A Comparison of The Ministers Black Veil and the Birthmark Essay

A Comparison of The Ministers Black Veil and the Birthmark Both of these stories revolve around a lot of symbolism. These stories, since they really don't make a lot of sense on their own, force the reader to look deeper in an attempt to understand the ideas that Hawthorne tries to get across. The first and most evident symbol is the faces of the people. Georgiana has the birthmark if the shape of a hand, and the black veil that Hooper wore. I think that Hawthorne chooses to focus on the peoples faces because a person"s face is pretty much the center of their being. The face is where a person shows the majority of their emotions, and it holds the brain, which well, is where everything starts at. So, a person"s face is very important. Another prevalent symbol to me is the idea of sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper just suddenly one day shows up to church wearing a veil. At first the people are sort of angered by it. People soon start to flock to his congregation to view the spectacle, and go so far as to test their 'courage' by seeing who will go and talk to him. I think that the veil could represent sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper was either trying to hide his sin from the people so that they could not judge him, which is god"s job, or maybe he was trying to protecting his self from the sins of the people. In the end of The Ministers Black Veil Hooper dies, and sees his congregation all wearing black veils, which would probably hint that maybe it represented the sin in all of us. In The Birthmark Georgiana"s birthmark could represent, as some religions believe, the original sin which is bestowed on all by the 'hand' of god. But, unlike Hooper, Georgiana could not help her markings. ... ...iana, almost perfect, is still mortal, and carries the burden of original sin. This is the puritan idea that every human is sinful. The Birthmark is in the shape of a hand because it is the work of God, done by God's own hand and will. In short, Alymer tries to play God by ridding Georgiana of her original sin, and make a perfect being. But no mortal can be perfect, and no mortal can not have original sin. Thus when the experiment works, Georgiana achieves perfection and can no longer be a mortal, thus she dies. Moral of the story: You cannot improve on God's creation. Alymer is a sinner because he tries to be god by trying to improve on God's creation. He is successful in improving georgiana, but is not successful in improving God's creation, because Georgiana can no longer live as a mortal, and she then dies - thus Alymer is unsuccessful.

Adults with Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is considered to be a condition where in the development of the brain is behind most of the people and disorderly, which also comes before the age of 18 that impairs the ability to learn adequate and relevant skills and knowledge (Ainsworth & Baker, 2004).In more simple terms, the condition of mental retardation is where a person’s mental capabilities are behind most people for the particular age group he/she belongs to (Patel, 2002). As these are life-long illnesses, these lasts up to the stage of people where they live as young and adults.Mental retardation is indeed a serious condition in which the people with such case are suffering from different difficulties. Normally, a person that is diagnosed with such case, is seem to be of a lower capability to developed mentally, learn and solve problems on their own.As such, mental retardation has within its scope the conditions wherein the person or individual with this diagnosis has a lower than average physic al capability.There are different types of mental retardation. First, clinical retardation is considered to be the type of mental retardation which is a result of a particular medical cause (Shepherd, 1982). It can be detected early and that this is associated with insufficiencies in terms of â€Å"neurological, metabolic, or physiological† (Shepherd, 1982, p. 174). The intelligence quotient of the individuals suffering from this is commonly lesser than 50 (Shepherd, 1982).Second, there is also a form of mental retardation that is referred to as social cultural retardation that is milder and usually involves people who have intelligence quotient that ranges from 55 to 69 (Shepherd, 1982). There are several differences that are noticed from that of the first and this classification especially in terms of the degree to which they are disadvantaged (Shepherd, 1982).Needs of Adults with Mental RetardationWith the several types of mental retardation and the broad range of illnesse s associated with it, there are also different needs that are realized in light of these illnesses (Drew & Hardman, 2000).There are several general needs that are required by the adults with mental retardation and while it can be seen that most people also have the same type of need, there are specific types of special attention that are required in light of the disabilities that they have.First, there are residential services that are given to the young and old adults who are suffering from mental retardation (Hersen & Van Hasselt, 1998; Fluharty, 1988; Melillo & Houde, 2005).It is realized that these adults require more time and a form of special medical attention that could not be given at home, there are shelters which provide for services for a fee.There are changing patterns of familial relationships and set-ups especially with the greater demands such as the need of people to earn a greater rate of income. Likewise, lesser time is spent at home with more people being required to take additional hours at work to finish certain tasks and responsibilities.Second, this particular group of people should have access to information (Walling & Irwin, 1995). The situation of these people is that their mental conditions are retarded or are impaired but it has to be realized that it is not totally absent.While it may take them time for them to learn and acquire the necessary skills, knowledge, and abilities, patience would lead them to reach the normal condition where they are able to live a life that is near normal. Their state of mental retardation should not be the cause of them being deprived for information services. Rather, they should be the ones who are given a privilege and consideration for such to enable them to accomplish and live the life they are expected to live.Third, there is a need for their mental health to be constantly monitored and given ample medications for individuals suffering from mental health conditions have a greater likelihood of acq uiring mental problems (Thyer & Wodarski, 2007).In cases where it is applicable, regular monitoring with a doctor is needed to ensure that the condition of the person is maintained to a healthy level and the risk of acquiring mental problems are kept at bay. It is proven that prevention is definitely better than cure and this holds true for mental health.Fourth, the government should be able to provide a subsidy for the young and old adults in terms of their basic and medical needs. There are several programs that intend to provide for care with regard to the mental health of patients and it would be helpful if there are specific health advocacies which are intended mainly for the young and old adults and their needs.This step would take a considerable amount of public lobbying especially for the funds that are required for it. Relevant studies and public policy analysis would have to be made for them with experts on the said field converging together with other authorities in order to come up with a comprehensive and implementable plan for the people with regard to their mental health and other needs.With regard to their basic needs, identification and provision of such would also have to go through the same process in lieu of a stakeholder analysis.Lastly, people with mental retardation also need a greater social sphere where they could interact and learn (Luchterhand & Murphy, 1998). They should not be deprived of the right to have social development and should not be isolated from other people simply because of the condition that they have. In fact, the social surrounding that is built for them would greatly help as they cope with the difficulties that they have to face.Community InvolvementThe primary factor in reaping community involvement is that of a heightened awareness in terms of the real setting that people with mental health retardation have to live in. There are several stereotypes that should be cleared and these include â€Å"lack of inhibitio ns and moral sense, rigidity, and attention seeking† (as cited in Wiener & Dulcan, 2004, p. 238).Members of the community should be involved with programs that are intended to uplift the self-esteem and the living condition of young and old adults with mental retardation.This should require them to deal from the first stage, which is the identification of the problems or the planning stage until the time where these programs are implemented. The members of the community could serve as volunteers and friends of young and old adults with mental retardation, which also broadens the social sphere of both groups (Switzky, Hickson, & Schalock, 2006).Constant evaluation through the help of key persons in the community is also necessary to oversee the different problems and achievements that would serve as the constant motivating factor for the members of the initiative.ReferencesAinsworth, P. & Baker, P. (2004). Understanding mental retardation: A resource for parents, caregivers, an d counselors. USA: University Press of Mississippi.Drew, C. & Hardman, M. (2000). Mental retardation: A life cycle approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.Fluharty, S. (1988). International review of research in mental retardation. Vol. 20. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Luchterhand, C. & Murphy, N. (1998). Helping adults with mental retardation grieve a death loss. NY: Brunner-Routledge.Melillo, K. & Houde, S. (2005). Geropsychiatric and mental health nursing. Sadbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.Patel, V. (2002). Where there is no psychiatrist: A mental health care manual. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.Shepherd, M. (1982). Handbook of psychiatry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Switzky, H., Hickson, L., Schalock, R. (2006). Mental retardation, personality, and motivational systems: Mental retardation, personality, and motivational systems. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Thyer, B. & Wodarski, J. (2007). Social work in mental health: An evidence-ba sed approach. NJ: John Wiley & Sons.Walling, L. & Irwin, M. (1995). Information services for people with developmental disabilities: The library manager’s handbook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.Wiener, J. & Dulcan, M. (2004). Textbook of child and adolescent psychiatry. 3rd ed. USA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Strokes Used in Chinese Characters

The earliest forms of Chinese writing date from the Xia Dynasty (2070 - 1600 BC). These were etched on animal bones and turtle shells which are known as oracle bones. The writing on oracle bones is known as ç” ²Ã© ª ¨Ã¦â€"‡ (jiÄÆ'gÃ… ­wà ©n). Oracle bones were used for divination by heating them up and interpreting the resulting cracks. The script recorded the questions and answers. JiÄÆ'gÃ… ­wà ©n script clearly shows the origins of current Chinese characters. Although much more stylized than the current characters, jiÄÆ'gÃ… ­wà ©n script is often recognizable to modern readers. Evolution of Chinese Script The JiÄÆ'gÃ… ­wà ©n script consists of objects, people or things. As the need for recording more complex ideas arose, new characters were introduced. Some characters are combinations of two or more simpler characters, each of which can contribute a particular meaning or sound to the more complex character. As the Chinese writing system became more formalized, the concepts of strokes and radicals became its foundation. Strokes are the basic gestures used to write Chinese characters, and radicals are the building blocks of all Chinese characters. Depending on the classification system, there are about 12 different strokes and 216 different radicals. The Eight Basic Strokes There are many ways to classify strokes. Some systems find up to 37 different strokes, but many of these are variations. The Chinese character æ ° ¸ (yÇ’ng), meaning forever or permanence is often used to illustrate the 8 basic strokes of Chinese characters. They are: DiÇŽn, (é »Å¾/ç‚ ¹) DotHà ©ng, (æ © «) HorizontalShà ¹, (ç « ª) ErectGÃ… u, (é‰ ¤) HookTà ­, (æ  ) RaiseWÄ n, (Ã¥ ½Å½/Ã¥ ¼ ¯) Bend, curvePiÄ›, (æ’‡) Throw away, slantNà  , (æ  º) Pressing forcefully These eight strokes can be seen in the diagram above. All Chinese characters are composed of these 8 basic strokes, and knowledge of these strokes is essential for any student of Mandarin Chinese who wishes to write Chinese characters by hand. It is now possible to write in Chinese on the computer, and never write the characters by hand. Even so, it is still a good idea to become familiar with strokes and radicals, since they are used as a classification system in many dictionaries. The Twelve Strokes Some systems of stroke classification identify 12 basic strokes. In addition to the 8 strokes seen above, the 12 strokes include variations on GÃ… u, (é‰ ¤) Hook, which include: æ ¨ ªÃ©â€™ © Hà ©ng GÃ… uç «â€"é’ © Shà ¹ GÃ… uÃ¥ ¼ ¯Ã©â€™ © WÄ n GÃ… uæâ€"Å"é’ © Xià © GÃ… u Stroke Order Chinese characters are written with a codified stroke order. The basic stroke order is Left to Right, Top to Bottom but more rules are added as the characters become more complex.   Stroke Count Chinese characters range from 1 to 64 strokes. The stroke count is an important way to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. If you know how to write Chinese characters by hand, you will be able to count the number of strokes in an unknown character, allowing you to look it up in the dictionary. This is a very useful skill, especially when the characters radical is not evident. Stroke count is also used when naming babies. Traditional beliefs in Chinese culture hold that a persons destiny in greatly influenced by their name, so great care is taken to choose a name that will bring good fortune to the bearer. This involves choosing Chinese characters that are in harmony with each other, and which have the proper number of strokes. Simplified and Traditional Characters Beginning in the 1950s, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) introduced simplified Chinese characters to promote literacy. Close to 2,000 Chinese characters were altered from their traditional form, in the belief that these characters would be easier to read and write. Some of these characters are quite different from their traditional counterparts which are still used in Taiwan. The underlying principals of character writing, however, remain the same, and the same types of strokes are used in both traditional and simplified Chinese characters.