Arthur C. Clarkes Childhoods End Essay -- essays papers

Arthur C. Clarke's Childhoods End One could never believe that such a piece as Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End," was written nearly 50 years ago. The story itself was far ahead of its time and will probably remain so forever. There are some who dislike or would rather not read science-fiction because of its highly idealistic writing and plot outlines. This novel is the greatest I've read of science-fiction as of yet. Taking consideration into the fact that I am a novice science-fiction reader, one could dismiss my statement as being naive. However, even if I am mistaken, Childhood's End will remain inside my mind and heart as being the very best at playing out what contact in our world with a sufficiently advanced extra-terrestrial civilization and our purpose with them and the rest of the universe would be like. In the introduction Clarke wrote in 1989, he gives an account of a time when he and his late friend Val Cleaver were driving to London when they saw an awe-inspiring sight of silver barrage-balloons anchored above London. They were protecting against, "the present peril." I'd like to think Mr. Clarke has not lost the appreciation for fiction and the human instinct to imagine incredible things since that time. I've heard recently that he has lost his interest in fiction and instead is concentrating on reality. How ironic that as Mr. Clarke is ascending (or descending) into the more realistic universe, the young 18 year-old kid is going in the complete opposite direction. I suppose Sir Isaac Newton has something to do with this. I am not denouncing Mr. Clarke's realization of the fraudulence of humanity's dabbling into the so-called "paranormal." He is very much right. But I ... ...ascending hill to infinity. Each step a part of the ultimate destination that was reached. True, one could say it wasn't us that attained that final step, but it was. Perhaps not physically or psychologically, but it was our voyage that made it happen. The whole time, protected by those who see us shine and fly past them on their way to the top. Incredible! How symbolic of any young person's voyage into the real world. At fist protected by their parents and mentors, they are taught how to deal with the powerful forces that lie beyond them. They are taught to accept the fact that old games and childish actions of their youth must leave them. They are taught that they have a destiny, and they would have to construct it on their own one day. Just think of how a young man, just beginning his voyage into the real world, can see this as being almost allegorical.

Developmental History

Aaron (not his real name) was 3 years old and 4 months and 5 days on the day his mother was interviewed for this case study report. Aaron has a medium structure but is tall for his age, he likes to move around a lot, he is now able to run and play on his own with little supervision especially if he is inside the house. He likes going to the groceries and playing with the cans on the shelves. He can speak in short sentences but still uses baby talk when he asks for something. His first word was Mama and he actually grunts and giggles a lot. He is not comfortable with strangers or with anything new.He seems to have a slow to warm up temperament. But once he feels secure, he can actually be very friendly and interacts well with other people. He is potty trained and have started using pull-up diapers instead of the regular ones. He likes to work on coloring books and he has tons of scribbled papers. He gets bored watching TV, he does not even like Barney, but he likes music and he become s very alert when he hears Mozart or Beethoven. He likes toys that he can move, bang, throw and manipulate. He already has good fine motor skills as he can hold his spoon and eat on his own. However he can’t still button his own shirts..His favorite foods are oranges, vegetables and chicken. He also drinks apple juice with his meal. He still asks for his bottle when going to sleep but can use a sippy cup during the day. Aaron however sucks his thumb when he is sleepy or when he is feeling insecure. Health and Physical Condition Aaron was born through normal delivery, his mother was 25 when she gave birth and was the first born. His mother was healthy and did not have any severe medical conditions before and during the pregnancy. However, she had a case of urinary tract infection around 6 months into her pregnancy but was treated successfully with antibiotics.She also had a positive disposition during her pregnancy and she ate the right foods and dutifully took her vitamins an d regularly had her prenatal check-ups. Aaron passed the newborn screening test in flying colors, he was 7. 6 pounds, had the normal head circumference and height and he was already screaming when he came into the world. After 2 days in the hospital, he went home, however, he was supposed to be breastfeed but he had difficulty in it as his first feeding was from the bottle, his mother also had difficulty nursing him as she was a firs time mother.The doctors advised that he be placed on the bottle on an infant formula. He did not have any problems after this. Aaron was overweight when he was 5 months old, he has a very regular sleeping and feeding schedule and he sticks to it even if there are distractions. He liked to jump on his mother’s lap and he used his feet more than his hands at this stage. At 6 months, he changed his milk formula and he suffered from constipation, he had to be placed on different milk formula which was not constipating and was on a soft diet. After 2 days, he was able to resume normal bowel movement.He also had bouts of colic especially during the day. He does not cry much but when he does cry it took him a long time to quiet down. His mother noticed that he seemed to shiver when he cries and go blue when he does not get what he wants. When he is angry or upset, he will cough or make vomiting actions. The mother was alarmed with this behavior but when she talked to her pediatrician, he said that Aaron was merely trying to get his own way by vomiting and turning blue because when he checked him he was really just a normal child. The mother has learned not to reinforce vomiting or holding his breath and this have now disappeared.At one year old, Aaron was hospitalized for diarrhea and vomiting, he was having high grade fever and was throwing up and had very loose bowels. He was brought to the hospital because he was already showing signs of dehydration. He stayed in the hospital for 3 days and came home fine. His teeth came out in pairs and started when he was 9 months old, at 1 year and 4 months, he already had 8. He seemed to have the colds and low grade fever whenever his teeth were coming out. He has not been dropped, had his head banged or fell from the stairs. He started walking at one year old and was running before he reached 2 years old.He did not have any illnesses up to the time of the interview. Health and Medical Analysis From the case study presented, it seemed that Aaron’s major health condition that has brought about medical attention was on his digestive system. He had constipation, colic, indigestion; diarrhea and vomiting at a young age this would imply that he has a weak stomach or a very sensitive digestive system. He had been on infant formula since he was born and it could be that his stomach have not adapted as well as children who have been breastfeed (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000).He also had been using distilled water since he was born and it could be that his stomach does not have the friendly bacteria that normal children have. The problem is that Aaron likes food; he has a healthy appetite but since he suffers from indigestion or diarrhea he might lose his love for eating because it was the source of his discomfort, however, at present Aaron has not shown any aversion to food. In the future, Aaron may have more instances of diarrhea because when he gets older, his mother would have lesser control over what he eats (Berk, 2005).At present he is being taught to always wash his hands before eating and to not place anything on his mouth, but the difficulty is that he still sucks his thumb before going to sleep. It is recommended that the mother try to introduce Aaron to regular water and juice and to have him eat different foods so his stomach would be accustomed to it. It was also recommended that the mother bring this to the attention of the pediatrician and to learn more about how to keep the digestive system healthy and functioning well. References Berk, L. (2005). Factors affecting growth and physical health. In Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood 5th ed (pp. 293-303). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Shonkoff, J. & Phillips, D. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early  childhood development. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.   

Elizabeth as a Woman of Independent Mind in Jane Austens...

Elizabeth as a Woman of Independent Mind in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice In Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet is shown to be an opinionated, headstrong young woman. Her unconventional independence challenges the 19th century stereotype of high society women, who tended to conform to the expectations of society. Though her prejudiced judgement of others fails her sometimes, Elizabeth has a lively, playful disposition, that delights in anything ridiculous. Although different in character to most women of her society, Elizabeth still manages to express much propriety in the presence of company. During the dance she shares with Fitzwilliam Darcy, her temper†¦show more content†¦Elizabeth realises the importance of appropriate etiquette, and displays this during her vain attempts to apologise for her mothers rude remarks towards Darcy. Though unsuccessful, she takes great responsibility in upholding her family name in the presence of those who think otherwise. Elizabeth is also keen about nature, using her perceptive eye to marvel at its beauty. Her fondness for reading is great, and she is always able to amuse herselfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with a book. Her ability to sing and play the piano is most pleasing, as the entreaties of several would suggest. Though she parallels her female acquaintances in many ways, Elizabeth still possesses a unique spirit, portraying her to be a woman ahead of her time. For instance, when she arrives at Netherfield house, Elizabeth astounds her sisters hosts. Covered in several inches of mud, she arrives at the household to visit her elder sister Jane. The Bingley sisters, shocked by her appearance, perceive Elizabeth to lack decorum, and judge her to have nothing, in short, to recommend her. Darcy, however, feels otherwise. 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