Tube Feeding Question and Obituary Research Paper

Tube Feeding Question and Obituary - Research Paper Example The research paper "Tube Feeding Question and Obituary" talks about the educated response to the tube-feeding question. The patient’s condition is terminal and she has not shown any sign of relieving symptoms. Even though feeding tube is able to prolong the patient’s life, you should not put the patient on the artificial feeding because of the involved risks of using feeding tube and benefits of allowing the patient to die a natural death. Moral and clinical factors inform this position. Ethically and as the authority over the patient who is already confused and disoriented, you need to minimize pain to the patient, to yourself, and to the children. The death of the patient is evident and the associated pain will be felt, regardless of the time at which the patient dies. Life of the patient should not be the primary factor in the decision. Deciding not to use the feeding tube only amounts to allowing the natural death process and not contributing to the patient’s death. A legal consideration also allows for the withholding of feeding tube and this also justifies the proposed decision. Even though failure to use feeding tube may induce pain to the patient, owing to the fact that she is able to respond to her environment, the level of pain can be managed. Using the tube may prolong the patient’s life but it has many disadvantages, some of which could end the patient’s life and render the tube effort useless. The patient will likely suffer from chest congestion and fluid buildup in her throat.

A critical review of a story in the press Essay Example for Free

A critical review of a story in the press Essay The story I have chosen to review is about Derek Bond, a 72 year old pensioner from Bristol. Mr Bond was arrested by South African authorities, when he arrived for a family holiday with his wife in South Africa. Mr Bond was detained at the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on suspicion of being one of Americas most wanted criminals; the alleged crime a $4. 8 million telemarketing fraud. Fortunately, for Derek Bond it was a case of mistaken identity. Eventually he was released, with the help of media intervention after a traumatic three week ordeal, locked up, in a South African prison. The story broke in a television news broadcast by the BBC six o clock evening news, on Tuesday 25th February 2003. The story was published by the newspapers the following day, 26th February 2003. The two newspapers I have chosen to compare the story are, The Guardian, and The Daily Mirror. The Guardian is a politically left-of-centre broadsheet newspaper aimed at professional middle- class Britain. The Guardian uses formal vocabulary to report on the facts of a story it is writing about. The Guardian costs 55 pence to buy, and provides, national and international news, policy and politics section, finance, sport, theatre, art reviews, and finally human interest supplements. The Guardian offers extremely good value for money, over an average of 35 pages. In contrast, The Daily Mirror is a politically left-of-centre tabloid newspaper aimed at working- class Britain. The Daily Mirror uses informal vocabulary consisting of common words that are easily understood. This would indicate that its aimed at a lower readership, than The Guardian. The Daily Mirror costs 32 pence to buy, and provides, national news, showbiz gossip, advertising, holiday offers, horoscopes, television listings, finance, and, finally sport. On average, the reader will get 60-70 pages of coverage. ANALYSIS DAY ONE THE GUARDIAN The coverage of the story began on Wednesday 26th February 2003. It was placed on page three of the newspaper on a day when front page news headlines focussed on, War rebels challenge Blair, about the up and coming war on Iraq. The article, in question was headlined, The Names Bond but is he a fraudster wanted by the FBI or a Bristol family man? The headline was printed black on white, with an approximate letter size of one inch. The effect of this is a play on the catchphrase of James Bond 007 spy films, to create mystery and intrigue, and grasp the readers attention. Two feature photographs 5 wide, and 8 long, in size are placed directly beneath the headline. The photograph on the left hand side, of the real fugitive is in black and white print. This image shows him looking very sombre, similar to an FBI, Mugshot photograph. In contrast, the photograph of Mr Bond is in colour, portraying him as a respectable family man dressed in evening attire, smiling and looking very healthy. This obviously shows the contrast in style between the two men. A further two photographs appear directly beneath Mr Bond; one of the police station, in Durban where he was held, and the other a photograph of his three children. Both photographs are in colour and approximately 3 wide and 2 long, in size. The reason behind these two photographs is so the reader is given an insight where Mr Bond was held, and too see the look of pain and disbelief, on the faces, of his children. A sub-heading occupies the top left hand corner, which summarises the whole story. Emotive words have been used, Victim, and Theft, to attract and engage the readers attention. Different styles of typography have been used across the whole page. For example, a bold print dropped capital letter, one inch in size, at the beginning of the opening paragraph, to draw the eye of the reader, to the introduction, and not browse over the story to the end. Directly beneath the photograph of fugitive, Derek Sykes, alias Derek Bond, a different style of typography has been used, to show a comparable section in which comparisons are made between, what Mr Bonds family claim, and what the FBI claim is true. This has been highlighted by the use of a sub-heading in red bold print. In addition to this, bullet points have been used to divide the statements. ANALYSIS DAY ONE THE DAILY MIRROR The coverage of the story also began on Wednesday 26th February 2003. The story was placed on page nineteen of the newspaper, in contrast to The Guardian where the story was placed on page three. This means that The Guardian, considers the story of rather more importance, than The Daily Mirror. Two totally different headlines stole front page coverage, firstly, Is Richard the No 1 VILLAIN in TV soap history? Secondly, MUTINY- 100-plus Labour rebels to defy Blair over Iraq. This is typical of a tabloid news headline; TV soap is given priority over the Iraq crisis. The story began with a bold print capitalised headline, THE NAMES BOND The letters are one inch in size. The headline is similar to The Guardian, but leads the reader on to the next part of the page. The typography of White on Black has been used to highlight two sub-heading statements, which are as follows: Is he a toupee wearing $4. 8m fraudster and one of the FBIS most wanted criminals Or a balding 72-year-old wine-tasting Rotarian who lives in Bristol? Each statement has a letter size of half an inch, and is placed in a 3 squared black box, creating maximum effect of the WOB. Directly beneath the first statement is a round photograph of fugitive Derek Sykes, in black and white, 3 in diameter. The photograph used by The Daily Mirror, is identical to The Guardian, but is scaled down in size and a different shape. In addition, a photograph of Mr Bond is placed directly beneath the second statement. Basically, this reveals who, The Daily Mirror thinks is the real, and false, fugitive. Furthermore, a photograph of Mr Bonds children appears beneath the main headline, which is black and white, and 2 squared in size. The photograph is different to the one used by The Guardian; its in a different place, and in addition is not posed. It seems to have been taken by chance, rather than with consent from the family. ANALYSIS DAY 2 THE GUARDIAN By the following day, Mr Bond had been released as the FBIs mistake was acknowledged. The story on day 2 is given front page priority. A sub- heading in red bold print is placed as a footnote; the footnote reads, Good news for Mr Bond, followed by a brief summary, and the reader is directed to page 3, where the story continues. In addition, to the footnote a cartoon caption appears next to the directional pointer, which is sarcastically laughing at the incompetence, of the FBI.

Clinical and Mycological Profile of Dermatophytosis

Clinical and Mycological Profile of Dermatophytosis A CLINICAL AND MYCOLOGICAL PROFILE OF DERMATOPHYTOSIS IN KLES DR PRABHAKAR KORE HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH CENTRE, BELGAUM† Dolly M.B.B.S. Department of Dermatology, J.N. Medical College, Belgaum, India B. S. Manjunathswamy M.D .Department of Dermatology, J.N. Medical College, Belgaum, India S.G.Karadesai M.D. Department of Microbiology, J.N. Medical College, Belgaum, India ABSTRACT Aim: To study the clinical and mycological profile of dermatophytosis in tertiary care hospital. Background and objectives: Dermatophytosis, a group of taxonomically closely related keratinophilic fungi called dermatophytes varies with geographical area as well as climatic conditions and there is vide variation in the spectrum of dermatophytic isolates. This study was aimed to understand the clinical and mycological profile of dermatophytosis. Methodology: The present one year cross sectional study from January 2013 to December 2013 was done in the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy, KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belgaum A total of 125 patients presenting with dermatophyte skin infection were subjected to clinical examination and KOH examination for fungi and culture. Results: The commonest clinical forms noted were Tinea corporis (52%) and Tinea cruris (43.2%). Most of the patients were males (67.2%) (male to female ratio 2:1) and Tinea corporis was the commonest clinical diagnosis (48.81%). The commonest age group was 21 to 30 years (36%) and had Tinea corporis (56%) commonly. 36.8% of the patients had duration of > 35 weeks. The commonest morphological variant was noted as annular (37.6%). The KOH examination was positive in 78.4% cases and culture was positive for fungus in 64.8% of the cases. In patients with positive culture, T. mentagrophyte was the commonest isolate (48.15%). The commonest dermatophyte isolated was Trichophyton (88.64%). Conclusion: There is wide variation in the clinical and mycological profile of dermatophytosis. The detection of emerging organisms may be help in the treatment and adequacy of current pharmacologic regimens. Key words: Dermatophytosis; Mycological profile; Skin infection; Tinea corporis; Tinea cruris; Introduction Dermatophytosis is characterized by the infection of keratinized tissues such as the epidermis, hair and nails. Distribution of dermatophytes varies with geographical area. Further, there is wide variation in the spectrum of dermatophytic isolates. To understand the burden and trend of dermatophytosis, surveillance of the disease plays an important role. Considering the above facts the present study was designed to know the clinical and mycological profile of dermatophytosis so as to elaborate the epidemiological data in the region which will help in understanding the disease pattern and burden which may not only aid in taking adequate measures to prevent the transmission but also help in preventing spread of infection thereby reducing the disease burden. Materials and method This one year cross sectional study of 125 patients presenting with dermatophytes skin infection was conducted in the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy, KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belgaum from January 2013 to December 2013. Patient who are on antifungal treatment and cases who did not provide informed consent were excluded from the study. A detailed history was taken regarding duration and progress of lesion in past age, sex, and occupation. A complete dermatological examination for type of the lesion, morphology and distribution was done along with general physical examination. Clinical material was collected for KOH examination and culture using standard mycological techniques. SDA (Sabourauds Dextrose Agar) with cycloheximide and chloramphenicol were used for culture. The media were incubated at 250C and 370C for a minimum period of three weeks. Positive cultures were examined both macroscopically and microscopically for species identification. Results: Based on the clinical examination findings the commonest clinical forms noted were Tinea corporis, Tinea cruris, Tinea pedis, Tinea unguim, Tinea capitis, Tinea faciei, Tinea mannum and Tinea barbae. Multiple clinical forms were present in almost one fifth of the study population and the commonest clinical form was noted as Tinea cruris with Tinea corporis. Most of the patients were males (67.2%) with male to female ratio of 2:1 and 48.81% of the males had clinical type of Tinea corporis. The commonest age group was 21 to 30 years (36%) and had Tinea corporis (56%) commonly. Most of the patients (36.8%) reported duration of > 35 weeks. Maximum cases were noted in the month of August (16%). The commonest morphological variant was noted as annular (37.6%). The KOH examination for fungus was positive in 78.4% of the cases and culture was positive for fungus in 64.8% of the cases. Among the patients with positive culture, T. mentagrophyte was the commonest isolate noted in 48.15% of the patients. The commonest dermatophyte isolated was noted as Trichophyton (88.64%). Discussion: In our study various clinical forms dermatophytic infections were noted. The commonest clinical form was Tinea corporis (52%) followed by Tinea cruris (43.2%), Tinea pedis (9.60%), Tinea unguim (7.2%), Tinea capitis (2.40%), Tinea faciei and Tinea mannum (1.60% each), and Tinea barbae (0.8%). A recent study from Mysore Karnataka by Surendran KAK et al1 also observed Tinea corporis (44.3%) as the most common clinical pattern. In our study multiple sites were involved among 23 cases. Of these, Tinea cruris and Tinea corporis were present in 17 (73.91%) and Tinea corporis and Tinea pedis in three (13.04%) cases. In the present study males were commonly affected that is, almost two third of the patients (67.2%) were males with male to female ratio of 2:1. Tinea corporis was the commonest clinical type of dermatophytosis among males (48.81%) while in females it accounted among 58.54% of the patients. Sen SS et al2 and Jain N et al3 reported 48% and 37% of the male with Tinea corporis while Bindu V et al4 reported 54.6% of males. In this study, maximum patients belonged to age between 21 to 30 years (36%) and the next common age group was 31 to 40 year (19.2%). This was in accordance with a recent study from Mysore by Surendran KAK et al,1 Karnataka where maximum number of cases encountered in the age group of 16-30 years (44%) followed by the age group of 31-45 years (26%). Other studies by Sen SS et al2 from Guwahati in 2006 and Sahai S et al5 from Lucknow in 2011 also reported commonest age group as 21 to 30 years (44% and 32.4% respectively). Among them 45 patients with age between 21 to 30 years, 25 (56%) had Tinea corporis and 8 (18%) had Tinea cruris. Similar findings were noted by Bindu V et al,4 Singh S et al,2 Sen SS et al2 and Jain N et al.3 In this study maximum cases were noted between June to September (37.6%) with peak in the month of August (16%) which is similar to the findings of Kalla G et al57 and Sumana V et al.6 In this study the commonest morphological variant was noted as Annular (37.6%). The present study KOH examination for fungus and culture was positive in 78.4% and 64.8% of the cases respectively. Of the 98 cases with positive KOH examination for fungus, 81 (82.65%) cases had positive culture. A study by Belukar et al.7 showed culture positivity of 71%, which was much higher and close to the present study. In this study, T. mentagrophyte was the commonest isolate noted in 48.15% of the patients followed by T. Rubrum (43.21%). In a study recent study from Mysore by Surendran KAK et al,1 T. rubrum was the chief organism isolated with a percentage of 67.5% while T. mentagrophytes (20%) isolates were found second in frequency. T. mentagrophytes are relatively more prevalent in south India.1 Conclusion: The KOH examination for fungus was positive in 78.4% of the cases and culture was positive for fungus in 64.8% and in patients with positive culture, T. mentagrophyte was the commonest isolate followed by T. rubrum (43.21%). Overall there is wide variation in the clinical and mycological profile of dermatophytosis. Further KOH examination for fungus and culture play an important role in the diagnosis of dermatophytosis. References 1.Surendran K, Bhat RM, Boloor R, Nandakishore B, Sukumar D. A clinical and mycological study of dermatophytic infections. Indian J Dermatol 2014;59:262-7 2.Sen SS, Rasul ES. Dermatophytosis in Assam. Indian J Med Microbiol 2006;24:77-8. 3.Jain N, Sharma M, Saxena VN. Clinico-mycological profile of dermatophytosis in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2008;74(3):274-5. 4.Bindu V, Pavithran K. Clinico-mycological study of dermatophytosis in Calicut. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2002;68(5):259-61. 5.Sahai S, Mishra D. Change in spectrum of dermatophytes isolated from superficial mycoses cases: First report from central India. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2011; 77(3): 335-6. 6.Sumana V, Singaracharya MA. Dermatophytosis in Khammam (Khammam district, Andhra Pradesh, India). Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2004;47(2):287-9. 7.sBelukar DD, Barmi RN, Karthikeyan S, Vadhavkar RS. A Mycological study dermatophytosis in Thane. Bombay Hosp J 2004;46:2.

Essay --

In Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, a tragic hero must be superior to the average person in some way. They must evoke pity, and do so by being imperfect, and having a tragic flaw. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is portrayed as the tragic hero. It may appear that Proctor’s tragic flaw is lust, due to his affair with Abigail. But lust does not explain John’s refusal to become involved in the trials before his wife was accused when he knew that Abigail was lying. It makes more sense that his flaw would be selfishness. It gives a better explanation for his demise and his lechery. It was not the act of adultery, but his reluctance to admit to it and accuse Abigail of being a fraud that lead to him hanging from the gallows. Proctor knows that the only reason Abigail accuses his wife of witchcraft is because she wants her out of the picture. And even when Elizabeth pleads with John to go and tell the court he refuses because there is â€Å"no proof†. From the start of the play John places a great importance on his reputation and the fact that he cannot live without his name. It is clear that John does not want to accuse Abigail of witchcraft. If he does so he runs some risks; she is considered â€Å"a saint † and accusing her could make him look bad and soil his name, and accusing her could also lead to his lechery being made public, again soiling his name. But his silence means that innocent men and women will hang. This quiet act of supreme selfishness is where the outcome of the play is really decided; John’s fate sealed. While Proctor certainly was a flawed man, the events in The Crucible eventually lead to him recognizing and overcoming his selfishness. The first key example of Proctor acting in a selfless manor is ... ...ide as well. Proctor is the â€Å"good guy†, and is sentenced to death, hung for his crime of defending his wife. In addition to this, Proctor is sent to his death willingly after choosing to die rather than ruin the names of the others that were accused. But the real crime that he is being punished for is giving into his lust and having an affair with Abigail. Everybody makes mistakes and has a moment of weakness now and again. It’s hard to not feel at least a small amount of pity for him even if you dislike him. While Proctor is not always the most likable, he has all the characteristics of a tragic hero. While selfish and undoubtedly not perfect, he is a respected man. His selfishness is his tragic flaw, which leads to his eventual death, but on the way down he realizes his own flaws. In an act of courage, John Proctor goes to the gallows with his good name and honor.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 25

25. Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal, Failed Nosferatu, Heartbroken Day Dweller, and Deposed Backup Mistress of the Greater Bay Area Darkness My heady powers of the night are gone, my manga-haired love monkey with a most fly ride is gone, even my tail is gone-worst of all, the Countess is gone. We watched her sail off just before dawn, the Rastafarian imbecile piloting the Raven out past Alcatraz as we stood there on the dock. Then Rivera and Cavuto came blazing up in their shit-brown cop-mobile and jumped out of the car, all â€Å"We have totally watched a number of cop shows and now know how to look urgent.† And Cavuto is all, â€Å"Don't even move, missy.† And he's holding a Super Soaker again. This time, a yellow one. And Rivera is all creeping up the other side of the dock, as if we don't see him, even though the dock is only like fifteen feet wide and there's no cover and it's almost dawn. And Tommy's like, â€Å"You guys, I should probably explain.† But before he can say anything else, I jump up and I'm all, â€Å"Rawr,† at them, coming down with total monster claw hands and scary face. And they fire up their sun jackets and totally open up on Tommy and me with the Super Soakers, until we are wet and laughing so hard that we're falling down on each other. And Marvin jumps out of the car window and runs over to us all doggie â€Å"whaaaa?† face, because he doesn't see a lot of laughing in the cadaver dog business. And Rivera looks at Cavuto, then turns off his sun jacket, and Cavuto turns off his, then holds his squirt gun like it's just turned into a giant yellow turd. And he's all, â€Å"Well, fuck.† And I'm all, â€Å"Oh ass bear, you make me wet,† which totally made us giggle some more, and Marvin ran over and started licking my face, which made me laugh even more, until finally Rivera pulled out his handcuffs and we stopped laughing. So we explained about the old vamps being dead and how they had gotten rid of all the kitty vamps and Chet, and how everyone else had been changed back like us, and it was all good so they just needed to chill the fuck out. And Rivera's all, â€Å"What about the black ship?† And we're like, â€Å"It was owned by this eccentric bazil-lionaire, and the vamps had taken it over, but now that they were dead he was going home.† And Rivera was all, â€Å"But the Emperor said-â€Å" And I'm all, â€Å"Bitch, please. The Emperor of San Francisco, protector of Alcatraz, Sausalito, and Treasure Island, you mean?† Snarking hard. And Rivera is all, â€Å"Okay, good point.† And then the Animals all pull up in two cars, and they jump out all loaded up with squirt guns and garden sprayers, and the Emperor and his dogs jump out, and they are all ready to kick ass, when Rivera stopped them and ‘splained and they went off to get high and the Emperor walked off down the waterfront, watching the Raven sail out to the Golden Gate. ‘Kayso, now the sun is up and Rivera and Cavuto realize that we are totally not vamps, so they take Marvin and climb in their shit-brown mobile and drive off. So Tommy and I are just standing there, at the edge of the dock, and we can just barely see the Raven out by the Golden Gate Bridge, her sails up now, all silver in the sun. And I'm like, â€Å"We should probably go get that money the Countess hid on the roof. It's like three hundred thousand dollars.† The Countess told us where it was before she left. She said she wouldn't need it. And he's like, â€Å"Yeah. It might be a little harder to get up there now that we don't have super powers.† And I'm like, â€Å"She said there's a fire escape most of the way.† And he's all, â€Å"‘Kay.† And he's just staring at the ship. So I'm like, â€Å"So I know you're not nosferatu anymore, but I could still be your minion, if you needed one.† And he's like, â€Å"I'm kind of broken-hearted over here.† And I'm like, â€Å"Me, too.† And he's all, â€Å"Besides, I think you've sort of advanced beyond the level of minion.† So I'm like, â€Å"I could be your girlfriend.† And he's all, â€Å"I thought you loved Foo.† And I'm like, â€Å"I kind of do.† So then he's like, â€Å"I thought you loved Jody.† And I'm all, â€Å"I do. I'm polyamorous.† And he's like, â€Å"Now you want to fuck parrots?!† And I was about to go off on him, but I saw he was grinning, so I just elbowed him in the ribs, like, you dick, as we watched the ship disappear into the fog outside the bridge. And he's like, â€Å"When do you think the Raven will be back?† And I go, all scary voice, â€Å"Nevermore.† Then he looks at me, with a big smile, and he takes my hand. And I totally wanted to kiss him, with plenty of despair and tongue and whatnot. But then I would have had to slap him, so he didn't think that I was a slut, since I'd only been dumped like hours before. But then I thought, he might slap me for the same reason, so instead of a kiss I decided to do a small celebratory booty dance of forbidden passion, which made him grin like a big doof. So we sort of stood there, holding hands, looking at where the ship used to be, realizing that the future was fucking ginormously huge. Like the abyss, only, you know, with better lighting. And I'm all, â€Å"So what now, cornflakes?† Then he's all, â€Å"I think I'll write a book.†

Ambrose Bierce’s short story “Chickamauga” Essay

Ambrose Bierce’s Chickamauga is a disillusioned child’s awakening. Literally, a six year old deaf boy is thrown into a most horrifically traumatic series of events. His story is relayed in the third person omniscient perspective through the eyes of the child as well as an elder. It takes place during the Civil War in a southern town. Chickamauga begins with the boy’s entrance into the forest where he goes to play solitarily. With him he carries a toy wooden sword with which he battles imaginary enemies to their deaths. Lost in his adventure the boy grows tired and falls asleep between two rocks deep in the woods. While he is a sleep a battle occurs unbeknownst to him. Several hours later the child wakes up and notices alien figures crawling towards him. Without knowing the gravity of the situation occurring before his oblivious eyes, he makes a game of it all. The child assumes a leader position for what he has finally determined to be men, and guides them towards a red light. The red light turns out to be his house on fire. When the child finally reaches the fire he is particularly amused by the raging spectacle. He searches desperately for fuel and finally commits his toy sword to the fire. Suddenly the boy realizes that fire is his own home. Horrified he studies the ghastly scene. He then stumbles upon his brutally murdered mother. The small child gets extremely upset, and at this point the reader learns that child is a deaf-mute. The story can be divided into three essential stages, representational of the boy’s progression from innocence to forced maturity. The boy advances through innocence, progression to familiarity with reality, and awakening. The small child enters the forest joyfully and carelessly, he leaves with tremendous fear, depression, and realization. The forest is symbolic of middle ground between innocence and h orrible reality. The six year old enters the forest as an innocent child with no experience in reality. All of his days until this one have been a candy coated fantasy. He’s spent numerous hours reading and learning about the glories and fairy tale aspects of war with his father. This little boy was born into warrior-blood. All of his predecessors were soldiers including his father. He enjoyed learning about war. However, the fatal mistake of this six year  old little boy’s life was his active interest in combat. It was his interest which led him deep into the forest playing, battling fantasy foes. His fight, his game, his reality until this point in his life was fabricated. The reader gets a real sense of his naivety when he encounters a rabbit and is terrified. Maybe the child has never seen a rabbit before, or maybe he has seen one viewed in a dark light. All facts of this boy’s life until this fateful journey into the woods have been given to him. The knowledge he possessed was second hand; it seems as though he’d never experienced anything himself. His father had delivered all of the information the boy held through books, which ironically glorified war. This child’s tragic encounter with war was so foreign and inconceivable to him that when it so brutally hit him he doesn’t even realize it. The woods in Chickamauga symbolize the cruelty of reality. At his entrance into the forest, this completely innocent six year old begins his journey towards the horrors that await him. When the boy is in the forest he cries himself asleep, terrified of the new and unfamiliar paths he’s traveled. While he’s asleep a battle occurs and his house is set on fire. However the child is deaf so he does not hear what is going on. Finally he wakes up to see what look like animals, which in actuality are the soldiers retreating from the battle that has just occurred, and becomes innately curious. He did not understand what they were, he didn’t know whether they were dogs, horses, bears, he had no idea. As they got closer he â€Å"saw little but that these were men, yet crept like babies.† This fact intrigued him. As he inspected the men he laughed at their unfamiliar state, and related them to clowns he’d seen in a circus. Their bloody faces reminded him of the paint on the clowns’ faces. This optimistic association reveals his ignorance of what actually happened. He then recalled that at his home the Negroes had crawled on their hands and knees for his entertainment. He thought it to be a good, fun idea to attempt to â€Å"ride† one of the soldiers. The child gets a thrust into reality when he is thrown off the man and subsequently forced to see his mangled face. When the boy looks at the man he sees â€Å"a face that lacked a lower jaw–from the upper teeth to the throat was a great red gap fringed with hanging shreds of flesh and splinters of bone.† The reader gets a real sense of the child’s naivety when the child is only slightly  disturbed, as he had been with the rabbit. This forces the child to take a slightly more somber view of the situation. However even after this horrific encounter the boy is still fairly oblivious to what is happening. He witnesses death all around him. When the child sees the soldiers lying dead in the water, â€Å"his eyes expanded with wonder; even his hospitable understanding could not accept a phenomenon implying such vitality as that.† It was not in the child’s range of conception to even take in such horror. It is after this encounter with the garbled soldier that the boy catches sight of the red light which guides him to his miserable fate. After obtaining a more serious perception of the state of affairs, the boy positions himself as leader of the soldiers. It seems at this point that the child has gained some insight into reality from the grotesqueness of the bloody soldiers, but still significantly less than a more aware, less naive person would have acquired. This becomes apparent when the boy is at the fire and enjoys its flaring spectacle to no end. The boy is ecstatic and dances with the flames devouring his house. He even tries to fuel it. The boy searches around the yard for objects to throw in, all are too heavy. He is finally forced to surrender his sword. With his sword the child surrenders his innocence. Suddenly with no warning or cause the boy’s disillusion detonates and reality afflicts him. He realizes that the fire is his own house. Horrified at his abrupt realization the boy runs â€Å"with stumbling feet,† frightened at what he is witnessing. At this point he encounters his mother. He sees her with â€Å"the clothing deranged, the long dark hair in tangles and full of clotted blood. The greater part of the forehead was torn away, and from the jagged hole the brain protruded, overflowing the temple, a frothy mass of gray, crowned with clusters of crimson bubbles.† This is his final jolt that forces him to the rock-bottom, ultimate darkness of reality. This sight of his mother, probably raped, brutally murdered jerks him into shock. Traumatized, the young boy â€Å"moved his little hands, making wild, uncertain gestures. He uttered a series of inarticulate and indescribable cries.† This is his horrible awakening. Chickamauga is representational not only of the boy’s awakening, but of human awakening as well. The child’s initial entry into the forest is symbolic of  every journey we take as humans into the unknown. In the forest he acquired immense amounts of insight into what reality could be, but had trouble comprehending the severity of what he was witnessing. It was not until the trauma personally affected him that the small child was struck with what actually happened. This is parallel for most humans in their experiences with trauma. Trauma is real and depressing when it is witnessed personally by someone, but when it is inflicted upon someone we know or love it becomes so intensely real that it is impossible to grasp. This impossible conception is analogous to the small boy’s incoherent cries and gestures at the end. The theft of this child’s innocence was slow and unperceivable in the forest, but most definitely contributed to the final jolt the child felt at the end. The boy slowly progressed towards reality, and when it finally clicked it was appalling.