Jack. She responds, "Jack? . . . No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill.

It produces absolutely no vibrations . . . I have known several Jacks, and they all, without exception, were more than usually plain" (Wilde, 1894). The pure irony of her saying she never wants to marry a man named Jack, when she is in love with a man whose real name is Jack, is Wilde's way of poking fun at the silly nature behind her thoughts. The utter ridiculousness of what Gwendolen says emphasizes Victorian society's skewed views on marriage. Her concept of love and marriage revolves around a name, instead of their actual personality and compatibility together. The way she speaks about always wanting to marry a man named Earnest is comical and humorous because there's no logic behind her reasoning. Someone's name itself shouldn't matter for a commitment as important as Marriage. Wilde uses this ironic and funny interaction to point out how skewed Victorian society's requirements for marriage are.

In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde presents a very humorous approach to commenting on the ideals of marriage in Victorian society. The title of the play itself is satire, as the two people who go by the name of Earnest are far from being Earnest until the end of the play. Wilde creates the most preposterous characters, such as Lady Bracknell, to exaggerate the importance of money and reputation to aristocrats in Victorian society. The conversations between the characters are ironic, and point out their skewed requirements for love and marriage. Through Wilde's use of comedy in the play, he was able to comment on Victorian society's beliefs about marriage in a light and entertaining manner, ridiculing them for prioritizing names, wealth, and reputation before love.

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A Revolutionary Outrage

The importance of being earnest is a trivial comedy by Irish and poet Oscar Wilde. Jeremy Lalonde's article A Revolutionary outrage: The importance of being earnest as social criticism discusses the main argument about the homosexuality and marriage in this play. Realizing personality in the importance of being earnest by Sarah Balkin is talking about one's personality that is relating with all art and mode of acting. Third article by W.Craven Mackie Bunbury pure and simple is a letter which outline the first scenario of the play The importance of being earnest by Oscar Wilde.

A revolutionary outrage, describes the topics of distinction between upper and lower classes and sexuality. Lalonde's thesis is defined two readings, one assumes the role of narrator of The portrait of Mr.W.H. (Wilde) or that of Lady Bracknell. In this, Sinfield claims about sexuality and Eve Sedgewick give his view on the feminism throughout the eighteenth century. Individuals characterized by their social background in the play.

Poet also defines the Shakespeare's sonnet to represent the masculinities which is surrounding around the context of Earnest. Other topics such as Bun burying, Effeminacy and feminist are rising topics in the article. It is argued that Earnest' is a homosexual person and Bunbury' is a man interested in social Legislation employing by Algernon (Wilde 76). It describes the relationship between two characters in the play-Algernon (Algy) and Earnest Worthing (Jack) as a homosexual. According to play Class' is a category which attach with the topic of sexuality and lady Bracknell is mostly concern about society or social class.

Realizing personality in the importance of being earnest figures the personality of living humans. It is highlighting the personality of each character in the victorian era, stage performances in the play and their culture. Talking about the social relations between characters, every person related to each other. Their voice, actions, tone and dialogues are best description of their personalities. Sarah Balkin arguing on three plays and the importance of being is different as it realise personality through embodied and spoken practice as well as it shows Wilde's journey from early staging practices to visual reality of plays.

Earnest and Bunbury are examples of imaginary persons and both relates with domestic life. Author claims that the realising personality in the play is not emphasize private or historical life. Throughout the play, lot of symbols points toward their personality as they are, for example, Cecily's bangles, Gwendolen's dairy, Algy's eating habits and Lady Bracknell's hat on her head.

In Bunbury pure and simple, author is describing the early history of the play and the name Bunbury. First, he is suggest other names such as Gwendolen and Earnest and thinked about their personalities according to their names. After picking name Bunbury for an unknown personality many scholars arguing about that name. Author establish three bunbury in the article. After lot of research, he perfectly become success in creating the name and meaning of Bunbury. The meaning of Bunbury is always ill in the article as well as in the play.

To conclude, the conception of a personality and identity in the Victorian era can experience characters. The themes of socialism and social discontent is exploited for comedic effects. Bunbury and Earnest is a common topic in the above three articles that depict the sexuality and hidden figures in the play and other characters or personalities shows class and society.

WORK CITED

Lalonde, Jeremy. A Revolutionary Outrage': The Importance of Being Earnest as Social Criticism. Modern Drama, vol. 48, no. 4, 2005, pp. 65976.
Balkin, Sarah. Realizing Personality in The Importance of Being Earnest. Modern Drama, vol. 59, no. 1, 2016, pp. 2648.
Mackie, W.Craven. Bunbury Pure and Simple. Modern Drama, vol. 41, no. 2, 1998, pp. 32730.
Wilde, Oscar.The Importance of being earnest and other plays.

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The Women Announce

In Act III of The Importance of Being Earnest, the play picks back up in the country home where Gwendolyn and Cecily are waiting to hear what Algernon and John have to say for themselves. In the previous act, Algernon and John were both caught lying about being Earnest by the women. The men enter into the room and both women immediately demand explanations for their actions. Algernon and John explain the situation and why they did what they did, the women choose to forgive them, then they immediately change their minds They change their minds because at first they were satisfied by the men's argument and then they come to realization they they still were lied to all this time.

The women announce at the same time that they can not marry them men because their names are not Earnest. Algernon and John immediately think that telling the women that they are due to christening later that afternoon will help ease the situation. After telling the women about their christening, the women are impressed by what they just heard. They are mainly impressed because they see this action as an act of braveness and sacrifice, they then fall into the arms of their men.

A few moments after, Lady Bracknell joins everyone in the country-home to separate the couples apart. She was told Gwendolyn's location from the maid in whom she bribed. She then demands for John to lose all of his communication with her daughter but John announces to Lady Bracknell that him and Gwendolyn are getting married. She then changes the subject by asking Algernon about his friend Bunbury; he states that Bunbury was pronounced dead that afternoon. John tries to introduce Cecily to Lady Bracknell, and Algernon announces that he is engaged to her.

Lady Bracknell repeatedly disrespects the background of Cecily which increases the frustration of John. When she is acknowledged that Cecily is rich, Lady Bracknell has sudden approval and finds her beautiful. She gives their engagement her blessing, then tells Cecily to call her aunt, and proposes that they get married as soon as possible. Cecily and Algernon celebrate by expressing their happiness. John, nonetheless, does not give his blessing of Cecily and Algernon getting married and he refuses to unless Lady Bracknell grants him and Gwendolyn permission to wed, in which she denies to do. She then just says that Cecily should wait until she comes of age, but John informs her that she will not be of age until she is 35. The situation seems hopeless and Lady Bracknell is planning to take Gwendolyn back to London with her.

The final section of the play brings the entire play together as a whole. The third scene starts off with Dr. Chasuble entering, ready to baptize Algernon and Jack. Lady Bracknell then announces her bitterness towards the entire situation. The priest is surprised to hear this and offers to return to the church with Miss Prism whom is waiting for him. Lady Bracknell is surprised to hear the name Miss Prism and questions Dr. Chasuble about Miss Prism. She is very sure that she knows this women and sends for the priest to bring her. Miss Prism arrives and Lady Bracknell starts to question her and investigate her.

She then asks, "Prism! Where is that baby?" Bracknell explains that 28 years ago, Miss Prism left her home pushing a baby carriage that carried a baby boy. She never came back with the carriage and later on the police located the bay carriage but with no baby. Miss Prism denies knowing anything but admits at the time she accidentally swapped the baby for the document that was in the handbag. She then says that she left the bag and the baby in the closet at the train station. John overhears the conversation and excuses himself upstairs

John comes back downstairs with an old handbag which Miss Prism immediately recognizes as the bag she left that night. John then tries to embrace her as his mother but she denies it and directs him to Lady Bracknell. She then tells John that he is her sister's son and Algernon's older brother. They all started to celebrate the new family relation when John asks his birth name. Lady Bracknell states that she does not remember but she does know he was named after his father.

Algernon did not know his father's name because he passed away when Algernon was only an infant. His father was in the military so they decided to check his military records. They figured out that John's father's name was Earnest. Gwendolyn starts to repeat her fondness for the name Earnest and John asks her for forgiveness for lying about his real identity earlier in the play. Each couple settles their differences and John announces his highly famous saying: "I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest."

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Genocide and the Communist Revolution in Cuba

Imagine if the Constitution of the United States was erased from existence. If it were, we would be at risk of government officials breaking laws that protect our freedoms and human rights. Instead of democracy, elected leaders, and checks and balances, there would be dictators, anarchy, revolt and genocide. Genocide is a term used to describe a mass killing of a group of people by a dictator. This group can have a certain race, religion, political belief or sexual preference that is opposite of a dictators. A dictator does this to create a country or region that includes people that believes what the dictator believes. This gives the dictator more power and control. The Cuban Revolution in 1953 was no different. Under Batista's rule, Cuba suffered from many genocides. However, when Castro took over after the Revolution in 1953, the people of Cuba weren't prepared for what Cuba had in store for them. After the Cuban revolution, genocide continued and became even worse as a method of control under the leadership of Castro.

Before the Cuban Revolution, Cuba was ruled by Fulgencio Batista. Batista started out in the Cuban military at 20 years old (Fulgencio Batista Cuban Dictator). When he was 32, he organized an uprising against the government at that time (Fulgencio Batista Cuban Dictator). Then, when he was 39, Batista ran and was elected President (Fulgencio Batista Cuban Dictator). Eight years after his terms, Batista came back as a dictator. In the six years that he was a dictator, it is said that about 20,000 people were killed by him and his regime (Fulgencio Batista Cuban Dictator). Batista killed many people that were actually innocent. He only suspected that these people were traders of his regime. For example, he has killed and tortured many people for just walking in the same area that his traders have walked (Elio Delgado Legon). It seems like he was very paranoid and wanted people to be afraid of him. There were several known massacres by police and Cuban rural guards. After Batista's six year reign, Castro took over by gorilla warfare.

The Cuban uprising led by Fidel Castro was about eight years after the end of the Holocaust (Cuba after the Castros). A Jewish lawyer by the name of Raphael Lemkin created the term Genocide and defined it as a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim annihilating the groups themselves. Nazi leaders were later charged with crimes against humanity. This is the first act of genocide that was defined. Genocide has been a part of many communist dictators around the world. After the Holocaust, there were quite a few notes of genocide, notably in Germany, India, and part of Africa. There were no real threats to the Americas until Batista and the Cuban Revolution.

Castro's regime started with his attacks on Batista. Historians believe that Castro's democide killed anywhere from 35,000 to 141,000 people (How many Deaths). The term democide is the killing of their own people by the government. Castro didn't just kill, he imprisoned and tortured. After the Bay of the Pigs Invasion, Castro imprisoned thousands of people in jails. Cuba didn't have enough jails to spare, so people were jailed in schools and in homes.

Batista and Castro used the same tactics as other dictators in history to appeal followers. We as a society can learn from these controlling rulers in the past to better our future. Mass genocides are formed when people are given too much power. The world could learn many things about these key events in our history given our present situation. Keep your eye on the world for communist leaders such as Batista and Castro.

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The Guatemalan Genocide

The Mayan community, left in ruins after a catastrophe that left scars physically and mentally, are still struggling to recover from what can only be described as a nightmare in real life. The Guatemalan Civil War, a controversy between the Mayans and the Government, was an injustice due to discrimination in the government system. There was only one way this could end, mass genocide of the Mayan people. Through this terrible event, the Mayans still persevered. They had hope for a better future where they could be free from hate.

The Mayan people have been used as slaves since the Spaniards founded their land in the 1600's. In the late 1800s, The Mayans had no security in keeping their land. Not only was it extremely easy to take Mayan land, it was also easy to enslave their people as well. When the Mayan land was taken, they would have nothing and have no choice but to become a slave to stay alive. These injustices continued for years until the Mayans started to stand up for their rights. These protests made the plantation owners and slave owners of the Mayans feel threatened, and started asking the government to get rid of the Mayans. The government ignored the requests of the slave owners, but later would use it as an excuse for the genocide.

In 1944, a civilian government was elected on a platform of ambitious land reforms. In response, the CIA helped install a right wing military dictator in June, 1954. This conflict was the start to 40 long years of political violence in Guatemala. The military rulers continued to liquidate their political opponents throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In order to stop this dictatorship, a guerilla movement began due to the civilians getting increasingly militarized. The Mayan initially supported the guerilla movement. They viewed it as a last hope for their equality. The government did not like this, and marked the Mayan population as enemies. This helped kick start the Mayan Genocide.

In 1980, the Guatemalan army instituted Operation Sophia, an initiative aimed at ending the guerilla movement. The army targeted the Mayan population, who were the main supporters of the guerilla movement. This was the start to the worst part of the Guatemalan Genocide. Over the next three years, the army destroyed 626 Mayan villages, killed about 200,000 people, relocated over 1.5 million people, and drove over 150,000 people into hiding. They then instituted a Scorched Earth policy. They burnt and destroyed buildings and crops, slaughtered livestock, polluted the water supply, and violated sacred places. All of these horrible actions were undertaken by the army. The Mayans were not the only ones hurt. Catholic Priests and Nuns also faced violence because they supported the Mayan population.

In 1986, civilian rule and a new constitution were set up, but the Guatemalan army kept its power, fueling the genocide for a little bit longer. Peace talks were being set up across the globe to stop the genocide in 1991, but made poor progress. After 10 years of trying to stop the Guatemalan Genocide, a peace agreement was finally signed in 1996. Part of the agreement included the start of The Historical Clarification Commission (CEH). The Historical Clarification Commission was an investigation into the events of the Guatemalan Civil War. It began work in 1997, funded by a number of countries, with the U.S.A being a very generous donor. The Commission asked for the records of the Guatemalan army for the period of 1981-1983, the peak of the genocide. The army was unable to provide the records, however, the Commission was able to collect over 9,000 witness statements for what happened in the three year window.

In February, 1999, ?Guatemala: Memory of Silence' was published. This report brought attention to the injustices of the Guatemalan Genocide to people around the globe. The report also revealed the government policy of genocide against the Mayan Indians. This started movements around the globe to help the Mayans. In June 2001, Mayan communities brought a charge of genocide to Efrain Rios-Montt, the former dictator in charge of the genocide. From that point on, the trials from the genocide began to become more frequent, with the injustices against the Mayan finally being resolved.

After the Guatemalan Genocide, Mayan communities were left in ruins. People all around the world were trying to help the Mayans the best they could. Bridgeway, a church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, were first introduced into this cry for help from a missionary in their community. Bridgeway went on a mission trip in 2006 to Guatemala to help build homes for the widows and children. Jeff and Jodi Helpman, who were former members of Bridgeway, saw the need in Guatemala and got their church, The Grove, a church in Bryson City, involved in the mission trip as well. Together, the two churches formed Bridge of Hope, a foundation dedicated to helping clean up the Guatemalan Genocide. Every year in March, Bridge of Hope sends a group of people to go to villages in the Ixil Triangle and build homes for the widows and children affected by the Mayan Genocide. On the trip, the group will build about 15 to 25 (12ft by 12ft) homes. Not only do they provide homes, they also provide wood stoves, gardening tools, live stock, and most importantly, hope.

I chose this service project because my family has been a part of Bridge of Hope for all my life. I have heard many stories from them and know a lot about the trip. The main reason is that I plan on going to the 2019 Go Guatemala trip next year. I wanted to learn more about the area before I experienced it. Our plan for our service is to help raise money for the 2018 Go Guatemala trip. We are going to help fundraise by operating our church's hot chocolate bar on Sunday, December 9.

The Guatemalan Genocide deeply affected the Mayan community. It left the Mayan scared with the loss of friends, family, and their homes. Although nobody can reverse the Guatemalan Genocide, there are people out there who are willing to work hard to make a difference in the Mayans lives by showing their compassion and helping to heal the wounds The Mayan Genocide left behind.

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Reality of the Rwandan Genocide

The Rwandan genocide began in April of 1994 and left around 800,000 civilians, largely of the Tutsi ethnic group, slaughtered in a mere 100 days. Ethnic tensions between the Hutus and the Tutsis began in the early 20th century when Tutsis were put in roles of power and responsibility by the Germans, their first colonizers. The Belgians assumed power over Rwanda after World War One and assigned leadership positions to Tutsis despite the fact they constituted only around 10 percent of the population, whereas the Hutus who composed around 90 percent held few important positions. Eventually, the Hutus were put in charge of the new Rwandan government after raising tensions to the point where Belgium faced a potential revolution. The hostility between the Hutus and Tutsis continued for decades after this. Rwanda was one of the poorest countries in Africa so foreign powers, particularly the U.S., didn't see much to exploit within the country. If Rwanda had possessed oil or another sought-after natural resource, foreign powers may have taken action to prevent the atrocities from occurring. Instead, world superpowers, especially the United States and the United Nations, sat idly and for a while, refused to officially recognize that a genocide was occurring. Many important political leaders were well informed about the events happening in Rwanda leading up to the genocide itself and actively chose to not intervene. Human rights organizations were pushing ex-President Bill Clinton to keep 2,500 troops on the ground but despite the efforts of these such organizations, Clinton and other foreign powers (including French leaders) decided to not do anything. At the end of the day, international organizations couldn't do anything to stop the slaughter from occurring and the real power holders and decision makers were states who were only looking out for their national interests.

As far back as August 1993, the United Nations Human Rights investigator claimed there was a potential genocide in the making, but this important preliminary information was ignored by the UN Security Council. All that was done was the placing of UN peacekeeping troops on the border of Rwanda and Uganda to monitor the transportation of weapons. The UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) had a very limited presence throughout the genocide and was not authorized to take any action. In January of 1994 Romeo Dallaire, who led the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Rwanda, warned of a potential genocide but this information never made it to the Security Council and was virtually ignored by individuals who did receive it (Winfield, 1999). This ?peacekeeping' organization was not doing anything to actively ease tensions in Rwanda. The United Nations lacked resources and will-power to launch yet another peacekeeping mission and the failure of this international organization would have dire consequences. Within the first two weeks of the genocide, around 30,000 people were killed (mainly Tutsi) and yet the international community refused to acknowledge the events as a genocide. In addition, a resolution in December of 1948 to protect against genocidal atrocities such as the Holocaust, was virtually ignored as the UN quietly removed peacekeeping troops on the ground, leaving hundreds of thousands of Tutsis to the hands of Hutu extremists. The abandoning of Rwanda in the face of extreme ethnic violence only proves that international agreements and resolutions are essentially useless when states interests are not aligned with those documents.

The early 1990s came with multiple failed peacekeeping missions for the U.S., including the deaths of 18 U.S. Rangers in Mogadishu, Somalia, which cast the shadow of Somalia over subsequent potential peacekeeping opportunities. This incident hardened the U.S.'s stance to protect their nationals and diplomats within Rwanda. Ex-President Bill Clinton even claimed that the U.S. had to stop placing the agenda of the UN before the interests of the US (Maritz, 2012). The U.S. was not the only country to withdraw their personnel from the country; Belgium had removed their troops after the killing of ten Belge soldiers and had requested that the U.S. remove their troops as well to ?save face' in a way. In fact, Samantha Power, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN (2013-2017), had claimed that Belgium did not want to leave ignominiously, by itself (Lynch, 2015). Both Belgium and the United States were acting out of state interest, not moral or ethical principles when they advocated for the withdrawal of their troops and diplomats. With the removal of Belgian and U.S. troops, the United Nations was the last front for Tutsis and unfortunately, the United Nations was unable to act to prevent the killings.

The United States, being a world superpower, influenced the actions of other states as well. By officially declaring the slaughter as a genocide as early as possible, the U.S. and other countries could have forced the United Nations to take action in accordance with the 1948 Genocide Convention, created specifically to handle challenges such as the violence and tension in Rwanda. However, world superpowers had little national interest at stake due to the fact that Rwanda didn't offer appealing options to exploit and therefore remaining in Rwanda offered nothing for the U.S. and many other countries to gain. As stated previously, if Rwanda had offered some valuable natural resource such as oil, intervention by other countries might have been possible and concrete steps might have actually been taken. Additionally, while Rwanda was under Belge rule, French was the most widely spoken language. If the genocide had occurred during the time where Rwanda was a distinct francophone country, it would have looked immoral if French or Belgium didn't intervene but the timing of the genocide ensured that France and Belgium had nothing to lose by not intervening. In addition to the lack of natural resources that made peacekeeping efforts in Rwanda undesirable, the U.S. Congress had serious financial constraints that didn't allow it to act based on moral principle. The U.S. actively decided not to engage with peacekeeping efforts to protect its financial status. With little financial incentive to keep troops in Rwanda, the United States scaled down their troops from 2,500 to a mere 270. Because power is scarce, world powers, such as the U.S., take on leading roles in international politics which makes weaker and smaller states unlikely to take a stance on important issues because they know nothing will advance without the leading role of a greater power. This inaction in the Rwandan genocide by the United States made it unlikely that any smaller states would voluntarily get involved.

The Rwandan genocide was a terrible part of our world history and there were many opportunities to intervene and potentially stop the genocide from happening. Unfortunately, international organizations like the United Nations were unable to mobilize resources and marshal enough support within member states to successfully intervene. States interests were the main reasons why there was hardly any international concern at the beginning of the slaughter. Media coverage and public knowledge of the events occurring in Rwanda were extremely limited therefore political powers around the world didn't have to worry about public opinion influencing actions taken. Human rights groups were well aware of the terrible things happening in Rwanda but could do nothing to stop them without the support from states that acknowledged these events constituted a genocide, rather than a civil war, where there is no incentive for outside countries to get involved. Eventually, the United Nations was authorized to deploy 5,000 peacekeeping troops and the Rwanda Patriotic Front took over the Hutu extremists effectively ending the genocide after 100 days. Rwanda is now committed to reconciliation and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was created to prosecute individuals involved in the genocide and was even the first institution to consider rape as a means perpetrate genocide. Although the genocide remains a lingering memory of the horrors caused by ethnic conflict, it is also a reminder that international organizations exert little influence over state actions when states interests are not invested in the event or situation and have no incentive to act out of moral principle.

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Rwanda: what Generated the Genocide

The 1994 Rwandan genocide can be characterized by one hundred days of pervasive murders that resulted in the deaths of almost one million men, women, and children. At the root of this atrocious tragedy, sits the divisions between two very similar groups that were driven farther apart by colonialism. What is ingrained in Rwanda's history prior to this event, offers insight for the numerous catalysts of this dark period. The Rwandan civil conflict was rooted in pre-existing tensions between the two ethnic groups, and Belgian colonial rule characterized by colonial administration accentuating the divide. German and Belgian imperialism sustained the tensions between the Rwandan ethnic groups Hutu and Tutsi, and fundamentally contributed to Rwandan society's problems alongside the deeply rooted issues over cultural and political differences.

At the forefront of Rwanda's highly centralized and hierarchical system, was the practice of Hutu oppression lead by the Tutsis. The civilization sprung up from conquering neighboring kingdoms and resulted in three ethnic groups that were very physically and customarily similar, but presented one major difference. They separated amongst the Hutu (farmers), Tutsi (landowners), and Twa (forest dwellers). The Tutsi tribe grew to have a monopoly on natural resources and land, thus the land they owned gave structure to their political systems and a allowed them a platform for their oppression. The Tutsi people used cattle as a symbol of status and wealth which lead to their initiation of a cattle contract (New Encyclopedia of Africa). This initial form of trade placed the pastoralist Tutsi at an advantage because they had the land to endorse an eco-centric economy that could thrive on agricultural trade. The Tutsis consolidation of their power through the lucrative trades of agricultural land and cattle, morphed into the input of political and governmental systems by the monarchy. The Hutus would farm and tend to all the land as payment for being tenants to the landowning Tutsis, with the Tutsis maximizing their exploitation as time passed. The initial unfair treatment of the Hutus festered in history until it was brought out in the form of ethnic warfare. The Tutsi people deliberately exploited the Hutu peasants, which left a rift between the two groups that time would not forget.

The first systematic differentiation between Tutsi and Hutu may have developed in the context of militarization, (New Encyclopedia of Africa) The Tutsi aristocratic herder dynasty the Nyiginya dynasty, called upon the implementation of permanent armies and military services, which would initially benefit the Hutu until the system turned on them and exploited them. The violent nature of these two groups facilitated the political domination achieved by the Tutsi. The methods of extermination thought to be critical in avoiding dissension, only lead to terror from where the problems originated from. The Tutsi minority had always been in power, so they only saw fit that Tutsi would be fighting and defending so they only recruited them. The Tutsi never gave the Hutus a fair chance or a seat at the table, or even tried to show that they were interested in sharing powers or being equals. The Hutu were always below the Tutsi and so the long standing oppression they would continue to feel would later reap them the reward of finally conquering the Tutsi.

The tenacious hold Tutsi hegemony had on military, natural resources, and cattle would last into imperialism in Rwanda as Belgium initially endorsed the feudalistic government. Germany had the first claim to Rwanda as a result of the Berlin Conference, but little interest or action was shown by the German administration. After WWI, Rwanda and Burundi came under the ownership of the Belgian administration. Belgian colonizers took a more direct control over Rwanda, upholding the pre-existing government systems characterized by Tutsi ruling over the Hutu. This policy further fueled and intensified ethnic divisions which would lead to conflict. This policy was effective in bringing colonization to Rwanda in a more underhanded manner. Rwandans would believe that the europeans would not interfere with what they had always done so they allowed the European colonization to take place. The Belgians were aware of the distinctions of the Tutsi and Hutu and initiated an identification policy that would emblazon conflict between the two groups, (Gale e-book).

The Belgian colonial regime promulgated the Tutsi as racially superior and therefore aided them in extracting and exploiting the Hutus. The Belgian administration greatly increased the oppressiveness of the Tutsi minority over the Hutu masses. They maintained their pro-Tutsi stance until the furthering of Rwandan independence in the late 50s, upon which they flipped entirely to a pro-Hutu stance. They saw the legitimacy in Hutu claims of inequality with the Tutsi and administered more rights and attempted to get the Tutsi to eliminate their unequal and oppressive caste system. This emphasized class divisions and intensified the ethnic tensions that had been in place for centuries, (Rwanda ABC-CLIO). The oppression of the Hutus had been in place for centuries and both the German and Belgian administrations had failed to provide any relief. Both administrations further damaged the conflict between the groups and would leave a lasting impact on the challenges Rwanda would face during decolonization.

The granting of independence from European administrations in Rwanda lead to the initiation of a Hutu lead government. For the first time in Rwandan history the Hutu majority would be recognized over the Tutsi minority. The Hutu extremist party sprung up and reversed the previous promulgated notions that the Tutsi were the superior peoples and created a way for the Hutu to be superior at last. (New Encyclopedia of Africa). Years of hard oppression and having no voice in matters engulfed the minds of the Hutus and lead them to take out their frustrations in violent manners. In 1959, before Rwanda's independence from the UN, a Hutu uprising lead to the deaths of hundreds of Tutsi and the fleeing of thousands. This event seemed to foreshadow what was to come for the Tutsi in the following decades. In the wake of their new independence, the Hutu sought the detrimental mistreatment of the Tutsis as a way to seek some sort of revenge for the hundreds of year they had suffered.

The effects of colonial rule were displayed in the Hutus position against the Tutsi. The Hutu were determined to parallel the events they had endured from the Tutsi so they began to focus on consolidating power. One advantage the colonizers gave the Hutu was the fact that they urged them to profit on cash crops such as coffee. They would find that this ultimately would increase their economic footing and aid them in the retention of power. The strength of the coffee economy was majorly valued for this purpose. The manipulation displayed by the Hutu extremists saw its past in the colonial administrations that had achieved the same. The collective history between the Tutsi and Hutu heightened the conflicts between them and as a resultant it came to a head during the genocide of 1994.

The will of the Hutus to act upon their impulse to enact revenge is only human, though childish in nature. They escalated the human conflicts of the few over the many and established what they saw as justice. In society today, the few over the many can be equated with and applicable to the elite vs. the ordinary vs. non functioning society. So many barriers and inequalities exist in and amongst not just U.S. citizens, but also the thousands of places less fortunate than our country. We take for granted the benefits we have as privileged americans when so many people in even our realm are suffering around us. The Hutus and the Tutsis experienced both power shifts and were able to construe society's ideas of who should have authority over who. They had in their hands both the despotism and the suppression. Knowing two sides to a story is so impactful in the way that it can shape outcomes. Rwanda created unfavorable outcomes, but we possess the power to treat others the way we want to be treated and advocated for peace and equality.

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Phobia: Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal psychology is a portion of psychology that focuses on studies that contain unusual patterns of behavior, emotion and thought. There are many topic that are related to Abnormal Psychology. Although like there are many topics related to Abnormal Psychology I want to research one topic in particular. I want to put my focus on phobias. Although many people might not see phobia as a psychological disorder. After paying more attention to it, I learned that phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. Phobia is not something people decide to make up, but something they can not control. This disorder is caused by many factors and requires special attention. Phobia is known as a strong, unreasonable fear of something that creates little to no real danger. Even if the person does create that danger in their head, due to the fact that they keep overthinking it. As I research phobias I will concentrate mostly on the symptoms, treatment options, what causes phobias, and some phobia types. Although it is important to keep in mind that there are many types of phobias, I decided to research these three because I could relate a little to them.

Phobia consist of many symptoms and can cause many problems in a person's everyday live. It can limit your daily activities and can also cause severe anxiety and depression. People with phobias avoid coming into contact with the thing that causes them fear and anxiety. People with phobias often experience panic attacks, especially when they come across the thing they are phobic to. These symptoms often occur suddenly and without warning. Meaning that most times they can not stop what they are doing before they experience these symptoms or let the other people around them know something is about to happen. People with phobia also experience physical symptoms. Some of these symptoms are sweating, chills, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, tachycardia, pain or tightness in the chest, nausea, headaches, dizziness, numbness, and dry mouth. Although I did state many of them it's important to keep in mind that there are many more physical symptoms a person can experience. A person does not only experience physical symptoms, but they can also experience psychological symptoms. Some of these symptoms are fear of losing control and fear of fainting. Once again like physical symptoms these are not the only symptoms one can experience, because everyone is different. It is important to keep in mind that people with phobia do not do these symptoms on purpose. These are symptoms that they can not help, but experience.

Although, there are many phobias and they are all very important to know about, I decided to focus on three types of phobias. These are phobias that I could relate, which are: Social Phobia, Arachnophobia, Ophidiophobia. Social phobia is an intense anxiety of being judged or rejected in a social situation by other people. People with social anxiety disorder may worry about appearing stupid, awkward, or boring. This means that no one will want to communicate with them or everyone will stare at them. They often avoid social situations. Although at times they cannot avoid a situation, so they experience significant anxiety and distress. In social phobia we see physical symptoms: heart rate, nausea, and sweating. This can be very difficult for a person during school and jobs. I say this because it can keep a person from obtaining a good job all because they have to interact with many people or be around many people. It can be difficult for someone in school that has social phobia, especially when they have to do presentations or talk to a group of people. It can make them have anxiety and forget what they were going to say or start stuttering. Arachnophobia, is a phobia to spiders. Although many people are afraid of spiders, it does not mean they have phobic to it. Arachnophobia causes interference with a person's daily life activities, especially if they consist of places that will most likely have spiders. If you have arachnophobia, will ensure that a person does not have any contact with a spider. A person who does have arachnophobia will either scream and runaway or freezing in place when they do come across a spider. It causes a person to be afraid to kill a spider, meaning that they rely on a friend or family member to either kill the spider or get it far away from that person with the phobia. If you see a spider and you are alone, you may actually leave the place that you see the spider, rather than dealing with the spider. Along with this it also means that many activities are unable to happen for that person anymore. It can be anywhere from a walk at the park, going to the basement, going camping or hiking, and many more activities. Ophidiophobia is known as the fear of snakes. It is one of the most common phobias there is because many people are afraid of snakes, although many times they have never encountered a snake. Some symptoms people encourage when they are ophidophobia are: panic attacks at the sight of a snake, they may freeze when they sight a snake, avoiding activities that may lead to you encountering a snake. A person who actually has a phobia towards snakes can be set off by a picture of a snake or seeing one on television. It can cause panic and anxiety, just like it would if the person was actually seeing a real life snake.

Phobia can be caused by many factors. Particular incidents or traumas. This can happen when a person experiences something at a young age that left them traumatized by it. I could relate to this one. When I was around seven we went up the mountains with my family and we had cows surround the car. From what I could remember the cows were all around the car, surround it in the middle of the road. They all started bumping it while also licking the windows, ever since then I have a phobia towards cows. My phobia grew from the anxiety I got by seeing the cows all around the car and licking it. I can not and will not get close to cows. Sometimes even seeing them or talking about them makes me panic or feel anxiety. Learned responses, are picked up in early life. Having parents who are very worried or anxious, can have an effect on the way you deal with anxiety. It can cause you to develop the same phobia as a parent or sibling. Genetics, suggests that some people are more vulnerable to developing a phobia than others. This means that it can be something that comes in your genes. While one person may experience something scary in their life it might not affect them, but another person can experience it once and it can cause them to have a phobia towards that specific situation or thing. Responses to panic or fear. If you react to something in a way that no one is expecting and you feel embarrassed or the people around you react strongly. It can cause the person to develop more anxiety. Making the person stay away from that situation, so that they will not have to relive that embarrassing experience again. Long-term stress can cause feelings of anxiety and depression, and can lead you to have a specific phobia depending what that stressor is. This can make you feel more fearful or anxious about a particular situations you experienced. It can actually lead to that person developing a phobia. It's important to keep in mind that not everyone experiences these factors, while on person can experience just one many can experience many of these factors. Also, keep in mind that although these are some factors there can be many more factors.

The good thing about people dealing with phobias is that there are option treatments for them. Although like any other treatment option for anything, it is up to the person if they want treatment. A person can not be obligated to get treatment, because it will make it harder for them to actually receive treatment and overcome their phobia. The doctor may recommend not only therapies, but also medication. If a patient happens to have more than one phobia, treatment is directed at one specific phobia. They will help control one specific phobia and then move on to another phobia that you may have. One of the therapies is known as Exposure therapy. This focuses on changing your response to the object or situation that you fear. The therapist might start slowly by repeating exposure to the source of your specific phobia. You will then get thoughts, feelings and sensations that go with how you feel about a specific thing or situation. As time passes the therapist will go from just talking about your phobia to actually showing you pictures or videos that will help you feel less phobic to that particular thing or situation. Another therapist is known as Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This involves being exposed to the phobia along with combined techniques. This helps the person learn ways to view and cope with the feared object or situation differently. This will help learn way to not feel overwhelmed by the phobia, but learn to be okay with it and continue to live your life without avoiding certain things. Medications is also very important when it comes to phobias because they help with symptoms that you experience, like anxiety and panic. The use of medication all depends on your phobia and your doctor it can be something that you used lifetime or something that you use at the time that you are about to do something. One of the medications are Beta blockers. These drugs block the stimulating effects of adrenaline. Another medication is Sedatives. Sedatives come in medicine that will help a person relax. Not only do people with phobia have to go through therapies and medication, but there are other strategies that they can count on. Some of these strategies are mindfulness strategies, relaxation techniques, and physical activity and exercise. Mindfulness strategies helps in learning how to tolerate anxiety. This can be like teaching your brain how to relax in situation where you might have to face your phobia. Relaxation techniques help with things such as: deep breathing, muscle relaxation, anxiety and stress. This helps when it comes to the situation of facing your phobia. You learn way on how to keep relax yourself and body parts, instead of getting anxiety and panic attacks. Physical activity and exercise may be helpful in anxiety that is associated with a specific phobia that the person is encountering. It's important for the person to try not to avoid feared situations. Stay near feared situations as long as they are not harmful and you have someone with you. This will not be easy, and it will take time. Although it is important to keep in mind that the more you do it the easier it will become to get over the phobia you are dealing with. It is very important to reach out to people for help. You can join a support group where you can meet other people who understand what you are going through. These people can be helpful because they can teach the person techniques to overcome that specific phobia, since they have already done it also. Treatment is not easy, but it is worth.

Phobia as we see can be very difficult for a person that has to deal with it. Instead of trying to be funny and sometimes scare the person with their phobia, we should be aware that it's something that causes problems for them and help them learn to cope with it. Phobia has many symptoms that not everyone will experience, because we are all different. As we saw treatment options are available. Don't ever leave a loved one alone, try to help them in anyway possible. Phobias as we saw can be caused by many factors. This means that people can have all the factors, while another person just has one or several of them. Although I did stick to only three types of phobias, mant other phobias exist. This research was very helpful to me because it helped me learn more about people with phobias. I can now be more considerate about a person going through a phobia, instead of thinking they are just acting a certain way towards a thing or situation. It's important to keep in mind that people with phobias are not doing things intentionally, but they can not help their symptoms or how they feel about a certain thing or situation.

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The Challenges of Phobias in Everyday Life Paul Johnson Psychology

Contents

Introduction
Phobia
Arachnophobia
Ambulophobia
Cibophobia
Hydrophobia
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Could you imagine waking up everyday in fear that today could be the day that you have to deal with the one thing you cannot deal with, your constant fear, your phobia? Phobias don't just affect your life when the thing you fear is introduced it affects the everyday life. Having to constantly avoid the thing that causes you panic is stressful and must be annoying not being able to do things normally. Could you imagine not being able to walk or stand because you're terrified to? How about not being able to wash yourself because you're to afraid? Even make a decision but that's too horrifying or even the thought of leaving your house causes you panic.

Phobia

A Phobia is basically something that you are terrified of, it can be literally anything that what makes phobias so random and terrifying. It doesn't matter what your Phobia is, your life will be based around the fact that you have to avoid that stimuli at all costs to avoid whatever reaction you may have such as panic attack, or being frozen I know someone whose phobia is puking and when it comes up she tries her hardest not to and is sometimes successful but not all the time and she pukes. But afterwards she goes into a state of shock then after has a panic attack because she puked. It's the not having control over oneself when certain stimuli are introduced to their environment, they're so terrified they lose control of their body and mind and that's why they have to adjust their days to avoid that stimuli. Most phobias are caused from having a traumatic experience with the certain stimuli, or maybe just a bad memory from childhood.

Arachnophobia

Is the fear of spiders, which is a totally rational fear as there are so many species of spider and determining if that spider in the corner of the room is poisonous or not is not how anyone would want to spend their day. To some people, just the sight of a spider can send them into full blown panic, screaming, crying, hiding or freezing in place. Logically there are enough spiders on the planet to eat every human being in a year if they would actually eat a human that is. Not to mention avoiding them everywhere you go is close to impossible, there are about 1 million spiders per acre of land and in the tropics there are about 3 million per acre give or take. It can be debilitating trying to avoid the eight legged creatures with everyday life, but isn't the worst thing in the world.

In a study recorded in the journal Emotion; Those with a fear of spiders, Arachnophobia are more likely to spot a spider, watch the spider unable to look away because of the overwhelming surge of fear. While those without the fear or phobia can gaze at the grass, study what is in the grass with no problem or fear.

Ambulophobia

Is the fear of stand or walking, this phobia is the equivalent to having both legs broken and you're unable to stand, walk and it prevents you from doing any day to day things. Obviously these people with ambulophobia have to get over their fear and walk and or stand everyday, could you imagine every time you stood up being filled with absolute terror? Every step you take gives you a panic attack. Sounds like a horrible life to live.

Cibophobia

Like ambulophobia, cibophobia is just impossible to get around, cibophobia is the fear of food. Could you imagine being terrified by food, the very thing that helps you stay alive and well. You'd have only two options, starve yourself thus ending your life in a very slow bad way or sucking it up and facing your fears everyday and eat the food you need to stay alive. Just the sheer thought of putting chips in your mouth and swallowing makes you cry and panic, that sounds like actual hell on earth.

Hydrophobia

The fear of water, sounds just a debilitating as cibophobia and ambulophobia but may not be as deadly so quickly as cibophobia unless you caught a dangerous bacterial infection from avoiding water, so not washing anything, your hair, face, hands and body. You would smell and look un-presentable at all times, you wouldn't be able to go out in public, swimming would terrify you I wonder if sweat terrifies them too since it's water but from the body. You'd also be sick from being dehydrated, so headaches and bellyaches.

Conclusion

Most of the Phobias I have chosen to talk about like Ambulophobia, Cibophobia and Hydrophobia aren't as popular as Arachnophobia, but they show just how crippling a fear of something can seem so small but it's really not. All of the fears I've chosen are there to put into perspective of fear itself you can be scared of just about anything, even breathing and it more than just complicates your life; It affects everyone around you. There is even a phobia of having a phobia for pet-sake. Phobias affect millions of people everyday, there are people living hard lives, forcing themselves to face their fears just to live a normal life. It just shows that there is no avoiding the phobia, there is facing it or running away making life worse for yourself and the people around you. Some phobias are worse, and more hands on with family or friends and partners, but some are minor and really only affect you. Isn't it crazy how one's fears can do that? Cause so much panic, and potentially ruin someone's life, or even multiple people trying to run or hide, shelter themselves to not have to face their fears. Sometimes therapy doesn't work and help rehabilitate people, or when it does the people go back to their old ways of running and hiding, or they do as they were taught and keep exposing themselves facing their fears. Most recently people started using virtual reality therapy exposing people to their fears in a totally safe environment without actually exposing them it incredible!

References

Dingfelder, S. Phobias May Hijack Control of Eye-Gaze. American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, Jan. 2005, www.apa.org/monitor/jan05/phobias.aspx.

Dittmann, Melissa. When Health Fears Hurt Health . American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 2005, www.apa.org/monitor/julaug05/fears.aspx.

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Homophobia Research

I am writing about homophobia and I'm going to explain how they were treated, specifically in the 1900s. Homophobia is and was a huge debate within our world. Many people absolutely go against it, saying that it is not natural. At the same time, what is normal? In the 1900s, homophobia was a wicked time. Most people back then denounced homosexuals. Specifically, gays. Not necessarily lesbians because that wasn't a huge issue for them. Men had to fear to be themselves for such a long time. On June 26, 2015, the US legalized same-sex marriage and the ability for them to adopt children. So, if they changed the law, then why does homophobia still exist? II For many years, homosexuals were viewed as not equal or just as freaks. In reality, they just are people who like the same-sex. The whole concern with homosexuality is based on religion. Many people who believe in god or another form of the idea, say that it is a sin. That God said that it is a sin for a man to lie with another man the same way they do with women. Then, humans decided to go with that saying and abolish those who betrayed God's words. A single bible page should not be worth a human's life. God said Love Thy Neighbor. That quote alone can make numerous of the problems that happen today, gone. For decades, homosexuality was intensely stereotyped and frowned upon. Being gay was not normal and or disturbing. In 2018, thankfully, people are more open-minded. In the year 1967, gays and bisexual men could share their freedom.

However, between 1967 and 2003, 30,000 gay and bisexual men were detained(COOTTDA). So for about a whole four generations, gays and bisexuals would have to fear and conceal their true selves. Those who weren't afraid to be who they are were detained as it was still strongly disapproved. Now sure, the US and most countries have legalized same-sex marriage. Unfortunately, 2.9 billion people still live under laws which criminalized same-sex relationships. That's nearly half of the world's population(ALHOH). Also, to be precise, there are more than 70 countries where homosexual acts are illegal. The death penalty is in place for same-sex sexual acts in at least 10 countries(PPAP:GRATW). For the people who identify as part as the LGBT, these laws are preventing them to be them. It is not fair that people who identify as LGBT in the US can freely express who they are and their sexuality without getting punished. For those who live where it is illegal, even staring at someone for too long you can be detained for showing homosexual tendencies.

Bars, restaurants, and carbets were threatened with loss of their liquor license if they employed homosexuals. 50,000 men were arrested for being openly gay, Many gays were threatened with police raids, harassment, and the loss of their jobs (AGVAF). Most men were afraid and kept quiet about who they are. Those who spoke up and fought for what they believed in (in that case it was the right to be treated with the same respect and to be protected by laws. Even though they may have lost everything, they still stayed strong and fought harder. For many centuries this has been going on but now, it is slowly coming to an end.

Many lives were lost and many innocent people were killed. Henry Vll passed a law making male homosexuality punishable by death. In 1835, the last two men were hanged from this law (ABHOH). Many of them were open viewing and people were able to see them pass away. This law was intolerable but it stayed in effect for decades. The effects of this lasted for centuries. Many people, to this day, are still afraid that this might happen to them. Sure, it's legalized but that doesn't stop people. In 1992, correction camps were created. Correction camps are basically a camp where they try to convert the LGBT into straights. In the past, some mental health professionals resorted to extreme measures such as institutionalization, castration, and electroconvulsive shock therapy to try to stop people from being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (BP: TFACT). Democrats are trying to pass a law where in Colorado, correction camps should be banned. It passed the first test but is still legal. This is devasting news since numerous people are still suffering.

III Since this problem, people turned against each other for our differences. It has caused more hatred and conflicts within our nation. There has been a mass shooting, in Orlando which killed 49 people and it is possibly caused by a hate crime. Those 49 lives were taken just because they were apart of the LGBT community. If this problem isn't solved, the world will just crash. We will begin to just despise each other for our differences. Our nation has a chance of crumbling and going back to our old ways. Let's not forget what those old ways are: correction camps, torture, dismembering body parts, being killed, and the loss of their jobs. We honestly can't risk going back into our old ways. Mostly because it will probably kill more people than ever before. The people in this world will turn against each other. There is so much hate in the world that countless people wonder when will it stop. The answer to that question is, it will end when we decide that it will end. We continue to lengthen this discrimination thing. If we don't stop this now, then the future generations will have to clean up what these three generations did. IV The only solution we have to this problem is if we grow up and accept each other and treat each other with respect. You don't have to agree with it, but you still need to treat the person with respect.

Suprise! They are still human beings. So, start being kind to your family, friend, co-worker, and basically everyone. What won't work is people just telling other people to be more open-minded. The reason why that won't work is that, simply, people generally don't listen to other's suggestions or advice. What also won't work is being positive about this subject. Sure, things have gotten way better. Still, that doesn't mean it is finished. We've come along way, but we still have a long way to go. The only thing stopping us from doing this is us. V The question, why does homophobia still exist, will never be accurately answered. This generation has made such progress with this type of issue. All the generations need to work together and understand each other. Each generation has had different struggles and it's about time that the human race comes together and helps each other out in this struggle we call life. It would be easier for humans to work together than against each other.

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Genetic Basis of Arachnophobia

Contents

Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References

Introduction

A trait may be defined as a distinguishing quality or attribute of an organism that is expressed by genes and possibly modified by environmental influences (Trait). Variation in a trait may be due to genetic differences (such as alleles) or the result of environmental pressure, or both (Griffiths). The underlying genetic bases for some traits and their variants are known while others remain elusive. Pedigree analysis is a useful tool for investigating whether a trait can be inherited. The benefits of determining inheritance and its pattern (e.g., dominant vs. recessive, autosomal vs. X-linked) include increasing our understanding of disease and how to treat or prevent it, making predictions from genotype to phenotype in varying environments, and growth potential (Korte).

Arachnophobia, or irrational fear of spiders, is one of the most common phobias. Estimates of prevalence vary, but likely 3-7% of the population suffers from arachnophobia (Arachnophobia: Why People Are Scared of Spiders). There have been studies conducted to explore whether arachnophobia is a learned behavior as the result of a terrifying experience with spiders or genetically determined or both (Buddle). Conclusions from these studies are not consistent and so present the opportunity for further study (Buddle). A better insight into underlying causes of this phobia may suggest more effective treatment and prevention strategies.

As mentioned above, some research has attempted to address whether arachnophobia is due to genetic or environmental causes; however, no definitive basis has been found. Individuals suffering from this phobia are more likely to be female, but cause of this gender bias has not been determined (Buddle). The behavior also tends to run in families, although it is difficult to rule out conditioning in people who live in the same environment (Buddle). Hettema and colleagues studied identical and fraternal twin responses to spiders and snakes. They found significant genetic contributions to phobic behavior (Hettema). In addition, Dias and colleagues have demonstrated that exposure to a smell in mice, along with an electrical shock, can condition the animals to exhibit a phobic response to the smell. This response was shown to be heritable, due to epigenetic changes that were able to be passed down through generations (Dias).

The Bliss Family pedigree, spanning four generations, was established to investigate the heritability of arachnophobia. The hypothesis employed was if arachnophobia is inherited (passed down from parents to offspring), then it is autosomal recessive.

Materials and Methods

A pedigree for the Bliss family that included four generations was drawn. All members were identified by generation and number, and affected individuals were indicated by a shaded symbol. Arachnophobia was defined for the purposes of this study as an extreme fear of being near, touching, or manipulating spiders under any circumstances starting at least one year ago and continuing to the present time. In all cases, the affected individuals expressed a phobia that began very early in life and continued for many years, if not decades. The data were analyzed to determine trait inheritance, and if present, pattern of inheritance.

Results

Figure 1 shows a family pedigree that spanned four generations. Individual IV 3 was affected by arachnophobia, but her maternal ancestry contained no members who suffered from the behavior. On her paternal side, five additional members, all female, were identified as being affected as shown in Figure 1. These individuals were found in every generation and appeared in a ratio of 1:2 to 1:3 (affected:unaffected).

Discussion

The hypothesis that was being tested was if arachnophobia is inherited (passed down from parents to offspring), then it is autosomal recessive. Examination of this pedigree supports this hypothesis overall. It is reasonable to conclude from the pedigree that the individuals in generation IV who were arachnophobic (individuals 2 and 3) possessed the trait at least in part due to inheritance from the common grandmother II 4. Also, individual IV 3 was affected, but her parents were not, lending weight that it is recessive.

While the pedigree does support heritability of the trait, it does not show a perfect pattern of autosomal recessive inheritance (affected males and females approximately equal in number). The presence of the trait only in females is interesting. It is very likely that the trait is not X-linked recessive since X-linked recessive traits are only expressed in males or homozygous females. However, gender bias in expression of the trait in this pedigree does raise questions about whether the trait is influenced by some other sex-specific factor, such as a hormonal influence on gene expression, or other epigenetic influences.

The method for determining the presence or absence of the trait in any individual involved only asking about attitudes toward spiders (the members assessed themselves). This subjective assessment is a potential source of bias since one person's understanding of what it means to have a fear of spiders could be very different from another's. A more objective measure of arachnophobia would provide more reliable data regarding the trait in members of the pedigree. This might involve use of a standardized set of questions regarding fear of spiders or measurement of physiologic responses such as heart rate in people as they are exposed to spiders (Zsido and Knoft). Also, for those deceased members of the pedigree, presence or absence of the trait in those individuals was determined by the recollections of descendants which is arguably less accurate than if every individual of the pedigree were able to be assessed quantitatively for the presence or absence of the trait.

The results of this analysis are consistent with what has been published about the population as a whole regarding gender bias and the tendency for arachnophobia to run in genetically related groups (Buddle). Furthermore, Figure 1 supports the hypotheses that arachnophobia can be inherited and is autosomal recessive. Only females in the pedigree were affected which suggests potential future avenues of research such as exploring epigenetic influences.

References

Arachnophobia: Why People Are Scared of Spiders. (2014, July 21). Retrieved from https://www.spring.org.uk/2013/11/scared-of-spiders-5-psychological-insights-into-arachnophobia.php

Buddle, C. (2015, May 20). Why are we so afraid of spiders? Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/why-are-we-so-afraid-of-spiders-10263450.html

Dias, B. G., & Ressler, K. J. (2014, January). Parental olfactory experience influences behavior and neural structure in subsequent generations. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24292232

Griffiths, A. J. (1999, January 01). Human Pedigree Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21257/

Hettema, J. M. (2003, July 01). A Twin Study of the Genetics of Fear Conditioning. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/207570

Knopf, K., & Pessel, P. (2009, January). Individual response differences in spider phobia: Comparing phobic and non-phobic women of different reactivity levels. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18781450

Korte, A., & Farlow, A. (2013, July 22). The advantages and limitations of trait analysis with GWAS: A review. Retrieved from https://plantmethods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4811-9-29

Trait. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trait

Zsido, A. N., Arato, N., Inhof, O., Janszky, J., & Darnai, G. (2018, March). Short versions of two specific phobia measures: The snake and the spider questionnaires. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29306023

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Claustrophobia Research

Contents

What i already know or assume/ what i want to know
The Story of My search
The Research Results
My Growth as a Researcher

What i already know or assume/ what i want to know

I think that a phobia is an unreasonable fear, something that makes you really scared to the point of fainting or sweating. I know there are a lot of different phobias in the world like coulrophobia, acrophobia, or glossophobia. I believe some are easier to overcome and others are harder to overcome it depends on the person,but the fear never really goes away.

For a long time now i have had claustrophobia, i don't remember exactly when it happened but i slightly remember how it happened. I started noticing how my heart would start racing every time i was in a small room or in a crowded space and my palms would even start sweating and shaking, and with the years it has only gotten worse, i cant even be under my blankets without getting anxious. I can probably say that The biggest and hardest challenge i have to face everyday are probably elevators. I constantly find myself avoiding them at all cost but there are times where i have to get in them because stairs aren't the safest option.

One of the hardest things about this is that Some people don't take my fear seriously and sometimes they even make fun of me, like my brothers, if i'm inside an elevator with them, they'll just start jumping or laughing at me which only make things worse. They aren't aware of what it actually does to me, everytime my fear increases more and more and i'm scared until what point it might take me. Claustrophobia might not be the worst phobia in the world but it has definitely not helped me in any positive way, and i'm tired of feeling scared and being made fun of, which brings me to my research question, how can i overcome claustrophobia?.

The Story of My search

First of all i did not anticipated the anxiety that i felt during this research. i began my research by searching up the types of phobia and i found that there are three types of phobias, agoraphobia, social phobia, and specific phobia. My research consisted of a lot of google research where i surprised to see how many article popped up, it wasn't like other times where i would just search up the question and the answer would pop up, this time i actually had to read the articles to find the best information for this paper.i was able to find the causes, symptoms and treatments for claustrophobia in the medical news today. I also searched up other questions like how can i overcome claustrophobia?, in what ways does claustrophobia causes psychological problems?, is claustrophobia considered a disease?,And what are the risks people with claustrophobia face?. With this i was able to find other articles like a guide to claustrophobia and learn to overcome claustrophobia that helped me find information i needed. It was also pretty easy to become distracted by other phobias, like i never knew how people have phobias of things i would never imagine, like aquaphobia (fear of water). nevertheless as interesting articles were, they weren't the ones i was focusing on so i decided to move on to other sources.

I also watched videos that the articles provided or videos from youtube of people sharing their experiences with what it is to be living with claustrophobia, and very personal stories of people. This was helpful because i came across videos of doctors giving advice on how to stop panic attacks and tips on what to do when someone has a panic attack in an elevator.

I also went into the schools health center homepage and looked for the psychology services where i was able to find the counseling and psychology services, the hours of operations and the phone number of the office. I wanted to make an appointment with the psychologist that was available hoping that the psychologist would be able to answer some of my questions, i did not know if she or he had a lot knowledge about phobias or specifically claustrophobia but i wanted to see what information they had to offer, unfortunately since it was last minute i wasn't able to get an appointment.

I also went into the library homepage, clicked on the database and looked for some scholarly resources, where i was able to find some articles, one talked about ways doctors have made it possible for people with claustrophobia to get an MRI, which it never crossed my mind that that would be a problem with people who suffered not only with claustrophobia or anxiety.The most helpful source was the new york times boxed in.freaked out, this article was probably the most helpful of all the articles, and videos. This source talked about what things have people done to make claustrophobics have an easier way to live their lives. It talks about how people like engineerings have projects that they've done to help claustrophobics, and the number of people with this phobia.

By the end of my research i was able to find helpful information and a whole new knowledge of claustrophobia.

The Research Results

According to the mental health america Agoraphobia is when a person might fear a place or situation where they might feel embarrassed or helpless, about 0.9 percent of people suffer from agoraphobia. Social phobia is a mental problem where people fear social interactions and public speaking situations, 7.1 percent suffer from social phobia. And an specific phobia is any kind of anxiety, the fear of exposure to specific situations or objects, 10 percent of people in the united states suffer from specific phobias. Claustrophobia falls is a specific phobia, and up to five percent of people in the united states have claustrophobia. Not everyone suffers the same level of claustrophobia some are only slightly claustrophobic and others have severe symptoms to the point of using medication. An Anxiety disorder does not just causes ""nerves."" You can't overcome an anxiety disorder just through willpower, nor can the symptoms be ignored or wished away.

As a result of my research i found that i can consult a doctor to find what type of therapy helps me the best and to help me find what triggers my phobia. there's five types of treatments that can help a person overcome claustrophobia, nevertheless i have to make sure that whatever i try it doesn't cause me further anxiety and make things worse.

When diagnosing claustrophobia the doctor might ask a series of questions to make sure that it doesn't connect to any other anxiety issue or to any other problems. The doctors would want to find out what is it that triggers the claustrophobic patient to feel anxious and they have to do tests to see how severe are the symptoms. Feelings of being trapped can be triggered when entering a small room, in a crowded place, an elevator and in many cases a pane. The doctor might provide a series of questions or a questionnaire to see what is causing the anxiety, and a scale to see what are the levels of anxiety that the patient is experiencing. The questionnaire includes scenarios of what might make the person anxious like Standing in an elevator on the ground floor with the doors closed,Using an oxygen mask, Snorkeling in a safe practice tank for 15 minutes, and Standing in the middle of the third row at a packed concert realizing that you will be unable to leave until the end. The questionnaire might provide the patient with five options, strongly agree, somewhat agree, neither agree or disagree, somewhat disagree and strongly disagree.

My Growth as a Researcher

There's a lot of things that i learned while working on this research paper, but first of all i would like to say how this was definitely like a slap on the face that told me wake up this is college it isn't high school. In an assignment like this you have to stay focus, if you get distracted then you are wasting a lot of time. You have to concentrate and stay organized, and i definitely learned how to do that, i learned how to separate and organized data that i gather from the articles. This assignment made me a better researcher because it wasn't just about looking up a question on google and the answer popping up, i actually had to scroll down and find the best reliable resources i could find, and it also helped learn how to explore the library's database. Furthermore this information was helpful for me because although it did alter my phobia a little bit, it also helped find ways to help me manage claustrophobia.

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Imperil Global Disarmament Efforts after Nagasaki and Hiroshima Bombings

For most people in the United States, August 6th and 9th pass without recognition, slipping by as ordinary summer days. These days, however, are carved into the cultural identities of two cities in Japan. This year marked the 73rd anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan Times reports that 50,000 people attended the commemoration in Hiroshima, including the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, and representatives of nuclear armed states such as the UK and U.S.A. (Osumi). In the annual Peace Declaration, Kazumi Matsui, the current mayor of Hiroshima, stressed, If the human family forgets history or stops confronting it, we could again commit a terrible error (Asahi Shimbun). This assertion seems to parallel the common idiom, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it (Frost). In this case, a repeat of history would entail more dire consequences due to the increased number of weapons and refinement of nuclear technology. While nationalism is often innocuous, with regards to the 1945 attacks, its impact can be seen in how evidence of the bombing was suppressed, public opinion reflects value of national identity more than noncombatant lives, and in how some efforts to educate Americans on the damage of nuclear warfare have been opposed on the basis of patriotism. These reactions throughout history provide insights into how nationalism affects the current U.S. nuclear policy Following the conclusion of World War II, the American public had little awareness of what the after effects were of dropping the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This was due to the Press Code enforced during the Allied Occupation of Japan which forbade, the release of information concerning war damage (Marc??n 1).

The Civil Censorship Detachment controlled publishing and had the rights to censor or refuse to publish any press writings and photographs (Civil Censorship Detachment). The result of censoring both professional and amateur photos was that for seven years, pictures from neither Hiroshima nor Nagasaki could be published, nor could the suffering of the victims be recognised and properly discussed (Marc??n 1). Consequently, the wider Japanese and American public neither saw nor heard significant depictions of what had occurred to the communities living in those two cities. It is unlikely that there would be much of any photographic record if it were not for the individuals who hid their negatives in defiance of the ordinance to destroy all photos. After the occupation ended in 1952, evidence of the catastrophic damage began to emerge. Since then, approval of Truman's decision to drop the bombs has decreased sharply in U.S. public polls (Sagan and Valentino). The significance of these polls is that it could indicate whether the public is likely to curb or embolden a president's inclination to use nuclear weapons in times of crisis. In this way, polls that display a public increasingly opposed to nuclear strikes are a good sign that the people will discourage use of nukes. In contrast to these findings, Sagan and Valentino polled Americans in 2015 using hypothetical scenarios that related to Iran. The poll asked Americans which they would prefer: 100,000 Iranian civilian deaths by nuclear air strike or a ground war that would result in the loss of 20,000 US troops. A majority of 55.6% preferred a nuclear strike on Iran instead of losing Americans. The more shocking result was that when respondents were to pick between 2,000,000 Iranian noncombatant lives or 20,000 U.S. soldiers, 59.1% would still approve if the U.S. chose to use the bomb, regardless of whether the individual initially preferred it. These results would seem to indicate that most Americans would ultimately approve of a nuclear strike. Therefore, even if public opinion on Truman's decision to use the bomb is less favorable than it was in 1945, the current U.S. public opinion reflects willingness to approve of its usage in future instances. It is apparent from these polls that national identity trumps the value of protecting noncombatant lives.

In addition to looking at how U.S. public opinion has been affected by the nuclear decision, it is important to consider how norms are formulated after traumatic world events and their impact on policies. Paul D'Anieri asserts that norms "spread across societies and then influence governments from the bottom up (397). Constructivist theory focuses on how these norms become the rationale for numerous decisions made by states. If there were an international norm against using nuclear weapons for any reason, it is less likely that this force would be used. In his book, Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity, Jeffrey C. Alexander discusses how universal norms emerge after societal traumas, such as the holocaust. He posits that the holocaust has become perceived as an unacceptable evil in society due to its transformation, into a less nationally bound, less temporally specific, and more universal drama (228). In order for Americans to empathize with the tragedy of the Holocaust, the event had to be framed as an archetype of universal evil that expressed the message that evil is inside all of us, and in every society (229). Without equivocating the two events, parallels can be drawn between this interpretation of the Holocaust and the nuclear strike of 1945. The holocaust is looked on as unutterably tragic because of the excessive cruelty and loss of life. But does not the attack against Hiroshima and Nagasaki merit consdieration as a failure of modern societies to contain conflict and aggression within legal and ethical limits (Peterson 258)? It reflects the U.S. inability in that time to establish peace by means other than the profoundly destructive force of nuclear weaponry. When the attack was carried out in 1945, there was no nation in the world able to retaliate. Now, there is an estimated 14,485 nuclear weapons in the world (Kristensen and Norris).

If one nation chooses to deploy a nuclear weapon, other states can retaliate with like force. Rather than looking at the attack as an unfortunate event in Japanese history, it could become as Alexander puts it, a more universal drama if societies of nuclear armed nations looked at the attacks of 1945 as something that could happen to any community. Kiyoko Imori, a survivor of the attack, expressed, I've come to realize the reason I'm alive is to tell people what happened (Okazaki). Another survivor revealed places on his body that the bomb marred and said, I've shown you my wounds because I want you to know this can't happen again (Okazaki). Many of the survivors have become activists who want to see a nuclear free world. Their stories and others are necessary if the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are to transform into international norms that will make nuclear warfare unthinkable. Several attempts made by nonstate actors to bring further awareness of the damage done by the atomic bomb have been curtailed by nationalistic pride attached to the war. For example, in 1995, Michael Harwit planned an exhibit in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum that sought to display artifacts and stories from the Japanese cities and express the view that the bombings marked a new era in which the human species was endangered (Miyamoto 18). This was met with such intense criticism that the exhibit was never opened and Harwit resigned. Many of those who opposed the exhibit were veterans, who did not want to see the Enola Gay hanging in an exhibit that they felt tarnished their service. From Yuki Miyamoto's perspective, the atomic bombing was part of a sacred mission to save American soldiers and American values, even though it resulted in an unfortunate loss of non-American lives (21).

While American soldiers should be honored for their sacrifice, the response to the Smithsonian exhibit shows how the social climate in America obstructed honor for other victims of the war. In addition, by shielding the effects of the bomb from public display and debate, it increased the likelihood that generations after the war will not have an accurate concept of the total devastation that comes from nuclear war. Although atomic weapons have not been used for 73 years, they are still relevant in the current day due to non-proliferation efforts, such as the Iran Nuclear Deal. Nationalism may have contributed to the reasons listed by the Trump administration for its recent decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran. Notably, only a third of the issues were relevant to the nuclear program. The rest, according to NPR's Geoff Brumfiel, have to do with things like sponsoring terrorism and supporting groups opposed to U.S. interests in the region. If preventing the development of nuclear weapons was the priority of the U.S., then these issues would be treated separately to not jeopardize the 2015 deal. It shows a lack of concern about how nuclear war could impact more than regional allies.

A 2013 study predicted that even a limited regional nuclear strike could cause a nuclear-war induced famine that would threaten well over two billion lives (Helfand 2). Thus, nuclear nonproliferation should be prioritized above national interests. In conclusion, nationalism's impact on the interpretation of the bombings in World War II is evident in how censorship occurred during Allied occupation, public polling reflects value of American lives over many civilian lives, and how certain efforts to heighten understanding of the danger and destruction have been resisted due to accusations of being anti-American (Miyamoto 19). In a 1995 speech on nuclear disarmament, Nobel Peace Prize winner Joseph Rotblat reflected: In advocating the new loyalty to humankind 1 am not suggesting that we give up national loyalties We have to extend our loyalty to the whole of the human race (53). Nationalities are a substantial component of the beauty of humanity. Nevertheless, it is vital for citizens and politicians alike to acknowledge that nuclear warfare threatens all cultures and societies without discriminating between national borders.

Works Cited

Alexander, Jeffrey C., et al. Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity, University of California Press, 2004. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/tridenttech/detail.action?docID=837285. Brumfiel, Geoff. Reimposing Sanctions Will Hasten End Of Iran Nuclear Deal, Some Experts Warn.NPR, NPR, 3 Nov. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/11/03/663442965/reimposing-sanctions-will-hasten-end-of-iran-nuclear-deal-some-experts-warn. Civil Censorship Detachment.The Kelmscott Press | William Morris, 26 June 2018, www.lib.umd.edu/prange/about-us/civil-censorship-detachment. D'Anieri, Paul J.International Politics: Power and Purpose in Global Affairs. Cengage Learning, 2017. Frost, Bob. Ten Misquotations and Misattributions From History.HistoryAccess.com, www.historyaccess.com/tenmisquotationa.html. Helfand, Ira. Nuclear Famine: Two Billion People at Risk. www.wagingpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/helfand_nuclear_famine_2.pdf. Nov. 2013. Kristensen, Hans M, and Robert S Norris. Status of World Nuclear Forces. FAS.org, Federation of American Scientists, June 2018, fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/. Marco?„, Barbara. Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Eye of the Camera.Third Text, vol. 25, no. 6, Nov. 2011, pp. 787“797.EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09528822.2011.624352. Miyamoto, Yuki. Beyond the MushroomCloud :Commemoration, Religion, and Responsibility after Hiroshima, Fordham University Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/tridenttech/detail.action?docID=3239599. Okazaki, Steven. White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. New York, N.Y.: HBO Video, 2007. On Aug. 6, Hiroshima Prays for Hibakusha, Flooding Victims???The Asahi Shimbun. The Asahi Shimbun, ????—??–°????‡?‚??‚???«, 6 Aug. 2018, www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201808060035.html. Osumi, Magdalena. Hiroshima Mayor Marks 73rd A-Bomb Anniversary with Indirect Call to Sign U.N. Nuke Ban Treaty.The Japan Times, 6 Aug. 2018, www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/08/06/national/mayor-urges-easing-regional-tensions-hiroshima-marks-73rd-anniversary-u-s-atomic-bombing/. Peterson, Richard T. Human Rights: Historical Learning in the Shadow of Violence.The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 68, no. 1, 2009, pp. 253“272.JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27739768. Rotblat, Joseph. Remember Your Humanity.Social Alternatives, vol. 15, no. 3, July 1996, pp. 50“53.EBSCOhost, stacks.tridenttech.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=24227921&site=ehost-live. Sagan, Scott D., and Benjamin A. Valentino. Revisiting Hiroshima in Iran: What Americans Really Think about Using Nuclear Weapons and Killing Noncombatants.International Security, vol. 42, no. 1, 2 Aug. 2017, pp. 41“79., doi:10.1162/isec_a_00284.

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Food in Ancient Rome

When we think of Ancient Rome, we think of shield-clad legions marching through Europe, gladiators fighting to the death in the coliseum, and egotistical emperors murdering anyone they wished. However, whether you were a soldier, prisoner, or emperor, you still had to eat. Customs surrounding Roman food were strikingly similar to our society today; the rich ate flamingos, truffles, or whatever else they pleased at ritualistic, multi-course feasts while the poor ate porridge, bread, or whatever else they found at simple, informal gatherings. Roman cuisine and the customs surrounding it were very similar to modern society as the meal took on a deeper, sacred meaning, there were large differences in the way the rich and poor ate, and food was adapted to and borrowed from the areas they conquered.

In scientific terms, food is merely a basic human need. Why is it, then, that Ancient Romans ate honey-coated dormice stuffed with plums, sausages, and pomegranate seeds? They surely wouldn't have died if they had eaten these murine delights. It's the same reason we eat puffed wheat rolls stuffed with pulverized cow, lettuce, and onions topped off with a tomato and sugar puree and pickled cucumbers; we enjoy it. Rome was a complex society, just like almost everywhere in our world today. In a complex society, food is assigned a meaning greater than just being a tool for survival. Therefore, some people in Rome were able to eat dormice, just as we are able to eat hamburgers. However, complex societies not only led to an increased variety of food, they also resulted in a increased sacrality of it. This is largely due to the belief systems that arise with complex societies. As the foremost complex society of its time, Rome had a correspondingly complex belief system, that involved a sacrifice of food to the gods.

For example, mola salsa, a baked salt cake not unlike a communion wafer, was sacrificed to the Roman goddess of the hearth, Vesta. These practices were so important that a group of priestesses called the vestal virgins dedicated their lives to sprinkling of these salt cakes on sacrificed animals in order to honor the goddess. Although most Romans were unable to spend their lives as vestal virgins, their houses usually contained shrines to the gods, called lararia, where sacrifices were made on a daily basis, especially to domestic gods such as Lares, the namesake of lararia. Not only did the Romans sacrifice salt cakes and plant-based foods, they also offered up whole animals to different gods a steer for Jupiter, a goat for Mercury, a calf and a boar for Vulcan. These sacrifices were complicated affairs, music was played, prayers were said, and the animal's blood was spread around the altar.

Only then, some of the time, could it be eaten. In addition to sacrifices, Roman gods were celebrated with meals and festivals in their honor. For example, Cerealia was an April harvest festival rather like Thanksgiving dedicated to the goddess of agriculture, Ceres. Cerealia was characterized by the eating and sacrifice of grains, in hope of a good harvest. In fact, the word cereal comes from this goddess. The festival of Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the god of plenty, was focused on snacking on cheese plates, nuts, cookies, and other sweet, and usually unhealthy foods. Especially with the winter fare and decoration involved, Saturnalia was strikingly similar to Christmas. Romans ate dormice like we eat hamburgers, sacrificed anything and everything to the gods, and had festivals similar to Thanksgiving and Christmas. In Rome, food was much, much more than a tool for survival, just as it is in our society today.

The classic image of Roman food is a large banquet containing an insanely wide variety of foods. You might see peacock brains, dolphin meatballs, camel heels, or even boars stuffed with live thrushes. However, this striking image of Roman cuisine is not the one most Romans knew. Poorer Romans ate a far more modest diet, including a lot of wheat, bread, and porridge, discarded delicacies, such as olive culls, and maybe even bird seed. This disparity between social classes still exists in our world today; the rich eat well and never really have to think too deeply about food, while for the poor, finding enough to eat can be a constant struggle. Because of this gulph in quality, to study what Romans ate, it is necessary to divide cuisine by social class. First consider the upper class, of the nobility and elite; which has the wildest, grandest, and most ritualistic cuisine. Following a light breakfast, usually with bread and a light lunch, often containing eggs or cheese, dinner was the largest, longest, and most formal meal. Multi-course dinner parties were very common and could have dozens of people, often eating in a garden, and supplemented by pillows, but interestingly, not utensils. Many recipes for these extravagant meals are found in Apicius's Cookbook, one of the first of its kind. According to the cookbook, the first course would consist of seafood and salad, with dishes such as cuttlefish stuffed with brains, pepper, and raw eggs, with a fish sauce containing seeds, herbs, and honey.

The second course was the meat or fish course and could have contained a dish such as boiled flamingo (or parrot) with leeks, dates, and spices. Finally, the meal would be capped off with fruits such as apricots, peaches, pinecones, or even quinces dressed as sea urchins and of course, wine. The commoners and slaves of Rome ate less formally, their food was of a much lower quality, and their health suffered accordingly. Foods that were most prevalent among the lower classes included millet, seen as a grain of farm animals, porridges, and vegetable soups. Meat was very rare, unlike in the upper classes. However, one of the most impactful aspects of Roman food culture was the subsidy system. From the early days of the empire, many poor Romans received a set amount of grain and corn at a set fee from the government. Eventually, the subsidies became free, and by the 3rd century CE, included oil, pork, and even wine. Systems like this still exist today, and many can trace their roots back to Rome. The Roman system, like modern ones, was extremely controversial. Although critics say that poorer Romans relied on and took advantage of this system, the rations provided were not enough to feed a family and still had to be supplemented from the free market. But if some people are eating a mouse stuffed inside a rabbit, inside a chicken, inside a lamb, inside a pig, inside a cow, basically an entire food chain, why are others eating bird seed? Just as in our society today, the question is not whether there is enough food but why some people have all of it and others are starving.

Food is merely a reflection of the physical and cultural environment, so in a large, diverse empire like Rome, food varied significantly based on location. Rome had access to resources from seas, forests, and farms, as well as a complex trading network with other civilizations. Provinces with access to the Mediterranean were able to tap into a climate with perfect agricultural conditions for a variety of crops, such as olives, dates, and grapes (and therefore, wine), and this area became the heart of the Roman Empire. Not only could they grow fresh fruit, but Romans were also able to domesticate many crops and animals around the Sea, such as rabbits in Iberia and grains in Egypt. Just with those ingredients, one could have a pretty delicious cuisine; I would love a rabbit, olive, and date burger right now. However, the greatest empire of its day didn't stop at the Mediterranean; food from the peripheral provinces was also integrated. Belgium provided ham, Brittany provided oysters, and Anatolia provided lettuce. Now, I can add lettuce to my burger and have ham-stuffed oysters on the side. The Romans not only created the most advanced cuisine to date with the food they found within their boundaries, they supplemented it with goods from civilizations to the East.

By trading cereals and wine, as well as gold coins and precious metals, they were able to acquire eggplant and spinach in Arabia, and peaches in Persia. Now, I can have a healthy salad with my burger and candied peaches with honey (interestingly, the Romans never had access to sugar) for desert. However, there was still something the rich craved, something that required travelling all the way to India to acquire. No good Roman dish was complete without spices, including pepper, ginger, and tumeric. Although food was quite different depending on location, the interconnectivity of the empire led to some foods becoming some of the earliest national dishes. Perhaps the most quintessential of these foods, is garum, a fish sauce originating in Mauretania. The Geoponica describes it as the entrails of tunny fish and its gills, juice, and blood left in a vessel to sit for up to two months. Like any good national dish, garum varied in quality had legendary makers, such as Umbricius Scaurus in Pompeii, and was applied to almost everything. Rome was truly a melting pot of cultures, and its food reflected that, just like our country today.

Roman food was given meaning by religion, unequal based on social class, and adapted from all areas and cultures of the empire and beyond. Food had a meaning and level of complexity in Rome that can stand with the most advanced societies in history, maybe even on top of that podium. Customs surrounding Roman food have persisted up to modern times, and have left a lasting impact on our society. Clearly, the biggest thing our society has been missing for two thousand years is a stuffed dormouse.

Works Cited

Ancient Roman Meals. Ancient Roman Meals, www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-life/ancient-roman-meals.htm.

Boardman, John, et al. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World. Oxford University Press, 1986.

Booms, Dirk, et al. Roman Empire: Power and People. The British Museum Press, 2013.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. Vestal Virgins. Encyclop?¦dia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 4 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Vestal-Virgins.

Cartwright, Mark. Food in the Roman World. Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 17 Oct. 2018, www.ancient.eu/article/684/food-in-the-roman-world/.

Domin, Heather. Io Saturnalia! A Holiday Party Tray, Ancient Roman Style #Foodiefriday -

Stephanie Dray. Stephanie Dray, 16 Dec. 2011, www.stephaniedray.com/2011/12/16/io-saturnalia-a-holiday-party-tray-ancient-roman-style/.

Flower, Barbara, and Elisabeth Rosenbaum. The Roman Cookery Book a Crictical

Translation of the Art of Cooking by Apicius for Use in the Study and the Kitchen. George G. Harrap Co. Ltd., 1958.

Hays, Jeffrey. FOOD IN ANCIENT ROME: DIET, CLASS, SUBSIDIES, EXOTIC DISHES AND

DETERMINING WHAT PEOPLE ATE. Facts and Details, Oct. 2018, https://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub369/item2071.html.

Hazlitt, Henry. Poor Relief in Ancient Rome | Henry Hazlitt. FEE, Foundation for Economic

Education, 1 Apr. 1971, fee.org/articles/poor-relief-in-ancient-rome/.

Leon, Vicki. Working IX to V: Orgy Planners, Funeral Clowns, and Other Prized Professions of

the Ancient World. Walker, 2007.

Mola Salsa. Mola Salsa - NovaRoma, www.novaroma.org/nr/Mola_salsa.

Norris, Shawn T. Ancient Roman Cuisine. Rome Across Europe, 21 Sept. 2015,

www.romeacrosseurope.com/?p=2655#sthash.fAjooltE.F45IZfI4.dpbs.

Petropoulos, Kostas. Food, Fun, and Festival: Roman Gastronomy in Celebratory Occasions.

Carmenta Online Latin Blog, 18 Aug. 2018, www.carmentablog.com/2015/11/27/food-fun-and-festival-roman-gastronomy-in-celebratory-occasions/.

Roman Cooking: Meals, from Rich to Poor. Romans in Britain - Roman Cooking: Meals, from

Rich to Poor, www.romanobritain.org/2-arl_food/arl_roman_cooking-pt3.htm.

Van der Veen, Marijke, and Jacob Morales. The Roman and Islamic Spice Trade: New

Archaeological Evidence. ScienceDirect, Elsevier, 30 Sept. 2014, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874114006916.

White, Susan K. Pompeii: the Vanished City. Time-Life Books, 1992.

Worship. PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,

www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/worship.html.

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The Violence of Atomic Bomb: John Hersey’s Hiroshima

The novel Hiroshima, by John Hersey, is about six survivors of the first atomic bomb ever dropped on the city, Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945. The six survivors are Miss Sasaki, Dr. Fuji, Mrs. Nakamura, Father Kleinsorge, Dr. Sasaki, and Mr. Tanimoto. One character that stood out was Mrs. Nakamura. She escaped horrific disaster and strives to protect her three children during the destruction of Hiroshima. Through illness and radiation poisoning, Mrs. Nakamura faced difficulties trying to find work years after the explosion. I think Mrs. Nakamura possesses multiple personality traits. Those being positivity, caring, and courage.

Mrs. Nakamura possesses the trait positivity throughout the story because she still tried to find work after a life-changing disaster. She suffers from radiation and poverty for many years. Mrs. Nakamura was weak and destitute and began a courageous struggle, which would last for many years, to keep her children and herself alive (91). This passage shows that Mrs. Nakamura attempts to recover herself and her family from the atomic bomb. She suffers from mild radiation sickness, which makes it very hard for her to support her children. Yet, Mrs. Nakamura still manages to find a good job and become financially well off. She had her late husband's sewing machine repaired and started to take up sewing again. She also did cleaning and laundry and washed dishes for neighbors who were somewhat better off than she was (91). Mrs. Nakamura endeavors to recuperate her life by making money to provide food for her three children. Her attitude towards the bomb was, So it can't be helped, as said by her herself. Regardless of the result of the bomb, Mrs. Nakamura desires to improve her life, gradually. Mrs. Nakamura, made an arrangement to deliver bread for a baker named Takahashi, whose bakery was in Nobori-cho. On days when she had strength to do it, she would take orders fo bread from retail shops in her neighborhood and the next morning she would pick up the next requisite number of loaves and carry them in baskets and boxes through the streets to the stores (94). Mrs. Nakamura put a lot of hard work to find a job to make money. Although, the exhausting work provided just fifty cents a day. Mrs. Nakamura had still persevered and years later, it was Nakamura-san's good luck, her fate (which must be accepted), to become eligible to move into a better house (94). THe house rent was about a dollar a month, and was also payable to the city government. This proves that Mrs. Nakamura stayed positive through the harsh times, persevered, and her hard, exhausting work had finally paid off.

Another quality Mrs. Nakamura possesses is caring. Although some of the male characters were married, she was the only survivor of the six who was responsible for her family. She was also the only character to struggle through poverty. I believe that this was due to caring for herself and her children. After Mrs. Nakamura saves her three children after the bomb drops, she took the children out into the street. They had nothing on but underpants, and although the day was very hot, she worried rather confusedly about their being cold, so she went back into the wreckage and burrowed underneath and found a bundle of clothes she had packed for an emergency, and she had dressed them in pants, blouses, shoes, padded-cotton air-raid helmets, called bokuzuki, and even, irrationally, overcoats (19). This is obvious that Mrs. Nakamura cared very much about her children because she was worried if they were cold. She head back into their destructed home and dug into the debris of tiles to find clothing for her children. Mrs. Nakamura had even collected helmets and overcoats for them, even though the weather was hot. The book states that as Mrs. Nakamura struggled to get from day to day, she had no time for attitudinizing about the bomb or anything else. She was sustained, curiously, by a kind of passivity, summed up in a phrase she herself sometimes used- 'Shikata ga-nai,' meaning, loosely, 'It can't be helped' (93). Mrs. Nakamura started to feel hate towards America after hearing that they had poisoned Hiroshima. However, she soon starts to have an accepting attitude towards the war and says that it can't be helped. Thus, Mrs. Nakamura truly cares for her family and has understanding for the war.

The last trait that helped Mrs. Nakamura persevere in the tragedy is courage. She was a single mother with three children and a late husband. However, she still managed to protect her children without any major external physical harm. Right after the bomb drops, Mrs. Nakamura becomes buried in the debris. She had clawed herself free to find her youngest daughter Myeko crying for help. Myeko was, buried up to her breast and unable to move. As Mrs. Nakamura started frantically to claw her way toward the baby, she could see or hear nothing of her other children (9). This passage demonstrates that she, without a thought, went to help her child. As soon as she realizes that her other children were nowhere to be seen, Mrs. Nakamura starts to panic. She leaves Myeko alone, but to search for her other children, Toshio, and Yaeko. Toshio, had some freedom to move and at last she saw his head, and she hastily pulled him out of it (19). According to Toshio, he was bu9iji blown across the room and landed above his sister, Yaeko. Mrs. Nakamura cleared a hole above the child and began to pull her arm and freed her child (19). Because of Mrs. Nakamura's quick actions, the children were filthy and bruised, but none of them had a single scratch (19). This shows that Mrs. Nakamura took charge and saved her children from suffocating under the tiles.

In conclusion, Mrs. Nakamura possesses the personality traits positivity, caring, and courage. Being a mother with a late husband and three children, Mrs. Nakamura had to protect her children from a bombing and worked extremely hard to find work to provide food. She suffers from radiation poisoning and poverty and still manages to pull her life back together and have a normal life, like how it used to be before the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Therefore, Mrs. Nakamura was able to persevere in the face of overwhelming tragedy.

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American Epic Romance

Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance, drama and disaster film, directed, written, co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the film starred Leonardo DiCaprio who plays Jack Dawson a penniless third-class artist and Kate Winslet who plays Rose DeWitt Bukater a beautiful first-class aristocrat. The film follows the forbidden romance between Jack and Rose from beginning to its tragic end.

Produced by three different production companies, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, and Lightstorm Entertainment, Titanic is the second highest-grossing film of all time worldwide with $2.187 billion in global box office. Before Titanic James Cameron had successfully established himself as a leading action-movie director, thanks to his films such as The Terminator and Aliens. He was known for his perfectionism and for high handed dealings with actors, crew, and studio bosses. Cameron had a fascination with shipwrecks, and at his age knew he would never able to consider an undersea expedition.

Cameron considered The Titanic to be the Mount Everest of shipwrecks and when he learned of an IMAX movie of the Titanic, Titanica, had been made using footage shot of the actual wreck, he wanted to do same. To fill the void, he decided to seek Hollywood funding to pay for an expedition and do the same thing. In an interview with Playboy Magazine, Cameron says, I made Titanic because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie. Cameron and his team researched the ship's story for more than five years before production of the film. He insisted on filming the actual wreckage, which was discovered in 1986 about 400 miles offed the coast of Newfoundland. The crew shot the real wreckage eleven times in 1995 and organized several dives to the site for two years, with this production officially began on the film in 1995. Cameron wrote a scriptment for the film, and pitched it as a Romeo and Juliet story on the Titanic to twentieth Century Fox. Cameron was able to sway the executives based on the publicity the shooting of the wreck received. After filming the underwater shots, Cameron began writing the screenplay.

Cameron spent six months researching all of the Titanic's crew and passengers so he could honor the people who died during the disaster. The film was initially budgeted by Twentieth Century Fox at $109 million but set construction had been so costly and time-consuming that caused the film to be two months over schedule before any filming was done. Fox got nervous about the increasing costs of the film and sought a production partner. Universal Studios was in the running for a long time, but ultimately passed. Paramount Pictures was able to get a hold of the script and immediately wanted to get on board with the film. After negations, Fox and Paramount agreed to split the $109 million budget evenly for the film.

Later on, Paramount had concerns over the unexpected magnitude of the film and had to renegotiate their original deal. The two ended up agreeing that Paramount would pay for half the set, a total of $65 million, in exchange for U.S. distribution rights, and Fox would cover the remaining half including any overages making the budget set at a total of $135 million. In the end, the film ended up being about $100 million over budget totaling to about $200 million. Majority of the budget ended up going to the production design of the film. Production delays grew worse as building the ship took far longer than anticipated.

The set for Titanic cost a total of $30 million with most of that going towards the creation of a 90% scale replica of the ship, which in turn was housed inside a whopping 17-million-gallon tank that cost $40 million. In an interview with Vanity Fair Magazine, Fred Gallo, head of physical production, recalled how Cameron was determined to build sets with real wallpaper and shoot a special submarine, the only one of its kind in existence. The film's $200 million budget ended up costing more than the cost of the real ship. Fox Executives panicked about the tremendous cuts and suggested shortening the three-hour long film, in order to save money.

However, Cameron did not agree with this at all and threatened to quit, the executives did not want to have to star over because this meant losing their entire investment. Cameron forfeited his $8 million director's salary and his percentage of the gross when the studio became concerned at how much over budget the movie was running, Cameron explains his reasons behind this in an interview saying, ?Titanic' also had a large budget to begin with, but it went up a lot more. As the producer and director, I take responsibility for the studio that's writing the checks, so I made it less painful for them. I did that on two different occasions. They didn't force me to do it; they were glad that I did. The filming schedule was intended to last 138 days but grew to 160. Many cast members came down with colds, flu, or kidney infections after spending hours in cold water.

Due to production delays the film was released six months later than expected. Paramount was expected to handle the North American distribution while Fox would handle its international release. The two expected Cameron to complete the film for a release on July 25, 1997. However, Cameron said the film's special effects were too complicated and that releasing the film would be unable to release in the summer, forcing Paramount to push back its release date to December 19, 1997. There were speculations throughout Hollywood that the film's delay in release meant that it was a disaster. However, on July 14 there was a preview screening of the film that generated positive reviews and positive media coverage. The film finally premiered on November 1, 1997, at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and domestically on December 19, 1997 on 2,674 screens.

Titanic received amazing success contrary to rumors revolving around it, the film came in at number one at the box office, earning $8.6 million its opening day and $28.6 million its first weekend. The film was number one at the box office for a record fifteen consecutive weeks from December 19th, 1997 to April 2nd, 1998. Titanic had a total of fourteen Oscars nominations and won eleven of them. The film also successfully took home four Golden Globe awards and one SAG award. It won various awards outside the United States, including the Awards of the Japanese Academy as the Best Foreign Film of the Year. Titanic eventually won almost ninety awards and had an additional forty-seven nominations from various award-giving bodies around the world. Also, a book about the making of the film topped The New York Times' bestseller list for weeks. Titanic received mainly positive reviews from film critics, and was positively reviewed by audiences and scholars, who commented on the film's cultural, historical and political impacts. On movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% with a rating average of 8/10.

Also on Metacritic, Titanic has a positive Metascore of 75 and ranked the number one most discussed movie of 1997. Despite a few reviews from critics that commented on Cameron's depiction of the authenticity of actual events, Titanic is generally a well-loved film receiving both critical and commercial success. Although there is not sequel in the works for Titanic, the film's Director James Cameron has participated in several specials about the film and the actual disaster that inspired it, including a 2012 National Geographic special titled Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron. In 2017, they released a one-hour documentary special on National Geographic for the 20th anniversary of the film titled Titanic: 20th Anniversary.

Overall, Titanic is one of the most successful movies in history and one of my favorite movies to watch. The enormous success this movie received is proof that you shouldn't be quick to judge something. It was a surprise to me to learn about all the negativity and doubts this film received while it was still in the production phase. Based on interviews of Cameron's experiencing creating Titanic, I think production companies interfere with the creativity of films. Cameron knew everyone expected his film to be terrible, even the people paying for it, that type of pressure could obstruct anyone's creativity. When Titanic received the popularity it did, I know everyone involved with the film felt a sign of relief. It's always good feeling when you doubt yourself, and think somethings going to fail and it turns out to be the complete opposite.

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Are Vaccines Safe for Children?

Ever since a child's birth, parents have been told and taught by medical professionals that vaccinations are necessary or recommended throughout the growth of the child. There are certain vaccinations that are even required before a child enters a certain grade or enrolls in school. We have the perception that a vaccination is beneficial to our well-being and can cause us no harm. But there are concerning information regarding vaccinations that have influenced many parents to refuse certain or all vaccines for their child(ren). By looking at how and why vaccines were created to the concerns surrounding vaccines and the safety of them, we can better understand: what types of risks vaccines pose, why people are refusing vaccines, the consequences or effectiveness of vaccines, and whether vaccines are safe. With the number of risks involved, we can comprehend how the risks will outweigh the potential benefits of vaccinations and how vaccines are not safe for young children.

The amount of vaccines received today have increased dramatically since 1990. As new diseases arise, medical professionals create vaccines that can help treat or prevent those diseases. The first vaccine was created by Edward Jenner in 1796 which eventually eradicated smallpox. The next vaccine was for rabies which was created by Louis Pasteur in 1885, and more vaccines followed which were created against tetanus, tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid and so on. Vaccine research and development were prominent in the middle of the 20th century which led to the creation of vaccines for common childhood diseases such as mumps, measles, and rubella. The creation of vaccines greatly benefited people back then, as the mortality rate was high due to no available medicine or vaccine to prevent or treat diseases. But as time went on more vaccines became available and with that, the need for an immunization schedule was necessary to keep the recommended vaccines in order.

The official vaccination schedule didn't appear until 1995. According to the recommended childhood immunization schedule by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for that year, by 2 years of age a child will have received 15 doses of 5 vaccines. Since 1995, the vaccination schedule has been revised yearly with a new amount of vaccines added. This is an alarming concern to parents since the recommended childhood schedule for 2017, 22 years later, by 2 years of age a child will have received about 26 doses of 11 vaccines; which is nearly double the amount received from 1995. With so many recommended doses for a child of only 2 years of age, sometimes it is hard to determine the effect of the vaccines. By 2 years of age a child's development is not complete, and the effect of vaccines can sometimes be delayed. But then there are times when it can be detected sooner and by then it would have been too late; as the effect has already caused damage to the child's mental and physical growth.

According to an article by Neil Miller and Gary Goldman, the United States has the most vaccine doses and infant mortality rate (IMR) for infants aged less than 1 year in the world. The IMR depends on many factors but the US has seen little improvement to its IMR since the year 2000. In 2009, five of the 34 nations with the best IMR's required 12 vaccine doses, the least amount, while the United States required 26 vaccine doses, the most of any nation. (Miller & Goldman) This tells us that most vaccines are not necessary in the US and we should evaluate what is in vaccinations and why is it necessary when other countries with less vaccines have lower IMR's.

Vaccinations essentially contain harmful ingredients. According to the CDC the common substances found in vaccines are: aluminum, antibiotics, egg protein, formaldehyde, monosodium glutamate (msg), and thimerosal. One of the substances which is more concerning than others is thimerosal. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative that has been used in vaccinations for decades but around year 2000 it was agreed to be reduced or eliminated in vaccines. This was brought on by an amendment in 1997 by Frank Pallone, a U.S. Congressman from New Jersey, to an FDA reauthorization bill. The bill passed, and the FDA Modernization Act of 1997 was signed into law November 21, 1997. In 1999 the FDA found that by 6 months of age infants receive as much as 187.5 micrograms of mercury from 9 doses of 3 vaccines. A meeting was held to discuss these findings and according to an article by Paul Offit titled Thimerosal and Vaccines”A Cautionary Tale, he wrote, Although they were largely reassured by studies of children who had ingested large quantities of mercury from fish in their diet, they couldn't find a single study that compared neurologic outcomes in children who had received thimerosal-containing vaccines with those in children who had not. In the end they decided to pull thimerosal for precautionary measures since they were unable to justify the outcome.

There are concerns of the side effects of vaccinations, which are worse than the actual disease. There is debate over whether vaccinations cause Autism. After thimerosal was removed or reduced from vaccines, advocacy groups started forming under the belief that thimerosal had caused their child's autism. This controversial topic had occurred shortly before the removal/reduction of thimerosal in vaccines. But what really boosted the theory was Andrew Wakefield's article in the British journal the Lancet, Wakefield suggested that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine may be the cause of autism. This set the public into a frenzy, and shortly after it was published it was retracted as Wakefield's claim turned out to be fraudulent. It was found that Wakefield subjected children in the study to medical procedures that included colonoscopies and MRI scans. He also paid children at his son's birthday party to have blood drawn for research purposes. The Lancet retracted the study and released this statement. It has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al. are incorrect, contrary to the finding of an earlier investigation. In particular, the claims in the original paper that children were ?consecutively referred' and that investigations were ?approved' by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record. (Park)

Although the link between MMR and autism has been discredited and other research has found no relation between the two, this just made the public become more concerned about the side effects of immunizations. These side effects of vaccines can result in physical or mental impairment or even fatality. Autism was one of the highly speculated effects as 1 in 63 children have autism. Another is sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) where an infant death occurs during the time they begin their vaccinations, and it's unexplainable on how they died since they are undeveloped, and their immune systems were not stable yet. Although there is no way to accurately determine the outcome of a side effect of vaccines, there are symptoms that can be recognized for a vaccine reaction, some being: swelling or redness at the site of injection, body rash, screaming or persistent crying for hours, long periods of unresponsiveness, high fever, head banging or repetitive movements, loss of ability to roll over, sit up or stand up, or breathing problems. Essentially, if your child is acting differently than they normally do it warrants a call to a medical professional.

When a symptom or side effect occurs it needs to be reported to VAERS, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. VAERS and the CDC Wonder online search tool contains a database of information on reports of adverse events following immunizations with US-licensed vaccines. According to the CDC Wonder search, based on my searches, children between 1-2 years of age there are 2,548 Autism related symptoms reported between 85 different vaccines of different brands from 1980 to September 2018. Since 1980 to September 2018, ages birth to 2 years of age, there are 16 deaths due to different vaccines and 3 physical disabilities reported as well. For mental disorders or impairments from 1980 to September 2018 for ages birth to 17 years of age, there are 165 reported events for numerous different vaccines. Although these symptoms aren't proven, just reported, these numbers are proof that vaccines can cause serious and sometimes fatal side effects that can explain why many are refusing vaccines or just picking which ones they want to receive.

The risks of vaccines effect the personal choices of whether a parent should vaccinate their children. Their choices should not be used against them as their decision is based on their beliefs. Many parents have been looked down upon, faced with financial penalties or turned away from medical assistance for their stance on immunizations. Children are now required to receive immunizations in order to be enrolled in school or even daycare. This puts a strain on parents who choose not to vaccinate their children and are not able to homeschool them. Some doctors are also dismissing patients due to refusing vaccines. According to an article on Forbes.com by Tara Haelle one in eight pediatricians reported in 2013 that they always dismiss patients who continue to refuse vaccines”twice as many as in 2006. A great resource to help families that have been affected by vaccine reactions or to be better informed on vaccination laws, is the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC). The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is an educational (501c3) organization founded in 1982. Their mission is to prevent vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and to secure informed consent protections in vaccine policies and laws. (NVIC) The NVIC supports informed decision-making and encourages everyone to be fully informed on diseases and complications of vaccines before making a decision about vaccination.

After doing the research I am even more alarmed at what types of information can be found regarding vaccines and the types of resources that are out there for parents. I was not given these resources when I expressed concern about my child's developmental delays. My oldest son was born in 2001 and was not diagnosed until 2005 with Autism. I don't know if vaccines were a possible cause of his autism, but I had a healthy pregnancy and a natural birth and neither my husband's side or my side of the family had any members who were physically or mentally delayed; the only other possible reason for his delay could be vaccines. My son was developing normally, we started noticing something was off when he was about 2 years of age. He wasn't answering when we called his name or when he got upset he would throw tantrums and hit his head on the ground. He speech was also delayed and spoke jargon/gibberish, which we didn't think too much of until we saw a new pediatrician when he was 4 years old to get his physical done for Pre-school. It wasn't until Kindergarten where he eventually started forming 2-3-word sentences from the help of the speech therapist. He had a great memory, he could say his ABC's and count 1-10 before he spoke other words. With the help of his school and the specialists he has worked with, he has come a long way and today he is currently a Junior in High School. Although his mental capability is at an elementary level, his physical traits are of a 17-year-old. If I had known then what I know now, or if my son's pediatrician provided better answers to my concerns, I know that his diagnosis and treatment would have started much earlier. With early detection it can be extremely beneficial to the mental and developmental growth as the sooner support is provided the better chances for improvement. This coincides with vaccine reactions, as the sooner reactions are detected the earlier it can be treated.

Through research and from personal experience, it can be explained how vaccinations can cause more harm than good. The number of side effects from vaccines are alarming as well as the fact that the IMR for the US is higher than other countries that require lesser doses of vaccines. According to the NVIC, By 2018, the U.S. Court of Claims had awarded nearly $4 billion dollars to vaccine victims for their catastrophic vaccine injuries, although two out of three applicants have been denied compensation. (NVIC.org) With this alarming figure vaccination's need to be further studied and tested. We must do more about vaccines and the safety it is supposed to provide to society. I personally follow the immunization schedule for my children and only one of three of my children have autism. I am concerned that there is a possibility that a vaccine reaction occurred, but with no knowledge of what to expect of reactions, I am only able to rely on my beliefs on what occurred with my oldest son. Also, with proper resources I could have known that I was able to opt out of a vaccine, or I could waive an immunization requirement by providing an exemption (philosophical, religious, or medical). We need to be better informed of vaccines and have resources for making an informed decision on what we are putting into our children's bodies. We also need to make a change to reduce the IMR and the number of children being affected by vaccine reactions. Vaccines are not safe for young children until medical professionals address these concerns.

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The Trouble of Vaccines

More than 3 million people die from vaccine-preventable diseases each year. Approximately 1.5 million of these deaths are in children less than 5 years old (Children's). Those children never had a choice in their parents decision. These children were never able to make a difference in the world.They weren't even old enough to learn how to ride a bike. Their parents decided for them to not listen to the doctor and not vaccinate them. Vaccines are small injections of a substance. Then the immune system learns how to fight off the disease. So that when you are infected you're body knows how to fight back. Without Vaccines, children wouldn't be introduced to the disease until it's too late and they are already infected and unable to fight back. CDC spokespeople have come out and said that vaccines are the most effective protection against most diseases caused by viruses, because antibiotics do not work against such infections (Immunization). Antibiotics do not work on the viruses, such as a cold and flu, because they are changing and evolving all the time. When a child is infected with a disease the only thing you can do for them is wait and give them plenty of fluids. These infections usually last 7 to 10 days of suffering that could have been easily prevented. While it can be against some religious beliefs , vaccines should be mandatory for everyone in the United States because it is necessary to keep infection rates low, it saves time, money, and lives, and it is the safest way to get everyone immunized.

First, vaccines should be mandatory for everyone because it is necessary to keep vaccinating so the diseases don't have a chance of coming back. Ordinary people will hear of a virus being eradicated in the united states and think that they do not need a vaccine because it will never come back, but this mentality is very wrong. Vaccines for certain diseases will always be a necessity. Just because it is wiped out in America does not mean that it is wiped out in a different country (U.S. vaccines protect). Diseases have the ability of traveling across borders because of the increase of international trade and global travel. People are introducing new diseases to the countries that they are visiting. Epidemics and pandemics are becoming a worldwide danger because these countries are not able to combat the disease (Issue). When a patient is emitted into the hospital and the doctors are trying to diagnose them, one of the background history questions is, have you been to a foreign country lately. They ask this because they know that not every country in vaccinated for everything that we are. If an american is not vaccinated for a disease that is no longer a threat to the US, they could be infected once they travel internationally to a country with the disease. Against popular belief, the polio disease has not been completely eradicated. Because parents think it has, they choose not to vaccinate against polio to try to get rid of at least one shot for their babies. If parents stopped vaccinating their children for the polio vaccine then they risk making their child susceptible to polio. Polio is a virus that can lead to walking disabilities and even death (Centers). It is still a prevalent disease in 4 countries around the world and if those people travel then they will spread it to the people who are not vaccinated.

Another reason why they are necessary is because by getting a vaccine people are contributing to community immunity. This is when enough people get a vaccine that it helps protect the others that are unable to get an immunization (U.S. vaccines protect). Some people with immune deficiency diseases are unable to receive certain immunizations, but because of community immunity they will not have to worry about an outbreak. Some people think that because of community immunity that they do not need to get a vaccine because they figure everyone else will protect them. But this is simply not true, if everyone had the same mentality then community immunity would not work and those people will the immune deficiency would be at a much greater risk of becoming infected.

Additionally, vaccines can save parents time, money, and their children's lives. Each year, about 85 percent of the world's children receive vaccines that protect them against tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and measles. These vaccines save about 2.5 million lives (Children's). By giving these children their vaccines, it is preventing then from becoming infected and is helping the other non immunized children because the illness never has a chance of surviving in a community of protected people. Without these vaccines, a child could be more susceptible to becoming ill because their immune systems are so weak. They do not know how to fight anything off, but with a little help from vaccines their bodies will make their own antibodies and be able to recognize certain diseases and know how to fight them off. Before the vaccine for measles was released just about every American was diagnosed with measles. Once someone was infected with the disease they would most likely contract other illness such as ear infections, pneumonia, or diarrhea that can lead to a quicker death (Centers). Measles were a very common thing back then compared to know and it had very high death rate. The start of vaccines really changed the illness rate of measles. With the introduction of MMR in 1988 the infection rate went plummeting from up to half a million children to near zero. (Darzi).

Vaccines could have the potential of saving millions of women's lives also. Human papillomavirus is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. It affects around 20 million Americans. Most cases go unnoticed but some cases report genital warts and even certain cancers. The most prevalent related disease to HPV is cervical cancer, which kills nearly 4,000 women each year in the united states (HPV Vaccine). A lot of times no one knows that they have HPV so they are having unprotected sex and giving it to other people and can result in fatal cancers. I see what cervical cancer can do, says Maurie Markman, the vice president for clinical research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. I see the pain, The suffering the importance of preventing it I can't possibly overstate(HPV Vaccine). Markman is saying that HPV should always be prevented because it can cause so much hardship in a person's life and one of those ways is to get the vaccination. However, Some people argue that because the HPV vaccine helps prevent a common STD then girls will consider that a licenses to have premarital sex. But this is simply not true. It is like saying that if you give a child a tetanus shot then they will run around on nails barefoot (HPV Vaccines). Just because a person in vaccinated for something does not mean they will run wild with it because there are still other STD they can contract. Also these women may not be having the unprotected sex willingly. Studies show that thirteen percent of all women in the U.S. will be sexually assaulted. So a women who is sexually absent could be assaulted and contract HPV (HPV Vaccines). These women who are being sexually assaulted are already going through one nightmare and the HPV Vaccine can help prevent another.

Vaccines are not just saving a patient's life, they also save children and their parents time and money. Without an immunization a child could get sick from the germs at a school which would cost then time learning and their parents time at work because they would have to stay home to care for them. The child and parent would then have to travel to the doctors office, pay a copay, pay for the recommended medication, and miss out on a whole day of work and school. However, with a vaccination the child would have never gotten sick and never miss out on valuable school time (Vaccines for kids). It is way easier to go to the doctor for a quick shot then to have to go every single time you become ill from an easily preventable illness. It costs about $50 to fully immunize a child in the developing world against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, polio, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Children's). Whereas, a copay with insurance can be upwards towards $40. You are getting the best bang for your buck by getting immunizations because with them you won't have to pay the copay because you have little chance of becoming sick.

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Vaccines Issues in Australia

In 2015 Australian family (Hughes) suffered a loss when their 4 week old passed away from the whooping cough. The family started a petition to help raise awareness about the vaccines. This awareness wanted to make sure that all pregnant woman are vaccinated in their third trimester to help fight the disease. In Australia there has been 9 confirmed cases of meningococcal disease, which is a life threating bacterial infection of the membrane or blood that lines the spinal cord and brain. This disease is spread by coughing, sneezing, or close contact with someone who is infected. The family had the option to get the meningococcal vaccine for their newborn, but since this vaccine wasn't covered by the National Immunisation Program the cost was $125 and the recommended dosage was 4 doses. Since the cost was too high the Hughes so they refused the vaccine and only received the vaccines that were covered by the NIP.

A lot of parents in Australia are unable to vaccinate their young ones because of the cost. The federal government has still been unable to fund this vaccine in the NIP. This is why this petition was started, to help other families so their young ones won't pass from the whooping cough. Eighty children in a Brunswick North West Primary School gets infected with the chicken pox. The chickenpox started with grade 6 and it went to the grade 2 classes. Kids who were vaccinated still ended up catching the chickenpox, so even with the immunization you can still catch this virus. In Brunswick there is no law stating that your children cannot attend school without being vaccinated. The principal of the school stated that there is a 73.2 percentage of students that weren't vaccinated. In 2015 there was a measles outbreak at Disneyland in Anaheim California. Measles is a respiratory disease which is caused by a virus and is spread throughout the air.

Symptoms which includes a runny nose, coughing, red eyes and sore throats There ended up being 51 cause of the measles in the park. Children under 12 months and people who were unvaccinated were told to stay out of the park until it was safe for them to return. The deputy director of Center of Infectious Diseases stated that the park was safe for people that have been immunized. There were also 9 other cases linked to the Disneyland outbreak in other states, the states included Utah, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and the country of Mexico. In a immigrant community in Minnesota, 51 people gave been sickened with the measles. The patient's has been unvaccinated children. The cause of the parents refusing to vaccinate their children was from an activist named Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield lead the parents to belive that vaccines was causing children to become autistic, which lead Wakefield to lose his medical license for giving the parents false information. Kate Awsumb from The Minnesota Department of Health has been working with the community to clear up the misinformation that they have been given and give them more accurate information. A rare case if the polio disease was reported in Maryland.

Since 2014 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been investigating acute flaccid myelitis, this disease can cause paralization to the arms and the legs. This affects children especially children around the age of four. Five cases of AFM has been reported in the state of Maryland to children under the age of 18. And in Minnesota the Minnesota Department of Health has reported about six cases under the age of ten. The CDC also has reported 62 cases in 22 states. The symptoms of AFM can be similar to West Nile, poliovirus, and adenoviruses, which can be difficult for the doctors to diagnose. Drooping face and eyelids, difficulty eye movement, swallowing and slurred speech are the symptoms for AFM. The severe symptoms of AFM can be troubled breathing and use of a ventilator for muscle weakness. In 2017 one child has died from catching AFM. As of today there is currently no treatment for AFM.

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Vaccines and the Great Debate

According to A Shot at Life, a partnering organization of The United Nations, vaccines prevent over 2.5 million children from contracting communicable diseases every year. That equals approximately 285 children per hour (Procon.org, 2018). Vaccinations save lives. Period. End of story. While some parents still cling to the misguided theory that vaccines can cause a range of medical afflictions or maladies, there simply is no scientific proof of this belief. It is difficult to believe that just over 200 years ago there was no cure for polio, measles or smallpox; diseases that are now stopped before they can even start.

Contrary to popular belief, through decades of scientific research and application, vaccinations have proven to save lives, prevent numerous diseases and illnesses, while hindering the widespread outbreaks, with little or no proven serious side effects. History of Vaccinations Diseases before Vaccines When we think of the word disease, we commonly think of Cancer, HIV, or AIDS, illnesses which have no cure. It wasn't long ago, however, that list was comprised of diseases we would now not even consider. Smallpox. Polio. Even the measles. It's been 200 years since the first successful vaccine was developed. While 200 years is a long time to most people, in medical terms, 200 years is a just a sliver of the lifespan of medical science, considering the Hippocratic Oath was written in the 5th Century B.C. Before vaccinations, smallpox and measles were overwhelmingly destructive diseases. The Centers for Disease Control reports 3 out of 10 people who contracted smallpox died (Centers, 2016).

Those who survived were left with large, pockmark scars, mostly on their face. Measles was equally devastating. In the first decade of tracking, there were an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths each year. (Centers, 2018) While the topic of vaccinations is considered to be a more modern day topic, an opposition of vaccines dates back to the early 1800s. Several groups on anti-vaccine proponents were formed throughout the United States and England. One such league, The Anti Vaccination Society of America, founded in 1879, fought vaccinations through the court system, the first vaccination mandate was issued in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1902. The fight against vaccinations was taken all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1905, the high court ruled in favor of the vaccination mandate for communicable diseases, thus thwarting the efforts of the anti-vaccination leagues.

First Vaccine Used Many diseases have been eradicated, while others have been greatly reduced since the use of vaccines began. Take smallpox for instance. Smallpox was the first and only human disease to be eliminated by the application of vaccine. Edward Jenner first tested his theory of preventing smallpox in 1796 by using matter from a cowpox sore to inoculate a person. Through Jenner's efforts, combined with mass production and commercialization, a smallpox vaccine appeared on the medical horizon. The death rate of smallpox was approximately 30% before Jenner theory proved successful. The number of deaths from smallpox in the 20th Century is estimated at more than 300 million. After the creation and successful application of the smallpox vaccine began, the number of cases in the United States dropped dramatically. Extensive vaccination crusades throughout the 1960s and 1970s concluded with the last known case of wild smallpox in the world in 1977 (History, 2018).

After this date, the use of the smallpox vaccine was no longer considered medically necessary. Safety of Vaccinations Ingredients Vaccines, in general, are made with similar ingredients, with varying main ingredients based on the specific disease the vaccine targets. For instance, all vaccines will contain saline, sterile water and some kind of protein-based fluid as a base. Other base ingredients will also include preservatives and stabilizers, such as glycine. Where controversy comes into play are the other possible ingredients found in vaccines. Items such as formaldehyde, aluminum, and Thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, are also present in vaccines. Although the levels of these items are in minuscule amounts, their presence stirs concern among anti-vaccinators. Those components have not been proven to add any risk to health or cause any harm. Side Effects As with any medication, side effects are always a possibility. And like all other medications, vaccines are rigorously tested for safety before being administered to the general public. Side effects of vaccines, however, are usually low-risk and considered non-life threatening. Some common, low risk side effects can include, fever, headache, upset stomach or diarrhea. The anti-vaccination community would have you believe the risks are much more severe, even life-threatening. This, however, is simply not true. According to the Center for Disease Control, the risk of a vaccine causing death or serious harm is very small (CDC, 2018). Fact vs Fiction Common Misconceptions

Probably the single biggest point of contention in the vaccination debate falls under what would be the Facts vs Fiction debate. The top misconception about vaccines is they can cause the disease they are supposed to vaccinate against. With an inactivated or dead virus, this is simply not possible. A dead bacteria or virus cannot cause disease. A live virus can cause mild symptoms of a disease to appear. For the actual disease to form is exceptionally rare. In fact, according to Carrillo-Marques only one case has occurred in all of vaccination history (Carrillo, 2013). A live, oral dose of a polio vaccine had the potential to mutate and cause the disease. This type is no longer used in the United States. The inactive version of the vaccine is now the preferred method. Another widely believed fallacy regarding vaccines is they can cause autism. This claim is categorically, undeniably untrue. Although this misguided belief has been present for many years, it started to gain widespread popularity around 2005. Parents of children with autism mistakenly believe the low levels of mercury in the Thimerosal preservative caused their children to develop autism. As David Gorski states in Mercury in vaccines as a cause of autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): A failed hypothesis, The scientific data, taken in totality, do not support a link between mercury in vaccines and autism. (Gorski, 2007).

Adding fuel to the fire of misinformation, many celebrities have joined in the unproven belief that vaccines do cause autism. This, in turn, causes a bandwagon effect to spread across the country, causing many people to be convinced by the erroneous propaganda. Facts Supporting Vaccinations While many misconceptions about vaccines exist, there are far more facts supporting the need for childhood vaccinations. The Center for Disease Control advises the most effective way to avoid and control the spread of communicable diseases is through vaccination (Song, 2014). Many anti-vaccine groups believe vaccines are not safe or effective, therefore, should not be administered to children. This could not be farther from the truth. According to HealthChildren.org, a website supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, all vaccines must meet strict FDA guidelines for safety and standards of effectiveness (Healthy, 2018). Furthermore, the FDA will not issue a vaccine if those standards are not met. Although not all diseases are fatal, the symptoms can be just as destructive, which gives even more reason to vaccinate. The World Health Organization states vaccines save 6 million lives per year (World, 2018). It was reported by USA Today in October 2018, a child not vaccinated against the flu died from exposure to the virus (USA, 2013). While many vaccine deniers would have parents believe vaccines are not worth the risk, the unnecessary and completely avoidable death of a child proves otherwise. One simple shot could have saved the child's life.

Economic Impact Big Pharma

Another fallacy spread by anti-vaccine supporters is vaccines are being pushed strictly for the financial gain of the pharmaceutical industry. In an article from TheAtlantic.com, an investigative website is quoted Many firms sold their vaccine divisions to concentrate on more profitable drugs.", and referred to their vaccine profit margins as abysmal. This is obviously contradictory to the main point anti-vaccinators would like the public to believe. Stating these companies are in it just for the big profits is simply not true.

The discussion of profits can also lead to the topic of the real reason pharmaceutical companies produce vaccines. Those who don't support the use of vaccines would lead others to believe the main goal of vaccine production is for large profits and earnings. An ABC News article about the facts and myths about vaccines refers to a statistic from VaccineEthis.org, which states vaccines account for only 1.5% of the total annual revenues (Atlantic, 2015). The article goes on to state the number of companies producing vaccines three decades ago was at thirty. Today, there are only five companies make up 80% of the vaccine market. If the production of vaccinations is as profitable as anti-vaccine supporters believe, then why have so many companies exited the market? Their claims just don't add up. To say vaccines are a simple and inexpensive way to prevent illness is an understatement. As stated by the World Health Organization, There is arguably no single preventative health intervention more cost-effective than immunization. (World, 2018). The assumption that natural immunity is sufficient defense to fight off any illness is fictitious. Risk of complications can still arise. One illness can spread to another. For instance, if an unimmunized child were to contract the chicken pox and scratched the sores too much, it could potentially lead to the development of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), for which there is no vaccine, only post-contraction treatment. MRSA is an extremely stubborn, medication resistant form of staph (staphylococcus aureus) and can have a death rate of up to 50%. Illness Prevention Reduces Future Medical Costs

As previously stated, it is estimated vaccines save approximately six million lives per year worldwide (World, 2018). If those six million people were to become infected, the medical costs associated with treating those individuals would be staggering. It has been reported by the Centers for Disease Control that over 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths have been avoided by using vaccinations (Berkley, 2015). In 1994, $259 billion was saved in direct treatment costs (Berkley, 2015). Those costs today would be well in the trillions of dollars.

Another factor to consider in the overall cost of not vaccinating is the cost incurred by public health departments to fight outbreaks. These costs are referred to as societal or indirect costs. The price tag can be upwards of $10,000 per day for each outbreak. The average containment period for an outbreak is eighteen days, putting the cost per outbreak at $180,000 (Berkley, 2015). This overwhelming amount could be severely detrimental to smaller communities, which lack major medical funding. Again, in 1994, it was estimated that $1.8 trillion was saved in societal costs, all due to vaccines. The total money saved in today's numbers would be mind boggling. It is a situation that is completely avoidable by simply getting vaccinated. Anti-vaccinators simply do not have any proof or valid statistics that can argue with these kinds of numbers. Conclusion

There are many opportunities people take for granted in the United States, with top-notch healthcare being one of them. There are third world countries on planet Earth that would benefit greatly from even the basic healthcare options offered in the United States. Children are at the mercy of their parents or guardians to ensure the proper start to their health is taken care of in the appropriate manner. Parents and guardians have a duty to protect their child from the easily avoidable illnesses, diseases and maladies that vaccinations guard against. It is unbelievable in this day in age for a child to not be protected. Vaccinations not only protect the child they are given to, but also protect any other person that child may come into contact with. To think a parent or guardian would not take the basic step to shield their child from completely preventable illnesses, is beyond comprehension. With the medical technology and scientific data readily available today, along with the knowledge of little to no side effects occurring from the vaccinations, no parent or guardian should withhold these life saving medications from any child, regardless of personal belief.

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A Great Importance of Vaccines

There is an estimated 4 million children who die of vaccine preventable diseases each year, and still another 4 million who are permanently disabled. Vaccines are essential in stopping the spread of serious diseases, yet there still are many who don't understand the importance of them. With appropriate application of vaccines, there can be a huge reduction and even eradication of preventable disease like measles or poliomyelitis. But in order the ensure vaccines are being properly distributed, we must understand some common misconceptions about immunizations and why vaccines are not only important for an individual , but for the surrounding community as well.

A vaccine contains an attenuated or killed off form of a disease causing microbe that stimulates the body's immune system to create antibodies against that specifc foreign agent so the next time it encounters the disease, the body will be prepared to fight it off (WHO, 2018). Vaccines are made by either changing the genes of the virus so it replicates poorly, using only part of the virus or bacteria so it cannot replicate at all, or taking the toxins from the bacteria which are killed with chemical and purified. Once the vaccine has been thoroughly tested and approved by the FDA, it can administered to the public. These vaccines go through numerous test to make sure they are safe and productive.

Regardless of the importance, there are myths that are preventing the practice of vaccinations. A common one is that vaccines can cause autism. Sure, there are possible be side effects that can occur after receiving a vaccination, but there has been plenty of research done to prove that vaccines and autism are not linked. The scientist Andrew Wakefield was the first to propose this theory. He claimed the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine caused autism after out of his study of 12 children, 8 of them complained of intestinal issues and one developed autism after a month of receiving the vaccine. But it was quickly proven unreliable and fraudulent based on the little data he collected and falsified information. Scientists were able to retract his study from scientific record because it critically flawed for many reasons. Autism is not a disease that is immune-mediated, therefore a vaccine, which induces an immune response, cannot cause autism to spontaneously occur (Plotkin, Gerber, & Offit, 2009).

While vaccines are directed towards an individual, herd immunity is a way to extend vaccine benefits to an entire community. Herd immunity is term used to describe the resistance to the spread of disease that occurs when a high proportion of individuals within a population are immune to disease. This works to help keep high contagiously diseases at bay, but is only effective if the majority of the population is vaccinated. The importance of having herd immunity was first seen with smallpox. Because smallpox was so contagious, the goal was to immunize at least 80% of the population. Vaccinations were able to reduce the spread of this disease so significantly it was finally eradicated in 1977 (Kim, Johnstone, & Loeb, 2011). This shows just how important vaccines are for not only an individual, but for the surrounding community. There are some people to rely herd immunity for protection because they are unable to received vaccinations due to compromised immune systems. These groups include those who are on chemotherapy treatments, those with HIV, elderly people, newborns, and very sick people in the hospital.

Vaccines are of great importance to a community as a whole. They are a simple and protective way to ensure people develop a lifelong immunity to certain diseases. Vaccinations have greatly reduced the spread of infectious disease and have helped to eradicate some. Furthermore, have prevented almost 6 million deaths worldwide and also help to prevent antibiotic resistance by reducing the need for antibiotics. Vaccines are a safe, effective way to care for every member in society.

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A Great Importance Of Vaccines. (2019, Jul 19). Retrieved November 5, 2025 , from
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My Reflection on Vaccines

Around ninety percent of children around the world are vaccinated. Chances are you were vaccinated as a child as well. Around seventy-one percent of parents believe that vaccines are important while only three percent believe it is unimportant at all. Sarah Pope of the Healthy Home Economist is one of the people who falls under the three percent that believe vaccines are not important. She goes as far as to give reasons why you should not vaccinate your kids on her article which she wrote on June 5th, 2018. I was personally vaccinated, and I do believe that it has protected me from dangerous illnesses as a child and has bettered my immune system. Sarah Pope is wrong about her views on vaccination.

In her article she states that all vaccines are chock-full of harmful chemicals and metals that could permanently hurt your child. That is false. Vaccines are full of antigens which are small or dead bacteria that the body can learn how to fight so that once they experience the real deal it will be ready. And the metals that are in the vaccine are there so that your body will fight back more aggressively. She says formaldehyde which is used in vaccines are also dangerous and irresponsible. Formaldehyde is used in vaccines that is true but only to produce the vaccine. The finished product has minute traces if any. There is actually more formaldehyde in our body naturally then there is in vaccines.

She also states about how kids who are not vaccinated are naturally healthier than those who are vaccinated. Before vaccines nearly twenty-one thousand kids died of diphtheria, five hundred thirty thousand died of the measles, and four million died from varicella. Ever since vaccines have been introduced the amount of deaths by kids who have been vaccinated has gone down to zero for diphtheria, sixty-one for measles, and four hundred thousand for varicella. That may sound like a lot but compared to the four million that's an eighty-nine percent decrease. She claims that vaccinated children are often prone to ADHD, asthma, and even autism. The first paper saying that vaccines cause autism was published in 1998 and they only did test on twelve children. Investigations led to the original publishers taking the papers down and saying they no longer stand by their opinion. At that point the papers had already spread leading to an unpopular opinion that vaccines can cause autism and other negative side effects.

She tries to convince you that the Lyme vaccine being pulled off the markets is a victory for anti-vaccers as it shows that people who used it were complaining that they had negative side effects. While in reality the vaccine was pulled from the shelves due to poor sales. Ramona Dubose, spokesperson for GlaxoSmithKline, stated that there just isn't a high demand for the Lyme vaccine anymore. The claims that people getting symptoms was debunked when five thousand got the vaccine shot and five thousand got a dummy shot. Two percent from each group stated they had gotten similar symptoms. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested the vaccine and found no side effects linked to arthritis or anything else negative. The only thing they found was allergic reactions which they are still testing.

Sarah Pope is an anti-vaccer just like all the others. Not doing enough research to know her topic, leaving out key information so that the story is twisted to fit her point of view, and spreading lies to all the other gullible anti-vaccers. Vaccines are one of the best solutions to lowering the child mortality rate. All because some doctor published some fake news document they got a whole wash of people up in a fit. Tens of thousands of children around the world are dying to avoidable diseases because they are not vaccinated. That's why I'm grateful that I am vaccinated

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How to Increase Vaccinations

According to the Washington Post, in the United States, there is approximately 7 percent of children who are uninsured that have not received their vaccinations. If there are 28.5 million uninsured people in the U.S. and we take about one-third of the population in the United States of children aged 0 to 17, there are 9,500,000 children. If we then take 7 percent, we get 66,500 children who have not had their vaccinations. This means that these children sixty six thousand children are not getting the vaccination that they need to keep them safe, which is a danger to them and the others around them who can get exposed to these illnesses again. Child vaccinations should be made mandatory to help protect all children from easily preventable illnesses.

There are many different types of vaccines that keep us safe from a young age. As written in a KidsHealth article, the first type of vaccine is attenuated vaccines which has live viruses and is used in vaccines against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). Another type is a killed or inactivated virus, which is used in the IPV vaccine. The third type is a toxoid vaccine which contains an inactivated toxin produced by the bacterium, like in the tetanus vaccines. The last type of vaccine, conjugate vaccines, contain parts of bacteria combined with different proteins. (BenJoseph, para. 4). These vaccinations are insure that we keep these diseases under controll and help stop spread them. These vaccines are what protect us in our everyday lives, and let us live freely. As stated in an article from the CDC, In 2014, the United States had a record number of measles cases (667) and many were associated with cases brought from the Philippines, which experienced a large measles outbreak. Most of these people were not vaccinated or didn't know if they were vaccinated, and nearly all the cases were associated with international travel (What are the reasons to vaccinate my baby?, para. 4).

The CDC, the nation's center for disease control, is trusted to provide the nation with the latest news about our health and everything that affects our health. If the 667 cases of measles that were reported had a vaccine protecting them from it, almost all of the cases of measles could have been prevented and contained. The measles vaccine makes sure that these types of things do not happen, and helps the body fight off the virus if it was to enter the body. In the same article, they also say how in the United States, scientists and medical professionals carefully evaluate everything about these vaccines to determine its safety. Serious side effects from vaccines are very rare, and most are just tenderness around the area and a mild fever. This provides further evidence that there are no real reasons for not vaccinating children when they are young. The chance that the children will have a severe reaction is very low, and they will most likely only experience mild symptoms. Further along in the article, they talk about how vaccinations can help prevent others in the community who can not for some reason be vaccinated” like if someone has cancer or a newborn baby. Getting vaccinated can also help prevent the spread of a disease or even stop an outbreak. This new information provides further evidence supporting vaccines in the race to stop easily preventable illnesses.

Yet another source validates the argument of whether or not vaccines lead to other serious complications. In an article by the Mayo Clinic, they write, Vaccines do not cause autism. Despite much controversy on the topic, researchers haven't found a connection between autism and childhood vaccines (Childhood vaccines: Tough questions, straight answers., para. 3). Many people have believed for many years that vaccines are a cause of autism because of an article which claimed this to be true.While many scientists have dedicated their lives to studying vaccines, and have never found a connection between vaccines and autism, anti vaccinists still use this as a valid argument for protesting vaccines. As the Mayo Clinic staff says later on in their article, while a natural infection might be better at providing immunity than vaccinations, it is associated with a lot more risks. For examples, chickenpox could lead to pneumonia, polio to permanent paralysis, mumps to deafness, and Hib to permanent brain damage (Childhood vaccines: Tough questions, straight answers., para. 2). Natural infections may be better for our immunity, but at the same time, increase the risk of becoming worse with every missed immunization. The risk of having a natural infection treating the virus can lead to the body being overwhelmed and leading to something that was not the original problem, effectively causing a worse condition.

Many of these parents who are cautious about injecting their children with vaccines are worried because of the dangerous active ingredients inside of these vaccines. These vaccines sometimes contain ingredients like thimerosal and aluminum. These could be potentially lethal to the body when they are given in large amounts. https://vaccines.procon.org/. This, when looked at through these parents eyes, is a truly terrifying statement. If all of the vaccines these small children are getting stuffed with have harmful ingredients that could hurt the children, why do it? The answer is simple: the first reason is that there is such a small amount of these harmful things in the vaccines that it is almost virtually impossible to be exposed to these things from vaccines. Even breast milk contains more aluminum than these vaccines, and based on the arguments above, one question arises: would people protest breastfeeding their children for the same reasons, because they are scared of them getting hurt because of this ingredient? In an article on the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, they say one of the ingredients that most parents are most worried about, thimerosal, has been banned for more than a decade. This completely diminished the argument of protesting vaccines because of dangerous active ingredients, as there are not enough dangerous ingredients to actually cause any harm to the body, even if it is as small as a newborn baby. After all, these are tested by multiple professionals who are looking out for the safety of the population.

The amount of money that is spent on treating children with preventable diseases and disabilities from those diseases have taken a financial toll on many parents in the United States. Because of the stigma surrounding vaccines, many people don't vaccinate their children, one of the reasons being they cost money. Though these vaccines are relatively inexpensive, many people feel like it is an unnecessary thing to spend money on. According to vaccines.gov though, if the child is from a low-income family, the government gives the option of getting vaccinated through a federally funded program. Also, vaccines are usually covered by insurance, so there is no extra cost to the receiver.

The biggest fear I think every parent has about vaccines is that they don't want their child to be one of those very rare statistics in which their child suffers a very severe reaction. Something like 1 in 100,000 babies has a very severe reaction (Boghani, para. 5). Dr. Robert W. Sears says in Priyanka Boghani's article on PBS. Due to the alarming rise in parents refusing child vaccinations, Dr. Robert W. Sears came up with an alternate schedule as to when to give vaccinations to children. He took a look at the CDC's vaccine schedule and found the vaccinations that are not necessary at the time of birth, like hepatitis B, a sexually transmitted disease. He allows the parents to then choose if they want the vaccine around preschool time, or until they are teenagers. (Boghani, para. 10 through 12). He also alternates when vaccines are given, for example instead of giving babies a three three-dose vaccine, he splits it up into different months, that way it is less stress on the body, and the children can bounce back quicker. Through this method of spreading out vaccines until they are necessary and spreading them out by months, Dr. Robert W. Sears has encouraged many more parents to vaccinate their children and help prevent the spread of diseases. This new method could be used in offices around the states, to ensure the increase of vaccinations in children, raising a safe and healthy generation.

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