How does a post colonial reading of Jane Eyre expose the authors deep Essay

How does a post colonial reading of Jane Eyre expose the authors deep anxiety regarding the idealogy of imperialism - Essay Example Jane’s Experiences The character of the protagonist Jane Eyre is the center of a struggle that is purely based on class. As an orphan, Jane suffered the consequences of poverty even though she is educated. Getting meager income from being a governess, she found herself in a low social standing -- hence, powerless. As a woman, she also experienced the vicious treatment from men in a patriarchal society (Morris, 1999). Due to these experiences, Jane identified herself with the millions in fervent yet in silent revolution against such inequalities. By studying her dialogues, it can be observed that Jane compared herself to a champion for the slaves who struggled hard for the attainment of freedom and the eradication of oppression, in a very indirect way. In her own terms, she fought against the notion that men are superior to women, and attempted to subdue that men's unjust treatment towards the women can always be justified. Although Jane acknowledged the fact that the social an d economic as well as cultural inequalities are realities that she needed to embrace, she remained firm in her belief that a time will come when ‘people will be liberated from such hell-like conditions’ (Glen, 1997). A feminist in her own right, Jane remarked: Women suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex. (Dunn & Bronte, 2001, p.99) Britain’s Colonial Rule The Victorian era marked Britain’s international expansion of power, wealth and culture. The empire, which included India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Hong Kong Gibraltar, Rhodesia and several islan ds in the West Indies and various colonies in the African coast, was the biggest in the world during the period. Generally, the prevailing attitude of the British about the view that the English was destined to rule the world and that they had the supreme responsibility to instill culture to the ‘uncivilized’ was a key factor in its exploration and subjugation of peoples. This was heavily examined by Bronte, which can be gleaned from her works particularly in Jane Eyre (Berg, 1987). Although the author distanced herself on the issue of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, she still tackled slavery in some of her works. In the novel, Jane eventually inherited the wealth of her uncle which was derived from Madeira, a fictitious British colony. In an honorable manner, she divided the amount and the estates she obtained among her cousins. However, it should be pointed out that because of this inheritance sourced from slave colonies, Jane obtained the freedom that she longed for ( Bell, 2008). Mr. Rochester, Jane’s husband, was depicted to have worked and found his fortune in the West Indies. There, he found himself attracted to a half-Creole and Jamaican-raised Bertha who he saw

The Civil Rights Movement Essay Example for Free

The Civil Rights Movement Essay The Civil Rights Movement is one of the most well known social movements in American History. But have you ever stopped to think of what really makes up a movement? Social movements are demonstrations used to express dissatisfaction with a certain policy or practice. Movements are all made possible by devoted leaders, bold, ordinary citizens, community support, and political institutions. Although the aforementioned components make social movements possible, the main driving force for a successful movement- such as the Civil Rights Movement- is having bold individuals willing to take risks for the cause. People willing to risk their lives for a cause are the main factor that can push a movement to success. An example of a group of ordinary people that had a profound impact on the Civil Rights Movement is the Greensboro Four. The Greensboro Four were students at North Carolina AT that facilitated sit-ins at the Woolworth’s store â€Å"whites only† lunch counter. They were refused service and were asked to leave, but instead of fighting back or leaving, they merely sat at the lunch counter and waited to be served. They knew that they would not be served, but for the sake of making their point known they remained seated until the store closed. As a result of their protest, many other protesters followed in their footsteps in the following days. Each day, the Woolworth’s store was occupied by more and more African-American protesters. Sales at the store dropped drastically, and in the end the segregation policy at the store was abandoned. Protests in neighboring towns arose as the news of the Greensboro Four spread. The Greensboro Four helped bring integration to North Carolina quickly. They acted as models, and their success inspired other people to stand up for their rights. Without visionaries such as the Greensboro Four, people would not have taken the risk to protest against segregation. There would have been nobody to inspire ordinary people, and convince them that they could cause a change and get rid of segregation. The Greensboro Four, and other individuals that stood out like them, are a prime example of why the Civil Rights Movement was successful. The brave individuals took a risk to support their cause, despite the hardships they faced in the process. Their protests not only inspired other people to start their own protests, but they gave hope to people that were aspiring to eliminate segregation.

Examination of Heathcliffs character in the plot of Wuthering Heights :: English Literature

Examination of Heathcliff's character in the plot of Wuthering Heights WutheringHeights centers around the story of Heathcliff. The first paragraph of the novel provides a vivid physical picture of him, as Lockwood describes how his "black eyes" withdraw suspiciously under his brows at Lockwood's approach. Nelly's story begins with his introduction into the Earnshaw family, his vengeful machinations drive the entire plot, and his death ends the book. The desire to understand him and his motivations keeps us engaged in the novel. His many levels cause us to delve deeper than expected, and the introspection allows us to fully explore not only Heathcliff but also the novel itself. Heathcliff, however, defies being understood, and it is difficult for us to resist seeing what they want or expect to see in him. The novel teases with the possibility that Heathcliff is something other than what he seems; that his cruelty is merely an expression of his frustrated love for Catherine, or that his sinister behaviors serve to conceal the heart of a romantic hero. We expect Heathcliff's character to contain such a hidden virtue because he resembles a hero in a romance novel. Traditionally, romance novel heroes appear dangerous, brooding, and cold at first, only later to emerge as fiercely devoted and loving. However, Heathcliff does not reform, and his malevolence proves so great and long-lasting that it cannot be adequately explained even as a desire for revenge against Hindley, Catherine, Edgar, etc. As he himself points out, his abuse of Isabella is purely sadistic, as he amuses himself by seeing how much abuse she can take and still come cringing back for more. The author does the same thing to the readers to us that Heathcliff does to Isabella, testing to see how many times the reader can be shocked by Heathcliff's gratuitous violence and still, masochistically, insist on seeing him as a romantic hero. Heathcliff drives the plot, as without Heathcliff we would not have any of the problems needed to be dealt with. Heathcliff is connected in some way to almost everyone in this novel, and unfortunately in some way he deals with them negatively. Heathcliff helps to attach all of these stories together, as he is the reason such misfortune happens to everyone and thus he sits at the crux of the basic plot. He remains throughout the novel to be somehow involved in most happenings, whether it is part of the present day with Mr. Lockwood or when Nelly recalls of his doings back in the day when Catherine was still alive.He Considering this historical context, Heathcliff seems to embody the anxieties that the book's upper- and middle-class audience had Examination of Heathcliff's character in the plot of Wuthering Heights :: English Literature Examination of Heathcliff's character in the plot of Wuthering Heights WutheringHeights centers around the story of Heathcliff. The first paragraph of the novel provides a vivid physical picture of him, as Lockwood describes how his "black eyes" withdraw suspiciously under his brows at Lockwood's approach. Nelly's story begins with his introduction into the Earnshaw family, his vengeful machinations drive the entire plot, and his death ends the book. The desire to understand him and his motivations keeps us engaged in the novel. His many levels cause us to delve deeper than expected, and the introspection allows us to fully explore not only Heathcliff but also the novel itself. Heathcliff, however, defies being understood, and it is difficult for us to resist seeing what they want or expect to see in him. The novel teases with the possibility that Heathcliff is something other than what he seems; that his cruelty is merely an expression of his frustrated love for Catherine, or that his sinister behaviors serve to conceal the heart of a romantic hero. We expect Heathcliff's character to contain such a hidden virtue because he resembles a hero in a romance novel. Traditionally, romance novel heroes appear dangerous, brooding, and cold at first, only later to emerge as fiercely devoted and loving. However, Heathcliff does not reform, and his malevolence proves so great and long-lasting that it cannot be adequately explained even as a desire for revenge against Hindley, Catherine, Edgar, etc. As he himself points out, his abuse of Isabella is purely sadistic, as he amuses himself by seeing how much abuse she can take and still come cringing back for more. The author does the same thing to the readers to us that Heathcliff does to Isabella, testing to see how many times the reader can be shocked by Heathcliff's gratuitous violence and still, masochistically, insist on seeing him as a romantic hero. Heathcliff drives the plot, as without Heathcliff we would not have any of the problems needed to be dealt with. Heathcliff is connected in some way to almost everyone in this novel, and unfortunately in some way he deals with them negatively. Heathcliff helps to attach all of these stories together, as he is the reason such misfortune happens to everyone and thus he sits at the crux of the basic plot. He remains throughout the novel to be somehow involved in most happenings, whether it is part of the present day with Mr. Lockwood or when Nelly recalls of his doings back in the day when Catherine was still alive.He Considering this historical context, Heathcliff seems to embody the anxieties that the book's upper- and middle-class audience had

Analysis of the Poem: The Darkling Thrush Essay

Speaker: The speaker in the first two stanzas is portrayed as pessimistic and dark, but this changed in the two last stanzas. In any case, the speaker is conveyed to have strong feelings for nature. Form: Rhyming scheme is clearly visible giving to poem a rhythm. The 3rd stanza’s rhyming scheme seems to have been modified, if not a little disturbed having a not as good phonetic ending at the end of each stanza conveying the speaker’s disturbance and surprise at the appearance of the thrush. Imagery: L.1 the coppice became a gate conveying that it’s not in its natural state, humans could have modified it. L2: â€Å"When Frost was spectre-grey† a spectre/ghost is something dangerous, menacing, conveying Frost is dangerous, and cold is dangerous, deadly. The Frost being as cold as a ghost. L2-3: Frost and Winter with capital letters, this personifies them. ïÆ'   Cold, winter, death theme introduced. They will be the two â€Å"main characters â€Å"of the poem. L3: â€Å"Winter’s dregs† winters residue, conveys the snow. L3-4: â€Å"Winter’s dregs made desolate, The weakening eye of day† The snow is taking over the day, dark over light. â€Å"Eye of day† conveys the sun symbolizing light, happiness, warmth, is being taken over by â€Å"Winter’s dreg’s† darkness, snow, cold. L5-6: â€Å"The tangled bine-stems scored the sky, like strings of broken lyres† this simile compares plants that are reaching for t he sky, like broken lyres, lyres are instruments symbolizing usually illusion, and mostly the instruments of the gods. Lyres are therefor in the sky with the gods, and the plants are trying to do the same, but will never reach it â€Å"Broken Lyres† or broken â€Å"illusions†. This simile conveys somehow the sky in contrast to earth, heaven, and hell that plants are trying to flee â€Å"score the sky†. L7-8: â€Å"And all mankind that haunted nigh† all the men that were hunting close by, â€Å"Had sought their household fires† had gone back to their house by the fire for warmth. Winter, or death, is more powerful than men with guns. L9: â€Å"The land’s sharp features seemed to be† sharp here conveys the cold. This verse introduces the nature or â€Å"land† as main theme of the stanza. L9-10 â€Å"The land’s sharp features seemed to be† the lands cold features seemed to be â€Å"The Century’s corpse outleant† the Century’s dead body. This metaphor connects the two verses and develops them further in doing so. The land’s â€Å"features† are now clearer to convey member’s like body members. This metaphor also connects â€Å"the land† to the â€Å"Century’s dead body† the speaker here could also convey his thoughts that our present Century is dying. L11-12: â€Å"His crypt the cloudy canopy† This verse conveys the transformation of the â€Å"cloudy† canopy, the unclear, mysterious conveying menace canopy (human being afraid of the unknown) into a crypt, chamber for the dead. Once again the death (here of nature specifically) is here conveyed. This continues the metaphor of the dying land by â€Å"his† asserting a personification of the land. This verse transforms the â€Å"cloudy canopy† into the chamber of death â€Å"crypt† of the land. Finally, to finish the portraying image of a dead body in a crypt, the image of a funeral is clearly conveyed through the 12th verse. â€Å"The wind his death-lament.† This image portrays the wind as the relative, or witness, grieving the land’s death. L13-14: â€Å"The ancient pulse of germ and birth† the verse bring through the image of a â€Å"pulse† of life, that is now no more â€Å"ancient† used to be, but no longer is. â€Å"Was shrunken hard and dry† this continuation of the verse beforehand confirms the death of the â€Å"pulse of germ and birth†, of life, that was â€Å"shrunken hard and dry† that was killed by winter. The use of â€Å"shrunken hard and dry† contrasting â€Å"the pulse of germ and birth† is very well chosen. The pulse of germ and birth is something soft, happy, promising, whereas the use of â€Å"shrunken† shrinks the promising life, turns it into something hard and dry. The contrast of life and death is portrayed here through nature. L15-16: â€Å"And every spirit upon earth seemed fervourless as I† This conveys the desperation and hopelessness that seems to be shared by â€Å"every spirit upon this earth† the whole world seems to have no more hope for better days. With these two last verses, it leaves the second stanza on sorrowful â€Å"fervourless† tone. L16-17: â€Å"At once a voice arose among the bleak twigs overhead† The 3rd stanza starts off with an element of surprise, raising the curiosity of the reader creating suspense of who this might be, or what. This also somehow creates a certain feeling of hope. The 3rd stanza also starts of unlike the other first stanzas through hearing, and not seeing. Therefor the images that were up to now conveyed through the eyes, is not conveyed through the ears. L19-20: â€Å"In full-hearted evensong of joy unlimited† this element brings about hope and joy which was not brought through so far. L21-22: â€Å"An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small, in blast-beruffled plume† The suspense is now broken, we find out what this element of surprise and joy is, a bird, a â€Å"Thrush† like indicated in the poem’s title. The sense goes back to seeing now, and the bird is portrayed as â€Å"frail, gaunt, and small† in contrast to the merciless powerful cold winter and death that was conveyed beforehand transforming an entire land into corpse, and yet this bird is full of joy and life unlike â€Å"every spirit on earth†. The bird’s appearance is further more explicit in verse 22 â€Å"In blast-beruffled plume† This feeds further the contrast between the bird and the harsh winter. Indeed the thrush is not only portrayed as markedly frail, but the sharp wind has ruffled his feathers, and we can imag ine the tail-feathers blown nearly inside-out by the sharp blast. L23-24: These verses are very important as they mark another contrast between the bird’s appearance, and â€Å"character†. Indeed this feeble blast-beruffled bird that was conveyed earlier on â€Å"had chosen thus to fling his soul upon the growing gloom† This small bird is like a brave small weak, and yet brave soldier â€Å"flinging† his soul into the midst of a battle, â€Å"upon a growing gloom† that menaces to kill him at any moment. The 3rd stanza brings through an element of hope and surprise. L25-29: The senses are now changed into hearing again as the speaker describes the â€Å"carolings† of the little bird that seems to light up â€Å"terrestrial things â€Å"afar or nigh around† (near or far) into this growing gloom that the speaker doesn’t seem to understand. L30-32: The final 3 verses of the last stanza are very important as they will change the view of the speaker. Indeed the â€Å"happy good night air† of this bird â€Å"some blessed Hope† which is conveyed to be brought through to the speaker by this thrush â€Å"whereof he knew, and I was unaware† The speaker here conveys the relief and comfort and wisdom that was brought to him through the natural wisdom and bravery as well as optimism of this feeble and delicate, yet brave, and tenacious thrush. On this the poem ends on a good note full of hope and optimism for the future.

William Shakespeare Symbolic Plays

Symbols play major roles in everyday situations whether it is in real life, novels, or even movies. In fact, more and more authors nowadays are learning from older play-writers such as William Shakespeare by reading and analyzing their plays. They learn how to develop their novels by incorporating symbols based on action or drama. There are several examples of William Shakespeare’s famous plays that have numerous symbols that tie the story together which include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, & Julius Caesar.However, the most notable play written by Shakespeare is Macbeth. The play Macbeth written by the world- renowned play-writer William Shakespeare is a play that symbols tie the story together. Three key symbols that emerge in the play are a crown, a crystal ball, and lastly, hallucinations. Every one of these symbols represents a variety of concepts in Macbeth. The first of the three major symbols that tie the play together is the crown. In general, a crown is a symbol that rep resents royalty, authority, leadership, etc.There are many things that come to mind when you think of crown, however, this play changes everything. In Macbeth, the crown represents a variety of concepts and issues that change the fact that characters lives forever. It causes loyal characters such as Macbeth to commit many dreaded acts being numerous counts of murder. Macbeth wouldn’t have gone on with the plan if Lady Macbeth didn’t want as much as she did convince her husband to murder all those people by saying, â€Å"From this time Such I account thy love. Art thou afraid To be in thine act and valor. (Act 1, Scene 7, Page 59, Lines 38-40) When she attired those words, it convinced Macbeth to go along with the original plan. But when he becomes king, and all the murders are done with he begins mistrusting people so he tells himself, â€Å"To be thus is nothing. But to be safety. † (Act 3, Scene 1, Page 15, Line 53) As a result, Macbeth frequently talks to th e witches and they give him different prophecies that give him the confidence he needs to remain king. The second major symbol in the play is hallucination, which is found numerous times and is shown to be a problem mainly because of the murders.Macbeth says to himself shortly after killing Duncan â€Å"Whence is that knocking? How am not with me when every noise appalls me? What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No this hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine. Making the green one red. † (Act 2, Scene 2, Page 81, Lines 60- 63) Macbeth had another time where the hallucination caused him to see the ghost of Banquet which he told the ghost â€Å"Thou canst not say I did it: never shake thy gory locks at me. (Act 3 Scene 4 Page 143, Lines 63-64) The hallucination of the ghost of Banquet represented the guilt from all the crimes that Macbeth had committed. After that scene Macbeth g radually becomes even crazier than he already was and becomes very reckless with his power. Clearly, he was very emotionally unstable as he continues to commit murders. All the hallucinations are a big factor of why Macbeth was unsteady and ended up dying. The third and final major symbol of this play is the crystal ball, which represents looking into the future.I made a choice to make the symbol crystal ball symbolize the prophecies that the witches continuously give Macbeth. Crystal balls typically represent fortune-tellers and the future. That is what started the whole problem and that is the witches and their prophecies for Macbeth. If their prophecies did not take place, Macbeth still would have been Duncan’s loyal general and close friend, but the three witches came to Macbeth and told him, First Witch: â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glacis! † Second Witch: â€Å"All hail, Macbeth!Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! † Third Witch â€Å"All hai l, Macbeth! Hail to the thane of Cawdor! † That is what caused him to kill the king who thought very highly of him who even gave him the honor of becoming the Thane of Cawdor. Afterwards, when he is knee deep in the murders, he goes back to the witches so that he can attain more prophecies. This time, just to manipulate him, they tell him. First Apparition: â€Å"Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough. † Second Apparition â€Å"Macbeth!Macbeth! Macbeth! Be bloody, bold, and resolute; Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of women born shall harm Macbeth. † Third Apparition â€Å"Be lion-mettled, proud and take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him. † Through the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth gained a load of confidence, which lead him to his eventual death. That is why the cryst al ball prophecies told is a major symbol in the play.In the play Macbeth, written by the world renowned writer, William Shakespeare, the symbols tie the story together. Three major symbols that are shown often in the play are the crown, the crystal ball, and the hallucinations. These symbols represent a variety of concepts that can be interpreted to the progress of the play. The crown signifies the division of power occurring throughout the play, the hallucinations symbolize the problems occurring in Macbeth's life, and finally the crystal ball represents the prophecies and the events that will happen in the future.

Pronunciation-Based Changes in the Spanish Words for And and Or

Pronunciation-Based Changes in the Spanish Words for And and Or Two of the most common conjunctions in Spanish - y (meaning and) and o (meaning or) - can change spelling and pronunciation based on the word that follows. In that way, they are much like the a of English changing to an before a vowel sound. And, like the a-to-an change, the transformation is based on how the following word is pronounced rather than how it is spelled. When Do Y and O Change? Both the y and o changes help keep the conjunction from blending into the following word. (The blending of two words into what sounds like one is called elision when it involves the dropping or omission of sounds, and it is common in both English and Spanish.) Here are the changes that are made: Y becomes e when it precedes a word that begins with the i sound. Typically, y becomes e when it precedes most words that begin with i- or hi-.O becomes u when it precedes a word that begins with the o sound. Thus o becomes u when it precedes words words starting with o- or ho-. Because the changes are based on pronunciation rather than spelling, y does not change before words, such as hierba, that begin with the ia, ie, io, or iu sound, regardless of spelling. Those two-letter combinations are known as diphthongs; the initial sounds are very similar to the Spanish y sound when y comes before a vowel. Sample Sentences Showing Use of Y and O Reciben tratamiento cruel e inhumano. (They are receiving cruel and inhumane treatment. The y changes to e because the inhumano begins with the i sound.) Nuestro conocimiento nos enseà ±a dos cosas claras: posibilidades e imposibilidades. (Our knowledge teaches us two clear things: possibilities and impossibilities. The e is used because imposibilidades begins with the i sound.) Fabricamos barras e hilos de cobre. (We manufacture copper bars and wires. The e is used because hilos begins with the i sound even though the first letter is h.)   Est enteramente construido de nieve y hielo. (It is built completely of snow and ice. The y does not change because hielo begins with the ie diphthong.) Hay un equilibrio osmà ³tico y ià ³nico. (There is an osmotic and ionic equilibrium. The y is used because ià ³nico begins with the io diphthong.) Hay muchas diferencias entre catolicismo e hinduismo. (There are many differences between Catholicism and Hinduism. The y changes to e because hinduismo begins with the i sound even though its first letter is h.) Vendemos productos de limpieza e higiene. (We sell cleaning and hygiene products. Higiene begins with the i sound.) Usamos punto y coma para separar las frases u oraciones que constituyen una enumeracià ³n. (We use a semicolon to separate phrases or sentences that make up a list.) No recuerdo si fue ayer u hoy. (I dont remember if it was yesterday or today. Unlike with the changes involving y to e, the o changes even though oy is a diphthong.)  ¿Quà © operador de telà ©fonos ofrece las tarifas ms baratas para viajar a frica u Oriente Medio? (Which phone operator offers the lowest costs for traveling to Africa or the Middle East? The rule of changing o to u applies even if the word following is a proper noun.) La Can Make Similar Change The desire to keep the sounds of important words from being lost due to elision is also behind the changing of la to el in some circumstances with feminine sounds. Although there are exceptions, el is used instead of la before singular feminine nouns where the first syllable of the noun is stressed. Thus the eagle is el guila even though guila is feminine. The change doesnt occur with plural nouns or where the stress isnt on the first syllable. In standard written Spanish, una becomes un (meaning one, a, or and) under the same circumstances. Thus, an eagle is un guila. These changes and those involving y and o are the only situations where Spanish changes words depend on sounds that follow. Key Takeaways The Spanish conjugation y (meaning and) changes to e when the word that follows begins with the i sound.The Spanish conjugation o (meaning or) changes to u when the word that follows begins with the o sound.These changes are triggered by pronunciation only, not how a word is spelled.

buy custom Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder essay

buy custom Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder essay Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a nervousness-associated disorder that is characterized by repeated compulsions and/ or obsessions that obstruct the victims ability to effectively function at work, school or socially (Lowe, 2007, p. 1). An obsession can be defined as an impulse, a thought or an image that keeps repeating and as a result causes anxiety while a compulsion is a behavior that a person suffering from OCD frequently engages him/ herself in because of the obsessions (Foa Kozak, 2005, p. 15). OCD victims usually take long before they are diagnosed. This is due to the fact that most of them do not understand the symptoms of the condition while others feel embarrassed and guilty. In one way or the other, OCD related symptoms are experienced by most individuals particularly when stressed. Nonetheless, this disorder can have severe effects on social life, work and personal relationships among others. OCD is rated the tenth most immobilizing illness in terms of retreating life quality and loss of property. OCD can be experienced in many ways but the most common ones include disturbing, unfriendly and recurring feelings, impulses, misgivings, and images which in most cases are impossible to ignore (Abramowitz, 2009). It is these thoughts that cause the individual to experience the obsessive-part of the illness and cause the individual to have recurring coercions in an unsuccessful effort to alleviate the obsession and counteract the fear. Some victims may experience obsession but do not show physical compulsion a type of OCD commonly referred to as Pure O. Commonly experienced obsessions include; causing mischief to other people or to oneself, germs and contagion, aggressive or offensive sexual thoughts, ordering objects or throwing them away. Several researches and studies have been carried out in the past few years concerning the causes of ODC. Following this, several causes of OCD have been suggested and some of these include; brain and chemical dysfunction, infection, genetics, psychodynamics, depression and life. It has also been hypothesized that there might be numerous types of OCD and that which develops in childhood is different of the one that develops in adulthood. Brain and chemical dysfunction is one of the causes of OCD that is gaining popularity. The probability is that the level of brain dysfunction in OCD victims is higher than in people who do not have it. This involves the Seretonin, which is a chemical courier or neurotransmitter that facilitates communication between nerve cells as well as connecting these cells to the brain (Penzel, 2000, p. 318). Research has revealed that this neurotransmitter is involved with most of the biological processes taking place in the body such as sleep, antagonism, mood, pain and appetite. Since the different parts of the brain have unlike levels of urgency and priority, it is their coordination with the nerves that may cause severe perplexity to the reasoning part of the brain, commonly referred to as Cortex. For instance, as the Thalamus processes all the images coming from the other parts of the body to the brain, the Caudate Nucleus controls and filters all the thoughts and information. Now when these thoughts are misinterpreted, the reasoning part of the brain, Cortex, becomes confused and responds chemically to a danger perceived by the non-reasoning part of the brain and the urgent need to respond as if this danger is a reality. Actually, the Caudate Nucleus is sending unnecessary impulses and thoughts to the Cortex where emotions and thoughts combine; the over active Cingulate Nucleus at the center of the brain shifts attention from one behavior and/ or thought to another. With time, it becomes over active and seizes up on certain thoughts, behaviors or ideas (Penzel, 2000). It is therefoe this Cingulate that alerts the OCD victim that something horrible will take place if the impulses are not accomplished. Thus when the Thalamus is sending information that makes the individual aware of everything happening around them, the Caudate Nucleus causes invasive thoughts while the Cortex perceives major danger that needs immediate response and finally the Cingulate Gyr us requires that compulsions be carried out so as to alleviate the terrible unease feelings. A streptococcal illness of the throat has been believed to result in the body mistaking healthy cells for the infection thus resulting to cellular damage. Once this happens with the brain, the disease fighting system of the body attacks the exterior of the nerve cells in the Basal Ganglia of the brain consequently resulting to symptoms of OCD (Lowe, 2007). However, these symptoms may just take a short time and the occurrence of OCD caused by such an infection is still very rare. Several researches and studies have shown the likelihood that victims of OCD are likely to have one or more of their family members having OCD (Meng, 2001, p. 14). However, the chances that it is genetically inherited are questionable. For instance, it does not automatic follow that both identical twins will have OCD even if there is a member of the family suffering from it. This theory states that disruptions in development or early sexual and unconscious desires are likely to result into OCD. Concerning development, the theory suggests that the child deals with the conflicts between the reasoning and thinking part of the brain and that part which wants to work in its own way in an unstable way thus resulting to mental problems in future. As for the unconscious desires, the theory suggests that for instance, a person may fear to run over people because he actually wants to do it; thus to keep the consciousness out of mind, he uses a lot of energy which consequently gives the thought an obsessive quality (Meng, 2001, p. 14). Individual with severe depression tend to develop OCD symptoms just in the same way those with OCD suffer depression. Shame and guilt in life is also considered as a cause of OCD especially in children (Lowe, 2007). They tend to experience guilt over their needs at an early age a condition that is prevalent to fanatical people. According to Abramowitz (2009), the symptoms of OCD range from mild to brutal; they include compulsions, the need to act in order to cancel out an obsession, and obsessions, the feelings and thoughts which make the patient anxious or distressed. Even though most victims experienced both compulsions and obsessions, it is possible for a patient to exhibit only one. Compulsions are characterized by recurring behaviors such as checking to ensure that everything is well, washing and cleaning surfaces, hands etc, hoarding and collecting objects that are unnecessary and arranging things among others. Mental compulsion involves repeating of prayers or certain scriptures and/or phrases in the mind. Obsessions on the other hand are characterized by thoughts and feelings that the objects around are contaminated or dirty, worry about hygiene and health, urge to keep unnecessary things, disrupting thoughts about sex and/ or aggression, worry about safety; for instance worrying about a door that h as been left unlocked and general thoughts (Abramowitz, 2009, p. 9). Avoidance of dreaded situations is also familiar though it often leads to further preoccupation with the obsessive thoughts. OCD is diagnosed by administering screening inquiries to an individual who is suspected to be suffering from it, assessment of the family OCD history, and the existing symptoms. Apart from checking for symptoms of compulsion and obsession through mental-status examinaation, practitioners also investigate the possibility that the symptoms may be a result of another emotional infirmity and not OCD (Foa Kozak, 2005, p. 14). Most of the individuals suffering from OCD have experienced the symptoms indefinitely with periods of improvement alternating with those of difficulties. Nevertheless, the prognosis is preferential for victims with milder symptoms and those who had no other illnesses before developing OCD. According to Lowe (2007), OCD treatments include; medication and behavioral therapies. The most common medications that are prescribed to OCD patients are the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Lowe asserts that the purpose of these medications is to increase the levels of neurochemical serotonin in the brain since they are usually low in OCD victims. As suggested by the name of the medications, SSRIs work by carefully and selectively holding back serotonin reuptake in the brain. This holding back specifically occurs at the junction where the nerve cells are interconnected, a place known as the synapse, so as to ensure that message transfer from one nerve cell to another is limited. SSRIs also keep the serotonin in the synapses. This is possible because they prevent serotonin reuptake back to the nerve cell that specializes in conveying the impulses. Serotonin reuptake is believed to be responsible for lessening the generation of new serotonin. As a result messages from serotonin keep on coming through. Consequently, this helps in activating the cells whi ch were initially deactivated by the OCD, thus relieving the patient of the symptoms of the disorder. Examples of SSRIs include sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, fluoxetine, escitalopram and fluvoxamine (Lowe, 2007, p. 58). SSRIs can in general be tolerated since their side effects are generally gentle. Common side effects include agitation, nausea, headache, diarrhea, and insomnia however; these effects diminish in the first month of use. Other medications that can be used in place of the SSRIs are the clomipramine and atypical though their side effects have been reported to be severe than those of the SSRIs (Lowe, 2007, p. 58). Behavioral therapies that are commonly administered to OCD victims include; ritual avoidance and exposure. The avoidance of rituals engages a mental-health expert in helping the patient to oppose the push to engage in obsessive behaviors. Exposure therapy, on the other hand, is a process through which the OCD victim is exposed to situations that are likely to increase his urge to be involved in obsessive behaviors, thereby helping him him/her to resist the urge (Foa Kozak, 2005, p. 21). In other words, the behavioral experts help the OCD patients to transform their negative way of thinking that is linked with the anxiety involved with the OCD. In conclusion, OCD can be described as a type of disorder that results from recurring obsessions and compulsions whose effects are severe to an extent that they interfere with the victims way of relating to the surrounding and the people around him. Several factors have been brought forward to explain the causes of the disorder. Some of these include; brain and chemical dysfunction, infection, genetics, psychodynamics, depression and life, though the universally accepted cause is brain and chemical dysfunction. A person is said to have OCD if he show signs such as hoarding, repeated cleaning, concerns of security, hygiene etc. such signs are diagnosed by examining the patients family history as well as asking questions that screen his mental health. There are two ways through with OCD can be treated. One is by administering medications, SSRIs are the most recommended, and the second is behavioral therapy where the patients are helped to overcome their urge to get involved in compulsi ve thoughts. Buy custom Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder essay