Argumentative Essay On Alcohol - 1206 Words

Alcohol – it’s a dangerous, harmful, international drug. Its legal†¦ but you must be aware of the effects. Just a miuisule dose of alcohol can change your life – forever. Effects of alcohol include difficulties making desicoions, and a slow reaction time. However, this is just a portion of the dangerous things alcohol can do to you. Alcohol also affects your liver, nervous system and heart - this happens when ethanol enters your bloodstream. When ethanol enters your bloodstream, it slows you down - increasing your risk of accidents, attacking others - and even pregnancy as you may make extremely unsafe decisions. Why risk everything for this? Most people drink alcohol because they feel happier, and more confident. However, these short term†¦show more content†¦Alcopops are alcohol. However, to dilute the strong taste, the spirits in alcopops are mixed with fruit juice. This means it tastes similar to a soft drink, and have bright colours. Although some teenagers may turn to these colourful drinks as it seems to look less harmful - they are wrong. Alcopops are even stronger than beers, and have a high sugar content due to the added fruit juice. So, never turn to alcopops for the sake of having fun. In terms of having fun, there are many other ways to without drinking alcohol - alcohol often causes you to lose your judgement. Some people may drink alcohol because of peer pressure - but always say NO, and tell someone. YOU ARE YOUR OWN PERSON, and no-one has the RIGHT to put you in danger like this. You may also drink because of peer infulence. This is when you are influenced by the people around you. Again, you are your own person - dont do things because you see other people do them. Just because your underage friends are doing it, is it really right? Some people may think: its only one glass, its not that bad However, ethanol enters your body in 5-10 minutes, meaning you still will get slower in your movements, even if just by a little bit. However, if you drink too much, your movements will become more and more out of control. You will lose to ability to control yourself, and you will get tearful and angry. You will feel giddy, find it hard to stand up and you will evenShow MoreRelatedArgumentative Essay : Giving Up Alcohol769 Words   |  4 Pageshas been pushed to the side. This is not my way of asking for the money, but I am trying to remind you that you had goals. Although, I don’t want the money back I do want you to do something for me. I want you to make an honest effort to give up alcohol[Reciprocity] I know your addiction had consumed your life for too many years now and that it won’t be easy to give it up. However, I ask that you start with something little. Start by giving up drinking after work for two days and then you can doRead MoreCriminal Psychology660 Words   |  3 PagesArgumentative Essay: â€Å"Violent video games directly correlate to violence in schools† Do violence video games actually affect children? What is the correlation between virtual games and violence at school? Most of the nowadays teenage activities and spending free-time resolves around technology. Not all the games are violent, but they all becoming more realistic. Some of the games are designed to learn something, some games develop abilities of fast reading, fast typing, driving a carRead MoreReflecting Back On This Pass Semester1198 Words   |  5 Pagesgrammar and punctuation that would express my ideas so that they can flow on paper. Upon arriving to this class which is instructed by Dr. Shirokova, I am now recognizing that my writing skills could enhance to a new level. Even though my grades on my essays are not the best in the class, I can see an improvement of growth at a rapid pace. I truly feel the devolvement of writing skills within myself, even in the fifteen minute writing journals opens creative in my mind. Allowing me to focus on differentRead Mor ethree arguments Essay741 Words   |  3 Pagescritical argument analysis essay, focuses on three professional essays and how these authors construct their arguments using opinion and evidence. There are many different ways in which authors can construct their arguments. In the highly controversial topic of legalizing marijuana I found three very different styles of arguments in which the authors backed up their opinions with facts. In my reading of these arguments each writer had there own style. The first essay by Stephen B. Duke, CannabisRead MoreA Closer Look at Date Rape944 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Feminism has not prepared them for this,† states Camille Paglia in her essay â€Å"Rape: A Bigger Danger than Feminists Know.† The â€Å"them† in Paglia’s statement is referring to women, and she is discussing the topic of date rape. Susan Jacoby, on the other hand, writes in her article â€Å"Common Decency,† that feminism is not responsible for the rising cases of date rape, but that it is the men who are at fault. Paglia’s argument is insightful and accurate, but Jacoby’s writing is flawed and notRead MoreDr ug Addiction Argumentative Essay977 Words   |  4 PagesNatalee Sweet Comp. #1 Mr. Yates 7-22-2012 Argumentative Essay: Addiction is a choice Alcohol and illicit drug consumption are all too prevalent today in high schools, colleges, and all across the globe. Students seeking to fit in or forget about the repetitiveness of school and homework have a tendency to experiment. Drug addiction is known by the scientific community to be a psychological condition based on excessive, obsessive, and compulsive actions. Once that regular user crosses theRead MoreArgumentive Essay1121 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Argumentative Essay Legalization of Marijuana Ashley Bassett Eng. 1301 Instructor: Pam Hesser pg.1 The recreational use of Marijuana should be legalized. According to the New York Times The social costs of the marijuana laws are vast. There were 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012, according to F.B.I. Figures compared with 256,000 for cocaine, heroin and their derivatives. Even worse, the result is racist, falling disproportionately on youngRead MoreDo Drug Tests Violate Employees’ Rights to Privacy?1654 Words   |  7 PagesIn this essay contained is an investigation, discussed and, which is within scope of this essay, in the provision of answers to this question Do drugs tests violate employees’ right to privacy?’ The answers are given by the presentation and the analyzing different views evident in literature so as to build an argumentative case against or in support of, lastly drawing the conclusions set. This is made possible concentrating on a scope which considers the ethics existent in normative theories. ItRead MoreSignificant Improvemen t : Things That I Have Learned From English 10101105 Words   |  5 PagesUnderstanding Rhetoric provided me many techniques to organize an essay. For instance, the text mentioned how President Lincoln â€Å"would cut up†¦printed drafts and rearrange them† (Losh, 230). This excerpt from the book gave me another way I could see if the order of my paragraphs flowed. I tried this in the RA of a Speech essay, and it helped with the flow of my essay. With this help, this essay received the highest score out of all my essays I wrote this year. This shows that I made progress because IRead MoreTexting While Driving Argumentative Essay773 Words   |  4 PagesArgumentative Essay Many accidents are blamed on distracted driving and most of the distractions are caused by cell phone usage. However, some opponents feel that creating a law against cell phone use infringes their personal rights. Others think that banning someone from using their cell phones is equivalent to telling someone that they cant adjust their radio or chat with someone else in their car. However, using a cell phone, whether talking or texting, while driving can be extremely dangerous;

The Media and Its Influence on Culture Today - 1007 Words

The Media and Its influence on Culture today Media Violence is an extremely controversial topic that reoccurs in the everyday life of the modern human. In our modern world, everyone is affected by media violence. The media has the ability to change your opinion on something by its persuasive and corrupted ways to present information. People of all ages can be affected in this due to the many ways to receive modern day media. We can see it in major news programs, TV shows, movies, video games, and music. The media is something that cant be taken for granted. Its all around us, everywhere we go it faces us each and everyday. It affects people all over the world, friends, family, and even ourselves. The media is overrun by people†¦show more content†¦Kids nowadays know more about the Internet than you could imagine. Parents should learn to take the time to monitor what their kids go on, take the time to learn what is appropriate and what is not. Learn how to avoid seeing or sharing violent messages and images. Knowledge is they key to power. You should always know whats going on in someones life, especially if it involves them or anybody else. (Youth Engage 2014) Many parents have no idea what goes on when their kids go upstairs or go into a different room. Children could be getting violated or harassed and no one would ever know. So before it happens, think about how much freedom children should have online. If you think this stuff doesnt happen it does. Many people think media violence isnt as serious as it actually is, but in reality this sort of stuff happens all the time. Major news corporations are widely known for their corrupt stories of major headlines. One major case known by the whole country is the Trayvon Martin shooting. Martin was a 17-year-old African American high school student who was stopped by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman. Zimmerman claimed he shot and killed Martin out of self defense. The media took this story and exploded it into a nationwide topic. They portrayed Trayvon as a young innocent man who looked to do no wrong doing. They only displayed pictures of Trayvon when he looked young and innocent. TheyShow MoreRelatedMedia s Influence On Society1269 Words   |  6 Pages The media is full of countless things, it has completely changed the world and is now a part of our everyday lives (Bookman, 64). With television, radio, newspapers, books, etcà ¢â‚¬ ¦ working their way into our everyday lives it is impossible to live without the media today. Along with it being persuasive, informational and a great source for entertainment it also has a large binding influence on societies all over the world. Media aspects are radically reshaping the world (Marina 240) and though someRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1256 Words   |  6 PagesThe media are full of countless things, they have completely changed the world we live in and are now a part of our everyday lives (Bookman, 64). With television, radio, newspapers, books, etc†¦ working their way into our everyday lives it is almost impossible to live without the media. Along with it being persuasive, informative and a great source for entertainment, it also has a large binding influence on societies all over the world. Media aspects are radically reshaping the world (Marina 240)Read MoreEssay on Mass Media Development and Lieracy Assignment Options908 Words   |  4 PagesM ass Media: Development and Literacy Assignment Options Brittnee Green University Of Phoenix HUM/186 Mass Media: Development and Literacy Assignment Options In today’s society mass media has such an influence whether it is positive or negative. It plays an important role in our everyday lives. Mass media affects everyone in the world. The purpose of mass media is everything tied into the advancement of technology and most often education, news, internet, television, magazines, and so muchRead MoreEffects of Mass Media633 Words   |  3 PagesPhoenix Material Effects of Mass Media Worksheet Write brief 250-to 300-word answers to each of the following: |Questions |Answers | |What were the major developments in the |The major developments in the evolution of mass media during the 20th century were radio, | |evolution of mass media during the 20th |television, Internet, social media, newspaper, and cell phones. RadiosRead MoreDoes the Media Dictate Our Life? Discuss1274 Words   |  6 PagesExtent Does the Media Dictate our Life today? For most people, the first thing that they do in the morning just after they wake up would be to check their Facebook. They will view all the notifications first before doing anything else. Such is the situation today where people are very dependent on Social media. Media can be classified into two main types old and new media. Where the old media consist mainly of newspaper while the new media consists of the television and the social media etc. WhileRead MoreDoes the Media Dictate Our Life? Discuss1284 Words   |  6 PagesExtent Does the Media Dictate our Life today? For most people, the first thing that they do in the morning just after they wake up would be to check their Facebook. They will view all the notifications first before doing anything else. Such is the situation today where people are very dependent on Social media. Media can be classified into two main types old and new media. Where the old media consist mainly of newspaper while the new media consists of the television and the social media etc. While someRead MoreMass Media Usage813 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction to Media Industries Media Visualization Essay Media Usage Mass media has become a powerful tool in shaping our culture, and is largely reflective of our society today. According to our text book and class lecture notes, mass media can be loosely defined as the technological vehicles through which mass communication takes place, along with the industries which control them. Over the years, mass media, has had a profound effect on American society, on its culture, and on the individualsRead MoreHuman Resource Training For The Media Sector1679 Words   |  7 PagesMass media is a very important role in the development of today s society. It impacts on the social consciousness to establish and consolidate a system of political thought leaders for society; associate members of society into a unity, a whole on the basis of the stance, political attitudes generally. Mass media also perform monitoring functions, and social management, monitoring, detection, promptly report the problems, new conflicts arise, contributes political stability to soci ety. Such an importantRead MoreMass Media and Popular Culture1367 Words   |  6 PagesHow has mass media a created a relationship among popular culture, mass media and different forms of dissemination? Mass media is any form of communication used to reach a large group of people. There are different types of media; examples of media are magazines, movies, television, books, recording devices, radio and the internet. As time goes on, new and improved technology is developed in the mass media industry for communicating and entertainment purposes. As mass media continues to grow andRead MoreVideo Games And Its Effects On Society924 Words   |  4 Pagesknowledge that helps us to live in the paradoxical nature of life, are outside the transfer of continuous images you see on television and other media. Essential to produce universes of meaning, we cannot escape the need for us to continue it and relate to the world. It may be that the neurological system is enriched with certain aspe cts of electronic popular culture, but how works in our consciousness? Video games can be dangerous if prolonged long exposure to them. Reflecting the extreme violence causes

How the Medical Model of Psychopathology Free Essays

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION DEFINITION OF SCHIZOPHRENIA THE MEDICAL MODEL * POSSIBLE MEDICAL CAUSES FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA * SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA * DISCUSSION OF THE DSM-IV-TR THE FAMILY SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION In this assignment I will show how the medical model of Psychopathology and the family systems model reflect linear and circular causality respectively by referring to the causes of Schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA Schizophrenia is characterised by a broad spectrum of cognitive and emotional dysfunctions that include delusions and hallucinations, disorganized speech and behaviour and inappropriate emotions. It disrupts social, occupational and recreational functioning and almost every other aspect of daily functioning. We will write a custom essay sample on How the Medical Model of Psychopathology or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is usually chronic with a high relapse rate and recovery from Schizophrenia is rare. MEDICAL MODEL The DSM-IV-TR is based on the medical model. The basic assumption is that psychological disorders are diseases and are treated as such. In his definition of the medical model, Blaney (1975) stated that mental disorders are in fact organic diseases. He further explained that the visible evidences of disorders are merely manifestations of an underlying condition. According to him, the individual has no responsibility for his/her behaviour. The medical/biological model reflects a linear view of the causes of Psychopathology. Linear causality means that a particular cause (or more than one cause in combination) leads to a specific effect (e. g. a virus causes an illness). Thus, from this perspective, event A causes event B (A - B) in a linear (unidirectional) fashion. In this linear way of thinking, our reality is considered to be separate from us. We are thus seen as reacting to our reality rather than creating it (Becvar, 2003). Possible medical causes for Schizophrenia: Genetic influences – Inherited tendency (multiple genes) are responsible for making some individuals vulnerable to Schizophrenia * Neurotransmitter imbalances – This refers to brain chemistry such as abnormalities in the dopamine and glutamate systems * Developmental disruptions such as prenatal / birth complications – A viral infection during pregnancy o r a birth injury can affect a child’s brain cells. * Brain structure – Research by Eve Johnstone (Johnstone et al, 1976) showed, by using computed tomography (CT), that there is an enlargement of the lateral ventricles in some patients with chronic Schizophrenia. Psychological stressors have also been named as a possible medical cause. Symptoms of Schizophrenia Positive symptoms: Delusions are false personal beliefs that are firmly and consistently held despite disconfirming evidence or logic, for instance: delusions of grandeur or persecution. Perceptual distortions (hallucinations) e. g. hearing voices, seeing people or objects and smelling peculiar odours. It is important to remember when diagnosing a patient that hallucinations aren’t pathognomonic. Disorganized thought and speech as a symptom comes through when communicating with the Schizophrenic person. The individual may jump from topic to topic, talk illogically or reply tangentially to questions. Disorganized motor disturbances such as extreme activity levels, strange gestures and grimaces, catatonic immobility, waxy flexibility and peculiar body movements and posture. More examples of behavioural problems are bad personal hygiene, inappropriate dress and affect. Negative symptoms would be to not show emotional expression (flat affect), avolition (an inability to become goal-orientated or to take action) and alogia (a lack of meaningful speech). DSM-IV-TR DSM-IV-TR recommends that clinicians examine and evaluate the individual’s mental state with regard to five factors (axes). Axes I, II and III addresses the individual’s present mental and medical condition. Axes IV and V provide additional information about the person’s life situation and functioning. The DSM-IV-TR is based on a prototypical approach. Axis I – Clinical syndromes and other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention Axis II – Personality disorders and Mental retardation Axis III – General Medical conditions Axis IV – Psychosocial and Environmental problems Axis V – Global Assessment of Functioning When using the medical model, the focus is always on the individual. If an individual has a possible psychological disorder, they need to be assessed clinically. This is done by systematically evaluating and measuring the individual’s psychological, biological and social factors. This can be done by interviewing the individual and taking an informal mental status exam of the ‘patient’. This can be followed by psychological tests, personality inventories and neuropsychological testing. Before a diagnosis can be made and before one can classify anything on Axis I, it is imperative to determine that the above factors (psychological, biological and social factors) meet all the criteria for a specific psychological disorder. The DSM-IV-TR distinguishes 5 types of Schizophrenia – paranoid, disorganised, catatonic, undifferentiated and residual Schizophrenia. The DSM-IV-TR criteria for Schizophrenia needs to be met before one can diagnose an individual as Schizophrenic on Axis I. Taken from Sue et al (2006) the DSM-IV-TR criteria for Schizophrenia are as follows: A. At least two of the following symptoms lasting for at least one month in the active phase: delusions; hallucinations; disorganized speech; grossly disorganized or catatonic behaviour; negative symptoms (exception: only one symptom if it involves bizarre delusions or if hallucinations involve a running commentary on the person or two or more voices talking with each other). B. During the course of the disturbance, functioning in one or more areas such as work, social relations and self-care has deteriorated markedly from premorbid levels. C. Signs of the disorder must be present for at least 6 months. D. Schizoaffective and mood disorders with psychotic features must be ruled out. E. The disturbance is not substance-induced or caused by organic factors. The medical model subscribes to linear causality. It is thus based on a cause-effect relationship as mentioned previously. Schizophrenia as a disorder can be used to illustrate linear causality within the medical model. One or more of the causes of Schizophrenia (i. e. genes) causes the individual to become schizophrenic (cause) and then the individual is diagnosed as Schizophrenic because he/she displays certain symptoms (effect) such as hallucinations, voices talking etc. Thus, cause-effect (A causes B) = linear causality. Let’s say our ‘patient’ meets the DSM-IV-TR criteria to be classified on Axis I as Schizophrenic. As a Schizophrenic, the individual will probably show certain behaviour such as difficulty in maintaining social relationships which could lead to social isolation, experiencing problems with his/her primary support group, education, occupation, housing, health care and economic problems. These problems will be indicated on Axis IV of the DSM-IV-TR as they are psychosocial and environmental problems. These problems will most probably affect the individual’s psychological, social and occupational functioning. The patient will be given a rating for the level of functioning at the time of the evaluation. This rating is displayed on Axis V of the DSM-IV-TR – the Global Assessment of Functioning which is used to report the clinician’s judgement of the individual’s overall level of functioning and carrying out activities of daily living. This information is useful in planning treatment and measuring its impact, and in predicting outcome. A 100-point scale is used for the rating in which 1 indicates severe impairment in functioning and 100 indicates superior functioning with no symptoms. FAMILY SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE The family systems model is based on cybernetics (circular thinking). Circular causality places emphasis on reciprocity, recursion and shared responsibility. A and B exist in the context of a relationship in which each influences the other and both are equally cause and effect of each others’ behaviour (Becvar et al, 2003). Thus, circular causality means that two or more elements reciprocally cause each other (A causes B and B causes A). So where the medical model makes use of linear causality, the language of systems theory is based on the notion of circularity (A and B mutually influence each other). The contrast between linear and circular causality has to do with the direction of cause. Linear causality = A - B. Circular causality = A B. Example of circular causality: A teenager (A) with Schizophrenia begins to withdraw socially as she has difficulty forming relationships. Her sister (B) starts mocking her because she has no friends and isn’t popular. Because her sister (B) mocks her and breaks her self-confidence even more, the teenager (A) withdraws even more and becomes even more isolated (even within her own family system because her sister is ‘against’ her as well). A loop forms (circular causality) where A causes B and B causes A and so on. Thus, the one ‘feeds’ the other. There are a few systems concepts that are important to the systems theory. Boundaries are formed by a system’s rules and it is these rules that distinguish a system from other systems. These boundaries (rules) are invisible but do exist and are inferred from the repeated patterns of behaviour of a system, it is what makes each family unique. It delineates individuals and subsystems and also defines the amount and kind of contact allowable between members of a family. The ideal boundaries for a family to have are clear boundaries as they are firm yet flexible. Feedback occurs in systems theory and also emphasis the circular causality in the theory. Feedback is the process whereby information about past behaviours is fed back into the system in a circular manner. There is positive and negative feedback, but it must be understood that both processes may refer to something that is good and/ or bad. Positive feedback acknowledges that a change has occurred and has been accepted by the system (error-activated process). Negative feedback indicates that the status quo is being maintained (stability). When working with a Schizophrenic patient, systems theorists see the Schizophrenia as symptomatic of family disturbance. Thus, the symptom of Schizophrenia is not abnormal in a dysfunctional context. Actually, the maintenance of a system is associated with complex reciprocal feedback mechanisms with and between systems (Becvar 2003). So, every symptom has a function in the system. In a Schizophrenic person’s family system, his Schizophrenia (the symptom) helps maintain the system, as all the blame for the dysfunction of the family falls to the Schizophrenic family member. The other members do not look to their own dysfunctions and issues. It is clear then that the dysfunctional pattern the family is carrying out, is maintained by the Schizophrenic family member who is targeted as the only problem or reason for the problems in the system. This way of doing things gives the family a dysfunctional homeostasis, which refers to the tendency of the family to regulate its internal environment. CONCLUSION I believe that both the medical model and the family systems perspective can contribute towards an accurate and successful diagnosis and treatment process for the Schizophrenic individual. REFERENCES * Barlow, D. H. , Durand, V. M. (2005). Abnormal Psychology: An integrated approach. (4th ed. ). Belmont: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning * Becvar, D. S. Becvar, R. J. (2003). Family therapy: A systemic integration. (5th ed. ). Boston: Allyn Bacon. * Blaney, P. H. (1975). Implications of the medical model and its alternatives. American Journal of Psychiatry, 132, p. 911-914. * Johnstone, E. C. , Crow, T. J. , Frith, C. D. , Hurhard, J. Kreel, L. (1976). Cerebral ventricular size and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Lancet, ii, p. 924-926. * Sue, D. , Sue, D. , Sue, S. (2006). Understanding abnormal behaviour. (8th ed. ). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. How to cite How the Medical Model of Psychopathology, Essay examples

First section of the Prologue Essay Example For Students

First section of the Prologue Essay The Wife of Bath is quite a complex woman who had very strong opinions on marriage. She feels that she is a good woman to marry as she has been married five times and so has plenty of experience. Her case is argued using her own personal experience vs. auctoritee (written authority). She uses Biblical precedent to help explain herself clearly, and often abuses what the Bible says and teaches in support of her own case. The Wife begins the Prologue stating that she is going to speak of, the wo that is in marriage. This instantly alerts us to her obvious feelings on the subject, she does not like marriage and has not had very good experiences of it, or so it seems. However this is contradicted later on when she says Yblessed be God what I have wedded five! Welcome the sixte. If marriage is full of so much woe then why is she thanking God for her marriage and asking for a sixth? She is giving neither a good or bad case for marriage at the point, simply leaving us wondering what her true feelings are. She also lets us know very early on that she has had five husbands, Housbondes at the chirche dore I have had five. The Wife is setting the foundations and showing us the experience that she has had in order that we take her argument seriously. In this section of the prologue the wife strongly focuses on the Bible and several of its figures. She begins with Solomon, Salomon: I trowe he hadde wives mo than oon. Using this example, the Wife thinks she has biblical support for her marriages. The church taught that you should only marry once and that if you are widowed you should remain in this state. This is something that the Wife strongly disagrees with, and by using Solomon, a great biblical king who had more than one wife she feels she is justifying herself. However here the wife is simply bringing Solomon down to her own level as use for justifying herself, rather than raising herself to him. The Wife uses Abraham and Jacob in similar ways to Solomon. They were both great biblical holy men, and as she states, ech of hem bade wives mo than two. The Church obviously uses the Bible for its teachings, yet they say that you should not marry more than once. From the Wifes point of view they are wrong because all of these men were holy and in Gods favour, so why shouldnt she also have more than one husband. From these points she seems to be making a good case for marriage, it appears as though she is a very knowledgeable woman who obviously knows what she is talking about. However in all of these cases the Wife is using the Bible to her own advantage, there is no balance in what she states, she simply takes the sections that back up her argument. It is unthinkable for her not to be married and she is going to do all that is possible to prove that she is doing nothing wrong and that marrying more than once is acceptable. Even though this biblical knowledge does portray the image that she is full of knowledge, for those who also know a lot about the Bible she may appear foolish and weak. She is not strong enough to take on board everything that the Bible says and produce an argument from that, instead she, in a undoubtedly clever way, makes it as easy for herself as possible. In this instance she is not making a good case for marriage, as she has not proven anything.  Another biblical figure the Wife quotes from is St. Paul. Here she argues against the viewpoint that it is better to remain a virgin than to get married at all. St. Pauls advice is simply that, advice, and he has no authority from God, therefore, He putte it in oure owene juggement. The decision had been left up to us.

First section of the Prologue Essay Example For Students

First section of the Prologue Essay The Wife of Bath is quite a complex woman who had very strong opinions on marriage. She feels that she is a good woman to marry as she has been married five times and so has plenty of experience. Her case is argued using her own personal experience vs. auctoritee (written authority). She uses Biblical precedent to help explain herself clearly, and often abuses what the Bible says and teaches in support of her own case. The Wife begins the Prologue stating that she is going to speak of, the wo that is in marriage. This instantly alerts us to her obvious feelings on the subject, she does not like marriage and has not had very good experiences of it, or so it seems. However this is contradicted later on when she says Yblessed be God what I have wedded five! Welcome the sixte. If marriage is full of so much woe then why is she thanking God for her marriage and asking for a sixth? She is giving neither a good or bad case for marriage at the point, simply leaving us wondering what her true feelings are. She also lets us know very early on that she has had five husbands, Housbondes at the chirche dore I have had five. The Wife is setting the foundations and showing us the experience that she has had in order that we take her argument seriously. In this section of the prologue the wife strongly focuses on the Bible and several of its figures. She begins with Solomon, Salomon: I trowe he hadde wives mo than oon. Using this example, the Wife thinks she has biblical support for her marriages. The church taught that you should only marry once and that if you are widowed you should remain in this state. This is something that the Wife strongly disagrees with, and by using Solomon, a great biblical king who had more than one wife she feels she is justifying herself. However here the wife is simply bringing Solomon down to her own level as use for justifying herself, rather than raising herself to him. The Wife uses Abraham and Jacob in similar ways to Solomon. They were both great biblical holy men, and as she states, ech of hem bade wives mo than two. The Church obviously uses the Bible for its teachings, yet they say that you should not marry more than once. From the Wifes point of view they are wrong because all of these men were holy and in Gods favour, so why shouldnt she also have more than one husband. From these points she seems to be making a good case for marriage, it appears as though she is a very knowledgeable woman who obviously knows what she is talking about. However in all of these cases the Wife is using the Bible to her own advantage, there is no balance in what she states, she simply takes the sections that back up her argument. It is unthinkable for her not to be married and she is going to do all that is possible to prove that she is doing nothing wrong and that marrying more than once is acceptable. Even though this biblical knowledge does portray the image that she is full of knowledge, for those who also know a lot about the Bible she may appear foolish and weak. She is not strong enough to take on board everything that the Bible says and produce an argument from that, instead she, in a undoubtedly clever way, makes it as easy for herself as possible. In this instance she is not making a good case for marriage, as she has not proven anything.  Another biblical figure the Wife quotes from is St. Paul. Here she argues against the viewpoint that it is better to remain a virgin than to get married at all. St. Pauls advice is simply that, advice, and he has no authority from God, therefore, He putte it in oure owene juggement. The decision had been left up to us.