Death

Maybe some of us have a good idea that the illegal drug business is still huge but covered somewhere among the “black” economy markets. After all the numbers one could hear tossed around, I am afraid that the sad truth could be, that no one really knows just how huge this business might be, how many people die, how much blood money has been made and than laundered into legal businesses. It is terrible to imagine how many subways and basements come to be “the places for being in the clouds”.

According to the National Drug Prevention League drugs are an object of the fastest growing trade, except the Internet. Some of you might share my opinion that it is a billion-dollar industry that takes a comfortable place in our society. Drugs have always been with mankind as we seem to carry an inherent need to consume mind altering substances. Many people, who didn’t use drugs before, know only that “that thing” can make them feel in a strange way. But drugs could harm people when using them.

It is not a secret that the consequences could be severe for the users. It is essential that people are educated at a very young age and presented with the appropriate social re-enforcers to understand that there are viable reasons that drugs are dangerous – they destroy lives. Drugs affect people’s thinking, awareness and senses. They have huge effect on people’s physical and mental health because of the chemical reactions they provoke in humans’ bodies. They lead to hallucinations, hearing voices, suspision and a feeling of “everyone is out to get me”.

Also they make most of the organs in your body disfunction, poison blood, kill brain cells and finally, in most cases, kill the person that abuses them. Hallucinations can make people experience things that aren’t real. Probably drug users are looking exactly for that “escaping the reality” for a while. Don’t you think that until now, modes of life have been based on the material slavery of the masses? Does our society offer us a different life than working all day long and going home to get some rest for the next working day?

Maybe not, and maybe that is why people who are using drugs do believe drugs are the magic formula that leads someone to a world totally different from the boring every-day life. There is a clich? that says – “People have the strange instinct to break every rule once it is established”. When I went to Holland 3 years ago, I found that the government had established some rules that were quite strange for me at first. In 1976, Holland decriminalized marijuana possession. From that time on one can go into a retail shop and purchase small amounts of marijuana.

This could be one of the reasons why Holland has a low level of heroin use, a low level of cocaine use, much lower than most of the other countries do. What actually happened was that the marijuana became the filter, preventing harder drug use. But do people of our society really know where the drugs are going to and who are their greatest consumers? It is a pity that one of the easiest places to find some drugs could be in schools. Students who turn to more potent drugs usually do so after first using cigarettes and alcohol, and then marijuana.

Maybe there are some people who know that drugs transform schools into marketplace for dope dealers. However, students who continue to use drugs learn that drugs can make strange things with their thoughts and feelings, and the greater a student’s involvement with marijuana, the more likely it is that student could begin to use other drugs in conjunction with marijuana. When talking about night parties, I got used to seeing guys smoking marijuana as imperturbably as they drink their beers. Can you think about somebody you know who has taken drugs in front of you?

Here, the bad thing could be that you might have seen at least one person taking drugs freely. “This is a family problem”- some could say. And according Dan Check’s book ” The Success and Failure of George Bush’s War on Drugs” the problem is coming rather from the family than somewhere else. Maybe the society has to rely on the family, as being the strongest entity in its structure to solve the huge-spread drug problem that exists. But here, the weird thing is that parents can’t really see the symptoms of drug addiction in their children.

And it is a “public secret” that the gap between parents and kids is getting bigger and bigger. I don’t want to imagine what the difference between parents and children could be in the next generations. But parents shouldn’t wait until they think their child has a problem. Many young people in treatment programs say that they had used alcohol and other drugs for at least two years before their parents knew about it. Maybe their parents should begin to talk earlier about the effects of alcohol and other drugs use and keep the lines of communication open all the time.

Isn’t it better to let your child know that you are concerned, and that you can work together to find answers of these so important questions? It is really harder to stop drug use among children once it is there. Most of the times, after students get involved with drugs, they start to sell them or begin to steal from family, friends, or employers in order to buy the next dose. Determining the consequences of harder drug use could help the new generation stop using them.

Maybe facing the answer of this question will make people think about the real price they are paying when drugs are involved. Along with “escaping the boring reality”, the teeth rot out, the appetite is lost, and the stomach doesn’t function properly. The gall bladder becomes inflamed and eyes and skin turn yellow. In some cases, membranes of the nose turn a flaming red and breathing becomes difficult. Oxygen in the blood decreases, bronchitis and tuberculosis develop. Good traits of character disappear and bad ones emerge. Sex organs become affected too.

Veins collapse. Nerves snap. Imaginary and fantastic fears blight the mind. Sometimes complete insanity results. Many times, death comes much too early. Such is the torment of being a drug addict and such is the plague of being one of the walking dead bodies. The statistics show that in the period 1994 – 1999 the rate of death caused by “hard-core” drugs use has increased with 6%. Maybe the answer for preventing humans and most of all the young people from taking dope is hidden somewhere among all these questions that are hard to be faced by the society.

Who is responsible for this to happen? And who is really interested in preventing the dope disaster? Is there something that can be done if we, the human beings, do not realize the importance of the dope problem? Drugs have made a tremendous impact on American society over the past thirty to forty years, yet many Americans are ambivalent regarding their opinions relating to drugs in terms of decriminalization, availability, impact on society, and mental and physical health impacts.

During the course of the past 20 years, many people are starting to here more and more situations about people participating in physician-assisted suicide. The fact of the matter is that people are starting to believe that they have the right to control their own life and death decisions. After you begin to think about physician-assisted suicide, and bring in all the facts, it becomes clear that it should be allowed in our society if it is used properly. Many people question the pure definition of physician-assisted suicide.

According to the University of Washington School of Medicine, “physician-assisted suicide refers to the physician providing the means for death, most often with a prescription, in which the patient administers the medication” (Ethics in Medicine). As of 1997 the State of Oregon was the only state that utilize legalized physician-assisted suicide. Some people argue whether this practice is ethical to use today in our society. One strong reason why this should be done is because it is a good choice for people who are suffering unbearably. At times many physicians believe that it is their duty to relieve these people of their problems.

One of the most famous arguments in favor of physician -assisted suicide is the story by Timothy Quill, and his patient “Diane”. Diane was a woman who was diagnosed with leukemia; from the beginning she refused the aggressive treatment. “She then requested a prescription of barbiturates that could be used to end her life if she determined that her suffering had become unbearable” (Annals of Internal Medicine). Diane was enrolled in a hospice program, many months passed but she began to feel a lot of pain, and fatigue. She used the barbiturates that her doctor gave her and ended her life.

This was a very good case in favor of the practice because this woman was in serious pain, and the best solution was to end her life. Another example of a physician-assisted suicide incident that attracted some attention on the issue occurred with a 37-year-old woman named “BB”. This woman had a “serious stroke and soon after she became quadriplegic and unable to speak” (Annals of Internal Medicine). She spent many days learning to communicate with others around her by using a special computer. “Finding her life quality of life intolerable, she repeatedly communicated a wish to die” (Annals of Internal Medicine).

She underwent some psychiatric counseling, and they agreed that she had the ability to do her own decision-making. So the staff “took away all of her artificial nutrition and hydration, and only provided comfort and care until she passed away soon after” (Annals of Internal Medicine). BB, like Diane, was also a prime example of a patient that was in need of physician-assisted suicide; she could no longer go through life the way she was and all she wanted was to die. Many of these patients bring up some important arguments for their reasons in which they have the right to use physician-assisted suicide.

The University of Washington School of Medicine states that there are many arguments in favor of physician -assisted suicide or (PAS). The first of the four arguments in favor of PAS is the respect for autonomy of the patient. This means that the decisions about the circumstances for death are very personal. “They also state that a competent person should have the right to choose death”(Ethics in Medicine). The next argument for PAS is regarding to “justice. ” “Justice requires that we treat like cases alike. Competent, terminally ill patients are allowed to hasten death by treatment refusal.

For some patients, treatment refusal will not suffice to hasten death, and the only option is suicide. Justice requires that we should allow assisted death for these patients” (Ethics in Medicine). The third argument is the issue of compassion, according to the University of Washington School of Medicine. They explain that it is not always possible to relieve suffering, and PAS may be a compassionate response to that suffering of the Patients. The Individual liberty vs. state interest is one of the strongest arguments for PAS. A complete elimination of assisted death limits personal liberty of the individual.

This is one of the main concerns about PAS, people believe that it is their body, and they should have the right to do what ever they feel is necessary. These are common arguments that have been used by patients and physicians all over the country. People against the issue of PAS debate many of these arguments and have come up with their own scenarios on the issue. Some common arguments against the PAS are “when you take a human life, it is morally wrong because of a certain religion” (Ethics In Medicine). Another argument is that some medical doctors like to maintain their professional integrity and are opposed to taking human life.

Herbert Hendin states in his article “Selling Death and Dignity”, that ” We should not buy into the view that those who are engulfed by fear of death or by suicidal despair that death is a preferred solution to the problems of illness, age, and depression”(Hendin 78). These arguments that are stated against physician-assisted suicide don’t seem to be strong enough to turn my feelings away from the idea that it is justified. In response to Hendin’s statement, he has no idea of all the pain and suffering that is happening to people, and what they go through.

Religion is also an argument that doesn’t make much sense to me. The right thing to do if a patient is suffering from a serious illness or basically living on a “plug”, is to give them the opportunity to die the way they want and not worry about whether it is morally right, according to a religion. Also the argument made on behalf of some doctors, “that it harms their professional integrity” is also false. These ill patients think of their doctors as relieving them from pain and suffering. “Death is not caused by the withdraw of treatment from the physician, but by the underlying disease”(Annals of Medicine).

Therefore, these ill patients are going to die either way, so the doctors shouldn’t feel that it is unprofessional to end a patient’s life if it is requested. One reason why people don’t want to let the PAS practice legalized is because they cannot find a certain policy to use it under. Physician-assisted suicide is debated upon regularly today and does not seem to be allowed in most states. One reason for this is because If it is legalized and it doesn’t have restrictions, there will be cases in which people will be going to the doctor to end their life for poor reasons.

This form of PAS is unacceptable and that is why there should be a strict policy on the issue. If a patient goes to a doctor and asked for this procedure to be done, the physicians most look into the law on physician-assisted suicide. This policy should state that the practice can only be done if the patient has a serious illness, that is life threatening and undergoing massive amounts of pain, or lost some form of physical and mental abilities, from an illness such as a stroke.

Another thing that would be included in this policy is that the patient requesting the practice must undergo some sort of psychiatric counseling to see whether he or she is in the right mind set for the procedure. This is important part of the policy, because PAS shouldn’t be performed if the patient is suffering only from some sort of depression. This policy will sort out the people who need the PAS and those who really don’t need it. This type of policy on physician-assisted suicide should be acted on in our government.

Far too many people suffer, lying in hospital beds, wishing for an answer to their problems. They have lived a long enough, suffered physically, and emotionally, as “Diane” did in Timothy E. Quill’s article “Death and Dignity: A Case of Individualized Decision Making. ” “We have measures to help control pain and lesson suffering, to think that people do not suffer in the process of dying is an allusion”(Quill 70), so we should not let this suffering continue on for people, and give them the choice to end their lives if they feel that is what they want.

Biology: 1. Living Things Please remember to photocopy 4 pages onto one sheet by going A3>A4 and using back to back on the photocopier Syllabus OB38 Understand how to use a simple key to identify plants and animals, including vertebrates and invertebrates OB39 Investigate the variety of living things by direct observation of animals and plants in their environment; classify living organisms as plants or animals, and animals as vertebrates or invertebrates OB40 Identify the basic life processes and characteristics common to all living organisms: nutrition, respiration, excretion, growth, reproduction, movement and response

OB41 Recall that living things are composed of cells, tissues, organs and systems, and understand that growth results from cell division Biology is the study of living things (called organisms) Biology is the study of living things (called organisms) Student Notes The living things which we are most familiar with are plants and animals. Plants| Animals| Make their own food| Do not make their own food| Do not move from place to place| Move from place to place| Have cell walls| Do not have cell walls| Animals can then be sorted into two groups: 1. Vertebrates = Animals that have a backbone.

Mammal, fish, bird, reptile, amphibian). 2. Invertebrates = Animals that do not have a backbone. (Spiders, worms, jellyfish, anemones, etc). Biology Keys A key in Biology is a set of instructions which help us to identify or classify an organism. The key on the right helps us to identify classify different types of vertebrates. Can you identify where humans fit into this map? Basic life processes and characteristics common to all living organisms All living things have 7 life processes or characteristics in common. These are: 1. Growth All living things can grow/increase in size.

This happens through cell division where cells have the ability to make copies of themselves. 2. Movement All living things can move. Animals can walk, fly etc, plants move their parts. 3. Nutrition All living things must be able to take in material from their environment such as food, which is needed to produce energy. 4. Respiration All organisms must extract energy from the food that they consume. Aerobic respiration uses oxygen to obtain energy from food. 5. Excretion Getting rid of waste products from chemical reactions in the body. 6. Response Reacting to a stimuli or changes in the environment. 7. Reproduction

The formation of new individuals. Organisms must be able to reproduce themselves or their species will become extinct. Cells, Tissues, Organs and Systems All organisms are composed of cells which form tissues which form organs which in turn form systems. All organisms are composed of cells which form tissues which form organs which in turn form systems. Cells>Tissues>Organs>Systems Cells Cells are the main building blocks of life, e. g. blood cells and skin cells. (We will look at them in detail in the next chapter). Tissues A tissue is made up of a group of similar cells which carry out the same function, e. . skin tissue and muscle tissue. Organs An organ is made up of different types of tissue working together, e. g. the heart and the lung. Systems A system is formed by a group of organs working together, e. g. the reproductive system and the digestive system.

“It’s extraordinary that so much time is spent educating people about birth and sex, but so little about this equally profound thing [death] that happens to everyone. Paul Murray (Irish Hospice Foundation) Exam Questions 1. [2011][2009 OL][2007 OL] Name one invertebrate animal and one vertebrate animal 2. [2009 OL] 36 – 370 C86 – 870 C| i) Choose the correct temperature range of human body temperature from the list on the right. (ii) Give one reason for a change in body temperature. 3. [2008 OL] Letter| Key feature of organism| A| Four pairs of legs| B| Segmented body, no legs| C| Three pairs of legs| D| Eight to ten pairs of legs| The table shows a simple key used to identify some common organisms found in a habitat. In the case of any two of the organisms shown on the right, write the letter corresponding to a key feature given in the table above beside the organism which that best describes.

4. [2008 OL] Muscle| | Digestive system| | Heart| (i) Write the letter T opposite the name of a body tissue in the table on the right. (ii) Write the letter O beside the name of a body organ in the table on the right. Exam Solutions 1. Invertebrate: slug/ snail/ mussel/ bee/ wasp/ fly/ spider/ starfish/ prawn… Vertebrate: fish/ lizard/ snake/ dog/ cat/ bird/ frog/ newt/ toad/ bat/ whale… 2. (i) 36 – 370 C (ii) Illness / stress / pain / exercise 3. (i) A: Spider (ii) C: Wasp (iii) D: Caterpillar 4. (i) T: Muscle (ii) O: Heart Other Test Questions 1. List six characteristics of living things. .

What is an organ made up of? 3. Define (i) sensitivity, (ii) reproduction, (iii) respiration and (iv) excretion. 4. Explain the term tissue. 5. What process do cells undergo to allow growth in organisms? 6. When discussing ‘Living Things’, why are so few people prepared to discuss ‘Death’? Is death natural or unnatural? How do most animals in ‘nature’ die? If another animal attacked a koala bear who would like to see win the fight? Why? Every single one of us will die someday – have you ever discussed your death with anyone? Has anyone else ever discussed their death with you?

Rather than an exaggerated hyperbole, “scarred for life” is a very accurate description of Lois from the short story “Death by Landscape’s” state of mind. Margaret Atwood depicts a character haunted by her childhood and solidifies that past experiences do a great deal in shaping the future of children into adulthood. Through diction by an older and younger Lois: symbolism, setting and characterization are distinguished. Firstly, strong symbolism is expressed through the landscape paintings that Lois collects while at the same time she avoids the wilderness altogether.

The readers are left wondering why Lois would collect these painting if she “does not find them peaceful in the least” but instead they “fill her with a world of unease” (2). It is revealed at the end of the short story that these paintings are representative of the tie Lois still has been unable to sever with her deceased best friend from childhood. A friend who in Lois’ mind completely vanished off the face of the earth; her body was never recovered. A young Lois recalled, “Lucy did not care about things she did not know, whereas Lois did”, from this it can assumed that Lois is a character of strong need for closure and she never got it.

In her mind there was no way Lucy could just disappear like this, she had to be somewhere. With this mindset taken into her adulthood an older Lois had rebirthed Lucy through these landscape paintings symbolic of her death. “A dead person is a body, a dead body occupies space it exists somewhere”(9), with this mindset Lois preserved Lucy’s existence through these landscape paintings. In this case symbolism is key in understanding Lois’ fear of the wild. Secondly, setting and imagery play a key role in shaping Lois’ views of the wilderness in adulthood and childhood.

As a child it’s made clear that Lois has hostility towards the camp and its atmosphere but then eventually she gets used to it. But Lois in adulthood is seen to have a traumatic fear of anything remotely to do with the wilderness. At first glance it just seems as though she just doesn’t care for gardening by her “[relief] not to have to worry about the lawn, or about the ivy pushing its muscular little suckers into the brickwork” (4). However after further insight it is seen that there is a reason behind her disdain for wildlife.

The only thing signifying wildlife present in Lois’ life is the landscape paintings in which she believes Lucy resides. With these she is able to not have to let go of Lucy at the comfort of her closed-off and artificial world. The imagery of the canoe trip in Lois’ childhood is also seen to be particularly frightening and provides understanding of her complete disdain for nature. While going canoeing Lois feels the “lake go down, deeper and colder than it was a minute before” (6), this exemplifies the sheer power, terror and unpredictability that comes with the association of the wilderness.

Lois’ diction in this passage also foreshadows the complete disappearance of Lucy in a matter of moments, after being swallowed up by nature. Thus, imagery and setting provide insight in Lois’ anxiety for the wilderness. Lastly, characterization is used to depict Lois’ disdain for wildlife and much is revealed about her through the narration of her private thoughts and feelings within her childhood and adulthood. Lois and Lucy grow to become best friends despite them having almost nothing in common.

At the age of 13 they live completely different lives and Lois recalls even feeling a bit, jealous of Lucy’s life. The reader is left to think why Lois would have such a central sense of guilt from this childhood experience and why “she felt terrible-guilty and dismayed, as if she had done something very bad, by mistake”(8). The way that Lois went about her life following this incident was that of a convicted criminal. With the amount and remorse Lois felt, could it be possible that maybe she did subconsciously wish that something would happen to Lucy?

After repeatedly having to feel inferior when listening to her stories. Lois ends up feeling so remorseful for Lucy’s death she is completely paralyzed of living her own life. When she marries and has children she finds herself unfocused in life and careless in social gatherings. Randy, her deceased husband’s face does not even resonate with her and neither do the memories of the birth and the raising of her children. . She feels drained and “as if she was living not one life but two: her own and another shadowy life that hovered”(8).

The intense feelings of guilt would only resurface themselves if she were ever to return to the camp in which Lucy had her tragic fall. Therefore Atwood’s use of diction through a young and older Lois provides strong insights for her fear of the wilderness. All in all Lois’ disdain for the wild can be distinguished through: symbolism, characterization, imagery and setting by using the diction of an older and younger Lois. Her complete inability to overcome this grief and loss goes to show to that past experiences play a key role in shaping children into adulthood.

In Perry’s Dialogue, he introduces three fictional characters to explore the concept of personal identity. This topic arises as the character, Gretchen Weirob, lays on her deathbed seeking consolation from her friend, Sam Miller, and former student, Dave Cohen, to discuss the possibility of her survival after death. Weirob’s view is that people are identified by their bodies and that their continued existence relies on the existence of their living bodies.

In this paper, I will argue on behalf of her viewpoint approaching personal identity through Locke’s memory theory using the distinction that real memory can only be associated with the body experiencing it. Personal identity has proven to be a very controversial topic in this dialogue. By the second night, it was argued to be defined neither by the bodily existence nor the existence of an immaterial soul. Instead, identity is approached by the concept of person-stages.

This idea implies that a person lives in consecutive stretches of consciousness connected in a logical manner. In this case, each stretch of consciousness indicates the all thoughts and emotions experienced by a person at a given moment in time. This leads to the Memory Theory of personal identity, which Miller suggested according to his readings on Locke. It basically states that all the past events occurring within this stream of consciousness forms memory and our personal identity consists of the accumulation of memory that can be traced linearly through it.

Weirob was not able to find any flaws in this theory. However, many flaws would surface without the examination of what constitutes as memory? Weirob brings up the comparison of real and apparent memory due to the possibility of deception where a person may “seems to remember” something entirely inaccurate. Real memory is then defined as an experience remembered by the person who was present at the time of that experience.

Apparent memory is when someone “seems to remember” but was not actually present at the experience in question. In the end, the real remember is the one whose memories were caused “in the right kind of way” which led Weirob to conclude that “a person is certain sort of causal process. ” This continued to support her belief that personal identity is coexistent with bodily continuity as all her memories were formed by the actions and brain activity of her body. With a stroke of ngenuity, Miller was able to dispute her belief that personal identity lies solely within the confines of bodily identify by stating that one can identify his/herself without examination of his or her physical body. He says that a person is able to wake up and realize that they are the person they were the day before, prior to opening his/her eyes. He further proves this using Kafka’s Metamorphosis, which involves the instance of someone waking up in the body of a cockroach. This person still maintains the sameness of person despite the difference of body.

Earlier on, Weirob had brought up the case of anticipation. She had concluded that in order for her to accept the possibly of life after death, she must believe that she can exist in another form in which she would be able to anticipate the experiences of her future self and remember the experiences of her past. As Miller was able to dispute her belief that personal identity is only bodily identity, he then tempts her to imagine that there will be someone in the future who will remember the conversation they are having and all her past experiences.

However, this fails to comforts Weirob as she argues that this merely suggests the possibility of a deluded imposter harboring her memories. Once again the issue of real versus apparent memory detains Miller in his efforts. This led to the introduction of an additional restriction to Miller’s suggestion. To provide the distinction between real and apparent memory, the heavenly person must now be the person who actually performed the actions that he/she remembers. So if Weirob can imagine such a person being she, then the possibility of her survival is ensured.

Nevertheless, this proves to be too ambiguous for Weirob to accept. She argues that There is no assurance that the heavenly being will be identical to her as opposed to exactly similar. She says that if God were able to create one such being on heaven, what is to prevent him from creating two or even three? Since God is all-powerful and not limited in his abilities, he should be able to create an infinite number of Gretchen Weirobs, all of whom would hold her memories. These Gretchen Weirobs cannot all be her, so the possibility of her survival is once again irrational.

Cohen then points out that Miller was asked only to provide the possibility of survival, so if Weriob were to imagine that God, being benevolent, choose to create only one heavenly Gretchen Weirob, then she cannot deny the possibility of her survival. To this Weirob replies that she cannot base her survival on such insubstantial conditions; she cannot tolerate that her survival depends on the right relationship between her memory to the memory of the heavenly being as well as the lack of competition of other heavenly beings.

She says that if there is a possibility if two heavenly Gretchen Weirobs, she would be neither of them as one cannot be identical to two; then memory alone cannot provide the basis for identity. Therefore, even if there were to be only one heavenly being containing her memory, she cannot confirm that it will be identical to her. I agree with Weirob’s belief that she will cease to exist upon the expiration of her body. From a biological point of view, there is no earthly evidence that suggest the continuation of a person after the end of his/her brain function.

Like Weirob suggested, it is her brain that involves the storage of information including the accumulation of her memories. If her brain were to stop functioning, all her memories would logically be lost. Meanwhile, there is the case where the body can continue to function without support from the brain. This is commonly known as a coma, a state in which a person is without brain activity and within this state of mind that person can be pronounced legally dead by a qualified physician. Now on the topic of survival after death, the existence of a God must be involved.

In this instance, the identity of a person can be suggested to continue if God were to create a heavenly being containing all of the deceased past memories. The possibility of survival through this case is disrupted as Weriob proved that these beings would be nothing more than exactly similar to her. She maintains that memory alone cannot ensure the essence of her personal identity, as God can create many heavenly beings containing her memories out of which one of them would be her.

Her idea of bodily continuity is proven to be the only rational method to interpret her existence as her steam of consciousness containing all the memories that comprises her personal identify ends with her death. However, Weirob’s belief seems to exclude those who are distorted or incapable in their ability to store memory. For example, in the case of the hypnosis mentioned in the second night, the rememberer induced to remember Weirob’s memories is disrupted in his/her stream of consciousness. Yet, after the removal of the trance, he/she will continue to exist as him/herself. Weirob also mentioned people who “seem to remember” being Napoleon losing the battle of waterloo. Although these poeple are visibly not Napoleon, they are also not considered to be nonexistent despite lack of personal identity. Other cases include patients of Alzheimer’s disease who will gradually lose all their memories or those living with mental illness who are under delusions of who they really are.

These people are obviously experiencing inaccurate representations for their personal identity. Nevertheless, this does not prevent these individuals from existing. While it is correct that these individuals exist, I can argue that there is a distinction between seeming to exist and actually existing. Individuals suffering from delusions exist within their own mind, without relation to the their actual environment. They seem to exist, either as Napoleon or as Gretchen Weirob, in that stretch of consciousness.

The mind is inarguably still a part of the body so while they may be not physically experiencing these events, their body, or more specifically their brain, is still needed for the creation of these memories. Therefore, they will follow the same laws of existence as any normal person. On the other hand, those who are suffering from Alzheimer’s, or any form of head trauma that forces them to lose their memories are simultaneously losing their identity. As stretches of their streams of consciousness fade away, their personal identity diminishes until there is nothing left to distinguish them from an empty shell, which is their body.

The school hall was quiet. Everyone was silent with their heads bowed down. No one spoke,laughed, giggled or chatted. There was Just sorrow in the atmosphere. Few students could be heard sobbing while the rest Just sat stone dead in their seats. What had happened? What was the cause of this sad and eerie situation? Why did she do it? She had always been that cheerful bubbly girl that everyone loved. Her wide flashing smile could brighten up anyone’s day. My thoughts were disrupted when the principal stood up at the podium to give a short speech. “Today , we all sit here in deep grief and sorrow.

Our school has lost one of its brightest student. Her death was indeed shocking and unexpected. And it would be only respectful if we attended her funeral in SST Pewter’s church this coming Sunday. The service starts at 9 in the morning and ends at 10. 30. We hope to see each and every one of you there. As for the school , we have made a small altar with candles and pictures of her by the gym. Students can place flowers and cards of sympathy there. Deepest condolences from East High goes to the family’ with that she stepped off the stage. The head prefect’s speech brought many students to tears. My eyes felt misty and wet.

We were than dismissed. As I walked along the school corridor towards the gymnasium,my thoughts traveled afar. I remembered my first day in East High. I was a newbie with no friends. People whispered when I walked pass by. The mean lads threw spitballs in my direction. No one sat with me during lunch hours. I would lock myself in the washroom cubicle with my tray of food with tears seeping from my eyes. I didn’t have any friends. I always wondered what my flaws were. Was I fat? Did I have greasy hair? Or was it because I wasn’t a size zero? But then one girl changed everything. She was a newbie too.

I was sitting alone at the back of my Biology class. Mr. Trend was having a difficult time putting up with the students. The boys were running about and the girls were gossiping. And there was me. The loner. It is amazing how a noisy situation changes into a sudden quiet one isn’t it? Well that was what happened. Someone walked into class. A new face. She was a brunette with sparkly brown eyes. She wore simple clothing and flashed a wide grin as she walked into class. All eyes were on her as she handed Mr.. Trend a letter. “Class , we have a new student. Her name is Amanda Grey and she come all the way from Dallas , Texas.

Do make her feel at home”. Amanda was given the choice to choose her seat. I noticed her eyes scanning the room and it fell on the empty seat beside me. She walked with confidence towards me and sat. “Hello , I’m Amanda. Nice to meet you” she said as she shook my hand. My mum had always taught me to greet people with proper manners so I shook her hand back and introduced myself too. All through class, I noticed many students stealing glances in our way. Some even had the nerve to walk up to our table and tell Amanda that she had made the wrong choice by hosing me as her first friend and sitting right next to me.

I had expected Amanda to agree with them and change seats but to my astonishment she stood up for me saying that it was her choice on the friends she made and no one had the right to choose for her. I had an instant liking towards Amanda. She became my new best lunch hours in the cafeteria. Amanda made new friends really fast because of her socially active character. Through her, I got to know people too and began conversing openly without being the old shy anti-social me. Amanda was my other half. I shared everything with her. She was someone I felt that I could open up to and not be afraid of being Judged.

Once , she even caught me self harming and throwing up after meals. She took away my razors and made sure I stayed put after meals without going to the washroom. She told me I was beautiful in her eyes and by god’s eyes. And I didn’t have to be a size zero to be beautiful. She made me appreciate life and realize that there were people who actually cared for me and I wasn’t alone. Not only was she great in giving advice, Amanda was a very brilliant girl. She excelled in the studies and always did well in her examinations. She helped me a lot in my studies and my grades which were failing eventually began to improve.

My feet made a silent thudding sound as I turned the corner towards the gymnasium. There was quite a crowd around the altar. I stopped midway and stared ahead. My body trembled. And I realized I was alone. There wasn’t a happy and Jolly Amanda beside me. The girl who changed my whole life in an instant had disappeared for good. She was never coming back. I approached the altar slowly sinking everything in. There were brightly lit candles around Manta’s pictures and flowers were all over the altar. I knelt down ND stared at the pictures. The candles illuminated them with a soft glow.

I looked down and pulled out a picture of me and Amanda from my purse and laid it on the table. It was a picture of the very first time Amanda had a sleepover at my house. We watched a movie while snacking on caramel popcorn, baked cupcakes, did makeovers on each other and took loads of picture. That was the day Amanda had given me a tight hug and promised that she’ll always be there for me no matter what. I tear rolled down my cheek. I wobbled slightly as I stood up. I turned away and walked out the school doors towards my home. The sky was a gloomy cast. Look , even the sky was upset about the loss.

On Sunday , I remembered my mum shaking me and waking me up reminding me that it was time for the funeral. I wore one of my favorite suit which Amanda had told I looked good in. I took deep calm breaths. I wasn’t prepared to see her for the last time before she went six feet under. My dad drove us to the church. There were a couple of students outside dressed in black. We alighted from the car and my mother laid a reassuring arm around my shoulders. We walked in. The place was filled with people and a part of me was happy knowing that Amanda was loved by many. We took a seat at the back.

I noticed Manta’s mother sitting by the coffin. Her face was blank and expressionless. I felt her. It felt as If I had lost a part of me when I heard the depressing news of Manta’s sudden departure. The pastor began the ceremony by singing a few hymn’s and citing reading a bible phrase. He went on with the sermon saying how God took the best people at times because he loved them more than we did. “But she took her own life” a little part of me whispered. “Why did God let her die when she had so much to live for? ” My questions were left unanswered. Finally we came to the end of the ceremony.

We were requested to pay our last respects. My heartbeat was racing. This was it. My one and only chance to bid farewell. I walked towards the coffin. Amanda lay in there with a peaceful look on her face. It didn’t look like someone who had committed that she would wake up laughing telling how she had franked everyone. But she didn’t. I gently touched her hands. They were ice cold. I than unclasped the necklace around my neck and gently laid it in her coffin. It was my favorite necklace which Amanda really adored. “It’s now yours to keep Amanda” I whispered.

Goodbye and I love you” I said as I walked out the church. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was blue. It wasn’t a gloomy day at all. The birds were chirping a sweet melody. I looked towards the sky and blinked back tears knowing that Amanda was in a better place. To be honest , Vie never thought of Amanda as a girl who had problems in life. She seemed happy and cheerful at all times. I guess she felt better keeping them to herself rather than burdening others with her problems. She was someone who liked to help others in life. I wish she had opened up and talked about her problems to me.

It makes me feel that I wasn’t there for her when she needed me the most or when she was going through rough times. She had told me many times that death wasn’t the solution for problems. Now it made me wonder why was it her solution to something. And there goes another unanswered question. A year passed. Soon the date of Manta’s first death anniversary arrived. I walked on the soft cemetery grounds. Everything was peaceful and quiet. The grounds were well kept. I made my way towards Manta’s grave. There it was. I knelt down beside it and stared at the tombstone. “l miss you” I said softly as I laid a hand on the cold hard tombstone.

I laid the bouquet of roses I had specially made for Amanda on her grave and sat down right beside it. The memories came back. All the fun times with her. Amanda was like an angel sent by God to help me and taken away when her Job was done. I leaned back against the tomb. Some people might have found doing that plain scary. Knowing that your sitting on someone’s grave and leaning on a tombstone. But what I felt was a warm feeling. I felt Manta’s presence with me. Right beside me. After spending a few quiet minutes there I got up to leave. And to this day , I still don’t know why she did it.

i chose to base my “Boys of Blood and Bone” presentation around the theme of death and grief. The concept of death is a strong point that the author David Metzenthen brings into the novel as it gives the audience the idea of not knowing what you have until it’s gone. Death is a very powerful and traumatic experience. It can change someone’s life just as easy as someone can get over it this shown between both the narratives.

Andrew Lansell fought for Australia in France in 1917 him as well as most of the soldiers just thought of killing other humans as nothing to worry about and considered it as their job. However many soldiers struggled to deal with the reality of war and watch the death of their fellow soldiers and friends. this could affect them mentally and physically once the war was over. The author uses a first person perspective of Andy here as he describes what he is feeling about while preparing for the war. ”That was why you joined up. It was no secret what the job was. You were given a rifle. It was up to you to use it.” Andy is thinking to himself here what Cecelia might see him as. He didn’t want to be known as some sort of killer but then again he had to come to the realization that what he did was no secret and that he was there to kill people whether he liked it or not.

In Henry’s narrative it is more modern times so the concept of death is completely different to what it was. When Henry hears that Trot dies in the car crash his first reaction is disbelief and has trouble processing what was actually happening and not accepting the fact that he had been killed. This is a good example at the funereal on how different people react differently to these situations. “Henry could hear people crying quietly, some helplessly, endlessly, it sounded. He didn’t feel like crying. He felt a kind of sad, frustrated anger that Trot wasn’t here anymore” This again explains how Henry was experiencing the whole ordeal and something like could potentially change how someone looks at life and the way they act to things.

When Henry reads the last diary entries by Andy he didn’t even know who he was yet Henry still feels angry over the fact that he had to die and is no longer. This his reaction as he read the last entry which was wrote by Andy’s friend Darcy. “It didn’t seem right that a young guy like Andy Lansell should be killed in a war twenty thousand kilometers away from home, but that’s what happened. And in the end, Henry knew, the war had been won and no war had ever been won without anyone dying”. This show how different his feeling and emotions were to when finding out Trot died, yet he still was upset over it.

So as we can see there are many different ways people can react to the loss of someone. There is denial of the situation; there is anger, depression and finally acceptance over the situation. Eventually Andy reached a point while fighting at war that in which he had no feelings or emotion over dead people since he was just so used to it. “He was no longer scared of the dead. The dead were dead. They were just dead. German or friendly, whoever, whatever they were just dead. So as you can see this is a terrible thing to think yet it’s the mindset that he got after being at war for that long and that Death can get over easily as life always keeps on going on.

As you can see death can be a very touchy and powerful subject and no matter what people will die and you will just have to grief and move on about it. A boy of blood and Bone does a good job in showing all the different emotions and stages of death and the real meaning of it.