Pain scales may be used during admission to a hospital, during a doctor visit, during physical activity, or after surgery. A person usually self-reports their pain using a specially designed scale. Doctors use the pain scale to better understand certain aspects of a person’s pain, including pain duration, severity, and type. A person rates their pain on a scale of 0 to 10, where zero means “no pain” and 10 means “the worst possible pain.” Do you think this is the best way of assessing pain severity? Why, or why not?
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The Limitations of Pain Scales in Assessing Pain Severity
Pain is a subjective experience that varies from person to person, making it challenging to accurately assess and quantify. Pain scales, such as the 0-10 numerical rating scale, have become a common tool used to gauge pain severity in medical settings. While pain scales have their merits, they also have limitations that should be considered when evaluating their effectiveness in assessing pain severity.
Thesis Statement
While pain scales provide a standardized approach to measure pain severity, they have limitations due to the subjective nature of pain, variations in individual perception, and the inability to capture the multidimensional aspects of pain. Therefore, alternative methods, such as incorporating patient-reported outcomes and qualitative assessments, should be explored to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of pain severity.
Subjectivity of Pain
Individual Perception: Pain is a highly subjective experience influenced by various factors, including personal beliefs, cultural background, past experiences, and psychological state. Different individuals may interpret and respond to pain differently, making it difficult to compare pain intensity solely based on numerical ratings.
Emotional and Psychological Factors: Pain is not solely a physical sensation but is also influenced by emotional and psychological factors. Pain scales do not account for the emotional impact of pain, such as fear, anxiety, or depression, which can significantly affect a person’s overall pain experience.
Limitations of Numerical Rating Scales
Lack of Precision: The 0-10 numerical rating scale provides a limited range for expressing pain severity. This may not adequately capture the nuances between different levels of pain intensity. For instance, two individuals rating their pain as a “7” may experience significantly different levels of pain, but this distinction is lost when converted to a single numerical value.
Inability to Capture Multidimensionality: Pain is a complex phenomenon with multiple dimensions, including sensory, affective, cognitive, and behavioral aspects. Numerical rating scales fail to capture these multifaceted dimensions of pain, reducing the richness and comprehensiveness of pain assessment.
Alternative Approaches
Patient-Reported Outcomes: Incorporating patient-reported outcomes, such as quality-of-life assessments or functional impairment measures, can provide a more holistic understanding of the impact of pain on an individual’s daily life. These assessments go beyond pain intensity and consider the functional limitations and overall well-being associated with pain.
Qualitative Assessments: Qualitative assessments, such as open-ended questions or narrative interviews, allow individuals to express their pain experiences in their own words. This approach provides valuable insights into the personal meaning and contextual factors surrounding pain, capturing aspects that may be missed by standardized rating scales.
Multi-dimensional Tools: Implementing multidimensional assessment tools that consider various dimensions of pain, such as the McGill Pain Questionnaire or the Brief Pain Inventory, can provide a more comprehensive evaluation of pain severity. These tools assess not only intensity but also characteristics, location, duration, and impact on daily functioning.
Conclusion
While pain scales offer a standardized method for assessing pain severity, their limitations must be acknowledged. The subjective nature of pain and the inability of numerical rating scales to capture multidimensional aspects of pain hinder their effectiveness in providing a complete understanding of pain severity. To obtain a more comprehensive assessment, healthcare professionals should consider incorporating patient-reported outcomes, qualitative assessments, and multidimensional tools into their pain evaluation processes. This approach will allow for a more personalized understanding of pain severity and better inform treatment decisions tailored to individual needs.
