Egg-Cellent (get it? it's a pun) (Unit 5)

Egg-cellent


A major debate going on in the biological world is that of in-vitro fertilization. There are primarily two areas of debate with this topic. There’s the biological side of how it works and what can make it better and then there’s the ethical side of that says that women should be told of personal experiences before giving consent. The biologists’ article is narrowly focused on the question of whether fresh or thawed oocytes enhance embryo quality, which leads them to rely primarily on quantitative data, which is presented in a highly structured, IMRAD organization and with precise, technical diction. The philosopher’s article, on the other hand, focuses on the ethical question of how donating eggs will affect patients’ lives, which leads them to rely on more qualitative data, a more fluid organization, and more familiar diction.

To begin let’s look at the biological article. This was an entire study done by what appears to be doctors in both the biological and gynecological fields in which “A total of 43 patients who underwent 49 embryo transfers from January 1st to December 31st 2009 were analyzed” (Giordana). With this being a complete study they were obviously trying to answer a question. But what exactly is that question? Well these doctors said that “The objective of this study was to compare the embryo quality and gestational results in an egg donation program using fresh and vitrified/thawed oocytes, previously stored in an oocyte bank.” (Giordana) But this information just brings up the question of why? Well as biologists and OBGYN’s it’s assumed that their purpose for any kind of experiment like this is to try and improve the procedure. Well if you look at the fact that they’re testing fresh oocytes versus vitrified/thawed oocytes it’s obvious that they’re trying to determine whether or not an oocyte from one group will yield better results in the process rather than an oocyte from the other. So seeing as how this is a generic lab experiment they had to focus on quantitative data in order to find their answer.

As any lab experiment there has to be a plethora of quantitative data needed to both organize the experiment so that you can get accurate results which is then more quantitative data for the scientists to analyze and this experiment is no different. Let’s start by looking at their quantitative data needed to just organize the experiment: “Group I involved 27 patients whose treatment was carried out using fresh oocytes, while group II involved 16 patients using vitrified/thawed oocytes by Cryotop method” (Giordana). Now, these numbers aren’t too important because they’re just showing how big of a sample size is being used for each group which is important to know when thinking about the percentages of success or failure at the end of the experiment. It is, however, important to note that the “Mean age of the patients was 41 ± 4,0 (group I) and 42,06 ± 2,9 (group II)”. This is important mainly for consistency sake. The scientists wanted to make sure that age didn’t play as a factor in their results, which by the look of it didn’t seem to happen. “Fertilization rate after ICSI was 75,7% and 67,0%, respectively. Embryo development was similar in both groups and pregnancy and implantation rates were 47,1% and 24,02% in group I; 46,7% and 28,8% in group II.” Based on this final data that was collected it can be noted there is no correlation between frozen or thawed oocytes in terms of success of in-vitro fertilization. Although this doesn’t provide the doctors with a concrete answer on which method is better it does show that no matter what kind of oocyte is used there is a good chance of the process working which is what the biologists and OBGYN’s are concerned about.

Using quantitative data isn’t the only way that this biological article is able to get its point across in a very science based way. In order for anybody to even understand this information it needed to be presented in a very organized manner. Everything about this experiment is organized. From the experiment itself, with gathering the test groups, implanting the oocytes, and then monitoring the pregnancies, to the lab report with its solid presentation structure. This is important to the biological standpoint of the debate because in order for these biologists and OBGYN’s to be taken seriously for what they do and for their data to be viewed as credible they need to make sure that every step is laid out clearly so that this can be tested again if needed. Organization, however, isn’t the only way that these biologists work to be taken seriously. They also have to rely on a strong choice in diction.

The reason their choice in diction is important is because they need to be able to show that as licensed biologists and OBGYN’s they know what they’re talking about and can be seen as credible sources in their respective fields. For example “Endometrial preparation consisted of increasing doses of estradiol valerate and micronized progesterone” is nothing but medical jargon that somebody who doesn’t have knowledge in this field wouldn’t be able to comprehend. These doctors, however, have studied for years in their respective field so that they can understand and then explain that information coherently.

Now unlike the biological article that focuses on questions of “what?” and “how?” in order to improve the process of in-vitro fertilization, the ethical focuses on the question of “should women be told personal experiences before give consent to donate eggs?”

Unlike the biological article that focused on quantitative data with their experiment the ethical article focuses on qualitative. With their experiment it was all about interviews. The interview group “included 25 former patients of the fertility clinic, and 10 current staff members of the clinic” and of the 25 former patients there were “20 female IVF patients and five reproductive oöcyte donors, all of whom have experienced oöcyte collection.” The results of the interviews revealed that “of the 20 IVF patients, eight had not conceived a child and only one of those had reported discontinuation with IVF” and then “of the five reproductive oöcyte donors, two had donated an oöcyte that resulted in a pregnancy for the recipient couple.” These interviews consisted of an open question which was for the patients to describe their experience with the entire process. This is important to note because this is the ethical viewpoints entire focus in terms of how to improve the consent process for future patients and donors. After this the patients were asked to explain the process of preparedness for the process.

As a result of these interviews the ethical article noted there is a “tendency for patients to overestimate their chances of success prior to the experience of treatment” (Carroll). They also state that “once in active treatment, however, patients identify their oöcytes as both precious and precarious.” So with this information they arrive at their question of whether or not women should be told of personal experiences before undergoing the process themselves. This is, honestly, a fantastic question to ask in this situation because if a couple is incapable of conceiving a child on their own they turn to in-vitro fertilization as their only hope for having a child. So in order for the patient to be one hundred percent positive that they want to go through with the process they should be told of any kind of drawback that could happen as a result otherwise known as informed consent. Informed consent is in essence “A “fully informed” consent is that which is freely given, with full understanding, and without coercion” which entails “the disclosure of material information and ensuring comprehension or understanding, such as the subject’s ability to weigh up outcomes and probabilities in the information provided”.

Now in order for the ethical article to get all this information across to it’s readers it needs to be presented in a different format than the biological article. Rather than having a very structured format where you go from one section to another in a very solid and concrete way the ethical article allows its information to flow smoothly from one section to the other. This creates a very streamline way of taking in the information making it easier to connect every point and relate it back to their main question. This is exactly the type of format that they need so as to constantly build on their evidence without causing their reader to feel lost and feel like they need to go back to get a bit of information.

Their organization isn’t all they have that keeps their reader on track, however. They also have a much more familiar choice in diction. This allows for somebody, even if they don’t have much knowledge in the field, to understand the topic at hand. For instance the ethical article talks about a “payment model”. Everybody is able to understand what payment means so by using very common diction and terminology like that this ethical article is able to keep their readers invested because they are able to understand what they’re reading.

In closing, from a biological viewpoint quantitative data was able to prove that the process of in-vitro fertilization is capable of happening just fine no matter the state of the oocyte beforehand. While from an ethical viewpoint qualitative data about personal experience of going through the process shows that there’s nothing wrong with having donors as long as they are fully informed about what they’re getting themselves into.



Works Cited


Carroll, Katherine, and Catherine Waldby. "Informed Consent and Fresh Egg Donation for Stem

Cell Research." - Springer. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.

Giordana, S. M., M. F. Insua, B. Lotti, N. Fernandez Peri, A. Pellicer, and F. D. Neuspiller.

"Impact of Embryo Quality in Fresh versus Vitrified Oocytes in an Egg Donation Program."

Impact of Embryo Quality in Fresh versus Vitrified Oocytes in an Egg Donation Program.

N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.

Interdisciplinary Issue Analysis

Picture by Elvert Barnes

The huge controversial topic of abortion has been a huge debate in the United States ever since the idea was discovered and even more so after the Roe vs. Wade Court case, which deemed abortion legal. The debate has been argued from the two different sides of pro-life or pro-choice and also represented through the scholarly writings of “The Wrong of Abortion”, which is written by moral philosophers, or ethicists, and the article “Untying the Moral Knot of Abortion”, which is written by a Women’s Studies scholar. The ethicist uses a clear and concise structure, medical diction, and emotional appeals, while the Women’s Studies scholar uses more evasive structure, laid back language, and ethical and emotional appeals.

Moral philosophers, or ethicists, Patrick Lee and Robert P. George, wrote their article “The Wrong of Abortion” to prove to the audience the many reasons why abortion is morally wrong. Since ethicists study the difference between the right and wrong in human actions, they typically present their information to their audience through articles that clearly relate to their argument and provide evidence that proves what is “morally good.” Lee and George do exactly that in this article and there are even several examples where they clearly say that “Abortion is morally wrong,” just to make it even more clear to the audience what their argument is. This article also is straight to the point and does not use any information, other than evidence, for their argument that abortion is immoral and should not be allowed in the United States. The authors use a very simple structure of having bold sub-headers to divide the article into sections, which specifically separates the arguments and allows the audience to understand the argument very easily. Therefore, ethicists write articles in the clearest way to provide their audience with only information about their particular subject.

On the other hand, Caitlin E. Borgmann, a scholar of Women’s Studies, who wrote “Untying the Moral Knot of Abortion,” used a completely different structure in her article. Unlike the philosophers, Borgmann uses indirect organization to persuade the audience that abortion should be left up to the mother. Borgmann does not go straight into the subject of the right or wrong of abortion, but first tells the audience how media has played a great role in making this debate more heated than it actually is. Borgmann provides us with this irrelevant information because she is writing through a discipline that requires social input and the statistics of how much media has had an effect on the debate of abortion fits this discipline. This is very different then the ethicists structure, who goes straight into the argument with facts and evidence for their particular opinion.

Since moral philosophy has to do with the study of humans, it is not surprising that Lee and George’s article is full of medical terminology. The first piece of evidence that this article presents to the audience is that human embryos are in fact human beings and they do this by describing the medical

Picture by American Life Leagues

definition of sexual reproduction. The authors go into the very detailed process of fertilization, cell division, and organ development to explain that the fetus is an immature human being. Later in the article, the development of the brain and its functions, as well as many other organs, is explained in medical terminology, which is difficult for the average audience to understand. The majority of the evidence presented in the article is first introduced with a theory from another source that is then proven wrong through the biology of human beings. One example is when they provide the audience with Judith Thomson’s analogy that says, “If children are allowed to develop normally they will have a right to vote; that does not show that they now have a right to vote.” (Lee) The authors then prove Thomson’s statement wrong by stating, “Thomson fails to advert to the fact that some rights vary with respect to place, circumstance, maturity, ability, and other factors, while other rights do not.” (Lee) They then prove this statement wrong through several paragraphs and end by saying that human embryos possess a capacity or potentiality for mental functions and prove it through more medical terminology. Although medical speech is not common in every adult, it clearly proves the human anatomy and gives valid evidence for their arguments. To compensate for the incomprehensible language, the authors provide tons of analogies and examples that help explain the biology and make it relatable. One example is when they were proving that being a person is not an accidental attribute and use the analogy that an accidental attribute is like someone being a musician or basketball player. Using the analogy, they state, “Just as you come to be at one time, but become a musician or basketball player only much later, so, they say, you and I came to be when the physical organisms we are came to be, but we became persons only at some time later.” (Lee) Their argument is that you, as a person, comes to be at conception, rather than when becoming a basketball player at a much later time. By providing the audience with a relatable analogy, it is easier to understand the concept and interpret the true meaning. Regardless that this article’s diction is incredibly hard to understand for the average audience, the authors are still able to succeed in explaining their arguments through analogies and real life examples, which is a characteristic of writing as a moral philosopher.

Women’s Studies do not have the medical background that philosophy does, so Borgmann’s article lacks the anatomy explanations for evidence and instead uses statistics and polls to prove her argument. Women’s Studies examine the ways that social categories transform the understanding of culture, history, and society. So, giving her evidence through statistics from voting polls relates to her particular discipline. Borgmann proves that the idea of abortion has been over debated and the media is making the argument more heated than it really is through a Texas poll that showed that sixty-three percent of voters think that there are enough restrictions on abortions. The author uses voting polls several other times throughout the article to support ideas, which goes along with Borgmann’s background education of studying the social aspects of culture. The article also is clearly written through a feminist perspective from the first paragraph of the article, where the author states that women should be able to make their own decision for the fate of their own child. There are also three instances where the author uses the phrase “protecting women” and talks about how the topic of abortion should assure that the woman is safe and healthy. Another example of feminism in the paper is when the author writes “let us not forget a man helped cause that predicament,” because it is distinctly representing that women cannot be the only ones responsible for a child, since the man had a large responsibility in the pregnancy also. (Borgmann) This quote is the strongest example of feminism in the article, because the author is obviously supporting the idea that women should be represented equally, as men are, which is the overlying factor behind Women’s Studies. So, since Women’s Studies is examining how society interacts with the study of women, it is apparent why this article would be written with a feminism perspective.

Within the biological language of “The Wrong of Abortion,” the authors persuade the audience of their claim through emotional appeals. Since philosophers are concerned with how we, as people, live our lives, they use appeals that pull on people’s emotions to make them think about the overall picture of “life” and how we can live “morally good.” The two strongest examples of emotional appeals within this article is first “.to have destroyed the human organism that you are or I am even at an early stage of our lives would have been to have killed you or me,” and then later the authors state “Abortion is the act of extracting the unborn human being from the womb – an extraction that usually rips him or her to pieces or does him or her violence in some other way.” (Lee) Both of these quotes make the audience think about how important life is and both mention abortion as a way of killing a person or even more harshly, murdering. The first quotation allows the audience to think of abortion as killing a person, any person, regardless if they are in the womb or not. As most people know, killing somebody is considered murder and it is morally wrong for the reason of sin, if you are religious, and also wrong because it is a crime in the United States. Now that the audience is thinking about killing somebody outside the womb and committing a crime and murder, they are more likely to side against abortion, which is the claim that the author is making. The second quotation refers to the violent procedure that doctors must go through to abort an embryo. This quote uses the words “unborn human” in the first phrase so the audience is picturing the ripping of a human to pieces, until they are pronounced dead. This image also persuades the audience that abortion is morally wrong, because it allows the audience to picture a full grown human being shredded, which is also a crime in the US. Lee and George persuade the audience through emotional appeals because it is the most effective way to convince the audience that abortion is morally wrong, while still writing within their discipline.

Contrasting, Borgmann is able to use ethical and emotional appeals in her article because of her personal discipline of Women’s Studies. She is able to use an ethical appeal because she has information from other Women’s Studies scholars and compares their opinions with her argument. Borgmann uses information from Judge Yeakel in her argument to describe the debate of abortion through the eyes of a federal district judge. Since Yeakel is a highly respected public figure, the audience is persuaded to trust her opinion. The use of a quote from a judge is expected in a paper written by a Women’s Studies scholar because the author is using social evidence and the fact that Yeakel is a female, also helps Borgmann with her argument. Like the philosophers, Borgmann also uses the emotional appeal to argue her claim, but she does it in a much different way. Instead of using the emotions of the audience to make them feel like the subject is morally right or wrong, Borgmann uses the emotions of the audience to relate to the feelings of the mother. The most obvious quote that is within this paper states “...fetuses can feel pain at twenty weeks.” (Borgmann) In this particular context, the author was persuading the audience that some mothers do not want to intentionally kill their unborn child, but they are completing the termination because of other circumstances, like cervical cancer. This quote explains that the mother understands that terminating her unborn fetus would cause it to feel pain, but she makes the decision that would be best for her health. By doing this, Borgmann uses the appeal of emotion to get a perspective on the hard decision that a mother has to make about terminating a pregnancy. So, articles written through the discipline of Women’s Studies show emotional and ethical appeals because of both of these appeal support the idea of feminism and equality.

Abortion is currently referred to as a “war” (Borgmann) and there have been many arguments and debates about if it should be banned or kept legal. In these two particular articles the moral philosophers pick the pro-life side, while the Women’s Studies scholar chooses the pro-choice standpoint, but this topic could be argued from either side in both of these academic disciplines. Regardless that these two disciplines presented their case with completely different structures, languages, and appeals, both articles were able to successfully give an accurate argument for their particular side in the subject of abortion.

Sources

Lee, Patrick, and Robert P. George. "Abortion." The Wrong of Abortion (2005): n. pag. Princeton Pro-Life. Blackwell Publisher. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. <http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/content/BPL_Images/Content_store/Sample_chapter/1405115475/Cohen_sample%20chapter_Contemporary%20debates%20in%20applied%20ethics.pdf>.

Borgmann, Caitlin E. "Keynote Address: Untying the Moral Knot of Abortion." Washington and Lee Law Review 71.2 (2014): 1299-314. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.<http://search.proquest.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/docview/1534525001?pq-origsite=summon>.

Cropsey the Romantic (Unit 4)

Cropsey the Romantic


The romanticism movement of the 1800’s proved to be one of the most prolific time periods in terms of several mediums of art. Literature, music, and art itself were revolutionized at this time and have only continued to improve since. With the movement beginning in Europe these mediums were instilled with the knowledge of the past, religion, and folklore. With this knowledge the authors, musicians, and artists of this time created masterpieces that were intended to capture and then convey these topics through amazing detail paired with a somber, or surreal, environment. This movement then moved to North America and took on a completely new identity. For instance, with his piece Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire, Jasper Francis Cropsey differentiated himself from European Romanticism by breaking away from the past, divine serenity, and folklore in favor of a landscape focus that uses vibrant colors to allow nature to captivate for itself.

The romanticism movement came to be as aftermath from the French Revolution. Young European artists moved on from the stoic and somber style of neoclassicism in order to create masterpieces of emotional intensity (Romantic). This entire movement took hold and was able to successfully begin in Germany.

It was during between 1800 and 1850 that the Romanticism movement spread through Germany and its generation of young artists. In Germany there are two primary topics that are covered in the art: divine serenity and Germanic mythology and folklore (Romanticism). Divine serenity, however, was by far the more popular of the two.

In terms of Germanic romanticism art and how it portrayed divine serenity there are really two schools of thought. There’s the school that works in order to depict symbolic landscape as well as the Nazarene’s whose work focuses on the style of medieval religious art.

From the school of symbolic landscape came Germany’s most prolific romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich. Friedrich was known for creating masterpieces that hover between a subtle mystical feeling and a sense of melancholy solitude and estrangement (Romanticism). One of Friedrich’s greatest works is called Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog and there is a quote from Friedrich that explain his purpose for the painting perfectly. He said “Preserve a pure, childlike sensibility, and follow without question your own inner voice, for it is the divine in us, and does not lead us astray” (Schrauzer). The reason this perfectly explains his painting is because in the painting Friedrich depicts a man standing atop a mountain and looking out upon unexplored wilderness. This man, however, does not cower or look frightened in any way. He stands on that mountain with his head held high and an air of confidence surrounding him. It’s as if Friedrich’s saying that even though this wanderer had no intention of travelling to this area he travelled knowing that wherever he went the lord willed it and is leading him on the correct path. That’s exactly what Friedrich and others from this school of symbolic landscape were working towards. While past paintings that focused on landscape were very secular in their character, Friedrich and his group revived them in a religious sense and uncovered unsuspected spiritual depths within the landscape (Schrauzer).

The Nazarenes, as opposed to their symbolic landscape counterparts, created pieces of art inspired by a medieval style that focused solely on the religious aspect rather than landscape merged with religion (Nazarenes). The leading figure for the Nazarenes was Johann Friedrich Overbeck (Romanticism). One of Overbeck’s works is a great example of this style of focusing on the religious act rather than religion within landscape. It’s called The Adoration of the kings and it’s depicting the moment the three wise men appeared in front of Mary and Joseph bearing gifts for the newborn baby Jesus (Adoration). What’s easy to notice is the sheer difference in detail and emotional intensity between Overbeck and Friedrich. Friedrich put painstaking detail in his landscape in order to provoke religious intensity while Overbeck doesn’t have much focus in his landscape and more focuses on the religious act itself. Overbeck put great detail in his depictions of people so as to accurately represent the events taking place.

Now, while there was a large artistic focus on the divine there was at the same time a minor focus on Germanic mythology and folklore. This is most notably because of Moritz von Schwind who became popular towards the end of German romanticism. One of Schwind’s most notable works comes from the Germanic folklore of the Erlking or “king of the fairies”. The New Oxford American Dictionary describes the Erlking as “a bearded giant or goblin who lures little children to the land of death” (Erlking). Schwind’s painting, however, isn’t based on the legend itself, but rather a poet’s depiction of the legend. Schwind painted this and aptly gave it the name of Illustration of Goethe’s ‘Erlkönig’. In Goethe’s Erlkönig you have a father riding home with his young son at night. During the ride the son starts to say that he’s hearing and seeing things that the father evidently can’t, but he comforts his son anyway. The poem progresses until the son announces he has been attacked. This prompts the father to ride faster, but when he arrives home he notices his son is dead (Der Erlkönig). In Schwind’s painting you see a father and son riding on a horse with spirits coming from the woods behind them. Most of these spirits are feminine in nature, but one spirit in particular is deathly white and depicts a large bearded man who is assumed to be the Erlking (Moritz).

So Friedrich, Overbeck, and Moritz ushered in the Germanic romanticism with depictions of divine serenity, religion itself, and the mythological. There is, however, one more topic that was a major focus of European Romanticism: depictions of the past. For this the best artists to look at are Spain’s Francisco de Goya and France’s Antoine-Jean Gros.

Although the Spanish Romanticism movement only lasted from 1810-1830 is produced one of the most well known artists of the romanticism period in Francisco de Goya. Now, over the course of de Goya’s career he would go through several style changes due to secluding himself as a result from an illness that caused him to go deaf. These style changes would get more and more dark and disturbing. This change, however, produced some his best work in terms of how he depicted past events like battlefields from the Napoleonic War (Romantic). In de Goya’s set of prints The Disasters of War everything is depicted in a very morbid fashion. For example plate 30- Ravages of War shows a family that has been slaughtered in their home which has also been destroyed (Francisco). In this set de Goya also has a habit of dehumanizing everything involved, even the Spanish people. This is seen in plate 5- And they are like wild beasts where he is depicting Spanish women, the one’s he’s referring to as beasts, fighting against French soldiers in defence of themselves and their children. de Goya is using these plates to show war for what it truly is: a nightmare. Now, like de Goya, France’s Antoine-Jean Gros is known for depicting the past events of the Napoleonic War.

Just as other European countries before it, France would go through it’s own romanticism movement. This movement would last from 1815-1850 and the first major artist would come in the form of Antoine-Jean Gros. Gros, like de Goya, specialized in painting depicting the Napoleonic War. Gros, however, would glorify Napoleon rather than undermine like de Goya. For instance one of Gros’ well known works is a depiction of Napoleon and the French army in the middle of a victorious battle. This painting is called Bataille d'Aboukir, 25 Juillet 1799 which translates to Battle of Abukir, 25 July 1799 (Battle). The Battle of Abukir was a victory of the French army over the Ottoman army during the French campaign in Egypt and you can clearly see Gros’ glorification of this victory in his painting. In the painting you can see all throughout the clash of the two armies, but if you look closer you’ll notice that the Ottoman army is in retreat and the French army is pushing forward fiercely. Now, this doesn’t seem like it’s exactly glorification, until you see the main draw of the painting. When you see this piece your eyes are immediately drawn to Napoleon who is in the center of the battlefield on a large white horse (Battle). It’s almost as if he appears to be glowing which adds to the effect that Napoleon was a great French leader who commanded respect wherever he went. This would be the end of the majority of the European romanticism movement and this bring on the time of American Romanticism.

The American Romanticism movement would take place from 1820-1860 and would be dominated by the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School was a group of New York based artists that worked under the influence of Thomas Cole in order to focus on the depiction of the northeastern United States wilderness (Romanticism). This is drastically different than European Romanticism in that the artists let the landscape speak for itself rather than instilling religious beliefs, or focusing on depictions of the past and folklore. One of the best in this landscape style to come out of the Hudson River School would be Jasper Francis Cropsey. Cropsey was said to be so brilliant at depicting the northeastern autumn colors and landscapes that in London he was referred to as “America’s painter of autumn” (Southgate). All of this, the autumn colors and the allowance of nature to captivate for itself, is evident in Cropsey’s painting Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire in which he is depicting a small farming family backgrounded by a magnificent mountain range (Eagle). In Cropsey’s painting, even though there is a farming family going about their daily lives, you can immediately tell that Cropsey’s main focus was on the landscape itself. His attention to fine details and vibrant use of color instills emotions of peace and serenity. This is due to Cropsey really working to try and capture the sublimeness of the actual location that when visited by Thomas Cole caused him to say that he had been “overwhelmed with an emotion of the sublime, such as I have rarely felt . . . over all, rocks, wood, and water, brooded the spirit of repose, and the silent energy of nature stirred [my] soul to its inmost depths.” (Southgate) Cropsey wanted to make anybody who viewed his painting to be captivated and instilled with the same emotions as if they were actually there and he was able to do just that.


Works Cited


"Battle of Abukir (1799)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.


"Der Erlkönig." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.


"Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire." 1000Museums.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec.

2015.


"Erlking." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.


"Francisco Goya - "The Disasters of War", 1810-1820 - Richard Harris Art Collection." Richard

Harris Art Collection. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.


"Moritz Von Schwind: Illustration of Goethe's 'Erlkönig', 1917." Die Welt Der Habsburger. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.


"Nazarenes (c.1810-50)." Nazarenes: German Catholic Painters in Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 04

Dec. 2015.


"Romantic Art Style (c.1770-1920)." Romanticism: Definition, Characteristics, History. N.p., n.d.

Web. 04 Dec. 2015.


"Romanticism (art), in Art, European and American Movement Extending from about 1800 to

1850." Romanticism (art), in Art, European and American Movement Extending from about 1800 to

1850. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.


Schrauzer, Michael. "Catholic Answers Magazine." The Solitary Wanderer Goes Astray. N.p., n.d.

Web. 04 Dec. 2015.


Southgate, Marie Therese. "Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire."JAMA Network. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.


"The Adoration of the Kings." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Terrorism

September 11, 2001 is a day that lives in infamy for American people. Every year Americans remember the how for the first time in history, multiple aircrafts were hijacked and used as weapons to destroy American landmark buildings such as the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The 9/11 terrorist attacks marked the first instance of globalized terrorism. 9/11 and every act of terrorism after like Je suis Charlie and the November Paris attacks represents the economic and political nexus of emerging terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. This paper will compare the perspectives of two scholarly journals on terrorism, Dirk Haubrich’s “Modern politics in an Age of Global Terrorism: New Challenges for Public Policy” and Alan Krueger’s “Education, Poverty and Terror: Is there a causal connection?” to compare how terrorism is addressed politically and economically from each discipline. The paper “Modern politics in an Age of Global Terrorism: New Challenges for Public Policy,” implements political techniques such as appeal to scholarly audience through language, use of political techniques, and references to important political philosophers. While the paper, “Education, Poverty and Terror: Is there a causal connection?” uses strong empathetic language, emotion and pathos, and statistical data to support economically based opinion.

Language differs between each of these articles greatly. To start off these two sources define terrorism very differently. In Haubrich’s article he defines domestic terrorism as terror were the aggressors and victims homelands overlap, and global terrorism as terror actions and threats against foreign, diplomatic, or military-strategic policy. This definition has a very small geopolitical scope. Because of his political discipline, Haubrich is programmed to looked at terrorism as a geopolitical issue; before any other issue. Therefore the use of words like “diplomatic” and “military-strategic policy” displays his discipline because those are specific to political study.


In Haubrich’s article he defines domestic terrorism as terror were the aggressors and victims homelands overlap, and global terrorism as terror actions and threats against foreign, diplomatic, or military-strategic policy. This definition has a very small geopolitical scope. Because of his political discipline, Haubrich looks at terrorism as a geopolitical issue; before any other issue. Therefore the use of words like “diplomatic” and “military-strategic policy” displays his discipline because those are specific to political study. While it may seem like an obvious statement that political theorist uses discipline specific words, it is important to note why he uses this language. Haubrich does this because using this language appeals to the scholars of his same field. Using such language, is important because complex theoretical concepts, such as the concept of liberty and terrorism, discipline allows his arguments to conveyed in a clearer and concise way. Discipline specific language is a tool that scholars use to remove obscurity.

Since Psychology is a basis of economics Krueger uses words like “fear” and “terror” to define terrorism. The significant difference in language choice between thesetwo sources shows the differing viewpoints between the political and economic disciplines.

Psychology is evidently at the basis of political economy and, in general, of all the social sciences. A day will come when we will be able to deduce the laws of the social science from the principles of psychology. (Cozic, Mikaël, 2015)

The Krueger article focuses on using pathos through addressing public opinion. Throughout the paper Krueger addresses statistically found opinion and tries to change public opinion with facts or a contrasting view like here:

In the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, … the National Defense University have called for increased aid and educational assistance to end terrorism … Instead of viewing terrorism as a direct response to low market opportunities or ignorance, we suggest it is more accurately viewed as a response to political conditions and long-standing feelings of indignity and frustration that have little to do with economics. (Krueger, 2003)

In this same quote the language affects the pathos. Emotionally loaded words like “indignity” and “frustration” allow for the readers to connect an emotional response to “the enemy” or “the terrorist” regimes. Loaded words like these, create a tone of empathy. This display of language allows the readers to understand and empathize with differing views. While this may be a far fetched concept, after reading words like indignity and frustration are emotions, those emotions are important to human ethics and if someone faces indignity politically, Americans can relate to that. Americans faced the same political indignity in 1770’s, Colonists faced misrepresentation and England’s harsh laws and so we revolted, (such as the Boston Massacre and the formation of the Boston tea and eventually the revolutionary war against England. So while it might be obscure, strong language like indignity and frustration allow the author to challenge public opinion through emotion.

Haubrich appeals to pathos in a more effective way. Terrorism is an emotional and passionate subject for almost everyone. To hook the readers, he mention events such as 9/11 to validate his arguments and to give a stronger emotional connection to what is being said. Such at the beginning of a new paragraph he describes a emotional, psychological, and cultural phenomenon called flashbulb memory:

A defining event in the history of a people can be said to occur when virtually everyone remembers where they were – and what they were doing – on hearing news of the event. In the mind of the public, 9/11 has most certainly been an event in this sense. (Haubrich, 2006)

This use of pathos emotionally connects the reader to his work and terrorism. Haubrich uses this to make the reader feel like they are participants in this issue because they have heard stories, have lost family or friends, or they themselves participated in this event. This emotional connection make the information seem more personally significant to the scholars reading this article. This very interesting political technique that politicians use in their campaigning. In 2008 Obama’s campaign slogan was “Yes We Can.” This political slogan directly extends an invitation to the people, so that they can be informed and participate in politics; Almost saying “You and I are going to do this together.” Haubrich uses this same technique so that the scholars that are reading this article become informed, passionate about what he has to say about terrorism, and maybe one day participate in the conversation. The significant difference in Pathos in these two sources shows the differing viewpoints between the political and economic disciplines. The economic discipline uses loaded words to create empathy, while the political article uses example terrorist events to emotionally connect readers to his work and to invoke a sense of participation in the conversation.

Logos, or the appeal to logic, is arguably the most important tool that scholarly articles use. Each article uses different logos to support claims they make. The Haubrich’s article also uses ethos in his different political theories. In his peer review article Haubrich references important political theories and theorist to supplement his claims. When talking about State legitimacy he references John Locke’s social contract.

Such force, however, may cause further violence, brought about by a populace that deems the oppression unjustified and excessive. This interpretation borrows from John Locke’s conception of the social contract, which held the view that individuals merely ‘lend’ (rather than surrender) the power to the government or the prince and reserve the right to take it from him if he has violated the conditions attached to that loan. The principle is enshrined in the democratic process, which forces governments to respond to popular pressures, either because political parties outbid each other in attempting to get into power or because pressure groups make unrelenting demands upon politicians once in power. (Haubrich, 2006)

Referencing John Locke strengthens Haubrich’s argument because John Locke had a strong influence over American politics. His theories revolved around life, liberty, and property. These same theories are found in the first section of the fourteenth amendment which states:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Since Haubrich references him it adds credibility to his logic because America, arguably the most powerful country in the world, uses the same man’s words as a foundation of America’s governing system. This strengthen’ his argument since what he says in supported by John Locke’s influential words. Referencing John Locke strengthens Haubrich’s ethos because it strengthens his logos. Logos is an appeal to logic, if Haubrich strengthens his argument with a credible, famous, and a highly referenced political theory philosopher. Since Haubrich is talking of the political theory between countries involved in terrorist issues, Haubrich makes his work even more credible.

Instead of referencing important political philosophers, the Krueger article uses large amount of statistical data to confirm his claims and refute incorrect common thought of the public. Throughout his paper, Krueger presents new statistical information based on studies he conducted about public opinion polls of certain aspects relating to terrorism. Krueger uses unbiased techniques when conducting his surveys like using randomization and unbiased and simple questions. These techniques are essential to good data collecting and are the basis of correct statistical inference. To increase the “goodness” or validity of his test Krueger performs statistical tests such as Chi-test for goodness of fit and G-test of goodness of fit. Both of these tests test fit of observed frequencies to expected frequencies. Doing these tests shows if there was any biases that influenced the data. Biases are either statistical errors or prejudices in favor or against a group, thing, person, or outcome. Doing these test make for better and unbiased data and can validate conclusions that the author comes to, (within reason.) Using these methods improves Krueger’s arguments because he used tested and unbiased data, in turn fortifying both the logos and ethos parts of his rhetoric. It makes a lot of sense that Krueger or someone else in the economics discipline would use these methods to come up with conclusions. Almost all economist related fields use statistical data to study how, when, and where people of an economy spend money. Using statistical data only improves Krueger’s ethos to his peers because it shows that he is a proficient at conducting statistical surveys and is proficient at interpreting them and coming to the correct conclusions.

In conclusion economic and political disciplinary perspectives address terrorism in very different ways. The paper “Modern politics in an Age of Global Terrorism: New Challenges for Public Policy” implements political techniques such as politically specific language choices, use of political techniques, and references to important political philosophers. While the paper “Education, Poverty and Terror: Is there a causal connection?” uses strong empathetic language, emotion and pathos, and statistical data to prove that despite public opinion terrorism would not be reduced with decreased poverty and increased education, but rather that terrorism is created by political unrest and diplomatic disputes between world powers.




























Works Cited

Cozic, Mikaël. "Psychology and Economics in Historical Perspective."Nous Adhérons à Revues.org. Nous Adhérons à Revues.org, 30 July 2015. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

"Constitutional Topic: The Fourteenth Amendment." USConstitution.net. 24 Jan. 2011. 27 Nov. 2015 .


Haubrich, Dirk. "Modern Politics in an Age of Global Terrorism: New Challenges for Domestic Public Policy." Wiley Online Library. Wiley Online Library, 6 May 2006. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.


Krueger, Alan B., and Jitka Malečková. “Education, Poverty and Terrorism: Is There a Causal Connection?”. The Journal of Economic Perspectives 17.4 (2003): 119–144. Web…

Analysis of the Economical and Medical Structure in the Debate on the Legalization of Marijuana

By: Tomas de Aquino

One of the most controversial topics in the past two decades has been the legalization of marijuana. Everyone seems to have their own opinion on the subject and it is hard to find the truth through the number of various myths out their about the effects of marijuana. There are a variety of stakeholders in the debate on either side of the fence. Two of the most noteworthy areas that are invested in the debate over legalization are economics and health professions. Two articles in particular are “The Economic Case Against Drug Prohibition” by Jeffery A. Miron and Jeffrey Zweibel, and “Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use” by Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Ruben D. Baler, Ph.D., Wilson M. Compton, M.D., and Susan R.B. Weiss, Ph.D. Both of these articles discuss the effect marijuana has on its respective field and what would happen if it were to be legalized. Three rhetorical conventions are the most prevalent differences in the two disciplines. The economic article employs a structure that makes a claim and then supplies supporting evidence to back up what has been stated, a formal tone that falls in line with the audience they are addressing, and its evidence is mainly qualitative supported by numbers where necessary. The medical article uses a format that contains a multitude of stand alone points that all can be tied back to one topic, the tone is also formal solely stating facts, and its evidence is supplied via graphs and data tables accented by qualitative explanations.

In “The Economic Case Against Drug Prohibition”, Jeffery Miron and Jeffrey Zweibel provide their opinion on current drug policy and in which they direction they feel it should proceed. The authors introduce the piece by explaining what current perceptions of drugs and drug prohibition are, this introduction is the set up for the basis of their argument. After explaining what the common perception is they offer an alternate that is supported by a small few and begins to build off of said ideas presented. In the introduction no position is taken but rather they highlight the importance of resolution to this debate, using numbers and statistics such as, “Federal, state and local governments currently spend more than $20 billion per year on drug enforcement…” (Miron & Zweibel), to add urgency for a decision to be made. As the discussion progresses it is revealed the authors’ stance on the situation, that a free market in drugs is superior to that of current policy. In order to support this claim three main topics are introduced one after another. The first of these topics is “The Positive Analysis of Drug Prohibition” (Miron & Zweibel). They follow this up with a brief overview of the topic and define any unclear terms before jumping into the meat of the discussion. After the overview a variety of subtopics that all relate back to what they are trying to prove. At the end they provide a conclusion that highlights all of the main points made in their argument. They reintroduce the main controversy and addresses the major concerns with the proposition by concisely breaking it apart piece by piece coming to the ultimate conclusion, as stated in the beginning overview, that “the evidence suggests the social costs of drug prohibition are vastly greater than it benefits.” (Miron & Zweibel).

By: Brian Auer

Conversely, the medical article entitled “Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use” by Nora Volkow et. al. utilizes a similar format with different accents that gears it towards the medical community. It is opened by an explanation of the different forms in which marijuana is consumed and states what the common perception of the drug is, “The popular notion seems to be that marijuana is a harmless pleasure, access to which should not be regulated or considered illegal.” (Volkow et al). After familiarizing the audience with popular belief and the various forms of consumption, the authors break it down and provide the framework based on what their argument will be made. Also throughout the paper they support each argument with tables and charts. This is the primary structural difference between the two disciplines. The point that the medical side of things is trying to push requires hard evidence that can only be represented in the form of numbers, whereas the economical point of view is not being push from solely a monetary level but more of a social equity state of mind, requiring more of a qualitative assessment of pros and cons. Continuing on, the argument is supported by two overhead topics that holds everything the opposition to legalizing marijuana can use from a medical standpoint. These are adverse effects and limitations of evidence and gaps in knowledge. These cover all of the bases by providing strong foundation for the argument and provide rudimentary answers for all of the possible, “but what about this?” questions. Similar to that of the economic article, there are numerous subtopics that fall under the larger umbrella topic. The conclusion here sums up all of the points stated above and reinforces with more statistics and charts for a last ditch effort in order to convince the reader. However, that is not the end, another large format distinction is the addition of positives of marijuana. Unlike the economics article that aside from a short blurb, never highlighted the points of both sides of the controversy, this article points out all of the positives marijuana has provided in a controlled medical environment. This helps to reinforce the idea that marijuana needs to be regulated and stay illegal for widespread public consumption, but does have some positives attributed with it.

The tone in the economic standpoint is very passionate. The authors seem to care deeply about the topic they are speaking on. They offer multiple different possible revised drug policies and go into depth in explaining the faults with current drug policies. They could have gotten away with simply saying that current drug policy is inadequate and listing faults with it. Instead they break down the complexity of the issue and in the end sum it all up by explaining that they understand why current drug policy is that way it is but the social ramifications of its enforcement is more destructive than productive. Generally, one would assume that numbers would be the primary way to convince the economist audience, however this topic is not a typical example. This article is speaking on more of the social equity aspect of the situation. The effects prohibition has on society and the way to convey the real truths behind the matter and supply credibility is through qualitative analysis of the subject. In the marijuana legalization debate passion is needed to convince the public, and here the author fuels the facts with this passion

The tone in the medical article is more of a matter-of-fact. It is stating what the facts are and has the numbers to back it. It leaves little room for interpretation and makes no grandstanding statements which gives this piece more credibility. Since it is a medical piece, evidence is imperative in order for it to be even considered and this article follows it to a T. For example, when talking about the risk of addiction the authors state: “The number goes up to about 1 in 6 among those who start using marijuana as teenagers and to 25 to 50% among those who smoke marijuana daily.” (Volkow et. al.). The use of hard evidence and statistics is what an audience of this nature relates to and sets it apart from the economics article in this respect.

By: Thalia Surf

The final rhetorical device is the way each article presents its data. In the economic article, as previously stated it uses qualitative data and is displayed throughout the piece where necessary. After every claim made the authors backs it up with some facts. This claim, support, claim, support system works effectively and never leaves the audience in the dark. For example, the author initially claims that “Unless demand is far more elastic than supply…prices will increase under prohibition.”, and then substantiates this claim by stating there is evidence from the alcohol prohibition that occurred in history, “Warburton (1932) estimates that alcohol prices were approximately three times high during alcohol Prohibition than beforehand...”(Miron & Zweibel).

In the article written by Nora Volkow et al presents all of its data in the table and chart form. Throughout its argument it makes tabular references and includes links that bring you to said tables. These contain information in graph, and list form. The tables that include lists range from cause and effect to association, for instance table 1 in the article is split up into effects of short term use and effect of long term or heavy use. Table 2 is an example of the association where it lists effects of marijuana use and next to it has the overall level of confidence in that effect, i.e. how strong is the association between the two. This evidence differs from that of the economic article in that the audience this article is trying to reach is accustomed to seeing information presented in this way. In health and science professions all formal data is placed into tables and any figures used in explanations are generally derived from said tables. The difference in audience and accepted upon structure is what leads to this difference. 

In conclusion the debate on the legalization of marijuana creeps into almost every discipline out their, most notably the medical and economical fields. It includes everything from monetarily repercussions to social equity and overall public health and safety. The medical side of the debate focuses on hard fact driven evidence presented in graphs and charts with a very matter-of-fact tone. The economic side of it mainly lies in between the monetary and social equity side of things which requires a qualitative in depth explanation that builds upon itself driven by a passionate tone that instills the same ideas into the readers. The differences between these two are what gear them towards there respective field yet they rack up similarities in that they both employ a structure that is broken up from main topics to subtopics that help to reinforce the overall argument they are trying to make.

Works Cited

Volkow, Nora D., Ruben D. Baler, Wilson M. Compton, and Susan R.B. Weiss. "Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use." The New England Journal of Medicine, 5 June 2014. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.

Miron, Jeffrey A., and Jeffrey Zwiebel. “The Economic Case Against Drug Prohibition”. The Journal of Economic Perspectives 9.4 (1995): 175–192. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.