Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin - Research Paper Example This story was written at a time when interracial relationships were not accepted by the society. When Armand noticed that the baby has African-American blood, he instantly came to his own conclusion of Desiree’s family heritage. The story ends with a deserving lesson for Armand. Desiree who was abandoned at birth was adopted by the Valmondes. She later on gets married to Armand Aubigny. Initially they have a happy married life. They seemed to be a devoted couple and then eventually Desiree gives birth to a son. When Madame Valmonde came to see the child, she found something unusual about him but was soon relieved when Desiree exclaimed how proud Armand was of his son. When the baby was three months old, Desiree and Armand realise that the skin colour of the baby is similar to that of a quadroon boy which means he has the blood of African-American. Since the family background of Desiree was not known, Armand immediately came to the conclusion that she has mixed blood. An instant change crept within Armand as he began to mistreat his slaves and also distanced himself from his wife and son and â€Å"when he spoke to her, it was with averted eyes, from which the old love-light seemed to have gone out†. When Armand refused to listen to the denials of Desi ree, she was requested by Madame Valmonde to return to the Valmonde estate. Even Armand insisted Desiree to take herself and her son away from him. Then Desiree leaves with her child and walks off into a bayou. She was never seen again. Armand then burns all belongings of Desiree and the baby including all her letters to him. Among the letters there was one letter which was written by his mother to his father and this letter revealed the fact that Armand himself was of mixed blood. (Chopin, n.d) In this story the final fate of Desiree remained ambiguous. It was not clear whether she along with her son embraced death or whether she chose to live to bring up the baby away from Armand. One author James Trotman in his book mentions about the irony in Armand’s character. His own racial heritage was not clear to him, but still he rejected his wife and son after concluding that they are not worthy of him. When his mother’s letter revealed his own black ancestry, his own views on racism becomes pathetic. Before he noticed the skin colour of the baby, he was devoted to his wife and the baby. After he realised the mixed blood status of the baby he began to believe that â€Å"Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him†. He now considered Desiree unfit to be his wife. Trotman also analyses Armand’s views on black and white women. Armand most probably had relationship with a black woman called La Blanche with whom he had a son because of the baby’s likeness to La Blanche’s son. For Armand, La Blanche was valuable only as servant and sexual partner because she was black. For him, Desiree had the right to give birth to his heir because of her white skin. When Desiree failed to meet his expectations, he discarded her with no second thoughts. All his love for her evaporated because of his own notions on racism. In a male dominated society Desiree’s life gets ruined after being abandoned by her husband. As a woman she b ecomes legally powerless because she has no right to accuse Armand. (Trotman, 2002, pp.131,132). In the end Desiree leaves with her baby and her whereabouts remain a mystery. It will be prudent to speculate that she might have settled in some other place where racial prejudice is not so much a curse. As a mother she might have thought of her son who is totally innocent and so deserves to lead a long and happy life. There is a book by Christopher Benfey which tells about the fate of Desiree. Armand becomes extremely angry on learning that his wife has borne him a mulatto child. The author without any doubt, concludes

Chemistry in Daily Life Essay Example for Free

Chemistry in Daily Life Essay 1.You feel hungry because of the satiety center in your brain falls short of particular hormones to function and then sends the signal of hunger. 2.You fall in love, get attracted and have a feeling of belonging because of certain monoamines present in your brain which get stimulated through nerve sensors. 3.If you have wondered, why is the sky blue, it is due to a phenomenon called the Rayleigh scattering, which depends on scattering of light through particles which are much smaller than the wavelength. Hence when light passes through gases, there is scattering and the sky appears blue. 4.Coffee keeps you awake because of the presence of a chemical called adenosine, in your brain. It binds to certain receptors and slows the nerve cell activity when sleep is signaled. 5.Anaerobic fermentation is also a great concept which is present in the chemistry of everyday life. It is present in yogurt, breads, cakes and many other baking products. It is the multiplication of certain useful bacteria which increase the size of the food and make it more filling and soft. 6.Soap is formed by molecules with a head which likes water (hydrophilic) and a long chain which hates it (hydrophobic). 7.Lactose is the main complex sugar found in the milk. Its a pretty big compound formed by two smaller components: glucose and galactose. Such a big compound cannot get through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream, so we need something to break it into smaller pieces. This something is an enzime named lactase. The more milk and milk products we consume, the more lactase we need. 8.The iodised salt is a necessary intake. It prevents a disease called goitre. 9.In the garden we use sprays to kill insects from attacking our plants. 10.Vermiwash is a liquid fertilizer. It isused as a leaf spray.

Sea Fever Essay -- English Literature

Sea Fever - speech Good morning Miss Allison and class, the poem I chose is Sea Fever by John Masefield. John Masefield, was only 22 years old when he wrote the simple yet moving lines in his poem 'Sea Fever'. He was born in 1878, in, England. Young Masefield wanted to be a merchant marine officer and at 13 he spent two and a half years on the school ship and afterwards was apprenticed aboard a sailing ship, bound for Chile. In Chile he became ill and left the sea and returned to England. In 1902 Masefield published his first volume of poems, 'Salt-Water Ballads' John Masefield's poem "Sea Fever" is a work of art that brings beauty to the English language through its use of rhythm, imagery and many complex figures of speech. Sea Fever is a classic, English poem about the poet’s strong longing to return to the sea. It is a description of a man who reflects on what his life used to be like when he was a sailor. In Stanza one, the man yearns to be sailing the oceans once again. He remembers the solitude and the natural environment around him, such as the sky, with its stars to guide him in the right direction, as well as the wind that made his ship shake and its sail to billow. He also recalls the grey mist of the ocean. In stanza two, the man describes his yearning in stronger terms, when he describes the tide of the ocean as ‘a clear call that may not be denied’. The man also remembers various aspects associated with the sea, such as the white clouds moving in the sky, the foam and spray, as well as the sound of the sea gulls. Stanza three is a further description of the man’s life at the sea. He recalls his life as being similar to the wandering life of a gypsy. He remembers being at the helm of his sh... ...ng or mood of each stanza. Firstly, a mood of solitude is expressed in this picture, through the tall ship, being isolated in the open seas, crossing storms, secluded from all civilisations. Secondly, a mood of deep yearning, hunger and frustration is depicted in this picture with the flung spray and the blown spume, being very important features in this picture. This picture also shows the longing shared between the speaker and the ocean. Thirdly, in this picture, the mood of freedom and independence is reflected through the freedom of a whale and a sea gull. The colours I chose for this picture are very peaceful, with blues and greens and whites, showing the true calmness of the sea. The themes in "Sea Fever, the longing the speaker has for the sea and the comparison of life to a sea voyage, are also seen in the pictures I have displayed on my poster.

Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay -- Examining Pr

Prejudices are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education: they grow there, firm as weeds among stones. CHARLOTTE BRONTE, Jane Eyre Prejudice is something which has affected everyone at one time or another. It is like looking out a frosted window and not seeing a clear picture. When people look through a frosted window they sometimes see a blurred vision of the world outside. Sometimes we see people as very different from ourselves when really they are just a very little bit different from us. We can even see someone as an enemy instead of for who they really are. These narrow minded views in our society are prevalent, even though most of the time they are incorrect. To Kill a Mockingbird expresses many diverse pictures of prejudice; the situations also show that prejudice can be conquered. Aunt Alexandra will not allow Scout to play with Walter Cunningham because he is a poor boy. Aunt Alexandra shows her prejudice by not letting Scout play with someone of a lower social status "they're good folk...

Banning Junk Food in Schools

Banning junk food what’s the point? It would be healthier in school than in McDonalds or the mall. They should not ban junk foods in school. My first reason is that if kept in schools it could make the school a lot more money than the healthy concession that we already have. The money could go to buying new gym/weight equipment and brand new team uniforms for the football team. It could also go to buying laptops for the grade 12 classes. My second reason is that it would keep kids in school at noon hour. If we had junk food in the schools it could keep kids in the school at noon hour which would minimize the # of fights, theft and problems in the streets. Students still may fight but would be less likely to because of all the teachers and supervision in the schools unlike the streets where there is no supervision for the students. My third topic is that we can eat what we want. If there was junk food we could ea what we want instead of just eating healthy food we could have a variety of food to choose from. It should be our choice what we do and do not eat. I say that we are old enough and mature enough to choose for our selves. â€Å"Don’t Ban Junk Food† My main topic. My three topics are makes money for the schools, It Could Keep Kids in at Noon Hour, and That We Can Eat What We Want. All this could happen if they didn’t ban junk food from schools.

The Basics of Mammalian Temperature Regulation

The Basics of Mammalian Temperature Regulation Do you find it surprising that reindeer, which spend much of their time standing in snow, dont get cold feet? Or that dolphins, whose thin flippers are gliding constantly through cool water, still manage to pursue very active lifestyles? A special circulatory adaptation known as countercurrent heat exchange enables both of these animals to maintain the appropriate body temperature in their extremities, and this is only one of the many clever adaptations mammals have evolved over the last hundred million years to help them to deal with variable temperatures. Mammals Are Endothermic All mammals are endothermic- that is, they maintain and regulate their own body temperature, no matter the external conditions. (Cold-blooded vertebrates, like snakes and turtles, are ectothermic.) Living in widespread environments around the world, mammals face daily and seasonal fluctuations in temperatures and some- for example, those indigenous to harsh arctic or tropical habitats- have to deal with extreme cold or heat. To maintain their correct internal body temperature, mammals must have a way to produce and conserve body heat in colder temperatures, as well as dissipate excess body heat in warmer temperatures. The mechanisms mammals have for producing heat include cellular metabolism, circulatory adaptations,  and plain, old-fashioned shivering. Cellular metabolism is the chemical process that constantly occurs within cells, by which organic molecules are broken down and harvested for their internal energy; this process releases heat and warms the body. Circulatory adaptations, such as the countercurrent heat exchange mentioned above, transfer heat from the core of the animals body (its heart and lungs) to its periphery via specially designed networks of blood vessels. Shivering, which youve probably done some of yourself, is easiest to explain: this crude process generates heat by the rapid contraction and shaking of muscles.   If An Animal Gets Too Warm What if an animal is too warm, rather than too cold? In temperate and tropical climates, excess body heat can accumulate quickly and cause life-threatening problems. One of natures solutions is to place blood circulation very near the surface of the skin, which helps to release heat into the environment. Another is the moisture produced by sweat glands or respiratory surfaces, which evaporates in comparatively dryer air and cools the animal down. Unfortunately, evaporative cooling is less effective in dry climates, where water is rare and water loss can be a real problem. In such situations, mammals, like reptiles, often seek protection from the sun during the hotter daylight hours and resume their activity at night. The evolution of warm-blooded metabolisms in mammals wasnt a straightforward affair, as witness the fact that many dinosaurs were apparently warm-blooded, some contemporary mammals (including a species of goat) actually have something akin to cold-blooded metabolisms, and even one type of fish generates its own internal body heat.

Computer Culture essays

Computer Culture essays Computers have a great effect on the way we live our lives today. From writing documents to banking, computers are integrating themselves into our daily tasks more and more every day. There are several important aspects of the computer age, including the internet, banking and communications. The internet is the fastest growing economy in the world, mostly because of its ease of use, and its vast audience. For the last seven years, the internet has more than doubled in growth and profits every year. Every day, there are new companies being created and making profits over the internet. This is because of the low cost of setting up and advertising. The internet is also rapidly becoming the major means of purchasing for millions of people all over the world. This number is only going to increase as more people become computer literate. A major concern for people purchasing products or services over the internet is security. Most people think that using credit cards on the internet is unsafe, when in reality it is more safe than using it at a local grocery store or gas station. This is because when a person submits their credit card information over the internet, it is encrypted and sent securely, while when they use it at a grocery store, anyone can view the inform ation. New uses for the internet are being discovered all the time. For instance, the digital music revolution is in progress right now. There are major lawsuits being issued by major record labels against certain internet organizations such as Napster and MP3.com. Almost every person who knows about electronic music uses it, so this makes a major impact on the sales of CDs and cassettes. Other than electronic music, almost every other industry is benefiting from the internet. For instance, the internet auction company EBAY is one of the biggest companies in the world now. They offer the advertisement of products and services to be auctioned to everyone. This...