Gender Roles in The Good Earth Essays - O-Lan, The Good Earth

Gender Roles in The Good Earth Essays - O-Lan, The Good Earth Daniel Kang Ms. Menard Honors English 8 13 May 2014 Gender Roles in The Good Earth Pearl S. Buck's opinion about the gender roles of China of the time is plainly written in her texts of The Good Earth. In the book, Wang Lung treats woman differently based on their looks. In the beginning of the story, Wang Lung treats O-lan as an equal because she works and cooks and at that time, that is all that he cared about. Then, after Wang Lung buys the land and becomes very prosperous off of it, he suddenly, as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes, he notices O-lan's ugliness. Lotus on the other hand, is treated a totally different way by Wang Lung. Lotus comes into play when Cuckoo tempts Wang Lung at a teahouse. He adores Lotus and gives her everything she desires in return for her satisfying his lust. Pearl S. Buck shows that beauty ranked a woman not their usefulness. One of the main topics that Pearl S. Buck focuses on in this book is how unfair women were treated. She shows the reader that Wang Lung made a mistake near the end of the book when O-lan dies. Wang Lung is very proud of his sons. Then, he remembers that it was O-lan that gave birth to them. He regrets how he mistreated O-lan. The author does a great job showing the reader the violation of women's rights and how it should be changed. Gender roles play a great role in China during the time period that The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck takes place. Women, were just property in Wang Lung's household. Wang Lung definitely shows favoritism in woman. "He saw for the first time that her hair was rough and brown and unoiled and that her face was large and flat and coarse-skinned, and her features too large altogether and without any sort of beauty or light. Her eyebrows were scattered and the hairs too few, and her lips were too wide, and her hands and feet were large and spreading" (The Good Earth 169). After becoming rich, Wang Lung starts to notice O-lan's ugliness and becomes angry. Treasured by Wang Lung, Lotus satisfies him. Cuckoo, previously a slave in the House of Hwang, said to Wang Lung, "There they are, their pictures. Choose which one you wish to see and put the silver in my hand and I will place her before you" (The Good Earth 176). Wang Lung is tempted into a life of lust by Cuckoo. He meets Lotus and can never stop seeing her. He goes to great lengths to ensure that Lotus is his. He brings her to his house and adores her. The difference between men and women becomes a main focus of the book. Pearl S. Buck wrote this book to signify the importance of gender roles. Wang Lung appreciates O-lan for her sons and as time goes on and he becomes rich, he notices her ugliness and gives his attention to a woman named Lotus. Gender roles play an important part in this book and are signified in the way Wang Lung treats the women in his life.

Biomedical issues Essays

Biomedical issues Essays Biomedical issues Paper Biomedical issues Paper Do parents harm their children when they refuse medical treatment on religious grounds? Yes. I have the opinion that a child belongs to the society and not only to the parent. That is why governments invest in programs such as free education and free medication. In countering illnesses, there has been no particular proof that belief in a supernatural being could heal an ailment. A parent’s refusal to medical treatment on religious grounds is like denying another human being a right to live since children are human beings too. Sloan (2006) points out that there is no proven curative power to a religious belief such as prayer and consequently the use of it as medical treatment negates patient care. Parents have a right to their children but they should not use their authority to deny children their rights. Religion too is part of the humanity but it should not be perceived to be a panacea to life since conventional medicine is also important. Is genetic enhancement an unacceptable use of technology? Yes. From an ethical point of view, genetic enhancement in human being is wrong. My argument is that human traits have to be as diverse as they are- short, tall; fat, thin; tongue rollers and non-rollers; hairy and smooth bodies and so on. Unlike plants and animals that humanity has control over, we do not want women to be â€Å"high producers of milk,† of men to be â€Å"fast growers† like bulls or broilers. The point is that humanity is about talent and intelligence, and for every trait, there is a field where it can be utilized.   Sandel (2007) argued that genetic engineering is subject to the vagaries of trials. The world should not be ready to lose too many parents in an attempt to create a successful clone (Sandel, 2007). Should prisoners be allowed to participate in research? No. Most prisoners in the world are subjected to poor conditions and are vulnerable to mistreatment. The case of Nazi physicians mistreating prisoners supports this. In the 1970s, drug trials were done on prisoners. Yet it is obvious that participants in any research should be volunteers and not forced individuals. Since prisoners are under guard, they have no right to refuse participation and the trials may be done in disguise as medication, which may be harmful. Moreover, successful research should be based on a diverse sample and not individuals held together in a prison cell. Respect for persons involved in research should be applied everywhere including prisons. Only if this is adhered to can the participation of prisoners in research be justified. Should federally funded healthcare be tied to following doctor’s orders? No. such a setting would exploit patients and make medical care unaffordable. The current situation in USA is that there are high costs of treatment and poor outcomes. In spite of this, more attention is given to sudden acute disease conditions at the expense of chronic conditions like cancer that need more attention and additional costs. If doctors were allowed to direct patients on which of two or more similar drugs to buy, patients would end up buying the most expensive drugs. The Medicaid Redesign Proposal in Virginia is an idea that will protect patients from exploitation and inform them on how to handle various kinds of ailments. Should performance-enhancing drugs be banned from sport? Yes. Sport is about competition to prove ability and talent. Users of performance-enhancing drugs gain undue advantage over non-users, but in only the short run. This decimates the essence of sport. In the long run, drugs such as steroids are harmful to the body (Bahrke Yesalis, 2002). REFERENCES Sloan, R P (2006). Blind Faith: The unholy alliance of religion and medicine. New York: Macmillan Sandel, M J. (2007).The case against perfection: Ethics in the age of genetic engineering. Harvard: Harvard University Press Bahrke, M S. Yesalis, C (2002). Performance-enhancing substances in sport and exercise. New York: Human Kinetics,

Course Reflection on Public Speaking Class Essay

Course Reflection on Public Speaking Class - Essay Example To start with, I have gained much confidence when speaking in public. I was always nervous any time I got a chance of speaking in public. The nervousness was evident; right from sweaty palms, cracking the voice and butterflies in the stomach. The nervousness means that I could not be able to communicate efficiently and effectively. This has drastically changed since I joined the public speaking class. I have gained communication skills that can help me develop as a public speaker. In addition, we do a lot of practice of oral presentation and this has really worked on my confidence. In the absence of fear and nervousness, I am able to make convincing presentations. This has been achieved through maintaining eye contacts, use of right language and tone in the speech (Jaffe, 2012). Secondly, the public speaking class has helped me in improving my accent. As a nurse, the effects of accent in communication can lead to detrimental effects. The modification of the accent helps in avoiding miscommunication and even medical errors that might be caused by the accent problem. The course has helped me increase my effectiveness and efficiency in professional and social communication. In essence, my content delivery has greatly improved (Jaffe, 2012). A simple word in communication can mean loss of life or a patient getting the wrong medication. In addition, public speaking skills have given me the confidence to work in any English-speaking country without fear of being misunderstood when communicating verbally. Lastly, the public speaking class has improved my listening skills. Most of the people lack the patience of listening. As a matter of fact, someone once said that the listening skill is a skill that is almost becoming extinct. A nurse must always learn how to listen to his or her patients, the other medical practitioners like the doctors and other colleagues. I have learnt how to become