Fear of Polio

685 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literature review on Polio

Fear Of The Unknown
GMO Products
Parents and children today may have no memory of the dreaded disease called polio, which struck both young and old by the score from the 1930s to the 1950s. School children and parents were as frightened of polio as they were of nuclear bomb attacks on the United States.
When the polio vaccine was finally discovered, people all over America were inoculated. Still, there were scores of people who did not trust doctors, did not like the use of needles – and some who even feared that the vaccine would give their child polio. Anti-vaccine propaganda and rumors were spread to the public. Some of the unvaccinated number continued to contract the crippling and deadly disease. But occurrence of polio is almost, or totally, nonexistent in the United States today, thanks to the success of this cure -- and the backing of the U.S. Government.
The point of this bit of history is to show the side of human nature that fears the unknown. Take GMO, Genetically Modified Organisms, for example. Fear of commodities such as soybeans, wheat and corn grown from GMO seed, has sent shockwaves through Europe and brought increasing concern right to our front door, the place where the miraculous seed was developed.
Current public concern is the result of a wide-ranging, well-financed propaganda campaign of negatives – negatives intended to strike fear in the hearts of countless consumers "over there" and now, over here. Government agricultural agencies of var...

Show More
Related

  • When Corn Becomes A King Rhetorical Analysis

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the New York Times article “When a Crop Becomes a King”, author Michael Pollan argues there is an overproduction of corn that does more harm than it does good. He writes this in response to a farm bill signed by then President Bush to increase the budget for corn production which caused much controversy. Pollan uses an infuriated and frustrated tone in order to convince American consumers that corn has taken over their environment and economy. Michael Pollan uses rhetorical strategies to challenge conventional views of corn and to argue against additional corn production.

    Read More

  • Barbara Kingsolver Called Home

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moreover, this system of mass farming leads to single crop farms, which are ecologically unsafe, and the unnatural treatment of animals (Kingsolver 14). These facts are presented to force the reader to consider their own actions when purchasing their own food because of the huge economic impact that their purchases can have. Kingsolver demonstrates this impact by stating that “every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we

    Read More

  • Summary Of Polio

    1562 Words  | 4 Pages

    Polio: An American Story describes a struggle to find a vaccine on polio through several researchers’ lives, and over the course of many years. The second thesis is the struggle between Salk and Sabin, two bitter rivals who had their own vaccine that they believed would cure polio. The author David M. Oshinsky, is describing how difficult it was to find the cure to a horrifying disease, which lasted from the Great Depression until the 1960’s. Oshinsky then writes about how foundations formed as fundraisers, to support polio research. Lastly, the author demonstrates how researchers were forced to back track on multiple occasions, to learn more about polio.

    Read More

  • A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes and My Little Dreams by Georgia Douglas Johnson

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both poems address the fundamental theme of having a dream. This is the ever-occurring dream that is explored during the Harlem renaissance period; the dream of justice that is deferred. However, even in having the same theme, it is explored and is envisioned by the poets in different ways. In “A Dream Deferred”, Hughes describes the negative potentials of a dream that is delayed, warning that this may be dangerous. For example, he describes how ‘[it may] fester like a sore and then run’ which shows that if this dream remains unfulfilled, it will get ‘infected’ and lead to a greater, more destructive problem (4-5). Also, the dream may ‘crust and sugar over, like a syrupy sweet’, which describes how if a dream is forced to sit idle, it will lose its original goal, and harden into destructive thoughts that are crusted over with doubt, anger and hatred. It is even brought to a greater extreme; where Hughes describes how this dream may simply ‘explode’ (11). This shows the catastrophe that may result from the impatience of African-Americans who really want to achieve this dream of justice. On the other hand, in “My Little ...

    Read More

  • Racism In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    1540 Words  | 4 Pages

    Literature has always been arguably the most potent avenue for African Americans, and indeed all creatures who bear the burden of humanity, to relate the lunacy and unfairness of prejudice as well as demonstrate its devastating effects. Although slave narratives may perhaps be the first example of this kind of literature’s American variant to come to one’s mind, literature of the mid-nineteenth century was no less of a cogent tool for portraying the injustice faced by blacks in a manner meant to elicit indignation and spur social change. One such piece of so-called protest literature is the short story “Sonny’s Blues”, published in 1957. Penned by essayist, novelist, and former child evangelist James Baldwin, this story is about the relationship

    Read More

  • Poliomyelitis Essay

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    Envision a life consumed by grayness and misfortune, slowly weakening the body from the inside with no proof of existence other than symptoms of a common cold. Dwindling away as skin begins to cling to bone, this monster, formally addressed as the Poliomyelitis (Polio) disease, finds its way to the nerves of the body as well as the grey areas of the spinal cord, leaving its host with dreadful affects throughout the body.Since its discovery in 1905, Polio has caused several epidemics throughout the years leaving many permanently paralyzed or even dead. Thankfully, scientists created the polio vaccination which lead to the nearly complete eradication of this disease. However, In order to ensure this disease does not spread as it once did before, people must come to understand Polio’s etiology, history and modern day epidemiology, as well as its proper response to treatment.

    Read More

  • The History of Vaccination and Present Day Concerns

    1553 Words  | 4 Pages

    The history of vaccinations does not begin with the first vaccination itself but rather an infectious disease that had greatly affected the human population. In 1796 Edward Jenner created a successful composition using cowpox material that created immunity to the ongoing growth of the small pox disease. Jenner’s method underwent 200 years of medical and technological changes until it had finally resulted in complete elimination of the smallpox disease. Vaccinations have been a controversial medical topic for many years and although it is proven to be an effective means of preventing serious effects, including fatalities from childhood illnesses the controversy remains that the side effects from the immunizations outweigh the risk of contracting the disease. According to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia they state that “innovative techniques now drive vaccine research, with recombinant DNA technology and new delivery techniques leading scientist in new directions. Disease targets have expanded, and some vaccine research is beginning to focus on non-infectious conditions, such as addictions and allergies” (“The History of Vaccines” College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Web. 10 January. 2014). While public health officials insist that vaccines are the best way to protect public health. Over the past thirty years the vaccination schedule has tripled and since then there has been an alarming rise in the infant mortality rate in America. The problem is not the vaccination itself, but the quality of the vaccination.

    Read More

  • Polio Essay

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poliomyelitis, also known as Polio, is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. Most victims to this disease are younger than five years of age; they are more likely to get this disease than any other age group. Out of two hundred people infected with the polio disease one is most likely to result in paralysis. The Polio Virus has decreased greatly since the Polio Vaccine was developed. In 2010 a WHO (World Health Organization) pole reported only 1,352 cases worldwide. Since the Polio Vaccine was developed the U.S has not has a single Polio case since 1979.

    Read More

  • Genetically Modified Food (GMOs): Annotated Bibliography

    2902 Words  | 6 Pages

    Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed everyone sufficiently. No simple solutions can be found or applied when there are so many lives involved. Those who are hungry and those who are over fed, alike, have to consider the consequences of Genetically Modified Organisms. Food should not be treated like a commodity it is a human necessity on the most basic of levels. When egos, hidden agendas, and personal gains are folded into people's food sources no one wins. As in many things of life, there is no true right way or wrong way to handle either of the arguments and so many factors are involved that a ‘simple’ solution is simply not an option.

    Read More

  • Revenge of Beowulf

    1194 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.

    Read More

  • Epic of Beowulf

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 8th century epic poem Beowulf illustrates a loss of community, cultural values and tradition. On the other hand, an elegiac passing of an extraordinary hero and the relationship between the themes of mortality and heroism are well discussed in Beowulf. Beowulf’s character exemplifies the Germanic and the Anglo-Saxon ideals of the hero: strong, fearless, bold, loyal, and stoic in the acceptance of fate. Despite his lack of humility, Beowulf was the definition of a hero in his own time by his demonstration of chivalry and his important roles in society.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Poem Harlem By Langston Hughes

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    First off, when analyzing the title of the poem, the reader can make a quick connection as to what the poem is about. Many people are familiar with Harlem the place in New York where African-American culture became very popular between World War I and the 1930s. Harlem then and today is heavily populated with African Americans and it is easy to associate the poem with the black community. The first line of the poem opens with,"What happens to a dream deferred?" This line sets the stage for the poem by putting the reader on the spot.The reader can assume this dream being deferred is equality for all races. This assumption is based on the title as well as the time period Langston Hughes wrote the poem. Langston Hughes wrote Harlem in the early 1950s, a time before the civil rights movement, when African Americans were segregated and not treated equally.

    Read More

  • A Patriarchic Society in Aphra Behn's The Rover

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    By placing an emphasis on the man who uses women as sex objects by titling her play after him; by having almost all the female characters in the play treated horribly, used, and manipulated; and having the female characters barely putting up a fight, Aphra Behn suggests the heavily patriarchic society that exists is too extensive and is dangerous for the women in it.

    Read More

  • Is Beowulf a Valid Historical Book?

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf strikes peculiar reactions among scholars, historians, and professors. The increase in the amount of confusion is caused by new twists to old theories and by new theories. Beowulf was composed for an audience that would take into account the struggles that the main character took, and the audience would see the poem in its own way. Though few can clearly understand the value of the poem, we must realize that judging the poem from a twentieth century point of view would be unjust to the author or authors of Beowulf.

    Read More

  • Women In Aphra Behn's 'The Rover'

    1792 Words  | 4 Pages

    In “The Rover”, Female identity and value are indivisible from female sexuality. There are only three roles a woman can take, and all of them are directly related to a women’s sexuality. Women are classified as either women of quality, or whores, and can either be wives, nuns or prostitutes. Because being a prostitute is not a respectable option, the women of quality in the play are valued far more. In fact many of the men in the play express disgust at the fact that a women would

    Read More

More about Fear of Polio

Open Document