...to see people for who they truly are; thus their tragedy is the journey they must endure to regain sight. It is clear that although, Lear can physically see, he is blind, and lacks understanding, insight and pure intentions. It seems that the characters who had and kept their “healthy eyes” throughout the entire novel, could see both the evil and distorted world with which they live in. Ironically, while characters such as Gloucester, whose eyes were physically seized from him, and metaphorically Lear, both can now recognize their true selves. Blindness is not only a physical impairment for Gloucester and a forced lesson for King Lear ,but also a mental defect that some of the characters possess. They both share the inability to see the other characters true-selves ,and can only “see” the surface of things. Shakespeare uses Lear’s inability to see with his heart and Gloucester’s vulnerability to portray one of his themes, blindness. In the beginning of the play, Lear is seen to be a vain, conceited old man. He sees age as an opportunity to shirk his responsibilities, “ Know that we have divided In three our kingdom, and 'tis our fast intent, To shake all cares and business from our age, Conferring them on younger strengths while we, Unburdened crawl toward death” (1.i.35-39) He has a need to be dependent on others around him, and at the same time wants to be recognized as a “king”. Because of his position he was supposed to be...
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...narrative fiction” (“On Writing” 46). Shorter fiction, he found, was more immediate. This mode of thought may help us to understand why Carver turned to compose shorter works of fiction like “Cathedral,” a work that acts as a brief glance into how one man’s physical blindness helps another man begin to overcome his own spiritual blindness. Carver’s thematic plots could convey alternate meaning—both directly and indirectly. “Cathedral” introduces the theme of blindness, shown by “this blind man” (Carver 709), but concludes by addressing the deeper theme of internal or spiritual blindness by the host. Therefore, the plot and theme of “Cathedral” relay simultaneous levels of meaning to the reader. “Cathedral” tells a story of an irreligious man, who learns a spiritual lesson from a blind man: “But I had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do” (Carver 718). That’s why at the end of the story he does not open his eyes for he wants to “keep them that way for a little longer” so that he can see clearly in his mind. There are two types of blindness, but when we talk about blindness, we usually think of the blindness on our physical body rather than the blindness in our mind. In “Cathedral” both Robert and the host are blind: one is blind in external sight, and the other one is blind in internal sight. The loss of external sight becomes the beginning of internal sight, which is what the blind man essentially teaches his...
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...Color Blindness Color blindness also known as color deficiency is a vision problem when you have difficulty distinguishing certain colors, such as blue, yellow, red and green because your eyes did not make all the pigments needed for color vision. If one pigment is missing, the eye might have trouble seeing certain colors. A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. (1) There are three different types of color blindness disorders. 1. Trichromat; meaning you can discriminate among colors of the visible spectrum and have normal color vision 2. Monochromats; which are totally color blinded sensitive to lightness and darkness 3. Dichromats; who are partially color blinded (Rathus 82). Color blindness is a sex-linked trait that is caused by a recessive gene. Roughly 8% of men and 0.5% of women are affected. (3) Men are more likely to be color blinded than women. Why? Because the genes for the red and green color receptors are located on the X chromosome of which males have only one and females have two. (2) Being color blind in not debilitating in fact there are many famous and success individuals who are color blind. For example Bill Clinton our 42nd President has a color vision deficiency that he inherited from his parents. He needs a special light in order to determine the color of a certain object. He also has difficulty when it comes to signals from individual colored lights, so he makes...
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...Blindness in Oedipus the King People can be “blinded” to the truth. The answer to their question or solution to their problem may have been obvious. Yet, they could not "see" the answer. They were blinded to the truth. Associations have been made between being blind and enlightened. A blind person is said to have powers to see invisible things. They "see" into the future. The blind may not have physical sight, but they have another kind of vision. In Sophocles' King Oedipus, Teiresias, the blind prophet, presents the truth to King Oedipus and Jocasta. Oedipus has been blinded to the truth his whole life. When he does find the truth, he loses his physical vision. Because of the truth, Oedipus blinds himself. Jocasta was blind to the true identity of Oedipus. Even when she found out the truth, she refused to accept it. In this case, those who are blind ultimately do have a higher vision - the truth. Kind Oedipus started life with a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In an attempt to avoid this fate, his parents, Laius and Jocasta, sent him into the mountains to die. However, a shepherd saved Oedipus. This shepherd gave Oedipus to Polybus and Merope. When Oedipus learned of his prophecy, he fled his home, thinking these people were his real parents. On his flight, he met Laius. He ended up killing Laius. He continued on, answered a riddle of the evil Sphinx, and ended up king of Thebes. With this kingdom, Oedipus married Jocasta. He had lived out...
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...To achieve Liberty Paints' Optic White color, the narrator “measured the glistening black drops, seeing them settle upon the surface and become blacker still, spreading suddenly out to the edges.” When the paint batch is mixed properly, the results are a glowing, bright white color. The symbolism in Liberty Paints' signature color represents the importance black individuals play in America's past, present and future. It's only when black is added to the paint mix that the purest, most ideal, paint color emerges. Ellison wants readers to question race and prejudice. Ellison is a master at painting the picture of racial blindness from this time period. He starts out the book with an unnamed character who is considered invisible “ simply because...
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...Blindness may reveal itself in many ways. It can arise from more than just physical loss of sight. When people are blind about feelings of others is the most damaging condition. The “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver is about two men, one of them is physically blind and the other is psychologically. The narrator is ignorant and detached from people around him. Although the narrator has a narrow-minded point of view and suffers from metaphorical social and emotional blindness, he ends up with transformed opinion after a discovery of the literally blind man's immense and unique wealth of wisdom. At first, the narrator appears as socially isolated. He does not have the ability to convey his feelings. Through the story, he always refuses to demonstrate his opinion: “I didn’t answer”, “But I didn’t say anything”, and “I had absolutely nothing to say to that”. His inner dialog reveals that he is not able to share his feelings, as well as truly understand feeling of others....
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...statements, and dynamic phrases showing the reader the social disconnectedness, lacking words, which is perceived to be isolation. As Carver begins the tale, he introduces the “blind man” which some may say the narrator was speaking as though the blind man was himself, although Robert was physically blind he helps a seeing man, the narrator, overcome his interior blindness. The narrator's judgmental and misconception of the people and...
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...The Architecture of the Mind and its Relationship to Sight Our minds are able to engage in an abundance of amazing tasks because of their complex structure. Depending on the architecture of ones brain, their mind is able to perform different functions. In Oliver Sacks’ essay “The Mind’s Eye” he discusses whether or not we can control our own minds. He relates this subject to various individuals’ experiences with blindness. Sacks explains in his essay that a person does not necessarily need to see in the retinal sense in order to use their sight. His ideas relate to those of Juhani Pallasmaa in his essay “The Eyes of the Skin,” in that Pallasmaa believes that sight has become a dominant sense and that we have repressed our other senses. Both authors discuss the ability that the senses posses and how the use and disuse of one of these sense can affect the others. Sight is also a major sense for both authors and they explore how the senses of vision relates to the use of other senses. In this essay I will show how that the “architecture of the mind” is nothing more than the structure of one’s mind and that sight is a major component of this structure, regardless of it being retinal or imaginative, and that when one sense is lost our minds restructure and strengthen the other senses. The mind shares many functions with architecture, such as the processes of observing, designing, constructing, selecting and supervising. The mind conducts these processes with our senses...
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... Consider the AIDS and River Blindness cases. Merck ultimately decided to distribute the drug themselves instead of making the patent available for generic use (as suggested in the AIDS case). According to UNICEF, they have donated over 2 billion Mectizan pills and over 80 million people are treated annually. Given that Merck is using corporate funds for this program, is Merck's donation of these drugs morally acceptable? Morally required? Explain. Do Merck's stockholders have any cause to complain when Merck spends their money on these ventures which are not aimed at profit? If this action is morally acceptable (or required) for Merck, then would similar charitable actions be acceptable (or required) for other companies that produce products which would benefit impoverished people? (Ex. food companies, clothing companies, water filtration tech companies, etc) Explain. Answer As a pharmaceutical company, Merck saw an opportunity when the River blindness epidemic first arose and focused their attention on countries most affected by the parasite. At the time of the breakout, Merck had become part of the Fortune 500, giving them credibility and an obligation to reach out to people most affected by River Blindness. As many companies focus on profit, Merck saw an opportunity to earn some prestige instead, by treating patients over seas. To morally justify the companies decision, managers looked back on what the founders of the company believed in. Former president of the company...
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...dies at the end showing remorse for disowning Cordelia who truly loved him and Oedipus pokes out his eyes after realising what has happened and what he has done. He also leaves Thebes and is portrayed to be guilty and hating his life. Therefore he pokes out his eyes leaving him to “walk through a cloud of darkness and it will last forever”. This shows how remorseful he is feeling which is also present in King Lear as Lear realises the mistake he committed by disowning Cordelia. As he holds her he points to her as if saying she is alive which shows he wants her to be alive. King Lear and Oedipus Rex also contain the mutual theme of blindness which is both metaphorical and physical. The protagonists of the story are metaphorically blind not seeing what is happening to them, which proves them to be gullible and vulnerable. The theme of blindness to the truth is represented in both plays. Just how King Lear is blinded by Goneril and Regan’s fake statement of their love for him, Oedipus is also blinded, however he is unwilling to accept the true statements. This shows a difference in both protagonists because Oedipus is given the true statements however he does not believe them, whilst Lear is given false statements of love which he fails to discover. King Lear and Oedipus Rex also reflect the idea of guilt and present their circumstances for the lack of belief. Another similarity between the two plays is...
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...Cataract Definition: Opacity of the lens that distorts the image projected on to the retina and which can progress to blindness. Types of cataracts include: * * Senile * Congenital * Traumatic * Secondary Anatomy and Physiology: * Cornea - It is the outermost lens of the eye, controlling and focusing incoming light. It shields the rest of the eye from dust, germs and other harmful foreign matter. * Sclera - The visible white part of the eye.The sclera is a protective layer that maintains the global shape of the eye and offers resistance to internal and external forces. * Iris - The part of the eye which is colored. The iris is a diaphragm that regulates the expansion and contraction of the pupil to allow in the required amount of light. * Choroid – contains blood vessels and supplies nutrients to the retina. * Ciliary Body - Connects the choroids with the iris and secretes aqueous humor that helps the eye its shape. * Retina - The retina is the link between the brain and the light entering the eye. The retina is a complex structure able to convert the impacting light into nerve impulses that are then sent to the brain along the optic nerve. * Rods are photoreceptors responsible for peripheral vision and function at reduced levels of illumination. * Cones function at bright levels of illumination and are responsible for color vision and central vision. * Vitreous body – transmits light and gives shape to the...
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...whose wife has invited an old friend to visit their home. The old friend, Robert, is a blind man. The narrator statement at the very beginning of the story explains his own lack of knowledge on physical blindness, and his disrespect behaviors. Through working together with the blind man, the narrator finally understands the meaning of accepting other people as they are. However, the conversation among the narrator, the wife, and the blind man that make up the whole story is perceived. The blind man dispels many prejudiced expectations that the narrator has. The story creates different expectations from the narrator and draws the reader from a sorrowful feeling toward the...
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...Visual Impairment Introduction Vision challenge or impairment is when a person’s degree of seeing is very low and the affected person requires assistance in order to carry out daily routine. Significantly, for one to qualify as visually impaired there must be prove that a person cannot undertake duties by himself without necessary assistance. For a person to qualify as a visually challenged, there must be a prove that the affected eyes cannot be conventionally treated. Visual challenge cannot be corrected by surgery, refractive measures neither by medication and that is why it is termed as visual impairment. The most rampart causes of visual challenge are trauma, degenerative or congenital means and a variety of diseases. In the society, blindness is the term that is preferably used to describe a visually impaired per son. Low eyesight is generally revealed when the affected person cannot view a normal distance and walk by himself (Algozzine, 2006). The degree of impairment can also be revealed when a person cannot read some normal writings. This is to say that even with the assistance of contact magnifying glasses or even eyeglasses the victim cannot reveal the writings on a normal newspaper (Bailey & Hall, 1990). Hyperopic impairment is accrued with inability person to see objects in a close distance. Myopic impairment is quite the opposite of hyperopic whereby a victim cannot identify objects at close distance. All these vision challenges greatly obscure the affected person...
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...Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness, or VISION 2020 plan. The WHO urges national governments to: • Set up, not later than 2005, a national VISION 2020 plan, in partnership with the WHO and in collaboration with NGOs and the private sector. • Establish a national coordinating committee for VISION 2020 or a national blindness prevention committee, which may include consumer or patient groups, to develop and implement the plan. • Commence implementation of such plans by 2007 at the latest. • Include effective information systems with standardized indicators and periodic monitoring and evaluation, with the aim of showing a reduction in the magnitude of avoidable blindness by 2010. • Mobilize resources for eliminating avoidable blindness. In turn, the WHO agrees to: • Maintain and strengthen the WHO’s collaboration with governments and all partners of the initiative. • Ensure coordination of the implementation of the VISION 2020 plan, by setting up a monitoring committee grouping all those involved, including national government representatives. • Provide support for strengthening national capability, especially through development of human resources, to coordinate, assess, and prevent avoidable blindness. • Document, from countries with successful blindness prevention programs, good practices and blindness prevention systems or models that could be...
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...Desired Lonesomeness Ellison’s Invisible Man demonstrates an unlikely parallel between ignorant blindness and undesirable invisibility as a result of IM’s lonesomeness. Suffering mistreatment from all authoritative figures that he encounters on his path to find stability, IM undergoes many mistreatments that lead to a suppressed and unmotivated journey. In this we see that lonesomeness can bring disempowerment, but also freedom and mobility in order to disconnect from consistently unfaithful leaders. IM’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching amongst many social circumstances. The Brotherhood plays a major role in IM’s timid and respectful behavior toward authoritative figures and helping him to mature into acceptance toward fair and deserved treatment. In the Brotherhood, IM is given a glimpse of inclusive hope, being a replacement for an absence of home that was left behind at college. The Brotherhood helps IM to grow and strengthen himself within the truths of his lonesomeness. He has been blind to the selfless demeanors of the Brotherhood, only to leave him on his own to discover the worthlessness of their mistreatments. Due to the Brotherhood blindly avoiding the truth of their motives, IM is able to discover the “bond” that is meant to make the Brotherhood a family. IM continuously searches for a meaningful and permanent bond within the many figures he is acquainted with. This alienating experience leaves IM vulnerable to the identities that...
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