THE DEATH OF CHRIST Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

THE DEATH OF CHRIST - Essay Example It begun after the Last Supper with his twelve disciples, when the apostle Judas Escariot betrayed him, the Jews accusing him of blasphemy. It was his own people who brought him to Pontius Pilate, a Roman leader to be punished and crucified in Nazareth between two convicted thieves. Christ death is very important especially to the Christians, as it depicts how their Messiah have come to the world to redeem men of all the evil of sins through his sinless blood and sacrifice. We are all born of original sin, since the fall of Adam and Eve. Through Christ’s death, we are saved of such original sin. He is the â€Å"lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world† (John 1:36). He had to suffer a painful death in order that men would appreciate the salvation and the love of God for us, that he was willing to give up His only son in order to save us. He was scorned, beaten, spitted on by the people of Nazareth and the Romans, in so that in every violent act of man on the inn ocent Christ, such sin was forgiven upon his death. We see in this the violence of our own sins upon the life of one who was innocent. Taking every pain and insult humbly, as he accepts the sin of men in order to save them, who did not believe in Him.

A Little Cloud Essay Example for Free

A Little Cloud Essay â€Å"A Little Cloud† is one of the stories in James Joyces Dubliners. The story is about Thomas Chandler who was reunited with his friend Ignatius Gallaher. He was not able to fulfill his ambition of becoming a writer because he became a family man. With a wife and a son of his own, he envied his friend and felt inferior rather than be happy for his friends success. His career could be greater than his friend’s but he gave up his love for poetry since he got married. Feeling dismayed and envious of his friend, Chandler thought that he could have produced his own book of poems if he pursued his poetry writing. Chandler and Gallaher met up at a bar where they talked about the struggles of the latter to succeed. Chandler admired Gallaher’s gruff manners and his tales from the foreign cities. He insisted that his friend should also be married like him someday. However, Gallaher refused because as bachelor, he can go on and move freely from one place to another with mistresses around him. When Chandler got home, he began contemplating on his life while looking at his wife’s picture and holding their son. Afterward, he questioned his married life. He knew that he could go out of Dublin like his friend and be successful if only he did not marry early and settle with a family of his own. He didn’t realize that his child was already crying until her wife returned home who. When she saw that the baby was crying, she snatched the baby away from him, leaving him frustrated as he blamed his thoughts for what happened. Another story from the Dubliners is â€Å"Counterparts. † The story is about Farrington, a copy clerk in one firm where he used to copy legal documents for Mr. Alleyne. One day, he failed to do his job and missed to produce one copy of an important document. This made his boss angry and gave him a deadline to submit the document before the closing time. However, he was looking forward for a night out drinking with his friends later. This distraction caused him to daydream about the happenings later instead of working properly. As a result, he failed to complete to copy the documents his boss asked of him. Farrington thought that Mr. Alleyne will not know that the documents were incomplete, but he was wrong. When Mr. Alleyne found out about it, he went to Farrington’s desk with Miss Delacour, their client. His boss started ridiculing him but he fought back, claiming ignorance while insulting his boss with witty remarks. This amused Miss Delacour and his co-workers. Afterward, he left the office without completing his tasks. He decided to pawn his pocket watch in order to have money for drinking with his friends. He met his friends and told them how he insulted his boss. Upon leaving the pub, they decided to transfer to another place where they continued drinking. Farrington got frustrated because of the huge amount of money being spent on drinking. He wanted to impress other people and went on an arm wrestling. Much to his dismay, he lost. Feeling dejected, he went home only to find out his wife was not there and there was no food to eat. This made him very angry which caused him to beat up his son. The characters of Chandler and Farrington both experienced frustration and depression. To ease themselves of their disappointments in life, they drank with their friends. Instead of working hard to counterfeit their downfalls, they stuck to their old (or unpleasant, as in the case of Farrington) ways. Although Chandler dreamed of becoming a successful writer, he was not determined to pursue it. In the case of Farrington, the short-lived joys of life made him forget his responsibilities at work. Instead of saving himself from poverty, he pawned his watch to get money for beer. To release their frustration, they placed the blame on others. Both characters displayed negligence, particularly as a father. Chandler was too preoccupied with his thoughts that he forgot that his baby needed his attention. Farrington, on the other hand, was so upset that he ended up beating his own son. I think their behavior was really unpleasant because as a man, they should stand up for the decisions they made, instead of easing their frustrations by drinking and placing the blame on others.

Wedding Speech by a Childhood Friend of the Groom -- Wedding Toasts Ro

Wedding Speech by a Childhood Friend of the Groom Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the bridesmaids, I would like to thank Scott for his kind words. For once in my life, I find myself agreeing with him - they look stunning and did an excellent job today. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jason. I’ve been Scott’s best friend for nearly 20 years. I’ve known him for a similar period. And all the time we’ve spent growing up together means that he’s had as much of a part in developing my sense of humor as anyone. So, while I have tried to make this speech funny, it’s his fault if it’s not. I have very fond memories of growing up with Scott. I’ve been his partner in crime on many a wild occasion and, in quieter times, a close confidant to whom he could tell almost anything. And I do mean anything – which has provided me with ample material for my speech this afternoon. Although I did agree not to divulge any details of the stag night, like about the Danish stripper he got chatting to in the hotel bar. So I won’t. Scott and I have done many things together during our almost life-long friendship – although they’re probably not quite as interesting to relate as the story about that Danish stripper, but I gave him my word on that one. Anyway, over the years we've built go-carts together, rode our bikes together, played football together, bunked school together, tried to... ...r. And I, as much as all of you, want that happiness for myself. Er, sorry, I mean, I want their happiness to last forever. And I do. So although I’m not actually married myself [turn to bridesmaids again], I thought it might be helpful if I offered them each a little piece of advice. Pamela: no matter how far away you are from your loved one, when you’re married, you’re never alone - because you know where my flat is. And Scott: getting married bestows upon you many, many obligations. But remember, foreplay is only optional. Ladies and gentlemen, on a final and serious note, please be upstanding and raise your glasses to my very best friend and his beautiful new wife. To Scott and Pamela.

Challenges of Raising a Disabled Child Essay

Caring for a child with a disability can be challenging due to parenting responsibilities and the difficulties they encounter when interacting with an often unreceptive environment. Consequently, parents can be at increased risk for excessive levels of personal distress which in turn can adversely affect the well being of the child and the entire family unit (Plant & Sanders, 2007). Parents of children with disabilities can be at an increased risk for psychosocial distress (Parish, Rose, Grinstein-Weiss, Richman & Andrews, 2008; Plant & Sanders, 2007). The parenting responsibilities for parents of children with disabilities often require a significant amount of time to complete, can be physically demanding, can disrupt family and social relationships, and can adversely affect caregiver employment (Brannen & Heflinger, 2006; Seller & Heller, 1997). Perhaps as a consequence of these additional impacts, family caregivers of children with disabilities can be at increased risk to experience depression, physical health problems, and decreased quality of life (Feldman, et al. , 2007; Ones, Yilmaz, Cetinkaya, & Calgar, 2002). The added challenges of caring for a child with a disability may lead to more stress and greater physical and emotional health risks for parents and their families (e. g. , increased conflict with spouse; Murphy, Christian, Caplin & Young, 2006) compared to families without a child with a disability (Feldman et al. , 2007). This topic is particularly personal for me because I know first hand the psychological affects and challenges that a handicap child could have on parents, family members, and friends. My son was two months when I notice that something just wasn’t right with him. I noticed him favoring one side instead of looking straight ahead. I mentioned my concerns to our family doctor. His doctor didn’t see it as a problem. She said to just continue to watch him. Two months passed and still no change, so at his next appointment I expressed my concern again. I insisted that she run tests on my son immediately. I knew something seemed different; I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I had already had two other boys so something just didn’t sit right with me. The doctor sent my son to be tested at University of Maryland Hospital and my son was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus Dandywalker Malformation with Palsy. He had to have surgery at six months to have a shunt placement to drain the water from his brain. I was devastated. My husband and I went through several defense mechanisms. The first I believe was denial. We didn’t want to face the fact that something was wrong with our child, our baby. He seemed so perfect when he was born just a few months ago. We went through repression, rationalization and intellectualization. We couldn’t wrap our minds around the fact that our child would be different from other children. Nobody wants to believe that something is wrong with their child. I felt a little embarrassed for fear of what people might think about our child or what someone would say. So many things raced around my mind. We wanted to blame the doctors; maybe they did something wrong in my prenatal care. I went over in my mind again and again of every little thing I did when pregnant to ensure that I had did everything I was supposed to do. I didn’t drink, smoke or do drugs. What happened? We tried to search our family history genetics. We just came up empty. My husband and I became depressed, frustrated, and angry. I felt helpless about my son’s condition. I wasn’t sure what to do. Finally, I began to investigate my son’s condition. I read all I could get my hands on. I searched for schools and other medical resources to help me address my son’s needs. In the back of my mind I was still trying to make sense of the fact that my son had a developmental and neurological problem that would affect him for the rest of his life. I wondered what restrictions we would face now and in the future. I still wasn’t sure if I could cope with his lack of development neurologically, physically, mentally or emotionally. I began to question God. I wondered why me. I wasn’t sure if I would have to stop working. I wondered how we as a family would work together to stay a family. I had so many questions, but no answers. I prayed asking God for help and guidance. Later, I began to realize that I had to be strong. I had to accept what the reality was with my son and his disability. It hasn’t been easy. We faced many financial problems, medical issues, several hospitalizations for my son, divorce; daycare issues especially since my son needed twenty four hour daycare. Day care is very expensive as well as diapers and wipes for disabled children. Insurance covers some things but not enough. A person has to be making next to nothing in order to get any assistance from the government; we needed assistance regardless of what we made monetary. I would have never known what disabled families went through to get their voice heard and children’s needs assisted unless I had to face these great challenges myself. So much goes into raising a child with disabilities. There are many variables that factor into taking care of a disabled child. Financial hardships are another important factor that influences parents’ wellbeing. In general families with children with disabilities experience much higher expenditures than other families (Newacheck and Kim, 2005) found that, on average, the total annual health care expenditures for children with disabilities were more than three times as much compared to children without disabilities. The financial strain incurred by families of children with disabilities is likely due to increased expenses related to the child’s needs as well as loss of employment or inability to work because of parenting responsibilities (Murphy et al. , 2006; Parish et al. 2008; Worcester et al. , 2008). Inability to engage in employment can also lead to feelings of isolation, a lack of fulfillment and low self-esteem (Shearn & Todd, 2000). Families of children with disabilities often report feeling isolated from the community (Freedman& Boyer, 2000; Worcester et al. , 2008). What I’ve learned from researching the challenges of raising a child with disabilities; as well as bein g a parent of a disabled child is that there is still so much more to be done. There is still research that hasn’t been touched regarding parents and their disable children. We the parents have to be the voices for our disable children. We have to be better informed about what our disabled children rights are. We have to be willing and ready to fight on behalf of our disable children. Parents and state officials have to work to get better laws passed to accommodate disabled children. Disabled children need better health care programs, better schools; a place for them to be themselves. Parents need a place to relax and not have to worry about dirty looks that people who don’t have disabled children give them. Parents shouldn’t have to feel ashamed that they have disabled children. We shouldn’t be looked down upon because our children are different. Our children shouldn’t be bullied or treated like they are worthless. Our children are special. They deserve the best that we can help them to achieve in life. They deserve a chance like the rest of us. We’ve got to come together and help each other to provide a better life for all! The questions we should ask researchers to study are many. One could be what’s being done to assist parents with disabled children? Are there programs to assist parents in child care for disabled children? Normal daycare centers are for infants through 12 years of age. As of today my disabled son is 16 years old and there’s really no day care for children his age. Another question is why do they go according to parents’ income in order to assist with social security disability? A parent shouldn’t have to be jobless in order to obtain assistance from social security disability. Yet a person who walks into social security disability and say my back hurt or that they have a condition can obtain money; work the system while the truly disabled suffer. There are so many people working the disability system and really aren’t disabled. We have to help the programs we have for our disabled children actually help the disabled children. In conclusion caring for a child with a disability can be challenging, but many of these challenges are likely due to a lack of necessary environmental supports. Future research should expand on these findings and policy makers, scientists and providers should give particular attention to the environmental support needs of parents in order to create policies and interventions that are more family centered.

Elisabeth Bishop’s poem “The Fish” Essay

Elizabeth Bishop’s poem The Fish narrates the changing attitude of the speaker towards the fish. First, the fish is described as ancient and grizzled, showing signs of death and decay. However, upon closer inspection, the fish is made out to be a survivor of many battles. Through the use of figurative language, the poet shows the speaker’s shift from noting only the fish’s dejection to admiring him for his past glories. Bishop begins with the personification of the fish into a figure of defeat and age. The speaker mentions that the fish had not fought at all, as though he had given up all hope. She compares the fish’s skin to old wallpaper which would not be securely attached to the wall as skin loses firmness with age. In addition, Bishop details the extent of the fish’s injuries, everything from lice and barnacles to the fresh blood of his wounds. Such imagery invokes feelings of decay and abandonment as parasites are allowed to slowly consume him. The speaker also contemplates the fish’s innards, suggesting that his has become a mass of flesh and bone without spirit. The speaker furthers the personification of the fish by looking into his eyes and remarking that he had not looked back fully. Instead, the fish had only shifted his stare a little towards the light, further suggesting lack of will while giving the fish a very human feeling of dejection. Not caring about the face of his conqueror, the fish only seeks to confront death, represented by the light that he turns towards. The focus on the fish’s physical structure denotes the fish’s lack of spirit yet it is this very lifelessness that gives the fish the human emotions of apathy and hopelessness. Through the personification of the fish, the poet shows the speaker’s projection of lack of spirit and hope onto the fish. In contrast, the speaker’s discovery of past hooks imbedded into the fish’s mouth gives him the persona of a fallen war hero who has survived many battles in the past. The speaker’s perception then changes from one of lifelessness to one of courage and animation, denoted by the admiration in the speaker’s tone. Upon seeing the frayed lines, she uses verbs of action and struggle as she imagines the fish fighting and breaking the line. Thus,  the poet’s comparison of the lines to ribbons furthers the fish’s appearance as a hero retaining the medals of his victory. The further comparison of the thread to a beard of wisdom shows the speaker’s admiration of the fish’s accumulation of experience through time. The author then explains that he boat become filled with victory in the appearance of a rainbow. A rainbow can be associated with triumph and survival, as the viewer can enjoy the calmness after a storm, often a scene of chaos and potential violence especially combined with the boat setting. Through viewing the remains of the past struggles that the fish has faced, the speaker’s perception of the fish changes him from a being in decline to the survival of past battles. In The Fish, Bishop transforms an old fish the speaker caught into a glorious figure of reverence. Bishop uses personification and analogies to set up the fish as dejected and lacking in spirit. However, the speaker’s perception changes and tone is markedly more of admiration while symbolism is added as the remains of the fish’s struggle become the trophies of victory. By employing personification and symbolism, Bishop uses figurative language to denote the speaker’s changing understanding of the fish.