Anxiolytic Properties of L- Theanine in Albino Rats

Anxiolytic Properties of L- Theanine in Albino Rats Lakshmi Girija, Kiruthika, Arvind, Zaved Ahmed khan ABSTRACT Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling of nervousness, uneasiness accompanied by stress for anticipated events. Stressful conditions can increase anxiety many folds showing physically noticeable symptoms and drastically affecting cognitive ability. Several anxiolytic drugs are in the market whose continuous consumption may lead to problems in the long run. It is reported that L-Theanine, anamino acid analogue that was discovered as a constituent ingreen tea, has anxiolytic abilities. As L-theanine is an analogue of glutamate and glutamine, it is absorbed in the small intestine after oral digestion. It can cross theblood–brain barrier, and thereby directly register pharmacological effects. As it is able to cross theblood–brain barrier, psychoactiveproperties are reported for theanine. Many studies have revealed about its potential ability to reduce mental and physical stress. It can give better cognition and improve mood and cognitive performance. Diazepam is acommercially ava ilable benzodiazepine drug, used to treat a wide range of conditions,   including anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, seizures etc. In this paper, the anxiolytic properties of L- theanine was studies in the albino rats taking diazepam as a positive drug for anxiety. Poly lactide nano particle encapsulate theanine was also tested to see if it could cross the blood brain barrier more rapidly to reduce anxiety. Theanine proved to be an efficient anxiolytic drug equivalent to diazepam as it improved the performances of anxiety induced rats to match with that of the rats that were non anxious. Keywords:Theanine, anxiety, Diazepam,stress. Introduction Nowadays anxiety or stress have became one of the common important problem faced by the world today. Owing to busy schedule and workloads people are not able to stay calm and so the demand for anti-anxiety drugs are gaining importance. Most commonly used drugs include alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam and oxazepam. But all these drugs are not safe in the long run and hence there is a need for a good alternative. L-theanine, an aminoacid analogue of proteogenicaminoacids, L- glutamate and L- glutamine has found to have certain anti- stress effect properties. It was discovered as a constituent of green tea. Since it has multiple roles in the central and autonomous nervous system, it is receiving more attention. It was found that administration of L- theanine increases the alpha brain activity, depicting that L-theanine could render an alert and relaxed state [1,2].It was also found that stress can be reduced by inhibiting cortical neuron excitation [3].Stress can raise the blood pressure thereby activating the nervous system for producing large amounts of vasoconstricting hormones that will elevate blood pressure [4,5], L-theanine was able to reduce the blood pressure Various studies in animals revealed that L-theanine had an effect on serotonin and dopamine concentrations in the brain, anxiolytic effect [6,7]. Kimura (2007) reported that intake of L- theanine have reduced heart rate and salivary immunoglobulin production. In hypertensive rats L-theanine have found role in reducing blood pressure [8,9].. Hence, it can be hypothesized that L-theanine attenuates the stress responses in the autonomic nervous system induced by both physically and psychologically stressful tasks. Diazepam is one of the common benzodiazepine drug used for reducing anxiety. It reacts with the chemicals in the brain that causes anxiety. It also used for alcohol withdrawal symptoms. With other medications, diazepam is used to treat seizures. It helps to control symptoms of anxiety, so the people feel less agitated and less tense. It have sedative and an anticonvulsant properties. It can help relieve to muscle spasm. Diazepam should be used for the shortest period of time possible as it will cause tolerance, dependence and also sometimes withdrawal symptoms in some people. In this paper, the effect of theanine was tested in the albino mice taking diazepam as a positive drug for anxiety and then testing of theanine encapsulated with nanoparticle was done to check whether the drug crossed the blood brain barrier. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All animals used for this experiment were approved by the ethical committee for animals of VIT University. Animals subjects All rats used in the experiment were female albino Wistar from VIT animal house. The animals were in the age group of 6-8 months. The separated groups were kept in separate cages with 3 rats in each cage and were fed with food pellets and purified water from VIT animal house facility. All rats were healthy and free of any physical deformity or possible symptoms of any infection. The mean weights of the rats were 270  ±10 grams. Grouping of the rats for the experiment: The rats were divided into 5 groups with 3 rats per group for the experimental design. The details of the groups are as follows. Groups (Three rats/group) Induction of anxiety: Restrain stress model was used to induce anxiety into rats. All rats except the negative control group were induced with anxiety continuously for 5 days. The rats were locked and immobilised in the restrain stress chamber inside a silent dark room for 1 h each day for 5 consecutive days to induce anxiety. No animals were injured or handled harshly in the process. Each group of rats were subjected to the process at the same time each day and were then caged together in their respective group cages. Administration of drug: The drug was administered orally through eleven G syringe. Drug of 10 mg/ Kg of body weight was dissolved in 10 mL of distilled water and were fed orally to the rats. Tests performed: Open field test and elevated plus maze test was performed for each rat in every group for 3 consecutive days and the performance readings were recorded for each rat and represented separately in the group performance table to be compared with other groups to determine the relative anxiety levels of different groups in the experimental model. Open field test: The rats were introduced one at a time into the centre of the open field setup that consisted of 16 squares and a total accessible area of 1.6 sq m. The ambiance was maintained silent and was well lit with lights for ensuring visibility. Each rat was allowed to spend 10 mins inside the setup and the total number of square movements, fecal boli and rearings were recorded for the entire period of time spent inside the setup. Elevated plus maze test: The rats were introduced one at a time into the centre of the elevated plus maze setup elevated to 50 cm above ground that had an open arm of length 60 cm and a closed arm of length 60 cm with the total accessible area of 2.4 sq m. The ambiance was maintained silent and was well lit with lights for ensuring visibility. Each rat was allowed to spend 5 mins inside the setup and the total number of open arm entries, closed arm entries, total time spent in open arm and total time spent in closed arm were recorded for the entire period of time spent inside the setup. Results: The observations of the open field test and elevated plus maze test for all the groups of experimental rats are as follows. Group details Open field test: Parameters tested in open field test were No. of squares crossed No. of fecal boli No. of rearings Table 1 to 5 show the raw data of observation for the 5 groups for the open field test. Table1: Group I observation for OFT Table 2: Group II observations for OFT Table 3 : Group III observations for OFT Table 4: Group IV observations for OFT Table 5: Group V observations for OFT Determining the level of anxiety: Number of squares crossed: The mean value of squares crossed by the rats in each group is depicted in fig 1. As expected rats with no induced anxiety were able to show high movement by crossing a mean of 62.4 squares in 10 mins and rats induced with anxiety but not administered with any anxiolytic drug showed the least movement by crossing a mean of only 14.6 squares in 10 mins. The group administered with theanine as the anxiolytic drug out preformed as compared to the group administered with diazepam by crossing a mean of 48.4 squares in 10 mins showing reduced level of anxiety. The nano particle formulation does not show significant improvement in the performance as compared to theanine administered alone. Number of fecal boli: Fig 2. Shows the anxiety level of the different groups having fecal boli as the parameter for measuring anxiety. Maximum number of fecal boli was observed in group II where the rats were induced with anxiety but was not administered with any drug. Non anxiety induced rats in group I had the least number of fecal boli recording of 2. Theanine seems to be effective than diazepam in this test. Fecal boli is reduced by a mean of 0.11 as compared to the rats administered with diazepam. Nano formulation administered rats show increased fecal boli behaviour as compared to rats administered with diazepam or theanine. Number of rearings: Mean number of rearing behaviour for the 5 groups are shown in fig 3. Group I rats that were expected to show the least number of rearings showed rearing behaviour more than the test groups. Group II rats showed the maximum mean number of rearings fo 32.2 in 10 mins in the open field setup. Theanine and nano particle formulation of theanine reduced the rearing behaviour as compared to diazepam proving their efficiency as anxiolytic drug. The effect of normal drug and nano particle formulation were almost equal and nano formulation seems to show no improvement in crossing the blood brain barriers. These results from open field test confirms that the restrain stress model is effective in inducing anxiety in rats and the test drug theanine performs better than diazepam that is now being commertially used to treat anxiety. Elevated plus maze test: The parameters tested in the elevated plus maze test were No. of entries to open arm No. of entries to closed arm Time spent in open arm Time spent in closed arm Tables 6- 10 show the raw data collected for each group of rats in the elevated plus maze test. Table 6: Group I observations for elevated plus maze test Table 7: Group II observations for elevated plus maze test Table 8: Group III observations for elevated plus maze test Table 9: Group IV observations for elevated plus maze test Table 10: Group V observations for elevated plus maze test Number of open arm entries: Mean number of open arm entries by the 5 groups of rats in elevated plus maze test are depicted in fig4. Group I rats with no induced anxiety showed the maximum mean open arm entries of 13.4 times in 5 mins. The least number of open arm entries were observed in group II rats that were induced with anxiety but not administered with any drug. Diazepam was more effective in reducing the anxiety as the mean open arm entry for rats administered with it was 11.5 as compared to only 9.1 and 9.0 for rats administered with theanine and nano formulation of theanine respectively. Number of closed arm entries: The mean number of closed arm entries for the groups of rats are shown in fig 5. Number of closed arm entries were recorded maximum for group I rats without anxiety, these rats were very active in entering both the arms yet they spent most of the time in open arm chamber. Group II rats had least closed arm entries but they tend to spend more time without movement inside the closed arm showing high level of anxiety. Mean number of closed arm entries for the rats administered with diazepam was found to be 5.4 and the mean closed arm entries for rats administered with theanine and its nano formulation were found to be 6.1 and 3.4 respectively making the observations inconclusive without its correlation with the time spent in the closed arm for each group. Total time spent in open arm: The mean time spent in the open arm by each group of rats in the elevated plus maze setup is shown in fig 6. Rats belonging to group II that were induced with anxiety but were not administered with any drug spent the least time in open arm proving increased level of anxiety. Rats with induced anxiety and administered with diazepam, theanine or nano formulation of theanine spent mean time of 2.96, 2.7 and 2.93 mins in the open arm respectively. These are higher than 2.5 mins of time spent by group I rats that were not induced with anxiety. This proves that level of diazepam and theanine administered were able to reduce anxiety and also improve the performance of the test rats more than the control group in this test. Total time spent in closed arm: Mean time spent by different groups of rats in the closed arm of elevated plus maze setup is given in fig7. Group II rats spent the mean maximum time of 3.76 mins in the closed arm showing maximum level of anxiety as they were not administered with any anxiolytic drug. Rats administered with diazepam spent the least time in the closed arm that was about a mean value of 2.03 mins. Theanine and nano particle formulation of theanine showed no variation with respect to this parameter as both the groups administered with either one of the drug spent an equal mean time of 2.3 mins in the closed chamber. These values are lower than the time spent by the non anxious rats in group I thus making it clear that the amount of diazepam and theanine used have not only been anxiolytic but also have improved performances of the rats in the test. Relative time spent in open arm: Relative time spent in open arm for each group of rats with respect to non anxious rats were calculated and depicted in fig 8. Time spent by the non anxious rats in group I was taken to be 100 % and the time spent by the other groups were plotted relative to the group I rats. Relative time spent by the group2 rats with anxiety and no administered drug was lowest as expected. Rats administered with diazepam, theanine or its nano formulation showed 18 %, 8% and 17% high relative time respectively as compared to the non anxious rats used as control, showing the effectiveness of the drug against anxiety. Relative time spent in open arm: Relative time spent in closed arm for each group of rats with respect to non drug administered rats in group2 were calculated and depicted in fig 9. Time spent by the rats in group II that were induced with anxiety but not administered with any drug was taken to be 100% and the time spent by other groups were plotted relative to this. As expected all the other groups of rats showed lower relative time in the closed arm proving lower level of anxiety than the control group II. Rats administered with diazepam spent the least relativ

The Industrialisation And Globalisation Of The World Economy

The Industrialisation And Globalisation Of The World Economy Due to the industrialisation and globalisation the worlds economy became as a single market where the business can be done across the world this made edge to edge competition among the organisations. Due to the huge competition and necessity to expand globally made the organisations to make them self strong and specialised by concentrating on external and internal aspects like recruiting highly skilled employees, giving advanced training to employees, introducing advanced technologies etc. and changing their dimensions according to the changes of the worlds markets. Employees are very important to an organisation. The success of an organisation depends on the skills and ability its human resources. Human resources are the major/ important determinant of the company performance over the long term (Ronald R.Sims, 2002, p.1). My company value is zero (0) from 6 pm to 9 am because there will be no employee (Narayana murthy, CEO ). According to Budhwar and Debrah(1984) in an organisation human resource is the easiest resource which can manage easily and same way human resources are the toughest resources to manage. According to Grandhi Malikarujna rao (2008) if u manage, utilize and control the human resources of an organisation then 90% of the organisation is succeed. About company: Vodafone is the first UKs mobile company which made call at past midnight on 1st January 1985. 1/3 of the new customers are connecting to Vodafone. In 1982 the Recal Telecomms (Division of Recal Electronics group) renamed as Vodafone having less than 50 employees in one building. Now it is operating in 27 countries across 5 Continents, 186.8 million customers and 33 partner networks. Sir John Bond is Chairman and Vittorio Colao is Chief Executive of Vodafone. (Home page, History, Meet the Board) Vision: The long term goal of the company is to be a leader in mobile communication by enriching customers lives, helping people, business and communities across the globe to get connected. Team Building: This is a fairly general term that is used in a number of different ways. It can cover either what you are trying to achieve or how you are trying to achieve it or both! The following cover most of the options: Team building is developing working relationships. Team building is improving the performance of the team. Team building is outdoor activities that challenge the individuals within the team. Team building is about improving motivation, communication, support and trust within a team. A Team-wise team building event will be is great fun however they have been developed with several aims in mind: Working relationships will be developed People have to work together and by doing so colleagues will develop more effective working relationships with team members who are new to the team and with team members who have been part of the team for some time. Shared positive experience The whole day is very memorable, team members will be talking about it for the rest of the year. As such colleagues will share a positive and memorable experience which further develops bonds. Strengths and talents Everyone gets fully involved in the day and their are lots of different roles so team workers will see their colleagues in a whole new light and will have a greater understanding of their strengths and talents. Teamwork Everything during the team building day clearly requires teamwork and as such team members will leave with a greater awareness of how teams work and how to make them work better. Reward Staff enjoy the day and feel that the company cares about them. According to Brill (1976, p.10) that work which is done by a group of people who possess individual expertise, who are responsible for making individual decisions, who hold a common purpose and who meet together to communicate, share and consolidate knowledge from which plans are made, future decisions are influenced, and actions determined. According to Cannon-bowers A team is set of two or more individuals who interact interdependently and adoptively toward a common goal or objective. In addition, team members have specific roles or functions and the span of memberships is limited Vodafone employees spread in different locations has to interact in a multicultural environment with employees from diverse cultural and geographical backgrounds employee training from the core part of facilitating process of living the employees to a common organisational culture. Stages of Team Building: Forming: When a new team forms, the team members are new they dont know with each, they dont know the tasks what to do, what are punishments and rewards if the tasks are performed and not performed so the team leader should arrange the meeting (group meeting) and make clear about the goal of forming team, individual tasks, rules and regulations, rewards and punishments. Storming: If any problems arise in the team, the leader should bring all the members together by dialogues and make them to work towards the goal and objectives of the group forming. This the crucial part which effects the team performance if the team members does not have proper co-operation then the team leader should arrange meeting(group meeting) as early as possible and make the team perform well. Norming: In this stage team leader reduces his tasks himself and encourages the team members to take over load ( more tasks). He spends more time individually with each member and reviews their performances and motivates them to achieve the goals. Performing: Team leader should make the team members to perform well in order to achieve goal. Team leader should encourage the team members to complete their individual tasks within the time. Adjourning: This is the lost stage where the performance of the team and individual is analyzed, rewarding for the best performers in team and splitting/ separating the team officially. Learning and development in Vodafone: Learning and development is centred on quality excellence and efficiency. The main focus area is to develop the existing human capital (human resources) in line with the ever changing face of the industry and make the employees a more stable and most motivated work force with more opportunities for growth and development within the company using the latest development in learning technology. The company recognises the importance of on the job learning obtain through different assignments which are Taylor made to suit interest and provide an opportunity to develop the skills for preparing them for new roles with in Vodafone. Interaction with group in Vodafone: The annual people survey where the employees interact formally through performance dialogues with line managers from the bases employee engagement programs in Vodafone. The relationship between employee feedback and informal performance is co-related .the focus is on improving situations where employees are performing poorly. One of the main concerns is to use feedback strategies that improve the areas of poor performance and to evaluate negative feedback received by the company. This involves processing the feedback between the employee and the supervisor and identifies areas of improvement .From the employee perspective the process is motivated to maintain a positive self esteem for the supervisor and rooted in the reluctance to give any negative feedback (James .R. Larson, JR 1969). The various initiatives are targeted at improving informal and formal communication in the company. As part of working in the group people Work as a group through team meetings and interaction with group managers. All employees interact with others using the internet site using it for formal engagements and through online discussions and engagements as well as through blogs and wikis .online team rooms facilitate information transfer with subsidiaries with email news bulletin and Internal TV Channel. Conflict management Organizational managers do not view management conflict as strategic as managing information ,but this is changing gradually and the current view is to manage information and human resource and align it with financial systems .normally the conflict management is dealt with on two fronts ,one is emotional and one is strategic were it is aligned with the total business goals of the company .relationship conflict is concerned with the idea of addressing interpersonal incompatibilities and involves reducing tension within the group and solving personal issues and settling annoyance and frustration which can act as negative factors in a company s growth. A company like Vodafone with several subsidiaries should have a centralises system in conflict management and should be treated as a strategic issue rather than one which is solved emotionally and out of the book. This can go a long way in creating a congenial environment for emotional and intellectual growth. Internal communication within the group Every organization looks out for effective means to communicate within the group and the key to success lies in effective communication within the organization. A change in management can distort communication channels within the organization. The example of this can be seen in the takeover of Hutchison Essar in March 2007. The sudden change in management has displaced communication channels in its Indian subsidiary. The solution was not to distort the existing in the newly acquired company. The model the company adopted has similarities to the research paper published by (Tony Proctor 2003) Leadership within Vodafone Organizational culture has to age and has progressed to be critical in defining the work culture in the company .unbiased approach and fairness has to be key aspects that govern the policy in an organization. Large organizations like Vodafone face coordination problems in different levels in the organization. The three core areas were management in contemporary organizations face problems are the issues related to transformational management .the leadership has to facilitate the performance of collective tasking in the organization. Some research like (Garry Yuki 2002) suggests that managing and leadership should be treated separately .in publically listed companies there is an increased influence to satisfy the expectations of stakeholders. The contemporary roles of leaders have change, long gone are the notions of military leaders who use to win battles .the current role of leaders have changed and the ability of managers is there ability to turnaround failing organizations into successfully managed profitable ventures. The contemporary example can be the turnaround of automobile Giant Chrysler Corporation under the charismatic leadership of Lee Iacocca (Fried .E.Feidler 1996). For an organization like Vodafone there has to be synergy of various styles of leadership like: Emergent leadership The behavior of persons within the group and their ability to perform as a group is crucial in defining successful process of building leaders in the organization. Knowledge acquisition by first line managers is equally important and much research has successfully established it helps to lever ones core competencies and achieve competitive advantages. There is another factor which surrounds this which says about the co-relation of leadership and job satisfaction. (John .D.Politics 2001). An emergent leader is mostly situational and does not possess any serious traits of a leader. The ability to accomplish goals within a specified time defines the Emergent leaders. There are mostly selected out of intuitions rather than any pre planned strategy. The other theory is centred on effectiveness where effective is measures by conducted assessment of previous work and similarities between suitable traits and the leader is analyzed. The assessment even though is formally assessed is not fully standardized and uniform, which therefore can have variations is implementation. The core centre of this theory is that it is centred around the concept that those who are socially adept and bright are more set to be prospective leaders in the future. Succession management policy Vodafone a global company were succession planning has to be carried out at different levels. And it has to be relevant and engineered to suit. The most important aspect is to cater to the gap between the is planned and what is achieved. The focus should be on how leaders can be relevant and reengineered to remain relevant and make it suitable to suit the organization. The changing expectations of the society and accelerated changes in business leadership .the workplace is becoming increasingly diverse and every effort has to made to see that women ,minorities ,ethnicities has to be taken care of in the Global context. Coclusion:   Books Naomi I. Brill (1976). Teamwork: working together in the Human Services. Toronto: Lippincott. P5-11. Ronald R. Sims (2002)Organizational success through effective human resources management. p1-5. Pawan S.Budhwar and Yaw.Debrah (1984). Human Resource Management in Developing Countries. 3rd ed. Londan: Routledge. Articles Janis A. Cannon-Bowers and Eduardo Salas . (1998). Team Performance and Training in Complex Environments: Recent Findings from Applied Research. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Current Directions in Psychological Science. 7 (3), 83-87. Osama Abudayyeh. (1994). Partnering: A Team Building Approach to Quality Construction Management. Journal of Management in Engineering. 10 (6), p26-29. (Source: http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?9404719) News Papers Interview with Narayanamurthy (Founder of Infosys)by eenadu Business Desk. http://www.eenadu.net/newarchive.asp Interview with Grandhi Malikarjuna Rao (Chairman of GMR Group)by eenadu Business Desk. http://www.eenadu.net/archives/archive-24-1-2010/buisnesshead.asp?myqry=9HYPERLINK http://www.eenadu.net/archives/archive-24-1-2010/buisnesshead.asp?myqry=9reccount=11HYPERLINK http://www.eenadu.net/archives/archive-24-1-2010/buisnesshead.asp?myqry=9reccount=11reccount=11 websites http://www.team-wise.co.uk/defintion_of_team_building.htm accessed on 4/3/2010

navy seals Essay -- essays research papers

SO YOU WANT TO BE A NAVY SEAL? From Sea, Air, and Land, the U.S. Navy Seal Teams are the most feared and respected commando forces in the U.S military if not the world. The Seal Teams are the most elite and highly trained forces on the face of the earth. President John F. Kennedy formed the teams in 1962 as a seagoing counterpart to the U.S Army Special Forces. Most Seal missions are unreported and unknown to the general public. The Seals are trained to operate in small units, one or two men, or a platoon consisting of sixteen or more men. Not all Seal teams are made for everyone, in fact 80% of the men who attempt to become one, fail or will drop out. To become a Seal you must have dedication, hardwork, and a lot of commitment. The process of becoming a seal is broken down into three different phases, Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3. â€Å"The first phase starts with a bang and ends with a boom,† says Travis Schweizer, a twenty-three year-old Seal. Phase 1 consists of a two and three-mile timed run, physical training, one to two mile ocean swims, and a gut burning obstacle course. These items are a part of everyday delight for these men. Phase 1 lasts for approximately eight weeks and that is only if you do not get set back. The First five weeks the student’s learn life saving, knot tying, underwater knot tying, basic first aid, and surf passages in small inflatable boats. Along with this is a 50-yard underwater swim, which must be completed and the students are often revived when they pass out. Also throughout out the whole six months of BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition School), the Seal Teams go through many torturous events and lessons. One of these being surf torture. This is where the entire class must wade into the surf zone to their waistline, then sit down with arms linked. Just to let you know the water in Coronado, California never gets above sixty-eight degrees during the summer and fifty-eight degrees during the winter. There the men with linked arms will sit there for hours at a time, soon the cold sucks out all of their body warmth and the whole class is shivering in unison as the waves crash over there heads. After this the men will find themselves doing hours of calisthenics to warm up, only to go back in the cold water for a few more hours. This is a very effective way to teach a potential Seal to mentally resist the effects of hypothermia,... ...o the students who are in SEAL training, but have not yet completed all 3 phases). The twenty or so men who graduate with stern faces and hardened bodies, show little resemblance to the wide eyed kids who arrived on the quarter-deck six and half months earlier to set sail on the journey of a lifetime. The moment of reflection and rest is short lived though. For now it is off to jump school, then assigned to a Seal team on the East or West Coast. Once on the Seal Team, it becomes clear that training has just begun. From now on they must prove worthy of wearing the coveted â€Å"Trident† Naval Warfare emblem. Once at Jump School these determined men will now start learning the proper techniques of jumping out of a perfectly good plane. This is known as Post BUD/s training. This is a thirty-week course that teaches you everything you need to know about war combat, and jumping techniques.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though grueling and tedious, the rewards for hard work and studying are priceless. You leave the military with a whole new meaning of life. To be able to protect your friends, family, and country is an honor that anyone should be able to enjoy.

Essay on Freedom and Satan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Freedom and Satan in Paradise Lost  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   Satan's primary operational problem in Paradise Lost is his lack of obedience. The fundamental misunderstanding which leads to Satan's disobedience is his separation of free will from God's hierarchical power. In the angel Raphael's account, Satan tells his dominions, "Orders and Degrees/Jarr not with liberty" (5.792-93). Tempting as this differentiation seems, Satan is mistaken. Free will and hierarchical power are not mutually exclusive, as Satan suggests, but overlapping concepts. Even though Satan has been created with sufficient freedom to choose to disobey, he tacitly acknowledges God's sovereignty when he exercises his choice. Satan is constrained existentially, from the outset, by having a specific choice to make about whether or not to obey God. Satan, just as all angels, demons, and humans, may exercise his freedom as assent or dissent, for God had created him "Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall./Such I [God] created all th' ethereal powers/And spirits . . . /Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell" (3.99-102; cf. 5.549). If Satan would choose neither to assent nor to dissent, thereby refusing to exercise his free will, he would be discarding his free will. But this is impossible, as the demons determine in counsel in Book II; so long as he exists, Satan must make choices with respect to his possible obedience to God. If Satan's first mistake was to completely divorce his free will from God's power in giving him that freedom, his second mistake occurs in his conception of what it means to exercise that freedom. God says that "Not free, what proof could they [Satan et al.] have given sincere/Of true allegiance"? (3.103-04). But Satan has exactly the... ...lthough one can choose, as Satan does, to dissent and disobey, such purportedly self-creative acts are in fact merely an acknowledgment of God's hierarchical power. When pride and ambition to be like God prevent humans from hearing the "umpire Conscience" God has placed within us (3.195; Satan likewise has been given conscience enough to remember the call to obedience, 4.23), we become like Satan, for the same reasons constrained to listen only to the Satanic voice dissenting in our ears. Works Cited Scott Elledge, ed., Paradise Lost, second edn. (NY: Norton, 1993). Millicent Bell, "The Fallacy of the Fall in Paradise Lost," PMLA 68 (1953), 863-83; here p. 878. Northrop Frye, The Return of Eden (Buffalo: Univ. of Toronto, 1965), 39-40, 43 Barbara Lewalski, Paradise Lost and the Rhetoric of Literary Forms (Princeton: Princeton U. , 1985), 174.   

Labeling Theory :: Labeling Theory in Sociology

"Deviance, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. There is nothing inherently deviant in any human act, something is deviant only because some people have been successful in labeling it so." – J.L. Simmons INTRODUCTION Labelling theory, stemming from the influences of Cooley, Mead, Tannenbaum, and Lemert, has its origins somewhere within the context of the twentieth century. However, Edwin Lemert is widely considered the producer and founder of the original version of labelling theory. This paper, not a summary, provides a brief history of labelling theory, as well as, its role in the sociology of deviance. It attempts to explore the contributions made by labelling theorists, the criticism towards labelling theorists, and the discussion surrounding its reality as an actual theory. In essence, the main focus of this paper besides proving an understanding of Howard Becker, is to describe and evaluate `labelling theory` to the study of crime and deviance, by way of an in depth discussion. THEORETICAL IMAGES The theoretical study of societal reaction to deviance has been carried out under different names, such as, labelling theory, interactionist perspective, and the social constructionist perspective. In the sociology of deviance, the labelling theory of deviant behaviour is often used interchangeably with the societal reaction theory of deviancy. As a matter of fact, both phrases point equally to the fact that sociological explanations of deviance function as a product of social control rather than a product of psychology or genetic inheritance. Some sociologists would explain deviance by accepting without question definitions of deviance and concerning themselves with primary aetiology. However, labelling theorists stress the point of seeing deviance from the viewpoint of the deviant individual. They claim that when a person becomes known as a deviant, and is ascribed deviant behaviour patterns, it is as much, if not more, to do with the way they have been stigmatized, then the devian t act they are said to have committed. In addition, Howard S. Becker (1963), one of the earlier interaction theorists, claimed that, "social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitute deviance, and by applying those rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders". Furthermore, the labelling theoretical approach to deviance concentrates on the social reaction to deviance committed by individuals, as well as, the interaction processes leading up to the labelling. INFLUENCES Labelling theory was significantly influenced by the Chicago School and Symbolic Interactionism.

Great Gatsby Novel vs Film Essay

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an iconic novel of American literature. It is seen as a definitive novel that highlights aspects of life and thinking in 1920’s America. Due to its cultural significance and popularity, numerous attempts have been made to translate The Great Gatsby from novel to film. The most notable presence of the film portrayed on screen, was the 1974 film, The Great Gatsby. The film starred big name celebrities such as Robert Redford as Gatsby, Mia Farrow as Daisy, and Sam Waterston as Nick. The movie also featured a script written by Francis Ford Coppola. While overall being considered a good film which stayed true to the novel, many thought it lacked heart and emotion. While Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby is the fifth time, the novel has been filmed, it is only the second time a film adaptation of the novel will see a widespread general release. The Great Gatsby (2013) comes from Australian director Baz Luhrmann, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. The film like the book, is told through the narration of Nick Carraway. Carraway lives next to the mysterious Gatsby who has numerous large and extravagant parties. Gatsby is rarely seen by the public, and it is unknown to people how Gatsby became wealthy. The film follows Nick’s interactions with Gatsby and most notably the relationships between Gatsby, and the girl he loves Daisy Buchanan, as well as Daisy’s husband Tom. Much of the tension in the film stems from the class differences between New Money, and Old Money. People who belong to the class of Old Money are generally old aristocratic families, specifically highlighted by Tom and Daisy Buchanan. People who belong to the class of New Money are people who have recently acquired there fortune through various entrepreneurial ventures and jobs such as stock brokers. The main characters in the film who are part of New Money are Gatsby and Nick. The film is set against the backdrop of the wealthy society during the roaring twenties in and around New York and Long Island. Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby tries to express the same themes as are found in the book. One of the main themes is the differences in the various classes in the United States. Gatsby has a very different outlook on life compared to that of Tom Buchanan. Gatsby is considered new money meaning his fortune is recent and self-made, while Tom is from old money, where legacy and familiarity with the wealthy lifestyle are more apparent. Tom tends to believe in class and education and finds Gatsby essentially a crude bootlegger. Gatsby while not having the sophistication or education of Tom believes he can win over Daisy’s heart with extravagant parties and money. The film also demonstrates the apparent dismissal of the new money as equals. Tom is seen as a bully and someone with less morals than that of Gatsby, highlighted through Tom’s affair with another woman. The film also highlights the recklessness of the 1920’s. The 1920’s are shown as a period where money was plentiful and people were not afraid to spend it. People were frequently spending money they did not have on things they did not need. Gatsby is shown to be a very flashy person with a pink suit and expensive cars. Historically speaking it is now known compared to when the book was written the consequences of the recklessness. (i. e. the great depression) It is clear that the main relationship that Luhrmann wanted to emphasize was the relationship between Gatsby and Nick. Throughout the course of the film there are various differences from the novel that highlight the emotional relationship that Gatsby and Nick share with one another. For example the film has Nick telling the story to a doctor at a centre for rehabilitation, while the novel does not specify who Nick is narrating the story too. Nick is apparently here for Alcoholism which demonstrates that his experiences with Gatsby and ultimately Gatsby’s death took a more traumatic toll on Nick’s life. Also in the film Nick’s relationship with other women, specifically Jordan in the novel, is virtually non-existent. In the film there is no evidence to show that Nick maintains or has a romantic relationship with anyone. This once again highlights the strength of his relationship with Gatsby. Perhaps the most interesting difference is the lack of anyone who shows up for Gatsby’s funeral in the film. Nick is the only one who attends the funeral and he is seen as heartbroken. In the novel however, people do attend Gatsby’s funeral specifically Gatsby’s father. The special relationship that Luhrmann creates for Gatsby and Nick may be suggesting that Nick is in fact in love with Gatsby. Being directed by Baz Luhrmann, anyone familiar with his previous work will know what to expect from The Great Gatsby. People who enjoyed the general story of the book will enjoy this particular film version, but as for getting a point across or inciting emotion the film tends to be very shallow. While Luhrmann likes to create a visual spectacle, one can only be distracted by pretty colours and lights for so long. The actors in the film, while all good, are clearly not the directors primary focus. Luhrmann is able to bring the spectacular parties and beautiful landscapes to life, he is not able to really create distinct relationships between the characters and actors of the film. The two most standout performances are that of Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio, the relationship between Gatsby and Carraway is by far the most interesting part of the film. Carraway’s obsession and defence of Gatsby may lead one to believe that he wants to be more than just friends with Gatsby.

Of Endings and Closures Essay

When reading a novel, some cannot avoid but get carried away by the emotions and experiences of the characters. Some novelists are very good not only at capturing interest of their readers but also getting them involved in the turn of events. Through the dialogues, the characters, and the plot, the readers are compelled to think, feel, and even dream. With vivid imagination, readers can feel like they are active participants to the story. Taking this into consideration, authors should consider what the readers would feel upon reading a story. Although the beginning of the story is one very important part of the plot, the ending is more important for it concludes and seals in every knot, each loose end presented throughout the story. It decides what will happen to the characters, and suggests to the readers how they should think or react to the situation or feelings presented. They compel the readers to continue the thought implied at the end, or to imagine the scenes come true in reality. This way the story’s ending is very important. Without it the story will not reach its finality. Designing a suitable ending is very important. Based on the thoughts and experiences of the characters, the ending should provide a finality to make the work complete. It should provide conclusion to the themes of the story, and tie every loose end so as not to leave the audience hanging. Although some stories are open-ended, where readers are asked to decide what happens next, these stories still suggest a specific ending considering the events that proceeded. The point is, as the reader closes the book, they should be left with a thought to provoke other thoughts that they could apply in their own experiences. A story’s ending does not always have to be happy. There are endings that are meant to be sad especially if this is where the main character is led throughout the story. In learning about point of view, we see how the story’s angle of narration connects with the ending. Based on this, a story with the omniscient angle is likely to have a happy ending, where all characters will be settled in place, those who are good will be rewarded, while those who are bad will be punished. In contrast, a story presenting the psychological angle will likely constitute a sad ending or death of someone connected to the main character. These two angles are the ones used in the novels of two great classical women writers, Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey presents the omniscient angle, while Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights uses the psychological angle, being told by Lockwood, who makes a reflection on what is happening around him. In Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen employs the omniscient angle. Although the story is focused on Catherine as the main character, subplots are used to tell experiences, especially love affairs of other characters like Isabella, Eleanor, John, and James. Told in the omniscient angle, the author provides a closure to every subplot, and finally leads to the major one, the conclusion for the major character’s journey. Noticeably, different sub-endings are employed in the story. The end of Isabella’s affair with James (Catherine’s brother) is not successful, neither is her relationship with Frederick. Similarly, the arrogant John Thorpe does not succeed in winning Catherine’s heart, while Eleanor (Henry’s sister) gets to marry a wealthy and prominent man, an ending somehow related to that of Catherine’s. Told in the omniscient angle, the narrator seems to see everything happening among the characters. Although the focus is on the development in the life of the young woman, other events that intertwine are also told by the omniscient narrator. As such, the deeds and feelings of the characters are revealed in the story. If follows that those who are good-natured, those who does not fake affection like Catherine, Eleanor, and Henry are granted proper treatment in the story, with a proper ending for all of them. In relation, those who do not do good, and feign affection are punished, such as Isabella and John. The omniscient angle affects the story or vice versa for it considers the effect on the readers. As mentioned, those who should be punished lose in the unraveling of events, and those who are good triumph. In contrast, Emily Bronte uses the psychological angle in her novel, Wuthering Heights. The story is told by Lockwood, who serves as a major participant in the story for he is the one giving account and reflecting on the major characters’ experiences. Although he is not a major character in the plot involving Heathcliff and those who have died, he plays an important role in that the story of Heathcliff affects him directly, and makes him write his own point of view regarding other characters. As the major narrator who takes interest in his landlord’s story, he portrays Heathcliff with some psychological imbalance, giving his account a psychological treatment. The angle by which the story is told relates with the ending of the story. Being told in the major character’s viewpoint, it gives account on what happens to the main character, Heathcliff, his affections, sufferings, emotional imbalance, etc. Through this angle we see how the death of Catherine Earnshaw affects Heathcliff, and how the anger inside him makes him fall into a tragic pit. Aside from point of view, the kind of characters present in the story affects the treatment and the ending. Both novels employ the concept of bildungsroman, thus providing the psychological, moral and intellectual development of the characters from the time they are young. As such, in Austen’s Northanger Abbey, we see how the naive Catherine grows up to be a self-assured individual. As the character’s journey continues, she meets different people to help her gain new insights about life, and she matures more with the experiences she has. Although some events lead her to feel dismayed such as the feign feelings of Isabella towards her brother, and the arrogance of John, the encounters she has makes her a more mature person. Moreover, her encounters with the Linton and the captain’s hospitality of sending her back home contribute to her development, for these help her explore the world and find her place in it. The positive development of Austen’s character normally leads to a positive ending. As the events unravel, the readers may expect a happy ending for the character. Although Henry’s proposal comes a little later than she wishes, it concludes the major character’s ultimate wish, and justifies the preparation Catherine undergoes in being a full-grown woman. The plot is designed in such a way that the character experiences all the necessary events in her life, including the waiting and rejection, for her to satisfy a more important role in the end, that is fulfilling her wish to be a family woman. The same concept of bildungsroman is applied by Bronte in the character of Heathcliff. This starts with the adoption of Heathcliff by Mr. Earnshaw despite the strong disapproval of Hindley. In the story, we see that the weak boy turns into a strong and influential man when he grows up. However, unlike the protagonist of Austen, Heathcliff develops in a rather negative way. His hatred towards Hindley and Edgar Linton makes him bitter and this does not change until the end. Although there is development, it is negative, thus leading to the tragic ending of the said character. There is a clear relevance between the negative development Heathcliff undergoes and the sad ending he encounters. Some readers who prefer a happy ending would still expect Heathcliff to change along the way, especially when he finally reunites with his son. However, it is only rational and more realistic that the former events lead to the tragic ending. The melancholy the character imposes on himself and others correspond to the ending that Bronte gives. The cruel and unforgiving personality Heathcliff projects reasonably leads to his bad fate. We may say that this is more reasonable than make him reflect on everything he has done and have him repent at the end. Although having him repent for his sins would make the story more cathartic as what would be explained later, the ending by Bronte may have better relevance during the time the novel was written. The theme of misery is probably more appealing to the people during its milieu, that is why faith in God and religion is not emphasized in the story. Moreover, the novel’s themes of misery and revenge are two intertwined motifs. Heathcliff suffers misery because of his cruelty and wish for revenge. He insists on having his way on everything, even if doing so would hurt the people around him. The misery he feels later leads him to insanity, as he talks to Catherine’s ghost on his own. It probably appealed more to the audience to have Heathcliff suffer at the end than have him repent and change his ways. The question of catharsis is another consideration in evaluating the ending of a story. Catharsis as Meriam Webster Online Dictionary defines (2008), â€Å"is a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension. In employing catharsis, the author should use elements to balance the good and evil in the story. For instance, crime stories with criminals as the main characters should not just portray them as bad people, but also as good ones. One classic example is Robin Hood. In this tale we see that the protagonist steals from the rich to give the goods to the poor people. By making him champion the cause of the poor, the character is an example of a cathartic hero. Even though stealing from the rich is a crime, it is made positive and thus gains approval from those in the lower class. This way, the story becomes cathartic. In Northanger Abbey, we see catharsis in the lives of the characters. First, we see the consequences in the life of Isabella. When she falls in love with James, she also remains as Catherine’s friend, but when she leaves James for Frederick, she loses her bestfriend and the man who loves her. Such fate of an unfaithful lover demonstrates the author’s way of achieving catharsis. It reveals that unfaithfulness will not lead to finding true love, and retribution will come later on.