Virtue ethics Essay Example for Free

Virtue ethics Essay Character-based ethics A right act is the action a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances. Virtue ethics is person rather than action based: it looks at the virtue or moral character of the person carrying out an action, rather than at ethical duties and rules, or the consequences of particular actions. Virtue ethics not only deals with the rightness or wrongness of individual actions, it provides guidance as to the sort of characteristics and behaviours a good person will seek to achieve. In that way, virtue ethics is concerned with the whole of a persons life, rather than particular episodes or actions. A good person is someone who lives virtuously who possesses and lives the virtues. Its a useful theory since human beings are often more interested in assessing the character of another person than they are in assessing the goodness or badness of a particular action. This suggests that the way to build a good society is to help its members to be good people, rather than to use laws and punishments to prevent or deter bad actions. But it wouldnt be helpful if a person had to be a saint to count as virtuous. For virtue theory to be really useful it needs to suggest only a minimum set of characteristics that a person needs to possess in order to be regarded as virtuous. being virtuous is more than having a particular habit of acting, e.g. generosity. Rather, it means having a fundamental set of related virtues that enable a person to live and act morally well. James F Keenan, Proposing Cardinal Virtues, Theological Studies, 1995 Principles Virtue ethics teaches: An action is only right if it is an action that a virtuous person would carry out in the same circumstances. A virtuous person is a person who acts virtuously A person acts virtuously if they possess and live the virtues A virtue is a moral characteristic that a person needs to live well. Most virtue theorists would also insist that the virtuous person is one who acts in a virtuous way as the result of rational thought (rather than, say, instinct). The three questions The modern philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre proposed three questions as being at the heart of moral thinking: Who am I? Who ought I to become? How ought I to get there? Lists of the virtues What would a virtuous person do? Â © Most virtue theorists say that there is a common set of virtues that all human beings would benefit from, rather than different sets for different sorts of people, and that these virtues are natural to mature human beings even if they are hard to acquire. This poses a problem, since lists of virtues from different times in history and different societies show significant differences. The traditional list of cardinal virtues was: Prudence Justice Fortitude / Bravery Temperance The modern theologian James F Keenan suggests: Justice Justice requires us to treat all human beings equally and impartially. Fidelity Fidelity requires that we treat people closer to us with special care. Self-care We each have a unique responsibility to care for ourselves, affectively, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Prudence The prudent person must always consider Justice, Fidelity and Self-care. The prudent person must always look for opportunities to acquire more of the other three virtues Good points of virtue ethics It centres ethics on the person and what it means to be human It includes the whole of a persons life Bad points of virtue ethics it doesnt provide clear guidance on what to do in moral dilemmas although it does provide general guidance on how to be a good person presumably a totally virtuous person would know what to do and we could consider them a suitable role model to guide us there is no general agreement on what the virtues are and it may be that any list of virtues will be relative to the culture in which it is being drawn up.

Reducing the Risk of Transmission of Nosocomial Infections

Reducing the Risk of Transmission of Nosocomial Infections CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The standard precautions (SP), proposed by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1996, are guidelines for reducing the risk of transmission of nosocomial infections in hospitals. It proposes that body fluid, patient blood, secretions, and excrement are infectious, hence preventive measures are necessary to protect both patients and medical personnel. These preventive measures include avoidance of direct contact with patients and air-borne particles, and require hand washing and sterilization, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), the safe disposal of sharp instruments and waste management (Luo, He, Zhou Luo, 2010). 1.1  Background of the Study Standard precautions are specifically designed to reduce the risk of acquiring occupational nosocomial infections from both known and unknown sources in the healthcare setting. Awareness and compliance with these recommendations is crucial for the prevention of occupational nosocomial infections in healthcare personnel and patients (Abdulraheem, Amodu, Saka, Bolarinwa Uthman, 2012). Standard precautions include hand washing; use of personal protective equipment (gloves, gown, cap and mask); care with devices, equipment and clothing used during care; environmental control (surface processing protocols and health service waste handling); adequate discarding of sharp instruments; and patient’s accommodation in accordance to requirement levels as an infection transmission source. Hand hygiene is most important measures among the standard precautions advocated (Abdulraheem et al., 2012). Stringent observations of these measures protect the personnel against blood-borne viruses and to decrease transmission of cross infections among patients (Atif et al., 2013). Nurses are the group of health care providers with the most direct contact with patients while providing care. Therefore, nurses’ adherence to infection prevention precautions would have a profound effect on reducing nosocomial infection rates (Al-Hussami Darawad, 2013). The causal agents that bring infections are transmitted mainly by hands, after failure to comply with hygiene procedures. Hand washing is considered the most important measure in preventing infections. However, according to Jusot et al. (2004), in their study in the southeast of France, compliance of healthcare workers (HCWs) with SP was variable and often poor. In terms of knowledge, Chan et al. (2002) reported that in Hong Kong, nurses’ knowledge on SP was inadequate, in terms of applying precautions inappropriately and inadequately. In addition, Abdulraheem et al. (2012) in their study that conducted at North Eastern Nigeria also found that only a very small proportion of HCWs had a good knowledge o n SP. Different epidemiological characteristics of nosocomial infection in children results from the specificities of anatomy, physiology, medical conditions, therapeutic and surgical conditions and type of pathogens in pediatric populations. Besides that, the pediatric-hospitalized population is very heterogeneous, varying in age, diagnosis, and underlying illness, ranging from infants with congenital anomalies to adolescents with multiple traumas. Consequently, even patients admitted to the same ward pose a different risk for hospital-acquired infections (Lopes et al., 2006). Pediatric cancer patients have an increased risk of potentially life-threatening infectious complications due to their underlying illnesses and intensive anticancer treatment (Simon et al., 2008). Thus, SP are very crucial in preventing these nosocomial infections. It is clear that SP reduces the extent to which HCWs exposed to the blood of others, and, presumably, this in turn reduces their risk of occupational infections with blood borne pathogens. Although it has been routinely practiced in high-income countries for a long time, it is hard to achieve full compliance. Noncompliance has been associated with a range of factors, which include lack of knowledge, interference with work skills, risk perception, not wanting to offend patients, lack of equipment and time, uncomfortable PPE, inconvenience, work stress, and perceiving a weak organizational commitment to safety climate (Kermode et al., 2005). 1.2  Problem Statement The reality of adopting SP within the hospital setting is far from what is recommended and had proved to be somewhat problematic (Gammon Gould, 2005). Efstathoiu, Papastavrou, Raftopoulos and Merkouris (2011) also reported that adherence with SP among nurses in Cyprus in order to avoid exposure to microorganisms was low. More specifically, compliance was found insufficient regarding hand hygiene guidelines, use of gloves when exposure to body fluids was anticipated, eye protection, mouth and nose protection (mask use), wearing a gown when required, avoid recapping the needle after it was used for a patient, and provision of care considering all patients as potentially infectious. According to Gammon, Samuel and Gould (2008), in United Kingdom, staff compliance to SP was generally deficient, and practice interventions to improve adherence were generally limited in their effect. Hospital acquired infections (HAI) or nosocomial infections (NI), which pose a serious problem, threatening the health and safety of patients and medical personnel worldwide due to poor compliance towards SP. Nosocomial infections, defined as those occurring within 48 hours of hospital admission, three days of discharge or 30 days of an operation, affect one in every ten patients admitted to hospital. These infections affect the quality of medical care and increase medical care costs (Inweregbu, Dave Pittard, 2005). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2009), hundreds of millions of patients develop HAI around the globe every year and as many as 1.4 million cases occur in hospitals alone each day. In pediatric setting, HCWs always assumed that children are low-risk patients. Although it was acknowledged that the children can also carry contagious diseases, but they often do not implement SP (Efstathoiu et al., 2011). Nosocomial infections are a crucial clinical complication in adult and children patients at the different hospital wards worldwide. Nosocomial infections bring considerable morbidity and mortality associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased health care costs (Nagliate, Nogueira, Godoy Mendes, 2013). Kinnula et al. (2012) in their study at Finland and Switzerland found that 8.4% of children in a ward for pediatric infectious diseases acquired a viral HAI during their hospitalization, although only 13% of the HAIs manifested themselves during hospitalization, the majority, 87%, occurring after discharge. So, from here can be proved that, SP are very important to be implemented in the clinical settings. Without these measures, NI will occur. For Hospital USM, pediatric oncology ward, 6 Utara (6U) showed the highest rate of NI if compared to others pediatric ward (Unit Kawalan Jangkitan Epidemiologi Hospital, 2013). This may be due to the low immune system of those children. Pediatric cancer patients are at an increased risk for specific HAI. These adverse events can result not only in significant morbidity and mortality, but also in an increased expenditure of limited financial and personnel resources (Simon et al., 2008). According to Unit Kawalan Jangkitan Epidemiologi Hospital (2013), the average NI occurred per month from August 2012 to August 2013 was 3 cases, which contributed to 4.62% of total admission of the patient. This was quite a high number. Thus, interventions should be taken to investigate the compliance level of the pediatric nurses towards SP and thus to reduce the infection rates. Table 1.2.1 Total nosocomial infection occurred per month at 6Ufrom August 2012 to August 2013 (Source: Unit Kawalan Jangkitan Epidemiologi Hospital, 2013) Date Total NI Total no. of admission Total % of admission in ward August 2012 4 58 6.89 September 2012 3 47 6.38 October 2012 2 82 2.45 November 2012 0 50 0 December 2012 1 74 1.35 January 2013 2 65 3.0 February 2013 5 60 8.33 March 2013 3 62 4.84 April 2013 2 65 3.06 May 2013 4 71 5.6 June 2013 3 67 4.4 July 2013 1 76 1.31 August 2013 4 67 5.97 AVERAGE 3 65 4.62 Guidelines or policies that guide an individual’s behavior exist in a variety of settings (including health care settings), but people do not always comply with them. In order to explain and understand the factors that influence an individual’s adherence with certain guidelines, which consequently may bring to the adoption of certain behavior, a number of conceptual models or theories had been developed (Efstathiou et al., 2011). Conceptual framework that used in this study in explaining the knowledge and compliance towards SP among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM was adapted from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by Ajzen (1991). The TPB provides a model that has potential benefits for predicting the intention to perform a behavior based on an individual’s attitudinal, normative beliefs and perceived behavioral control. As for this study, the knowledge on SP, self-efficacy (attitude), awareness on the importance of standard operating procedures (SOPs), and some individual factors of nurses will influence their practice towards SP in healthcare setting. 1.3  Research Objectives 1.3.1  General Objective The general aim of this study is to identify the knowledge and compliance towards standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (Hospital USM). 1.3.2  Specific Objectives To identify the level of knowledge regarding standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. To identify the level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. To determine the association between selected socio-demographic data (working ward, clinical working experience in years and highest nursing educational level) and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. To determine the association between levels of knowledge regarding standard precautions and level of compliance among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. To determine the association between self-efficacy and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. 1.4  Research Questions What is the level of knowledge regarding standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM? What is the compliance level among pediatric nurses towards the application of standard precautions in the pediatric ward at Hospital USM? Is there any association between working ward and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM? Is there any association between clinical working experience in years and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM? Is there any association between highest nursing educational level and level of compliance towards standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM? Is there any association between level of knowledge regarding standard precautions and level of compliance among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM? Is there any association between self-efficacy and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM? Research Hypothesis 1.5.1 Hypothesis 1 HO: There is no significant association between working ward and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. HA: There is a significant association between working ward and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. 1.5.2 Hypothesis 2 HO: There is no significant association between clinical working experiences in years and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. HA: There is a significant association between clinical working experiences in years and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. 1.5.3 Hypothesis 3 HO: There is no significant association between highest nursing educational level and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. HA: There is a significant association between highest nursing educational level and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. 1.5.4 Hypothesis 4 HO: There is no significant association between level of knowledge and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. HA: There is a significant association between level of knowledge and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. 1.5.5 Hypothesis 5 HO: There is no significant association between self-efficacy and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. HA: There is a significant association between self-efficacy and level of compliance with standard precautions among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM. 1.6  Definition of Operational Terms Knowledge Knowledge is defined as the level or degree of information acquired in a particular field. It is a basic requirement so that the positive changes in behavior can be developed. Knowledge can further bring into awareness and in turn leads to action. To develop nursing knowledge, it comes from both theoretical and practice perspectives. By gaining knowledge, it raises awareness of personal and professional accountability and the dilemmas of practice (Ndikom Onibokun, 2007). In this research, it was referred to the knowledge regarding SP and its application. Compliance Compliance is defined as the extent to which certain behavior (for example, following physician’s orders or implementing healthier lifestyles) is in accordance with the physicians’ instructions or health care advice. It can be influenced or controlled by a variety of factors such as culture, economic and social factors, self-efficacy, and lack of knowledge or means (Efstathiou et al., 2011). In this research, it was referred to compliance or adherence towards SP to prevent NI. Standard precautions The standard precautions are defined as guidelines to reduce the risk of transmission of blood-borne and other pathogens in hospitals. It proposes that body fluid, patient blood, secretions, and excrement are infectious. Hence these measures are necessary to protect both patients and HCWs (Luo et al., 2010). Standard precautions include hand washing; use of personal protective equipment (e.g., gloves, gown, cap, mask); care with devices, equipment and clothing used dur ­ing care; environmental control (e.g., sur ­face processing protocols, health service waste handling); and adequate discarding of sharp instruments including needles (Vaz et al., 2010). In this research, SP referred to those policies that protect patient and HCWs such as hand washing, use of PPE, safe sharp disposal and waste management. Nosocomial Infections Nosocomial infections are defined as infections that occur within 48 hours of hospital admission, three days of discharge or 30 days of an operation (Inweregbu, Dave Pittard, 2005). In my research, it was referred to the infections that acquired within the period of hospitalization. Self-efficacy Self-efficacy is defined as the confidence to control and guide one’s own activities. General self-efficacy is a general confidence when the individual deals with changeable environments and faces new experiences (Luo et al., 2010). In this research, it was referred to the self confidence in implementing SP to prevent NI. 1.7  Significance of the Study Nosocomial infections control requires a combination of interventions, including knowledge about the use of SP, rational use of antimicrobials, hand washing and compliance with SP and manuals for prevention and controlling microorganisms. Health professionals’ low compliance with and difficulties to use SP had been demonstrated in some research though (Efstathiou et al., 2011; Luo et al., 2010). Hence, in view of application and even compliance failures that compromised patient and professional safety (Sax, Uckay, Richet, Allegranzi Pittet, 2007), it is necessary to assess nurses’ knowledge and compliance about SP (Nagliate et al., 2013). By assessing the knowledge and compliance level toward SP among the nurses, interventions could be taken to improve the quality of health care services as well as provide a holistic nursing care to reduce the morbidity and mortality worldwide. In order to reduce HAI and protect the health of patients and HCWs, the relevant authorities and hospital infection control departments should pay more attention to nurse compliance towards SP, strengthen SP training, and provide sufficient practical PPE. Through learning, the attainment of knowledge and skills, and the formation of health beliefs and attitudes, health activity habits can be formed. Only when individuals are familiar with the content and meanings of the SP, with strengthening of the individual’s health concepts, can individual practice change so as to improve compliance with SP. For nurses, the study on adherence towards SP and factors impacting compliancy should be strengthened in order to improve concepts of health and self-efficacy, to increase compliance with the SP and hence reduce the chances of NI (Luo et al., 2010). The reason that the researcher wished to conduct this research was because from the researcher’s observation during clinical posting, it was observed that, the nurses often neglected the importance of SP. For example, they did not apply the proper ways in implementing SP, some even did not adhere to it at all due to time saving and other reasons. On the other hand, the reason that this study been conducted at pediatric ward was because children is having low immunity if compared to adults, they are at high risk of acquiring NI, so the implementation of SP is very important to ensure a quality health care. In addition, no research on the knowledge and compliance towards SP had been done at Hospital USM before this. Thus, this study is crucial to assess the knowledge and compliance level towards SP among pediatric nurses at Hospital USM to provide a preliminary data that is crucial for the hospital. This study can provide a better insight into the magnitude of the problem of infection control in this hospital. By knowing all these, interventions can be taken if the knowledge and compliance level are disappointing to increase the knowledge and compliance towards SP among the pediatric nurses to reduce the morbidity and mortality rate.

Legend of Corn :: Free Essays

Chippewa is a small Native American group live up north. Their whole life of living is base on raising corn, hunting, fishing and tobacco is self entertainment. One day, they found a baby near the shore next to the canoe; they don’t know where the baby comes from but the kindness heart run in their blood, they decide to raise the baby. They also believe, in order to raise to a fine young man, everyone in the village must look after him, teach him how to be one good man. They gave the baby to grandma, and also his mother, as the primarily be on his side. Zhomin, the new baby, they teach him how to swim, how to hunt animal, how to be a fisherman, paddle the canoe, accept your mistake and learn from it, listen to the elder. The boy did everything as his elder tell him too. At night he always begs his mother tell story, he wants to know everything. As day gone by, the boy grow to be a man, his mother now is too old, she dying. His mother belief in supernatural and she is a sacred person, not just an ordinary mother, she knows what will happen in the future, like all other elders in the village they know something that most people don’t. Before she dies she told Zhomin, an outsider will come to this village and look for you, you will do what he wants you to do, never reject. An outsider, Mandabin comes to the village to look for hero in the village to challenge. Zhomin must meets his destiny, must accept Mandabin challenge, that’s his mother moral code. They fight night by nights, at last, Mandabin has come to his last breath, he told Zhomin bury him next to his mother as his final request. Zhomin buried Mandabin next to his mother and accept Mandabin as his friend, he light the fires up four days and nights to pray his friend.

How Shall We Care for Our Frail Elders? :: essays research papers fc

How Can We Best Care for our Frail Elders?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The issue of what constitutes â€Å"best† care for the elderly is not easily identified nor readily defined. There are widely differing points of view, each with its own strengths and limitations. In addition, arguments are often full of bias and assumptions, making it even more challenging to form an intelligent opinion regarding this difficult problem. Differing points of view provide a variety of evidence, biases, and assumptions to be examined and interpreted before coming to a personal conclusion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alan Sager, an associate professor at Boston University’s School of Medicine, is in favor of a national health insurance policy that guarantees â€Å"quality health care for everyone† (Sager, 152). He insists that the government already spends enough to provide health care coverage for every citizen (Sager, 153). He presents a four-part plan with health care for all with no out-of-pocket expenses, financially neutral physicians and health-care professionals, hospitals operating on limited budgets, and freedom for each individual to choose a caregiver (Sager, 157). Sager provides many specific percentages, dollar amounts, and population numbers to supply supporting evidence. However, his attacks on Medicare distract from his proposed plan. (Sager, 155).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard Lamm, former governor of Colorado and current professor at the University of Denver, asks some difficult questions as he challenges the priorities in our current health care system where â€Å"we spend too much money on high-technology care for a few and too little on basic health care for the many† (Lamm, 160). He also carefully cites percentages and population figures in his evidence statements. However, Lamm’s biases weaken his argument drastically. He over-uses â€Å"hot† adjectives and draws parallels that do not represent evidence but rather pull at the readers’ emotions (‘pain-racked existence,† â€Å"spend fantastic amounts,† â€Å"small chance of survival,† â€Å"over treating our sick and under educating our kids† (Lamm, 159-160).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The complexities of this situation run deep. There are no simple answers or one-time, one-size-fits-all solutions. There is not one correct answer. Some of the reasons for many of the uncertainties that cause this problem to be so complex are: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Extreme measures are being taken to extend the lifetime of very old people 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sometimes when life is extended the quality of life may be severely reduced 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People with Alzheimer’s and Dementia are no longer fully aware of their surroundings 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The elderly have already lived for decades 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Opinions about the sanctify of life vary widely. Once an open-ended problem has been identified, the solutions offered must be examined for bias, assumptions, and objections.

Early History of South Africa: A Climatological Case Study Essay

Early History of South Africa: A Climatological Case Study The early history of Cape Town shares little with the experience of the rest of Africa. The patterns of colonization and the relationship between black Africans and nationalized Europeans are unique to the area. The timing and speed of settlement were possible only because of the local disease environment. The system of racial interaction, a system of Aparthide unique to the area, acted differently than other systems because of farming patterns dictated by the fertility of the land. The above are instances of the apparent adaptation of South African cultural development to its climate environment. They show the history and culture of the area are inseparable aspects of the climate in which they formed. Once the Portuguese had made the trip around the horn of Africa and had started to trade with the Indian Ocean world it was clear that a port capable of re-supplying and repairing the trading ships was necessary. Towns sprang to life up and down the West African coast, their numbers increasing as other European powers began to claim their share of the trade with India. In most of these towns, European mortality was horrendous. Even England, notorious for colonizing with Criminals, did not send its prisoners to the West African coast for long. Malaria and other African diseases killed them as effectively as a hangman’s noose. But there was one glaring anomaly: Cape Town. Here, Europeans could survive. The reason had everything to do with Climate. One of the biggest causes of European mortality was Malaria. A parasitic disease carried by mosquitoes, Malaria has a high mortality rate among first exposure victims. Even today, it is the fourth most common cause for c... ..., settlements remained small and ineffectual. The African natives were able to maintain their own lifestyles, and the Europeans were prevented from expanding. This was not the case in South Africa, where insufficient rainfall forced the population to spread out and interact with the natives to such an extent as to alter their language. The divisions this interaction created were not easily thrown aside, and have persisted to modern times. Without the knowledge of the climate of the area, there would be no explanation for the unique nature of South African culture. Climate dictated the development of this culture. Works Cited: 1 http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/facts.htm 2 http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/distribution_epi/distribution.htm 3 http://cybercapetown.com/CapeTown/climate.php 4 http://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/DisplayIntlNORMS.asp?CityCode=68816&Units=both

Hector Hugh Munro †Tea Analysis Essay

The text under analysis is written by Hector Hugh Munro, better known by the pen name Saki, was a British writer, whose witty and sometimes macabre[] stories satirized Edwardian [] society and culture. He is considered to be a master of the short story and is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. In this story we learn about a young man James Cushat-Prinkly. He decides to marry and his relatives approve this idea. They find marriageable girl named Joan Sebastable. However, he marries another girl, whose name is Rhoda Ellam. The text is written in 3rd person narration. There are both types of sentences – simple and composite. Composite are used to show that the story is about people from high society. And shorts are used when the main character`s thoughts are described. The main character in this story is James Cushat-Prinkly. He is described indirectly as we know what kind of person he is through his behavior and through his thoughts. He does things as a person of his society should do. So, he thinks that he should marry but he is not so interested in it. We can see his point at it here: â€Å"James Cushat-Prinkly was a young man who had always had a settled conviction that one of these days he would marry; up to the age of thirty-four he had done nothing to justify that conviction.† He liked women but â€Å"without singling out†. His lack of initiative shows us that he doesn`t really want to marry. His relatives really worry for this situation: â€Å"His lack of initiative in this matter aroused a certain amount of impatience among the sentimentally-minded women-folk of his home circle†. His mother, sisters and others are presented as a collective body that is not satisfied by this state. The author calls James`s delay dilatory approach which is a very subtle irony. â€Å"Married state† is one more interesting thing. Munro calls marriage as â€Å"married state† using periphrasis to show that it was very delicate business for all of them. It is said that all his sisters and aunts regarded his approac h â€Å"with a disapproval that was far from being inarticulate†. This is a litotes that creates an understatement. It identify them as people from high society that`s why bookish words are used. The following part of the sentence: â€Å"His most innocent flirtations were watched with the straining eagerness† proves us that even his sisters were much more interested in his marriage. The author describes his sisters with the help of words: â€Å"walk-beseeching dog-eyes†. He compares women with dogs who are very loyal and love their masters very much. With the help of metaphor Munro  displays women`s position in the society. â€Å"Decent-souled† is an epithet that is employed to describe a noble person from high society. The author uses periphrasis again by calling James mortal. It creates the atmosphere of the high society again. The whole phrase â€Å"pleading of several pairs of walk-beseeching dog-eyes† is a good example of periphrasis. The choice of words shows social order and conviction of people of that time. â €Å"Enamoured of some nice marriageable girl† is one more periphrasis for marriage. This word is avoided through the whole story as the characters really afraid to call it so. In this part of sentence: â€Å"When his Uncle Jules departed this life† departed his life is an euphemism. The characters avoid even saying the word â€Å"marriage† so they don`t pronounce such words like â€Å"dead† or â€Å"death†. They avoid them too. â€Å"Comfortable little legacy† is an epithet depicting us that he got rather good heritage but they talk about it in a modest way. â€Å"Discovering someone to share it with him† – it is one more periphrasis for marriage. Also here we see reasoning of marriage – if someone has money why not to marry? In the next sentence we come across morphological repetition: â€Å"The process of discovery was carried† to accentuate again avoiding the word â€Å"marriage†. We can notice that he plays passive role in this situation: â€Å"The process of discovery was carried on more by the force of suggestion and the weight of public opinion than by any initiative of his own†. He just goes with the streams. â€Å"The weight of public opinion† which is a metonymy shows again th at he hasn`t got any initiative. â€Å"A clear working majority† is a periphrasis too that shows us that even he is grown up he still can`t take the decisions. After the future wife for James was chosen, marriage is started to be called so – â€Å"to whom he might propose marriage†. It means that there are no excuses for avoiding it as the choice is already taken. James is really afraid of ordinary way of life. We can see it here: â€Å"the prescribed stages of congratulations, present-receiving, Norwegian or Mediterranean hotels, and eventual domesticity.† It is the chronological order for life stages and he doesn`t like it at all. â€Å"It was necessary however to ask the lady what she thought about the matter† – through irony the author shows us that the question of marriage for James was like some business and also it seemed to him to be the solved problem. â€Å"Individual effort† which is a metonymy accentuate one more time on his lack of initiative. It says tha t now he has to do  something. â€Å"As the thing was going to be done he was glad to feel that he was going to get it settled and off his mind that afternoon.† Again we come across periphrasis. Now thing means proposal. However, later he calls it by its name because submits it – â€Å"Proposing marriage, even to a nice girl like Joan, was a rather irksome business†. He calls marriage and proposing it irksome business so he has some business-like attitude to it. The usage of the word â€Å"preliminary† proves his attitude as it refers to the business semantic field. Also while he was going to his future wife he thinks not about proposal – â€Å"He wondered what Minorca was really like as a place to stop in; in his mind’s eye it was an island in perpetual half-mourning, with black or white Minorca hens running all over it.† It one more time shows that he is not interested in proposal at all. While he was thinking about that island â€Å"His Mediterranean musings were interrupted by the sound of a clock striking the half-hour.† His thoughts are called musings. The choice of bookish word is explained by his belonging to high society. We see the next very short sentence: â€Å"Half past four†. It is a detachment, elliptical sentence to show that the time for proposal is coming. That moment he felt unhappy: â€Å"A frown of dissatisfaction settled on his face.† It proves one more time how much he is not interested in that marriage. He imagines ho he would come to her place. Even now he doesn`t imagine the girl he thinks about place: â€Å"He would arrive at the Sebastable mansion just at the hour of afternoon tea†. He compares her voice with sound of cups: â€Å"her voice would tinkle pleasantly†. The word tinkle is used only when we are talking about things but not people. Here it is used to show that all this tea ceremony was senseless for James. He is mad because of that typical for such occasions questions like: â€Å"Is it one lump? I forgot. You do take milk, don’t you? Would you like some more hot water, if it’s too strong?†The next paragraph opens with gradation: â€Å"Cushat-Prinkly had read of such things in scores of novels, and hundreds of actual experiences had told him that they were true to life.† It is kind of hopelessness. â€Å"solemn afternoon hour† which is epithet makes the same effect. He calls question of women little. However, for him those questions are senseless. He would prefer women sitting on divan. Divan – is Turkish borrowing. For him if is some kind of symbol of freedom from these ceremonies. â€Å"Now, as he passed through a tangle of small streets that led indirectly to the elegant Mayfair terrace for  which he was bound, a horror at the idea of confronting Joan Sebastable at her tea-table seized on him†. In this sentence we can see that he doesn`t see distinct aim – â€Å"tangle of small streets†. It is a metaphor. Also he thinks about place not about the woman whom he is going to meet there. We see it when he pay attention to it – elegant Mayfair. The ceremony scares him so much: â€Å"a horror at the idea of confronting Joan Sebastable at her tea-table seized on him†. The horror is metonymy here. However he got deliverance and he comes to Rhoda, to his remote cousin. He looks at her only from the business-like side. She doesn`t ask him a lot of questions about his tea and he pays attention on that contrast between her and other women: â€Å"She made no other allusion to food, but talked amusingly and made her visitor talk amusingly too.† The repetition of the word â€Å"amusingly† accentuate this contrast. â€Å"Cushat-Prinkly found that he was enjoying an excellent tea without having to answer as many questions about it as a Minister for Agriculture might be called on to reply to during an outbreak of cattle plague†. He compares these questions with questions to a Minister. So simile here show that he doesn`t want to answer them. Finally, he marries Rhoda. And we see that everything ends with tea ceremony again – There was a pleasant tinkling note in her voice as she handed him a cup. â€Å"You like it weaker than that, don’t you? Shall I put some more hot water to it? No?† Climax in this story can be observed in the part when his sisters accept his cho ice. The message of the story is in the desire of James to lead another life not ordinary one. It makes us think about life itself, about the definition of happiness. It is some kind of image of happiness in society but the author makes us think that maybe we shouldn`t be the same as other. The story made me smiling and sad at the same moment. Smiling as it finishes a little bit ironically. He finally gets right that situation that he was afraid of. However, it also makes me sad as I begin to think about things that are told to make us happy but actually don`t. All the people are different and everyone need to find something suiting especially to him or to her.

Сhaucer’s Use Of Biblical Material In ‘The Miller’s Tale’

The biblical references and implications in ‘The Miller's Tale' mockingly inter-relate the tale's sexual and vulgar content and its religious elements. It is a parody on and critique of the Church, mocking all sacred: the stories from the Bible, the saints, even the Holy Family. The ‘dronken' miller commences his tale in ‘Pilates voys', implying that the story will be condemning Christianity, since Pilates, according to the Bible, has condemned Jesus with his words. As the scholar clerk Nicholas and parish clerk Absolon represent St. Nicholas and Absalom, Son of David, miller sinfully compares two saints with two lustful and immoral men, who are concerned more with secular than the spiritual matters. Since carpenter John metaphorically represents Joseph and Noah, and his young wife Alison therefore represents Virgin Mary and Noah's wife, the miller this time immorally correlates Joseph/Noah and Virgin Mary/Noah's wife with a madman and a promiscuous, sly wife, when the Church forbids promiscuous behavior and implies that mad behavior is associated with the Satan. Further religious mocking is portrayed by the actions of Nicholas in the tale, as he does exact the opposite of what St. Nicholas did. While St. Nicholas was very zealous in his efforts to maintain ecclesiastical discipline and honor, especially in relation to the marriage laws, Nicholas the clerk has no concern for honor and respect toward marriage, as he is successfully pursuing a married woman. When one Countess left her husband for a paramour, St. Nicholas commanded that she should be excommunicated unless she returned to her husband. Nicholas in ‘The Miller's Tale', however, is even using religion to break the sanctity of marriage and influencing Alison to commit adultery, a sin. Nicholas, the clerk, invokes and manipulates the biblical story of Noah and the flood to convince the ignorant carpenter John of the impending flood, and further advance his own plan to sleep with Alison. By using his knowledge and religious references to invoke authority, Nicholas is successful in his deception, since the carpenter does not doubt the teaching of the Church. Furthermore, Nicholas hypocritically tells John that he and Alison must abstain from sleeping together because they will be awaiting God's grace. John believes everything Nicholas says; even that Nicholas is so knowledgeable that he knows God's business. John's knowledge, on the other hand, is limited, as he does not know there was no mention of Second Flood in the Bible, or that Noah built only one boat, not an additional one for his wife, nor does he know much about Noah's Arc, as his confusion of ‘Noees flood' and ‘Noweles flood' (line 710) shows. Carpenter John then agrees to make three boats, so that his wife Alison, Nicholas and John himself can be saved from the flood. Although Nicholas presents the story of Noah's flood as very similar to the story in the Bible, frequently calling upon ‘Goddes privetee' and ‘Goddess grace' to validate his reasoning, the story he tells contrasts greatly the story in the Bible. The original story helps to explain the power and compassion of God, since God sent Noah the flood because man had become corrupt and lecherous. These same sins are causing this fake ‘flood', thus strengthening Satan, and this time the plan is Nicholas'. In this way, Nicholas uses the sacredness of religion to pursue his private erotic-aesthetic sensual pleasures, with no sacredness attached; therefore he almost embodies Satan. Bible is degraded, in this way, being portrayed as only a tale book, one of many texts which can be played with and rewritten. Although the carpenter shows genuine fear of the flood and says it's not men's business to know about God's secret affairs, suggesting he respects and fears the power of God, by placing his complete trust in Nicholas, embodiment of Satan, he destroys his own piety. Like a joke on God, Nicholas does know God's secret affairs and what the future will bring. Nicholas further states that his plan will work because a clerk can fool a carpenter any day – a class distinction and condescension in contrast with the teachings of the Church. The entire scene encompasses several sins. First, the whole story is a lie and thus a sin. Lust, another sin, serves as the driving force behind this lie. Finally, Nicholas and Alison's intercourse out-of-wedlock for pleasure serves as the sinful result of the story. The miller therefore contorts the most holy image of Noah into a dreadful satanic scene of the tale. The fact that a man such as Nicholas sings ‘Angelus ad Virgenum' is itself mocking of the Church. Carpenter John's wife Alison portrays promiscuous behavior almost continuously throughout the tale; from the sinful encounter with Nicholas, agreement to deceit her husband to her indulge in adultery. When Nicholas tells her to sleep with him immediately, or he will ‘spille' (l. 170) so ‘God [him] save', it is another pun on religion as this ‘spille' could perhaps mean ‘waste the seed', God forbid, as opposed to depositing it with Alison's ‘mercy' (180). Right after she and Nicholas made a plan how to arrange their next adulterous encounter, Alison goes to church, juxtaposing the profane and the sacred in the same way. She is further sarcastically characterized by her name, as in Old English and German it means ‘honest', ‘noble' and most, or least, of all ‘holy'. After her husband tells her of the evacuation plan, Alison tells John she is his faithful wife – something he accepts and believes as a word of God, and John follows Nicholas' instructions just as Noah obeyed God even though everyone laughed at him. While John sleeps in the boat, Alison and Nicholas are in the bedroom until the morning church bells ring. The reference to the couple's intercourse in the same breath as the church bells is meant to perhaps show that man's plans sometimes unintentionally mirror God's order, or that their time in the bedroom ‘is up'. Their ‘doings' in the bedroom are even compared to ‘revel and melodye', music in God's praise, further mocking the Church. Absolon, who represents Absalom, Son of David, is a parish clerk who spends much time in taverns and looking at and flirting with other women, especially Alison. The miller suggests that this irreverent priest only performs his duties to engage in other secular, sinful practices. As a religious pun, Absolon in the tale has a ‘natural attraction' to women and all things secular, while Absalom, Son of David, was known for his ‘unnatural revolt'. By pursuing Alison, Absolon clearly shows that he has no intention of keeping his vow of chastity. It is emphasized that Absolon is combing his hair before going out, which is an added joke to confirm whom he represents, since Absalom, the Son of David, was also famous for his luxurious hair. Absolon knows that Alison has a husband, for she wears a head covering typical of married women, but he ignores this fact and lusts after her anyway, making his pursuit even more sinful. The head-coverings of the married women were designed to protect their hair, which St. Paul had deemed as holy. However, even this holy image is twisted into that of Satan later on in the tale. Absolon them goes to Alison's house, believing she is alone, and performs a parody of a morning prayer, asking for Alison's grace and mercy instead of God's. When he asks for her kiss, he kisses ‘beard' and realizes it was her pubic hair. In this way, Alison's pubic hair corrupts the holy hair image, because she uses it to conduct a dirty, sexual joke to combat the lustful longings of Absolon. Her ‘beard' is also perpetrated against, so it presents another pun on the holy hair image. Having vowed revenge, Absolon comes back to Alison's house with a hot ‘colter' (plowshare), which is a backward use of the Biblical adage turning swords into plowshares. Nicholas gets his punishment, and as he screams, word ‘water' triggers the double action of John cutting the rope that suspends his tub as he thinks the flood came, and Nicholas acting to soothe his pain. While the Church (Catholic Church, Jewish synagogue, etc. ) teaches respect for authority, ultimately invested in God, the Father, to whom the Jesus, the Son, submits, it regards adultery as a mortal sin, and teaches prudence and severe restraint in sexual matters. ‘The Miller's Tale' is the opposite, as the father figure, John, is overthrown by youth, Nicholas, and ironically, by the invocation of God's authority. From a pious point of view, this story laughs at the belief that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps the miller is insinuating that Jesus was conceived by Mary's unfaithfulness to Joseph, not by any Holy Spirit. As an added pun, if Absolon also symbolizes the worshippers, as he worships Alison, then the wind Nicholas passes in Absolon's face is the award for any pilgrim, worshipping ‘true' beliefs in the Holy Tale of Conception and Sanctity. The miller further implies that Church's preaching against greed, blasphemy, gluttony, adultery and all things related to the Satan is hypocritical, as he parodies the sacred discipline and Church by showing characters representing the Church, behaving in all the forbidden and blasphemous manners.