KH

 =Katie Howells = =Research Paper= Katie Howells Mrs. Sisemore English III Honors—Period 4 18th May 2009  Stem-Cell Research In March of 2008, Kevin Howells was a strong, healthy, 50 year-old man with a lot of life ahead of him. In April of 2008, all of that would change forever because he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Since he was diagnosed in 2008, Kevin, my father, has lost his ability to talk, eat, and is now using a walker to get around. Kevin’s doctor told him that he has the fastest progressing type of ALS because it began in the neurons in his neck, causing the disease to travel to the brain quicker. Being unable to eat the proper foods has cost him a large amount of his adequate daily nutrition, hence, the reason for my father losing 55 pounds since diagnosis, going from 178 pounds to 123 pounds (Personal Anecdote). Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. “With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed” (“What is ALS”). Research has shown that stem-cell research could correct mental illnesses and even cure certain diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and ALS. Stem-Cell research began in the 1800’s with the discovery that some cells could generate other cells. In the early 1900’s, the first stem cells were discovered when finding that these cells could generate blood cells. Stem cells are found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms. They are differentiated from regular cells by the ability to renew themselves through mitosis and shifting into a wide range of specialized cell types. Stem-Cell research is very controversial because some types involve using embryonic stem cells. Almost all research to this date has used mouse embryonic stem cells (mES) or human embryonic stem cells (hES). Another form of stem cell research involves using adult stem cells. Adult stem cells refer to any cell that is found in a developed organism that had two properties: the ability to divide and create another cell like itself and also divide and create a cell different from itself. Although Stem-Cell research is a controversial subject, research for it should continue because it can cure diseases, help to treat children in the womb, and prevent mental handicaps. 
 * Character Analysis**

What is his emotional state? What do other characters say about him? What does he represent? “His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not thought, but of understanding beyond thought.” Pg. 34
 * Sympathetic with George in his situation with Lennie
 * Confident
 * Angry with Curley, doesn’t like him
 * They respect him.
 * They listen to what he has to say.
 * The other men trust him.
 * They do what he asks of him.
 * Courage
 * Trust
 * The hard-working man
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Respect


 * Answer:**

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">**Answer:** Tom’s constant problem would have to be with his mother. Amanda is always criticizing everything Tom does. When Amanda says, “Honey, don't push with your fingers. If you have to push with something, the thing to push with is a crust of bread. And chew! Chew!” Tom is instantly irritated because he doesn’t think his mother needs to have a comment on everything he says or does. She is constantly asking him what he is writing about, and reading over what he writes, making suggestions about how the sentence structure should be, or what he should write about. She is always asking him where he is going, and pushing herself into his personal life. All he wants her to do is to leave him alone and let him be the adult he is, even if he is living at home.
 * Question:** What was Tom's problem?
 * Katie: Your direct quote is too long for your response. In a paragraph like this a dq of one or two words would be more appropriate. Look for deeper problems than his mother. What does he really want? Is it to be left alone? Look at some of this speeches. Mrs. S **

Another problem that I think Tom has is the fact that he feels like everyone depends on him. In the play, it is clearly shown that Amanda and Laura strongly depend on Tom's income. I think that Tom is so overwhelmed with everything going on in his life, that he doesn't want to worry about supporting his family. I don't think that Tom would have as much of a problem with supporting his family if someone else would help out too. I think that if Amanda seemed appreciative toward Tom's working effort, he wouldn't be so upset all the time, either. Also, if Amanda would've let Laura be an adult, then she could be working too, and Tom wouldn't be working all the time,to try and bring in money to support the whole family by himself, which adds stress to his life as well. But, even though all this stuff bothers him, I think that what he really wants is for his mother and Laura to have true happiness. I belive that he see's the pain that Amanda has been through, and wishes that she could find something that would occupy her, and make her happy. I think Tom wishes that Laura was less dependant on their mother. I believe that Tom see's that being around Amanda so much has made Laura very childish and out of touch with reality. I believe that Tom wants everything with his mother and Laura to be okay, so that he could leave and start a life of his own without feeling like Amanda and Laura will hate him and compare him to his father. All Tom wants is the security of normality in his life, because with that, he wouldn't feel guilty for leaving.

__Responses:__
I agree with this response because his mother was always trying to control what he did and where he went. Josh Spence

hillary responce: i agree that Toms problem is his mother she is always telling him to fix what he is doing or correcting him

Tom's problem really is his mother. When their father left Amanda put the idea is her head that she had to fix Tom so would not end up like his father. In reality there is nothing wrong with Tom, his mother should be thankful because he took the role of his father and supports the house hold. He probably would not have left if Amanda understood the "bigger picture". Werica dos Santos

Erica's Response: I agree that Amanda is the root of his problems, but that his main problem is the guilt he feels in wanting to leave his family like his father. He works all the time and has developed a drinking problem by going to the "movies" everynight to escape his problems. If only Tom could've found another way to escape his reality than by going to the movies, drinking, and eventually leaving his family.

Kellie D's Response: I agree that Tom’s problem is that his mother is constantly bothering him. She’s always correcting him and it gets annoying after awhile.

Rachel’s Response: I agree with you on the part about how Amanda is always knit-picking at everything he does, that she is his main frustration. However, I think that he is starting to see that he is a lot like his father and that bothers him tremendously. He knows that when Laura finds someone to marry he can use that as his scapegoat. Tom feels guilty about that but knows that is his only way out so he can finally live on his own and do what he pleases.

I am Holden

Son of two very nice, but “touchy” people. Brother of Phoebe, D.B, and Allie. Who needs love, direction, and family. Who loves cigarettes, his family, and the Museum of Natural History. Who sees girls, phonies, and bad movies. Who hates New York, school, and Ackley. Who fears his parents, failure, and calling Jane. Who dreams of Allie, getting married, and the past. Who wonders how Jane is, how his parents will react, and how his life will be if Allie was still alive. Resident of the loud, bustling city of New York.

<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Caulfield