Basic Parts of the Brain and Their Responsibilities

Basic Parts of the Brain and Their Responsibilities The scarecrow needed it, Einstein had an excellent one, and it can store a whole lot of information. What is it you say? Why, the brain of course.  The brain is the control center of the body. Think of a telephone operator who answers incoming calls and directs them to where they need to go. Similarly, your brain acts as an operator by sending messages to and receiving messages from all over the body. The brain processes the information it receives and ensures that  messages are directed to their proper destinations. Neurons The brain is composed of specialized cells called neurons. These cells  are the basic unit of the nervous system. Neurons send and receive messages through electrical impulses and chemical messages. Chemical messages are known as neurotransmitters and they can either inhibit cell activity or cause cells to become excitable.   Brain Divisions The brain is one of the largest and most important organs of the human body. Weighing in at about three pounds, this organ is covered by a three-layered protective membrane called the meninges. The brain  has a wide range of responsibilities. From coordinating our movement to managing our emotions, this organ does it all.  The brain is composed of three main divisions: the forebrain, brainstem, and hindbrain. Forebrain The forebrain is the most complex of the three parts. It gives us the ability to feel, learn, and remember. It consists of two parts: the telencephalon (contains the cerebral cortex and corpus callosum) and the diencephalon (contains the thalamus and hypothalamus). The cerebral cortex allows us to understand the mounds of information we receive from all around us. The left and right regions of the cerebral cortex are separated by a thick band of tissue called the corpus callosum. The thalamus acts as a telephone line of sorts, allowing information to get through to the cerebral cortex. It is also a component of the limbic system,  which  connects areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in sensory perception and movement with other parts of the brain and  spinal cord.  The hypothalamus is important for regulating hormones, hunger, thirst, and arousal. Brainstem The brainstem consists of the midbrain and the hindbrain. Just as the name suggests, the brainstem resembles the stem of a branch. The midbrain is the upper part of the branch that is connected to the forebrain. This region of the brain sends and receives information. Data from our senses, such as the eyes and ears, are sent to this area and then directed to the forebrain. Hindbrain The hindbrain makes up the lower portion of the brainstem and consists of three units. The medulla oblongata controls involuntary functions such as digestion and breathing. The second unit of the hindbrain, the pons, also assists in controlling these functions. The third unit, the cerebellum, is responsible for the coordination of movement. Those of you who are blessed with great hand-eye coordination have your cerebellum to thank. Brain Disorders As you can imagine, all of us desire a brain that is healthy and functions properly. Unfortunately, there are some who suffer from neurological disorders of the brain. A few of these disorders include: Alzheimers disease, epilepsy, sleep disorders,  and Parkinsons disease.

Definition and Examples of Epizeuxis in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Epizeuxis in Rhetoric Epizeuxis is a rhetorical term for the repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis, usually with no words in between. It is pronounced ep-uh-ZOOX-sis. It is also known as: cuckowspell, doublet, geminatio, underlay, and palilogia. In ​The Garden of Eloquence (1593), Henry Peacham defines epizeuxis as: A figure whereby a word is repeated, for the greater vehemence, and nothing put between: and it is used commonly with a swift pronunciation... This figure may serve aptly to expresse the  vehemence of any affection, whether it be of joy, sorrow, love, hatred, admiration or any such like. Examples ofEpizeuxis Mr. McCrindle had a sloping field. A sloping field! As if a farmer didnt have enough to worry about! (Magnus Mills, The Restraint of Beasts. Flamingo, 1998)Waitress: Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Bloody vikings. You cant have egg, bacon, Spam and sausage without the Spam.Mrs. Bun: I dont like Spam!Mr. Bun: Shh dear, dont cause a fuss. Ill have your Spam. I love it. Im having Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, baked beans, Spam, Spam, Spam, and Spam. (Monty Python, the Spam sketch)I undid the lantern cautiouslyoh, so cautiouslycautiously. (Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart, 1843)I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly. (Will Ferrell in Anchorman, 2004)Theres little in taking or giving,Theres little in water or wine;This living, this living, this livingWas never a project of mine.(Dorothy Parker, Coda)Bad, fast! Fast! Fast! Last night I cut the light off in my bedroom, hit the switch and was in the bed before the room was dark. (Muhammad Ali , When We Were Kings, 1996) And my poor fool is hanged! No, no, no life!Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life,And thou no breath at all? Thoult come no more,Never, never, never, never!(William Shakespeare, King Lear)Phil Spector tamps his frontal lobes and closes his eyes and holds his breath. As long as he holds his breath, it will not rain, there will be no raindrops, no schizoid water wobbling, sideways, straight back, it will be an even, even, even, even, even, even, even world. (Tom Wolfe, The First Tycoon of Teen. The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, 1965)Its a twister! Its a twister! (Zeke in The Wizard of Oz, 1939)Strong men also cry. Strong men also cry. (The Big Lebowski in The Big Lebowski, 1998)Give me a break! Give me a break! Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar! (advertising jingle)Im shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! (Captain Renault in Casablanca, 1942)All you hear from guys is desire, desire, desire, knocking its way out of the breast, and fear, striking and striking. Enough already! (Saul Bellow, Henderson the Rain King. Viking, 1959) For a nation which has an almost evil reputation for bustle, bustle, bustle, and rush, rush, rush, we spend an enormous amount of time standing around in line in front of windows, just waiting. (Robert Benchley, Back in Line. Benchleyor Else! 1947)Frank: Where’s the island? Where’s the island? Where the hell’s the island?Hurley: It’s gone.(â€Å"There’s No Place Like Home.† Lost, 2008)Oh you need fluff, fluff, fluffTo make a fluffer nutter,Marshmallow fluff and lots of peanut butter.First you spread, spread, spreadYour bread with peanut butter,Add marshmallow fluff and have a fluffernutter.(advertising jingle)All around me are familiar facesWorn out places, worn out facesBright and early for their daily racesGoing nowhere, going nowhere.(Tears for Fears, Mad World)