Self Discovery
“What are you going to do after you get your degree?”Whenever I announce my
occupation, this trite, well-intentioned question never fails to follow. I am a student, a senior at Metro, studying Literature and History. Not only a student, I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and female. No, I don’t bring in a paycheck, but my life is fulfilling, gratifying, deserving and challenging. Will I teach, write, join the downtown business crew again, or become a clerk in the bookstore? Maybe I will. Whatever I do, I know I will strive to be a bit more patient, observing the tiniest of details, attempting to be more considerate and understanding of people, honoring their backgrounds and culture.
While studying English and History, I have obtained a clearer sense of being. I
have repeatedly professed that my family and faith prioritize my life, however, I often
found that the chaos of establishing a career and pursuing the ‘American Dream’ clashed
with those values. Caught in a whirlwind, life was centered around the present, focusing
on the future, without the time or necessity to reflect on the past. The study of liberal arts has opened new windows to the past in my mind, allowing the wisdom and thoughts of many great people circulate and stimulate my efforts, giving credence to many of life’s blessings and insecurities. The struggles, discoveries, confessions, and pronouncements of those who are forged in history often apply to modern day life relationships. A fellow classmate, very intuitively, remarked that my writing always reflects back to my personal life. The impact of history and literature on my life, explains the gift I have found in my studies.
Socrates (469-399 B.C.), a professional teach...
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... and to idle, but I will try to keep an open mind! The study of literature requires critical reading, understanding the background of the author, being cognizant of the historical culture in which the author wrote to fully comprehend the statement being made. I believe when I finally nail the hole on the study wall when hanging my degree next to that of my husband and daughter, I will apply the skills learned in my Liberal Arts education to my every day life and acquaintances.
WORKS CITED
Hollister, C. Warren. Medieval Europe – A Short History. USA:The McGraw-Hill Co.,
1998.
Thoreau, Henry David. “Walden.” The Norton Anthology – American Literature. Ed.
Nina Baym. USA:W.W. Norton & Co. 1998. 1768-1820.
Woolf, Virginia. “A Room of One’s Own.” The Longman Anthology – British Literature.
Ed. David Damrosch. USA: Addison-Wesley Ed. Publ., 1999. 2465-2499.
Literature plays an important role in the shaping of society, reinforcing cultural norms and values. Because of this, the meaning of enduring tales such as The Hobbit can change with time, being molded in new ways to fit what society now accepts. In every society, the world over, there are those who see the world differently from those in the mainstream. Whether for better or for worse, the wiring of their brain is skewed and this gives them a different outlook, a new way or reading a text or viewing a film. The paper will explore the importance of the focus on adventure and self-discovery in The Hobbit for sufferers of mental illness and how modern society may have affected the understanding of this tale.
“Hence you see why “liberal studies” are so called; it is because they are studies worthy of a free- born gentlemen. But there is only one really liberal study – that which gives a man his liberty. It is the study of wisdom”, said Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the Roman Stoic philosopher who lived during the time of Jesus Christ. Historically speaking, learning liberal arts we learn ourselves to be passionate, loyal, brave and what is more important, generous. The word “freedom” has been the fundamental component of any American Dream. Today we celebrate our nation’s independence and allowance to govern ourselves.
He recognizes that students forge these degrees into an armor of achievement in hopes that it will cushion them from the harsh uncertainty of the future. Shiffman believes that the drop in interest in the humanities results in the inability of students to have clear bearings amid life’s uncertainties. He believes that only by studying the humanities will students be able to introspect and recognize that endless achievement may not add up to a meaningful life (Shiffman 5). However, Shiffman fails to realize that this form of reflection need not be done solely by those majoring in the humanities. It can be done by all who try, their fields of study are no limitation.
In modern times, the importance of liberal arts is questioned. The article “Myth: A Liberal Arts Education is Becoming Irrelevant” by Carol T. Christ makes the argument that a liberal arts education provides a broader range of knowledge which is useful because it produces a critically thinking student. Obtaining a career is the main focus of college education. Knowing this, Christ emphasizes how a liberal arts education is useful when looking for employment. She refutes the conception that a liberal arts education is irrelevant in today’s society by identifying the useful qualities it provides the employers look for such as, “Flexibility, creativity, critical thinking, strong communication skills (particulary writing)” (Christ,
Flannery O’Connor gave a talk about “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” in 1963 at Hollins College, Virginia, which was published as the essay, “The Element of Suspense In ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find.’” In this essay, O’Connor defined the reasons for using violence in her stories. To establish a basis of reason within the story, O’Connor stated “Much of my fiction takes its character from a reasonable use of the unreasonable, though the reasonableness may not always be apparent. The assumptions that underlie . . . are those of the central Christian mysteries” ("Suspense" 803). O’Connor placed her characters in seemingly unreasonable situations as a means of creating a sublime experience. Her beliefs were strongly evident in the collected body of her fiction. She commented that, “Belief, in my own case, is the engine that makes perception operate” ("Suspense" 803). Perhaps the strongest influence on her writing was her illness with lupus. O’Connor’s struggles with being ill and facing death certainly affected the creation of the characters who awaited a moment of grace.
EHRs are “a real-time, patient-centered” records that make health information available promptly and bring any patients’ health information together in one place such as medical history, medications, diagnosis, laboratory test results, immunization records, allergies and even medical images, and many others. The use of electronic health records (EHRs) continuously increases. An ability to collect secure patient data electronically, and supplies the information to the providers upon a request is one of the features in EHR. The system can also bring together information from more than one health care organization and any past and current clinical services of the patient that helps the health care professionals in providing quality services. Within this scope, EHR benefits health care providers to enter orders directly into a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system, provides tools in decision making like, alerts, reminders, and provides access to the new research findings and evidence-based guidelines (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013, pp. 134-37). The United States is creating large investments to boost the adoption and use of interoperable electronic health records (EHRs)
As a kid, I recall my parents and many relatives frequently asking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", and without hesitation, I would think of the coolest occupations. My answers would usually comprise of being a cop, nurse, astronaut or the President of the Untied States. It was difficult to pick one, as there were numerous jobs that held my interest. For some individuals, dream occupations turn into a reality. Often times, the professions we loved growing up becomes a fun memory in the past. Throughout my childhood, my parents valued the significance and importance of regarding and helping other people. Before attending college, I was uncertain of my career plan, however; was one thing I was sure of was: the longing to help, to teach, and/or to positively affect others.
Historically speaking breast cancer has been around for hundreds of years. Thankfully the treatment has improved. Patients who get the cancer removed and take care of themselves after, for example, by exercising and eating healthy, will live longer. There are many risks that increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer, for instance, age, family history, and race. A women who made history with breast cancer was Betty Ford, Betty was one of the first lady’s to speak openly about her disease. Betty encouraged women who have been affected with the disease to go to their doctor as soon as possible and told women who had shared that they didn’t have breast cancer to do self breast exams regularly and get mammograms. She also said when women get diagnosed with it don’t be embarrassed. Treatments in the past were pretty good and quite the same compared to the treatments given to people now, for instance, mastectomy’s which was the primary...
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“ I read and understood by myself all the books that I could find on the so-called liberal arts, for in those days I was a good-for-nothing and a slave to sordid ambitions. But what advantage did I gain from them? I read them with pleasure, but I did not kno...
The Indonesian invasion and occupation of East Timor is one of the worst atrocities of this century. The occupation has claimed the lives of over 200,000 Timorese people, one-third of the original population. It continues in defiance of the United Nations Security Council which has twice called on Jakarta to withdraw "without delay" as well as eight General Assembly Resolutions. It has been maintained with the help of the United States. East Timor, occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor, which lies between Indonesia and Australia (approximately 300 miles north of Darwin), East Timor is has lots of mountains and is culturally diverse. There are 12 main language groups in East Timor. Today, Tetun is the main East Timorese language with Portuguese spoken among older generations and Bahasa Indonesia among the young. A former Portuguese colony, East Timor is recognized by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory due for decolonization. It was on the agenda of the U.N. agenda long before Indonesia invaded and has been the subject of on and off negotiations, mediated by the U.N. Secretary-General between Portugal and Indonesia since 1983. These talks resulted in the Tripartite agreement to allow a vote on an Indonesian plan to grant East Timor a degree of autonomy. That Indonesia government has agreed that if the East Timorese reject autonomy in the U.N.-organized vote, it will repeal its annexation of East Timor. A U.N.-supervised transition to independence would then occur. Right now, Peace Brigades International is establishing, upon the written request of the East Timorese Human Rights groups, a permanent presence of international volunteers in East Timor.
The “Songs of Innocence” represents naïve hopes and fears that are consuming children’s thoughts. In general, Songs of Innocence contains idyllic poems, many of which deal with childhood and innocence. Idyllic poems have pretty specific qualities, in which they’re usually positive, sometimes extremely happy or optimistic and innoc...
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The study of Literature lends to an understanding of our history, our society and sometimes ourselves. With Literature, we see the Countries and People as they were. We experience the different climates,language and tone.