How to Create a New Project for Dicom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

How to Create a New Project for Dicom - Essay Example A button, "Open", next to each project enables the user to view the available files within that project. Opening existing projects will show a list of the available user Dicom projects. Once a project has been opened, all available Dicom files within that project will be listed; the file name and three buttons next to that file. "Download" button will download that Dicom file to the user computer, "Share" button will share that Dicom file with another registered user as shown below and finally "Delete" button will remove the Dicom files from the project. Clicking "Share" button next to the file name will open a dialog box for the file to be shared with another registered user. The correct name must be typed into the dialog box and confirmed. If the file is shared successfully or if there is an error, the user will be notified. Once Dicom files have been successfully uploaded from the local computer, they will be displayed into the canvas in order based on their Dicom file names; the user can then scroll through the images by using the mouse wheel. The user can also change the canvas lightening by holding the right mouse button and moving position on the canvas. There are 5 annotation features the user can add to the canvas; text in which they will be prompted to enter their own, arrow, circle which will be placed into the canvas and freehand drawing onto the canvas, the user can select a colour for their annotation and users can also move the annotations around the canvas adjusting the size or rotation. All the annotations are using a library, "fabric.js" open source library is used for the annotations as they will also later be used to save as a "JSON" file for later loading, adjustments have been made to the original library to fit my system. Saving an annotation to the user’s account; once the user has added their annotations onto the canvas and are happy to save, they will be prompted with a dialog box to enter the annotation name in which it will be saved as, after this, the user will be prompted to enter an existing project in which the annotation will be saved for later use.

The Namesake of New Types of Power Structures Essay

The Namesake of New Types of Power Structures - Essay Example Misuse of power is also evident in Adolf Hitler mode of leadership (Helgesen, 2008). Like how Machiavelli used to use force to rule and deal with the enemies, the same things was repeated by Adolf Hitler. The Austrian -born German dictator, is name sake for Machiavelli based on the dictatorship he depicted during his rule (Gallagher, 1991). The command and misuse of power that Adolf Hitler used can be compared with that of dictator Machiavellian (Callanan, 2004). The reason why I have made the selection is based on the fact that even though the subjects that Adolf Hitler dealt with were innocent, he went ahead and exposed them to harmful and risky situation that left them devastated. The dictator Machiavellian was known for brutality and deceit which he portrayed at innocent Italians just like how Hitler did to the Germans and other people. It is true that power is misused by individuals, it results into undermining of others who are not powerful. Cheating and corrupt activities take place when an individual with power start blackmailing others. Power should be used appropriately considering those who do not have power to excise over others. Callanan, A. (2004). What would Machiavelli think? An overview of the leadership challenges in team based structures. Team Performance Management, 10(3/4), 77 8 3. Retrieved from the ProQuest Central

La Belle Dame sans Merci By John Keats Essay Example for Free

La Belle Dame sans Merci By John Keats Essay La Belle Dame sans Merci is a poem written by John Keats who was a romantic poet. The first three stanzas of this poem are spoken by the narrator who is talking to the poet, asking him why hes wondering by himself and looks so sad. He addresses the poet as wretched Wight roaming outside, all alone. The narrator whos out in the countryside talks about the night and the surroundings what its like presently. There are no sedges or birds in the trees. Everything seems to be complete as the harvests are done which marks the end of the year and the fact that there are no leaves tells us it is autumn too which is a time of the year when it seems as though all forms of life have come to an end. Out of curiosity he asks the poet what is wrong with him. The rest of the poem is the poets reply. The poet tells us that he saw an extremely beautiful lady somewhere as in the line I met a lady in the meads, full beautiful, a fairys child. The poet further describes the lady. He says that she was so beautiful and graceful that she couldnt have been a human. With such long hair and the grace as she had, she had to be a fairys child though her eyes seemed to be wild or disturbed. The poet makes her sit on his horse and in her presence, sees nothing else as in the line I set her on my pacing steed and nothing else saw all day long. She sings a song of such music and melody thats its definitely not human. A place where there seemed to be no sound of birds is now enchanted by music. The music is not ordinary music or song but that of a fairies and the immortal as in the line for sideways would she lean and sing a fairys song. The fairy in this poem represents the poetic inspiration which inspires poets and artists to write and compose. Without this they feel that they are good as dead. The poetic inspiration casts poets into a delightful mood out of which they are able to compose their poetry. It changes a poets life when it enters it by brightening it up and leaves it in a nasty way. Just the way poetic inspiration can change the life of a poet when it enters the previous picture of dull and lifelessness also brightens up when the lady is mentioned. In the third to fifth stanza the poet describes the experience in the presence of the lady and the poetic inspiration which are alike. The poet under the spell composes poetry with words as though decorating the fairy that seems to enjoy him poetry [decoration] very much and urges him to continue. He seems to be enjoying all the sensual pleasures which are of taste, sight, music, fragrance and touch. In the lines she found me roots of relish sweet and honey wild and manna dew, the words relish sweet, honey wild, and manna dew, symbolize or express rather, the pleasures experienced by the poet while writing poetry. In the next stanza we find key words which tell us something about the lady. In the lines and there she gazed and sighed deep and there I shut her wild sad eyes so kissed to sleep, the words sighed deep and wild sad eyes tell us that the lady is not happy about something and that she too is troubled over something. The lady who happens to be a fairy, one that belongs to the world of the immortal cannot stay with a person for long. This is because she is from a different world and so after a period of time she must desert the person no matter what and this is what has caused her grief. Even the best of men this world can offer, kings and warriors are no math and she must leave them all. In the same way, the poetic inspiration cannot stay with one person for a long time. It must move on and go to other people and inspire them to compose as well. In the next stanza we see how the poet tries to enjoy his few moments of ecstasy at the most and dream even if its on the cold hill side. The poet knows that he too, like those before him will be deserted. In the next stanza he describes his dream, or rather nightmare in which he sees the people who have already been deserted by the lady and become severely ill their life to them was as good as death. Without the fairy that they loved, they had nothing to live for. In the same sense the poetic inspiration allows poets to do what they love to do i.e. write poetry but once that is taken away, so is their ability of composing and they loose interest in life. The men are left with starved lips and pale faces with nothing worth living for. And when the poet wakes up, he find himself in the same situation and all alone on the cold hill side. And so the poet tells the narrator that he had been deserted by the one he loved most and it didnt really matter what time of the year it was because his life was as good as death.

Panayiotopoulos Syndrome in a 3 Year Old Child

Panayiotopoulos Syndrome in a 3 Year Old Child Benign occipital epilepsy of childhood -Panayiotopoulos syndrome- in a 3 year old child Menon Narayanankutty Sunilkumar *, Vadakut Krishnan Parvathy Department of Pediatrics, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Amala Nagar, Thrissur-680 555, Kerala, India M N Sunil Kumar V K Parvathy Running title: Panayiotopoulos syndrome in a 3 year old child Manuscript type: Case study * Author for correspondence, Dr. Menon Narayanankutty Sunilkumar ABSTRACT Panayiotopoulos syndrome (PS) is a relatively frequent and benign epileptic syndrome seen in children in the age group of 3-6 years and is characterised by predominantly autonomic symptoms and/or simple motor focal seizures followed or not by impairment of consciousness. Although multifocal spikes with high amplitude sharp-slow wave complexes at various locations can be present in the EEG, interictal electroencephalogram (EEG) in children with this particular type of epilepsy characteristically shows occipital spikes. This syndrome has known to be a masquerader and can imitate gastroenteritis, encephalitis, syncope, migraine, sleep disorders or metabolic diseases. In the absence of thorough knowledge of types of benign epilepsy syndromes and their various clinical presentations, epilepsy such as PS can be easily missed. The peculiar aspects of this type of epilepsy in children should be known not only by paediatricians but also by general doctors because a correct diagnosis would avo id aggressive interventions and concerns on account of its benign outcome. In this case study, we report a case of PS in a 3 year old child. Keywords: Benign occipital epilepsy, Panayiotopoulos syndrome, Autonomic symptoms, Emesis, EEG I NTRO DUCTION The International League Against Epilepsy in their expert consensus has given due importance for the various benign childhood seizures which have good prognosis.1 PS is a common idiopathic childhood-specific seizure disorder formally recognized by the league and is included in the category of benign epilepsy syndromes and is recognized worldwide for its autonomic presentations.2,3 This early-onset benign childhood seizures was described by Panayiotopoulos.4 . It has been defined by Panayiotopoulos as consisting of brief, infrequent attacks or prolonged status epilepticus and characterized by ictal deviation of the eyes and/or head and vomiting, occurring in children usually between the ages of 3 and 7 years.5 Seizures are usually followed by postictal headache and are often associated with interictal occipital rhythmic paroxysmal EEG activity that appears only after eye closure.5 The PS has excellent prognosis and parents can be definitely reassured about its benign course 4,6,7,8,9. The risk of developing seizure disorder in later life is negligible 6. Detection of occipital epilepsy at very early stage is needed to successfully treat this condition and allay the fears of the parents and care givers of these children with PS.In this case report, we discuss about the occipital epilepsy in a 3 year old girl child. CASE REPORT A 3-year-old girl, only sibling from a poor socioeconomic family of a non-consanguineous couple, presented in the Out-patient Department of Paediatrics, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur, Kerala, with complaints of becoming limp after sudden episode of vomiting, followed by uprolling of eyes, stiffening of the both upper limbs and lower limbs and a brief period of drowsiness.The child was happily playing in the house about half an hour back.There was no associated fever,trauma,ear discharge ,no common paediatric illnesses like diarrhea,dysuria,cough,running nose,wheezing,throat pain. A detailed history was taken. The child was born of a non-consanguinous parents,fullterm normal vaginal delivery,with a birth weight of 2.215 kg. She was immunized to date and had normal milestones of development.The history revealed that she had similar episodes of vomiting especially getting up from sleep and having deviation of eyes to one side,becoming limp and followed by drowsiness for few minutes in the past from the age of 1 Â ½ years old. Overall she had 5-6 such episodes and 3 times she had these episodes when she was sleeping.There was no associated fever during these episodes. Two times she had stiffening of all the limbs with deviation of eyes to one side,and followed by drowsiness. There was no focal type of seizures in this child. The parents attributed these to indigestion and gave home remedies as always there was vomiting and tiredness following the episodes.The child then used to play around normally. One month back the child was seen by a local doctor who advised EEG and it was done which was reported as normal and parents were advised follow up. The child on admission was tired, but was conscious. On examination,she was afebrile,signs of meningeal irritation were absent, central nervous system examination was normal,neurocutaneous markers were absent,fundus examination was normal. Other systemic examinations were normal.Laboratory investigations showed hemoglobin (11.7 g/dl) with low indices, total leucocyte count (11,550/cumm), neutrophils (75%), lymphocytes (22%), platelets (210000/Â µl), ESR (35mm at1 hr),serum calcium(10 mg%),SGPT(28mg/dl),serum electrolytes levels were normal.EEG was done(Figure- 1A and B) and reported as symmetrically distributed normal sleep activities,with activation of rare sharp wave discharges arising from the left occipital region.An awake record could not be obtained. The diagnosis of PS was made based on the clinical history and EEG which showed the predominantly occipital spikes. She was started on carbamazepine with increasing the dose schedule to her required weight. The child did not have any allergic reaction to the drug and did not progress autonomic instability. She and her parents were given excellent emotional and pschycological supportive care, After completion of 5 days of observation for her symptoms and any allergy to the she was discharged on day 6 with improvement in clinical conditions on multivitamins, hematinics and deworming drugs with an advice to follow-up . DISCUSSION PS described by Panayiotopoulos4 is a common autonomic childhood epileptic syndrome with a significant clinical, pathophysiological characteristics and is multifocal.10 PS is now formally recognized as a distinct clinical entity within the spectrum of benign focal epilepsies of childhood.11 PS affects 13% of children aged 3 to 6 years who have had 1 or more afebrile seizures and 6% of such children are in the 1- to 15-year age group.6,7,12. Autonomic epileptic seizures and autonomic status epilepticus are the cardinal manifestations of Panayiotopoulos syndrome.12. The main aspect of PS is that irrespective of their location at onset, there is activation of autonomic disturbances and emesis, to which children are particularly vulnerable. These symptoms and pattern of autonomic seizures and autonomic status epilepticus in PS do not occur in adults and are very specific to childhood. 12 PS is often confused with occipital epilepsy and acute non-epileptic disorders such as encephalitis, syncope, cyclic vomiting or atypical migraine even with characteristic clinical and EEG manifestations. 13 The clinical and EEG features of PS is due to a a maturation-related diffuse cortical hyperexcitability 4,6. This diffuse epileptogenicitywhich may be unequally distributed,is predominating in one area of the brain , and is often posterior. The explanation for the characteristic involvement of emetic and the autonomic systems may be attributed to epileptic discharges which are generated at various cortical locations andthis in turn influence the children’s vulnerable emetic centers and the hypothalamus 4,6. The diagnosis is based entirely on clinical presentation and EEG.12 PS has some of the key clinical features which are often present as single, focal seizures with an unusual constellation of autonomic, mainly emetic, symptoms,associated behavioral changes, and sometimes seizure like clinical manifestations such as unilateral deviation of the eyes and convulsions 3,4,7,8,9,13. The emetic triad in PS (nausea,retching, vomiting) culminates in vomiting in 74% of the seizures; in others, only nausea or retching occurs, and in a few, vomiting may not be present. Other autonomic manifestations include pallor, , mydriasis or miosis, flushing or cyanosis thermoregulatory and cardiorespiratory alterations. Frequently incontinence of urine and/or feces, hypersalivation, cephalic sensations, and modifications of intestinal motility are also seen9. Half of the convulsions end with hemiconvulsions or generalized convulsions. Two thirds occur during sleep as was seen in our child for about three times.. Autonomic status epilepticus enveals then.. The seizures usua lly last for 5–15 min, but half of them are prolonged, sometimes for hours, constituting autonomic status epilepticus. The patient recovers within a few hours. even after the most severe seizures episodes and status.12 An electroencephalogram is the only investigation with abnormal results, usually showing multiple spikes in various brain locations.12Multifocal spikes that predominate in the posterior regions characterize the EEG 6.The EEG variability in our child of 3 years is showing the characteristic occipital spikes from the left occipital region. The EEG done 5 months back was normal in our child. PS is the second most frequent benign syndrome of childhood after rolandic epilepsy,which primarily affects 15% of children at a peak onset at age 7–9 years 1. Another epileptic syndrome categorized with PS and rolandic epilepsy is the Gastaut type childhood occipital epilepsy 2, manifesting with frequent and brief visual seizures. However, this is rare,of uncertain prognosis, and markedly different from PS,despite common interictal EEG manifestations of occipital spikes 6.Occipital spikes in non-epileptic children with defective vision, occipital slow spike-and-wave found in some patients wi th the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, focal epilepsy due to occipital lesions, seizures originating in the temporal lobe secondary to an occipital abnormality, and complicated or basilar migraine must be considered in the differential diagnosis.5 There are typical and atypical case of PS15,17,18 .Lada et al 15 conducted a retrospective study of 43 patients with PS who were seizure free >2 years. In their analysis girls predominated ,as in our child was a girl.. The first seizure was seen in 5 years of age. 86% had emesis as the symptom with the seizures. Seizures during sleep (84%) were more common than those in wakefulness. EEG showed occipital spikes in more than 50% of patients.. Prognosis was excellent and 80% children have been free of seizures for > or =2 years as is in a typical case of PS.15 DeÄÅ ¸erliyurt et al16 did a case series study of patients with PS and postulated that PS is associated with high rates of febrile convulsions, afebrile convulsions/epilepsy, migraine, and breath-holding spells in the patients and families suggested the importance of genetic factors 17.Febrile seizures are to be considered in the differential diagnosis because the recovery of consciousness from seizure is fast and Control of the seizure is paramount. uncomplicated usually.18 Ferrie et al. 17 postulated an atypical evolution of PS in a case report. The management of PS is not complicated. Education and knowledge about PS is the cornerstone of management. Control of the seizure is paramount. Prophylactic treatment with antiepileptic medication may not be needed for most patients. The emphasis is on treatment of possible fever and mainly of the underlying illness.One third (30%) of the seizures are relatively brief and self-limited. They subside spontaneously within 2–10min. The other two thirds (70%) have long-lasting seizures(>10 min) or status epilepticus (>30 min to hours). These should be appropriately and vigorously treated as for status epilepticus19,20. Parents of children with recurrent seizures should be advised to place the child on its side or stomach on a protected surface and administer a preparation of intravenous rectal benzodiazepine (BZD). In an emergency facility, the child’s airway should be kept clear, oxygenation maintained, and intravenous or rectal antiepileptic drug (AED) given to halt the s eizure. A BZD is probably the first choice. The great majority with PS do not need AED treatment even if they have lengthy seizures or have more than two recurrences. There is no increased risk of subsequent epilepsy or neurologic deficit. If a child has multiple recurrences (only about 5% exceed 10 seizures) and if the parents too worried prophylaxis can be given.Continuous prophylaxis consists of daily medication with any AED with proven efficacy in partial seizures.Although there is no evidence of superiority among monotherapy with phenobarbitone, carbamazepine(CBZ), sodium valproate or no treatment in PS, most authors prefer CBZ 14.Our child was started on Oxcarbazepine ,a structural derivative of CBZ with no side effects since last 1 month.Autonomic status epilepticus in the acute stage needs thorough evaluation; aggressive treatment may cause iatrogenic complications including cardiorespiratory arrest.12The adverse reactions of the antiepileptic drugs such as severe allergic r eactions ,abnormal liverfunction tests and idiosyncratic reaction should be kept in mind and monitored.14 The prognosis of PS is excellent 4,6,7-9. The lengthy seizures and status do not have any adverse prognostic significance, and the risk of developing epilepsy in adult life is probably no more than that of the general population 6. One third of patients (27%) have a single seizure only, and another half (47%) have two to five seizures. Only 5% have >10 seizures, but outcome is again favorable. Remission usually occurs within 1 to 2 years from onset.6. CONCLUSION PS is a common cause of epilepsy in children and a knowledgeable doctor does not miss it. Physician education of PS and recent guidelines on epilepsy management is vital in detecting PS at very early stage, so further lifesaving interventions can be done and prevent delay in the trearment administration. Multiple antiepileptic drugs use is required in only in a small proportion of patients. Seizures in PS, like febrile convulsions, despite their excellent prognosis, are a frightening experience for the in experienced parents, who often think that their child is dead or dying. Parents of young children should have general information by the family doctor regarding PS. Parental education and a supportive group comprising the paediatrician, neurologist, nursing staff and the social worker can help and reassure these distort parents as was done in our child who is doing fine with no recurrence in the last 1 month. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors acknowledge the help of Dr Ajith TA, Professor Biochemistry, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Amala Nagar, Thrissur, Kerala during the preparation of the manuscript. REFERENCES Commission on Classification and Terminology of the International League Against Epilepsy. Proposal for revised classification of epilepsies and epileptic syndromes. Epilepsia 1989;30:389–99. Engel J Jr. A proposed diagnostic scheme for people with epileptic seizures and with epilepsy: Report of the ILAE Task Force on Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia 2001;42:796–803. Berg AT, Panayiotopoulos CP. Diversity in epilepsy and a newly recognized benign childhood syndrome [Editorial]. Neurology 2000;55:1073–4. Panayiotopoulos CP. Panayiotopoulos syndrome. Lancet 2001;358:68–9. Andermann F, Zifkin B.The benign occipital epilepsies of childhood: an overview of the idiopathic syndromes and of the relationship to migraine. Epilepsia. 1998;39:S9-23. Panayiotopoulos CP. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: a common and benign childhood epileptic syndrome. London: John Libbey, 2002. Panayiotopoulos CP. Vomiting as an ictal manifestation of epileptic seizures and syndromes. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1988;51:1448–51. Caraballo R, Cersosimo R, Medina C, et al. Panayiotopoulos-type benign childhood occipital epilepsy: a prospective study. Neurology2000;55:1096–100. Kivity S, Ephraim T, Weitz R, et al. Childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms: clinical variants in 134 patients. Epilepsia 2000;41:1522–33. Guerrini R, Pellacani S.Benign childhood focal epilepsies. Epilepsia. 2012;53::9-18. Koutroumanidis M. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: an important electroclinical example of benign childhood system epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2007;48:1044-53. Covanis A. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: a benign childhood autonomic epilepsy frequently imitating encephalitis, syncope, migraine, sleep disorder, or gastroenteritis. Pediatrics. 2006 ;118:e1237-43. Michael M, Tsatsou K, Ferrie CD. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: an important childhood autonomic epilepsy to be differentiated from occipital epilepsy and acute non-epileptic disorders. Brain Dev. 2010;32:4-9. Ferrie CD, Beaumanoir A, Guerrini R, et al. Early-onset benign occipital seizure susceptibility syndrome. Epilepsia 1997;38:285–93. Lada C, Skiadas K, Theodorou V, Loli N, Covanis A.A study of 43 patients with panayiotopoulos syndrome, a common and benign childhood seizure susceptibility. Epilepsia. 2003;44:81-8. DeÄÅ ¸erliyurt A, Teber S, BektaÃ…Å ¸ O, Senkon G. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: A case series from Turkey. Epilepsy Behav. 2014;36:24-32. Ferrie CD, Koutroumanidis M, Rowlinson S, Sanders S, Panayiotopoulos CP.Atypical evolution of Panayiotopoulos syndrome: a case report. Epileptic Disord. 2002;4:35-42. Knudsen FU. Febrile seizures: treatment and prognosis. Epilepsia.2000;41:2–9. American Academy of Pediatrics. Practice parameter: the neurodiagnostic evaluation of the child with a first simple febrile seizure: Provisional Committee on Quality Improvement, Subcommittee on Febrile Seizures. Pediatrics 1996;97:769–72. Mitchell WG. Status epilepticus and acute repetitive seizures in children, adolescents, and young adults: etiology, outcome, and treatment. Epilepsia 1996;37:S74–80. Legend to figures Figure (1A and B): EEG of the child showing the occipital spikes (arrow heads).

Essay --

Jane Eyre-- Life at Lowood In â€Å"Jane Eyre†, a classic by Charlotte Bronte, the little girl Jane lost her parents and was adopted by her uncle Mr. Reed who also died soon after. Poor Jane was left to be taken care of by her selfish and cruel aunt who viewed her as a burdensome and wicked child. At Gateshead, none of her cousins were nice to her, and therefore getting bullied was usual. As a result of their conflicts Jane was sent to Lowood, an institution for orphan girls where they could receive strict education and be trained to become disciplined young women. The bad conditions there did not let Jane lose faith as she made a genuine friend whose name was Helen, and met a kind teacher called Mrs. Temple. They gave Jane love and hope in such a cold world, which made her harsh life endurable. By the end of the essay it will be proven that Jane’s life at Lowood has shaped her development as a young woman and bildungsroman. At first, Jane’s life at Lowood was no better than her life at Gateshead. According to the author, â€Å"Many a time I shared between two claimants the precious morsel of ...

Atheism as an Evolution of Thought and its Place Among the Religious Mu

Atheism is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as (a) a disbelief in the existence of a deity or (b) a doctrine that there is no deity and by The Oxford Dictionary as the disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. The Supreme Court proceedings of Schempp vs. Curlett defined atheism in eloquent humanist terms: An atheist loves his fellow man instead of a god. An atheist believes that heaven is something for which we should work now – here on earth for all men together to enjoy. An atheist believes that he can get no help through prayer but that he must find in himself the inner conviction and strength to meet life, to grapple with it, to subdue it, and enjoy it. An atheist believes that only in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he find the understanding that will help to a life of fulfillment. He seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god... He believes that we are our brother’s keepers and are keeper of our own lives; that we are responsible persons and that the job is here and the time is now. For the purposes of this discourse, the terms atheist and atheism will encompass this humanist philosophical view point as well as modes of thought based upon scientific principals and tangible realities of existence; thus avoiding defining atheism only in relation to theistic belief systems. It is important to acknowledge that atheism, and indeed non-theism as well, is not simply a reaction to theistic beliefs or an angry rebellion against the theocratic majority. Rather, it is a celebration of life, a complete acceptance of mortality, and a joyfulness in truth. â€Å"And what is more pleasing than practical wisdom when you consider the reliability and efficiency ... ...iedrich. Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ. Trans. R J Hollingdale. 1889. Introduction Micheal Tanner, 1990. Translator’s Note R J Hollingdale, 1968. London: Penguin Group, 2003. Print. â€Å"Our Founder†. Carnegie Corporation of New York. 2009 Pellissier, Hank. â€Å"Atheist are the Most Generous – Even Without Heaven Reward!†. The Richard Dawkins Foundation. 25 November 2011. Web. 3 April 2012. School District of Abington Tp., Pa. Vs. Schempp. No. 374 US 203. Supreme Court of the US. 17 June 1963. Westlaw. Web. 16 April 2012. â€Å"Sean Faircloth, Former Executive Director†. Staff. Secular Coalition For America, n.d. Web. 3 April 2012.

Lamb to the Slaughter Essay

Mary Maloney proves to be an interesting character in this story. She fits well with the dramatic irony, tone, symbolism, and the overall theme of the story because of the brilliant characterization done on her character. Dahl, at the beginning of the story, sets up the premise that the reader should solely empathize with her character. Continuously, he keeps building the pretense that she is a sweet, innocent lamb (which is a major motif); only capable of following the followers (previously mentioned under symbols). As the story progresses, the reader realizes that she is basically being slaughtered by her butcher of a husband. There are three parts to this slaughter. One is the emotional slaughter that her husband undertakes, which starts to slowly alter her character. The second part is the aftermath of the more physical part of the slaughter where Mary Maloney actually kills her husband with a leg of lamb. The results of this also ‘slaughter’ her ‘lamb-like’ character even more, and that is the third and final part of this massacre. Instead of being a naà ¯ve, innocent slave to her husband, she is now a malicious, demented (evident in the latter part of the story where she giggles due to the fact that she got away with murder), and a free woman; a woman with no slight implication that she was ever under her husband’s power. Dahl makes sure to use tone to describe just how much her husband controlled her, and how uplifted she was when he was gone. Using dramatic irony, he highlighted the one end of Maloney’s mental spectrum. Overall, Dahl compacted many literary elements in such a short story, yet he composed it into such a way that everything is delicately related upon each other. Without the tone, one wouldn’t get such a powerful impact from the irony. Mary’s characterization would have seemed less severe, and the idea of slaughter would be interpreted differently. Dahl uses this story to describe the extreme result of a common theme. Our main concern was to question if this was a worthy piece of literature that could convey a theme or a moral decision that could impact anyone. With the evidence previously mentioned, this piece was worthy of the Dahl name, and that the elements in this story hanged together in a delicate balance. Without one element, his message would not have been conveyed as strongly as it was. Round Mary goes from slaving over her husband’s every move, to killing him! Expanding more on that, she goes from being a lamb, one who follows, to being the butcher, the one who rules. She finally takes control of her life, as if she has been resurrected from the depths of her despair, ironically, after her husband’s death. She goes from being weak to actually being in charge of her life and what she does. The point of a dynamic character is not to just change morally/physically, but to become more complex. Obviously, as this story continued, Mrs. Maloney is a prime example of a complex character. Her name (Mary Maloney), that she has a husband (Patrick Maloney- a police officer), how long she has been pregnant (six months), inferences on her home (rather comely, with a pleasant aura; classic feel of a late 20th century house), her status (housewife), and a description of her looks (translucent skin, large, dark, placid eyes), daily habits and personality (before and after h er ‘realization’). *All occur during the exposition (paragraphs 1-33) Symbolism: The club of lamb: The lamb in the story is the wife. She does everything for the husband. She gets his slippers, makes him dinner, and slaves over him. And to thank her for all her work, he gives her a divorce. Basically, the reader can obviously see she is the weakest one here. She has no say in it–he has his mind set. Her labors and efforts†¦her life is being torn apart by this guy. He wants it to be a hush-hush affair, for the sake of his job. And she’s just the wife to do it. His career will be intact, while hers (the loving housewife) will not be. She is a weak, pathetic lamb, and she is being slaughtered. Then, she just couldn’t take it anymore. She fought back, and that resulted in murdering her husband. When killing occurs in a story, it’s usually significant for some reason. It shows someone overcoming some obstacle. Here, the ‘lamb’ of a wife overcomes her ‘butcher’ of a husband (the fact that he is a pol ice officer screams control freak) by killing him. And with it, she kills her status as a lamb. The lamb [status] has been slaughtered, and a free woman is left. Due to the fact that her husband is leaving her for someone else, while she is pregnant, her innocent, worthless, and helpless self is exaggerated. Though, after the murdering of her husband, this ‘lamb’ status is slowly crumbling away to reveal a more strong, take initiative type person. The slaughter: This occurs when the police arrive and eat the lamb. That is the slaughter; it is the destruction of the leg of lamb. It, the leg of lamb, was the symbol of her meek status, for it was the only reminder of what she had done and what she was like back ‘then’. Once that lamb is gone, so is all evidence that she was ever under her husband’s power. Irony: There are two major examples of irony in this story. 1. Dramatic Irony: Where Mrs. Maloney feeds the police officers that were investigating her husband’s death, and were friends with the late officer, the club of lamb that she used to kill Patrick Maloney. One officer saying that the murder weapon could have been, â€Å"Probably right under our very noses?† (Paragraph 131). 2. Situational Irony: The title of the story is itself, a large pun! A lamb to the slaughter usually refers to someone who is unaware they are about to be harmed. This is from the idea that lambs are easily led to their slaughter since they trust the one leading them, and they are unaware of what is to become of them. In this story, the husband, Patrick Maloney, is killed like a lamb. He totally trusts his wife, Mary, and is completely unaware of his impending doom. However, the title is also ironic because it is actually a frozen leg of lamb that is used to slaughter the hapless victim. Tone: Ironic- the lamb that was supposed to be served as supper to nourish Patrick was, in the end, the weapon used to kill him. And the said club of lamb was given to the cops to eat at dinner. Tragic- That a couple, who is expecting their first child, end up hurting each other. Patrick wants to destroy his wife mentally, while his wife destroys him physically. Comical- At the end, the sergeants who were supposed to capture the murderer, unknowingly cooperated with our murderer to destroy the evidence by eating up the murder weapon. Tone played an essential part for the smooth transition from Mary’s innocence to a charming psychopath. To fit with the desperation of her upcoming divorce, Dahl dwells into the habitual life of Mrs. Maloney and every chronic detail of that period of time. He goes into describing every agonizing second of her life, and elongates those seconds into years when her perfect ritualistic life suffers a small change that snowballs into something catastrophic. The minute she kills her husband, the story seems to be more uplifting. As if the reader is no longer suffocated by simple, yet overbearing aspects of the couple’s life. Towards the end of the story, one could even take the tone as somewhat humorous. The childish giggle let out at the end not only emphasized what she had done and serve as a way to ease tension. Theme: The universal theme is that you should not underestimate the power that the weak may hold. In this story, there was a clear indication how much power Mary held within the relationship between her and her husband. My interpretation was that even though the weak may seem powerless, they can be stronger than those in control when they claim their power. â€Å"She might just as well have hit him with a steel club.†(Paragraph 42) She swung the leg of lamb so hard; it had the strength of a steel club. Women are typically, small and not as strong as men, so being able to strike a man in the head with the force of a â€Å"steel club† is astonishing. â€Å"She stepped back a pace, waiting, and the funny thing was that he remained standing there for at least four or five seconds, gently swaying. Then he crashed to the carpet.† (Paragraph 44) Crashed to the floor, that’s how much power she had, when driven by a strong anger. By power came intelligence, as soon as Mary realized she had killed her husband, she was able to devise a plan in order to ultimately get away with murder. Don’t underestimate the weak, because sooner or later, they’ll rise to become powerful. In this case, the consequence of such thinking resulted into murder. The control Patrick had on his wife became just an illusion after we saw the capability of Mary. View as multi-pages