A Comparison of Crying of Lot 49 and White Noise Essay -- comparison c

A Comparison of Crying of Lot 49 and White Noise    Pynchon's novel The Crying of Lot 49 has much in common with Don DeLillo's book White Noise. Both novels uncannily share certain types of characters, parts of plot structure and themes. The similarities of these two works clearly indicates a cultural conception shared by two influential and respected contemporary authors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Character similarities in the two novels are found in both the main characters and in some that are tangential to the plots. The two protagonists of the works, Oedipa Maas of Lot 49 and Jack Gladney of White Noise, are characters struggling to make sense of their worlds, and yet, both are afraid to face pure, filtered truth. Oedipa is inadvertently sent on a quest, which she embraces as a possible mechanism of bringing new meaning into world of tupperware parties. On her journey Oedipa is innundated with new and baffling information which she is either a series of clues to a counter culture or Pierce Inverarity's attempt to extend himself beyond his death. This dichotomy sets up the theme of binary opposites in novel. Oedipa's journey does not end in a final choice of one realm or the other, confirming one of the novel's other assertions, that excluded middles are "bad shit" ( J. Kerry Grant eloquently discusses Oedipa's journey in terms o f binary opposites and a search for meaning in the introduction to his A Companion to "The Crying of Lot 49" (pp. xv-xvi)).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jack Gladney also involves himself and his family in a series of journeys, which are searches for safety and understanding, yet share Oedipa's focus on finding a new reason for existence. Jack and his wife Babbette are afraid of dying. Their worries, conversations,... ...s comfort in bulk, Babette runs the stairs of a football stadium, and both become involved with the intensely neurotic Dylar conspiracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of enframing, the reducing of something to a representation which man produces and consumes, is prevalent in both these novels as well. In White Noise the most obvious examples are "The Most Photographed Barn in America" (pp.12-13) and Nature T.V., and in Lot 49 it can be seen in the man made lake, Lake Inverarity. Enframing is an example of both the possibility of a meta-conspiracy, and of mankind's attempt to shield himself from reality. The mass produced and readily consumable objects and ideas that appear in both novels are presented as being the possible result of a conspiracy to homogenize and control people, or an attempt by people to distance themselves from the real world and truth.   

Bacteria

Bacteria ? small prokaryotic microorganisms that can be found everywhere ? can cause disease. This may seem like basic knowledge today, but it was not in the past. In the 19th century, the spread of disease was believed to be either inherited, due to lifestyle choices, or a result of environmental factors; water and air-borne infections were not generally accepted, which was, in reality, the cause of a significant amount of diseases during that time period. In addition, their treatments were largely based on the change of location to an area with cleaner air along with the removal of the disease through blood, vomit, and feces. (Marsh, 2016) These beliefs started to disappear when scientists and physicians such as Robert Koch began to undergo breakthroughs. Koch had a significant number of discoveries that helped create and develop what we now call bacteriology such as discovering the bacteria responsible for anthrax, tuberculosis, and cholera. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) In fact, he is even considered the father of bacteriology. Without the research conducted and discoveries made by Robert Koch, the field of bacteriology would not be nearly as advanced and evolved as it is today. Robert Koch, born on December 11, 1843 in Clausthal, Germany, showed great intelligence throughout his life, even during its first few years; he taught himself to read by the age of five through newspapers and showed interest in biology in high school, foreshadowing the significant contributions he would go on to make in the field. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) Koch attended the University of GÃ ¶ttingen to study medicine during which he was influenced by the view of his anatomy professor, Jacob Henle, that infectious diseases were caused by living parasitic organisms which was published in 1840. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) This led to him developing a strong interest in pathology and infectious diseases as a medical student. (Famous Scientists, n.d.) Following him receiving his M.D. in 1866, Koch went to Berlin to study chemistry under Virchow and then worked in the General Hospital at Hamburg in general practice. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) Later on, he settled in the Province of Posen where he passed the District Medical Officer's Examination. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) After serving as a field surgeon in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, he served as the District Medical Officer in Wollstein from 1872 to 1880. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) As the District Medical Officer, he built a small laboratory that contained a microscope, a microtome, and a homemade incubator in which he began his study of algae and then pathogenic organisms. (Stevenson, 1998) The beliefs of the early 19th century, such as those mentioned previously, were all about to change. The germ theory was being developed by Louis Pasteur (Brought to Life, n.d.) who had shifted from studying fermentation to studying disease. (Ullmann, n.d.) However, the role of bacteria in contagious disease was uncertain, which is where Koch decided to begin his research. (Brought to Life, n.d.) Robert Koch made significant discoveries regarding the cause of three diseases that were prevalent at the time: anthrax, tuberculosis, and cholera. His study of anthrax began when he noticed many of the farm animals in the Wollstein district, where he worked, were being infected by anthrax. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) The bacteria Bacillus anthracis had already been discovered, but Koch scientifically proved it was the cause of anthrax. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) He did this by infecting mice with the bacteria and observing it had contracted anthrax and had even passed it to other mice (Brought to Life, n.d.) In addition, while studying anthrax, Koch discovered the anthrax life cycle by growing cultures on an ox eye. The life cycle showed how the bacteria can turn into spores that can survive harsh conditions and then redevelop into the disease-causing bacteria years later. (Stevenson, 1998) Along with the anthrax research, Koch discovered the tubercle bacillus responsible for causing tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the method for growing pure cultures of it. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) He did this by developing and altering his method of staining to find a more efficient way to view samples. (Stevenson, 1998) The last disease Koch studied was cholera, and he discovered the vibrio that causes the disease, Vibrio cholerae, in Egypt where he was sent to observe the outbreak of the disease. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) The discovery of these bacteria had an immense impact on the medical field. First, the discovery of the cause for anthrax, tuberculosis, and cholera led to the development of their vaccines, for had scientists not known for sure what caused those diseases, they would not have been able to develop the preventative measures. Also, Koch's work and research with anthrax produced the first definite piece of proof of the causal relationship between a specific microorganism and a specific disease, providing the basis of Koch's postulates. (Stevenson, 1998) He developed Koch's postulates which are four standards that must be met in order to determine the cause of an infectious disease ? another way he impacted the medical field. (Famous Scientists, n.d.) It was very useful because it was, and still is, a universal method for testing whether a specific bacterium causes a particular disease which also helped him discover the cause behind tuberculosis. (Hodkinson, 2015) It was for his work with tuberculosis that Robert Koch received a Nobel prize in 1905 in physiology or medicine. (Brought to Life, n.d.) This research conducted by Koch successfully provided proof for the germ theory, strengthening the understanding of disease. Without the work done by Koch to determine the bacteria that cause these diseases, many deadly diseases may have still been around decades after they should have been eradicated, for it was largely due to him that other scientists went on to figure out the causes of various other diseases.(Brought to Life, n.d.) While finding and determining the cause of these diseases, Robert Koch discovered more efficient methods for viewing bacteria. One of the methods is the process of heat fixing. In his paper published in 1877, Koch described his technique of preparing a thin layer of bacteria on a glass slide and fixing them by passing the slide over a flame, exposing it to gentle heat. (Stevenson, 1998) Moreover, Koch and his team developed methods of staining bacteria to improve its visibility under a microscope. (Brought to Life, n.d.) Along with that, he created a solid substance on which to grow bacteria. He reached the final product by first evaluating coagulated egg albumen, starch paste, and a clean slice of potato and then deciding on a broth solidified using gelatin or agar. (Nobel Media AB, 2014) These procedures greatly impacted bacteriology, providing scientists with more efficient ways to carefully study bacteria under a microscope and in the pure form. The processes of heat fixing and staining allowed Koch himself to discover the tubercle bacillus and have enabled scientists after that to make remarkable breakthroughs and discoveries. The creation of the solid medium using gelatin was an extraordinary achievement; it made it possible to isolate bacterial colonies. This was crucial during the research conducted, for pure cultures were necessary in order to isolate the bacteria and definitively carry out experiments. The development of all these procedures assisted Koch himself in his discoveries along with other scientists and physicians later on. Robert Koch, with the help of methods he developed including heat fixing, staining, and isolating colonies on a hard medium, successfully determined and proved the bacteria that cause anthrax, tuberculosis, and cholera. All the discoveries and achievements have had a great impact in medicine, especially in bacteriology which is what it is today due to the work of Robert Koch.

Gun Violence in American Culture - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1703 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/03/20 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Gun Violence Essay Did you like this example? Guns, guns, and more guns are becoming an integral part of American culture. The problem is that guns are providing far too many Americans with the courage to be insane or even misuse them. Guns have their pros and cons. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Gun Violence in American Culture" essay for you Create order Guns can be used to protect citizens in their everyday life or those same guns can be used to harm those citizens. Despite having gun law, we still face common tragedies to this day such as mass shootings, school shootings and even suicide. So, what can really change to prevent such things from happening or can the common problem be changed at all? According to the United States law the laws regulate the manufacture, trade, possession, transfer, record keeping, transport, and destruction of firearms, ammunition, and firearms accessories. We should allow the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to track gun sales, and keep the data it collects electronically and searchable. This data would be a slight decrease in violence if we knew more about the firearm thats been sold or even the area of location. Most individuals still manage to get possession on firearms and ammunition but is that enough. We need to empower a permanent commission, possibly under the Department of Homeland Security, to bring all the data together, in consultation with law enforcement, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education and any other relevant parties, to make ongoing policy and regulatory recommendations to reduce gun violence. Firearm sales and individual verification records are basic devices law implementation can use to understand wrongdoings including firearms and recognize degenerate weapon merchants and buyers. While government law requires authorized firearm merchants to keep up deals records, it likewise requires the FBI to annihilate affirmed historical verification records, hampering law authorization endeavors. States can and should find a way to fill the holes in government law. Firearm sales and personal investigation records can be utilized by law authorization in various approaches to explain weapon wrongdoings and recognize firearm merchants and buyers who are disregarding state and government firearm laws. For instance, deals records can empower officers to distinguish the last retail buyer of a gun that has been utilized in a wrongdoing, which can prompt the ID and indictment of fierce offenders. Federal law requires authorized guns merchants to keep up records of weapon deals inconclusively, including data about the firearms being acquired, and the purchaser. Federal law disallows the government from gathering gun deals records in a focal storehouse, in any case. Without a focal archive of all gun deals records, weapon following is a moderate, unwieldy process. Unified records of weapon possession would significantly expand the proficiency of the following procedure. These records would likewise help law requirement recover guns from people who have turned out to be lawfully denied from having them, and they could be utilized to alarm law implementation to the nearness of weapons at a private living arrangement when they are reacting to a crisis call. All together for law authorization to have finish data about weapon possession, notwithstanding, Congress would need to bring the private deal to a loophole, which enables weapons to be sold by people who are not authorized guns merchants. Governmentally authorized gun merchants are required to utilize the National Criminal Instant Background Check System (NICS) to direct individual verifications on forthcoming guns buyers to guarantee that the gun exchange would not abuse administrative or state law. For instance, merchants may endeavor to conceal deals to individuals who might fail a background check by putting the name of somebody with a spotless record on the background check application. Another manner by which law requirement could utilize individual verification records is to reveal weapon trafficking rings. To recognize weapon traffickers, government law expects merchants to report offers of more than two guns in a five-day time frame to ATF. People can just avoid this prerequisite by purchasing firearms from various merchants. Without an incorporated archive of records, merchants have no chance to get of realizing that purchasers are visiting various merchants. When getting a firearm if you are a felon with a sentence exceeding 2 years or a misdemeanor, past or present and those who are involuntarily admitted in a mental institution are disqualified for getting a firearm. I feel as is if you have a felony or a misdemeanor period you should not qualify for a firearm. If we have anyone trying to get a license I feel we can eliminate a lot of problems by having these individuals obtaining a psych evaluation to determine whether you are suitable or not to have a firearm. If you a felony, why cannot more investigation be done to these individuals or safer use on firearms. We live in a society that involves incredible decent variety of practices and philosophies. We are likewise a society that tries to oblige however many of these practices and belief systems as could be allowed. Be that as it may, as a society, do we not have the privilege to guarantee the wellbeing of our citizens? Do we not have the obligation to ensure our kids as they play and learn in their schools? Do we not have the privilege to appreciate a motion picture without dread of being executed or injured? Is the second amendment more prominent in degree and significance than the other constitutional amendments? Given the present condition, clearly it is. Should we keep on giving more noteworthy assurance to weapon proprietors to the detriment of the rest of society, we can rely on more mass killings and suffering. I trust that we should never again endure seeing individuals grieve the loss of family and companions essentially claiming others have a need to arm themselves with weapons that are intended to murder. Mass homicides are not dedicated by rational individuals. Just a little portion of rationally sick individuals at any point end up brutal, and afterward, ordinarily, when they neglect to get treatment. People with a serious dysfunctional behavior ought not be permitted to buy weapons or approach them. Join firearms and untreated psychological instability, you have a disaster holding up to occur. When your child turns 18, he or she has a common ideal to reject treatment and remain rationally sick until or except if she or he ends up self-destructive or desperate, as controlled by judges at responsibility hearings. State laws shift, yet all states set strict controls with respect to automatic hospitalization and constrained treatment, restricting it to conditions when a man is an inescapable risk to self or others, or prone to end up so. These laws give adults with psychological sickness the privilege to choose when, where, how and regardless of whether they will get treatment. However , some genuine psychological instabilities make it troublesome for those influenced to evaluate their own requirement for treatment. At the point when persistent rights surpass important securities, people with extreme psychological sickness can pass on. Whats more, many do. Also, occasionally, they hurt others along the way. It is hard to evaluate the likelihood of a person to submit a rough demonstration that hurts anybody including himself/herself. In this manner, firearm laws require be observed intently and made more steady all through each state to avoid savagery that could avert mass shootings. Mass shootings in the United States have been lamentably turned into an irritating pattern that seems to be on the rise. There have been shootings out in the open spots accepting media inclusion and giving the recognition they are turning into the new typical. Schools, malls, movie theaters and even churches, are just a few of territories that have seen weapon savagery from a mass shooter. There are such many things to ask it is difficult to figure out where to begin, yet numerous simply need the viciousness to stop. Mass shootings generally are just the same old thing new, aside from they appear to happen more regularly in present day society. You can return in history and find out about mass shootings that have occurred before the turn of the century. The possibility of honest individuals being shot and executed for reasons unknown is sufficient for individuals to need to make a move. The issue here is that it appears there are insufficient individuals willing to stand firm against it. There are laws set up to ensure individuals however they get broken so rapidly enough it is hard to discover another arrangement before another shooting happens. Yet, the issue is that remiss laws time and again make it simple for good citizens to get firearms, as well as for trouble makers to get weapons. The proof is overpowering that general more weapons and more loosened up firearm laws lead to more fierce passing and wounds. According to NYTimes article by Nicholas Kristof How to Reduce Shootings, in 1995, Connecticut tightened licensing laws, while in 2007 Missouri eased gun laws. The upshot? In the wake of fixing weapon laws, gun murder rates dropped 40 percent in Connecticut. Whats more, after Missouri facilitated firearm laws, weapon crime rates rose 25 percent. There has been advance in attempting to make public area more secure however it is a long way from what things could resemble. Schools and other open spots have issues with subsidizing when endeavoring to expand safety efforts. The media has an issue in this also when they watch out for feature material that can be touchy to a few watchers. Tragically, it is reality that more youthful groups of onlookers are being presented to. Meanwhile, more individuals are concentrating on the most proficient method to remain safe, including what should be possible to avoid different mass shootings. First, we must repeal the N.R.A.-backed Dickey Amendment, named for the man who sponsored it, former Representative Jay Dickey, an Arkansas Republican. It reads: None of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control. With generation that we are in, there are too many tragedies. A passage of new regulations would be a welcome change from our political intransigence and lack of response to our ongoing epidemic of gun violence and mass shootings in this country.