Mountains Beyond Mountains Essay Example for Free

Mountains Beyond Mountains Essay The title is a haitian proverb that translates â€Å"beyond the mountains, more mountains.† As it relates to the book, I believe mountains beyond mountains means the never ending struggle to control disease involving the poor. In this case, the poor are the haitian people who are in a struggle to improve their health and the institution in place allow this to perpetuate. Farmer sees health in a way that differs from most. Farmer believes improvement of health is not only the actual treatment of the disease. Instead, it is the complete assimilation of institutions where the poor are given power to succeed politically as well as the access to health care. This is evident in what resources Farmer’s clinic has available to his patients that go beyond access to equipment and medications that are not easily attainable in Haiti. In order to provide the necessary resources for a healthy community today and into the future they provide a school, housing, kitchen that feeds people daily, sanitation, as well as filtered water systems. These different resources combined make up what a community needs to have an improvement of health today and into the future. This philosophy rings true for me. How can you expect to have a healthy community when these basic needs are not available. In a country like the United States these resources are at at your disposal in the most rural locations and their benefits forgotten because of it. Farmer’s Story shows how a small group of practitioners can make a positive and lasting impact in a world with poverty and a lack of health care provisions to those without insurance. One major component to this ability is the level of sacrifice these practitioners were able to endure. For many, the dreams of being a doctor include the big bucks that come along with it. In order to provide the level of care Farmer believed was necessary he sacrificed an extraordinary amount of his personal wealth. Another major sacrifice was his time with family. He split his year in Boston and Haiti so the geographic aspect was limiting. Then, the enormous amount of work that seemed never ending (mountains beyond mountains) kept  him busy way beyond an average 9 to 5, leaving no time for vacation to visit. These sacrifices are not to be taken lightly. I don’t know if I would be willing to live for others like Farmer has. It takes a certain character that one is born with to do this. Farmer used every tool he had to help. He sweet talked workers at hospitals and walked away with tuberculosis medicine for the poor and even paid for it himself. When caught he paid back the 96 thousand dollars in medicine he had take. When he was with others he would lecture all he came into contact with on the plight of the poor. He felt as though the poor were all too often forgotten. Tuberculosis control was the perfect example of this. Pharmaceutical companies had controlled TB in wealthy countries and made no effort in poor nations like haiti because it did not make sense financially. Once Farmer came into contact with a resistant form of TB in haiti he was on a mission to make MDR available for all not just the wealthy. The biggest block was cost. His goal of MDR for all was not shared by pharmaceutical companies that wanted to keep the prices high. That didn’t sway him one bit. Ultimately, Farmer was able to acheive his goal and make MDR affordable for all. This motivation with no regard to a personal financial benefit is an attribute I have seldom seen in my lifetime. I imagine Farmer had been approached or had the opportunity to make huge profits from his position and public image. This ethical character seems mythical in today’s world of business and bottom lines. His ethical standard is something to aspire to. The most intriguing quality I see in Farmer is his ability to understand the position of the poor in all its complexity. Wether the person is from Haiti or the United States he treats the patient with a respect that puts the patient at ease. His overall goal is to help the patient in a manner where it improves their overall health. One example that stuck out was Farmer’s experience with Joe a drug addict who doesn’t take his medication or eat properly. He sits with him and asks what his needs are in order to have a successful change in health. The response was definitely unique. His needs were a warm place to stay, 6 pack of beer, person to make sure he takes his medication, and someone to make sure he eats. Instead of listening and  completely dismissing his needs as out of the question he promises to try his best. On a board he writes what Joe’s current situation and the situation he wants to place him in and begins his mission. Ultimately he finds Joe a homeless shelter but they do not allow alcohol, but that doesn’t stop Farmer from pleading Joe’s case. This unorthodox method for providing the care Farmer felt would make a real change in Joe’s health was impressive. Farmer’s story is impressive. After reading this book I understand that a medical career is more than the good life. The abilities we are about to have can help so many and we need to know that is the goal of a good practitioner.

Shame and Learning in Platos Apology Essay -- Philosophy Philosophica

Shame and Learning in Plato's Apology ABSTRACT: In the Apology, Socrates proves to be the master teacher (1) of Athens in the way that he invites the city to overcome its "cognitive shame." Psychologist and teacher Paul Shane contends that much of the learning process begins in shame. (2) Shane defines shame in this way: Shame is the feeling of being exposed and wanting to hide one's nakedness. It is related to ego-ideal. One has a conception of self, an image of what one can be, and the feeling of shame is experienced in not having achieved a desired and attainable goal, in lacking something, in being inadequate. Rather than being a function of not having lived up to the standards of another, it is having failed or disappointed oneself. Shane holds that shame is an element in the learning process because the individual does not want to be in a position of having his or her ignorance exposed. In this way, "cognitive shame" spurs on the student's desire ". . . to explore and acquire, to master and become competent." (3) If an important element in the learning process of the pupil is her need to overcome this shame of not knowing then it seems that she is in a very awkward position, in fact an intolerable position! On the one hand her shame at not knowing is the spur that drives her on to want to transcend her limitations and the feelings of inadequacy, of ignorance that threaten her. On the other hand, the only way she can overcome her state of ignorance and free herself from the shame that threatens her is by revealing her ignorance and thereby making herself vulnerable to the very feelings of shame that will attend this disclosure. Shane implicitly points to this dilemma in his discussion of the questionable structu ... ...ely, a certain degree of irony here but Socrates' fundamental orientation as the sort of teacher who is at the same time a learner is to be taken very seriously. Socrates, in fact, breaks down the distinction between teacher and pupil by making the learning process a collaborative one. (2) Paul Shane, Ph.D., "Shame and Learning," American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 50 (2), April 1980. (3) Shane, 352. (4) Shane, 350-351. (5) Shane, 352. (6) Shane, 352. (7) The verb, here, dokounton, is slightly ambiguous. It can mean, one of those who seem or appear to be wise or one of those who have a reputation for being wise. (8) This, I take it, is the grounds of his hesitation and difficulty, namely, that he is challenging the god's utterance. (9) He appears to be someone involved in the political affairs of the city from Apology 21c4, tis ton politikon.

Expectations and Blindness in King Lear

Shakespeare, with his brilliant portrayal of Lear's conflict with two opposing forces: aesthetics and reality, continues to draw both readers and audiences with Lear's many meanings and interpretations. The main character, King Lear, is the object of universal identification with his obliviousness as to who people truly are, and the discovery of truth. It is this identification that exceeds the Elizabethan period, making King Lear a play for all times.With his world about to be shattered, Lear will realize that the world he was living in as King, is not so nice as it seems. King Lear is the story of how a man â€Å"once obsessed with image and power†(Hamilton 175) is forced to see that those around him are not who he believes they are. The issue of vision and insight, and the absence of it, is a major theme in Lear. This theme is portrayed through the characters of King Lear, Gloucester and Edgar. The lack of insight, or â€Å"blindness†, is very symbolic.Blindness is d efined as â€Å"unable to see; lacking the sense of sight;†(Dictionary). For Lear, blindness was not physical; it was his flaw. Lear's blindness to see who a person really was, based on their character and personality, was obvious at the beginning of the play regarding Cordelia and Kent. Gloucester, on the other hand, was originally blind because he also had a flaw against seeing the truth. He is physically blinded by Cornwall, but after he gains the vision that Lear lacks.Lear's understanding that vision is not only physical came too late, and is the cause of his downfall. Lear knows absolutely that he is not only a King, but the father of the family unit, the patriarchal figurehead. He believes these titles makes him better than everybody else, that everyone else bows to him. Because of this, he demands high levels of public affection, that he wholly expects to receive. Lear emphasizes his expectations at the start of the play, repeatedly referring to nature and â€Å"offi ces of nature†(2. 4. 94-202) to which he thinks everyone must listen to because it would be â€Å"unnatural† to ignore them. (2. 4. 320) Lear thinks it is his right for others, especially his family, to bestow pure and unlimited love and devotion on him; it is this belief that causes him to split the Kingdom – which to the Elizabethan audience would be something only crazy people would do. Lear's oldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, as trained, exaggerate their feelings by proclaiming their love for their father exceeds all others, and they are rewarded for their expressions â€Å"†¦ ith wealth but with the power to dictate the conditions of public life, the power to make a new kingdom in the shell of the old, to become the new Lears. † (Basney 18) Sharon Hamilton compares Baptista (The Taming of the Shrew) and Lear, explaining their behaviour: â€Å"In both plays, the fathers show preference to the hypocritical daughters and set down, by direct stat ement and implication, the public role that they want them to play. Both Baptista and Lear flatter themselves on being good fathers, and both see as the test of their effectiveness the daughter's compliance with her prescribed role.Above all, each man values reputation and status and eschews any word or act that reflects badly on his public image. The shallowness of their outlook is revealed by the presence of a sister who is the†¦. daughter's temperamental opposite†(Hamilton 93). Lear then turns to Cordelia, and knowing she loves him he demands the same thing: to speak her love for him to recieve a portion of the kingdom. However, unlike her sisters, Cordelia is not going to follow her father's expectations. Cordelia â€Å"raises the issue of obligation itself in an unprotected†¦.. way.She states the moral framework†(Basney 18) of how she can't love Lear all forever; her love will be split when she is married – like how her sisters should have been. Of course, Lear is outraged by the thought that his expectations, that Cordelia fawn over him and flaunt her love for him publicly, will not come true. Lear then disowns Cordelia. Kent, having more insight than Lear, is able to see the honest love Cordelia has for Lear. Kent tries to prove to Lear that he is making the wrong choice in disowning his daughter and he is not seeing her love for him.Lear replies angrily with â€Å"Out of my sight! †(1. 1. 179) to which Kent answers, â€Å"See better, Lear, and let me still remain/ The true blank of thine eye. † Lear's windows to reality, Kent and Cordelia, are banished and for now, Lear alone is able to make his own decisions. Meanwhile, Gloucester is also a victim of blindness. Like Lear, Gloucester can't see which of his two sons truly love him. Edmund forged the letter that was allegedly written by his brother, saying Edgar is planning to kill Gloucester.His father sees the letter and is instantly convinced. He was made to believe, by his blindness and some help from Edmund, that Edmund loved him and Edgar was the son plotting to kill him. G. Wilson Knight comments on the parallels between the main plot of Lear and Gloucester's sub-plot: â€Å"The Gloucester-theme is a certain indication of our vision and helps us to understand, and feel the enduring agony of Lear†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Now all the Lear effects are exaggerated in the Gloucester theme. † (Knight 139)Unlike Lear though, Gloucester is blinded by the Duke of Cornwall; from that moment on, Gloucester's vision starts clearing up. â€Å"I have no way and therefore want no eyes; I stumbled when I saw†(4. 1. 19-20) is the climax for Gloucester as he can now see the truth. Gloucester realized he was blind to the truth and how he was more blind when he could see physically. He knows now that he doesn't need his eyes to see and understand because he can understand better in his mind, without the aesthetics, or the outward appearance, to tri ck him.Eventually, Lear's strong trust in his expectations eventually spirals down into severe instability and â€Å"madness as he figures out –by the events of the play- that his expectations can't be achieved. Lear's downfall caused is because of this fault of his mind, And he knows it: O Lear, Lear, Lear! Beat at this gate that let thy folly in, And thy dear judgement out. (1. 4. 287) Lear now see's his daughters â€Å"as aspects of his self, now tainted†(Hamilton 118). The insanity he goes through is the punishment for his â€Å"blindness†.Lear was once a master of nature itself, as he believed, as a God; he realizes that he is ‘slave' to nature in the form of weather. The arduous, painful power of the storm drowns him, in desperate fallacy, and creates a strong nostalgia and the extreme longing for affection. Lear â€Å"see[s] how this world goes† like blinded Gloucester, â€Å"see[s] it feelingly†. (4. 6. 162-4) The blinding of Glouces ter was an exaggeration of cruelty, the same horrible cruelty that led Lear to madness. Lear and Gloucester gain sympathy from the audience, adding to the heaviness of the tragedy's ending.Edgar and Cordelia are the rays of hope in Lear, because even after their fathers have wronged them because of their blindness, the children return to their fathers and â€Å"†¦ put all their efforts into comforting and restoring them†¦. †(Hamilton 174) The irony of Lear and Gloucester's blindness is made even more sad because Kent, Cordelia and the Fool are aware of their ignorance. These three characters can tell what is going on, but they cannot do anything to fix it. Lear is blind to Cordelia's honest love for her father, instead embracing Goneril and Regan's expected proclamations of, what really is false love.As Lear goes mad, he finally see's what he has done by placing â€Å"roles† on those around him, and see's the roles his daughters play, that he created, are not who Regan and Goneril truly are. Yet as soon as he realizes his mistake, shredding his blindness, insanity moves in. The Fool and Kent both remain loyal to Lear, always trying to make him see what is really going on. â€Å"Lear is constantly reminding us with convincing representations of obligation, faithfulness, and care, without allowing us to take the kind of comfort from them that we want. † (Basney 27)What Basney means here, is that while Cordelia, the Fool and Kent show their faithfulness in Lear, while Edgar cares for his blind father, Lear and Gloucester are not aware that they have people who care for them and love them unconditionally. The audience wants Gloucester and Lear to see that the most loyal people have never left or betrayed them. However, Kent and Edgar â€Å"must go underground. The disguise of goodness is the principle of Lear's new kingdom. †(Basney 20) Through Cordelia, the Fool, and Kent, Shakespeare created a connection for the audience to sympathize with, drawing the audience emotionally closer to each character.With every piece of advice disregarded or neglected, a feeling of urgency rises, until the audience can only wish that there is hope somewhere. Everyone see's what they wish to believe; that is, people's expectations shape what is actually in front of them, so that they see what they want to see. It's these factors that makes Lear's characters so relate-able. G. Wilson Knight expands on this: â€Å"Our vision has thus been uniquely focused to understand that vision of the grotesque, the incongruous, the fantastically horrible, which [was] the agony of Lear's mind† (Knight 142).We can feel Lear's pain, we can sympathize with him. This play shows that we need to look beyond what our eyes can see and pay more attention to what is really going on. We must avoid seeing what we should not see, and stop not seeing what we should. We must be able to see blinded and not be blinded by sight. In King Lear those w ho appear blind have the best vision, those who seem fools are the wisest, and those who don't speak much really know the most.

Compare And Contrast Tituba In The Crucible - 887 Words

â€Å"He say Mr. Parris’ must be kill! Mr. Parris no goodly man, Mr. Parris mean man and no gentle man, and he bid me, rise out of my bed and cut your throat!† This quote was said by Tituba in The Crucible after being accused of bewitching the girls. Tituba was a slave from Barbados and was taken to Salem after being bought by Reverend Parris. She was mistreated by Mr.Parris and was constantly whipped and beat. After confessing to witchcraft, Tituba goes crazy in jail and starts saying she and Sarah Good are going to fly with the devil to Barbados. Tituba and I have a variety of similar personality traits in that we are unique, caring, and an outcast. Tituba and I both share the trait of being unique, but we portray it in different ways.†¦show more content†¦Meg was sad because of some guy who broke her heart again. She texted me asking me if I was busy, and she needed someone to talk to. I called her and she ranted to me for two hours about what happened and w hat she should do. I stopped everything just to help a friend out with their problems. I set all my problems and worries aside to help a friend in need. Also, I care for my community and those in need. Not long ago my tech school had a food drive and if someone brought in a certain amount then the class was eligible for turkey bowling. Me being me, I brought in double the amount needed not because I wanted to do turkey bowling I actually did not get to do turkey bowling anyways because I was helping run it. I felt horrible for people who didnt have as much as I did.Also my friend and I and our parents went to a local homeless shelter, and we helped make dinner. I played with the kids, and they were extremely happy they had someone to play with them. Soon I hope to go through my room and give what I do not need to people in need. I realize I am very fortunate for what I have and to be grateful for what is given in life. Being an outcast is another characteristic I have that is simila r to Tituba. How Tituba is an outcast is because she stands out and is very unique compared to others. She speaks broken English, is ethnic, learned different teachings, and is a really caring person. How I am aShow MoreRelatedComparing The Crucible and Salem Witch Trials Essay1419 Words   |  6 Pages The purpose of my paper is to compare and contrast Arthur Miller’s The Crucible with the actual witch trials that took place in Salem in the 17th Century. Although many of the characters and events in the play were non-fictional, many details were changed by the playwright to add intrigue to the story. While there isn’t one specific cause or event that led to the Salem witch trials, it was a combination of events and factors that contributed to the birth and growth of the trials. Some of theseRead MoreArthur Miller, The Crucible- Explain how tension is created in Arthur Millers The Crucible1547 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Crucible there is a lot of tension that builds gradually throughout the play. 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