Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Character Development in the Oedipus Cycle - 875 Words
In the Oedipus Cycle Sophocles conveys a powerful message through his charactersÃâ"that with experience comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes the ability to see the truth. Oedipus is the man of unyielding pride and arrogance, Creon, his brother, is the crafty politician, and Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, is perceptive and righteous. These three characters personae play a major role in making the idea of truth tangible. In the beginning of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is still riding on the power high he received from solving the riddle of the sphinx and becoming King of Thebes overnight. When presented with the news of the plague from the local priest, Oedipus is eager to once again flaunt his skills and save the city of Thebes. Onceâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦When Oedipus realizes what the gods had in store for him, Creon benevolently grants him all of his wishesÃâ"to oversee his daughters safety and to exile him from Thebes. This character is markedly different from the Cr eon in Oedipus at Colonus. In the second play of the cycle Creon comes to Oedipus, Ãâ¦generous in words, but in reality evil. Creon attempts to attain the throne by gaining Oedipus favor and he cunningly tries to manipulate the chorus emotions so that he can avoid conflict. Unfortunately, for all of Creon s cleverness, Oedipus manages to get the upper hand and Creon demonstrates the length he will go to meet his ends by kidnapping Oedipus daughters. This brutality extends into Antigone but absolute power transforms his manipulation into outright tyranny. Creon finally achieves the ultimate dream of any politician and he relishes it so much that one of the first things he does as king is to decree that no one touch the body of Polyneices. Once he realizes the error of his ways, like Oedipus, Creon is too proud and arrogant to accept the facts. He believes, Ã⦠all that I do is within my rights, yet his irrationality and blind fury is evident when he states that both si sters should be killed and then immediately changes his decision afterwards. He still refuses to retract the death sentence from Antigone until it is too late, thus reaping the death of his family. The consequences Creon incurs enable him to comprehend that the will of theShow MoreRelated Tragedy In Drama Essay1713 Words à |à 7 Pagesworks from Agamemnon to Hamlet, one sees the range of development of the tragic form, from the earliest Greek to the later Shakespearean tragedies. There are two basic concepts of tragedy: the concept introduced by Aristotle in his Poetics, and the concept developed by Frederick Nietzsche in his quot;The Birth of Tragedy.quot; Many dramas can be reviewed to reveal the contrast between these two concepts of tragedy, and demonstrate the development of the tragic form over time. The idea of Greek tragedyRead MoreThe Stranger in Oedipus Essay1467 Words à |à 6 Pagesnovels and literary works alike. Albert Camusââ¬â¢ The Stranger depicts a modern system of justice; however, Sophocles Oedipus Rex portrays a simplistic system of justice. Society implements these to prevent the downfall of the human race. Society protects humanity from its own demise by condemning acts of violence. Acts of violence, weather brought on by anger as illustrated in Oedipus Rex or by environmental influences as demonstrated in The Stranger led to the downfall of society. Society sinceRead MoreWhy Are Things Are The Way They Are By Daniel Quinn1482 Words à |à 6 PagesDaniel Quinnââ¬â¢s novel Ishmael discusses the aspiration the character Ishmael has toward teaching his student known as the narrator to ââ¬Å"save the worldâ⬠. Ishmael teaches the narrator to understand and form ideas, based on examining the question ââ¬Å"why are things are the way they areâ⬠? Ishmael s teaching help the narrator and the reader explore culture and ourselves in a new light, helping the narrator and the reader understand the quote stating It should be noted that what is crucial to your survivalRead MoreOedipus the King1315 Words à |à 6 PagesSeptember 20, 2007 The tragedy of Oedipus Sophocles is one of the best and most well-known ancient Greek tragedians. He influenced the development of drama especially by adding a third character and thereby reducing the importance of the chorus in the presentation of the plot. Even though he wrote 123 plays, he is mostly famous for his three plays concerning Oedipus and Antigone: these are often known as the Theban plays or The Oedipus Cycle. One of these plays is ââ¬Å"Oedipus the Kingâ⬠, which will be discussedRead MoreBeing Human Essay1010 Words à |à 5 Pagesthat govern them, humans are not machines because a machine will never amount to a human mind. Machines do not have common sense. They just operate the way they were programmed to. Just like animals will always follow their own cycle of instinct, machines has to follow its cycle of programs, but only a human has the capacity to make a choice. Free will is the quality principle to humans. Again, this is not something humans are born with. The innocence that humans are born into can be seen in theRead MorePsychosexual Development and Human Sexuality1546 Words à |à 7 Pagesplayers in understanding psychosexual development and human sexuality are Freud and Alfred Kinsey. To begin understanding what shapes us as people we must look at Sigmund Freuds theory of psychosexual development. Although the name would imply that this development would center around the development of our sexual selves, it is quite the opposite. The fixations occur around erogenous zones of the body. the first of these zones is the mouth. This stage of development is referred to as the oral stageRead MoreCritical Theory in Wuthering Heights1443 Words à |à 6 Pagesnovels, many of these conflicts take place within one character then progress into external conflicts between characters. For example what caused Catherine to pick Edgar over Heathcliff? Did she love Edgar more? Or was her love for him forged by her superego as defined in Sigmund Freudââ¬â¢s The Interpretation of Dreams? Even the character herself is unsure of her true desires, which leads to the major conflicts within her, others, and between characters. This is just one of the numerous examples of issuesRead M ore Yank as a Modern Day Oedipus in O Neills Play, The Hairy Ape2274 Words à |à 10 PagesYank as a Modern Day Oedipus in O Neills Play, The Hairy Ape The representation of tragedy today has adapted itself to more humanistic, base and symbolic concerns. Often, they are commentaries on society just as much as they are on the nature of man. Although O Neill insists that his play The Hairy Ape is not a tragedy, but rather a dark comedy, the play follows the definition of a tragedy. The basic points that make up a tragedy still remain the same, even if they have to be slightly modifiedRead MoreCyrano As A Tragic Hero1163 Words à |à 5 Pagesflaws that help to define Cyrano as a tragic hero in Edmond Rostandââ¬â¢s Cyrano de Bergerac, and it is these same flaws that eventually lead to Cyranoââ¬â¢s tragic fall. However, some of these flaws are also the admirable traits of the large-nosed heroââ¬â¢s character that also help to define him as hero. Due to this fact, Cyrano is able to gain respect from others, but never truly reaches his ultimate goal of having Roxaneââ¬â¢s love. While Cyrano never truly experiences Roxaneâ⠬â¢s love, he still manages to makeRead MoreFreud s Theories Of Human Sexual Development Essay1961 Words à |à 8 PagesHuman sexual development begins in the womb and traverses the entire life span. From fetal hormonal influences that determine expressed sex to nascent sexual discovery in toddlers, dramatic physical changes during puberty, and sexual partners in adulthood, sexuality follows us throughout every major developmental stage in life (some developmental stages even being defined by sexual changes, e.g. menarche, spermarche, and menopause). With sexuality being such an integral part of the human experience
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Profiles In American Enterprise Essay Example For Students
Profiles In American Enterprise Essay Word Count: 2811A.G. Edwards Inc. The industry for securities is undoubtedly an exciting and fast pacedindustry. This means that brokerage firms such as A.G. Edwards and Sonsmust always be watching the stock prices on every stock in the market sothat they can give their clients maximum profit. When A.G. Edwards andSons clients do well then in turn so does the brokerage firm. A.G. Edwards Inc. is not the biggest corporations in America, but yet it isstill a very large corporation and has great importance in the industryfor which it participates. This paper will give an in depth explanationabout how A.G. Edwards functions as a cor-poration. Along with competition from the government, banks and other brokeragefirms there is also probably the biggest factor involved of interestrates. Interest rates are indi-rectly proportional to the activity inthe stock market. This means that when the interest rates fall themarket for securities becomes active. This is due to the fact thatpeople want the highest yield on there money and when interest rates arelow, investing money into a bank would yield less money then it wouldhave before at a higher interest rate. So people tend to want to putthere money into something that will give them a higher yield and stocksare just that. An example of this inversely proportional relationship is always beingdemon-strated and was demonstr ated in the past few years. At the end of1992 to the beginning of 1993 the volume in most businesses was atrecord levels obtaining a pre-tax net income for the whole industry of9.1 billion dollars setting a new record for the second year in a row(Hoovers Company Industry Database, 1993, p. 1 (Hoover, 1993,p.1)). This trend continued when in the beginning half of 1993 offerings (newbusiness for the com-pany) exceeded those of 1992 (Hoover,1993, p. 2). Examples of this are as follows; more than 700 billion dollars of debtwas issued in 1992 and then in the first half of 1993 an-other 440billion dollars of debt was issued (Hoover, 1993, p. 2). More than halfof this debt was due to asset-backed debt such as credit cards and othercharges made to credit (Hoover, 1993, p. 2). These debts were includedbecause the debts were more or less sold to banks and other moneylending institutions who were more willing to take the risk for the highinterest rate. This drop in interest rates did wonders for the brokerage firms involvedand also corporations that had acquired debt over the years. The fallof interest rates was great for the brokerage firms because of theincrease in business with the publics desire to invest. So thecorporations used it to issue off more stock to the public to pay offtheir debts (Hoover, 1993, p. 2). As if interest rates didnt have enough effect on brokerage firms, thereis also the heavy competition that was involved. This competition isnot only from other top broker-age firms such as Merrill Lynch, MorganStanley, Primerica (Smith Barney Shearson), Salomon, and Goldman Sachs,but there is also competition from big banks and securities over seas. Banks have a number of ways to compete with security firms, but the mostprevalent and direct is through mutual funds. Since the late 1980sbanks have been ag-gressively competing with mutual fund sponsors byissuing there own mutual funds to the public (Hoover, 1993, p. 3). Mutual funds that are issued by banks are now the fastest growing partof the mutual fund industry, with 10.6 percent of total assets and 30percent of new sales (Hoover, 1993, p. 3). There has just recently beena large amount of compe-tition from markets overseas and thiscompetition continues to increase. There are a few theories as to whathas caused so many U.S. investors to invest in foreign markets. It issupposed that it is either individual investors who want to furthertheir portfolio or in-vesting in foreign markets to try and avoidinterest rates and changes in currency (Hoover, 1993, p. 4). Theinvestment in foreign markets has also been attributed to technology andthe fact that up to date information can be obtained instantly from anyplace in the world (Hoover, 1993, p. 4). But whatever has caused itglobal securities have skyrocketed.Before the organization and structure of the company a brief historyand explana-tion of the company will be discussed. A.G. Edwards Sonswas founded in 1887 by Benjamin
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Increased interdependence among nations Essay Example
Increased interdependence among nations Essay Globalization has made it easier for nations to obtain the goods or services that they need from other countries. With the assurance that they can easily import life essentials such as food and clothing, many countries have reduced or completely stopped the manufacturing of these products. They instead focus their energy on offering financial services or medical services to other nations. One such country is India (Boudreaux 68). Most third world countries rely on developed countries for the provision of machinery and computers. This arrangement is beneficial to all the parties involved. However, it is not stable as it appears to the naked eye. If something should happen to cause further destabilization, then all the parties involved will suffer (Weinstein 98). If, for instance, a developing country that relies on a developed country for machinery lacks the capital required for importation, many businesses in that county will suffer. All countries are financially dependent on their trade partners. The U.S. dollar is used as the world currency in the financial market. Today, the U.S. economy is much stable than it was during the Great Depression. However, should the U.S. economy fall or destabilize, all other countries will face the consequences as well. The only nations that will be safe in such a situation are those that are fully dependent on globalization for their survival (Weinstein 165). Many of these nations are the third world countries, especially in Africa, that are believed to have nothing to offer to the world economy. We will write a custom essay sample on Increased interdependence among nations specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Increased interdependence among nations specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Increased interdependence among nations specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Increased Rate of Unemployment Since the 2008 economic recession, the rate of unemployment in the U.S.A. and many developed countries has gradually gone up. Contrary to this, developing countries are experiencing a much lower rate of unemployment (Boudreaux 150). The wage policies and environmental protection laws in developing countries are much lower compared to those in the developed countries. Because of this, many corporations are investing in developing countries, hence creating more jobs. More job opportunities are lost to the developing countries due to frequent capital transfers from the developed nations (Boudreaux 154). To solve unemployment in the developed countries, more protectionism laws need to be put in place by the developing countries (Weinstein 189). These laws will protect the workers from developing countries from exploitation by the multinational corporations that are out to make more profits by hiring cheap labor. Developing countries are importing more products from the developed countries. The result of this is the closing down of many local industries, hence increased rate of unemployment (Boudreaux 134). One way of reducing unemployment in the developing nations is to regulate imports and encourage local production of good, thus creating more job opportunities. Exploitation of Developing Countries At the onset of globalization, there was the glamour of people having the chance to world oversees and conduct their business with much ease. While this has become a reality for many people, the negative impacts of the same are just beginning. Globalization has made it easier for the transferability of industries and jobs to the developing countries (Weinstein 186). All this is an attempt to lower production costs, have a lower wage bill and increase profitability in the corporation. Today, many U.S. industries have shifted their operation to either China, India or in some parts of Asia. A similar situation is developing in Australia. China, India and Asian countries produce goods at lower costs due to availability of raw materials. They also offer cheaper labor compared to the developed countries. The companies make more profits. The profits go back to the developed countries for more development. The third world countries are left struggling economically, despite the fact that they are in charge of manufacturing (Weinstein 197). The transfer of jobs to the developing countries may be viewed as a way of creating more jobs. However, it comes at a big cost as many people are paid less than $3 per hour. With the current living standards, this is barely enough to put food on the table. This can be solved by the developing countries putting into place better wage policies for their citizens. Before accepting to manufacture goods for a developed country, developing nations should sign contracts that call for financial benefits. The profits should also be reinvested in the developing country that production is taking place. Corporations should also be advised to pursue a more realistic approach to making profits (Casper 124). One such approach is one used by Henry Ford, where he paid his workers enough money that they could afford to purchase the same products that they were manufacturing. The lack of government regulation is another factor that contributes to the exploitation of third world countries. The governments in these nations need to step up to defend their economies and citizens. Establishment of minimum wage rates will help the people live better lives. Government agencies need to be created to help in the regulation of multinational companies that set base in developing countries. Cultural Erosion The observable impact of globalization is cultural erosion, especially in the developing countries. Prior to modernization and globalization, developing countries held their traditional way of life dearly. Their mode of dressing, eating habits, socialization of children, the value of placed on marriage and other cultural practices were passed from one generation to another. Today, the western culture is more prevalent in the world (Boudreaux 234). Few countries have held to their originality as many have taken up what is in fashion today. Today, practices such as alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual immorality and divorce are at an all-time high. It is high time that traditional values are brought back to the society before moral degradation destroys us. We still have our grandparents who can play the role of reminding us what their ancestors practiced. Cultural exhibitions should be held frequently to remind the youths of their roots. Increased Competition in the Market Due to globalization, many countries have eased up their trade regulations. This has made it easy for external companies to penetrate local markets, posing a threat to their operations. Multinational companies are able to set base in any country they so desire due to free trade policies and availability of capital. More businesses have come up, as people try to take advantage of the cheap labor, easier modes of transportation and higher demand of good and services, both locally and internationally (Weinstein 203). Each new business tries to outdo the other in terms of offering better products and services at affordable prices. This competition is healthy and dangerous at the same time. In a bid to lower prices, many companies are offering counterfeit products, which could be harmful to the consumers (Dollahite and Haun 156). Policies need to be put in place to regulate the number of businesses within a particular sector. This will help to control competition and reduce instances of fake and low quality products. Increased Health Hazards As mentioned before, globalization has caused serious environmental pollution. More industries have come up because of globalization. Many nations lack strict environmental laws. Industries have taken advantage of this fact by emitting dangerous gases into the air while manufacturing their products (Boudreaux 253). This has caused air pollution, which has in turn resulted into more air borne ailments. Today, asthma, pneumonia and respiratory diseases are at an all-time high because of breathing in polluted air. The noise made by the industries in the course of their operations has caused serious damage on the hearing of the employees and the people living close to the industries (Haldar 202). Waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid are on the rise due to disposal of waste products in water sources. Many industries lack proper waste disposal methods. They dispose their waste products haphazardly, completely ignoring the dangers associated with a dirty environment. Many trees have been cut down to create space for the creation of more industries. This habit has resulted in less rain for many countries. In the end, this has resulted in soil erosion, drought and famine (Haldar 230). These events have caused the death of so many people due to starvation. Every country needs to come up with strict environmental laws. Hefty penalties should be put in place for any individual or company that is caught polluting the environment. Social groups should involve themselves more in environmental clean-ups. In conclusion, globalization has achieved its potential but has caused several negative effects that are doing more harm to the people. It is imperative that globalization be redesigned in such a way that its negative impacts are reduced. Bearing in mind that globalization affects important areas such as democracy, the environment and the economy, policies should be put into place to regulate it. Developing countries need to step up and offer financial and planning aid to the developing countries. There is need to restructure the current international financial system to cater for the needs of both poor and rich nations. Globalization is meant to improve the living standards of all those involved. For this to be achieved, a human face needs to be put in globalization. Bibliography Boudreaux, Donald J. Globalization. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2008. Casper, J. K. Changing Ecosystems: Effects of Global Warming. New York: Infobase Pub. , 2010. Dollahite, Nancy E and Julie Haun. Sourcework : academic writing from sources. Boston : Heinle/Cengage Learning, 2012. Haldar, I. Global warming: The causes and consequences. New Delhi: Mind Melodies. , 2011. Houghton, J. T. Global warming: The complete briefing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Jones, L., Fraser Institute. Global warming: The science and the politics. . Vancouver: Fraser Inst., 1997. Weinstein, Michael M. Globalization : whats new? New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2005.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Essay Help
Essay Help Essay Help Need professional essay help with writing? We are available 24/7 to help you with argumentative essay writing, course work and effect essay writing, expository essay writing, and any other essay you may need. We offer custom editing and custom proofreading services as well. Thus, if you have already written your essay, we can help you edit it and make it more professional. In addition to custom written essay, you receive a number of free pages including title page, outline, and bibliography. Revisions are absolutely free and unlimited.Custom essay high is qualitative. It means that we pay attention to quality rather than quantity. All custom essays are written from scratch and meet your specific requirements. If you have an outline, you are encouraged to include it. Do not ignore an opportunity to communicate with custom essay writersand ask them for order progress report. We cannot guarantee a good grade as the preferences of your teacher is beyond of our reach. However, we do guarantee that your custom essay is written in accordance with instructions you provide. Therefore, be sure to provide as detailed requirements as possible. Do not simply state your topic. Share your suggestions and ask the writer to include specific points. Essay help is not meant to replace your homework. We are working hard to provide you with a direction for your own essay writing. In other words, we provide essay help with preparing a sample report for you. However, it does not mean that your essay is plagiarized. All essays are custom written and are fully referenced. All sources used for essay writing are properly cited and grouped in the reference list: Critical Essay Help Need critical English essay help? Critical essay writing requires extensive reading. While in some cases it is required to write a critical essay relying on your opinion only, most teachers want you to use criticism as a starting point. Firstly, you must read a book (article, poem, etc). Without knowing the text, you can hardly write a good critical essay. Secondly, you must conduct a research. Without knowing the opinion of others, you can hardly support your point of view. While there are many students who enjoy writing essays, most of the students do not have time and/or desire to write their essays. As a result, they take advantage of professional essay help. Satisfaction is guaranteed as our writers are educated and experienced. Additional posts: Research Paper Editing How to Write Term Papers Dissertation Editing Paper APA Paper Format Admission Essay Editing
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Week 6 Project Deliverable 3 Submission Assignment
Week 6 Project Deliverable 3 Submission - Assignment Example The database is going to be designed based on the various requirements that are to be integrated in the Order management System, Inventory System and the Supply processing system. The general idea for the implementation of the database schema would adopt a general flow basing on the fact transactions in a certain business entity take a general format of: 6. The ordering process will capture the essential requirements of the customer for instance the customer name, physical address, contact information, the type of goods that have been ordered and their specific quantities. 7. The ordering process be able to forward a report to the supply processing system where stock issues will be done and will be able to make the necessary adjustments on the stock level quantities upon retrieval from the stores The database design process will be divided into different autonomous design tasks relative to the followed design process. Particular emphasis will be laid on the logical database design and the physical database design (Teorey et al, 2011). The logical database design main objective is to determine the relevant user requirements, examination of the process flows of the existing system with an aim of identifying the challenges that are faced by the user of the system. It is also aimed at studying the specific business environment of the company. Therefore, the expected outcome will be the emergence and formulation of a system-independent database description that meets the key requirements (Teorey et al, 2011). It represents the database actual implementation process in relation to the system that exists. The physical database design is dependent on the RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) which is adopted by the user (Teorey et al, 2011). The software and the hardware environments greatly influence the structure. The system will be used by different personalities of which important roles
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Key Issues Identified IM And KM Against The Literature Essay
Key Issues Identified IM And KM Against The Literature - Essay Example They should be aware of customerââ¬â¢s needs in order to provide information in a cost-effective manner. The changes in information requirements are closely knitted with specific changes occurring in the user environment. This kind of environmental conditions comprises of the broader environment or immediate work environment. Information requirements basically change with variations witnessed in the received information. This ultimately results in new information needs or elimination of previous needs. The degree of information relevancy is dependent on the ultimate user. This indicates an individualââ¬â¢s interpretative and subjective response towards information. It is all about making the sensible interpretation of obtained information and then efficiently incorporating it into the knowledge base. Information manager is solely responsible for analysing the wide range of information requirements. It is a recurrent mechanism, where feedback obtained after providing information is used for enhancing organisational functions. Information lifecycle Information life cycle to the certain extent is similar to records management. The document lifecycle can be regarded as a critical component of records management. There are certain factors which are embedded within document control such as creation and record design, authorization, identification, circulation, validation, verification, backup procedures, destruction and retention schedules. This kind of lifecycle of records is expected to vary from one organisation to another.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
The Rain Man Essay Example for Free
The Rain Man Essay Of course I dont have my underwear. Im definitely not wearing my underwear. These are not boxer shorts. Mine are boxer shorts. These are Hanes 32 My boxer shorts have my name and it says RaymondI get my boxer shorts at K-Mart in Cincinnati. (Rain Man, 1988) This quote from the popular movie Rain Man perfectly captures the disorder that plagues Raymond Bobbitt, one of the main characters. He is a very particular man who must always do everything on a schedule; any disruption in this schedule completely turns his world upside down. He shows very little emotion, unless something happens to upset him, in which case he completely melts down. His behavior is almost that of a young child. However, he also has a very unique gift. He has an absolutely astounding memory and can recall the smallest details from events that occurred when he was just a young child. At one point in the movie, a lady drops a box of toothpicks and Raymond is able to immediately determine how many of the toothpicks spilled out of the box. The behaviors of Raymond Bobbitt, while very interesting, are nowhere near normal and they prevent him from functioning in any kind of normal society. It is because of this that I have determined he has a mental disorder and could benefit greatly from treatment. In order to diagnose Raymond, it is important to look at all of the factors that may contribute to his behavior. The DSM-IV multiaxial system is a great way to break everything down and do this. It has 5 sections that take a deeper look in to all of the factors that contribute to the possible mental disorder of a patient and provides a standard for classifying mental disorders. Because of this, it is heavily relied on when making an accurate diagnosis and will be used to diagnose Raymond. AXIS I: Axis one of the DSM-IV system is reserved for the clinical symptoms of the disorder. Raymond showed many of the typical clinical symptoms of a person with autism. The first symptom that they generally display is developmental regression. Most sufferers of autism do not show any signs of developmental problems until around 15-30 months. Since Raymond was a young child and not an infant when he was sent away to live at the care home, it can be assumed that he did not start to show problems until he was a young toddler, which is consistent with the autism diagnosis. Another clinical symptom of autism is abnormal reactions for environmental stimuli. This is clearly seen by Raymond when we see him completely melt down when the fire alarm goes off. The loud noise, which is not something that would bother normal people, is too much for him to handle. Abnormal social interactions are another thing that Raymond displays that is also characterized by autism. He cannot hold a normal conversation and has big problems understanding the social intentions of his brother as he takes him on their trip. It is also clear when you listen to the way that Raymond talks that he might suffer from autism; he refers to himself as ââ¬Å"Raymondâ⬠instead of ââ¬Å"Iâ⬠and he often rambles on to no one in particular about his schedule or whatever else he is thinking at the time. The final characteristic of autism that is seen in Raymond is the stress that he feels whenever his routine is broken. (Brasic, 2013) When his brother takes him away from the care home and changes everything, Raymond displays significant anxiety. He insists that they watch Jeopardy at 5:00 and is constantly talking about what he should be doing at any given time. He starts to melt down when he is not doing what he normally does and continues on until his brother finally lets him get his way. AXIS II: Under axis II, the personality disorders and intellectual disabilities are assessed. There are several of these that are associated with both Raymond and Autism, specifically and autistic Savant. The biggest personality disorder that is shown by Raymond and that is also exhibited by autistics is that he has extreme anxiety. (Mayo Clinic, 2013) It is clear by the way that he will not get on an airplane because there are no available airlines that have never experienced a plane crash. A normal person would not think that much in to getting on a plane, and they definitely would not know the statistics of every airline that there is. Even after they start driving, Raymond starts rambling off statistics about driving and car accidents, making it clear that he is not even comfortable riding in a car. You can also look back at some of the other examples that we have already looked at to show his elevated anxiety levels. When the fire alarm goes off, and he starts breaking down, he is reacti ng abnormally (the symptom from axis I); it is because of his extreme anxiety that he starts to display this behavior. The same goes for why he is constantly rambling and is so distressed about missing his shows, not having dinner at the right time and everything else that has changed in his schedule; he does all of this because he is suffering from constant anxiety due to his autism and his change in routine. Another thing to look at under axis II is his intellectual abilities. While he is not able to function as a normal person intellectually (another symptom of autism), he shows extraordinary abilities intellectually in other areas. He remembers specific events from his childhood starting at a very young age, and he remembers them with extreme accuracy and detail. He is also able to store things in his memory that no normal person would be able to, such as when he knew the one and only airline that had never had a plane crash (it was a very small and unknown airline at that) or w hen he knew all of the highway statistics concerning car accidents. It is also made clear that he is brilliant at math, counting and patterns when he is in Vegas and is counting the cards with ease. All of these amazing intellectual abilities that he shows are characteristics of a savant as well. (Hiles, 2002) AXIS III: Axis III is reserved for and physical problems that may be relevant in diagnosing or treating the mental disorder. For example, if a person is suffering from a mood disorder and they also have a disease which causes them pain or discomfort, then that might be something that contributed to their depression. (Edelson, 2013) Raymond does not display any of these however, so there would be no diagnosis for him under this axis. Axis IV: Axis IV is used to assess any environmental stressors that may affect the diagnosis or treatment or the mental disorder. This was a big factor in Raymondââ¬â¢s diagnosis and his display of symptoms. He was doing fairly well at the care home and, even though he was still displaying some symptoms of an autistic savant, he was able to live happily and relatively stress free. However, when his brother took him from his place of comfort, his symptoms got significantly worse. His anxiety levels went through the roof and it was clear that he was not handling the change well. He had lost his primary support group, which included all of the nurses at the hospital and he was left only with his brother who he had not seen since they were young children. This caused him anxiety because he was not familiar with him and his brother was not prepared to deal with all of the behaviors that Raymond displays. He was also showing elevated levels of anxiety due to his environment. When they left the care home, it was clear that Raymond did not want to go because he said it and started acting out. But his brother made him, and his actions just got worse from there. Every night Raymond would insist that they at least follow his schedule and he would start throwing a tantrum if they didnââ¬â¢t. Also, when they were in the casino, he could not handle all of the flashing li ghts and the ringing of the bells. This eventually led to another melt down. After being with his brother for almost their whole trip, it seemed like Raymond started to warm up to him a bit. Since his brother was the only constant during their trip, this again shows how much Raymond needs something consistent and some sort of routine, a need that is very common in autistic. (Bellini, 2013) AXIS V: Axis V is used for the Global Assessment of Funtioning (GAF). It is an evaluation of the patientââ¬â¢s ability to function in daily life and is based off of a 100 point scale (100 being the most functioning and 0 being the least). When looking at Raymond, I would assign him two separate GAF scores. When he is in an comfortable environment, such as when he is living in the care home, I would give him a GAF of 40 because he still displays symptoms and would not be able to keep a job and function in society, but he is not extreme. However, when taken out of his environment and put out in the world, I would give him a GAF of 20 because he starts to display extreme behavior and even becomes a threat to himself or others. (PsyWeb, 2013) There was a point when one of his melt downs became so bad that he started banging his head and hurting himself. He is in need of constant supervision when he is not in a comfortable familiar place. After taking a look at the symptoms that Raymond displayed (which include things like not making eye contact and constantly fidgeting, not seeming to hear when people talk to him and not being able to hold a conversation, and resting touch and changes in routine) and breaking them down with regard to the DSM-IV multiaxial system, I have determined that he suffers from Autism, and more specifically, he is an Autistic Savant. He would be classified as a Savant because he, while lacking in many areas, does have extraordinary skills in other areas. There was a time in the movie when his brother takes him to Vegas and tells him to count cards in blackjack and Raymond (having to prior training) is able to do it with ease. His symptoms under the DSM-IV model are extremely consistent with those of an autistic savant. He displays all of the clinical symptoms (axis I) that an autistic would display, including abnormal social behavior, the inability to hold a normal conversation and the constan t fidgeting. These behaviors are also consistent with the autistic and savant personality disorders and mental abilities (axis II), including the extreme anxiety and the extraordinary abilities in specific areas. There are not necessarily any physical problems (axis III) that contribute to being an autistic savant, and Raymond did not show any of these either. His environment (axis IV) however, did play a significant role his behavior and that is very common with autistics as well. (First Signs, 2012) After diagnosing Raymond as an autistic savant, the most important treatment that I would recommend for him would be to return to the care home and live the rest of his life there. When treating autism, there is no one set treatment because every person with autism is unique. (Autism Speaks, 2013) Since we were able to see how Raymond responded to living in the care home and sticking to a strict routine, we were able to see that it worked for him. This plan, and the routine that was tailored for him, worked to minimize his symptoms and reduce his behavioral problems. As far as him being a savant as well, there really is no treatment needed for that because it does not pose a problem in his life. It is a talent that he lives with and not something that needs to be fixed. If Raymond is returned to the care home and his familiar schedule, there is no reason that he cannot live out the rest of his life as happily and comfortably as possible. References Autism Speaks. (2013). How is Autism Treated? Retrieved from: http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/treatment Bellini, Scott. (2013). The Development of Social Anxiety in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Retrieved from: http://foa.sagepub.com/content/21/3/138.short Brasic, James. (2013). Autism Clinical Presentation. Retrieved from: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/912781-clinical Edelson, Steven. (2013). Research: Autistic Savants. Retrieved from: http://www.autism.com/index.php/understanding_savants First Signs. (2012). DSM-IV Criteria Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Retrieved from: http://www.firstsigns.org/screening/DSM4.htm Hiles, David. (2002). Savant Syndrome. Retrieved from: http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm Mayo Clinic. (2013). Autism. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/autism/DS00348/DSECTION=symptoms PsyWeb. (2013). Axis V- Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Retrieved from: http://www.psyweb.com/DSM_IV/jsp/Axis_V .jsp
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