AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

To talk about AIDS today, one has also to talk about sexuality. Nowadays AIDS is largely related to sexual activities since AIDS is a consequence of the virus HIV, which can be transmitted during sexual relations. The movie that we saw, Philadelphia, deals with this. It tells the story of a homosexual man who contracted HIV during sexual intercourse with another man. After some years he starts to suffer from AIDS and the discrimination that came along with it. He was a successful lawyer, and was fired only because he had AIDS. What is AIDS? AIDS is a stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is a disease caused by the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) virus. An HIV-infected person receives a diagnosis of AIDS after developing one of the CDC-defined AIDS indicator illnesses. An HIV-positive person who has not had any serious illnesses also can receive an AIDS diagnosis on the basis of certain blood tests. A positive HIV test result does not mean that a person has AIDS. A person may carry the virus inside his body for as long as 10 years (or more) without showing an illnesses caused by AIDS. Infection with HIV can weaken the immune system to the point that it has difficulty fighting off certain infections. These types of infections are known as "opportunistic" infections because they take the opportunity a weakened immune system gives to cause illness. Many of the infections that cause problems or may be life-threatening for people with AIDS are usually controlled by a healthy immune syst em. The immune system of a person with AIDS is weakened to the point that medical intervention may be necessary to prevent or treat serious illness. Today there are medical treatments that can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. There are other treatments that can prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated with AIDS. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventative care. HIV is spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles and/or syringes (drug injection) with someone who is infected, or, less commonly, through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. Babies born to HIV-infected women may become infected before or during birth or through breast-feeding after birth. There are a couple of myths about how the HIV is transmitted. Some people fear that HIV might be transmitted in other ways; however, no scientific evidence to support any of these fears has been found.

Morrison and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

In Toni Morrison’s essay about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, she discusses the racial problems and the use of the word â€Å"nigger† in the book. Morrison talks about the word embarrasses, bored, and annoyed her, but that â€Å"name calling is a plague of childhood†. She also talks about how there is a fatherhood issue throughout the book. She talks about how Huck can’t settle down anywhere. He is almost afraid to be alone because simple things seem to frighten him. But then when Jim and Huck are together all those feelings of being afraid and lonesome aren’t there as much. She kind of refers to Jim as a kind of father/ older brother figure to Huck. Morrison says, â€Å"What does Huck need to live without terror, melancholy, and suicidal thoughts? The answer of course, is Jim†(387-388). Morrison plainly says that Jim is that person in Huck’s life that takes away all those feelings and fears. But the problem is both Huck and Jim know that they will soon have to separate from each other because of their white/black childhood friendship. Morrison also says, â€Å"Huck’s desire for a father who is adviser and trustworthy companion is universal, but he also needs something more: a father whom, unlike his own, he can control†(390). Jim is the perfect person to fill the father position for Huck, because Huck can control him and begin to feel responsible for him. But also, Jim is a â€Å"father-for-free† which means they don’t have a life long debt that is owed to them like real fathers. Huck and Jim’s friendship is rare for that time period because blacks where slaves to whites. Look more:  satire in huck finn essay However, even though they are two different races in a time where it is socially wrong for them to be friends, Huck is willing to take a chance on this friendship. It also shows that Huck has an open mind to all possibilities, even its being friends with a person of another race. â€Å"It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d a knowed it would make him feel that way† (95). This quote is another example of racism in the book, however, no matter what color Jim may be Huck knows that what he did to Jim was wrong. He struggled with apologizing to Jim because of the way society is and his upbringing. But he overcomes his upbringing and the ways of society and apologizes to Jim because they are friends and he sincerely feels bad for what he has done to him. To Huck, Jim is his best friend and a â€Å"father† figure, which makes the bond between them that much tighter and closer to each other. Like in Morrison’s essay, she talks about how Huck hates being alone so much that he is almost suicidal, but when he is with Jim his loneliness isn’t a scary knowing that he isn’t alone. Huck feels less afraid and more comfortable with Jim around because he knows that Jim is a â€Å"father† figure. â€Å"Pap he hadn’t been seen for more than a year, and that was comfortable for me; I didn’t want to see him no more. He used to always whale me when he was sober and could get his hands on me; though I used to take to the woods most of the time when he was around† (24). This quote shows how Huck felt towards his father and how he was afraid of his father. I agree with Morrison’s essay where she talks about how Huck has father issues. In this one quote, Huck talks about how he didn’t care that he hadn’t seen his father in a while and how he didn’t want to see him anymore anyways. He talks about how his father use to beat him and that he would run and hide in the woods when ever his father was around. Huck spent most of his time running away and hiding from his dad, because he was afraid his dad would come get him and beat him. I do agree with Morrison that Huck doesn’t want to admit that he and Jim are going to have to one day go their separate ways. Huck makes up reasons of why they don’t land in Cairo just so he and Jim can stay together. But in Morrison’s essay she questions whether Huck will be able to make it without Jim when he goes into new â€Å"territory† and goes on adventures without him. I do believe Huck can do it without Jim. One, because he now knows that his father is dead and won’t be coming after him. Two, because he has learned a lot from being on his own even though Jim was with him. He still had a big responsibility for both himself and Jim and making sure they made it through all of their adventures. I think that Huck has grown as a boy and matured more than most boys his age, because he is living on his own and not only having to look after himself, but also Jim. Morrison said, â€Å"Name calling is a plague of childhood and a learned activity ripe for discussion as soon as it surfaces† (386). I fully agree with Morrison on this point. Growing up you tend to follow what others do, whether it be your family upbringing or friends that have been brought up different than you. When you are a kid, if your friend calls some one a name normally other kids will join in just because that is the way children and even adults today work. No one wants to feel like the outcast so one person who starts name calling can eventually turn into a whole group of kids/adults, its like what Morrison calls it, â€Å"a plague†. However, a child’s upbringing has a lot to do with how a child reacts to name calling. Back in that time period, it was like name calling and feuds where a normal part of the daily life. Family’s that had had feuds going on for generations would keep it going by convincing the next generation that that other family was no good and so then the feud would continue, along with the name calling. Morrison’s overview of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are very easy to agree with, because she explains and goes into detail about how she believes what she does. She backs up all the things she talks about such as; Huck having father issues, Huck’s issues of loneliness and suicidal thoughts, and the racial politics. After reading Morrison’s essay on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I understood so much more of the book, because she explained some of the deeper themes and problems in the book.

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