Use of Symbolism in Cynthia Ozicks The Shawl :: Symbol Analysis The Shawl

In The Shawl, Cynthia Ozick uses descriptive details to engage the reader. The story describes the horror of Nazism. The setting of the story is a concentration camp. The three main characters are Rosa, who was a mother of two daughters, Stella who was fourteen and Magda who was fifteen months. The plot of the story surrounds a magic shawl. The shawl is a major part of the complication, climax and resolution of the story. The magic shawl is the only thing the three starving women have keeping them alive and eventually leads to their demise. The plot of The Shawl ends with a camp guard tossing the infant Magda onto an electrified fence. Ozick's use of symbolism is very important to the story. The author uses symbolism abundantly to help the reader envision the setting. In the beginning of the story, Ozick refers to the baby Magda as, "someone who is already a floating angel" (Jacobs 299). Ozick refers to Magda as an angel throughout the story, "smooth feathers of hair nearly as yellow as the Star sewn into Rosa's coat" (Jacobs 300). Other symbolism within the story, talks of the shawl as the "milk of linen" (Jacobs 300). Beyond the concentration camp, outside of the steel fence, "there were green meadows speckled with dandelions and deep-colored violets: beyond them even father, innocent tiger lilies, tall, lifting their orange bonnets" (Jacobs 301). Past the steel fence was beauty or maybe heaven., but not the poor conditions of the death camp. Of the three characters in The Shawl, Stella is a flat character. She is only part of the story to allow the author to get to the climax. The climax comes when Stella becomes cold, and takes the shawl for warmth. Again, the author uses symbolism, Stella is cold or cruel. Magda is the most dynamic character. She is presented to us first as a quite baby, who is hungry and does not cry. Magda simply sucks on the shawl. When her shawl is taken, she cries and walks wobbly into the yard.

Lactose Tolerance

Lactose is the most important carbohydrate in milk. It cannot be absorbed in the intestine, but needs to be split in two molecules by the enzyme lactase. In newborns the (very rare) absence of the enzyme is lethal unless special food can be provided. Until fairly recently it was considered normal by Western medicine that in older children and adults the activity of lactase was maintained. We now know that this is the rule among west Europeans and their descendants in other countries. In many other populations the continuation of lactase excretion in older children and adults is virtually absent, leading to lactose intolerance (Dobzhansky et al., 1997). Lactose intolerance is manifested by diarrhea, abdominal pain, and flatulence after consumption of, let us say, half a liter of cow's milk (Braly, 1992). This holds for many East Asian groups, Melanesians, Native Americans and for most Africans. Groups of nomadic pastoralists in Africa, such as the Fulani, form a notable exception with high prevalence of lactose tolerance. In southern Europe and in certain regions of India intermediate values (from 30 percent to 70 percent) are found lactose tolerance, a biological, genetic adaptation that is commonly found in populations with a long history of dairying (www.vegsource.com). Populations with this genetic trait have the ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk. The intestinal enzyme lactase breaks down lactose into simpler sugars that can be absorbed and metabolized as a source of energy. Lactose also plays a part in the absorption of the calcium in milk. This is especially important when Vitamin D deficiency is present ( Durham 1991:226-228). Durham (1991) has pointed out that the full story is more complicated than was originally supposed, since it involves calcium as well as lactose absorption. Nevertheless, the result is the same. Today, between 70 and 100 per cent of human adults whose ancestors came from long-term dairy-farming areas are lactose-tolerant, whereas the great majority of those who stem from non-dairy-farming areas remain lactose-intolerant. This differentiation must have occurred within the last 10,000 years, and must have been induced by human phenotypes changing their own environments. When the body is functioning normally, lactase breaks down lactose into two simple sugars, glucose and galactose, which are used by the body. But when there is a lack of sufficient lactase, the unabsorbed lactose migrates to the colon, where it becomes fermented by intestinal bacteria and causes gastrointestinal problems. In most humans, lactase activity disappears after infancy. That is, they become more or less lactose intolerant after they are weaned. Although they may be able to drink a small glass of milk without much trouble, if they drink large amounts the undigested lactose gives them diarrhea, bloating, and gas. Even though they do not absorb the lactose in milk as an energy source, they may be able to make use of the protein, calcium, and fat in milk, if they drink small enough amounts to avoid distress and the nutritional losses incurred with diarrhea. Alternately, cultural adaptations such as making cheese or yogurt reduce the lactose content. Presumably, the reason lactose intolerance occurs early in life has to do with the process of weaning. Some children are genetically programmed to stop being able to handle milk once they pass the age of breastfeeding. Although there is no perfect correlation the relationship between lactose tolerance in adults and animal husbandry is striking. Two explanations have been suggested, one cultural, and the other referring to physical qualities of the environment (Flatz & Rotthauwe, 1977). In the cultural explanation it is postulated that the consumption of milk, because of its nutritional value in proteins, should give a selection advantage. Once there were a few individuals who can tolerate milk, this trait could slowly spread through the population over a large number of generations. The fact that there are cattle farming populations with a low frequency of tolerance weakens this hypothesis. In addition, when milk has fermented it is low in lactose content and is digestible in the absence of lactase in the consumer's intestinal tract. The second hypothesis postulates an advantage of lactose tolerance in areas with relatively little ultraviolet sunlight, such as northern Europe. Sunlight plays a role in the production of vitamin D which is needed for calcium metabolism. A too low level of vitamin D leads to rickets, a bone disease. It has been suggested that lactose is an alternative substance to vitamin D in the metabolism of calcium. Another version of this hypothesis bears on the direct absorption of vitamin D contained in milk and milk products. In practical terms, knowledge of lactose tolerance and intolerance is important when proposing food aid programs. Knowing that milk can cause digestive problems helps us understand why recipients of powdered milk as emergency aid have used the milk to whitewash their buildings and have even accused aid programs of being U.S. plots to poison them ( Lerner and Libby 1976:327). Health educators also need to be cautious about over-promoting milk products to ethnic groups, such as Asian Americans, who do not tolerate them well. In evolutionary terms, farming is quite recent on the human scene, and most of the adaptations to it have been cultural rather than genetic. Lactose tolerance is particularly interesting because it shows the coevolutionary interaction between biological and cultural adaptation to the farming way of life. References Attwood, Charles R. Calcium Without the Cow. Retrieved on January 29, 2006 Braly, James, M.D., and Torbet, Laura. (1992). Dr. Braly's Food Allergy and Nutrition Revolution. New Canaan, Conn.: Keats Publishing, Inc. Dobzhansky, T., Ayala, F. J., Stebbins, G. L., & Valentine, J. W. (1997). Evolution. San Francisco: Freeman. Durham, William H. (1991). Coevolution: Genes, Culture, and Human Diversity. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Flatz, G., & Rotthauwe, H. W. (1977). The human lactase polymorphism: Physiology and genetics of lactose absorption and malabsorption. Progress in Medical Genetics, 2, 205–49. Lerner, Michael, and William J. Libby. (1976). Heredity, Evolution and Society. Second ed. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman. Â   Â  

President Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, and Susan B....

After abolition of slavery, new challenges became present; one of them, the readmission of the Southern states was required into the Union. The goal of Reconstruction was to readmit the South on terms that were acceptable to the North-full political and civil equality for blacks and denial of the political rights of whites who were the leaders of the secession movement (Wormser, 2002). Easier said than done, reconstruction, in the sense originally though by President Lincoln took many years to become a reality due to a series of issues. The Black codes permitted, although dubious, displayed the resistance of the South, this and the lack of opportunities for blacks to owe land, as well as the obstacles they encountered to vote†¦show more content†¦In 1830, Lincoln moved with his family to Illinois and left in 1831 to find work, he got hired to build a flatboat at Sangamon Town (Hickey, 2013). A year later, he was nominated to legislature, but was defeated among thirteen candidates. Between 1833 and 1834 Lincoln was a postmaster, elected for public as a representative to The Illinois House of Representatives and bought a store in New Salem with partner William F. Berry. Already political involved he was elected for a second term in the legislature in 1836. He learned the traits of law in the office of Stuart and Dummer in Springfield, MS., began to practice law in 1839, and argued his first case in The Illinois Supreme court (White, 2009). His marriage to Mary Todd in 1842 produced four children, Robert and Edward. In 1847, Abraham Lincoln issue a resolution to President Polk on behalf of the House. The intention was to clarify if the first blood that was shed on the Mexican War was on American soil or Mexican claimed territory. Lincoln lost the U.S. senate in 1858, to his old friend Stephen Douglas. Elected to the presidency in 1860, he arrived secretly in Washington in February 23 due to treats against his life. Fort Sumter is attacked a nd Lincoln calls for the militia of several Union states to arms, beginning a Civil War that would last for over two years. .he is one of the most admired presidents. In February 1, 1965 Lincoln approved the thirteen amendment, abolishing slavery in the states,Show MoreRelatedEssay about Stowe and Truth2155 Words   |  9 Pageswere both black and white. Around the 1800s slavery was more openly being expressed as being wrong. Many blacks started to speak against their master, some rebelled, some spoke out, and a few literally went out and took action. Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth, were all leaders around the time of the 1800s fighting for the suffrage of black-Americans. Sojourner Truth especially was a strong advocate for equal rights around the 1850s, not only just for blacks, but for women asRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesContributor Susan L. Verhulst Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA John Wiley Sons, Inc. Associate Publisher Executive Editor Senior Editoral Assistant Marketing Manager Marketing Assistant Production Manager Senior Production Editor Freelance Development Editor Senior Designer Interior Design Senior Media Editor Senior Photo Editor Production Management Cover Design Cover Credit George Hoffman Lise Johnson Sarah Vernon Amy Scholz Laura Finley Dorothy Sinclair Sandra Dumas Susan McLaughlinRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesE SSAYS ON TWENTIETH-C ENTURY H ISTORY In the series Critical Perspectives on the Past, edited by Susan Porter Benson, Stephen Brier, and Roy Rosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and CultureRead MoreHuman Resources Management150900 Words   |  604 PagesGE Fanuc is a manufacturer of factory automation and control products. Headquartered in Virginia with 1,500 employees, the HR department primarily performed administrative support activities. But when Donald Borwhat, Jr., took over as Senior Vice President of Human Resources, he and his staff began by restructuring and decentralizing the HR entity so that each functional area of the company has an HR manager assigned to it. The HR managers were expected to be key contributors to their areas by becoming