Jane Watson
English 201
Multi-Genre Project
Friday, December 14, 2012
Introduction
The following works consist of the three science based
essays we completed in the English 201 online classroom.
We begin first with the research essay, followed by the
analysis essay and lastly, the argumentative essay.
You'll also find various other works submitted in the class.
essays we completed in the English 201 online classroom.
We begin first with the research essay, followed by the
analysis essay and lastly, the argumentative essay.
You'll also find various other works submitted in the class.
Research Essay
The
Efficacy of Religion: An Examination of Placebo Healing
Jane
Watson
English
201
Professor
Leslie Jewkes
6th,
October 2012
Abstract
The
placebo effect has been a deeply studied phenomenon examined by
health professionals and scientists alike throughout the world.
Exploration of the placebo effect in a religious context has taken
place to better understand faith based healing and miracles. Through
the work of neuroscientists, we now have a far better understanding
of how this phenomenon works as it undeniably proves that regardless
of one's faith, the mere belief in God enhances well being.
Jane Watson
Professor
Leslie Jewkes
English
201
6th,
October 2012
The
Efficacy of Religion: An Examination of Placebo Healing
“God does nothing
except in response to believing prayer.” John Wesley said, a famous
evangelist who was known to spend up to two hours daily in prayer. J.
Hudson Taylor remarked, “The prayer power has never been tried to
its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power
and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and
disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, 'call unto
me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things
which thou knowest not!'” Do evangelists harness the vulnerability
of prospective Christians by creating expectations? Do they enable
their belief by these fantastical stories of God induced healing,
akin to the healing resulting between medically trained professionals
and their patients? The placebo phenomenon may explain more about
the efficacy of healing brought about by religion and prayer than
most are willing to believe.
In the text,
Psychology, it reveals
the placebo effect to be a participants' belief in a drug rather than
the drug itself, or: “the expectations of the participants in a
study can influence their behavior.” (24) The drug here can be a
sugar pill believed to be the real deal or it can extend beyond the
realm of medicine and into other areas of life, such as religion. The
dictionary defines a placebo as a harmless pill, medicine, or
procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the
patient rather than any physiological effect.
Religion and
medicine have often gone hand in hand throughout the ages. According
to the article, The Laying on of Hands: Some Clinical and
Experimental Concerns, “claims of healing powers have been made
for thousands of years, going back to Imhotep, Asclepius, and Jesus.”
During a long time on this earth, people generally believed that
diseases were inflicted as a result of superstitions and Gods.
Hippocrates is credited as the first to declare that diseases were
caused by a natural process, and worked to separate medicine from
religion. Hippocrates declared that disease occurred because of the
environment, what we ate and how we lived...not by wrath brought
about by the Gods. However, the link between God and disease and God
and healing is still largely prevalent in today's world, believed by
thousands across the globe to differing extents upon each continent.
John S. Welch says
in the article, Ritual in Western Medicine and Its Role in Placebo
Healing, “I propose that ritual interaction with a physician
acting in a priestly manner to give meaning and limitations to the
patient's experience is of clinical importance and results in the
powerful placebo effect reported to occur as a result of
doctor-patient interactions.” Interestingly, Welch goes on to say
that a physician has the power within him to directly alter the
outcome of an experience simply by providing a certain level of
sympathy and a display of knowledge and control over the experience.
He mentions the results of an early study that showed a relevant
decrease in narcotic use as well as the length of the hospital stay
for those recovering from surgery due to being visited preoperatively
by a “concerned anesthesiologist who offered a frank explanation of
the pain to expect and attempted to alleviate anxiety by explaining
that post-operative pain was normal.”
The laying on of
hands is a common reference to an action used in religions across the
globe. The use of laying on of hands is to confer a blessing or give
an authority (ordination) to the individual who is usually kneeling
down. While the use of this action is practiced in a variety of ways,
it essentially carries a uniform meaning. For example, The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses the laying on of hands to
confirm an individual as a member of the church, or to offer a
blessing of healing, give strength to those in need or to ordain
church members to the various offices held within the institution.
The laying on of hands has been examined by those in the scientific
community with a heavy dose of criticism. Keeping the phenomenon of
the placebo in mind, one can see how the laying on of hands is
dismissed offhand by the scientific community as a placebo effect. In
the event that the laying on of hands does not work, the
practitioners tend to use the excuse that the participant was a
non-believer or didn't carry enough faith. These excuses always
protect the practitioner.
According to the
article, Is 'Divine Healing' in the 'Faith Movement' Founded on
the Principles of Healing in the Bible or Based on the Power of the
Mind? Pretorius says that “according to the Faith Movement,
divine healing is part of God's will for the believer.” He also
states that Divine Healing is a complex process and some believe in
its truth, some believe some of it is true, some believe the absence
of success suggests lack of faith and some believe it is the person
who's praying that is at fault if no healing occurs. Ultimately,
Pretorius believes that healing is “not so much a result of God who
intervenes, but rather a result of human potential to overcome
through the power of the mind.”
Placebos are used
during all drug trials to tell the researchers if the drug in
question has any healing effect at all or if the healing effect is a
result of the patients' belief in the drug. According to Mind Power
News.com, researchers have discovered that the placebo phenomenon
doesn't occur in the head, but rather the brain. Through scientific
research, there's proof that our thoughts may actually interact with
our brain in a physical way. It certainly begs the question about the
legitimacy of religious healing.
It has long been a
mystery as to how the placebo effect works, but thanks to the
dedication of scientists, it's not the mystery it once was. A
research team led by Tor Wager uncovered the area of the brain
responsible for the placebo effect by using positron emission
tomography while applying a placebo pain relief cream to the
patient's forearms. The scans examined brain activity during the
application of the placebo cream, revealing that the treatment caused
the brain to release more opioids, a natural chemical released by the
brain to relieve pain. This chemical release took place in the area
of the brain known as the periadqeductal
gray, an area found in the brainstem.
Medical
scientists also look to the brain to explain faith based healing.
Scientists have long been on the mission to explain religious
experiences. There are some interesting conclusions brought to light
by Andrew Newberg M.D., one of America's experts on the neurological
basis of religion. Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman wrote a
book entitled, How
God Changes Your Brain,
and claim that thinking about a loving God stimulates regions of our
brain that control empathy and reason, and quite the opposite occurs
when we think about a wrathful God. They go on to say, “When it
comes to thinking about God, our brain creates a vast range of
utopian, utilitarian, and sometimes useless theologies...” (5) It's
easy to see how so many people are able to heal themselves with just
the mere thought of God.
Interestingly,
Doctor Andrew Newberg claims that the brain has a difficult time
distinguishing between what's reality and what's fantasy. He says,
“having an accurate perception of reality is not one of the brain's
strongpoints.” (6) This brings on a new meaning to the well coined
phrase, perception is reality, and the placebo effect seems to lend
more truth to that statement. One of the top conclusions the authors
came to in the book, “spiritual practices, even when stripped of
religious beliefs, enhance the neural functioning of the brain in
ways that improve physical and emotional health,” has a direct
impact for those attempting to understand what the placebo effect is
and how it can explain faith based healing.
The
examination of God and faith based miracles, clinical trails using a
placebo and neuroscience are all equally important in unraveling the
truth about the placebo phenomenon. Whether an individual is an
agnostic like Charles Darwin, an atheist like Albert Einstein or
Ernest Hemingway, or a devout follower of God like Martin Luther
King, there is no denying that people are driven by their own
perceived realities; a reality that our brain has constructed to deal
with the outside world. The benefit of religious ritual, meditation
and belief systems are undeniably present, even if science ever can
or ever will disprove the existence of God.
Research
has shown that placebos work better if you take two pills instead of
one, if you take capsules versus pills or if the placebo is injected
rather than swallowed. Ultimately, the phenomenon of the placebo
effect is proof that the human mind is extraordinarily powerful.
However one may look at divine healing or religious healing, the
bizarre effectiveness of the placebo miracle is fascinating and
thought provoking.
Works
Cited
Ciccarelli,
Saundra, and Glenn Meyer. Psychology.
New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2006. Print.
Grad,
Bernard Raymond. "The Laying On Of Hands: Some Clinical And
Experimental Concerns." Journal
Of Religion & Psychical Research 17.4
(1994): 182.Academic
Search Complete.
Web. 6 Oct. 2012.
Newberg,
Andrew M.D., and Mark Robert Waldman. How
God Changes Your Brain.
New York: Ballantine, 2009. Print.
Pretorius,
Stephan P. "Is 'Divine Healing' In The 'Faith Movement' Founded
On The Principles Of Healing In The Bible Or Based On The Power Of
The Mind?." Hervormde
Teologiese Studies
65.1
(2009): 399-405.
Academic
Search Complete.
Web.
6 Oct. 2012.
Welch,
John S. "Ritual In Western Medicine And Its Role In Placebo
Healing."
Journal
Of Religion & Health 42.1
(2003): 21.
Academic
Search Complete.
Web.
6 Oct. 2012.
“10
Fascinating Facts About The Placebo Effect.” Mind Power News. N.p.
2011. Web. 6 Oct. 2012
Bibliography
“Researchers
Demonstrate How Placebo Effect Works in the Brain.” Phys.Org. N.P.
2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012
“Periaqueductal Gray.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 16 July 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.
I Have A Dream
Jane Watson
Professor Leslie Jewkes
English 201
5 Nov 2012
I Have A Dream
In 1963, during the march on Washington, the famed Martin Luther King delivered one of the most memorable speeches of our time, I Have a Dream. From the first moment I listened to the speech during high school I was touched by it. I have no particular reason to be so deeply affected, as I do not have any ties or relations to anyone who was impacted by the oppression suffered by those who King relates to in the speech. Regardless, it's one of my favorites.
The entire speech is written in simplistic yet powerful prose, the perfect combination to deliver a message so that everyone can understand it, be moved and learn from it. Every passage, even when read without the doctor's words to emphasize it, holds a resounding truth. From the latter half of the first sentence, “the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation,” already we are moved, already we know the significance of what we're about to hear and already we're eager to hear more.
The words I found most important and best said begin with “symbolic shadow, momentous decree, beacon of light, and seared with the flames of withering injustice.” Let's look at the latter one, “seared with the flames of withering injustice,” a passage so simple, yet so powerful. His use of words to describe suffering are brilliant. Seared. Flames. Withering. Examined with a writer's eye, it couldn't have been said better.
His use of emphasis by repeating the words “one hundred years later” is especially poignant and dramatic, driving his point home, that enough is enough. The paragraph just following this passage is my favorite. King's use of rhetoric are genius not only on a writing level, but to drive his point home orally. “We've come to our nation's capital to cash a check.” and, “they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir,” and he goes on to say, “America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.” Beautiful. King proceeds, “America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”” I get chills when I read that part, especially coupled with the sound of his voice as he delivered the lines. Perhaps the best line of all, “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.”
It's difficult to pick out just certain parts of I Have a Dream, as every line so eloquently flows to the next and holds the same impact of meaning. King ended the speech with the famous words, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at Last!” A spine chilling, triumphant conclusion to one of the country's most memorable speeches.
Professor Leslie Jewkes
English 201
5 Nov 2012
I Have A Dream
In 1963, during the march on Washington, the famed Martin Luther King delivered one of the most memorable speeches of our time, I Have a Dream. From the first moment I listened to the speech during high school I was touched by it. I have no particular reason to be so deeply affected, as I do not have any ties or relations to anyone who was impacted by the oppression suffered by those who King relates to in the speech. Regardless, it's one of my favorites.
The entire speech is written in simplistic yet powerful prose, the perfect combination to deliver a message so that everyone can understand it, be moved and learn from it. Every passage, even when read without the doctor's words to emphasize it, holds a resounding truth. From the latter half of the first sentence, “the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation,” already we are moved, already we know the significance of what we're about to hear and already we're eager to hear more.
The words I found most important and best said begin with “symbolic shadow, momentous decree, beacon of light, and seared with the flames of withering injustice.” Let's look at the latter one, “seared with the flames of withering injustice,” a passage so simple, yet so powerful. His use of words to describe suffering are brilliant. Seared. Flames. Withering. Examined with a writer's eye, it couldn't have been said better.
His use of emphasis by repeating the words “one hundred years later” is especially poignant and dramatic, driving his point home, that enough is enough. The paragraph just following this passage is my favorite. King's use of rhetoric are genius not only on a writing level, but to drive his point home orally. “We've come to our nation's capital to cash a check.” and, “they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir,” and he goes on to say, “America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.” Beautiful. King proceeds, “America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”” I get chills when I read that part, especially coupled with the sound of his voice as he delivered the lines. Perhaps the best line of all, “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.”
It's difficult to pick out just certain parts of I Have a Dream, as every line so eloquently flows to the next and holds the same impact of meaning. King ended the speech with the famous words, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at Last!” A spine chilling, triumphant conclusion to one of the country's most memorable speeches.
Writing Diagnostic
Jane Watson
Professor Leslie Jewkes
English 201
5 Sep 2012
I made the fairly recent commitment to eliminate all processed and junk food from my diet. I'd always had this unhealthy addiction to food, whether it be by thinking about it constantly, or starving myself, or eating too much. Gathered with a love for my body, I finally arrived to the conclusion that I should begin doing it right.
Granted, it wasn't the most difficult transition for me as I'd been an active individual the last six years and had never joined the alcohol or cigarette club. My vice was the same as it is for most people I assume, the love for soda and sugar. Soda and sugar are arguably as bad for you as other types of drugs, and I'd always known it but never took the necessary steps to eradicate my use of it. I would drink a soda, love it but feel horrible for doing it. Caught in this vicious cycle, it was always in my mind that I needed to quit, especially for my love of running.
Fueled by my desire to be a faster runner and to be friendlier to my insides, I decided the first thing I would do is cut back on my soda. We'll rewind to June, when I usually drank two to three cans (12 oz) a day. I had a serious love for the stuff, and when I returned from a long and exhaustive run I went right for a cold one. I figured it would be too difficult to just quit, so I told myself I'd have just a few every week. Once day one passed me by and I had no soda, it felt like I'd overcome a huge obstacle-just getting through a single day without the sweet and satisfying drink to get me by. So, I decided to do it again, still telling myself I was allowed to drink some if I needed to. Well, two weeks went by and I didn't have a single can or drop. In fact, I still had a full twelve pack in my refrigerator, which was a five second walk away. I think I was able to go cold turkey because I told myself I wasn't going cold turkey. The taste of victory after each day was enough to make it easier and easier as time went on.
In the meantime, I had also quit fast food. Honestly, that part was a lot easier than the soda, as I didn't really like fast food to begin with. I still had to make the choice to quit, as my husband and I would go to Sonic maybe twice or three times a month, or maybe Jack in the Box one a month. I threw that out no problem. I drive by fast food now and get sick to my stomach.
So, June and July passed by and I had successfully rid myself of soda and any other sugary beverages and all fast food. As a person who was addicted to sugar and crap, or so I thought, I quite easily gave up processed food. I used to buy frozen pizza or burritos and never thought twice about eating fruits or vegetables. One day shortly after I stopped drinking soda, I took my husband to the grocery store and loaded the cart with cucumbers, salad, avocados, bananas, oranges, apples, pears and my favorite-grapes. Now, if history was to repeat itself, this new little diet fad I was doing would burn itself out after about six or seven days. I don't know what was different about this time, but I've been buying fruits and vegetables regularly for two and a half months now and I have yet to look behind me. I don't buy anything processed. No white breads. No ground beef. I've never had so much fiber, protein and vitamins in my life.
I changed my diet because I wanted to be healthier and to see if it would affect my running skills. I injured my leg, so sadly, I haven't been able to test my progress at all. Though I inadvertently dropped six pounds (which after a changed diet of three months isn't that much weight) and for every pound you drop, you're twelve seconds faster per mile. I've always known that but now can actually put that knowledge to the test. That is, as soon as my leg starts playing with me again.
I hope this diet change is going to be a permanent part of my life. I really think it will be. I usually stick to the things I love. Like most changes I've made that stuck, I did them with little forethought. My love for running, as an example, began not with a resolution or a premeditated plan. I was told by my boyfriend at the time, while I was eating out of a big bag of M&M's, that I would get fat if I kept eating so much candy. While it was true I ate tons of candy, I resented his comment. After all, I'd always been a candy eater and had never gained weight. Regardless, the very next day I decided I would go running to prove to him I would not get fat. It's been six years ago since that day, and I have since run three marathons, three half marathons and countless 10K's and 5K's. It's anybody's guess why I am just now incorporating the diet aspect of running into my hobby.
Professor Leslie Jewkes
English 201
5 Sep 2012
Writing Diagnostic
Granted, it wasn't the most difficult transition for me as I'd been an active individual the last six years and had never joined the alcohol or cigarette club. My vice was the same as it is for most people I assume, the love for soda and sugar. Soda and sugar are arguably as bad for you as other types of drugs, and I'd always known it but never took the necessary steps to eradicate my use of it. I would drink a soda, love it but feel horrible for doing it. Caught in this vicious cycle, it was always in my mind that I needed to quit, especially for my love of running.
Fueled by my desire to be a faster runner and to be friendlier to my insides, I decided the first thing I would do is cut back on my soda. We'll rewind to June, when I usually drank two to three cans (12 oz) a day. I had a serious love for the stuff, and when I returned from a long and exhaustive run I went right for a cold one. I figured it would be too difficult to just quit, so I told myself I'd have just a few every week. Once day one passed me by and I had no soda, it felt like I'd overcome a huge obstacle-just getting through a single day without the sweet and satisfying drink to get me by. So, I decided to do it again, still telling myself I was allowed to drink some if I needed to. Well, two weeks went by and I didn't have a single can or drop. In fact, I still had a full twelve pack in my refrigerator, which was a five second walk away. I think I was able to go cold turkey because I told myself I wasn't going cold turkey. The taste of victory after each day was enough to make it easier and easier as time went on.
In the meantime, I had also quit fast food. Honestly, that part was a lot easier than the soda, as I didn't really like fast food to begin with. I still had to make the choice to quit, as my husband and I would go to Sonic maybe twice or three times a month, or maybe Jack in the Box one a month. I threw that out no problem. I drive by fast food now and get sick to my stomach.
So, June and July passed by and I had successfully rid myself of soda and any other sugary beverages and all fast food. As a person who was addicted to sugar and crap, or so I thought, I quite easily gave up processed food. I used to buy frozen pizza or burritos and never thought twice about eating fruits or vegetables. One day shortly after I stopped drinking soda, I took my husband to the grocery store and loaded the cart with cucumbers, salad, avocados, bananas, oranges, apples, pears and my favorite-grapes. Now, if history was to repeat itself, this new little diet fad I was doing would burn itself out after about six or seven days. I don't know what was different about this time, but I've been buying fruits and vegetables regularly for two and a half months now and I have yet to look behind me. I don't buy anything processed. No white breads. No ground beef. I've never had so much fiber, protein and vitamins in my life.
I changed my diet because I wanted to be healthier and to see if it would affect my running skills. I injured my leg, so sadly, I haven't been able to test my progress at all. Though I inadvertently dropped six pounds (which after a changed diet of three months isn't that much weight) and for every pound you drop, you're twelve seconds faster per mile. I've always known that but now can actually put that knowledge to the test. That is, as soon as my leg starts playing with me again.
I hope this diet change is going to be a permanent part of my life. I really think it will be. I usually stick to the things I love. Like most changes I've made that stuck, I did them with little forethought. My love for running, as an example, began not with a resolution or a premeditated plan. I was told by my boyfriend at the time, while I was eating out of a big bag of M&M's, that I would get fat if I kept eating so much candy. While it was true I ate tons of candy, I resented his comment. After all, I'd always been a candy eater and had never gained weight. Regardless, the very next day I decided I would go running to prove to him I would not get fat. It's been six years ago since that day, and I have since run three marathons, three half marathons and countless 10K's and 5K's. It's anybody's guess why I am just now incorporating the diet aspect of running into my hobby.
Powerpoint Presentation
Adding Emphasis
In this presentation, we will examine the art of adding emphasis to a written text. In particular, we'll look at the choice and arrangement of words as well as the sentence and clause arrangement.
To add emphasis to your writing, it's important to be choosy about your words.
Consider that the most emphasized position of any sentence is at the beginning and at the end.
Sentence & Clause Arrangement
Wondering about sentence and clause arrangement?
First, let's review clause.
The variation of sentence length is an effective tool for writing great prose and adding emphasis.
Arrange clauses to achieve emphasis.
Again, the terminal position of a sentence is where the weight of words is mostly felt.
Analysis Essay
A
New Historicist View of The
Nice Little People
by Kurt Vonnegut
Jane Watson
English
201
Professor
Leslie Jewkes
27th, October 2012
In
the following essay we explore the in-depth relationship between a
masterful storyteller, Kurt Vonnegut, and his short work of fiction,
The
Nice Little People.
Closely examining Vonnegut's unique writing style and simple prose,
we take a look at the man himself through his other stories and his
own writing devices using a new historicist lens, with a special
emphasis on Vonnegut's employ of characterization and his humanistic
approach to storytelling.
A New Historicist View of The Nice
Little People by Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut's short story, The Nice Little People, is a fun demonstration of quirky science fiction in post world war II America. The Nice Little People is a short story found in a collection with thirteen other stories that were posthumously published in Look at the Birdie in 2009. This vignette is a compelling story written by one of the world's most unique writers. Vonnegut is most widely known for the literary masterpieces written with a strong influence from his experiences both as a soldier and a prisoner of war. This new historicist look offers a glimpse of this great american writer not through the horrors of war, but more by the Kurt Vonnegut who reveled in humor, pessimism, science fiction and moral reverence.
The protagonist told by third
person limited is called Lowell Swift, and within the first paragraph
Lowell is easily likable, identifiable, and cared for. Vonnegut felt
it was important to create a character that could be easily followed
along with and rooted for, a testament to his humanistic connection
to the world. He flawlessly does this by creating a character who
could be anyone and anywhere, your neighbor, friend from work or one
of the nice guys at church. You root for Lowell Swift, maybe because
he works an honest day's labor, maybe because you know his marriage
ends that day and it feels all the more tragic because of the “red
roses in a long, green box under his arm.” (431) Vonnegut's
portrayal of Lowell Swift seems to be a moralized standard of the
hard working joe post word war II. Because of Vonnegut's disgust at
death and destruction and the effects it had on him while a prisoner
of war, Vonnegut was drawn to kindness despite his negative views of
the world.
Lowell Swift is too kind. You
first get a taste of his moral character following just beneath the
first paragraph when the narration begins with, “the bus was
crowded but no woman were standing, so Lowell's conscience was
unencumbered.” (431) Lowell then spends his time on the bus
thinking pleasant things about his wife. Right away the reader
couples Lowell's positive thoughts about his wife and the end of the
marriage occurring on the same day, paving more sympathy for Lowell.
The absolve of a marriage usually happens with negative foreshadowing
by one or both parties involved, and the reader is told who to side
with on an early basis within the story. One of Vonnegut's common
storytelling devices is to shock, and because we have no idea
precisely when or how the marriage will come to an end, Vonnegut has
already set you up for a surprise outcome.
Vonnegut's
light tone proceeds through the story, much like his other more well
known works, such as Cat's
Cradle
and Slaughterhouse-Five.
Though unlike the heavy themes of death, war and destruction in these
aforementioned novels, The
Nice Little People
seems to be a far departure. Upon further reading, Lowell is further
developed with neat description that deepens the connection between
reader and character, as we now know that Lowell remains far too kind
for his own good and makes less money than his wife. He's afraid she
might leave him. Vonnegut explores the inequality between Lowell
Swift and his wife and Lowell's humble acceptance that though she
made quite a bit more money than he did as a real estate saleswoman,
“God had made him-even as he had made Madelaine-presumably with
some good end in mind.” (431)
Vonnegut
often explored the theme of free will throughout his books.
Slaughterhouse-Five
and Breakfast
of Champions
are two well received novels that deal with the concept of free will
and the view that it is nonexistent. In Slaughterhouse-Five,
Vonnegut wrote, “If I hadn’t spent so much time studying
Earthlings," said the Tralfamadorian, "I wouldn’t have
any idea what was meant by 'free will.' I've visited thirty-one
inhabited planets in the universe, and I have studied reports on one
hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.”
Vonnegut explores his un-harmonious relationship with freewill again
in The
Nice Little People
when Lowell Swift suddenly encounters a paper knife. It appeared to
be thrown at him as he waited for the bus. While there is no mention
of free will in the story directly, through study of Vonnegut and his
work, it is clear he has put Lowell Swift in a position where he had
no choice but to encounter the paper knife. Because nobody around
claimed the paper knife to be their own, Lowell put it in his pocket.
Vonnegut
further explains Lowell's relationship with money and the lack
thereof when he hops back on the bus and arrives home to a
“colonnaded, white colonial apartment” (432) which without
Madelaine's income, they could not afford. This is another example of
Vonnegut's tumultuous relationship with inequality, a constant theme
throughout the story. Vonnegut often visits this theme in his work,
as well as a particular character style, which throughout the bulk of
his career is dealt in little consideration and description. Vonnegut
abandoned his favorite writing style with The
Nice Little People with
apt and personal descriptions of Lowell Swift. Vonnegut always felt
that the writer should genuinely care for what they are writing, and
it is evident that Vonnegut spent an intimate amount of time with
Lowell to ensure that we too, as readers, care about him. The reader
spends only a minimal amount of time with Madelaine, and what we do
know is spoken through Lowell, and because of his childlike
descriptions of her actions while they are so painfully and obviously
wrong, we further side with Lowell and find his wife despicable, even
though Lowell himself does not. We know more than Lowell.
Lowell arrives home, eagerly
anticipating a meeting with her as it is their anniversary. Vonnegut
turns the tables when instead of meeting his beloved wife, he meets a
hand written note placed on the hall mirror. “Am taking a prospect
for the Finletter property to supper. Cross your fingers.”
Immediately we know as readers that Madelaine is doing something much
more unacceptable with this 'prospect'. Lowell, however, proceeds
with a wistful smile, blissfully unaware of what is so blatantly
obvious.
Vonnegut
loved science fiction. Anyone familiar with Vonnegut might expect
some element of the supernatural. Labeled as a science fiction
writer, Vonnegut's most famous pieces included elements of time
travel, alternate histories, the far future, mind control and aliens.
Vonnegut claimed plainly, that he noticed technology, and merely
shrugged off the label of being a science fiction writer. Thus far in
The
Nice Little People,
Vonnegut has yet to introduce any preternatural material, so when Lowell Swift hears an unusual sound
coming from his pocket where he placed the paper knife, the reader
may or may not be surprised at the sudden introduction of six tiny
people who have come pouring out of the paper knife and are now
huddled together on the protagonist's couch.
At first, Lowell doesn't know the tiny beings that have come pouring
out of the paper knife are human. He prepares to smash them, but upon
further examination, Lowell indeed discovers they are three men and
three woman, “clad in glistening black tights.” (433) It is no
surprise that Vonnegut disallows Lowell to smash the creatures as he
was preparing to do until he noticed they were human beings. An
active humanistic writer, Vonnegut got right down to the human
element of both Lowell Swift and the creatures when Lowell begins to
tenderly care about them and for them. “He congratulated himself on
his calm, his reasonableness with respect to the little people. He
hadn't panicked, hadn't killed them or called for help.” (436)
Lowell Swift spends the next page and a half having a great time
with the little people, entertaining himself with their crazy,
unexpected arrival in his life. He notices right away that these
alien-human beings couldn't have landed at a better place nor with a
better person to take care of them and ensure they weren't handled
wrong. It's when Madelaine arrives home that the story accelerates
pace.
Vonnegut goes into brief detail of Madelaine's kiss with her boss as
Lowell plainly watches from the window. Lowell's reaction, is of
course, not what it may have been if the little people hadn't been
preoccupying his mind. Though it seems that Lowell is far too easy
going regarding his wife, which makes the ending to the story that
much more provocative.
Lowell must find a way to keep the little people out of Madelaine's
view. He hurries them back into the spaceship as his wife makes her
first appearance in the story. We are now introduced into a quite
unusual circumstance between Lowell and his wife, though not unusual
of Vonnegut's writing style. Madelaine doesn't discover the existence
of the little people, but she does comment on the paper knife after
she offhandedly tells Lowell the flowers he brought home were nice.
She does apologize for her absence on their anniversary, but the
interchange between them is somehow cold and quickly to the point in
an uncharacteristic way of man and wife, again, a unique mechanism of
Vonnegut's writing style.
Vonnegut said of good writing, that something awful should happen to
the characters, “in order that the reader may see what they are
made of.” Vonnegut uses a brilliant, if somewhat sadist means to
end The Nice Little People. Though Madelaine and Lowell are in
fact, married, she suddenly proclaims that the prospect she'd gone
out to dinner with asked her to marry him, which she replied with a
yes. Lowell's calm reaction is anything but what you might expect. “I
had no idea it was that simple.” (438) Madelaine says she is
dreadfully sorry, and Lowell asks for a farewell kiss, which
Madelaine regards with disgust. She strikes him on the chest and
tries to turn away, crying, “I can't stand it!” (438)
The spaceship in Lowell's hand has a greater reaction to this turn
of events than Lowell himself. It hummed and grew hot. “It trembled
and shot from his hand, under its own power, straight at Madelaine's
heart.” (438) Vonnegut's masterful employ of great writing has the
next line of text beginning with Lowell picking up the phone to speak
to the precinct. He wants to report an accident-a death, and the
sergeant wants to know if it was a homicide. Lowell responds that it
takes a bit of explaining, which he does thoroughly, from beginning
to end.
The
Nice Little People is perhaps one of Vonnegut's lesser recognized
works of literature that does not directly hint at his world war II
experiences but does a brilliant job reflecting his black sense of
humor, satire and love for science fiction. This perfectly blended
mix of ingredients is the recipe for pure fun, if you can handle a
dose of caustic wit. The
Nice Little People
is
a one of a kind glimpse into the mind of a veteran with a love affair
for science fiction, black comedy and a delve into the inner state of
consciousness.
Vonnegut
delivers just that with a likable, seemingly normal protagonist many
of us can relate to. We root for Lowell Swift, even as he
unintentionally facilitates the murder of his wife.
Works Cited
Britt,
Ryan. “The Kurt Vonnegut Question.” Genre in the Mainstream. n.s.
n.d, Web. 5 Nov. 2012.
Deresiewicz, William. "'I Was There'." Nation 294.23 (2012): 32-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
Deresiewicz, William. "'I Was There'." Nation 294.23 (2012): 32-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
Eggers,
Dave, ed. The
Best American Nonrequired Reading.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. Print.
Reed, Peter. “Kurt Vonnegut's Fantastic Faces.” Vonnegut. Origami Express, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.
Reed, Peter. “Kurt Vonnegut's Fantastic Faces.” Vonnegut. Origami Express, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.
Vonnegut,
Kurt. How
to Write With Style.
Boingboing.net. International Paper Company, n.d. Web. 18 Nov.
2012.
Wilson,
Scott. "The Economimesis Of New Historicism (Or How New
Historicism Displaced Theory In English Literature
Departments)." Journal
For Cultural Research
11.2
(2007): 161-174. Academic
Search Complete.
Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
Bibliography
Notable
Biographies.
Kurt
Vonnegut Biography.
Advameg, Inc, 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.
Vonnegut,
Kurt. Bagombo
Snuff
Box:
Uncollected
Short
Fiction.
New York: Berkley Books, 2000. Print.
Argumentative Essay
Nurture Beats Nature
Jane Watson
English
201
Professor
Leslie Jewkes
2nd, December 2012
In the following essay, Nurture Beats Nature, we explore three
in-depth cases of individuals whose lives had taken an unfortunate
turn, but provided researchers and psychologists with a unique
opportunity to examine the ongoing debate: Nature versus Nurture.
Through exploration of these cases and the philosophies of historical
characters such as John Locke, we can better understand how nurture
plays a significant role in the environment/gene saga.
Jane
Watson
Professor Leslie Jewkes
English 201
2 Dec 2012
Professor Leslie Jewkes
English 201
2 Dec 2012
Nurture Beats Nature
In today's
psychological world, there are a number of areas that deal with a
great amount of controversy, and one of the most hotly debated is the
issue of nature versus nurture. Nature versus nurture examines the
relationship between traits that are inherited and the environmental
factors that surround us. What is each role in development? Nature
refers to the characteristics that we inherit at birth which
influence our personality, physical maturity, intellectual capacity
and social interactions. Nurture involves the effects of the
environment on our personality, physical maturity, intellectual
capacity and social interactions. Through an intensive examination of
people throughout history, it is easy to see that nurture beats
nature.
The questions
remain: How much of our personality is determined by the manner with
which we are raised by our parents? What role does our childhood
experiences play in who we become? According to Psychology in
Everyday Life, Nature and Nurture begs the question: “How does
our genetic inheritance interact with our experiences to influence
our development?” (64) Does it simply come down to having good or
bad genes, and all else doesn't matter so much? Perhaps it's some of
both. In the text Psychology, scholars ask, “is a person
like Hitler born that way, or did something happen to make him the
person he was?” (251) After we study the case of Genie, it's easy
to conclude that nurture has an absolute profound effect on what
makes us who we are.
Genie is not the
name of the girl who was discovered, but rather a name given to her
as a representation of a 'feral child'. Genie spent nearly all of her
first thirteen years of life locked in her bedroom at home. She is
arguably America's best known case of a wild child, a child who
experienced extreme social isolation by being strapped to a potty
chair, where she stayed indefinitely, whether she was eating,
sleeping or doing nothing at all. Genie had just entered her teenage
years, but could barely walk, talk or otherwise behave normally.
Genie was forced to be alone all the time, and had nothing to do, or
anyone to talk to. A social worker discovered her, still in diapers.
In the review of the book, Letters, the author wrote:
Genie was
hospitalized in November 1970 at the age of 13, not because she did
not speak, nor even because she had undergone abuse. It was because
of the totality of her state of being. At the time of her admission
she was virtually unsocialized. She could not stand erect, salivated
continuously, had never been toilet-trained and had no control over
her urinary or bowel functions. She was unable to chew solid food
and had the weight, height and appearance of a child half her age.
(New York Times Book Review)
Within Genie's
isolated upbringing, she was neglected and abused by the hands of her
father, and her mother did nothing to help in the welfare of their
daughter. Once Genie was discovered, her father killed himself,
making it impossible for researchers and scientists to question him
about the circumstances. Instead, Genie's team of neurologists,
linguists and psychologists were left with a puzzling case that might
shed some light on the nature versus nurture debate. Genie was a
unique chance to investigate the influences of these two forces.
Genie's case gives light to the concept of “tabula rasa”, the
idea that humans are essentially born a blank slate. Of course, this
isn't new. The idea can be traced back to Aristotle.
The blank slate
theory is most widely attributed to John Locke's, An Essay
Concerning Human Understanding, from the 17th century.
John Locke was a philosopher in the 1600's and believed nurture is
everything. In Locke's philosophy, the idea is that the human mind at
birth does not come preloaded with instruction and data. He wrote:
It is an
established opinion among some men, that there are in the
understanding certain innate principles; some primary notions,
characters, as it were, stamped upon the mind of man, which the soul
receives in its very first being, and brings into the world with it.
It would be sufficient to convince unprejudiced readers of the
falseness of this supposition. (12)
Our sensory
experiences through life, rather, are what makes us the people we
are. In fact, Sigmund Freud was also a proponent of nurture, and
believed that one's character is more determined by upbringing.
At the time of
Genie's discovery back in 1970, there was a debate brewing.
Scientists declared that Genie was already mentally retarded at
birth. If this was the case, then we could definitively say that
Genie's nurturing had nothing to do with the state of her
intellectual capacity and behaviors...but this is not the case. One
of the members of Genie's team at the Children's Hospital in Los
Angeles, California, Susan Curtiss, claimed that Genie's mental age
increased by one year every time she was tested, which is impossible
of someone who is mentally retarded. If such be the case, nurture
beats nature exponentially.
Genie, undoubtedly,
is a fascinating and unsettling glimpse into what a human being is
like without the strict structures of our society. Though wild
children are not the only cases that bring up the nature versus
nurture debate. According to the text, Psychology, authors
Ciccarelli and Meyer state that the debate is “quite important. Are
people like Hitler, the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy, and Timothy
McVeigh (the man responsible for the Oklahoma bombing of the Federal
Building) the results of bad genes? Or was it bad parenting or
life-altering experiences in childhood?”
A close examination
of serial killers will lend strong support to both behavioral
problems due to upbringing as well as inherited traits. While it's
difficult to rule one completely out, we are still left with the
question of which one is more strongly attributable....genetics or
environment? In the article Phenomenology and Serial Murder, Candice
A. Skrapec writes, “There are many studies of individual serial
killers that describe and seek to understand their behavior under the
terms of an established paradigm.”
John Douglas, a
former FBI Profiler, said that disorganized serial killers normally
share a list of common characteristics. Of some of these, most
notably, is a dysfunctional background. A dysfunctional background
for a serial killer usually involves sexual or physical abuse,
overbearing parents, alcohol and drug use and related problems. A
classic example of a dysfunctional childhood in a serial killer is
that of Ed Kemper, whose mother condemned him to the basement for
fears he would molest his younger sister, despite the reality that he
had never given his mother any reason to think this. He was just ten
years old at the time, and was naturally confused and angry. In
compensation he turned to fantasy. Brought on by continued isolation,
Ed Kemper's fantasies grew worse. It's easy here to draw the
connection between Kemper's poor childhood experience and his
outrageous behavior later on in life. And not much later. He began
criminal behavior at the age of 15 when he murdered his grandparents.
We are left to wonder if Ed Kemper had been raised by two very loving
parents who had never locked him in the basement, if he still would
have killed his grandparents. Is there a murder gene? Each individual
has the same capacity to kill, so what makes some kill, and others
not?
A man named Bradley
Waldroup was convicted of murder in what the NPR radio program's
Morning Edition called a “war zone.” Waldroup shot the friend
eight times and “sliced her head open with a sharp object. When
Waldroup was finished with her, he chased after his wife, Penny, with
a machete, chopping off her finger and cutting her over and over.”
NPR states that it wasn't a question of “who done it? But why done
it?” They claim the answer was found in Waldroup's genes. In what
is no doubt compelling and fascinating evidence, but nonetheless not
able to hold up in the court of law, is Waldroup's Mao-A Gene. The
gene has been linked to 30 different criminal defendants, most of
them charged with murder. A particular variant of this gene has been
linked to violence, and Waldroup was found to “carry the high risk
version of the gene.”
Can we now expect
each baby to be tested for the Mao-A Gene and if present with the
high risk kind, be automatically imprisoned? It certainly raises the
question. In this particular case, psychiatrist Terry Holmes was
called in to rebut the evidence. He said Waldroup's behavior “had
little to nothing to do with his genetic makeup.” What isn't being
discussed here as much, is Waldroup's abusive childhood. A bad gene
is a bad gene, and we may all have some. But it must be turned on.
In 1874, Francis
Galton said, “Nature is all that a man brings with him into the
world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth.”
The human body is born with 100 trillion cells, and within each cell
is the backbone of who we are, strands upon strands of DNA, uniquely
profiled to physically distinguish us from other people. DNA is made
up of tiny chromosomes, consisting of genes, tiny units of heredity
that is given to us from our parents. Within these genes we are not
helpless victims, predetermined to act or behave any certain way.
Behavior can be learned or un-learned, and it is largely shaped by
what we see and are told.
Works Cited
Ciccarelli,
Saundra K and Meyer, Glenn. Psychology.
New Jersey: Pearson, 2006. Print.
Hagerty,
Bradley Barbara. “Can Your Genes Make You Murder?” NPR.Org. N.S.
Web. 2 Dec. 2012
"Letters."
New
York Times Book Review (1993):
35.
Academic
Search Premier.
Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
Locke,
John. An
Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
New York: Prometheus Books, 1995. Print.
Myers,
David G. Psychology in
Everyday Life. New
York: Worth, 2009. Print.
Skrapec,
Candice. “Phenomenology and Serial Murder.” Homicide Studies 5.1
(2001): 46-63. Print.
Final Semester Reflection
Jane Watson
English 201
12-14-12
As
I reflect back on this semester, I'm glad to have taken another vital
step towards reaching my academic goals. As has been the case since I
can remember, english has been my easiest subject and the most
enjoyable. I learned a long time ago that the best way to become a
better writer does not come through taking english courses, but
through reading, and through writing. Over and over and over. It's
also not a skill that can ever be completely mastered. You can always
do better, as is the case each and every time a piece is re-written.
One of my favorite examples is J.R.R Tolkien, who re-wrote Lord of
the Rings...how many times? I don't believe he was ever completely
satisfied.
The
most important piece to accomplishing english 201 is getting through
it. Without getting through it, you can't continue to progress
through an english degree. Therefore, english 201 is as valuable as
any other english course that can ever be taken on a higher education
level.
Furthermore
as this is a research writing class, it's been a greater struggle
than english classes I've taken previously, as I do not enjoy doing
research writing, it's a bit of a taxing go through. I've always
thought this kind of forced writing takes the fun out of writing
almost entirely, and turns it more into a chore. I've never done
particularly well at chores, which I guess explains why I sometimes
struggle as a student!
I
suppose the greatest successes achieved this semester is getting
through the essays in one piece, particularly the analysis essay, as
I thought I was going to die as I wrote it. I've never written an
essay that took longer time preparing beforehand without even having
typed a single word. It was like trekking through a muddy field with
50 pound bricks tied to each leg. In the dark. It's probably quite
sad, as I'm sure they'll only get further and further taxing. I'm
glad to have the experience tucked away in my writing folder.
As
I just mentioned, I'm still vigorously working on the entire concept
of research writing. I don't know how to make it an enjoyable time of
writing, and I'm beginning to think that it never will. We all have
those things in life we just don't agree with and mine might just be
research writing. I'd love to figure out ways to get around that so
that the rest of my college experience isn't so miserable!
I've
definitely learned that essays going forward won't be as easy as they
have been in the past, and to give myself more time to get through
them. It can be difficult to find good resources, and I found that
the scholarly options available at the library leave much to be
desired. I'm glad to have the foundation laid by this class to launch
from in ongoing classes.
As
a blog and article writer outside of the school environment, all
writing I do contributes in a positive way to my work. As I mentioned
previously, writing is an art that requires continual improvement
through the action of doing. Practice does make perfect, and writing
is no exception to this rule.
Bibliography
"10 Fascinating Facts About the Placebo Effect." Mind Power News. N.P. 2011. Web. 6 Oct. 2012.
Britt, Ryan. “The Kurt Vonnegut Question.” Genre in the Mainstream. n.s. n.d, Web. 5 Nov. 2012.
Ciccarelli,
Saundra K and Meyer, Glenn. Psychology.
New Jersey: Pearson, 2006. Print.
Deresiewicz, William. "'I Was There'." Nation 294.23 (2012): 32-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
Eggers, Dave, ed. The Best American Nonrequired Reading. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. Print.
Grad, Bernard Raymond. "The Laying On Of Hands: Some Clinical And Experimental Concerns." Journal Of Religion & Psychical Research 17.4 (1994): 182.Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Oct. 2012.
Hagerty,
Bradley Barbara. “Can Your Genes Make You Murder?” NPR.Org. N.S.
Web. 2 Dec. 2012
"Letters."
New
York Times Book Review (1993):
35.
Academic
Search Premier.
Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
Locke,
John. An
Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
New York: Prometheus Books, 1995. Print.
Myers,
David G. Psychology in
Everyday Life. New
York: Worth, 2009. Print.
Newberg, Andrew M.D., and Mark Robert Waldman. How God Changes Your Brain. New York: Ballantine, 2009. Print.
"Periaqueductal
Gray.” Wikipedia,
The Free Encyclopedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 16 July 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.
Pretorius, Stephan P. "Is 'Divine Healing' In The 'Faith Movement' Founded On The Principles Of Healing In The Bible Or Based On The Power Of The Mind?." Hervormde Teologiese Studies 65.1 (2009): 399-405. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Oct. 2012.
Researchers
Demonstrate How Placebo Effect Works in the Brain.” Phys.Org. N.P.
2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
Reed, Peter. “Kurt Vonnegut's Fantastic Faces.” Vonnegut. Origami Express, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.
Skrapec,
Candice. “Phenomenology and Serial Murder.” Homicide Studies 5.1
(2001): 46-63. Print.
Vonnegut,
Kurt. How
to Write With Style.
Boingboing.net. International Paper Company, n.d. Web. 18 Nov.
2012.
Welch, John S. "Ritual In Western Medicine And Its Role In Placebo Healing." Journal Of Religion & Health 42.1 (2003): 21. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Oct. 2012.
Wilson,
Scott. "The Economimesis Of New Historicism (Or How New
Historicism Displaced Theory In English Literature
Departments)." Journal
For Cultural Research
11.2
(2007): 161-174. Academic
Search Complete.
Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
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