Quotes from Moby Dick
Chapter 36
Capitalism-
On Pg. 170 Ahab says “All ye mast headers have before now heard me give orders of a white whale. Look ye! D’ye see this Spanish ounce of gold? It is a sixteen dollar piece men. Whoever of ye raises me a white headed whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw, he shall have this gold ounce.
This example relates to capitalism because Ahab uses money as a way to motivate his men much like money is used as a motivator in a capitalist society.
Transcendentalism-
On Pg.172 and 173 Ahab talks about his feelings toward moby dick. Ahabs feelings are a twisted view on reality that relate to transcadentalism because he believes that getting revenge on the whale is worth risking his life and other mens lives. All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event . . . some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there's naught beyond. But 'tis enough. He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me!"
Ahabs feelings are a twisted view on reality that relate to transcadentalism because he believes that getting revenge on the whale is worth risking his life and other mens lives.
Religion-
On Pg. 172 after getting the men to agree to follow along side him in the killing of moby dick Ahab yells out to the men “God bless ye, God bless ye men”
Ahab says this because his crew has agreed to follow him and he wants to thank them and he wants to try to help keep them safe for the journey because he knows that it will be a dangerous chase.
Faustism-
On Pg.175 Ahab fills the goblets of all of the crew and tells them: “Drink and swear, Death to Moby Dick, God hunt us all if we do not hunt moby dick to his death.
Analysis: Melville's Great American Novel draws on both Biblical and Shakespearean myths. Captain Ahab is "a grand, ungodly, god-like man … above the common" whose pursuit of the great white whale is a fable about obsession and over-reaching. Just as Macbeth and Lear subvert the natural order of things, Ahab takes on Nature in his
Health Leaders Media lists seven strategies to reduce nurse burnout, including “stress reduction classes, create a space for relaxation, mentor and buddy programs, recognition and reward, manager involvement, training and education and counseling” (Hendren, 2010, para.8). Individual hospitals have taken actions to help combat burnout among nursing staff. At the St. Boniface Hospital in Manitoba, there is a research project being conducted called the Compassion Project, which includes “compassion and mindfulness meditation training and how it can affect brain anatomy and physiology, personal well-being, employee engagement and reduced burnout” (Miller et al, 2016,
In recent years, there’s evidence to suggest that mental health nurses experience stress and burned out related to their work, Stress, as an result of stressful workplaces (Bernard et al,2000).
The title caught my attention: “Work Environment and Conditions”. The nurse’s role has long been considered as stress-filled based upon the physical labor, human suffering, work hours, staffing, and interpersonal relationships that are central to the work nurses do. The article examined many studies conducted to measure stress and burnout in nurses and found that the environment and conditions in the work place have a great deal to do with the perceived stress levels. In the article, it speaks of the definition of stress as being a negative factor that is perceived to pose a threat to the perceiver. This definition goes on to state that one person may see an event as stressful while another may view the same situation as exhilarating. The important part of this “new definition” is that we can chose, by manipulation of our attitudes, to view our lives as stress filled or an enjoyable ride? One’s perception is a big factor regarding workplace stress. I notice that newer nurses feel a great amount of pressure to do things perfectly, which anyone who has been in nursing a while can tell you that nursing is an imperfect profession. We are humans caring for other humans and we are all just doing the best that we can and what is in the best interest of our patients. Maintaining a positive attitude is important, and challenging at times. Even though the environment that many of us work in is controlled, good or bad many of the things that occur are beyond our control. Learning to go with the flow and ask for help when needed can make nursing a little bit less overwhelming. I think it is important for nurses experiencing burnout to talk to someone about it and maybe think about making a change in their workplace if possible to obtain a new challenge and help keep nursing fresh and exciting for them. I also find it interesting that as nurses, we are so prone to
(2015) implies that the unit manager together with work environment, greatly influences the nurse’s overall job satisfaction, and has little to do with the stress of caring for patients. Furthermore, studies show that stronger relationships amongst management, staff, patients and families, allows for bonding between each component of the healthcare pyramid and makes the job more “enjoyable”, thereby reducing the emotional fatigue associated with burnout. Research also states that changes in organizational policies such as nurse to patient ratio, short staffing, etc., reduce this risk (Australian Nursing Journal,
The problem in the previous paper addresses whether or not short staffing in a hospital setting contributes to an increased number of nurse burnout. The focus of my groups work is to identify relevant causes that contribute to a nurse burnout and the interventions with providing evidence based research. The significance of this issue is that nurse burnout has contributed to numerous adverse affects in a hospital environment. When a unit is short staffed it creates a nurse more stress and responsibilities that contributes to participating in workarounds which are “short cuts”. If the nursing interventions are not done per procedure then there can be associated complications. “According to the Michigan Nurses Association, short staffing is connected
Ahab is dedicated towards regaining control of his life by conquering the whale. His obsession with Moby Dick is what fuels his desire to spend months and months at sea. Ahab is so involved that he tries to get into the mind of the whale. He becomes obsessed with the whale’s every move. Similarly, the narrator is highly analytical of Bartleby’s behavior. He feels the need to know exactly what it is that makes Bartleby ‘tick’. Eventually the narrator is mentally defeated by Bartleby and is forced to change the location of his offices in order to avoid him. Ahab on the other hand is constantly chasing his antagonist and does whatever he can to get closer to Moby Dick.
Burnout in nursing is a convoluted and significant matter that must be acknowledged and addressed to preserve the quality and longevity of the nursing profession. With varying definitions of the term, it becomes important to identify and understand the factors and dynamics that have bearing on the nurse’s intrapersonal beliefs, emotional well-being, and ultimately the patient care they provide. Once these components are recognized, it is just as imperative to offer potential resolutions to meet this challenge. Aside from simple, personal actions that the nurse can take, such as exercise and rest, there are certain measures that if fulfilled by the nursing leadership staff will hold substantial weight when it comes to contending with burnout.
Some of the strategies that can help prevent the high burnout rate among nurses include social and psychological support as well as empowerment. The ability of an organization to retain nurses primarily depends on the creation of an environment conductive to professional autonomy (Hatmaker, 2014, p. 227). Organizations should create an open environment where nurses have an avenue for mutual support. Examples of a program that may result in mutual support among nurses include sharing of workload among team members. Additionally, organizations should create time for social interaction among nursing teams. This can be done through social events such as annual retreats. Social events help to address the issue of burnout by building trust and strong bond between nurses (Portnoy, 2011). The other strategy for dealing with the issue of nurse burnout is supervisor support. Healthcare facilities should encourage meetings between the nurses and supervisors to talk about issues affecting their work. Apart from receiving support from their colleagues and supervisors, nurses need to be empowered. One way of empowering them is by providing them with better salaries and remuneration. The other way is by availing to them opportunities for advancing their education, such as by refunding the tuition fee. They should also be provided with an opportunity to climb the profession ladder such as through promotions. Nurses also need psychological empowerment which
One of the most serious issues in nursing, that can affect a nurses career is nursing burn- out. According to the article “Where have all the nurses gone”, current nurses that are practicing, report high rates of job dissatisfaction (which is part of burn out) and 1 of 5 nurses may quit nursing in the next 5 years (Dworkin, 2002). Burnout is associated with nurses not coming in to work, not feeling satisfied when doing their job, high turnover rates and a lack of commitment to the work (Katisfaraki, 2013). If a nurse becomes burned- out, they may not take care of their patients as well and could make mistakes with medication administration. A study performed in the United States by Dr. Jeannie Cimiottti, shows that hospitals with high burn-out rates among nurses have higher levels UTI’s, and surgical infections (World, 2012). Nursing burnout not only affects the nurse, but it also affects the patient, the nurses’ colleagues, and the nurses’ family; nursing burn out often leads to emotional exhaustion and depression, that can effect relations and communication between the nurse effected and the person they are communicating with. This paper will cover what burn-out is, who is susceptible to burn out, and treatment and prevent nursing burn out.
The nursing profession is one of the most physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing career fields. Working long shifts, placing other’s needs before your own, dealing with sickness and death on a regular basis, and working in a high stress environment are all precursors to developing occupational burnout in the nursing profession. Burnout refers to physical, emotional and mental exhaustion, which can lead to an emotionally detached nurse, who feels hopeless, apathetic, and unmotivated. Burnout extends beyond the affected nurse and begins to affect the care patients receive. Researchers have found that hospitals with high burnout rates have lower patient satisfaction scores (Aiken et al 2013). There are various measures that nurses can take
The nursing profession has often been dubbed as the backbone of the healthcare system because nurses are first in line when it comes to the patient’s medical care. Hence, nursing quality is one of the major factors that affects the well-being of the patient. Nurses and other healthcare professionals are expected to possess the characteristics of caring and empathy towards their patients. However, when there is too much care for patients and too little for one’s self, a negative effect to the overall health of the caregiver may develop. Additionally, nursing work is seen to be strenuous and challenging due to its need for specialization, complexity, and requirement to handle emergency situations (Benoliel et al., 1990; Su, 1993). Nurses, in effect, may feel overworked, underappreciated, frustrated and emotionally exhausted. These stressors that healthcare providers undergo are described by different terms including compassion fatigue, caregiver burnout and other related issues. In this paper, the nature of compassion fatigue and caregiver burnout are first defined and discussed. The symptoms as well as the coping strategies for these phenomena are then explained.
The nursing profession is notorious for burnout. The place of work, scheduling, compassion fatigue and lack of support all affect the nurses’ risk of becoming burnt out. Nurses and nurse managers should be well educated on the signs of burnout in order to correct it as soon as it becomes an issue. There are many ways for nurse managers to help prevent burnout amongst their staff and there are significant benefits in reducing the burnout rate. Peery (2010, pg. 53) summarized nursing as:
At first glance, Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, appears to be the story of a man, his captain, and the whale that they quest to destroy. But a closer look reveals the author’s intense look at several metaphysical ideologies. He explores some of the most ponderous quandaries of his time, among these being the existence of evil, knowledge of the self and the existential, and the possibility of a determined fate. All of these were questions which philosophers had dealt with and written about, but Melville took it to a new level: not only writing about these things, but also doing so in a lovely poetic language backed by a tale packed with intrigue. He explores the general existence of evil in his antagonist, the white whale, and through the general malice that nature presents to humans throughout the novel. The narrator, Ishmael, gains a lot of knowledge about himself through his experiences on the whaling voyage, where he also is able to learn much about the phenomenon of existence itself. Also, through Captain Ahab, he sees more about the existence of man and the things that exist within man’s heart. Especially through Ahab and his ongoing quest for the white whale, and also in general conversation amongst the whalers, the issue of fate and whether one’s destiny is predetermined are addressed in great detail, with much thought and insight interpolated from the author’s own viewpoints on the subject.
Happell, Martin, and Pinikahana (2007) also argue in their research that “despite the strength of discourse and debate in relation to stress and burnout in psychiatric nursing, limited research has been conducted in this area” (p. 40). Although a handful of studies (Cañadas et al., 2013, Dickinson and Wright, 2008; Happell, Martin, and Pinikahana, 2007, Ewers et al., 2001) agree that burnout reduces employee effectiveness which can compromise quality of care provided for the patient, there is still little research and support in this