Pox Americana Book Review Essay - 820 Words

Smallpox is an extremely deadly disease which, in one point in time, was the most feared disease on the planet. In the book Pox Americana, Elizabeth A. Fenn writes about the encounter with the deadly disease in the 1770s to the 1780s. Her book was first published in 2001 in New York City, where she originally wrote it. Her book contains just under 400 words that explain the disease, some of the first encounters with it, who and where it affected people, and how they got the epidemic under control. Pox Americana is a very informative book that teaches the reader various things. The tendency of Pox Americana is to inform the reader that the smallpox epidemic was not just the common cold, but rather it was a deadly disease that affected†¦show more content†¦The book either presents clear, honest facts, or states that they are merely estimates. The story consists of informing the reader, not arguing a point or discussing a controversial topic. It is merely informing the reader of a once common disease that has come and gone. One of my main objections that I have with this book is that it doesnt present enough of a point of view. It is sort of like a bad research paper, without an opinion, it is simply an organized sheet of facts. Although I wouldnt call this book terrible or a failure, I would call it incomplete. It gives the feeling of reading an encyclopedia, but with more interesting details. It is understandable to have a weak opinion in an informational book, but no opinion at all is scarcely acceptable. An additional objection that I had for this book was that in some parts, it failed to narrow in on where the setting was. At some points, it would simply state an island, or maybe just a city name. As readers, we cannot be expected to know where these places are or what country they are in. As an author, she should have clarified these details better. By reading Pox Americana, my conception of the historical period circa 1780 has changed immensely. Before reading this book, when somebody would mention that period of time, I would automatically think about the early stages of government, diseases and illnesses never came up in my mind. Now, the book has informed me of far more things to think about. Instead ofShow MoreRelatedThe History of American Literature3501 Words   |  15 Pagesthe 18th century. His Magnalia Christi Americana (The Great Works of Christ in America, 1702) is a history of New England that celebrates the founding generation of Puritans. Like his earlier works, it is religious; however, its interest in the human side of the Puritan founders marked a new achievement in American literary history. Mathers rewarding career included writings on science and medicine as well as theology and history. His Sentiments on the Small Pox Inoculated (1721) was instrumental in

A Midsummer Night s Dream Essay - 1664 Words

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the most poignant similes occurs when Theseus advises Hermia that she should yield to her father’s wishes because she is his creation, a figure in wax, and he has the power to command her, mold her, or destroy her at will (MND I.I.49-51). In Athenian society, a woman is expected to yield control of her life to men and to allow them to mold her affections to their will. The simile of a woman as a wax figure suggest that the only resolution to conflict is for the woman to yield and mold to meet the man’s expectations. The play overall, however, suggests that the better resolution to conflict, and the better path to a happy ending, comes in the form of a man conforming to the wishes of the woman, like a moldable wax figure. To demonstrate this, in the wood, when Oberon is guided by his own sense of justice, he seeks to mold the will of the men to that of the women. In contrast, when motivated by his own self-interest, his treatment of Titania closely resembles the attitude of Athens. Moreover, the resolution to the main conflict of the play, namely Hermia’s refusal to marry Demetrius, comes in the form of Demetrius’ mind being changed by Oberon’s magic. These events provide evidence against the view that women, not men, are supposed to be malleable. In summary, this simile establishes an expectation of women’s behavior that is later both echoed and challenged throughout the play, which has significant effects on the outcome of the plot andShow MoreRelatedA Midsummer Night s Dream1094 Words   |  5 PagesJeana Jago Theater History J. Robideau October,1st 2015 A Midsummer Night’s Dream In a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare story about romantic desire. Theseus and Hippolyta, are about to be married; both of them are wonderful figures from classical mythology. (Greek Mythology) Theseus is a great warrior, a kinsman of Hercules; Hippolyta is an Amazon warrior-woman, defeated in battle by Theseus. (Theseus and Hippolyta) He was longing for the wedding day, and this is what opens the play and closingRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream1905 Words   |  8 PagesA MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM As Duke Theseus and Hippolyta prepare for their wedding, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Egeus arrives with his daughter Hermia, who is in love with Lysander. Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius who loves her back. Helena is in love with Demetrius. The Duke tells Hermia she will either die or become a nun if she does not obey. Hermia and Lysander run away to the forest. In the forest, Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies, mix the couples up when they squeezeRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream911 Words   |  4 PagesPranti Ahmed Blue 4 Brit Lit April 8 2015 A Midsummer Nights Dream Topic #1 Love is a timeless topic which Shakespeare explores in depth in â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream â€Å". Shakespeare utilizes the format of a play within a play to communicate the complexities of love. Love is a force that characters cannot control. The play includes scenes of lovers searching for fulfillment in the arms of characters who are unavailable. The magic love potion wreaks havoc between actual lovers andRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream988 Words   |  4 PagesCharacter transformation is a major theme in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the transformation of main characters directly lead to them getting married to their respective partners. A character that faces many obstacles in his pursuit of Hermia is Lysander, who transforms dramatically from the person he was at the beginning of the story. Lysander seems to need to go through a transformation because he resembles Demetrius so closely that it is hard for him to differentiate himself fromRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream852 Words   |  4 PagesIntro Paragraph:In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.Shakespeare portrays four different kinds of love,parental love,romantic love and complicated love.The way I see what he shows us readers is that love is in a way connected to life because life is very unpredictable since no one’s what will happen tomorrow in a way love is the same way it is very unpredictable because you never know where is might end up. Just like in the play who knew if Hermia and Lysander will end upRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream Essay854 Words   |  4 PagesA Midsummer NIght’s Dream A â€Å" Midsummer Night’s Dream† is a classical play written by William Shakespeare. It is one of his more eccentric piece of work. The play is about the struggle of love between four essential characters: Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius , and Helena. However, it is not quite that simple. The play is quite confusing. In â€Å"Midsummer Night’s dream† the play take place in two realms fairy realm and human realm, two of the three main settings. Another one of the settings take placeRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream Essay1286 Words   |  6 PagesWithin A Midsummer Night’s Dream there are many different similes and metaphors that are themselves within another simile or metaphor. What stuck out to me was the meaning of that, the multi-layered symbolism. From the title of the play to the ending speech, the possibility of this being a dream is clearly stated. Inside of that the woods are a dreamlike state that are outside of Athens in what could be call ed a purgatory between the reality of Athens and the fiction of the play within the play.Read MoreMidsummer Night s Dreams Essay1365 Words   |  6 PagesMidsummer Night’s Dreams Essay The Midsummer Night’s Dreams, a comedy written by the famous British poet William Shakespeare, describes the events that relate to the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. It is composed of four interconnected plots that tell us the nature of love, including the adventure of four Athenian lovers: Demetrius, Helena, Lysander and Hermia; Oberon’s revenge on Titania and the mechanicals who are the six amateur actors. Among all these characters, two of the four lovers, HermiaRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1339 Words   |  6 PagesHonors For A Midsummer Night s Dream By William Shakespeare 1. Title of the book - The title of the book is called A Midsummer Night s Dream by William Shakespeare. 2. Author s name - The author of the book A Midsummer Night s Dream is William Shakespeare. 3. The year the piece was written - A Midsummer Night s Dream by William Shakespeare was believed to have been written between 1590-1596. 4. Major Characters - There are three major characters in the book A Midsummer Night s Dream by WilliamRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream And A Doll s House1365 Words   |  6 Pages A Midsummer Night’s Dream A Doll’s House, written by William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen respectively, are plays that have a varying number of themes. These two plays are centuries apart yet, they share a strikingly similar approaches in regards to the themes that are scattered throughout both plays. Such themes consists of love and marriage, deceit and honesty and most noticeably the relationship between men and women. Though they share many of the same thematic elements, their stories are completely

The history of health care Free Essays

Going back hundreds of years, we can trace the history of health care. Although it has evolved over the years, it all has a common goal; to heal those who are ill. Technology is one of the major evolutions and now plays a big role in the health care system. We will write a custom essay sample on The history of health care or any similar topic only for you Order Now It helps patients to be more involved with their healthcare. They can make appointments, follow up on test results, and contact their doctors. Back then, they didn’t even have all the medicine we have now, let alone the technology. We can only imagine what is in store for the future. Health care involves so many different fields and so many different people; it is hard not to get interested in it. One thing that especially interests me is how much diseases and the treatment of them have changed. In the earlier centuries, epidemics like cholera and smallpox were sweeping across countries; now they are rarely heard of. Just over the course of about a hundred years, and most of the diseases that were killing thousands of people are now extinct. Another common killer back then could be something as simple as eating bad food. They did not have means of safeguarding food, so things like beef were not monitored. It is amazing to see how far they have come in advancing healthcare. There are many aspects of health care that intrigue me. I’ve always wanted to be a nurse; unfortunately it is very difficult to get into the program. However, if I ever go back to do that, I would want to either do labor and delivery or pediatrics. I have had the privilege of witnessing the birth of one of my nieces and it was the most amazing experience. To be a nurse and being a part of that on a daily basis would be awesome. I also have an extra soft spot for children, which is why pediatrics would also be of interest to me. Life threatening diseases do not only affect adults. I feel that being able to help children would only be helping our future. Since healthcare varies all around the world as far as quality and technology, it is safe to say that there are some positive and negatives based on the demographics. For example, those living in the United States are quite lucky as a whole; we have fairly advanced technology as far as surgery and medicine go. Our hospitals are good, and the doctors are well trained. It is less likely that wide spread epidemics will happen here because of the strict regulations on food and other important factors. Also, since we are modernized, we don’t have to really â€Å"rough it† like some do in third world countries. However, if we narrow it down a lot farther we will discover that there are negatives as well. People in more poverty stricken areas are more likely to have a not so nice hospital and probably not the best doctors. Different parts of the world will also have a different quality care just based on the resources available to them. Many people come to the US just for medical procedures that cannot be done in their country. In my opinion, age also plays a part in healthcare. It almost seems as though the older you get, the less they seem to care. I am not sure if it’s because they figure you are already on your way out and not worth the effort, but based on what I have seen with my grandparents, their quality of care is quite lower. There are many resources available to find more information on the history of health care. I believe the most common would be the internet. Since it has so many options available with just a click of the mouse, it is also the fastest. However, one should be careful about credibility on the internet. Medical journals or government sites are more likely to be accurate, rather than a blog or other online opinionated websites. Another way to do research would be the good old way, a printed resource. Although they are rarely used, medical journals or newspapers from a local library could be another way to get the information you would require about healthcare. Healthcare has changed in many ways, mostly for the good. Patients are more involved with their medical care. The use of the internet is becoming more prevalent, and does not show signs of slowing down. Medicine is evolving for the better and cures for many diseases may soon be on the horizon. With so many things happening at once we cannot forget where it all started and how it will evolve from now. The history of healthcare plays a role in all of this, if not only to remind us where it all began. How to cite The history of health care, Papers