An analysis of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward Essay

An analysis of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward - Essay Example His work was known to inculcate pessimism and cynicism which are the opposite of the concepts and philosophies being promoted in his era such as Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Christian humanism (Lovecraft â€Å"Works†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Biography page 1). The novel â€Å"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward† is one of the famous novels of Lovecraft in the same atmosphere of horror and fantasy. It is about the main character Charles who became a mental case due to the results of his quest in knowing the life of one of his ancestors Joseph Curwen who was known for his evil activities during his lifetime. There are important points in the novel. One is the impact of fantasy in the novel, which can be considered as the focal point of the story. Without the magical and demonic return of the spirit of Curwen through Charles, the novel would have failed to progress. In any novel, there is a fight between forces of good and evil. And in relation to the common theme of Lovecraft’s works , cosmic horror had an important role and created confusion in the story as well. This can be observed on the decision of the main character to dedicate his life in finding Curwen inspired by the possibility of achieving his capabilities (Lovecraft â€Å"Works†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Biography page 1; Lovecraft â€Å"The Case†¦.† Part 1 Par. 6). The focus of the paper is the theme of the novel regarding education which is another important point in the works of Lovecraft. The story specifically pointed out the dangers of biased knowledge based on education focused on a singular aspect which is the quest for an ancestor and his capabilities. Analysis of the Dangers of Biased Education in the Novel H.P. Lovecraft is known for his... H.P. Lovecraft is known for his style of writing in the fantasy and horror fiction genre but most importantly he is known for the importance of education in the themes of his works. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward also shares the same theme. In the story, one of the most important elements that affected the fate of the main character is his biased knowledge due to the lack of balanced perspective. This ultimately resulted in his mental condition. Ward is a an educated person with a degree but â€Å"during the boy’s last year at the Moses Brown School, when he suddenly turned from the study of the past to the study of the occult, and refuse to qualify for college on the ground that he had individual researches of much greater importance to make† (Lovecraft â€Å"The Case†¦.† Part 1 Par. 6). This became the onset of his research on Joseph Curwen and the change in his behavior. One of the observed changes is the behavior and attitude of Charles is the neglect o f other areas of his life to pursue his quest for the occult. This is one of the most important evidence of the dangers of biased education. Due to his obsession to focus on one area of knowledge he underwent a self consuming form of one sided education which led to his mental condition and change in behavior. The behavior that was exhibited by Charles can be compared to brainwashing and other forms of influential effects wherein a person can be totally focused on a single activity, a single aspect of life or a single objective and block the rest.

Clash Of Civilizations Essay -- essays research papers

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel P. Huntington is an extremely well written and insightful book. Samuel P. Huntington is the Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor at Harvard University, director of the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, the chairman of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, and the president of the American Political Science Association. During the Carter administration, Huntington was the director of security planning for the National Security Council. He is also the founder and coeditor of the highly regarded international affairs publication, Foreign Policy. In 1993 Samuel P. Huntington wrote an article for the respected journal Foreign Affairs titled â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations?†. This article was very controversial and stirred up much debate among scholars, politicians, and anyone interested in the future of international affairs. His book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, is a more detailed exploration of the ideas and predictions put forth in his article. Huntington believes that with the end of the Cold War, the world is divided along the borders of civilizations and religion rather than the boundaries of countries. He identifies eight clearly distinct civilizations: Western (the United States and western Europe), Islamic, Sinic (primarily China), Orthodox (primarily Russia), Japanese, Hindu, Latin American, and African. A pervasive presumption in the Western world is that with the fall of communism, the West has â€Å"won† and that the rest of the world will now embrace democracy and Western culture. Huntington disagrees with this presumption. In his book, Huntington shows us how civilizations and cultural identities are shaping the post-Cold War world. In the first part of the book, Huntington describes how the world has gone from being bipolar during the Cold War, to being multipolar in the post-Cold War era. During the Cold War the world was basically divided along the lines of the â€Å"democracy vs. communism† conflict. Now that the Cold War is over, lines are being drawn along various ethnic and religious lines. Huntington uses many diverse examples such as the fighting between tribes and clans in Rwanda and Somalia, the clash of ethnic groups in Bosnia, and the conflicts in Sri Lanka, India, and Sudan. Throughout his book, for each ... ... also build on the cultural commonality between European countries and the United States. Huntington also suggests that Western countries must develop economic and political ties to match their collaborated dedication to security issues. He states that an increased political and economic unity among Western nations will offset the relative decline in their share of the world’s population and economic influence. In summary, Huntington believes that the future of the world depends on understanding and cooperation between the leaders of the world’s civilizations. He is a realist and believes that clashes between civilizations will be the greatest threat to world peace and stability. Throughout â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order† Huntington gives numerous persuasive arguments to convince his audience that he is correct. Huntington has a writing style that is precise and direct. His mastery of the subject is obvious and his use of facts and examples to prove his point is very convincing. This book is a very important text and is recommended to anyone who is involved in the study of international relations or is interested in the current state of world politics.

Folic Acid

Folic Acid is a B vitamin, specifically B9. It is an essential nutrient required by the body to create healthy new cells. While we hear about it mostly in regards to pregnancy, it is important to understand that the need for folic acid goes even beyond this. Folic acid is essential for the body to create red blood cells which in turn prevents anemia. It is also plays an important role in the metabolism of homocysteine, an amino acid. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for all men and women 14 and older is 400 mcg.Men often don’t realize this as the benefits to pregnant women are more publicized, but any human being is in need of proper amounts of folic acid to insure the body is able to create new red blood cells to nourish the body with oxygen. The recommendation is to either get this amount by using a dietary supplement or eating foods fortified with folic acid. Folic acid is the synthetic version of folate and appears to be absorbed by the body (also known as bioavaila ble) much better than the folate occurring naturally in food.One mcg of food folate (also called 1 DFE – Dietary Folate Equivalent) is equal to 0. 6 mcg of synthetic folic acid. This means that to meet the RDA from food alone, a woman or man would have to eat food naturally containing about 667 mcg per day (400/0. 6 ) which might prove difficult. Folic Acid is especially important to pregnant women. Women that have sufficient Folic Acid in their diet before and after they conceive, have a 50-70% less chance of having a baby with a brain or spine defect such as spina bifida or anencephaly . 1) Because of this the recommended dietary allowance for pregnant women is higher than for a woman that is not pregnant. The RDA for pregnant women is 600 mcg as opposed to 400 mcg. Any woman of childbearing age should be taking between 400 mcg – 600 mcg per day as about half of all pregnancies are unplanned. If a woman does not start supplementation until she is pregnant she has alr eady lost some of the benefits, though starting it as soon as possible is still better than continuing with no supplementation. After her child is born she should continue supplementing as the RDA is 500 mcg during lactation.By consuming adequate folic acid while breastfeeding, a woman is providing her child with folic acid through her breast milk while still having enough to nourish her own body. There is continued study into other possible benefits of folic acid. One area of study is whether folic acid aids in prevention of heart disease. The studies have specifically looked at the amino acid homocysteine. Folic acid is known to break down homocysteine in the body. High levels of homocysteine in the blood are related to a higher risk of heart disease, but this hasn’t conclusively been shown to be a cause of heart disease.Because of the lack of evidence the American Heart Association (AHA) is not at this time considering hyperhomocysteinemia (too much homocystein) a major ri sk factor for cardiovascular disease. AHA’s recommendation is to try and get the recommended allowance from fruits, vegetables and fat free or low fat dairy products. They say that supplements should only be used when the diet does not supply enough. Evidence is clear for folic acid supplementation reducing homocystein levels but is still lacking on whether homocystein will lower risk for cardiovascular disease. 2) Another area of study is folic acid’s role in reducing risk of certain forms of cancer. Low levels of folic acid in the blood have been linked to colon cancer, but it is too early to say if folic acid supplements can reduce risk of colon cancer. Other cancers that have been studied in relation to folic acid are breast, ovarian, pancreatic, esophageal, and stomach. Some have shown benefits to supplementation, but the results were not reproduced in subsequent studies, so at this time there is no recommendation for supplementation of folic acid to reduce risk o f cancer.The American Cancer Society similar to the AHA recommendation is to eat a healthful diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables that contain folic acid along with other vitamins. Folic acid plays many important roles in the body. There is no doubting that it is essential. The reason that we need a constant stream of it is because it is not stored in large quantities in the body. It is water soluble. Fat soluble vitamins are stored for longer in our system. When ingested, the body uses what it can and the rest comes out in urine, in very little time the body will need more.We discussed how pregnant women get a proven benefit, and studies continue on its role in reducing risks of other diseases, but regardless of what additional benefits are found, it is clear that without folic acid in our bodies, we would not be alive. Folic acid aids in the production of red blood cells and the synthesis of DNA and RNA. Folate even has a role in the digestive system! It works with vitamins B 12 and C to help the body digest and synthesize proteins. Lastly, folic acid helps tissues grow and cells function, it is an integral part of the body working as it should.You might wonder what would happen if you stopped consuming folic acid in the form of supplements or foods. One consequence that is quite likely under these conditions is folate-deficiency anemia. This type of anemia occurs when red cell production slows and the body no longer has a sufficient amount. Without enough red blood cells, oxygen cannot travel around the body quick enough. In a severe form, where the body is not making enough red blood cells over a period of time, the heart can start to malfunction. To compensate for the lack of oxygen getting to the body, the heart will start to beat faster in an attempt to correct the situation.Over a period of time this can cause congestive heart failure and even death. Shorter term symptoms would be fatigue, headaches, and pallor. Recovering completely from anemia ca n take several months. (3) The good news however is that folic acid is readily available. Beef Liver is a good meat source of folic acid with about 185 micrograms in 3 ounces. While liver is a great source, there are luckily many others for those of us that are not liver fans. Other natural sources are black eyed peas and spinach. Both have about 100 mcg of folate per 1/2 cup.Other vegetable sources are great northern beans (90 mcg), asparagus (85 mcg in 4 spears), vegetarian baked beans (60 mcg in 1 cup), broccoli (50 mcg in 1/2 cup), romaine lettuce (40 mcg in 1/2 cup), and avocado (45 mcg in 1/2 cup). If you prefer fruits, some examples of fruit sources are oranges, cantaloupe, papayas and bananas. A serving of each of these provides between 25-30 mcg of folic acid. Besides folate occurring naturally in foods, some foods are fortified as a result of the folic acid fortification regulations published by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Foods that are folic acid fortified incl ude cereal, pasta, and bread.Some cereals have 100% recommended daily value of 400 micrograms in 3/4 cup. One bowl of some cereals could provide your daily requirement of folic acid! Other cereals are fortified but to a lesser degree having about 100 mcg per 3/4 cup. Rice and breads are often fortified as well. One half cup of rice has 65 mcg of folic acid, while one slice of bread has 25 mcg. One of the latest news stories highlighted that folic acid was recently studied in its relation to academic success. Swedish researchers found that teens with higher levels of folic acid circulating did better academically than those with lower folic acid levels.The study noted that while there is no scientific evidence that taking folate supplements will be beneficial for teens, the results of this study show that there is a relationship. (4) Fruits and vegetables are certainly important in a diet, but in addition to healthful food, there seems to be clear evidence that a daily supplement or deliberate consumption of folic acid fortified foods will ensure you are reaching the RDA and allowing your body to function to its highest capacity. The Upper Limit recommendation is 1000 mcg, so there should be low concern if you, for example, have a day with high folate foods plus a supplement.Toxicity related to folic acid is very rare. While I always understood that folic acid was important to take as a supplement for pregnant women, I now understand much more deeply the importance it has for everyone. Before born, a baby is using folic acid to assist in development of the brain and spine. As a teen, there might be an academic benefit to having higher folate levels. Research has also pointed towards the elderly being less likely to have dementia and Alzheimer’s with proper folate intake.Throughout life, folate contributes to development and functioning of the brain and day in and day out folate helps your body function. ——————â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 1. http://www. cdc. gov/ncbddd/folicacid/about. html 2 http://www. heart. org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Homocysteine-Folic-Acid-and-Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_305997_Article. jsp 3. http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/anemia/DS00321/DSECTION=complications 4. http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_114147. html Sample MenuWhile I am now convinced that a folic acid supplement is the best way to ensure adequate consumption of folic acid, the below menu is assuming I am not regularly taking a folic acid supplement. the menu doesn’t include all food I would eat, just those that have folic acid. Breakfast: 1 cup Cherrios – 50% RDA = 200 mcg Lunch: 1/2 cup Success White Rice (fortified) – 20% RDA = 80 mcg 4 Asparagus spears – 22% RDA = 85 mcg Snack: 1 banana – 8% RDA = 30 mcg Dinner: 2oz Barilla medium shells – 30% RDA = 120 mcg Total: 515 mcg Another si mple choice is to have 1/3 cup of All Bran Buds for breakfast. This has 400 mcg! 100% of daily recommended value.

Basic Info, History, Geography and Climate of Spain

Spain is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula to the south of France and Andorra and to the east of Portugal. It has coastlines on the Bay of Biscay (a part of the  Atlantic Ocean) and the  Mediterranean Sea. Spains capital and largest city is Madrid, and the country is known for its long history, unique culture, strong economy, and very high living standards. Fast Facts: Spain Official Name: Kingdom of SpainCapital: MadridPopulation: 49,331,076 (2018)Official Languages: Spanish nationwide; Catalan, Galician, Basque, Aranese regionallyCurrency: Euro (EUR)Form of Government: Parliamentary constitutional monarchyClimate: Temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coastTotal Area: 195,124 square miles (505,370 square kilometers)Highest Point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands at 12,198 feet (3,718 meters)  Lowest Point: Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet (0 meters) History of Spain The area of present-day Spain and the Iberian Peninsula has been inhabited for thousands of years and some of the oldest archeological sites in Europe are located in Spain. In the ninth century BCE, the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, and Celts all entered the region but by the second century BCE, the Romans had settled there. Roman settlement in Spain lasted until the seventh century but many of their settlements were taken over by the Visigoths, who arrived in the fifth century. In 711, the North African Moors entered Spain and pushed the Visigoths to the north. The Moors remained in the area until 1492 despite several attempts to push them out. Present-day Spain was then unified by 1512, according to the U.S. Department of State. By the 16th century, Spain was the most powerful country in Europe because of wealth obtained from its exploration of North and South America. By the latter part of the century, however, it had been in several wars and its power declined. In the early 1800s, it was occupied by France and was involved in several wars, including the Spanish-American War (1898), throughout the 19th century. In addition, many of Spains overseas colonies revolted and gained their independence at this time. These problems led to a period of dictatorial rule in the country from 1923 to 1931. This time ended with the establishment of the Second Republic in 1931. Tensions and instability continued in Spain and in July 1936, the Spanish Civil War began. The civil war ended in 1939 and General Francisco Franco took over Spain. By the beginning of World War II, Spain was officially neutral but it supported Axis power policies; because of this, however, it was isolated by the Allies following the war. In 1953, Spain signed the Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement with the United States and joined the United Nations in 1955. These international partnerships eventually allowed Spains economy to begin growing because it had been closed off from much of Europe and the world prior to that time. By the 1960s and 1970s, Spain had developed a modern economy and in the late 1970s, it began to transition to a more democratic government. Government of Spain Today, Spain is governed as a parliamentary monarchy with an executive branch made up of a chief of state (King Juan Carlos I) and a head of government (the president). Spain also has a bicameral legislative branch made up of the General Courts (made up of the Senate) and the Congress of Deputies. Spains judicial branch is composed of the Supreme Court, also called the Tribunal Supremo. The country is divided into 17 autonomous communities for local administration. Economics and Land Use in Spain Spain has a strong economy that is considered mixed capitalism. It is the 12th largest economy in the world and the country is known for its high standard of living and quality of life. The major industries of Spain are textiles and apparel, food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment. Agriculture is also important in many areas of Spain and the main products produced from that industry are grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus, beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, and fish. Tourism and the related service sector is also a major part of Spains economy. Geography and Climate of Spain Today, most of Spains area is located in southwestern Europe on the mainland of the country that is south of France and the Pyrenees Mountains and east of Portugal. However, it also has territory in Morocco, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, islands off the coast of Morocco, as well as the Canary Islands in the Atlantic and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. All of this land area makes Spain the second largest country in Europe behind France. Most of the topography of Spain consists of flat plains that are surrounded by rugged, undeveloped hills. The northern part of the country, however, is dominated by the Pyrenees Mountains. The highest point in Spain is located in the Canary Islands on Pico de Teide at 12,198 feet (3,718 meters) above sea level. The climate of Spain is temperate with hot summers and cold winters inland and cloudy, cool summers and cool winters along the coast. Madrid, located inland in the center of Spain, has an average January low temperature of 37 degrees (3ËšC) and a July average high of 88 degrees (31ËšC). Sources Central Intelligence Agency.  CIA - The World Factbook - Spain.Infoplease.com. Spain: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com.United States Department of State. Spain.