Food Inc vs.Super Size Me Essay Example

Food Inc vs.Super Size Me Essay The movie tarts with a quote the way we eat has changed more over the past fifty years than in the previous ten thousand. Food production has changed dramatically. The production of food is now controlled by many corporations -these corporations tell the food producers what should be done so that business is profitable. Regardless of consequences, many things are often forgotten about. For example the treatment of the animals. Yes they are going to eventually be killed for our consumption, but there are guidelines as to how they should be treated. The companies spend millions f dollars on lobbyists to change the law to benefit themselves. This movie shows the drastic difference between farms produced food and food produced In a factory. Food produced on a farm is organic, and food produced in a factory contains many different chemicals and ingredients that are and can be harmful to our bodies. I personally found this movie to be extremely frugal, disgusting, ineffective, and boring. The reason I found this movie to be boring is because even though it was the truth about food industries and spending habits. I love food way too much to want to now the actual facts about food. We will write a custom essay sample on Food Inc vs.Super Size Me specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Food Inc vs.Super Size Me specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Food Inc vs.Super Size Me specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I dont want to have to worry about whether It Is good for me or not. Even though unnatural ways are used to feed the animals to fatten them up and to grow faster and bigger. It is cheaper and easier to pump them with hormones and chemicals than it is to have it done naturally. The companies that work for the fast food companies require more products at cheaper price. The meat industry also uses chemicals that would harm people if the company doesnt mix it right. Also they are susceptible to far more dangerous bacteria because of the way hey process the meat and other foods. I find It unnerving that food companies are allowed to continue making food they way they do. I had thought that there were laws and guidelines that food companies had to follow in order to make our food safe to eat. Why is it that it seems different? I guess what the truth is happens to be far from what we think is the truth. I also didnt think there was a huge process in the way our food Is and was made. When I see a steak on my plate I dont think that the animal that this chunk of meat came from had been pumped up with hormones and Heimlich. I find that to be disgusting. I dont think I can look at food the same way as I did before I saw this film. Food Inc. The movie was really graphic and didnt spare any unwanted information. The movie explicitly showed the process of how is food is made. I never knew that meat hung for days before it was cut to package and then later sell. I wonder if the meat that is in grocery stores is really fresh or almost spoiled. How do we know for sure, it thinks the movie Food Inc. Really makes that question disappear? Lastly the movie was Ineffective. The movie was Ineffective, Decease It snows ten Insane process AT now Is mace Ana I Delve Tanat would defer people from wanting to eat in general or certain foods. Now that Vive seen this movie I can definitely say I will never look at food the same way as before I saw the film. I found some of the scenes in this film to be really graphic. Never in my life have I ever seen something so disgustingly graphic. The movie super size me is about a guy who goes on a thirty day experiment. He finds out that he does gain weight and develops some concerning health problems. Within seven days of his experiment he finds that his weight has changed drastically. He eventually weighed 210 pounds. He found that with this experiment his health risks were almost doubled within those thirty days. The movie also explains the risk factors from eating fast food. They describe it as if it is absolutely horrible to eat fast food. During this experiment he interviews many people about different daily diets. He went to schools and found that the food provided was the same as eating in a fast food restaurant. He finds that kids are presented with horrible food choices as well as adults. He even gave a good description of how chicken nuggets are made. In this movie two girls were seeing McDonalds for the health problems that occurred after the consumption of the food they ate at McDonalds. The main character of this movie found he to be tired, depressed, and moody from the diet of McDonalds for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My personal opinion of this movie is that it was effective. It was effective because instead of being boring like food Inc. ; super size me played upbeat music and explained things in a less boring way. Not only that super size me was interesting to watch. It was interesting to watch because it was an actual human being going through the experiment. Not many people would be willing to put their bodies in such harm, but this guy decided to go for it despite what his doctors advised him. His doctors told him he would have some dramatic increases in his health risks and he still chose to do the experiment. Some of the scenes were pretty graphic. For example the doctor visits. I mean come on did we really have to see the rectal exam. I know I deal with patients on a regular basis, but in the movie is another thing. When it comes to McDonalds I would never think that there was that much danger when eating there food. Vive come to realize that the food there isnt as healthy as I thought it was. I thought fast food was k to eat, but Vive learned from this movie and food Inc. That fast food isnt good for the body at all. In the movie they point out why fast food is so wrong to eat, and I have to say I agree. I learned that Im only supposed to take in at the most 2000 calories a day. If I eat fast food Just one day I would take in more than double the calories Im supposed to take in. Not to mention I would gain tons of weight.

Breast Cancer Treatment

Breast Cancer Treatment â€Å"Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body† (Carlson et al., 2009). Cancerous cells are also referred to as malignant cells. â€Å"Cells act as the building blocks of organisms† (Carlson et al., 2009). Under normal circumstances, cells will undergo cell division depending on the body’s needs, and then die once their function ends.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Breast Cancer Treatment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, malignant cells divide very fast and sometimes fail to die. Cancer develops in different tissues and organs of the body. Cancerous cells have the characteristic of spreading from their source to other parts of the body (invasive). Cancerous cells that remain at their source are said to be noninvasive. The breast is one common organ that cancer affects. Breast cancer occurs in two main categories (Carlson, et al., 2009). Ductal malignancy: this is the most common type of cancer. This type of breast cancer manifests itself in the tubes/ducts which form the channel for transporting milk from the breast to the nipple. â€Å"Lobular carcinoma: this type of cancer usually begins in the milk producing regions of the breast (lobules)† (Breast cancer, 2011). Rarely does cancer develop from other parts of the breast. â€Å"Breast cancer is known to occur in invasive or noninvasive form† (Breast cancer 2011). Thus, cancerous cells in the breast may metastasize to other parts of the breast from their source. The prevalence and causes of cancer vary. â€Å"Cancer biologists have discovered that most breast carcinomas are sensitive to the hormone estrogen† (Breast cancer, 2011). The hormone causes the cancerous cells to grow. The breast cancer cells that respond to estrogen have estrogen receptors on their surfaces (Breast cancer, 2011). Cancer biologists refer to these estrogen receptor possessing breast cancer c ells as receptor-positive/EP-positive cancer cells. Scientists have discovered a certain gene called HER2 that helps breast cancer cells to multiply and repair themselves. It has also been noted that women with this type of gene have a severe breast cancer than their female counterparts who lack it. In addition, HER2 bearers have a higher risk of breast cancer reoccurrence. Generally, chances of developing cancer increase with age. The older one becomes, the higher the risk. Women above 50 years have advanced breast cancer cases. Women are twice more likely to develop breast cancer than men. Family history plays a central role in dictating the chances of someone developing breast cancer. Persons whose close relatives had ovarian, uterine, breast or colon cancer are at a high-risk of developing breast cancer. Scientists have also discovered that women who experience very early periods (before the age of 12), and those who continue to experience periods through menopause (after age 55 ) have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Moreover, excessive alcohol (for adults) and radiation therapy around the chest area in children present a risk of developing breast cancer.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Women who have received hormone replacement therapy with estrogen and those that used diethylstilbestrol (DES) are at a higher risk. Child birth has also been found to have an effect on breast cancer. Bearing several children and at an early age, reduces the risk. On the other hand, women who bear children after the age of 30 or those who do not bear children at all poses a great risk of developing breast cancer (Giuliano et al. 2011). Breast cancer at an early stage does not present any symptoms (Hayes, 2007). That is why experts encourage women to go for regular checkups. However, after it has progressed it may present the following symptoms. A ha rd lump in the breast or armpit that does not induce pain is an indicator of breast cancer. The lump has uneven edges. Change in the appearance (size and shape) of the nipple may be another indicator. The nipple may show some reddening, dimpling or puckering. The nipple may also produce a discharge. The fluid could be bloody, clear, and yellow or appear like pus. â€Å"Symptoms of advanced breast cancer are bone pain, breast pain and discomfort, skin ulcers, weight loss and swelling of one arm next to the breast with cancer† (Breast cancer, 2011). The treatment of cancer depends on the type, stage, sensitivity to certain hormones or whether the cancer over expresses HER2/neu gene (Carlson et al., 2009). Doctors usually conduct certain tests before deciding the type of treatment to give. Such tests include breast MRI, biopsy, ultrasound, mammography, sentinel lymph node biopsy or CT/PET scans. Three options may be employed. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy (to kill cancer cel ls) and surgery to remove the cancerous tissue (could be lumpectomy or mastectomy). Hormone therapy may be prescribed to women with ER positive breast cancer to inhibit certain hormones that cause uncontrolled cell division. Newer strategies include biologic/targeted therapy and immunotherapy (Carlson et al., 2009). â€Å"In targeted therapy, anticancer drugs are used to recognize and inhibit certain changes in cells that may lead to cancer† (Breast cancer, 2009). Immunotherapy utilizes activated immune system cells to treat cancer cells. More research is being carried out to shade more light on the use of immunotherapy. References Breast Cancer (2009). Breast Cancer. Web. Breast Cancer (2011). Breast Cancer. Web.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Breast Cancer Treatment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Carlson, R. et al. (2009). Breast Cancer: Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Journal of Comprehensive Cancer Network, 7(2), 122-92. Giuliano, A. et al. (2011). Axillary Dissection vs no Axillary Dissection in Women with Invasive Breast Cancer and Sentinel Node Metastasis: A Randomized Controll Trial. Journal of the American Association (JAMA), 305(6), 569-75. Hayes, D. (2007). Clinical Practice: Folow-up of Patients with Early Breast Cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine, 356(24), 2505-13.

Human Resource Management Study Report on Grimshaw's Quality Textiles Essay

Human Resource Management Study Report on Grimshaw's Quality Textiles - Essay Example Despite problems in the industry QualTex is surviving. It makes clothes for well-known supermarket chains, and given the explosion of this part of the market, is managing to turn a respectable profit 2. The company has a reasonable reputation as a local employer, the rates of pay are good for the area, and it has an unproblematic industrial relations record (at least there haven't been any strikes in the last ten years). However, it does have a high labour turnover, there have been some worrying health and safety issues and a couple of serious accidents at the factory in recent months. It also has a reputation as an 'old-fashioned' place to work. All issues to do with personnel and industrial relations have been managed by the Managing Director and his PA. The PA keeps the personal records of all employees and the MD has published a number of Personnel Policies to cover 'Absence', 'Discipline' and 'Regulations on wearing Personal Protective Clothing at work'. The MD expects the section managers to 'manage' the people issues in the factory 3. What are completely missing are any training, learning and development activity other than the minimum of health and safety training, and some cursory induction training on appointment. Focused Point # II: The workforce of the factory has recently been stunned by the news, which was announced by the Managing Director on 1 December last year. The announcement was as follows: 'In order to ensure the survival of QualTex in these difficult times for the textile industry, the company will merge with Grimshaw 's Fabric Company with effect from 1 January 2007. This is not a take over, but must be seen as a new partnership of long-standing successful Lancashire Textile manufacturers. The merged company will be registered at Company's House under the new name of 'Grimshaw's Quality Textiles'. This is a startling development. Grimshaw's is a highly successful textile manufacturer, which has modernised its plant and streamlined its production at its factory in Accrington. Unit costs are kept to a minimum, employees are paid minimum wage rates, but are part of a profit-sharing scheme and get good payouts at two crucial points in the year, immediately before the summer shutdown for 'Accrington holidays' and again before Christmas. Health and Safety records appear to be good, with a reduction of 'incidents' since 2004. There have been some difficulties with industrial relations and there was recently a walkout by employees protesting about the low level of pay 4. Focused Point # III: The threat of losing last year's Christmas profit share bonus brought everyone back to work very quickly. The management of Grimshaw's has a reputation for being tough. "If your face doesn't fit...you 're out' is a frequent complaint amongst Grimshaw's employees. Grimshaw's employs a Personnel Manager who is responsible for the issue and implementation of personnel policies and

Hanson- understanding the text Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hanson- understanding the text - Essay Example However, he contradicts his opinion by mentioning that the large population can only be sustained by either agriculture, or starves by service production, claiming that both are unattainable (Hanson 428). This contradiction of ideas shrinks the sense in his argument. The population that lived in the 19th century made great impacts on present Californians consumption. Hanson refers to this generation as â€Å"type of Californian† and classifies it to having disappeared. Worth noting, the generation carried away with them the ideologies and traits that best suited Californians, â€Å"credo that once made us what we were† (Hanson 431). In the words Hanson classifies Californian as having adequate resources to sustain its population. Fore fathers toiled hard to better the next generation. Casual work created a better life, but the current service production such as acting movies, saving newts makes results into trauma. Therefore to Hanson, Californians can’t substitute hard work to entertainment as less toiling as the former is the source of the

Benefits of music therapy

Benefits of music therapy Benefits of Music Therapy Today, there are many different techniques of health improvement and general well being in music therapy. It’s true no matter where we are born music is identified as an expression we and everyone seems to love it. We are not of the same culture yet music can pick us up, create or refresh memories, carry us through an emotional journey by listening to the lyrics or simply be enjoyed. This paper explores various techniques and experiences utilized in music therapy. The First Known Use of Music Therapy As far back as biblical time, music was understood to be an instrument of healing. According to the book of Samuel I, when King Saul was beset by â€Å"It came to pass, when the evil spirit from God†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å" hisservants counseled him to find a harpist whose playing might mend his troubled soul. A young shepherd named David, reputed to be a skilled musician, was quickly summoned. David â€Å"took a harp and played with his hand so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.† (The Bible, King James Version, 1 Samuel 16:23) Music Therapy with Children and Adolescents The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 in summary that handicapped or disabled children in the United States are given a free education. Music Therapy ismentionedas a Services Program Option which can be written in a child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). A child with special needs can be referred to music therapy to help them improve their communication, cognitive skills, sensory-motor or perceptual-motor skills, as well as social, emotional and psychological needs. A Music Therapist works to change a specific behavior, enhance their skills, improve the child’s overall condition or even teach the child a new skill in playing a musical instrument or singing.(Hanser, 1999) Statically it was found in the 1998 American Music Therapy Associate (AMTA) membership that Music Therapists served the following children cases (in order of frequency):developmentally disabled, behaviorally disordered, emotionally disturbed, physically disabled, school age population, multiply disabled, speech impaired, autistic, visually impaired, neurologically impaired, hearing impaired, substance abuse, abused or sexually abused, early childhood, dual diagnosed, and head injured.(AMTA, 1998).There are other known cases but not limited to the following; Rett Syndrome, AIDS, eating disorders, medical needs, burns, bereavement, Downs Syndrome, premature birth and neonatal needs, spinal cord injuries and Williams Syndrome. In addition, non-disabled children receive music therapy and benefit from it.(Hanser, 1999) Children are able to gain self-awareness through movement to music and social skills through group music therapy. For example, an autistic child who previously disengaged human interaction may communicate with a therapist who gives positive music experiences since exploring music is non-threatening. Music has the advantage of demanding attention that a visual stimulus cannot, because it intrudes immediately through ears that cannot be closed voluntarily. Through music therapy, the child may encounter their first close relationship with a non-family member. (Hanser, 1999) Based on research with infants in a Provo, UT intensive care unitit was determined that babies who were sung to on a regular basis were released from the unit 3-days earlier, digested more calories, and gained more weight than that compared to a group of infants notexposedto periods of song. (Gaynor, 1999) Music Therapy with Adults The psychological distress of being diagnosed with a medical condition or illness is generally something that the medical field overlooks in medical treatment. In many cases the avenues leadingto treatment in these various conditions provoke anxiety and tend to cause emotional reaction as well or even result in a mental disorder.(Hanser, 1999) Music therapy includes procedures for relaxation which reduces anxiety and in some cases dilutes our concentration away from pain and discomfort. Often, the need for medication orin some casesrestraints are minimized when music therapy is introduced. (Hanser, 1999) A primary treatment technique used to treat mental disorders is psychotherapy and musicbeing played takes a unique role in such. The music therapy setting becomes a microcosm, eliciting interactive social behaviors which may be shaped as therapy progresses. Reactions to and perceptions of music, discussions of musical themes and problem solving in a musical context are parallel behaviors for responding to similar situations outside the therapy environment. Dealing with these issues in the supportive and positive music setting can assist the person in tackling the real problem. Also patients may begin to understand their own feelings when they listen to a song that portrays their own feelings or ideas. (Hanser, 1999) Special techniques of music therapy of music therapy are used in other areas for adults those documented but not limited to conditions as posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson’s disease. There are even areas in forensic psychiatricwhere people were able to process painful events through music therapy, the use of music allowed them to access emotions by engaging in expression. (Hanser, 1999) In a research study completed by anAustin TX medical Center resulted in approximately fifty-percent of women in childbirth that listened to music during childbirth didn’t need any anesthesia. As briefly mentioned earlier and to emphasize, the â€Å"music stimulation increasesendorphin release and this decreases the need for medication. It also provides a distraction from the pain and relieves anxiety,† noted an author of the study. (Gaynor, 1999) Music Therapy with Older Adults Some of themain characteristics of musicarethat it brings excitement, energy and life to many people who may approach late life losses in cognitive and physical functions. This could also benefit persons losing a loved one or even losing their vocational identity. The most withdrawn and confused patients suffering from dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders are able to participate actively in music therapy sessions.This gained experience for such patients enhances self respect and can revitalize their usefulness to the community and others.(Hanser, 1999) Specifically, for people with dementia much as been written. There was a study conducted by Millard and Smith (1989) that a group of singing resulted in significantly higher vocal/verbal participation. It also resulted in less wandering and less disorientation captured in another study by Reigler (1980). (Chavin, 1991) At the end of life, preparing for death, music therapy allows individuals to express how they are feeling by choosing a song to listen to, by singing, by performing and by composing songs with the assistance from their music therapist. (Hanser,1999) In my own personal experience, one of my best friends at the age of 62 recently passed away as a result of an aggressive lung cancer. We were only aware of the cancer for 2-weeks. The last 3-days of her life wasexcruciating, she was in terrible pains and was pleading with us to not let her die. The only way to calm her down was by singing to her, she would relax, her breathing would become smooth, her pulse would register normal, the terrible heat of her body (side-effect from the highdosage of morphine) would cool down and she would even crack a smile. Truly it is simply amazing how music changed my precious friend’s condition at the end of her life. Instruments or Practices Used in Music Therapy Through the use of instruments in group musical activities work not only is used to activate handicapped children but to deepen their level of participation in a musical setting. It is documented that live music which can be adapted easily to the working situation has a greater impact in therapy than recorded music. The more severe the casesthen the more true this is displayed. (Nordoff and Robbins, 1971) Examples of activities include but are not limited to of the following; ‘The RhythmBand’, each person is given a variety of percussive instruments and they are encouraged to beat freely to the music they hear. The use of blowing instruments such as bird call, a tuned horn, flute like, whistleswhich all can add brightness of tonal color to a musical arrangement. In many cases where children were patients, they were not able to maneuver proper fingering so the one tone played needed to be incorporated into the musical selected by the therapist. Many other instruments can be played as well, stringed instruments, bells, triangles, xylophones, wood blocks and wooden clappers. (Nordoff and Robbins, 1965) Conclusion The passionformusic in my own life has beenbeneficialindealing with stress, depression, anxiety, infertility, illness, loss of loved onesand so much more.As in this report and otherwise, there are endless cases of research and experiences documented clearly showing the awesomeand most importantlypositive impact of music in people lives covering a huge range of conditions andcircumstances. References Chavin, Melanie, RMT-BC (1991).The Lost Chord.Mt. Airy, ElderSong Publications INC. Gaynor, Mitchell L., MD (1999).Sounds of Healing – A Physician Reveals the Therapeutic Power of Sound, Voice and Music.New York, Broadway Books, a division of Random House, INC. Hanser, Suzanne, Ed.D, MT-BC (1999)The New Music Therapist’s Handbook.Boston, Berklee Press Nordoff, Paul Robbins, Clive (1971).Music Therapy in Special Education.New York,TheJohn Day Company Nordoff, Paul Robbins, Clive (1965).Music Therapy for Handicapped Children.Blauvelt.Rudolf Steiner Publications, INC. Prophet Samuel,TheBible, King James Version

natural born killers :: essays research papers

Natural Born Killers† is one weird-ass movie. With the weird actors and funky camera movements. It’s unforgettable. A trip into the mind of two serial killers. The film is real good, but I think it might be even better if you were drunk. You might be a little used to everyone acting weird and all the psychedelic colors. But since I am not old enough to do that yet, I’ll just review as how I saw it. Mallory (Juliette Lewis) has a horrible life. Her brother is a little jerk, her father molests her, and her mother does nothing about it. It’s horrible. But the film tries to make it a little funny by making her house look like a sitcom with the audience laughing (the whole movie isn’t like this). Then one day a young man named Mickey Knox (Woody Harrelson) comes to the front door of her house delivering fifty pounds of meat. They instantly fall in love. This is where the funky stuff begins. Mickey and Mallory brutally beat and drown her dad, and burn her mom to death. After that they go on a long murder spree, killing more than fifty people, they are finally caught by one of the best cops in America: Seymour Scagnetti (Tom Sizemore). Mickey and Mallory have been apart for a year. Both locked in separate cells in a prison ran by McClusky (Tommy Lee Jones). McClusky has assigned Scagnetti to transport Mickey and Mallory to another place to get a lobotomy done on each of them. But the night before they are sent out, a greedy reporter named Wayne Gale (Robert Downey, Jr.) is giving Mickey a live interview on TV. Pretty soon, Mickey escapes and all hell breaks loose. This film proves to us how screwed up the world is from movies and television. Two innocent people who have been exposed to too much violence go crazy and kill innocent people. I really liked how the film told the truth and held nothing back. The great part is the last act in the prison. Genius stuff! Oliver Stone is a great director and I admire him. He actually makes you feel sorry for this guilty couple. Harrelson gives an awesome performance. Spectacular! After seeing him all goofy on â€Å"Cheers† I was really excited to see him like this. I found it odd that his dad did go to prison for being a hit man. natural born killers :: essays research papers Natural Born Killers† is one weird-ass movie. With the weird actors and funky camera movements. It’s unforgettable. A trip into the mind of two serial killers. The film is real good, but I think it might be even better if you were drunk. You might be a little used to everyone acting weird and all the psychedelic colors. But since I am not old enough to do that yet, I’ll just review as how I saw it. Mallory (Juliette Lewis) has a horrible life. Her brother is a little jerk, her father molests her, and her mother does nothing about it. It’s horrible. But the film tries to make it a little funny by making her house look like a sitcom with the audience laughing (the whole movie isn’t like this). Then one day a young man named Mickey Knox (Woody Harrelson) comes to the front door of her house delivering fifty pounds of meat. They instantly fall in love. This is where the funky stuff begins. Mickey and Mallory brutally beat and drown her dad, and burn her mom to death. After that they go on a long murder spree, killing more than fifty people, they are finally caught by one of the best cops in America: Seymour Scagnetti (Tom Sizemore). Mickey and Mallory have been apart for a year. Both locked in separate cells in a prison ran by McClusky (Tommy Lee Jones). McClusky has assigned Scagnetti to transport Mickey and Mallory to another place to get a lobotomy done on each of them. But the night before they are sent out, a greedy reporter named Wayne Gale (Robert Downey, Jr.) is giving Mickey a live interview on TV. Pretty soon, Mickey escapes and all hell breaks loose. This film proves to us how screwed up the world is from movies and television. Two innocent people who have been exposed to too much violence go crazy and kill innocent people. I really liked how the film told the truth and held nothing back. The great part is the last act in the prison. Genius stuff! Oliver Stone is a great director and I admire him. He actually makes you feel sorry for this guilty couple. Harrelson gives an awesome performance. Spectacular! After seeing him all goofy on â€Å"Cheers† I was really excited to see him like this. I found it odd that his dad did go to prison for being a hit man.

Carver’s Cathedral Critical Perpective Essay

I reviewed a collection of literary criticism on Carver’s Cathedral, a collection of short stories written by Carver which was published in 1983. One that stood out to be in particular was James W. Grinnell’s criticism on Carver’s Cathedral works. Grinnell wrote his review in the winter of 1984, and went on to say many things about Carver’s work. Grinnell mostly praises Carver’s work and his addition of newer and more creative ideas in his latest work. Grinnell also believes that Carver has improved his, what some called â€Å"old† style, by adding new elements to his work. James W. Grinnell opens his critique by saying, â€Å"Things are finally looking up for Raymond Carver. † I have to say I agree with Grinnell’s opening statement, the stories in Cathedral were some of which had a more pleasing and refreshed outlook on life. James Grinnell gives an overview of Carver’s life. To paraphrase Grinnell, Carvers life was not always on the positive side that it seemed like it was on since the release of Cathedral. Carver was married at the age of eighteen and he had a lot of responsibilities at that early age. Carver had the responsibilities of supporting his children and wife at this age while working dull, routine jobs. Grinnell goes on to explain how Carver was raise in a poor neighborhood in the city of Yakima, Washington. Then Carver was able to go to college and complete a Bachelor’s Degree from Chico State in California. After college Carver took up writing from the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, making just enough to barely survive in the year he spent there. After these experiences Carver took up drinking while wasting many years of his thirties. Which Carver fully accepted and did not make any excuses for. Before 1983, Carver wrote two books full of stories called Will you Please Be Quiet, Please? and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Compared to the long titles, the content of the stories were pretty short, many being less than or equal to ten pages each. Carver carefully crafted his stories despite his drinking and lack of comfortable writing space. Due to the restricted viewpoints and the characters not being quite clear, Carver gained a reputation for his kind of writing that won for him. According to Grinnell when Carver came out with Cathedral, â€Å"a book with a one-word title and a dozen, more fully fleshed-out stories,† which I agree totally with, the stories were still â€Å"hard little gems of fiction but they are a few carats heavier than those of the earlier books† (Grinnell p. 106). To summarize Grinnell, half of the stories were first person narrations, which Carver had tight control over his characters perspectives. Carver does not give too much to the outside world around his characters and allows the reader to bring their own emotional baggage to and from the stories. While Carver is a literary minimalist and presents the characters of his stories lives as nothing more than what it is. Grinnell uses the opening story Feathers as an example, explaining the story. Grinnell explains that the narrator’s daily routine is exhausted and weary and that his wife is broken when a coworker invites them over for dinner. Carver places details such as the television that has a plaster of Paris cast of crooked teeth, and a La-Z-Boy chair, as well as the host’s wife, and their baby that is described as fat and ugly, as well as a pet peacock. The narrator holds nothing back and shares with the reader that the baby was the ugliest they had ever seen. The night turns out to be a nice, special one that is actually memorable because after that their lives became even duller. The narrator and his wife have a child of their own, who developed â€Å"a conniving streak in him. Grinnell explains that Carver’s characters â€Å"Often experience a special moment which almost affords them a glimpse of something elusive- a better life perhaps† Grinnell then says that they cannot actually achieve it hence they retreat to drinking or their regular boring life which seems even duller by the missed opportunity to achieve this better life. Grinnell calls â€Å"Cathedral† the peak story of the collection, and also refers to it as â€Å"this little masterpiece,† which I also agree with; Cathedral was my favorite story honestly. Grinnell tells that the piece concluded with the narrator trying to describe to a blind man a cathedral that he sees on television, but his words fail. Then the narrator tries to show the experience by holding the blind man’s hand while making a sketch of cathedral. The narrator then closes his eyes after the blind man asks him to. Grinnell expresses that the blind man is more perceptive than the narrator is and when the narrator closes his eyes, he gains a new dimension of perception. Grinnell ends his critique by saying Carver’s life seems to be coming back together and that his art is blooming, while he thinks that Cathedral is a major part of a new beginning for Carver’s writing career. The second literary criticism text I chose to select was one from Randolph Paul Runyon, which was written in 1992. Runyon’s essay examined the connecting elements and recurring themes in the short stories from Cathedral. Runyon first reviews â€Å"Feathers,† and mentions the characteristics of the setting. Runyon mentions the â€Å"old plaster-of-Paris cast of the most crooked, jaggedy teeth in the world† as well as the pet peacock and the baby. To summarize Runyon, the narrator of the story ends up mentioning that the evening was a special one that made him forget his everything in his life. Runyon says that there are two different interpretations of the meaning of the visit; one was that for the narrator’s wife the visit was a reminder of what went wrong in their lives in the beginning. The other one is that for the narrator it was glimpse of paradise, that he would never see again which was symbolized by the pet peacock. Runyon believes there is a possible three interpretation, which can be seen from a different point of the nonparticipants of the story. This is the point of view that the reader sees and the one that escaped Jack and Fran. The story takes place in the evening which they both always remember it began with a little story about the difficulty of remembering. This tied into a previous story that Carver had written. Another thing Runyon mentions about â€Å"Feathers† is that a lot of things are presented in pairs in the story such as the narrator and his wife, the baby and the peacock, the teeth â€Å"before† and â€Å"after. † Then Runyon goes on to say that it was fitting for the first story of the collection to begin with a series of chains of before and after, and we should be accustomed to them now because this is the way his short story sequences seem to be put together. Runyon then talks about â€Å"Cathedral,† which he starts off by summarizing the story, saying that before the narrator’s wife married him she worked as a reader for Robert and that they had exchanged tapes in the years since. When the narrator’s wife was telling him about Robert she told the narrator that she had talked about him in a tape to Robert and Robert had something to say about the narrator in his tape back to her, but what Robert had said about the narrator was never fully told since an interruption came at that time. This type of interruption had been seen in another one of Carver’s works. To summarize Runyon, the narrator was annoyed at first that Robert was coming to visit because he has never had much to do with blind people and he thinks he will be uncomfortable. Robert is a nice man that enjoyed thing just like any other person would, good food, good drinking and good marijuana although he was just trying it for the first time. Runyon then summarizes the rest of the story, and then adds his opinion. Runyon believes that the conclusion is intended to make the reader think to explore many of Carver’s other pieces. Runyon says that the conclusion also reminded him of the conclusion of â€Å"The Bridle† when Holits was high on the cabana roof since the narrator and the blind man drew the cathedral while they’re high. Also a significant role reversal was seen since at first the narrator was in charge of drawing the cathedral on the heavy paper so that Robert could move his fingers over the paper to get an idea of what it looked liked, but by the end the blind man is actually guiding the narrator. The blind man was basically showing the narrator what it was like to be blind, when the blind man tells the narrator to close his eyes. Runyon says the collaboration between the two, the blind man and the narrator, was something like collaborattion Carver held with his editor (p. 176). I agree with a lot of things I read in both of these pieces of criticism. I like the criticism given by Grinnell the most, and I would say it was a really good one. Not all of the stories of the collection were gone over in these though. I agree that drinking is often turned to by the characters of Carver’s writing, like when Robert first got to the narrators home, the narrator offered him a drink right away, I said, â€Å"Let me get you a drink. What’s your pleasure? We have a little of everything. It’s one of our pastimes† (Carver). The narrator then closes his eyes after the blind man asks him to. Grinnell expresses that the blind man is more perceptive than the narrator is and when the narrator closes his eyes, he gains a new dimension of perception. Also when Grinnell expressed that the blind man is more perceptive than the narrator, I agreed as well. Although the narrator has been able to see all of his life he doesn’t comprehend that being blind doesn’t mean that a person is completely handicapped but he isn’t completely normal either. The narrator says â€Å"I’ve never met, or personally known, anyone who was blind. † The narrator also thinks that Robert could be taken bowling which is not very realistic. I do believe at the end the narrators perception is taken to a new depth especially while he mentions that the drawing they worked on was really something, saying that with his eyes closed.