Comparing and Contrasting E.L. Doctorow's Billy Bathgate and William Kennedy's Legs
The many similarities between E.L. Doctorow's Billy Bathgate and William Kennedy's Legs suggest that Doctorow used Legs as a starting place for the creation of his own novel. Certain scenes are so similar that it seems that they did not originate independently. Marcus Gorman and Billy Bathgate had almost indistinguishable experiences while firing target practice and later when Jack Diamond and Dutch Schultz died. Doctorow did not, however, merely copy Kennedy's story; he instead used it as a building block to begin from. Billy Bathgate had many elements that Legs did not which expanded the story's significance.
The pistol firing scene in Billy Bathgate palpably mimics the machine gun practice in Legs. Not only are the literal actions very similar to each other, but their impact on the characters is almost identical as well. The excitement and power gained by firing weapons lures both characters further on their descent into the criminal underworld. After shooting, Marcus thinks, "Do something new and you are new. How boring it is not to fire machine guns" (Kennedy 41). And Billy said, "I will never forget how it felt to hold a loaded gun for the first time and lift it and fire it, the scare of its animate kick up the bone of your arm, you are empowered there is no question about it, it is an investiture, like knighthood" (Doctorow 145). In the case of Marcus Gorman, the exhilaration of firing the machine gun was the benefit that would outweigh the risks of associating with Jack Diamond. Billy had already been attracted to the gang life. However, the power he gained from firing his automatic amplified his attraction. He finally understood why the other gang members had such closeness with their guns. Doctorow saw Marcus' introduction to the gang life through guns as an organic element in the story that worked properly. Therefore, he chose to borrow for Billy rather than trying to come up with something different that may not have worked as well.
After their gun firing experiences, Marcus and Billy experienced many strikingly similar events. The most dramatic of these were the death scenes of Jack Diamond and Dutch Schultz. In both cases, mentor and protégé were together at the time of departure, and each protégé received a privileged transmission of information that no one else did.
When young Billy Walker took it upon himself to take a gang of Bald Knobbers to the Eden’s-Green Cabin late one night, all hell broke loose. When the smoke cleared, Billy had been shot in the leg and William Edens and Charles Green lay dead. In his haste to run from the scene of the murder’s, Billy had left his shotgun.
...ad a sense of relief that came over him when his duty is fulfilled, while the servant had a rush of excitement, followed by anxiety and nervousness from the old man’s heart beating and the fear of being exposed. Unquestionably, the guard and the servant see and experience things differently even through they are both faced with the obstacle of ending a life. They both take part in arranged killings and are vital parts to the death of the victims. But on the other hand, the guard sees he values of life while the servant could not care less for it, and the guard feels relief after the death while the servant experiences a shift of emotions from confidence to nervousness and anxiety. Without a doubt, both the protagonists are fundamental in determining the fate of the characters they kill, but in turn they equally have different views and responses towards their acts.
Inadequate iron stores in the blood cause iron deficiency anemia. Iron is needed for the production of hemoglobin needed for red blood cells. Hemoglobin is important in the transport of oxygen to the body tissues. In the United States, 10-30% of the entire population suffers from iron deficiency anemia. Women are more likely to be anemic because of poor eating habits and blood loss during menstruation. Thus, many women enter pregnancy with reduced iron stores or some level of anemia. According to multiple studies on anemia and pregnancy o...
There are many causes of anemia in the body. Some factors include genetics and deficiencies in the diet. Ms. A claims that for the past 10 – 12 years menorrhagia and dysmenorrheal have been a problem for her. Menorrhagia is abnormal and heavy menstrual bleeding during menstruation (Mayoclinic, 2013). Menorrhagia can deplete iron levels in the blood and increase the risk of an individual to have iron deficiency anemia. This is the cause of Ms. A’s anemia. Moreover, Ms. A says that she constantly takes aspirin especially in the summer to prevent stiffness in the joints. Aspirin affects and hinders the production of red blood cells (Mayoclinic, 2013). From the description of anemia given above, the lack of red blood cells, leads to low levels of iron and therefore low levels of hemoglobin which in turn affects the transportation of oxygen and thereby causing shortness of breath. Ms. A’s initial complains of shortness of breath and fatigue is the reason why she went to see the physician.
Some of the similarities in these stories is that both the Sniper and Barber are devoted to their jobs. The Sniper exemplified this trait by killing his brother, even when he didn't know that the enemy sniper was his brother he still killed him. After he knew it was his brother whom he had just killed, he did not let it rattle
Genetically modified (GM) food is created from organisms that have had specific modifications introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. In molecular biology, genetic engineering is specified as ‘the direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes’ (Campbell & Reece, 2005: 384).
Parker, David. The Great Gatsby: Two Versions of the Hero. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Feb
The major theme of Andre Dubus’ Killing,s is how far someone would go for the person they love. It is important to note the title of the story is killings and not killers, for the reasoning that the story does not just focus on two deaths or two murderers but rather the death of marriage, friendship, youth, and overall, trust.
Deal, Walter F., and Stephen L. Baird. “Genetically Modified Foods: A Growing Need.” Technology Teacher 62.7 (2003): 18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.
Globally, incidence of STIs in 2008 was an estimated 499 million cases; this figure was not much different from the estimated 448 million cases in 2005. Globally in 2011 an estimated 34 million people were living with HIV and 0.8% of adult aged between 15 and 49 years were living with HIV. In 2011 the incidence of HIV was 2.5 million cases and 1.7 million people were died due to AIDS related causes.5, 6
Many people with AIDS do not show symptoms for a long time, even for over ten years. The cause, HIV, is an STD. Human immunodeficiency virus attacks the T-cells, part of the immune system, and uses it to duplicate itself and spread. When the number of immune cells in one cubic milliliter of blood is less than 200, the infection is referred to as AIDS. The amount of time it takes for the cell count to fall so low varies from person to person, sometimes because of certain drugs or because the immune system is naturally less resistant to the disease (“Learn about HIV/AIDS.”).
Some of the similarities in these stories is that both the Sniper and Barber are devoted to their jobs. The Sniper exemplified this trait by killing his brother, even when he didn't know that the enemy sniper was his brother he still killed him. After he knew it was his brother whom he had just killed, he did not let it rattle
The authors worked for the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies which belongs to AIDS resea...
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a cause of continuous debate. What would be the purpose of producing genetically altered food? Many argue that GMOs could prove to be very beneficial, the use of GMOs could lead to advances in medicine, and agriculture, and they could also prevent famine in poor underdeveloped countries. Genetic modification offers many benefits: pest control, disease resistant crops, drought resistant crops, no use of insecticides, nutritional beneficial foods, and less contamination. This is only a short list of the many benefits offered by the used of GMOs. With so many benefits why are we opposed to such a miracle? (NERC 2005)
Iron Deficiency Anemia affects millions of individuals across the world. This disease strikes many more women than men and has harmful effects on all who suffer from this deficiency that causes oxygen-carrying capacity to decrease. The causes can vary amongst different groups, but the aggravating symptoms remain constant. Much of the research on Iron Deficiency Anemia concentrates on not only the treatment of this disease, but also the prevention of it. To attain a better understanding of how to treat this problem, one must clearly know what Iron Deficiency Anemia means, what causes this disease, the effects of it, and finally how to cure it.