‘Miss Brill’ by Katherine Mansfield Essay Example for Free

‘Miss Brill’ by Katherine Mansfield Essay The short story ‘Miss Brill’ written in 1922 by Katherine Mansfield revolves around an elderly woman named Miss Brill. This particular short story is deeply influenced by Mansfield’s private life. Miss Brill is an unmarried, older English woman who lives by herself in a tiny apartment in France. She teaches English to students in France and reads the newspaper several times a week to an elderly man. The story is a reflection of Miss Brill’s inner conflicts, feelings of estrangement, loneliness and deep desire to be an important person. The old woman in the story wants very badly to belong to a family or a group. So every Sunday she goes to a seaside park, listens to the conversations of strangers and hears the band play. Her park visits help her in coping with her loneliness and provide her with much enjoyment. She sits on a special bench every week and listens to the conversations of others. While she listens to strangers she feels included and part of their lives. She experiences a sense of communion with the strangers in the park and imagines being a family member of the band. In this way, her rose colored glasses protect her from her lonely existence and empty life. Everything in the park is in great contrast to her actual life. The park for her is an alternate reality where she plays the part of an actress on a great stage. In reality, she is no longer important to anyone. However, in the park as an actress, her mere absence would cause great dismay to others. Her living conditions are gloomy and dark but the park that she visits is bright, sunny and filled with happiness. Her fur stole also becomes a dear pet when she visits the park. She attributes feelings and personality to the inanimate fur. She calls it her â€Å"little rogue! and often strokes it affectionately. Another indicator of skewed reality is the fact that Miss Brill forgets that she herself is an old, odd, silent woman who had just come out of a dark room. She puts other elder people who also visit the park every Sunday in this category but not herself. By using these defenses she feels included, important and connected to other people around her. She fools herself into believing that she has a deep purpose in life. She has unintentionally set herself up to be hurt by reality. On one particular Sunday all her illusions are shattered. She is forced to understand her self-deception.   While looking at strangers, she sees an elderly woman with a fur hat. Miss Brill can identify with this other elderly woman. She sees the other woman being met by a gentleman. Like her lonely self, the other woman is also quite excited by new company.   The man pays no attention to her and instead rudely puffs into the other woman’s face. The man walks away but leaves the other woman humiliated. Miss Brill empathizes with the other woman and feels he has hurt both women equally. She quickly puts herself in her actress mode to avoid hurt and continues listening to others. She starts paying attention to the conversation of a young couple seated besides her.   The young man callously refers to her as that stupid old thing†. He questions why the old lady comes to the park and why she strokes her stole. Instantaneously, her world of self deception is completely shattered. She finally understands that she is neither an actress on a stage nor an important part of this crowd. She has no choice but to return to her little apartment or her dark cupboard like room. This particular Sunday she does not stop by the bakers on her way back home. She feels no need to buy herself her usual slice of honey cake. She realizes that her coping mechanisms cannot help her cope with reality forever. At last, the young man’s rude remarks had woken her up from her happy dream into her nightmarish reality.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Neurophysiological Report :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Neurophysiological Report Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder categorized as a form of parkinsonism. First described in 1964 by three Canadian neurologists, PSP is sometimes referred to as Steele-Richardson-Olszewski Syndrome, or Nuchal Dystonia Dementia Syndrome (1). Progressive damage to multiple brain cells associated with deterioration of the myelin sheath that speeds up nerve impulse conduction, as well as destruction of the entire nerve (2), result in severe and irreversible problems controlling balance, eye movement, breathing, and voluntary muscle movement (3). The actor Dudley Moore has been diagnosed with PSP and presently works to improve awareness and treatment of this enigmatic disease. Although PSP is frequently misdiagnosed as Parkinson's, the disorder progresses much more quickly, maintaining very unique and exclusive manifestations. Individuals suffering from PSP present clinically with akinetic rigid syndrome, gait ataxia, and supranuclear vertical-gaze palsy (4). Akinesia refers to the loss of control of voluntary muscle movements. This is expressed in loss of balance while walking and recurrent falls. A permanent "Mona Lisa" stare and wide-eyed expression is often described, in addition to guttural, slurred speech and swallowing difficulties (5). These facial distortions result from nerve damage controlling the facial muscles. All PSP individuals suffer from some degree of vertical-gaze palsy, in which the ability to move the eyes up-and-down is impaired (4). Muscles in the back of the neck and spine are usually severely affected, resulting in a retro-collis posture; the individual appears to perpetually look up toward the ceiling. Rigidity in the limbs is al so observed, although to a lesser degree. If rigidity does exist here, it is equal on both sides of the body. In Parkinson's disease, rigidity is more prominent and pronounced in the limbs, favoring one side more that the other (6). None of the tremors characteristic of Parkinson's are observed in PSP. Personality changes and dementia are also noted, particularly later in the development of the disease. PSP affects the brainstem, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. The brainstem controls involuntary movements such as breathing and heart rate. Three divisions of the brainstem have been delineated: the medulla oblongata, the pons, and the midbrain. In PSP, all three sections are affected. The pons controls facial nerves and eye muscles, while the midbrain is the visual center of the brain (3). The medulla (sometimes referred to as the "bulb") maintains speech and swallowing abilities. Paralysis here results in impairment of these functions.

Aboriginals: the Mistreated Minorites of Canada

Aboriginal people are very passionate about their culture and traditions and believe that they are an important part of Canada’s past. Although their customs shaped Canada into a great nation, they are slowly fading into the background while competing with the French and English cultures. â€Å"Such an understanding gives no consideration to the presence and role of Aboriginal groups throughout history. † First Nation’s people do not receive a just amount of respect and equality in terms of their rights for land and freedom. Over the past century there have been several brutal protests that promote a negative, violent appearance towards all Aboriginals. In order to advance within society and claim land that is rightfully theirs, Natives have had to resort to planning court dates, forming petitions and writing threatening letters to the government. The Canadian government found ways to deceive the Aboriginals and get through loopholes to avoid granting reasonable wishes and staying true to their agreement. It is obvious that this Aboriginal versus government battle has been going on for far too long and it is an unfair challenge to the virtually helpless group of minorities. Throughout Canadian history Aboriginals have been judged for the way that they try to get recognition within society. Many citizens feel as if the Natives of Canada are violent and do not know how to control their actions. What people fail to see is that these bands are just mirroring the way they are being treated. Aboriginal groups have objected to uses of the environment by non-Aboriginal groups. † One of the most publicized protests in Aboriginal-government relations was the Oka crisis in 1990. The Mohawks of Quebec erected roadblocks to stop the construction of a golf course on disputed land, barricaded pathways to halt the movement of government vehicles, and got physical with some of the officers on patrol. After an 11 week stand-off the protestors were arrested and the Aboriginals could not retaliate. Finally, after 56 years of land disputation an agreement-in-principle was signed returning the land to the band. The government promised that the Aboriginals would receive land that was rightfully theirs and would not be disrupted again. This battle between the government and Aboriginals gives the impression that violent and inhumane behaviour is only coming from the Aboriginals, however the media fails to show the government retaliation. It is unjust to blame all of the violence on the Natives because both parties added problems to the situation. One of the first land claim agreements that acted as a stepping stone for other land claims that followed was the James Bay Treaty. Due to the fact that â€Å"the deal was controversial from the start† there were many signatories to make the treaty official. The agreement was shaped by Hydro-Quebec who wanted to ensure that they would make a profit from the Aboriginal people’s land. This land claim was negotiated under a great deal of pressure with numerous court days and lawyers present at every meeting between the groups. The Natives often thought that they were being taken advantage of and that they should not have to give up any of their land at all. â€Å"The Natives wrote letters to the Department of National Defence, organized joint actions with rural peoples and Aboriginal groups in the U. S. and Europe, met with European government representatives, held news conferences, and participated in demonstrations. † In order to join the community together, and peacefully riot against the government’s decisions, many petitions were signed by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members within society. The negotiation ended after about a year due to the pressure from the Cree and Inuit to receive a just amount of benefits. In the end the Aboriginals received great care and all that was promised after the negotiation but felt as if they should not have had to work so hard to get what they deserved. Legal action had to be taken in order for the Natives to voice their opinions about their land. The Canadian government has always found loopholes and ways around subjects that they do not want to deal with or talk about. When they were approached by the Nisga’a way back in 1890 they brushed them off and told them that as long as they did not get in the way of development, their communities would go unharmed. â€Å"Aboriginal people maintained only certain hunting and trapping rights on the land. † The people of this group wanted to have a self-governed community and felt that they should have the authority to make decisions that would better their standards of living. Their first attempt at approaching the provincial government in 1927 was declined due to the fact that a law was in place prohibiting Indians to advance land claims. Finally in 1973 the Canadian government overruled the laws that were set and began to negotiate with the First Nation’s people in 1976. â€Å"Aboriginal peoples argued that their right to self-government existed because their societies historically had been organized and self-ruling. † The Aboriginals were given the freedom that they wanted and were granted permission for a self-governed community however many restrictions and by-laws were put in place to keep these people under control. The Nisga’a people are now living happily while still trying to work out some quirks on balancing the provincial and federal regulations with those of the self-government. The Aboriginal people of Canada have undergone a great deal of mistreatment from the government over the past century and it should not have to continue. Although rules have been made to ensure that this group of minorities receives proper treatment from society, many are faced with the challenge of racism and segregation from the rest of Canadians. Canada is considered a bilingual country with both French and English as its official languages. Maybe it is time that this country realizes that it was built by another culture too. Aboriginal awareness is not a subject that is touched upon in school and it would be very helpful if the government paid respect to the First Nations people. Aboriginals are equal and deserve the same respect and attention that the rest of Canada receives from the government on a day to day basis.

5 Facts About Leatherback Sea Turtles