Oliver Twist

From the readings in the text book “Western Civilization Volume II: Since 1500” I found out that Oliver Cromwell was a strong leader with also strong religious beliefs. He was also mentioned to have been a Puritan who formed the New model Army and defeated the forces supporting King Charles the first, thus ending the first phase of the Civil war with his capture. Even after all of Cromwell’s victories and the new model army, which was made mostly of serious Patrons known as the Independents, who…

More important than a person’s identity, is what a person identifies as. The difference between these two is that identities are constantly being assigned and replaced throughout our life by society and biology, while identifying is a process independent to each individual. Individuals have little control over the process of being labeled and defined by others in ways that sometimes do not reflect their inner self. However, through identification, individuals are able to decide which and to what…

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be trapped inside your own body? Or to have an IQ of 68? These fantasies were realities for Leonard Lowe and Charlie Gordon. Charlie is a 37 year-old man with an IQ of 68 who dreams of being smart. He is picked for an operation to become smart and goes through with it, but who knows if it will work? Leonard Lowe was put into a catatonic state at age 11 because of a disease called encephalitis. He is discovered by Dr. Sayer who puts him on the L-Dopa…

Gwilian’s eyes shot open. “Today is the big day,” she mumbled nervously to herself. It was the day of her first performance, in front of the whole town! She knew that she was ready for it, but she couldn’t seem to calm her nerves. She sat up and her eyes locked onto her most prized possession; her harp. Gwilian’s harp was the most beautiful musical instrument in her town. It had been a gift from her mother, passed on to her from her dying instructor; a gift reserved only for her best pupil.…

Have you ever wondered why England is no longer Complete Monarchy? Imagine some of the bad choices that could’ve been made if England was ruled completely by a monarch. Thanks to a hero we know as Oliver Cromwell, those possibilities have been avoided. Born on April 25, 1599, Oliver Cromwell was one of the most influential Englishmen of history who changed the face of the Earth. Cromwell’s father was Robert Cromwell (Birth Age Unknown - 1617), and his mother was Elizabeth Cromwell (1564 -…

“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.” So preaches Michael Douglas in his Oscar-winning role as immoral businessman Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. Stone’s follow-up to his Best Picture winner Platoon¸ Wall Street does not have quite the reputation Platoon does. I have not seen Platoon, but it seems that this makes sense because Wall Street is not a very entertaining or interesting movie because, although greed may be good, Stone forgot that clarity is good too. The plot of…

Looking deeper into Jamie Oliver you may wonder who is he, what has he done and would I like the real person that is Jamie Oliver. Jamie Oliver is a restaurateur, author, media personality and of most important a world class chef, whom has built up and empire of foods and education. Simplicity has been the key to Jamie’s success both in his food and beliefs on how to change the world. Wanting to learn more about someone and the way they think you have to dive deep into personality past the…

In Oliver Sacks’ work, An Anthropologist on Mars, Sacks delves into the increasingly difficult task of defining creativity, ultimately illustrating that successful adaptation of the brain toward creativity depends on not only physical brain plasticity, but also the internal and external motivations of the victim, asserting that a creative mind holds the key for successful processing and acceptance of loss. Brain plasticity, as defined by the Society of Neuroscience, “refers to the extraordinary…

In 1642, when King Charles I entered the House of Commons seeking the arrest of the five Members alleged to have supported the Scottish invasion against his reign, he not only created Parliamentary history, but also laid the foundation of what is known today as ‘Parliamentary Privilege’. In response to King Charles I’s questions about the whereabouts of these Members, the Speaker William Lenthall famously remarked that “I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the…

A Leg to Stand On, by Oliver Sacks, is a written narrative about Oliver Sacks and his personal struggles. Sacks depicts the story of his self-induced disability, the mental/physical barriers he faced within recovery, and acceptance. Sacks broke down this process into seven steps: the mountain, becoming a patient, limbo, quickening, Solvitur Ambulando, convalescence, and understanding. Along with the physical and mental barriers he faces within this journey, he encounters differing macro/micro…