Recent orders
A Summary of “A History of the World in Six Glasses,” by Tom Standage
Student’s name:
Course:
Professor’s name:
Date:
A Summary of “A History of the World in Six Glasses,” by Tom Standage
A History of the World in six glasses is a historical novel by Tom Standage. The primary purpose of the book is to show the pervasive influence of various drinks on history’s course. The story takes readers on a journey through time, thus indicates the past of human beings through the lens of drinks. The thesis of the novel is that certain specialty beverages have significantly affected people in all aspects of life. In other words, these beverages have changed social views, religious ceremonies, economic facets, people’s diets, religious ceremonies and even political facets. Tom Standage the subject that he has written about and did not offer any information or any analysis that disapproves of the thesis of his novel. Standage has written three other historical books which support his information and also the research that he has provided in his book thus, his background gives the novel authority.
“A History of the World in Six Glasses,” has been divided into six main sections; and each section is for a drink. The first section is beer. This represents the first civilization of man, which was adopted after farming and domestication of cereal grains was adopted. This advancement in lifestyle led to the emergence of scribes, artisans and administrators. The beer had so many advantages to man; it nourished the first civilization of humanity, and the rations and wages of man were paid in beer and bread CITATION Sta02 l 1033 (Standage). The second section is wine. This was the second beverage that played a significant role in flourishing in both the Roman and the Greek cultures. This drink also initiated seaborne trade which spread their literature, politics and philosophy. The novel clearly shows how the above advancements came into being and how they grew in the Greek community. The Romans who also adopted the Greek culture also used wine strongly.
After the period of the middle ages, The Arab scholars led to the awakening of Europe. This was the period of Exploration or the Colonial Period, and the knowledge of distillation led to the discovery of new drinks. The novel clearly explains how some forms of condensed alcohol such as rum and brandy were popular mainly in American colonies. The forth beverage that is presented in the novel is coffee. This beverage became the drink of the intellect and was known to sharpen the mind. The fifth beverage was tea; this drink even became as England’s national drink. Tea imports from countries such as India and China led to the trade. The novel clearly explains the power of companies such as the British East India Company which greatly generated more revenue than the British government and was able to rule over more people. The final drink is Coca-Cola which was initially formulated as a medical drink. Later, the drink became the symbol of America’s consumer capitalism.
In conclusion, “A History of the World in Six Glasses,” makes it clear that man’s history is a history of human consumption. Whether people are pondering revolution in Paris or Boston, throwing tea leaves, all the above drinks have had impacts on who people are today. Tom Standage was quite successful in proving his thesis throughout his novel. As the thesis was clearly stated in the introduction it has been clearly supported in every chapter in the epilogue.
Works cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Standage, Tom. “A History of the World in six glasses.” (2002). 14 September 2018.
Borderline Personality Disorders
Students Name
Institution of Affiliation
Course Title
Date
Borderline Personality Disorders
Have you ever wondered why some characters in a film possess different moods, like being happy at some times and being extremely sad the next moment? Well, it is because some of them suffer from mental conditions. Mental disorder is a common theme that is almost present in all horror movies. There are a variety of mental disorders that are prominent in films, but Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the major mental health conditions in horror movies. According to Gulli and Davidson, Borderline personality disorder (BPD) “is a mental disorder that is characterized by disturbed and unstable interpersonal relationships and self-image, along with impulsive behavior, unstable mood, and suicidal behavior” (Par. 1). Stephen King’s “Misery” is one of the horror movies that involves a writer suffering in the hands of a woman, Annie Wilks (King). Wilks is a middle-aged woman who is a nurse by profession. She follows Paul Sheldon, the writer who also happens to be her favorite author, rescuing him from a snowstorm and nursing him to regain his health. However, she holds Paul Sheldon captive so that he writes a story for her. After reading the story, she realizes that Sheldon had murdered Misery, her favorite character and due to this, she forces him to write again and bring Misery out of her death. Annie Wilks is a good example of a character in the film “Misery” who possesses the Borderline Personality Disorder as she is fascinated in finding her favorite artist but later forces him to bring Misery from death, a process that is conducted under painful and violent deadline.
One characteristic of Borderline Personality Disorder is extreme mood swings. According to Gulli and Davidson, Borderline personality disorder (BPD) “is a mental disorder that is characterized by “unstable moods” (Par. 1) and this is evident from the reviews. According to Canby, “Annie puts the loon back into lunatic. Though overweight, she possesses a sweet-natured prettiness that makes her violent mood swings all the more scary. One minute she’s telling Paul how much she loves his mind and his creativity. At the next, she is taking a sledgehammer to his already mangled feet” (P.3, Par. 2). Annie is sometimes happy about Paul’s mind and work, but the moment she discovers that her favorite character in the play “Misery” is dead, she forgets about the fantastic nature of Paul’s mind and runs into a psychotic fit. Then, she calls Paul, “Just another lying old dirty birdie!” (Par. 4) The sudden changes in her moods are a clear depiction that she is suffering from a borderline personality disorder. We also get to know that previously, when she rescued Paul from the Snowstorm, she was happy, taking him as her patient and nursing her; however, all these changes all of a sudden, and she decides to make Paul her captive. According to Canby, “He might easily have died, but he’s rescued by a brusque, resourceful woman named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who digs him out, takes him home, nurses him back to health, and then is outraged to learn he has killed off Misery” (Par. 3). She suddenly changes from a heroine to a villain, and this is illustrated by her actions of holding a sledgehammer to his feet, which had already suffered lots of injuries. Through this depiction, Annie is shown to have two different personalities, one full of anger and another filled with happiness and goodhearted. With these sudden changes in her personality, Annie is a good example of a character suffering from a borderline personality disorder.
The film devices and techniques in the scene where Annie takes the sledgehammer to threaten Paul helps in emphasizing the extreme and sudden change in moods. The low camera angle is one of the film devices used in the scene. According to Gocsik et al., a low angle shot is “shot from below the viewer’s eye level upward” (196). A low camera angle creates the effect as if the viewers are eye witnessing the incidence as they are looking up the hammer as Annie lifts it up to sledge Paul. The low camera angle is taken when she prepared to smash Paul with the heavy sledgehammer and since Paul is weak in bed, it portrays a merciless Annie who has control over a bedridden man. Despite being in control, she is also unable to control her rage, and this is what had led her to amputate Paul’s thumb and later in the evening sing happy birthday to him. Through these actions, it is clear that Annie has no control over her emotions and acts according to what her emotions are commanding her to do. By the cameraman shooting at a low angle, it helps in amplifying Annie’s action making her bigger and scarier than when taken in the normal camera angle. The magnification also intends to imply the magnitude of the rage that she has over Paul for making her favorite character die. Another film devise used in the film scene is the close-up camera shot. As defined by Gocsik et al., a close-up shot refers to “a zoomed-in shot that focuses on a particular object” (203). In the scene, the amplified shot focuses on Annie’s face along with the sledgehammer’s head, which makes them appear huge than normal. With the zoomed shot, we are able to see the emotions as expressed by Annie’s face as the facial expressions say it all, she is in rage with Paul, and she wants him to rectify the slight mistake of letting her favorite character die, she wanted her back. Also, through the zoomed shot, the audience is able to see when Annie gets angry and the reaction Paul has towards Annie’s aggression. Annie’s eyes get wider, with her voice becoming louder, and it can be seen with no doubt that she is angry (Misery). Since Paul has no control and he is unable to defend himself, he is left with no option rather than to cooperate. The zoomed camera shot also shows the facial expression by Paul which is full of fear. The two major techniques used in the film scenes have played a crucial role in portraying Annie’s character that is as a result of her borderline personality disorder.
In conclusion, Annie from Stephen King’s “Misery” has a borderline personality disorder and this can be attributed to the many factors in the film from her facial expressions, reactions, actions as well as problem-solving skills. Annie has a personality disorder in which she is possessed with famous people, and this is why she follows Paul without his knowledge. However, her secret follow-up was useful in that she helped save Paul from the snowstorm that had overturned his car. She took him with her and nursed him to his recovery. However, she suddenly changes her moods, from being a caring person to a monster who injures Paul as she amputated his thumb. She does not only turn into a villain by cutting Paul’s thumb but also uses a sledgehammer to threats. On some occasions, she is so peaceful, and one event is after cutting Paul’s thumb, she forgot and came back in the evening to sing happy birthday. Through this, it is clear that Annie doesn’t understand who she is as she is controlled by her emotions. The film devices and techniques used to illustrate these sudden mood changes include low camera angles and the close-up shot that enables the audience to see the action clearly as if they are the victims. It is through these devices that we learn of the sudden changes in facial expression that Annie had which were indications of rage. Annie’s extreme shifts in moods are a perfect example of an individual suffering from a borderline personality disorder, and this is in line with the major theme of mental disorders in horror films.
Works Cited
Canby V. Review/Film; A Writer Who Really Suffers. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://nyti.ms/29uXTSJEbert, Roger. Film Review of Misery by Rob Reiner. RogerEbert.com, 30 November 1990.
Gocsik, Karen M., et al. Writing about Movies. 4 th ed., New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016. King, Stephen. Carrie. New York: Anchor Books, 1974. Print.
Guilli, Laith Farid, and Tish Davidson. Borderline Personality Disorder. The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Laurie J. Fundukian, 4th ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2011, pp. 719-723. Gale Virtual Reference Library. http://link.galegroup.com.hindscc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX1919600284/GVRL?u=mag_c_magn0107&sidGVRL&xid=8b26f06e.
King, Stephen. Misery. New York: Pocket Books, 1987. Print.
Misery. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. James Caan, Kathy Bates, and Richard Farnsworth. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1990. Film.
A summary and Reflection, There is no Spoon, A Buddhist Mirror
Name
Course
Tutor’s Name
Date
A summary and Reflection: There is no Spoon: A Buddhist Mirror
There is no Spoon: A Buddhist Mirror is a story about Buddha and his son Rahula who wanted to get solution to the question that lingered in his mind that there was a problem with existence. Buddha was more interested in the way the mirror’s reflection and this made it (mirror) a common metaphor in Taoist and Buddhist teachings (Irwin 101). Buddhists are required have a clear mind like the mirror’s and avoid negative things that interferes with their purity. There are also other uses of mirror that have been highlighted such as the reflection in the Matrix where Rhineheart argues that the window washers normally make something that resemble matrix.
According to Irwin, The Matrix turns dramatic when Morpheus offers Neo red pill and swallows it (101-104). Neo is literally thrown in to the matrix when he finds himself immersed in to illusion. There is another incident of mirror reflection taking place in the oracle’s apartment where the Buddhist monk bends spoons and Neo’s reflection appears in the spoon. Buddhists seem to believe so much in the power of the mind in such a way that even a movement caused by the wind is believed to be a movement of the mind (Wachowski and Wachowski Film). They believe that the world is an illusion and this explains the many images reflected on the mirror and in some Buddhists believe that the illusionary nature of the world is deepening into the knowledge of the world (Grau 258-260). According to the Buddhists, the most important thing is the mind because it interprets things and therefore it should be freed. What is reflected on the mirror when we look at the mirror says nothing about us because the image is not an independent entity and this concept is called anatman in Buddhism. Mirrors can only be used in reinforcing the illusion of self and in the inauthentic world; it reaffirms the illusion of self-separateness (Irwin 103-108).
Moreover, Buddha believes that mirror helps in symbolizing the mental act of reflection, examination, thinking things through by arguing that careful reflection requires an action. He cautions that any action precedes careful thought on the impact. An action should neither harm oneself nor cause any harm to others. Buddhists teachings also entails a lot of warnings including the fact that mind can be an individual’s worst enemy. Buddhists believe in freeing the mind because detaining the mind may lead to disaster (Irwin 104-109). The mind is only regarded as helping in thinking but does not know anything and therefore may make someone indulge in negative things. Freeing mind simply means controlling oneself and saying no to what the mind thinks. All reasoning and logics should be halted and reflections need to be stopped as a means of freeing the mind.
Irwin argues that there is a belief that life is filled with suffering that is triggered by the state of the mind and that the only way to come out of the challenges is through redemption of the same mind (107-110). The film entails a lot of Buddhists’ teachings and a few of things such as violence that contradict the Buddhist teachings. It appreciates several issues regarding Buddhism and treats violence as the destruction of bad things affecting the mind. The film also points out at what culture is more interested in making it a less strict Buddhist film (Wachowski and Wachowski Film).
Reflection
The allusions represented in the movie form a strong polysomic mix regarding the way in which ideas are incorporated in a movie and such kind of subtly have been reflected in the characters used. Neo has been used as a Buddhist bodhicitta and the violence that has been depicted may be deemed as antithetical to Buddhist ideals. The religious representation presented in The Matrix may be described as pluralistic and the allusion beyond religion may be regarded as mythology. Looking at Morpheous, it represents the Greek god of dreams hence representing the overall theme for the Matrix. The Matrix does not seem to support and reflect all the Buddhism (Danser Web).
It is indeed true that the Matrix draws upon visual motifs such as the several key sequences regarding mirrors that certainly evoke cool fashion and design. The intention of The Matrix may be said to be polishing the mirror of the mind as is the case with the boy in the oracle apartment (Grau 258-260). It is apparent that the main thing challenging humanity in the movie is the concept of delusion as it is evident that most people do not understand the illusory nature of the matrix. Neo is seen coming back after escaping to the real world to assist in liberating others in the manner of Bodhisattva.
Buddhist theme is predominant that posits that reality is actually a computer generated simulation and that the world as we know is maya, illusion, that cannot only be broken through achievement. There is a small clear cut between Neo’s experience and the Buddhist’s doctrine as all agree that the biggest challenge is the inability see through the illusion. Mirrors and reflection theme is shown by ubiquitous sunglasses worn by heroes. It is interesting that Buddhists believe that the reality we perceive is just an illusion and the most important thing is emptying minds first. It is really hard to absorb such kind of a concept that seems to require some spirituality to fully understand. Emptying the mind may be easily said but what it really means and how it is done is a huge puzzle (Danser Web).
Things do not seem to be as simple as it may be thought especially while trying to link the Matrix theme and Buddhism. It is also worth understanding that not all Buddhists universally believe in the notion that the world is just an illusion such as the many Mahayana Buddhists who believe that the world really exists (Danser Web). The fact that an image should not be mistaken for reality does not seem to recognize that, in the first place, there is a genuine reality. Finally, the Matrix film may not be commensurate for anyone fulfilling the role of bodhisattava because human who is not with the liberated heroes are killed regularly and there are several incidences of violence (Wachowski and Wachowski Film). It is therefore apparent that the Matrix film cannot be regarded as a Buddhist film as much as it entails extensive use of Buddhist themes and principles.
Works Cited
Danser, Simon. The Matrix as metamyth. Foamy Custard, 2004. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/foamycustard/fc045.htm>.
Grau, Christopher. Philosophers Explore the Matrix. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Print.
Irwin, William. The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real. Chicago, Ill. [u.a.: Open Court, 2005. Print.
Wachowski, Andy and Wachowski, Lena, dr. The Matrix. Warner Bros, 1999. Film