Cask of Amontillado Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cask of Amontillado - Essay Example The first is Montresor, who firmly vows revenge upon the other character, Fortunato, for an insult. However, the actual focus is on Montresor, who serves as the narrator of the story about his perfect murder ("The Poe Perplex"). His story, around which the entire story revolves, is made clear even at the onset of the tale as he utters, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge." (Poe). With this, Montresor is seen abiding by his traditional family motto, i.e. no one can attack him without being punished. Furthermore, he declares that he "...must not only punish, but punish with impunity." (Poe). On the other hand, Fortunato is the man whom Montresor pledges to murder. Montresor finds perfect bait for Fortunato with the latter being passionate about wines. Fortunato, as a connoisseur, insists on tasting Montresor's newly purchased Amontillado to determine its authenticity and expresses outrage when Montresor tells that he can consult Luchresi regarding the matter. Attired in a court jester costume, Fortunato, bearing great pride in himself, goes with Montresor to the palazzo where he meets his end as Montresor planned ("Adventures in Reading"). This horror story centers on the power of revenge that drives a man to murder his friend for an insult that he deems unforgivable. Montresor's mind frame is honed by his family's motto, "Nemo me impune lacessit." Or "No one assails me with impunity." On his coat of arms, this motto along with a symbol of "a huge human foot d'or, in field azure, the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel." (Poe). As mentioned, Montresor narrates how he carefully planned the details of this perfect crime upon Fortunato whom he intends to punish through slow death. He makes sure that all his servants are out of the palazzo so there are no possible witnesses. He also chooses a place hidden enough so that no one may possibly inspect or suspect. Montresor uses Fortunato's pride in himself as a superior wine connoisseur to lure his friend. It is also important to note that a vital component in Montresor's plan of revenge is that as Fortunato dies a slow death, he will constantly be reminded of the fact that he rejects myriad opportunities to escape from Montresor as the latter is adamant that they turn back due to his condition (Quinn). He will remember how Montresor initially declines his offer to check on Amontillado since he is inflicted with cough and cold, thus, the dampness of the vault and presence of niter will not bode well for his present condition. On the way to the catacombs, upon hearing Fortunato's dreadful coughs, Montresor repeats his plea, "Come..., we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For met it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi..." (Poe). To this, Fortunato firmly replies, "Enough...the cough is a mere nothing, it will not kill me. I shall not die of cough," (Poe). While rotting to death in the sealed catacombs, Fortunato will

The knowledge level and attitudes of pregnant women in passing on Research Paper

The knowledge level and attitudes of pregnant women in passing on sickle cell disease - Research Paper Example The paper tells that sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disease where the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells containing abnormal hemoglobin. Sickle cells are stiff and sticky and tend to block blood flow in the blood vessels of the limbs and organs. Blocked blood flow causes serious infections, pain, and organ damage. Patients are born with it. People who inherit a normal gene from one of the parent and sickle hemoglobin gene from the other parent exhibit a sickle cell trait. People with a sickle cell trait do not have Sickle cell anemia but have one gene that causes the disease. Approximately 2,500 people have sickle cell anaemia. This disease is now prevalent among pregnant women. A study on sickle cell anaemia in pregnant women is very significant for it will impart knowledge on this condition in relation to the woman’s and the in-born child’s health. However, the study is challenging as people have very little knowledge on this disease. The study seeks t he relevance between the level of knowledge and the attitudes of pregnant women with the sickle cell trait from the Mississippi Delta and the sickle cell disease. To achieve this, the researcher will rely on an interview done in Mississippi Delta on Africa-American pregnant women and other relevant literature. Age, marital status, economic status, occupation, and level of education are some of the demographic variables the researcher used. According to the interview, only 20% of the respondents have enough knowledge about the sickle cell trait. ... This implies that there is very little knowledge on the sickle cell trait hence the increased spread of sickle cell anaemia from pregnant women to their inborn children. Contents Contents 4 Background 6 Problem Statement 7 Purpose 8 Research Questions 8 Philosophical Basis 8 Definitions 10 Summary 11 Introduction 12 Concept Development 14 Major Related Studies 15 Summary 17 Study Design 19 Sample 19 Inclusion criteria 19 Interviews 20 Data Collection Plan 20 Ethical Considerations 21 Data Analysis Plan 22 Stage 1 22 Stage 2 22 Stage 3 22 Stage 4 23 Stage 5 23 Stage 6 23 Stage 7 23 Strategies for Rigor and Validity 24 Summary 25 REFERENCES 26 Introduction 32 Demographics of the Sample 32 Major Themes 33 Summary 35 Introduction 37 Limitations 39 Summary 41 REFERENCES 43 DEMOGRAPHIC TOOL 44 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 46 CONSENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH STUDY 47 ASSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH STUDY 49 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background Sickle cell disease is a disorder of the blood that is genetic in nature. Defective hemoglobin molecules that aggregate to form sickle-shaped, elongated, and inflexible rod-like structures that are unable to pass through small blood vessels (Papadakis et al, 2006) characterize it. As they are unable to pass through these small vessels, these sickle-shaped cells pile up together leading to blockages and starving tissues and organs of oxygenated blood. This results in regular periods of pain and is associated with damage to important body organs and tissues and can cause serious medical problems. Blockage may cause problems such as vaso-occlusive, hemolytic, splenic sequestration, and aplastic crises. Other medical conditions that may result include infections, stroke, priapism,