Belonging - A Clockwork Orange Essay Example for Free

Belonging A Clockwork Orange Essay The concept of belonging is essential. To belong is to form a connection which will allow a sense of identity, without this we lose our humanity; however, conformity is in a sense a facade of belonging, as it restrains our freedom and forces us to only mimic. My studied texts show how society demands us to conform, yet conformity prevents a sense of true identity being ever created. This notion is elaborated in the novel, A Clockwork Orange. Alex is a criminal who doesn’t belong anywhere within society. In the novel, the government attempts to suppress his criminality by physically preventing him from thinking of violence—thus making him conform to their standards. This is a prime example of how society attempts to make us conform to what is considered ‘normal’. Towards the end of the novel, the character F. Alexander tells Alex: â€Å"They have turned you into something other than a human being. You have no power of choice any longer. You are committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable only of good. The quote shows us the central theme of the novel; if we cannot choose where we belong we lose our humanity—thus showing us the value of choice as well as the value of individuality. The metaphor and imagery of the title, a clockwork orange, symbolises what conformity does to a man. If we cannot choose where to belong we cease to be human but clockwork, or some type of mechanism. We need to be able to choose where we belong, for if it is not chosen its authenticity ceases. The novel ends with Alex choosing the path of goodness, the established normality of society. He states; â€Å"Perhaps I was getting too old now for the sort of life I had been leading, brothers† Alex chooses to belong to society, thus allowing a connection to be formed between him and the world. Conformity and the need to conform to a group or community is the central theme throughout both of the chosen texts I have studied, those being Strictly Ballroom and A Clockwork Orange. â€Å"Strictly Ballroom† also supports the fact that society attempts to make us conform to what is considered ‘normal’. The movie shows the disastrous effect conformity and fear have among members who gain their place inside the group at the price of conformity. Shirley Hastings, for example, lives a â€Å"life half-lived† cowering before what Barry Fife will say or think. She has let the Federation so dominate her that she has no respect for Doug and can only see her son Scott in terms of winning competitions. The movie represents belonging using a variety of techniques to distinguish between the world of artifice and the more realistic world. The image of the artificial world, shown as the ballroom world, is glitzy and colourful. Luhrmann has presented this world as having power, whereas the character of Fran, shown in plain clothes and reading glasses, is initially shown as powerless, because she does not conform to the ballroom world. The movie traces the shift from a world of false belonging dominated by conformity, fear and the cynical manipulations of the ultra-sleaze Barry Fife, towards the iconic last scene where the line between spectators and professional dancers blurs and is dissolved as Scott dressed in Spanish costume and Fran in Spanish-style red dress put passion back into dance, rescuing it from the deadening effect of the old brigade. Taking the similes of the two texts we can arrive at the conclusion that conformity allows us to become part of a functioning society but can in turn stifle individuality, expression and self-identity. I’ll leave you with two thoughts from â€Å"A Clockwork Orange†. â€Å"Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man. † And so I ask you, ‘Is it better for a man to choose to be bad than to be conditioned to be good? † That is both the crux of the issues involved and the decision we must all, as individuals, make.

Lesch Nyhan Syndrome :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lesch Nyhan Syndrome Lesch Nyhan Syndrome (LNS) was first reported in 1964 by Michael Lesch and William L. Nyhan. It is a rare disorder located on the x chromosome. It is a sex-linked trait, which means that it is passed from mother to son. This condition can be inherited or occur spontaneously as a result of a genetic mutation. It usually appears once in every 100,000 male births. Since the defective gene is recessive, females almost never exhibit symptoms of the disease. However, they can be carriers of the allele.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lesch Nyhan is associated with an almost complete absence of the enzyme HGPRTase (hypoxanthene guanine phosphoribosil transferase). This is the enzyme that recycles hypoxanthen and guanine, which are two of the genetic building blocks. When this enzyme is not present, the hypoxanthen and guanine are converted into excessive uric acid. Children around four to six months old are usually diagnosed with LND when orange, sand like uric acid crystals are observed in their diapers. These crystals cause painful urination, arthritis and kidney stones as they build up in various areas of the body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  LNS had many symptoms. Affected people manifest developmental delays, seizures, spacticiy, speech impairment and moderate retardation. The victims usually fall within a 40-80 IQ range. By four years of age the children usually start to exhibit the most well-known symptom of Lesch Nyhan; self-mutilization. The patients begin practicing physical mutilization and hurting themselves through indirect emotional injuries. These behaviors seem to grow as the children get older and become more physically capable of inflicting self-injury and more mentally capable of thinking up new ways to hurt themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early forms of self-mutilization include biting of the tongue and cheeks, gouging the nose and eyes, rubbing various body parts raw, and banging the head, arms, and legs on things. Another realm of abnormal behavior associated with LNS is manifested as indirect or emotional self-injury. Individuals with these symptoms are compelled to hurt and abuse themselves and the people they care for most. They lash out at parents, teachers and aides. A few examples of this behavior include kicking and head butting as they are being dressed or bathed, cursing without provocation, spitting, vomiting or spilling drinks on care providers. After performing these behaviors, the individual will apologize profusely, only to repeat the offending behavior shortly thereafter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scientists have come to recognize this behavior as indirect attempts of self-injury.

Plant and Animal Cell

First of all, plant and animal cells are eukaryotic cells. They have complex structures but they both have major differences, as well some similarities. Plant cell are usually larger than animal cell. Both types of cells have many organelles. The plant cell has a few more organelles than the animal cell but for the most part they  have the same organelles. Animal and plant cells both have a nucleus, ribosomes, Golgi apparatus, and  endoplasmic reticulum. Only plant cells have a cell wall, vacuole, chloroplast, and plastids.Both cells are controlled by a nucleus and otherwise they wouldn’t be able to function without it. As well, the ribosomes go through a process called synthesis of proteins, these proteins are necessary for life in the cells. The Golgi apparatus packs the proteins to stay in the cell. The endoplasmic reticulum is categorized into two parts, Rough endoplasmic reticulum and smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The rough endoplasmic reticulum has ribosomes attached to it; it packs the proteins made by the ribosomes.The smooth endoplasmic reticulum does not have ribosomes but it detoxifies poisonous material in the cell. Furthermore, animal cells are rounded and irregular in shape, while plant cells have fixed rectangular shapes. Plant cell have cell wall which makes a rectangular structure, these structure are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and a variety of other materials, but animal cells don’t have this cell wall causing it to have dynamic shapes (spherical shape).Plant cells have chloroplasts for the utilization of sunlight and this is what contributes for a plant to look green. Plant cell do photosynthesis while animal cells can’t. The chloroplast is only present in plant cell because they make their own food. Also plant cells contains a large central vacuole that is enclosed by a membrane that makes up 90% of the cell volume, while as compared to the animal cell, it has one or more vacuole but smaller that the plant cell. Also plant cell have plastids and animal cell don’t have.Plastids are small organs in the cytoplasm that stores colored pigment and food. Plant cells use linking pores in their cell wall to connect to each other and pass information while anima cells depend on an analogous system of gap-junctions that allows communication between cells. Animal cells have centrioles, cilia and lysosomes but plant cells have no need for centrioles because their spindle fibers are connected to the cell wall. Below are two pictures, one of an animal cell and the other from a plant cell.ANIMAL CELL PLANT CELL Reference: 30 Sep. 2012 http://wiki. answers. com/Q/How_do_plant_cells_differ_from_animal_cells 30 Sep. 2012 http://wiki. answers. com/Q/How_do_plant_cells_differ_from_animal_cells 30 Sep. 2012 http://scienceray. com/biology/animal-and-plant-cell-similarities-and-differences/ 30 Sep. 2012 http://www. preservearticles. com/201101032391/main-differences-between-plant-and-animal-cell. htm l 30 Sep. 2012 http://www. diffen. com/difference/Animal_Cell_vs_Plant_Cell

Crude Awakening Of Fossil Fuels And A Bright Replacement

Atlee Carr Professor Penwell ENGL 1102 17 November 2016 Crude awakening of fossil fuels and a bright replacement In the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, a large explosion in an oil drilling company caused an estimated 5 million barrels of oil to be dumped into the water. Many sea turtles and dolphins have been found dead since the oil spill started. This spill is one of the worst oil spills recorded and cost an estimate of 12.5 billion dollars after considering the cleanup and extra expenses. Oil is a popular fossil fuel used to power machines. However, in the process of utilizing fossil fuels such as oil, we are putting our world and environment at a risk. Oil can be very damaging to life when spilled in water. In contrast, by using alternative forms of energy, such as solar energy, we are helping our planet by keeping it healthier. Solar energy does not pose a threat to our environment and health as fossil fuels such as oil have in recent years. Our society should focus on solar energy as an alternative to fossil fuels due to the decreasing cost of solar panels, the reduced environmental damages of ai r pollution, deforestation, and water pollution. Solar energy is constantly improving, whether that be financially or more efficiently. As a result, solar panels, a large focus in solar technology, are becoming less expensive. The price of producing panels has decreased dramatically. However, a popular belief is that solar energy is more expensive than fossil fuels. A recent ArabiaShow MoreRelatedCrude Awakening Of Fossil Fuels And A Bright Replacement Essay1759 Words   |  8 Pages1102 30 November 2016 Crude Awakening of Fossil Fuels and a Bright Replacement In the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, a large explosion in an oil drilling company caused an estimated 5 million barrels of oil to be dumped into the water. Many sea turtles and dolphins have been found dead since the oil spill started. This spill is one of the worst oil spills recorded and cost an estimate of 12.5 billion dollars after considering the cleanup and extra expenses. Oil is a popular fossil fuel used to power machines