Saturday, January 25, 2020

Frankenstein Essay -- Literary Analysis, Mary Shelley

Organic: A Very Lucid Concept Will it ever be possible for a machine to be an organic being? It is an interesting question and one that is addressed in Frankstein by Merry Shelly, RUR by Karel Capek and The Defecating Duck by Jessica Riskin. These three texts provide insight into what makes a creature an organic being. From these readings one may construe that the duck in The Defecating Duck, along with the robots at the beginning of RUR cannot be considered organic beings, while the monster in Frankstein and the robots at the end of RUR can. An organic robot is an oxymoron; a robot does not have the chemical capability to be considered biologically organic. Although a chemical process was alluded to in both it Frankstein and RUR, it was very brief, a short paragraph in each case, and did not give enough information to be able to classify either as an organic being. However, there is a definition of organic that can be applied to prove that robots have the capability to be organic,â€Å"[10th definition of organic] something as having a growth and development analogous to that of living organisms† (Merriam Webster Dictionary). In other words, to be considered organic one must have the ability and desire to live. To long for a companion shows that one has a desire to connect with someone in their life, and therefore proves that person has a longing to be apart of the world. The monster in Frankstein has a desire to find a person he can connect with, and ends up going on a journey to find one. This journey begins with the monster observing and eventually falling in love with a farm family. â€Å"I formed in my imagination pictures of presenting myself to them†¦I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanor and con... ...ple. They are mechanically more perfect than we are†¦ but they have no soul† (Capek, 9). This quote by Domin explains to Helena how robots are not human but just workers. Domin further expresses this point by saying that. â€Å"Everything will be done by living machines. People will do only what they enjoy† (Capek, 21). These robots, for the time being, are complicit with their place and show no desire to live. The robots, and duck fail to show a desire to live and therefore cannot be considered organic beings. The robots from the end of RUR and the monster in Frankstein, unlike the robots at the beginning of RUR and the duck in the Defecating Duck, can be called organic beings because of their desire to live. These three texts brought up interesting points to a confounding question of organic robots. Making one believe that only time will be able to solve this riddle.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 4

He went on driving. He didn't even pause. â€Å"We're almost home.† They were nearing the turn ontoMeadowcroft Road . Gillian tried to grab for one of the brown hands on the steering wheel, and then looked at her own hand, perplexed. Her fingers felt like blocks of wood. â€Å"You have to stop,† she said, settling for volume. â€Å"There's a kid lost in those woods. That's why I went in; I heard this sound like crying. It was coming from somewhere right near the creek. We've got to go back there. Come on, stop!† â€Å"Hey, hey, calm down,† he said. â€Å"You know what I bet you heard? A long-eared owl. They roost around here, and they make this noise like a moan, oo-oo-oo.† Gillian didn't think so. â€Å"I was walking home from school. It wasn't dark enough for an owl to be out.† â€Å"Okay, a mourning dove. Goes oh-ah, whoo, whoo. Or a cat; they can sound like kids sometimes. Look,† he added almost savagely, as she opened her mouth again, â€Å"when we get you home, we can call the Houghton police, and they can check things out. But I am not letting a lit-a girl freeze just because she's got more guts than smarts.† For a moment, Gillian had an intense longing to let him continue to believe she had either guts or smarts. But she said, â€Å"It's not that. It's just- I've already been through so much to try to find that kid. I almost died-I think I did die. I mean- well, I didn't die, but I got pretty cold, and-and things happened, and I realized how important life is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She floundered to a shivering stop. What was she saying? Now he was going to think she was a nut case. And anyway all that stuff must have been a dream. She couldn't make it seem real while sitting in a Mustang with her head wrapped in a towel. But David flashed her a glance of startled recognition. â€Å"You almost died?† He looked back at the road, turning the car ontoHazel Street , where they both lived. â€Å"That happened to me once. When I was little, I had to have this operation-â€Å" He broke off as the Mustang skidded on some ice. In a moment he was in control again and turning into Gillian's driveway. It happened to you, too? David parked and was out of the car before Gillian could gather herself to speak. Then he was opening her door, reaching for her. â€Å"Gotta get all this ridiculous stuff out of the way,† he said, pushing her hair back as if it were a curtain of cobwebs. Something about the way he said it made Gillian think he liked her hair. She peered up at him through a gap in the curtain. His eyes were dark brown and normally looked almost hawkish, but just now, as their gazes met, they changed. They looked startled and wondering. As if he saw something in her eyes that surprised him and struck a chord. Gillian felt a flutter of wonder herself. I don't think he's really tough at all, she thought, as something like a spark seemed to flash between them. He's not so different from me; he's- She was wracked by a sudden bout of shivers. David blinked and shook his head. â€Å"We've got to get you inside,† he muttered. And then, still shivering, she was in the air. Bobbing, being carried up the path to her house. â€Å"You shouldn't be walking to school in the winter,† David said. â€Å"I'll drive you from now on.† Gillian was struck speechless. On the one hand, she should probably tell him she didn't walk every day. On the other hand, who was she kidding? Just the thought of him giving her a ride was enough to make her heart beat wildly. Between that and the novel feeling of being carried, it wasn't until he was opening the front door that Gillian remembered her mother. Then she panicked. Oh, God, I can't let David see her-but maybe it'll be all right. If there was a smell of food cooking, that meant it was okay. If not, it was one of Mom's bad days. There was no smell of food as David stepped into the dim hallway. And no sign of life-all the downstairs lights were off. The house was cold and echoing and Gillian knew she had to get David out. But how? He was carrying her farther in, asking, â€Å"Your parents aren't home?† â€Å"I guess not. Dad doesn't get home until seven most nights.† It wasn't exactly a lie. Gillian just prayed her mom would stay put in the bedroom until David left. â€Å"I'll be okay now,† she said hastily, not even caring if she sounded rude or ungrateful. Anything to make him go. â€Å"I can take care of myself, and- and I'm okay.† â€Å"The he †¦ eck you are,† David said. It was the longest drawn out ‘heck' Gillian had ever heard. He doesn't want to swear around me. That's cute. â€Å"You need to get thawed out, fast. Where's a bathtub?† Gillian automatically lifted a stiff arm to point down the side hall, then dropped it. â€Å"Now, wait a minute-â€Å" He was already there. He put her on her feet, then disappeared into the bathroom to turn on the water. Gillian cast an anguished glance upstairs. Just stay put, Mom. Stay asleep. â€Å"You've got to get in there and stay for at least twenty minutes,† David said, reappearing. â€Å"Then we can see if you need to go to the hospital at Houghton.† That made Gillian remember something. â€Å"The police-â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, right, I'll call them. As soon as you're in the tub.† He reached out and plucked at her dripping, ice-crusted sweater. â€Å"Can you get this off okay? Do your fingers work?† â€Å"Urn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her fingers didn't work; they were still blocks of wood. Frost-nipped at least, she thought, peering at them. But there was no way he was going to undress her, and there was also no way she was going to call her mother. â€Å"Urn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Uh, turn around,† David said. He pulled at her sweater again. â€Å"Okay, I've got my eyes shut. Now-â€Å" â€Å"No,† Gillian said, holding her elbows firmly against her sides. They stood, confused and indecisive, until they were saved by an interruption, a voice from the main hallway. â€Å"What are you doing to her?† the voice said. Gillian turned and looked around David. It was Tanya Jun, David's girlfriend. Tanya was wearing a velveteen cap perched on her glossy dark hair and a Christmas sweater with metallic threads woven in. She had almond-shaped gray eyes and a mouth with firm lips molded over white teeth. Gillian always thought of her as a future corporate executive. â€Å"I saw your car out there,† the future executive said to David, â€Å"and the front door of the house was open.† She looked level-headed, suspicious, and a little bit as if she doubted David's sanity. David looked back and forth between her and Gillian and fumbled for an explanation. â€Å"There's nothing going on. I picked her up onHillcrest Road . She was-well, look at her. She fell in the creek and she's frozen.† â€Å"I see,† Tanya said, still calmly. She gave Gillian a quick assessing glance, then turned back to David. â€Å"She doesn't look too bad. You go to the kitchen and make some hot chocolate. Or hot water with Jell-O in it, something with sugar. I'll take care of her.† â€Å"And the police,† Gillian called after David's disappearing back. She didn't exactly want to look Tanya in the face. Tanya was a senior like David, in the class ahead of Gillian atRachelCarsonHigh School . Gillian feared her, admired her, and hated her, in about that order. â€Å"Into the bathroom,† Tanya said. Once Gillian was in, she helped her undress, stripping off the clinging, icy-wet clothes and dropping them in the sink. Everything she did was brisk and efficient, and Gillian could almost see sparks fly from her fingers. Gillian was too miserable to protest at being stripped naked by somebody with the bedside manner of a female prison guard or an extremely strict nanny. She huddled, feeling small and shivering in her bare skin, and then lunged for the tub as soon as Tanya was done. The water felt scalding. Gillian could feel her eyes get huge and she clenched her teeth on a yell. It probably felt so hot because she was so cold. Breathing through her nose, she forced herself to submerge to the shoulders. â€Å"All right,† Tanya said on the other side of the coral-colored shower curtain. â€Å"I'll go up and get you some dry clothes to put on.† â€Å"No!† Gillian said, shooting half out of the water. Not upstairs, not where her mom was, not where her room was. But the bathroom door was already shutting with a decisive dick. Tanya wasn't the kind of person you said no to. Gillian sat, immobilized by panic and horror, until a fountain of burning pain drove everything else out of her mind. It started in her fingers and toes and shot upward, a white-hot searing that meant her frozen flesh was coming back to life. All she could do was sit rigid, breathe raggedly through her nose, and try to endure it. And eventually, it did get better. Her white, wrinkled skin turned dark blue, and then mottled, and then red. The searing subsided to a tingling. Gillian could move and think again. She could hear, too. There were voices outside the bathroom in the hallway. The door didn't even muffle them. Tanya's voice: â€Å"Here, I'll hold it. I'll take it to her in a minute.† In a mutter: â€Å"I'm not sure she can drink and float at the same time.† David's voice: â€Å"Come on, give her a break. She's just a kid.† â€Å"Oh, really? Just how old do you think she is?† â€Å"Huh? I don't know. Maybe thirteen?† An explosive snort from Tanya. â€Å"Fourteen? Twelve?† â€Å"David, she goes to our school. She's a junior.† â€Å"Really?† David sounded startled and bewildered. â€Å"Nah, I think she goes to P.B.† Pearl S. Buck was the junior high. Gillian sat staring at the bathtub faucet without seeing it. â€Å"She's in our biology class,† Tanya's voice said, edging toward open impatience. â€Å"She sits at the back and never opens her mouth.† The voice added, â€Å"I can see why you thought she was younger, though. Her bedroom's knee-deep in stuffed animals. And the wallpaper's little flowers. And look at these pajamas. Little bears.† Gillian's insides felt hotter than her fingers had been at their most painful. Tanya had seen her room, which was the same as it had been since Gillian was ten years old, because there wasn't money for new curtains and wallpaper and there wasn't any more storage space in the garage to put her beloved animals away. Tanya was making fun of her pajamas. In front of David. And David†¦ thought she was a little kid. That was why he'd offered to drive her to school. He'd meant the junior high. He'd been nice because he felt sorry for her. Two tears squeezed out of Gillian's eyes. She was trembling inside, boiling with anger and hurt and humiliation†¦ Crinch. It was a sound as loud as a rifle report, but high and crystalline-and drawn out. Something between a crash and a crunch and the sound of glass splintering under boots. Gillian jumped as if she'd been shot, sat frozen a moment, then pulled the moisture-beaded shower curtain aside and poked her head out. At the same instant the bathroom door flew open. â€Å"What was that?† Tanya said sharply. Gillian shook her head. She wanted to say, â€Å"You tell me,† but she was too frightened of Tanya. Tanya looked around the bathroom, spied the steamed-up mirror, and frowned. She reached across the sink to wipe it with her hand-and yelped. â€Å"Ow!† She cursed, staring at her hand. Gillian could see the brightness of blood. â€Å"What the-?† Tanya picked up a washcloth and swiped the mirror. She did it again. She stepped back and stared. From the tub, Gillian was staring, too. The mirror was broken. Or, not broken, cracked. But it wasn't cracked as if something had hit it. There was no point of impact, with lines of shattering running out. Instead, it was cracked evenly from top to bottom, side to side. Every inch was covered with a lattice of fine lines. It almost looked purposeful, as if it were a frosted-glass design. â€Å"David! Get in here!† Tanya said, ignoring Gillian. After a moment the door stirred and Gillian had a steamy distorted glimpse of David's face in the mirror. â€Å"Do you see this? How can something like this happen?† Tanya was saying. David grimaced and shrugged. â€Å"Heat? Cold? I don't know.† He glanced hesitantly in Gillian's direction, just long enough to locate her face surrounded by the coral shower curtain. â€Å"You okay?† he said, addressing himself to a white towel rack on the far wall. Gillian couldn't say anything. Her throat was too tight and tears were welling up again. But when Tanya looked at her, she nodded. â€Å"All right, forget it. Let's get you changed.† Tanya turned away from the mirror. David melted back out of the bathroom. â€Å"Make sure her fingers and everything are working all right,† he said distantly. â€Å"I'm fine,† Gillian said when she was alone with Tanya. â€Å"Everything's fine.† She wiggled her fingers, which were tender but functioning. All she cared about right now was getting Tanya to go away. â€Å"I can dress myself.† Please don't let me cry in front of her. She retreated behind the shower curtain again and made a splashing noise. â€Å"You guys can leave now.† Half a sigh from Tanya, who was undoubtedly thinking Gillian was ungrateful. â€Å"All right,† she said. â€Å"Your clothes and your chocolate are right here. Is there somebody you want me to call-?† â€Å"No! My parents-my dad will be here any minute. I'm fine.† Then she shut her eyes and counted, breath held. And, blessedly, there were the sounds of Tanya moving away. Both Tanya and David calling goodbyes. Then silence. Stiffly, Gillian pulled herself upright, almost falling down when she tried to step out of the bathtub. She put on her pajamas and walked slowly out of the bathroom, moving like an old woman. She didn't even glance at the broken mirror. She tried to be quiet going up the stairs. But just as she reached her bedroom, the door at the end of the upstairs hall swung open. Her mother was standing there, a long coat wrapped around her, fuzzy fleece-lined slippers on her feet. Her hair, a darker blond than Gillian's, was uncombed. â€Å"What's going on? I heard noise. Where's your father?† Not â€Å"Whass goin' on? Whersh your father?† But dose. â€Å"It's not even seven yet, Mom. I got wet coming home. I'm going to bed.† The bare minimum of sentences to communicate the necessary information. Her mother frowned. â€Å"Honey-â€Å" † ‘Night, Mom.† Gillian hurried into her bedroom before her mother could ask any more questions. She fell on her bed and gathered an armful of stuffed animals in the bend of her elbow. They were solid and friendly and filled her arm. Gillian curled herself around them and bit down on plush. And now, at last, she could cry. All the hurts of her mind and body merged and she sobbed out loud, wet cheek on the velveteen head of her best bear. She wished she'd never come back. She wanted the bright meadow with the impossibly green grass, even if it had been a dream. She wanted everyone to be sorry because she was dead. All her realizations about life being important were nonsense. Life was a giant hoax. She couldn't change herself and live in a completely new direction. There was no new start. No hope. And I don't care, she thought. I just want to die. Oh, why did I get made if it was just for this? There's got to be someplace I belong, something I'm meant to do that's different. Because I don't fit in this world, in this life. And if there isn't something more, I'd rather be dead. I want to dream something else. She cried until she was numb and exhausted and fell into a deadly still sleep without knowing it. When she woke up hours later, there was a strange light in her room.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Nutrition and Weight Loss Essay - 2238 Words

University of Phoenix Material Nutrition and Health Worksheet Use Ch. 1 of Contemporary Nutrition, Ch. 2 of Visualizing Nutrition, supplemental course materials, the University Library, the Internet, or other resources to answer the following questions. Your response to each question should be 75 to 100 words. 1. What is nutrition? Why is nutrition essential to our daily lives? | Wardlaw, Smith (2011) states that Nutrition involves a combination of food intake, in which the body uses food and substances to growth, repair, and maintain a healthy body. A healthy nutritional diet is a personal lifestyle choice. The body ingests, and absorbs various foods that help to create a healthy digestive system. Nutrition is the†¦show more content†¦Being under nourished can seriously cause irreversible damage to the body, and comprise the body immune system. Over nutrition means the body has consumed too much food, as well as vitamins and minerals over a period of time. This is why proportion size and eating in moderation is very important because the body can become over nourished to the point where it becomes unhealthy and possibly lead to death. Mainly consuming an excess amount of carbohydrates and fats contribute to the body being over nourished and this can become a dange r to a person’s health. Thus, causing a person to be obese, and being obese is a psychological disorder that causes a person to over eat and become extremely unhealthy. | 7. Why is physical activity important as it relates to nutrition and health? | Being physically active and maintaining a healthy diet works together in having good health. When the body is physically active it speeds up the metabolism and therefore burns calories. Also when the body is physically active an individual will have more energy and in return have the desire to eat less. Maintaining an active lifestyle provides many benefits to an individual, such as longevity, confidence, good sleep at night, stronger muscles and bones, and easy mobility. | 8. Where might you find dietary recommendations?Show MoreRelatedNutrition : The Weight Loss Program1719 Words   |  7 PagesOur nutrition plays a very important role in our lives, it will help to increase or decrease our lifespan. With everyone’s potential to live longer than ever before comes the very important need to monitor and change the amounts, the kinds of food and supplements that we have a tendency to put into our bodies. Having the right nutrition in our early years won t solely result in a learned commitment however so will result in a period habit toward a healthy extended life. Realizing the importanceRead MoreThe Weight Loss Is Based On A Combination Of Sound Nutrition Principles, And Regular Exercise Essay2511 Words   |  11 PagesFor many, weight loss seems like a difficult thing. Maybe you ve tried things in the past...diets, workouts, pills, creams, ANYTHING to help get the weight off, but it seems like no matter how hard you try, it either doesn t c ome off at all, or it comes right back on. Why do you think that is? I believe that successful weight loss is based on a combination of sound nutrition principles, and regular exercise. Sounds easy, right? But here s the catch...THIS IS JUST THE BASIC OUTLINE FOR SUCCESSFULRead MoreLong Term Weight Loss Is The Desired End Result Following Gastric Bypass Surgery1424 Words   |  6 PagesLong-term weight loss is the desired end-result following gastric bypass surgery. However, this long-term goal is contingent upon lifestyle changes, including nutrition and exercise. More importantly, postoperative gastric bypass patients often have limited knowledge with regard to how to maximize weight loss. In order to measure changes and progress, two critical concepts to achieve optimal weight loss results are body mass index (BMI) and calculation of daily caloric intake. It is imperative toRead MoreEffects Of Dietary Nitrates On Weight Maintenance814 Words   |  4 PagesOteha,Auckland 0632 Email address:ankita6894@gmail.com Paper Name:Nutritional Research Methods Paper no.:151.708 Topic of research: The effect of dietary nitrates on weight maintenance in obese population following a 10% weight loss TITLE The effect of dietary nitrates on weight maintenance in obese population following a 10% weight loss BACKGROUND Dietary nitrates are inorganic inert anionic compounds in fruits, vegetables and cured meats. About 80-85% of the nitrate in our diets is derived from vegetables;Read MoreEat At Live By A Board Certified Family Physician, Joel Fuhrman959 Words   |  4 Pagesattracted the reader with the line â€Å"lose 20lbs or more in 2 weeks† (Fuhrman, 2003). Dr. Fuhrman (2003) wrote this book in order to introduce a diet with a high nutrient-per-calorie ratio to everyone. By following to this diet, you will not only lose weight but also get healthy. Dr. Fuhrman (2003) also explained in this book why you should choose his diet plan to become healthier. According to Dr. Fuhrman (2003), â€Å"the key to this diet is a simple formula: Health = Nutrients/Calories† (p.7). The booksRead MoreThe Basics of Nutrition1764 Words   |  7 PagesRunning Head: GETTING TO THE BASICS Nutrition Health Nutrition is the study of the processes involved in the acquisition of substances, called nutrients, needed by a living organism to survive and grow (Healia, 2009). The body of the organism cannot produce these nutrients on its own and must thus be ingested from outside sources in sufficient amounts. Essential nutrients must be ingested on a daily basis from the diet so that the body can perform normal functions on a daily basis. They areRead MoreAmerica s Flawed Theory Of Weight Loss Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesApproach to Weight-loss In the United States, it seems that the public has constructed endless ‘solutions’ to the country’s rising weight epidemic, from fad diets to nutrition programs. According to Harvard University’s The Nutrition Source, â€Å"roughly two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese (69 percent) and one out of three is obese (36 percent)† (â€Å"An Epidemic†, par. 2). Interestingly enough, the majority of the ‘wonder’ regimens lack crucial aspects for effective weight-loss: Proper nutritionRead MoreWhat Makes A Meal Replacement Shakes?928 Words   |  4 PagesMeal Replacement Shakes - Everything You Need to Know When trying to lose weight, calories need to be cut but you still need to get the nutrition your body needs. While there is no â€Å"magic† pill to make the excess weight go away, a meal replacement shake is a good way to cut calories but still feel full and make sure your body gets the nutrients it needs. But all meal replacement shakes are not created equal. It is important to know what is in them and choose the right one for you before you evenRead MoreComparison of Weight Loss Plans1275 Words   |  6 PagesComparison of Medifast ® and Weight Watchers ® Weight Loss Plans Tia Jones COM/170 April 25, 2014 Nathan Coley Are you struggling with weight loss? Did you know that 95% of weight loss plans fail long-term? While Medifast ® and Weight Watchers are both effective weight loss plans, they differ in success rate, cost, and health risks. Do you believe that based on these reasons, one weight loss is preferable to another? Both of these plans are two of the most popular weight loss options available in today’sRead MoreDescription Of Nutri î€Æ' On And Chronic Wounds 724 Words   |  3 Pages663-68 Article Title: Nutrition Strategies for Wound Healing Posthauer, Mary Ellen, RD, LD, CD. (2012) Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting, Volume 23, Number 1. Maintenance of sufficient nutrition is an essential part of the treatment process for any patient admitted to the hospital. Early identification of patients who have a decreased nutrition status or have nutritional deficits helps to increase healing and overall improves the quality of life for a patient. Nutrition is more than just general