Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, how does the theme Thesis

Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, how does the theme of politics function in the novel - Thesis Example The direct mentioning of politics is first found in the beginning of the novel, when Tomas and Tereza discuss the possibility of immigrating to Switzerland after the entry of Soviet army to Czechoslovakia in August 1968. Tomas is seen to have received an offer for a job from the Swiss hospital, and Tereza urges him to leave Czechoslovakia, despite his initial misgivings about the feasibility of such a step (Kundera 26-28). The novel’s depiction of the character’s reaction to Soviet occupation is telling; Tereza spends a lot of time in the street, filming possible abuses of Soviet troops on camera, and even getting arrested by the Soviet officer, while Tomas contemplates the emigration to Switzerland. It is inferred that Czechs received the news of Soviet troops’ entry to their country with both fear and ridicule: while the citizens of Prague clearly felt indignation over the effective arrest of Dubcek and other reformist leaders of Czechoslovak CP, they are at th e same time fearful of the possible consequences of rebellious attitude. Even while the streets are decorated with â€Å"thousands of hand-painted bearing ironic texts† sharply critical of Brezhnev and Soviet army (Kundera 28), and Kundera remarks that the atmosphere in the city was that of â€Å"a drunken carnival of hate† (28). ... e is described in the symbolic tones: he is portrayed as a â€Å"devastated† man, â€Å"stuttering and gasping for breath†, and Kundera compares his state of mind to that of Czechoslovakia in general, observing that henceforth, the country would â€Å"gasp for air like Alexander Dubcek† (Kundera 28). This might indicate that Kundera and his characters viewed the defeat of the Prague Spring as a beginning of the â€Å"workaday humiliation† (28) for their country. Nonetheless, Tomas and Tereza did not live for too much time in Zurich. Tereza’s inability to live through the life abroad and her feeling of the burden she was for Tomas in the new circumstances made her decide to return to Prague, despite the continuing presence of foreign troops there (Kundera 31). This event shook Tomas greatly. He found out that he missed Tereza and, despite his reluctance, Tomas decided to follow her and return to Prague. His dialogue with Genevan doctor reveals that T omas believed that, even though this decision is a hard one, given the political circumstances, he should make it (Kundera 35). While Tomas returns to Czechoslovakia, he sees â€Å"columns of Russian tanks† (Kundera 36), and actually hesitates, mulling over whether his decision to return to Prague is totally justified. However, he still feels compassion for Tereza and cannot bear that she should live in Prague alone, while he resides in Zurich, and so he returns and meets Tereza in their flat, while seemingly losing all enthusiasm about his return (Kundera 36). The second important allusion to political problems in the novel is found in the beginning of Part 2 (â€Å"Soul and Body†), when the author presents an account of early life of Tereza. He mentions that Tereza’s father, â€Å"the most manly of men† (Kundera 45), was

Bakans five propositions for exploring World Music Essay

Bakans five propositions for exploring World Music - Essay Example There is a big similarity in the way the quality of music and the quality of sound are always judged. Just like sound, music can also be pleasant or unpleasant depending on the audience. Sound is usually a result of vibration of an object, for instance, a guitar string being plucked. After the sound is produced, its transition usually takes place through a medium, which is in most cases the air. It is in the human ears that the sound causes a vibration of the eardrum leading to the creation of impulses which are then transmitted to the brain. It is in the brain that the sound is judged as pleasant or unpleasant. The same process will take place for music only that in judging of quality of music the brain will us other content values such as rhyme and lyrical content (Graham 186). To prove just how much sound is important, it will be good to look at those factors that are always used to determine whether a song is of good quality or not. One of these factors is pitch. The pitch of sound refers to whether a sound is heard to be low or high. The difference in the pitch of sound is always brought about by the difference in the frequency of vibration of the object producing the sound. Fast vibrations usually produce higher pitches while the slow ones produce lower pitches. Pitch is always measured in cycle in each second. In terms of music, tone is the term normally used to refer the definite pitch. Tones usually have specific frequency. Tones have regular vibrations and always get to the ear at equal intervals. When tones have different pitches they usually end up having different sounds. This nature of sound makes it and the importance of music in general. With the knowledge of the difference between the highest and the lowest tones of sound, also called rage, musicians can also manipulate the outcome of the music. This implies that knowledge of pitch as a property of sound is very important if at all the musicians have to

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Essay

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) - Essay Example Consequently, the overall financial cost in the health care sector will reduce. With this in mind, PPACA has different modes by which it hopes to achieve the dream. This includes tax credits, mandates and subsidies (Feldman 26). In addition, individuals or employers are receiving the rate of coverage. Logically, this reform aids with the improving of health care programs and also the delivery of health care services. Moreover, PPACA states that insurance companies need to offer equal rates in spite of the conditions in existence and cover every applicant (Feldman 33). As a result, there will be few deficits and less expenditure within the Medicare. In summary, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act cause several reactions especially from the conservatives who consider it bogus. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has existed since 2010 after being signed by President Barack Obama. However, this reform affects several policies that have been in existence. The reasons includ e disregarding of policies or conditions (Feldman 33). This means that every member of the community will undergo the same rating. Therefore, the premiums ought to be the same regardless of the geographical position, gender or other conditions. Therefore, there is a guarantee of issues. Additionally, there is sharing of the responsibility unless one belongs to a religious group (Feldman 35). Therefore, an individual that is not covered under a health care plan should receive a waiver when he or she is experiencing some hardships. Moreover, this will position the small scale businesses to compare their premiums and policies with those of the government. In addition, the government will subsidize the premiums of people living below the poverty line. This also applies to small scale businesses. Moreover, the same favors should extend to the members of that particular family. In addition, there should be a modification of the policies that state the minimum standards of coverage. Additi onally, the insurance companies need to cover their employees with the same policies as it is a government requirement. In summary, these changes enable people to access affordable health care services since they will handle the payment. Arguably, this reform has led to several reactions. This is because it seems to suppress the insurance companies. Consequently, this issue found its way into the courts. However, the Supreme Court of America states that it is constitutional since it has the President’s signature. Consequently, it is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (McDonough 57). It is also important to note that millions of people within America cannot afford to buy medical premiums because they are expensive. Additionally, the reform seems to force every individual to buy an insurance cover. Consequently, some people feel that PPACA interferes with their civic right, which is liberty (McDonough 62). In summary, the insurance companies feel th at the reform interferes with their businesses while other people feel that they need their liberty to choose whether to buy the insurance cover or not. The Supreme Court did consider that it has the power to ignore the ruling until 2014 (McDonough 77). This is because an act prevents the court from making a decision until 2014. This is because the federal mandate has not yet taken effect. Therefore, the court cannot consider a tax constitutional before

Max Hamburger Essay Example for Free

Max Hamburger Essay History- Established in 1968, Max was the first burger fast food chain in Sweden. Their founders Curt Bergfors and Britta Anderson opened their first restaurant in Gallivare, high up in the northern part of Sweden. Max is a second generation family owned company run by the sons of founder Curt Bergfors. The name Max stems from founder’s nickname. The founder, Curt Bergfors is still active in the company as Chairman of Board, and family still owns 1000 percent of the company. Richard Bergfors is the company’s President and Christoffer Bergfors is the Vice President. Market Analysis 2007 was the year when Max took a good hard look at themselves, in terms of climate change. After hearing the reports of how global warming is affecting their planet, Max started thinking on how to make a change? Max realized that they were part of problem but they also want to be part of solution. Max conducted a climate inventory that also included their suppliers. In assistance with the Natural Step and UW, Max analyzed the entire production chain. The direct climate impacts were analyzed using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which also forms the basis for international ISO standards, 14. 065. The analysis included energy consumption in buildings, transports, packaging, and the climate impacts from each respective ingredient. In food production the main contributors to the greenhouse effect are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. They soon realized that that in their business, the meat in their hamburgers was the greatest source of the emissions.

The rate of enzyme reactions Essay Example for Free

The rate of enzyme reactions Essay Concentration- This affects the rate of this reaction because if there is more pepsin molecules within the mixture then there is more chance of collisions between pepsin and albumen molecules, which in turn increases the chance of the active site slotting on to the enzyme. Temperature- this affects the rate of reaction because different enzymes work best at different temperatures with the usual temperature being37. 2i c. If the temperature varies too much then the enzyme will not work to its full potential. As the temperature rises the enzymes begin to denature (deform so active site does not fit enzyme). The changes caused by denaturing are usually reversible but if they are too extreme then the changes are irreversible. pH- the pH affects the rate of reaction because the enzymes all work best at specific pHs depending on where they are used. Prediction- I predict that as the concentration increases so will the rate of reaction, I believe this because as the concentration increases the number of pepsin particles will increase making the chance of a collision and the active site slotting on to the enzyme. Scientific Theory- In this experiment our aim is to test the rate of reaction under certain conditions. Enzymes are biological catalysts, i. e. they speed up a reaction without being used up. Enzymes work best at specific temperature and pHs. They work best at 37. 2i c and depending on where the enzymes work different pHs. Pepsin the enzyme we are testing works best at pH 2. Each enzyme uses a lock and key system meaning they fit on the substance they are meant to break down and only that substance. Some examples of enzymes and its substrate are: Proteins- Protease Carbohydrates- Carbohydrase. Where the enzyme latches onto its substrate the area is called the active site. Safety- For safety in our experiment we will put goggles on when pouring acid so we do not get acid in our eyes. Fair Test- In our test the independent (changeable) variable we chose was the concentration of the acid. Our dependant (measured) variable is the time taken for the pepsin to break down the albumen. Therefore each time we must use the same amount of acid to keep the conditions the same. We must also keep the total volume of liquid the same, along with the amount of albumen each concentration is reacting on. Equipment- Test tube rack Hydrochloric acid Pepsin Albumen Water Boiling tube. Measuring Cylinder Stopwatch Water Bath Range Repeat- In our experiment we will use different concentrations to get a wide spread of results showing the difference in the rate of reaction with different concentrations. Here are the concentrations we will use and ho we made them- Concentration (%) Water (ml) Pepsin (ml) Albumen (ml) Hydrochloric Acid (ml)Â   In the experiment because there is a high chance of error we will repeat each concentration three times and take an average. Method- 1. Gather specified equipment, 2. Put 12 test tubes in test tube rack. 3. First put the required amount of acid in test tube, then put in the pepsin, then the water and when in a water bath bringing the temperature to 35i c then finally add the albumen. 4. Time how long it takes for the solution to clear completely. 5. Repeat each experiment three times. Results- Concentration Pepsin (%) Time for albumen to clear (secs) Rate of reaction (secs) Analysis- From my results and graph I can see a pattern, as the concentration increases so does the rate of reaction. My graph shows a curved line of best fit, which in the case of my results shows that as the concentration increases the rate of reaction does increase but the rate between each concentration gets lower as the concentrations rise. This pattern happens because although they may be a larger amount of pepsin molecules only one pepsin molecule can break each albumen molecule down. Eventually if the concentration is increased too much then it would have an adverse effect on the rate of reaction because they would be too many pepsin molecules colliding, reducing the amount latching onto albumen molecules so the rate would decrease. To work out the rate of reaction I did 1/t. In this equation t is the average time and then I multiplied it by 100 because the numbers were too small (0. 0s). My prediction was correct as the rate of reaction increases when the concentration is increased. Evaluation- In our experiment I believe I did quite well, because we have a nice curve on our graph and my prediction was justified. In our experiment the point which looks most like an anomaly is at 30%. I think this as it looks to be a bit low to go with our line of best fit. In our experiment I think that some of our results are wrong because we did not have the enzymes at the right temperature. To improve our experiment we could use light gates to see exactly when the albumen goes clear and we could keep all the enzymes and acids in a water bath so they are all at the same temperature. Our anomaly is about 0. 25secs from the line of best fit, which would make it around 6. 25secs. Extension In an extension I would test the effect of temperature on the rate of reaction. I predict that the enzyme will work best at around 40i c and as you move away from that temperature the reaction would slow. Range and Repeat- I will repeat each temperature three times and find the average just in case of a mistake. I will measure the temperature from 10i 50i in 10i intervals. Method- 1. Gather Chemicals etc. 2. Put each chemical in a water bath at specified temperature (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) 3. Get 15 test tubes. 4. When at specified temperature first put the required amount of acid in test tube, then put in the pepsin, then the water and finally the albumen. 5. Start timer. 6. When cleared stop timer. 7. Repeat three times. Karl Long Biology Coursework 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section. r

Causes of Dreams and Nightmares

Causes of Dreams and Nightmares Evangjelos Danaj Abstract What are nightmares they are dreams bad ones that affect us every people sees dreams but not all of them see nightmares. We see nightmares most of the time when we are affected in a negative way in our life our when we ourselves have done something bad we tend to overthink it and that is one of the reason as to why we see it in our dreams in a bad way. Nightmares generally when happens periodically is the result of the person who sees it of lack of sleep or for people who are afraid of a scare movie or something most common nowadays due crises of humanity people tend to get stuck on a particular upsetting thought. On the other hand if it happens systematically then that is when people say that they have nightmare disorder this is dangerous for people because nightmares may lead to people jeopardizing their own safety or another human beings safety and because during nightmares people have rapid eye movement or REM they do not remember as to what they have done. Introduction Nightmares are dreams that happen during sleep and during when humans have rapid eye movement that is one of the reason as to why when we are having nightmares we have strong feelings of fear, distress, terror and anxiety. This is most likely to happen at a person’s later part of sleep. Nightmares become a disorder when it has affected our social life, our occupation and many more other important areas in our everyday life or if a someone keeps on seeing the same nightmare with the same topic meaning something that we have experience in our everyday life or an experience that we over tend to think about it then at this point if a person experiences this sort of nightmares then this this when we may call Nightmare disorder. This has been most commonly seen to happen at the age ten and has been seen as normal unless they interfere with sleep with their development or with their psychosocial development. This is most commonly shown to girls than boys and may last until they matur e into adulthood. Adult’s nightmares are something entirely different than at that which was for children because it does not affect them as much as it affects the children and will not affect their development psychology them much and in addition to that unlike children most of adult’s nightmares are commonly based on the fact that they either be anxious about something with external stressors or external trauma. Biology Biology is mostly connected with our DNA or our Genes that make up our DNA which are mostly connected with our behavior. Because Nightmares affect our sleep meaning that we feel them up to a certain level and that they do not allow us to sleep because of the shock that we receive because nightmares are dreams that frighten us. The most affected ones are the children who are unable to nurture the right way because they are afraid of nightmares for example if a children who is ten years old and his parents break for many different reasons then the children may have one of the many symptoms which differ from children to children, nightmares that will affect him in many ways. One of the most common effects that this kind of nightmare will have on children in the nurture sector may be Growth Hormone Deficiency. This problem has most commonly been seen to happen to children for adult’s nightmares don’t affect their biology directly but indirectly. Meaning that they are affect ed by post-traumatic stress and that they may be affected by other psychiatric illnesses. Since they are receiving medication for these problem that medication may affect their biological system which can cause the human to go crazy. Another disorder which affects human’s dreams and results at them having nightmares may be due a birth problem and feeling since the people who tend to feel more and are affected by it more may overthink most actions and that will result in him having nightmares. With the help of technology and research medicine has been made for people who are facing these problem to help them overcome it also psychologist has found method that enables them to help the patients overcome problem that affect them indirectly through the help of talking it out or with the help of interaction and communication with one another. In addition to the above stated Breathing disorder can cause nightmares this disease can cause sleep aupnia which will result in the little s leep that we get to have nightmares this disease together with nightmares can cause severe effects on the human mind like falling asleep without realizing it a high fever which will be hard to treat children will have a Hyperactive behavior, depression and if it is severe then we will notice that our legs will have swelled. Emotions Most people do not know this but emotions are affects very much from nightmares. Emotions meaning our mood, which result in us not waking up in a rather refreshed mood but waking up and leaving us with the feeling that the sleeper who has just seen a nightmare has been in a battle with something all night long. Furthermore this abstract can lead us to seeing more disoriented dreams meaning nightmares and can increase our anxiety which will lead to seeing more nightmares. People have become clinically depressed because they have not been able to identify what it is that has leaded them to having nightmares. Based on research that has been done by unknown researcher’s people that are clinically depressed and that they have not been born with any biological problem and that these symptoms are shown when a person cannot identify the origins of the nightmare disorder have a tendency to three to four time more than the average person. Another hypothesis may be that nightmares are a way for your unconscious mind telling us that we are not dealing with our stress as we should be. Another hypothesis about nightmares may be that because we are having difficulties accepting some facts that we as people do not accept for many different reasons then that means that the nightmare that we see is our mind overanalyzing it and showing it to us so in other words we can say that it is our mind telling us as to what we should fix. Taking all things into consideration we can safely say that nightmares as in general are not things that come out of nowhere but they are the products of our brain telling us and indicating to us as to what it is that is under our minds so nightmares are not problems that descended upon us from above or from below as most people tend to claim when they are having nightmares. Social life Nightmares generally in social life aspect affect adult more than they affect children due to the fact that they have a lot more social interaction than children have. Adults due to the fact that most of them work overtime or sometimes even 24 hour straight they tend to eat late at night that affects their brain and the metabolism which result in signaling the brain to have a higher activity rate. Through nightmare through our everyday life we may want an object that we will get up do get it through sleep walking. In other words Nightmares can cause us to have other problem mostly psychological problem. In looking at how our nightmares affect our social interaction with other people it is important to take note that nightmares play a vital role in our life. Another aspect here may be that because during our everyday moment we have no time to process our thought and so that leads to the brain processing it throughout the night and at most times resulting into us seeing it as a bad nig htmare. Recent measurement’s show that most common people that have nightmares are the one who have done a crime and even though they have been judged for the crime that they have by the government and not by someone who is of the law because people tend to think that if they are judged by the law then there sins are forgiven but that is not the cause because even and after they do jail time for the crime that they themselves have committed and they still see that through nightmare because those are experience that have left them at a traumatic state of mind that is for those who have done crimes but for those people who have not done crimes but they have just experienced shocking thing like war veterans see and see again from time to time themselves at the frontline because they know sub-consciously that what they are doing is wrong so in other words nightmares may also be cause by actions that we ourselves know subconscious are wrong and still we go through with it. Conclusion In the end taking all things into consideration Nightmare disorder is an illness that can be treated through many ways without the help of specialist meaning a therapist. One way to do this is to alleviating stress with in your home your personal life this will result in us eliminating anxiety the individuals most likely course of action as to have a relaxing sleep and not to see nightmares. Another course of action that someone may do may be through the help of fitness and in corporation with relaxation therapy which will result in the individual have a more relax and a more complete sleep. In addition to this one skill trough training and everyday exercise can be through yoga and in through with meditation techniques which help in a person’s a sleeping atmosphere. Patients can also choose to do this through the help of a specialist meaning psychotherapy so that they can learn as how to deal with and cope with stress and find different ways to deal with it. Most patients tend to select the route of medication but the ones who can be provided with medication and diagnosis are the ones who have report that they are having reoccurring nightmares over and over again more than four times a week. Prazosin is a commonly used medicine to treat people who are having problems with Posttraumatic stress disorder. Therapy has helped a lot of people to deal with frightening themes and has helped them alleviate from the nightmare recurrence. Usually a large amount of the patients will improve as the patient gets older and older. Based on the latest research a treatment is under way that at this point is currently weak but its main point is that the patient who is suffering from nightmares to be able to benefit from it but currently it is still weak. On the other hand there also the people who tend to think that they are having nightmares those people are given a placebo pill a pill of sugar so as to think that they are cured. REFERENCES Ernest Hartmann, The nightmare: the psychology and biology of terrifying dream, 21 Jan. 2010, University of Michigan, Basic Books, 1984 Joanne L. Davis PhD, Treating Post-Trauma Nightmares: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach, Springer Publishing Company, 2008 Paul R. Carney, Richard B. Berry, James D. Geyer, Clinical Sleep Disorders, Lippincott Williams Wilkins, 2012

A Tale of Two Cities Essays: The French Revolution :: Tale Two Cities Essays

France and England in A Tale of Two Cities - The French Revolution   Introduction   In the eighteen-fifties, Charles Dickens was concerned that social problems in England, particularly those relating to the condition of the poor, might provoke a mass reaction on the scale of the French Revolution.   In a letter written in 1855, for example, he refers to the unrest of the time as follows:   I believe the discontent to be so much the worse for smouldering, instead of blazing openly, that it is extremely like the general mind of France before the breaking out of the first Revolution, and is in danger of being turned †¦ into such a devil of a conflagration as never has been beheld since. (qtd. in I. Collins 42)   At the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Dickens once again expresses his concern. The novel opens in 1775, with a comparison of England and pre-revolutionary France. While drawing parallels between the two countries, Dickens also alludes to his own time: "the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only" (1; bk. 1, ch. 1). The rest of the chapter shows that Dickens regarded the condition to be an 'evil' one, since he depicts both countries as rife with poverty, injustice, and violence due to the irresponsibility of the ruling elite (1-3; bk. 1, ch. 1). As the novel unfolds, however, England becomes a safe haven for those escaping the violence perpetrated by the French Revolution. In this paper, I shall argue that A Tale of Two Cities reflects the popular confidence in the stability of England in the eighteen-fifties, despite Dic kens's suggestions at the beginning. A Tale of Two Cities thus becomes a novel about the England and the English of Dickens's time. And yet, many people today would believe that the novel is essentially about the French Revolution, which brings me to my second point. If in the nineteenth century the novel served to affirm the stability of Britain, in this century it has been greatly influential in the formation of the popular image of the French Revolution, mainly thanks to film and television adaptations. The purpose of this paper is to look at the popular reception of the novel from the time of its first publication in 1859 to the nineteen-nineties.