La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad by John Keats – My Thoughts

At first glance, I didn’t really understand much and have no background in french so the title didn’t help me either. After a translation, I found it to mean “The Beautiful Lady Without Mercy”. The poem is a ballad. It revolves around a Knight who falls in love with a fairy-like woman and gets enchanted by her. He imagines everything the woman says as a declaration of love – “And sure in language strange she said— ‘I love thee true’” and everything she does as a lover’s touch. He pours his energy into making her “bracelets” and “garlands” in return for her affection and love. The poem takes place in the “meads” or a meadow, it starts here and goes full circle and ends here as well. His love for the fairy-like woman slowly transforms into obsession and he cherishes every illusion and thought he’s had of her. His obsession has made him a victim of the beautiful lady without mercy and is now lifeless and “Alone and palely loitering” near the lake desperate for an illusion of the fairy-like woman. I think the poem is very complicated and indirect, I couldn’t really figure it out until multiple readings and peer discussions. 

 

Biology Mitosis Notes

Mitosis 
  • division of a diploid (2 set of chromosomes) nucleus to form 2 genetically identical daughter cells 
  • Happening in every tissue in body to replace cells 
  • Requires exact duplication method
What is it for?
  • Have cells which last for a lifespan (lens cells, brain) 
  • To replace cells normally
    • May be due to damage
    • Become old and need to be replaced
    • Depends on the cell for how long it lasts
  • Reproduce cells which are genetically identical 
    • Can carry out same function
  • Cells on average replaced every 7-10 years 
    • Some replaced rapidly
Cell cycle
  • G1 S and G2 is interphase (90%)
  • G1 grow, copy organelles
  • S copy its DNA – 2 strands of DNA linked together by centromere 
  • G2 similar to G1 – growth and checking DNA, check if copying is done correctly 
What does it need?
  • Ribosomes – make more proteins
  • Mitochondria – can copy and divide themselves into two
  • RER – synthesise more proteins
  • Need more of every cell organelles
  • G1 copies cell organelles – need to make more enzymes (carries out reactions in cells)
Super coiling
  • coiling of chromosomes which condenses chromosomes at the start of mitosis, allows DNA to be arranged
  • Histones allow condensation of DNA into smaller space in eukaryotes
  • Allows us to separate chromosomes in ordered manner during mitosis
Chromosomes
  • Every gene every allele same in double stranded chromosome 
  • Count chromosomes by the centromeres 
Interphase 
  • Replication of DNA
  • Sister chromatids are 2 identical DNA molecules held together by centromere 
  • Sister chromatids separated during mitosis to form 2 genetically identical nuclei 
  • Identified because no visible chromosomes 
Stages of mitosis
PMAT
People meet and talk
Prophase (before)
Metaphase (middle)
Anaphase (away)
Telophase (two -> two cells)
Interphase comes between cell cycle, not part of mitosis 
Prophase 
  • Chromosomes coiled up
  • More gaps in nucleus, nuclear envelope is breaking down 
Mitotic Index
Formula =number of cells in mitosis/total number of cells

Biology Notes 1.6

1.6 Cyclins and Cancer

  • Cyclins are proteins 
  • Cyclin D rises during G1
    • Copies organelles
    • Will only rise to high position if everything going well
  • Cyclin E rises during S phase (DNA replication)
  • Cyclins act like a check point, continues and rises if everything in the cells is okay
    • If things are not okay, the cell exits the cell cycle and may kill itself (cell apoptosis) 
  • Cyclin A – if dna damage is detected, things will bind to DNA damage which will lead to cell stopping there instead of exit

Cyclin 

  • Proteins that control cell cycle
  • Ensure tasks are carried out at the right time 
  • Binds to CDk
    • Cyclin dependent kinase 
      • Depends on cyclin to be activated
    • If cyclin raises in conc and cyclin can bind to cyclin dependent kinase, kinase will be activated 
      • cyclin dependent kinase will add phosphate group – get active enzymes and cause next phase to continue

If we don’t have cyclin 

  • Cyclin dependent kinase remains inactive, don’t get phosphorylation 
  • If this was during s phase then dna replication switched off

Sea urchin 

  • Lucky coincidence: serendipity 
  • scientist discovered presence of cyclins 
  • scientist researching sea urchins
  • This was in fertilised cell of urchin
    • When it grows and develops you expect proteins to get higher in concentration 
    • And for the MIMIMI bands to get darker
    • As time went on there was an increase in darkness of bands, but some of the proteins were separated 
      • Some were there, not there, strongly there (cyclin in and out)
  • Mitosis Interphase MI MI

How does cancer form?

  • Normal cells
    • If they don’t have growth factors then no division 
    • Could be stem cells 
    • For some cases, with growth factors they will divide ·controlled)
  • Cancer cells
    • Whether they have growth factors or no they still divide (continuous, nt responding to signals elsewhere, uncontrolled)
    • Tumour growth of these cells in uncontrolled manner
    • Don’t perform their usual function
  • Normal cells 
    • If there is some damage (eg dna damage from mutagen) 
      • Proteins bind to damage and lead to signals which cause cells to enter cell death (apoptosis)
      • Won’t reproduce or grow through cell cycle if can’t be fixed
  • Cancer cells if get damage
    • Gets dna damage and maybe its had mutations in some of the proteins which should bind to dna damage and send signal 
      • Can’t respond as it should 
      • Does not have signal to say its damaged
      • Can’t enter apoptosis
      • Continues dividing 

Normal p53

  • p53 goes to where there is dna damage
    • Binds to dna where its damage
    • Causes halt at G1 checkpoint
    • Tries to activate repair
    • Apoptosis triggered if repair impossible
    • Cell don’t pass on damaged dna 

Mutated p53

  • Mutations in the gene for p53
  • Does not halt at G1 checkpoint, instead progresses 
  • Mutate genes supposed to stop cancer

How cancer caused

  • Mutations in oncogene 
    • Genes where if we have a mutation, it could lead to increase in the amount the gene is used
      • Growth factor involved in increase cell division 
    • oncogene = accelerator 
      • Causing something to increase through mutation 
      • Caused by smoking etc 
  • Tumor suppressor -> brakes 

Hypothetical series of mutations leading to cancer

Tumors

  • Abnormal groups of cells 
  • Uncontrolled ell growth 
  • Divide continuously 
  • Malignant tumours detach and move to new locations
  • Caused by mutations to DNA 
  • Can be benign where they adhere to each other and do not invade other tissues
  • Cause mutations by smoking -> mutagens or carcinogenic (cause mutations in DNA)
  • Cancer and smoking 
    • Correlated
    • As smoking increases do does risk of developing cancer
    • Huge increase in death rate due to cancers of the mouth 
    • But death rate due to other cancers is not significantly different 
    • Chemicals in smoke are carcinogenic and cause mutations in cells

My thoughts on “A Red, Red Rose” and “Calling A Wolf A Wolf (Inpatient)”

My first thought on A Red, Red Rose is “Its a love poem”. The second thought is “What the heck is till a’ seas gang dry, my dear”.

The language used and words like lass make me think the author has some Scottish background or influence. The poem is centred around love, that too the everlasting kind that speaks of forever… The poet compares his love to a red rose, to the freshness and the beauty of flowers. He or she professes their undying passionate love that will last forever, even when the seas dry up and humankind is no more. The poet bids a temporary farewell to his beloved and promises to come back, however far the distance and however long the time.

My first thought on Calling A Wolf A Wolf is “I’m not sure what’s happening, where it’s happening and who it’s happening to” and my second thought is “seems like the thoughts of a remorseful dying man”. The poem is written quite uniquely. There’s no punctuation and the sentences or thoughts per se are spaced out in a continuous paragraph. It seems to begin with the poet recounting moments of his recent past that make it seem like he or she has been in the same spot for quite a long time, observing everything as that’s the only pass time he or she has and is dying because of a slow illness. The poet feels envy, an emotion that’s worse than sadness, when he sees a healthier man. The poet is quite contradictory here when he tries to comfort himself/herself by thinking of horrifying things he never did while describing an innate coldness within himself that caused him to deny others requests for help. These thoughts are of a person whos asking their higher deity “what have I done that is so evil that you imprison me in my own body until I pass from this life?”.

When I read these two poems, I see simplicity in the writing while I see the complexity of the thoughts present underneath. The poets have a directness that states what is going through their minds and makes it easier for the readers to feel those ethos and words. My favourite would be Calling A Wolf A Wolf as I connect with it more than a poem about eternal love. I’ve seen people with a death sentence which allows me to understand the poets thoughts in the poem.

 

 

TOK Mock Presentation Reflection

My mock presentation was based on the decision that children of ISIS members would not be allowed to return to the UK.

Knowledge Question: Can our values about one thing change our perception of others?

My presentation wasn’t entirely focused on the theory of knowledge parts much. In my final presentation, I’ll focus on the TOK explanations and comparisons more which was lacking previously. I spoke a lot about my real-life situation which was taking up too much time and dominating my presentation. I need to write a more detailed overview with clear conclusions and thought processes. I would work on these details more on my final presentation.