Mistake and Creativity Essay Example for Free

Mistake and Creativity Essay Assignment: What is your opinion on the relationship between mistakes and creativity? Since the natural propensity of human makes a trend to possess a notion of newness and deviation, intelligence beings patiently seek to response those demands with the result of new creativity. Simultaneously, mistakes of any forms apparently are inherent to creativity either during or after process of creation. Such relationship between creativity and mistakes has generally illustrated in the biography of prominent and famous scientists, Robert J.  Oppenheimer and Thomas Edison. To satisfy and improve the prosperity of life on the Earth, the scientist, Oppenheimer, has a prosperous goal to advance the technological frontiers of man in nuclear physic, and has desire to succeed in controlling nuclear reaction. Ultimately, his creativity according to his goal and desire is atomic bomb. Oppenheimer’s creativity, in contrast, deeply connects him to a serious mistake in his life. His new innovation was seriously responsible for the immense destruction of the death of ten thousands people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Therefore, this destruction can be identified conspicuously that creativity is able to provide mistake in return. While creativity is a necessary thing for mankind, mistake can be seen as a material to pursue that creativity. Taking another famous scientist into consideration, Thomas Edison is isolated himself from the other in order to discover a furtive innovation on electricity. He finally invented electric bulb after trying 1000 times. However, his 999 failures are 999 mistakes that drive him to achieve his ultimate succession. Then, mistakes in this context are root and driver to definitely create innovation. In conclusion, the relationship between mistakes and creativity is a form of complement that affects or dominates each other. Hence, this relationship is a theory, which can also be applied to daily life of each people in the creation’s process.

Bismarcks appointment of Minister President of Prussia Essay Example for Free

Bismarcks appointment of Minister President of Prussia Essay Bismarcks appointment of Minister President of Prussia (1862) was the most important turning point in the course of German nationalism in the period 1815-1919? By 1919 Germany had been united, and the nature of nationalism had changed from a freedom seeking, democratic force into one which demanded popular subservience to the state. German nationalism had clearly changed radically over the period of more than one hundred years and defining the turning point at which it changed is difficult due to the sheer number of factors that impacted upon it as well as the vast number of events and organisations which interfered with its development. Otto von Bismarck would become viewed in later years as the father of German nationalism. When he came to power 1862 the Kaiser was looking for a man who could oppose the liberals and force through a favourable army bill. However, within just nine years Germany would have become united, not without the help, though not always willing, from Bismarck. Bismarck effected the unification of Germany almost single-handedly. However, many of the opportunities which Bismarck actually attempted to manipulate were neither created by him nor very successful. Bismarck did not always manage nationalism as effectively as it is suggested. The Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71 forced to unite with the southern states in Germany when in reality it would have been unlikely that he desired this. Prussia was still attempting to absorb the north German states and to add the southern states, especially with their un-Prussian culture, risked diluting Prussias culture too far. It is clear that in 1890 Bismarck was managed by nationalism because he was forced to resign due to the outpouring of nationalist feeling that resented him attempting to hold Germany in check. He represented the old Germany, a Prussian dominated one and in an effort to find a German chancellor he was removed from office. Even the Dual Alliance in 1879 demonstrated how German nationalism forced him to take actions against his will. With his Prussian upbringing his loyalties more likely lay with Russian rather than Austria and the decline of Austria was increasingly clear for all too see, to join the young, powerful Germany with this crumbling empire would do nothing to help the country yet nationalistic feeling in Germany forced the Alliance. Bismarcks appointment in 1882 was an important moment in German nationalism but the theory that one man had such an impact upon the fate of a nation does not stand so well in light of deeper scrutiny. The Congress of Vienna held in 1815 helped create an environment which would help the growth of German nationalism. Prussias gains in the west of Germany were actually intended by the Allies to be a burden. They had given the smallest of the Great Powers the most difficult job as acting as a barricade against France. However, this would backfire on the Allies when it would later become Germanys massive industrial growth. It also affected the nature of Prussia, whereas she had previously been a predominantly Eastern European power she now had a pan-German outlook, though it appeared to begin with that she had little in common with her western population. The distance between the two main blocks of land meant that transporting goods between the two would prove difficult and this would spur the creation and development of the Prussian Customs Union in 1818 which would later become the Zollverein in 1834. However, when at the Congress of Vienna the Allies faced the question of what is Germany they fell back on historical precedent, the Holy Roman Empire. This can be seen as a retrospective step because it actually excluded areas of both Austria and Prussia, as well as making many of the smaller states much larger. The Congress of Vienna was not a turning point in German nationalism, but without it the nature of Germany could have been very different from that with which we are familiar if it existed at all. The creation of the Zollverein in 1834 was a critical turning point for German nationalism, formed from the Prussian Customs Union in 1818. Thomas Nipperdy described the creation of the Zollverein as the outstanding event in all-German history. Given the basis as a pan-German union it improved the contacts between all of the German states, encouraging them to work together for mutual benefit and broke down barriers between the regions of Germany both officially and culturally. It is often the case that economic unity leads to political as appears to be the case with the EU, formerly the European Economic Community (EEC) and the push for a European constitution. However, German political unity was far from inevitable, many Germans now saw political unity as obsolete because they achieved all the benefits of such a union without the risk of losing any of their own unique regional culture. The Zollverein was also critical in training a new cadre of diplomats for Prussia and teaching them to administer a German organisation, experience which would be invaluable in the post-unification era. Bismarck once declared in a speech to the North German Reichstag in 1869 that He who has his thumb on the purse has the power and by taking the economic leadership of the German states Prussia rose importantly and a Kleindeutsch solution to the German problem became much more feasible. It also struck a double blow in this respect. It not only made a Prussian-led Germany more likely but it made an Austrian-led Germany less likely. Because of her exclusion from the customs union the Austrian economy suffered and her already fragile market became on step closer to failing and this would be one of the major reasons for her defeat to Prussia. The use of the economy mirrored the nature of German nationalism; initially it was a liberal move, the reduction of trade barriers embodied by the introduction of the Zollverein. However, by the time unification was achieved economic policy turned its back on liberalism and the economic protectionism Bismarck employed against Russia helped show how far nationalism had changed. The Zollverein would form the template upon which the German Empire would eventually be founded, a kleindeutsch dominated by Prussia. Some historians even go so far to view the whole of the unification of Germany as purely an economic transaction, that it was not driven by political ideology but by the cold logic of money and economic expansionism. The Zollverein did represent an important twist in the history of German nationalism but it did not utterly change the face of the ideology but simply made the prospect more likely. In addition to this, the success of the Zollverein would provide the necessary environment for the rapid expansion of industry within German and this would have a critical impact upon nationalism. 1848 can very easily be viewed as the critical turning point in the history of German nationalism. It is often seen as a turning point about which history failed to turn, and it is this very failure which makes it such an important date in the history of German nationalism. 1848 presented revolutionary factions within Germany, and other countries throughout Europe, with a window of opportunity. In Paris the Second Republic is established in a welter of violence; in Sicily the Palermo Uprising takes place; in Hungary revolution boils over; Swedish revolutionaries are gunned down by their government and in Ireland the potato famine sparks the Tipperary Revolt. To the established order it appeared that stability was breaking down and anarchy threatened them. It was in this climate of exceptional change that the German revolutionary effort failed. The dithering incompetence of the middle classes, coupled with their glaring impotence discredited liberal politics and any idea of a revolution from below. This would prove potentially dangerous for the development of German nationalism. Divorced from its liberal and democratic roots it became a force of the right and of the paternalist government. This resulted in the desire for individual freedoms being sacrificed for the will of state. The government was paranoid about the dangers of the socialist movement within Germany, but they actually shared many common ideals, most markedly the concept of the priority of the state over the individual. It became obvious that power and change could not be achieved without the power of an army to back themselves; Bismarck summarised this problem in his most famous speech the great questions of the day will not be decided by speeches and majority decisions that was the error of 1848 but by iron and blood. Given our knowledge of how German nationalism developed into a violent, racist, militaristic force it is clear to see that 1848 was a seminal moment in its development, the pre-1848 liberal, French-styled nationalism became a force of the militant right. 1848 also represented a turning point for German nationalism in a European context. It appeared that countries were naturally progressing from being authoritarian monarchies to becoming nationalistic, liberal democracies. Germanys refusal to follow this trend fundamentally altered the nature of German nationalism. This turning point about which history failed to turn left something rotten at the core of German nationalism. The change from idealism to brutal pragmatism, combined with the machinations of Bismarck and the authoritarian government meant that the German peoples cause was subverted and used as a weapon against those European powers who had abused Germany for such a long time. On the 18th of January 1871 the German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. This can easily be seen as a turning point in German nationalism, it finally created what the nationalists had been striving for over the past half century. Though it is true that the majority of what then became Germany existed in the North German Confederation created 4 years earlier after Prussias victory over Austria it represented a subtle but important shift in the history of German nationalism and the process of reaching the announcement played a very important role in defining the new Germany. Even the date upon which the Empire was announced held special significance, 270 years earlier the first Elector of Brandenburg was crowned King in Prussia. This clearly symbolically established Prussian hegemony over the newly created German Reich. Even the fact that the proclamation was made at Versailles was more significant than simple a quick expediency. Were the proclamation were to be made in Berlin, the capital of the new Empire, it would have most likely been made in Parliament. For Bismarck this would have been intolerable, in his eyes it was the army and their feudal, warlord leaders who had united the new empire rather than the romantic liberals and their speeches and majority votes. The Reich was declared in the home of imperial power, Versailles was the benchmark against which all other symbols of imperial might were measured and it clearly showed how the ruling elite of the new Germany planned to rule the country. It would be easy to say that it was a simple political humiliation for the French to have their enemies declare their new country in the French capital but to do this would ignore the deeper significance of both the time and place it was made. Nationalism within Germany underwent many changes over the period from 1815 to 1919. It suffered from a gradual change from its ideals over the time and it is difficult to differentiate between the impacts that the different potential turning points had on German nationalism. However, the most seminal moment in the history Germany nationalism was when it shifted indelibly from the idealists views to the pragmatic views of the industrialists within the country. 1866 can be seen as the turning point in the unification of Germany rather than a turning point in the nature of German nationalism. The failure of democracy in 1848 at a time when many other revolutions had succeeded left many Germans with the view that it would only be through violence and warfare blood and iron that their dreams would ever be realised.

The Role Of Ward Based Advanced Nurse Practitioners Nursing Essay

The Role Of Ward Based Advanced Nurse Practitioners Nursing Essay This original research was conducted in a large teaching hospital in North West England that examined ward-based Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) and aimed to clarify their roles and expectations in patient care and how they impact the clinical practice. Study participants (which consist of five ANPs, 14 ward-based nurses, and five patients) were observed and invited to participate in interviews. The roles and skills of ANPs were observed and gathered from the interviews. ANPs were described as pivotal in the management of patient care and served as an invaluable link between the medical and nursing team. They frequently translated medical information for nurses, patients and other allied healthcare professional to make sure that the plan of care was well understood and provide further explanations if necessary. ANPs were observed to be confident practitioners, good information resource and by using their technical knowledge and skills served as a role model to support the nurses and junior doctors to enable them to be more efficient in providing care. In addition, ANPs were found to be less intimidating than doctors and more approachable in resolving care issues. Meanwhile, ANPs were faced with a number of challenges and have to ove rcome skepticism from other health professionals who have different views on the ANP role expectation and scope of practice. ANPs perceived that their education had not adequately prepared them for their clinical role. ANPs have great impact in nursing practice and patient care. Although the study strives to clarify the role of the ANPs, the findings regarding the role of ANPs are not clearly defined and lack consistency that may lead to role conflict and overload. Running Head: How are acute care nurse practitioners enacting their roles in healthcare teams? A descriptive multiple-case study This multiple-case study conducted in two-university affiliated teachings hospitals in Quebec, Canada aimed to understand how cardiology acute Care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) enacted their roles in healthcare teams. Data were collected from interviews, field notes, documents and time and motion study of NP activities. The work activity pace was faster before noon due to patient care demands. Participants in one hospital believed that NP role was not an integrated role of medical and nursing components but an expanded role because they assumed more expanded nursing role components than the medical role. In addition, NPs needed to consult with physicians for patient care decision making that were within their scope of practice. They did not have that much authority in regards to decision making due to lack of structures to formalize the organizational role. There were also inconsistent messages about the role expectations to attempt to formalize the prescriptive authority of NPs which had not been approved by the medical advisory board. On the other hand, participants in the other hospital believed that NPs enacted their role more in the medical component since the medical directives and prescriptive privileges had been approved by the medical advisory board. NPs had greater autonomy in their role and prescriptive authority. It was also noted that NPs participated very little in nursing activities such as implementing nursing care plans or use of clinical care pathways. In both hospitals, the largest role component was the clinical role. The transfer of prescriptive and decision-making authority must be addressed to enable NPs to work their full scope of role to optimize patient outcomes. Clarifying role structures were expected to enable the NPs enact their role in healthcare team and prevent role confusion. Running Head: Defining NP scope of practice and associated regulations: Focus on acute care This review of literature was conducted to define the NP scope of practice (SOP) with emphasis on NPs in acute care setting. Documents were gathered from different resources including National Council of State Board of Nursing (NCSBN), individual state board of nursing, and NP scope and standards of practice. According to Federation of State Medical Boards (2005) and NCSBN (2009), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“SOP is a set of rules, regulations and boundaries within which a fully qualified NP may practiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . It defines what activities a profession can undertake. Both practice acts (state regulatory board form of statutes approved by legislators) and its rules and regulations define NP SOP and require approval from legislators to become law. The Consensus Model for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) Regulation was developed to resolve different issues concerning inconsistent APRN education and licensure requirement across jurisdiction and issues in certification. It helps stand ardize regulations for APRNs. Professional regulators are working together in implementing a consistent SOP for NPs in all jurisdictions. According to American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), NPs are licensed independent practitioners that provide nursing and medical services emphasizing on health promotion and disease prevention. In addition, NPs have a collaborative practice agreement with the physicians. However, regulations are different from state to state NP SOP are not clearly defined and further clarifications are needed especially as it pertains to NPs working in acute care to ensure that NPs are practicing according to their education, training and competency as evidenced by the certifications they hold. Running Head: NURSE-DIRECTED INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE CATHETER-ASSOCIATED URINARY TRACT INFECTION This research focuses on the evidence-based practice guidelines conducted at the University of Colorado Hospital as a quality improvement project to initiate a nursing-driven approach to reduce the incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infection and improve patient outcomes. A catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the most common cause of healthcare-associated infection. It is a major health concern leading to prolonged hospital stay and increased healthcare cost. Evidence-based use of indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) must be enforced to reduce the prevalence of CAUTI. In this project, an intervention design was implemented to evaluate the nurse-driven intervention incorporating evidence-based guidelines. The goal is to decrease the prevalence CAUTI by emphasizing health education on specific unit-based nursing practice. Improving the nursing care by educating the nurses regarding insertion, management and early removal of IUC to ensure the best practice and expanding this education to ancillary services (eg. rehabilitation and transport staffs) were found to positively impact the CAUTI rates. Focused unit interventions such as providing education on postoperative catheterization, use of bladder scanner to check for urinary retention to minimize IUC reinsertion, and encouraging early removal of the urinary catheter were found to decrease the catheter days and prevent infection. Providing education by infusing the best evidence into current practice are important interventions to raise awareness. Incorporating evidence-based guidelines and strategie s by focusing of nursing-driven interventions can improve patient outcomes.

Deep Sea Fishing :: Personal Narrative Essays

Deep Sea Fishing Wow! I love going deep sea fishing on our boat. I was excited when my dad had asked me if I wanted to go this weekend. We departed that Saturday morning after almost a week of sheer anticipation, our destination, Port Canaveral, home of of some of the best fishing on the east coast of Florida. The sea is a very dangerous place when riled by a storm, even a mild one, so we always made sure the day would be at least close to perfect before we ventured out into the blue darkness of the open sea. My dad and I had seen the destruction careless boaters could get themselves into, and we did our best to avoid it. That Saturday, though, looked as if it were a perfect offshore fishing day. The sky was clear as glass, with a couple straggling cirrus clouds, but nothing worth paying attention to, and above that, the fish were supposedly hitting offshore. All-in-all, the long awaited perfect fishing day had come, at least in our minds it had. In the meantime, my dad backed the boat into the salty murky water as I got the boat ready for our day long journey. I set the navigation system to a favorite fishing spot of ours which was about twenty-five miles out called the Pelican Flats. We headed out on the gently, quiet, rolling blue monster's back as our twenty-two foot vessel handled the one to two foot ocean swells with sheer ease. Finally, after an hour long haul, and fifteen fishing minutes later, we ran into our first sign of action. "Fish on starboard!!" screamed my younger brother. "Fish on stern, grab 'em!", bellowed by dad from the steering wheel. Instinctly, my brother and I had quickly grabbed the poles as the line screamed off and the tips bent almost to the water. Soon enough, both of us had fish on, very large fish from the feel. About half an hour of sweat and a good workout, we finally got the fish to give up their fight for life. That was the first time we had ever encountered a double hook-up, which happens when two fish of a considerable size are hooked simultaneously, and it happened in less than fifteen minutes. We ended up fishing for about four more hours and landed an incredible number of large fish, and we wanted more. The three of us scanned the surface for more action, and found nothing of interest but what looked like a storm cloud moving towards us at an unknown velocity about

Finding Meaning and Purpose in Mitch Albom’s, The Five People You Meet

â€Å"The Five People You Meet In Heaven† written by Mitch Albom tells about a man named Eddie and his experiences in life and in heaven. During his journey in heaven he meet five people. He learns how he has impacted the five lives while on earth. Eddie finds that his life did have true meaning and purpose. Prior to meeting the five people that he meets in heaven, he feels as if his life is worthless and has no meaning. Physically he is not in good shape, â€Å"His left knee, wounded in the war, was ruined by arthritis. He used a cane to get around†(2, paragraph 1). He feels stuck at a place with a job that he absolutely hates, â€Å"He cursed his father for dying and for trapping him in the very life he’d been trying to escape: a life that, as he heard the old man laughing from the grave, apparently now was good enough for him†(128, paragraph 1). The one and only love of his life has died, â€Å"I lost everything. I lost the only woman I ever loved†(173, paragraph 9). The triumphs bring Eddie down and make him feel as if his life did not go as he had planned. Although Eddie meets five people in heaven that try to help him to understand his life, one of these people stand out above the rest. When Eddie meets Ruby, he has no idea who she is but she tries to help him try to understand and forgive his father for the years of neglect and abuse. â€Å"Once Eddie tried to stand next to his father and look at his cards, but the old man put down his cigar and erupted like thunder, smacking Eddie’s face with the back of his hand. â€Å"Stop breathing on me,† he said, â€Å"Eddie never got that close again†(105, paragraph 2). As Eddie grows older, their nonexistent relationship does not change for the better! Ruby helps Eddie with this struggle by showing him that... ... mundane things Eddie had done in his life, the accidents he had prevented, the rides he had kept safe, the unnoticed turns he had affected everyday. And while their lips did not move, Eddie heard their voices, more voices than he could have imagined, and a peace came upon him that he had never known before†(193, paragraph 3). Now Eddie knew, He finally knew the meaning and purpose of his life. Although it takes a long time, Eddie finds everything that he has been looking for to understand and be happy with his life. The Five People You Meet In Heaven shows readers how every life has a plan. The plan might not be realized until death, its possible that life’s experiences will be explained. Once the five people are met and differences are resolved, then comes peace. Works Cited Albom, Mitch. The Five People You Meet In Heaven. New York: Hyperion, 2003.

Individuation in J.D. Salinger’s Shoeless Joe and Shakespeare’s Hamlet

One could speculate that the human condition is that of fragmentation, a dichotomy of the many aspects of personality that make us who we are. C.G. Jung, the founder of analytical psychology formulated a school of thought called junginism to explain this state of disunity. One theory from the Jungianism school of thought is the process of "individuation.† The process of individuation refers to the course in which an individual unifies and integrates all aspects of his/her personality. Individuation is clear in both the character â€Å"Ray Kinsella† from J.D. Salinger’s â€Å"Shoeless Joe† and the character Hamlet, from Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet the Prince of Denmark. Unlike Ray Kinsella, Hamlet was not able to reach individuation because of his melancholic depression and the dichotomy of his archetypes. Firstly, Hamlets process of individuation is stunted because of his melancholic depression. Throughout the play there are several moments where the reader becomes aware of the harmful nature of Hamlets melancholic depression has on his process of individuation. One of the most famous soliloquies in history â€Å"too be or not too be† perfectly illustrates how Hamlet’s melancholic depression is to the detriment of his process of individuation. The first portion of the speech is Hamlet contemplating suicide, only to be dissuaded by the fact that it is a sin to end one’s own life â€Å"To be, or not to be? That is the question—Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them? To die†¦ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come† Hamlet is essentially contemplating the morality of suicide, but is worried that h... ...s hinder him for most of the play. Fortinbra like Hamlet is intent on avenging his father, but he is able to integrate all of his archetypes as part of his psyche, and does not lose his voice of reason in the pursuit of violence. Works Cited Maslow, A. H. A Theory of Human Motivation. 1943. http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm>. Steel, Piers Ph.D. The Science Of Procrastination. n.d. . 1916, English, Book Edition: Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology / by C. G. Jung ; Authorised Translation Ed. by Dr. Constance E. Long. Jung, C. G. (Carl Gustav), 1875-1961." Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology / by C. G. Jung ; Authorised Translation Ed. by Dr. Constance E. Long. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Dec. 2013.

Love in Like Water for Chocolate Essay

Have you ever experienced that euphoric sensation after eating an absolutely delicious food? You are not alone. Many have experienced this feeling and refer to it as a â€Å"foodgasm†. These types of connections between food and sex have long been established, but from where do they come? Do we make these connections through our cultural experiences or are they biologically programmed within us? In Like Water for Chocolate, the author, Laura Esquivel, portrays sex and food as being connected in a cultural sense. The basis for this conclusion rests largely in her use of tradition and her depiction of a Latino family strongly based in their culture. This cultural foundation, paired with the interactions between characters, food, and sex, gives the reader plenty of evidence to support this perspective. Esquivel uses the preparation, eating, and serving of food as a connection to love and sex, and as humans we have learned, through culture, to make this connection. Structured in twelve chapters, each representing a month of the year, Esquivel has created an entrancing love story that is sprinkled with culinary enchantments around every corner. Each chapter is prefaced with a recipe that is relevant to the progression of the novel, not to mention the many cooking tid-bits thrown in throughout each chapter. The preparation of food is clearly very important to the culture being represented. Tita, the main character and protagonist, was born in the kitchen and possesses all the superior traits of a culinary expert. She is also blessed (or cursed) with the ability to inject her emotions in to the food she cooks, in turn, infecting all those who consume the food with that emotion. In one section of the novel, Tita makes Quail, in Rose Petal Sauce, to express her passion for her sister, Rasaura’s, husband, Pedro, who she is deeply in love with. With that meal it seemed they had discovered a new system of communication, in which Tita was the transmitter, Pedro the receiver†¦ Pedro didn’t offer any resistance. He let Tita penetrate to the farthest corners of his being, and all the while they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. (Esquivel 52) It is customary, in many cultures, for a woman to prepare a meal for her significant other in order to show how much she cares for him. The fact that Tita has taken the time to cook such a complex and beautiful dish, to translate her love to Pedro, shows how much impact this cultural custom has on her. Through this particular interaction, Esquivel has displayed the influence that culture has over the preparation of food and it’s relation to love. The expectation for a woman to acquire the ability to prepare food for her significant other brings me to another question: Does a woman’s capacity for cooking significantly affect a man’s attraction to her? Esquivel brings this question to the forefront of the reader’s mind when she offers this comparison between Rasaura and Tita’s cooking. The rice was obviously scorched, the meat dried out, the dessert burnt. But no one at the table dared display the tiniest hint of displeasure, not after Mama Elena had pointedly remarked: ‘As the first meal that Rosaura has cooked it isn’t bad. Don’t you agree, Pedro? ’ Making a real effort not to insult his wife, Pedro replied: ‘No, for her first time it’s not too bad. ’ (50-51) She goes on to show Pedro’s reaction to Tita’s cooking saying, â€Å"It wasn’t enough he’d made his wife jealous earlier, for when Pedro tasted his first mouthful, he couldn’t help closing his eyes in voluptuous delight and exclaiming: ‘It is a dish for the gods! ’†(51). This comparison allows us to reasonably assume that Tita’s aptitude for culinary artistry did contribute to the growth of Pedro’s love. So, how might this reaction be culturally habituated? In almost all cultures, men are expected to provide and women are expected to cook. Even if a man is not consciously aware, they subconsciously factor this in to their choosing of a mate. It is culturally conditioned for a man to prioritize supporting his family over many other things. If a woman does not possess the ability to cook then a man may assume that she will not be able to support or provide for their family. This, of course, is not a strict rule of thought but, from my experience, it can be applied to many cases. Through comparison, Esquivel gives the reader evidence that Pedro loves Tita partially for her ability in the kitchen, and with prior knowledge we, as the reader, can attribute this connection to his cultural influences. We’ve determined that falling in love can be related to a woman’s ability to make food, but what about the relationship between food and making love? Earlier I made a reference to the word â€Å"foodgasm†, this portion of a quote, which I previously used, provides a great example of what a foodgasm might look like. â€Å"†¦ for when Pedro tasted his first mouthful, he couldn’t help closing his eyes in voluptuous delight and exclaiming: ‘It is a dish for the gods! ’†(Esquivel 51) It is instances like this one that finds Esquivel nudging the reader to make a connection between food and sex. Esquivel’s use of diction such as ‘voluptuous’ makes it practically impossible not to connect this experience to the effects of an orgasm. Thinking further on this connection, I think that giving food is a form of showing love just as making love is. As raunchy as it may seem, Pedro is receiving Tita through food. It is their unique form of making love. Esquivel makes another food/love connection on page 67 when she says, â€Å"Tita knew through her own flesh how fire transforms a tortilla, how a soul that hasn’t been warmed by the fire of love is lifeless, like a useless ball of corn flour. †(67) It’s almost as if Esquivel allows characters, in this case Tita, to take on the form of food. With this being said, receiving food is like receiving the person who made it. In Tita and Pedro’s case, it was their way of making love before they could actually perform the act. I think that the importance of food to their relationship can be contributed to their culture’s emphasis on food. If food were not so important to their culture it would not be the medium for such an important interaction. In order to make and express love in Like Water for Chocolate, Tita makes food for Pedro further emphasizing the cultural connection between food and love. Some may argue that this relationship between food and sex is purely natural and scientific. In some sense this is true. Sex and Food are both biologically programmed drives that all humans possess. We have a strong need to procreate in order to further our species as well as a great need to eat in order to survive. These are facts of nature, but you can’t ignore the emotional connection that we have to food and sex. Tita and Pedro do not have these reactions to food in relation to sex simply because they need to eat or they have a great need to reproduce. Culture conditions us to eat because we love food not to simply eat to live. The same goes for sex. We are taught that in order to have sex one must have a connection to their partner; it is â€Å"morally sound† to think this way. This is especially true for the culture being represented in Like Water for Chocolate. Just in the way that Esquivel structures the novel you can get a sense of the importance food. The food must be treated with respect and love just as a person should be. Esquivel shows the significance of treating food well here: Something strange was going on. Tita remembered that Nacha had always said that when people argue while preparing tamales, the tamales won’t get cooked. They can be heated day after day and still stay raw, because the tamales are angry. In a case like that, you have to sing to them, which makes them happy; then they’ll cook. ‘(218-219) Esquivel’s personification of food demonstrates the meaning that food holds in this culture. It has feelings and you have to love it and nurture it. You don’t just eat food to eat it; you eat food because food is a beautiful part of life that you respect. In this way, Esquivel creates a strong connection between food and love through the cultural importance that the novel puts on the meaning of food rather than the natural tendency of humans to make this connection. After analyzing Esquivel’s novel, Like Water for Chocolate, I can say that the connection between food, sex, and love, in this context, is predominately based on cultural influences rather than natural ones. In making food, one is showing how much they care, just as Tita did for Pedro with her Quale in Rose pedal sauce dish. The ability to create such meals, in a man’s mind, is a reflection on a woman’s ability to provide for their family. By personifying food, Esquivel allows this process of cooking food and giving food to become much deeper than the simple act itself. The act of giving food then takes the form of giving ones self to the individual receiving the food. Whether it is between food and love, cooking and falling in love, or eating food and making love, culture is the force that defines these connections. Works Cited Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. Trans. Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Print.