MORPHINE Essay -- essays research papers fc

MORPHINE Morphine is a narcotic analgesic drug, which means that it is a downer painkiller. It is most commonly given intravenously (by injection) for more rapid results, but it can also effectively be given orally. It has a remarkable ability to reduce physical distress, and its calming effect protects against exhaustion in traumatic shock, internal hemorrhage, and several other conditions. This drug is truly a miracle worker. Morphine is an opiate, coming from the poppy seed. It was first isolated from opium in 1803 (some sources say 1806) by the German pharmacist F. W. A. Serturner, who named it after Morpheus, the god of dreams. Morphine was first used as a painkiller, and mistakenly, as a cure for opium addiction. Morphine quickly replaced opium as a cure-all recommended by doctors, not to mention its popularity as a recreational drug. The exchange of morphine addiction for that of alcohol was considered positive for the reason that alcohol was harder on the body, and more likely to trigger antisocial behavior. By the time heroin was discovered in 1874, morphine had already addicted hundreds of thousands of people. Soon heroin found its way to the level of morphine and codeine. Since the practice of selling patent medicines had no regulation until 1906, with the Pure Food and Drug Act, it was common to simply mail order any of these drugs. Morphine played a part in the American Civil War as well. Not only was it commonly the companion of a soldier injured on the fiel...

Compare how love is presented in three poems in the Poetry Anthology Essay

Plena Timoris by Thomas Hardy, Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe and Piano by D. H. Lawrence are all poems that explore the theme of love, although they may seem very different at first glance. Plena Timoris tells of two young lovers’ relationship as it ends, while Refugee Mother and Child shows the strong bond between a mother and her child and Piano takes the poet down the road of remembrance into his childhood. As many readers would know, love can be a painful thing. However, the first stanza of Plena Timoris portrays a seemingly perfect and flawless love of a man and woman. The poet constructs the setting to be that of a typical love poem by using the images of â€Å"parapet-stone† and â€Å"the moon in its southing directly blent / its silver with their environment†, the moon being a symbol of romance and secret meetings with lovers in the 19th century, the time of the poem. The alliteration of the â€Å"l† sound in â€Å"lovers looked† and â€Å"laughed and leant† suggests that the lovers are harmonious and at one with each other and their surroundings as the â€Å"l† sound is one that is soft, smooth, flowing and not at all abrupt. The image of â€Å"his arm around her† shows the sense of security within their relationship, the regular rhyme scheme of ABBAB and the regular structure of four stanzas of five lines, adding to this security, comfort and predictability. This very positive portrayal of love convinces the reader to pursue love as love is shown as achievable perfection and therefore links love to perfection. Refugee Mother and Child illustrates a different type of love: the affections of a mother for her child. The poet alludes to the recognized image of the Madonna and Child to show the eternal love of a mother for her child and that this love is universal whether it is between the Madonna and Child or a refugee and her son. The poet also implies his thoughts on how the love of the refugee for her child is greater and more tender than the love of the Madonna as the refugee is in a very bleak situation. This greater love is shown by â€Å"no Madonna could touch that picture of a mother’s tenderness.† The purity and strength of the mother’s love is shown through the synaesthia â€Å"singing in her eyes†, symbolising the hope and pride of the mother despite the bleak circumstance. Positive phrases and nouns, such as â€Å"pride† and â€Å"flowers†, are scarce in the poem, causing them to stand out even more against the many negative phrases. This contrast makes the good seem better than it is, and the impact that these nouns have is made stronger and stronger as the poem goes on. Piano, on the poet’s close relationship with his mother is another positive portrayal of love between a mother and her child. However, it is shown in a different perspective in that it is from the perspective of the child. The sibilance in â€Å"smiles as she sings† helps to replicate the calm and relaxed atmosphere of â€Å"the cosy parlour† and the warm affections of the mother and child. This is added to by â€Å"the heart of me weeps to belong† as the heart is where deep feelings are said to originate and belong. It also emphasises that the mother is the emotional heart of the poet’s childhood, as she is of Piano. It is obvious that there is a strong bond between the poet and his mother, and this sense of security and predictability is heightened by the regular rhyme scheme of AABB, which is a reminder of the patterns of melody in music, and the constant structure of four lines in each stanza. To me though, the sense of security that the poet felt at home is surprising, given that his childhood was overshadowed by negativities, such as his father who was a heavy drinker. However, this serves only to further communicate the poet’s love for his mother, emphasising that his mother was the emotional heart of his childhood as she is of Piano. All three poems contain positive elements of love in their different portrayals. However, all three poems also bear with them, pain and sadness. Refugee Mother and Child conveys the negative of the situation it portrays in extreme. There is death and disease all around and â€Å"the air was heavy with odours / of diarrhoea†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , but in contrast to what I would have expected, death brought the mother and child closer together. The poet mentions how things would have been different â€Å"in another life†, and future conditionals in the past tense such as â€Å"would have been† and â€Å"would have to forget† serve to separate the mother from the alternative lifestyle that we in the wealthy portion of the world take for granted. As a result of the separation, the act of â€Å"part[ing] it (the child’s hair† becomes greatly significant as it would be a â€Å"daily act of no consequence† in the alternative life, but instead, it was as though she was â€Å"putting flowers on a tiny grave†. This image that the poem builds up to is a final representation of death as it is often seen at funerals, showing that the mother is preparing her child for his death as she parts her child’s hair, making it perfect as she would do had he been dead. In this, death brings them together as the mother wants more time with her son, and treasures the physical contact with him as she parts his hair â€Å"carefully†. In contrast, death tears apart the lovers in Plena Timoris, as the girl in the poem seemingly becomes the drowned woman when she hears of the tragedy. The negative undertone of the poem shows through in the title itself which is Latin for â€Å"a woman full of fear and dread†, describing at first the woman who â€Å"drowned herself for the love of a man† and then describing the girl in the poem as â€Å"her arm dropt from his†. This contrasts the image of â€Å"his arm around her† at the beginning of the poem, and this represents the loss of emotional closeness between the lovers. â€Å"They said; climbed over; slid down; let go† has many unnatural pauses, and is deliberately confusing to the reader, mirroring the lovers’ confusion. The sudden end to their closeness is shown in â€Å"until he grew tired. But she†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as it is the only line with a full stop in the middle, which represents the end of their relationship. The cynicism the poem has towards love is also shown through the men who retrieve the woman’s body who say â€Å"so much for love in this mortal sphere!† The use of the phrase â€Å"mortal sphere† suggests that the poet thinks the only true love you can have faith in is religious love and piety, and that relationships are essentially â€Å"mortal† and doomed. Having seen love as perfection at the beginning, the negativities that start in stanza two bring a dreadful low to the reader. I, myself, felt disappointment and â€Å"hopeless despair† and was persuaded that love is, in essence, condemned – that true love like what was shown at the beginning of the poem, can never be found and will never last. Piano, although it doesn’t refer to death, is also a poem that is tinted with melancholy. The tone of the poem is nostalgic and wistful and emphasis on this longing is furthered by phrases such as â€Å"I weep like a child for the past†, showing that it is impossible to go back. The poem is written in present tense, and this further distances the poet from the past that he cannot revisit. The poet writes that the â€Å"song / betrays me (the poet) back† and the alliteration on the harsh â€Å"b† sound adds to the effect of the word â€Å"betrays†, which has negative connotations such as distrust. The choice of the word â€Å"betrays† suggests that it was not by his own will that he is revisiting his memories and the immense love he has for his mother, and this leads me to think that it was not socially acceptable to break down and be as emotional as in Piano, and research into the Victorian era when the poem was written shows this to be true. With the pressures that are on men still, to be emotionally strong, the pressures back then must have been even greater in comparison, and for Lawrence to write Piano as his â€Å"manhood is cast† and reveal his overwhelming emotions even so shows the effect his mother must have had on him. The three poems all deal with the universal themes of love and suffering – Plena Timoris on the loss of love between the two young lovers, and Piano on the remembrance of a love in the past. However, as a reader, Refugee Mother and Child is the one that has the most impact on me because of the familiar hyper-realistic photojournalistic images, that the media frequently show, that appear throughout the poem. This draws out sympathy, guilt and grievance from the reader as many of us in the wealthy portion of the world do not do a significant amount to help, and because we are privileged which makes it hard for us to imagine the circumstance, the resilient love of the mother for her dying son is even more moving, dealing with the themes of love and suffering most powerfully out of the three poems. Of course, Plena Timoris and Piano are also effective in portraying love, but in different guises from that in Refugee Mother and Child. However, the poems have a point in common in that all three poems also movingly illustrate the pain and suffering that is felt through the painful loss of love, which we all hope will never happen but as shown by the poems, inevitably does. This in itself unites the poems, showing the love depicted in each as the same, underneath the surface, and universal.

Ismene And Antigone Essay - 1331 Words

The ancient Greek world does not look favorably on women. Women are seen as docile, unintelligent, and domestic. Placed socially below men, they are locked into tending to household duties and to their children, and can not go out without a man. Women are not expected to be educated or participate in political discussion, with the exception of knowing just enough to be able to be entertaining at a dinner party and not embarrass her husband. Lacking in political and social rights, women do not have many chances to hold a political or social lime light, and are expected to stay in the background while the men took the forefront. However, there are a handful of texts in Greek literature that showcase the opposite, and put female lead†¦show more content†¦I have no strength for that† (page 63, line 93) and after expressing her disapproval in Antigone’s actions, says, â€Å"you’re so rash- I’m so afraid for you!† (page 63, line 96). In contrast, her sister argues with her, telling her, â€Å"you have your excuses. I am on my way† (page 93, line 94). This quote demonstrates how she believes that she should not conform to a submissive role but rather go against the accepted norm and live her own morals out. Antigone later goes on to fight with Creon, saying, â€Å"your moralizing repels me, every word you say† (page 84, lines 557-558), and â€Å"[I am] not ashamed for a moment† (page 84, line 573). Antigone unapologetically goes against the law, and therefore the male figures in charge, by breaking a state-wide decree and burying her brother. While Ismene represents how women are supposed to act in this society, Antigone acts directly against these standards. In Medea, the foil characters are Glauce and Medea. Glauce is Jason’s new wife and daughter of King Creon, making her a princess. She is obedient and used by Jason as an object of sexual desire without protest. In fact, she has no lines in th e play, symbolic of her subservient and silent nature. On the other hand, Medea is loud and antagonistic. She clearly states her hatred for the role women are forced into, saying, â€Å"we women are the most pathetic†¦ we have to buy a husband† (page 12, lines 232-233) and â€Å"we must rely on just one single soul (ourShow MoreRelatedAntigone And Ismene Essay1635 Words   |  7 PagesDiscuss the differences between Antigone and Ismene in their views of women in society. How does each sister’s view shape the choices she makes in the play? How consistent is each, in her view? The play Antigone, written by Sophocles is the last book of his trilogy called The Oedipus Play of Sophocle. Antigone take places in the city of Thebes, the play open â€Å"some days later† there have been an edict by King Creon regarding the burials of Eteocles and Polyneices; Eteocles, will get a proper burialRead MoreEssay Antigone And Ismene600 Words   |  3 Pages Antigone and Ismene nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The personalities of the two sisters; Antigone and Ismene, are as different from one another as tempered steel is from a ball of cotton. One is hard and resistant; the other: pliable, absorbing and soft. Antigone would have been a strong, successful 90s type woman with her liberated and strong attitude towards her femininity, while Ismene seems to be a more dependent 1950s style woman. Antigone acts as a free spirit, a defiant individual, whileRead MoreConformity And Nonconformity In SophoclesAntigone1014 Words   |  5 Pagesdetrimental to the rules that society imposes. In Antigone, the playwright, Sophocles, discusses how the choice to conform or not to conform can have an impact on one’s decisions. He utilizes the controversy surrounding the central conflict of the play, the death of Polyneices, to portray his characters’ attitudes towards conformity and nonconformity. Creon and Ismene are conformists because they believe in the absolute power of the law; whereas, Antigone is a nonconformist because she rebels againstRead MoreMasculinity And Femininity : Sophocles Play Antigone 1240 Words   |  5 PagesThis essay will focus on the messages about masculinity and femininity from Sophocles’ play Antigone. For class we watched the Greek film version of the play from 1961 which is in Greek but it has English Subtitles. The essay will use both male and female characters from Antigone to show ex amples of masculinity and femininity. There are characters that are either positive or negative, characters that serve as role models, or characters who show what not to be like. First I will write about the positiveRead MoreAntigone, The Daughter Of Oedipus And Clytemnestra839 Words   |  4 PagesIn this Greacan tragedy, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Clytemnestra seeks to bury her brother Polyneices much against the wishes and orders of her uncle and the king, Creon. Her parents and her brothers are both dead and she wishes to leave behind her beautiful sister Ismene and join her family in the underworld. Polyneices, her brother died fighting for the throne against his brother Eteocles. Polyneices fought against Eteocles for the throne and died fighting. He was from Thebes and inRead MoreAntigone Role of Women1366 Words   |  6 PagesTaylor Fleming Professor Stoner English 1301 October 16, 2012 Antigone Essay Throughout history, cultures from around the world has set hat standards for women to abide to. Up until the twentieth century, women were viewed as second class citizens by society and had less freedom and rights than their male counterparts as compare today in the modern world where women can be more involve in society. Although women still face discrimination such as the glassRead MoreAnalysis Of The Central Conflicts Of Antigone 908 Words   |  4 Pages Drama Essay The topic I chose to write this essay on is about the examination of the central conflicts that are taking place in the story â€Å"Antigone†. Throughout the story and what seems to be the start of many conflicts to come is, Antigone the main character having hard time fathering the fact that she’s not allowed to bury her other brother Polynices. Due to orders given by her uncle Creon. Essentially in the story Antigone struggles with fighting againstRead More Antigone Essay1318 Words   |  6 PagesAntigone Essay In any story or piece of literature, there will always be the main characters to fill the pages with incessant adventure. The characters whose names appear on almost every page and the characters whose actions the story revolves around. However, a story will also always have its minor characters. These are the characters that contribute heavily to the plot, yet arent mentioned quite as often and are underestimated regarding their importance in the story. In the Greek masterpieceRead MoreAntigone vs Creon827 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Task: Write an essay about the conflict between Antigone and Creon in Antigone, by Sophocles. Show how each is right in his or her own fundamental belief. Then show how the tragedy was inevitable or show how one side was wrong and should have changed. In Antigone, by Sophocles, there is conflict between the characters Antigone and Creon. Antigone is characterized as a rebellious girl, who turns into a martyr, and just lost both her brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, in a war between the city-statesRead MoreEssay about Gender Bias Critic of Antigone1724 Words   |  7 PagesA Gender Bias Approach to Antigone Just as one stone removed can break a bridge, one flaw can bring a man to ruins. The flaw of one man cannot bring down an entire kingdom, but rather one outlook of the king can lead to the demise of the whole. In Sophocles epic tragedy, Antigone, a strong gender bias is present throughout the tragedy, and is partially responsible for the downfall of the king. To Sophocles the king is not always representative of the people, but acts on his own personal desires