essay about textual aids

Textual Analysis: Definition, Types & 10 Examples

Textual analysis is a research methodology that involves exploring written text as empirical data. Scholars explore both the content and structure of texts, and attempt to discern key themes and statistics emergent from them.

This method of research is used in various academic disciplines, including cultural studies, literature, bilical studies, anthropology , sociology, and others (Dearing, 2022; McKee, 2003).

This method of analysis involves breaking down a text into its constituent parts for close reading and making inferences about its context, underlying themes, and the intentions of its author.

Textual Analysis Definition

Alan McKee is one of the preeminent scholars of textual analysis. He provides a clear and approachable definition in his book Textual Analysis: A Beginner’s Guide (2003) where he writes:

“When we perform textual analysis on a text we make an educated guess at some of the most likely interpretations that might be made of the text […] in order to try and obtain a sense of the ways in which, in particular cultures at particular times, people make sense of the world around them.”

A key insight worth extracting from this definition is that textual analysis can reveal what cultural groups value, how they create meaning, and how they interpret reality.

This is invaluable in situations where scholars are seeking to more deeply understand cultural groups and civilizations – both past and present (Metoyer et al., 2018).

As such, it may be beneficial for a range of different types of studies, such as:

• Studies of Historical Texts: A study of how certain concepts are framed, described, and approached in historical texts, such as the Bible.
• Studies of Industry Reports: A study of how industry reports frame and discuss concepts such as environmental and social responsibility.
• Studies of Literature: A study of how a particular text or group of texts within a genre define and frame concepts. For example, you could explore how great American literature mythologizes the concept of the ‘The American Dream’.
• Studies of Speeches: A study of how certain politicians position national identities in their appeals for votes.
• Studies of Newspapers: A study of the biases within newspapers toward or against certain groups of people.
• Etc. (For more, see: Dearing, 2022)

McKee uses the term ‘textual analysis’ to also refer to text types that are not just written, but multimodal. For a dive into the analysis of multimodal texts, I recommend my article on content analysis , where I explore the study of texts like television advertisements and movies in detail.

Features of a Textual Analysis

When conducting a textual analysis, you’ll need to consider a range of factors within the text that are worthy of close examination to infer meaning. Features worthy of considering include:

• Content: What is being said or conveyed in the text, including explicit and implicit meanings, themes, or ideas.
• Context: When and where the text was created, the culture and society it reflects, and the circumstances surrounding its creation and distribution.
• Audience: Who the text is intended for, how it’s received, and the effect it has on its audience.
• Authorship: Who created the text, their background and perspectives, and how these might influence the text.
• Form and structure: The layout, sequence, and organization of the text and how these elements contribute to its meanings (Metoyer et al., 2018).

Textual Analysis Coding Methods

The above features may be examined through quantitative or qualitative research designs , or a mixed-methods angle.

1. Quantitative Approaches

You could analyze several of the above features, namely, content, form, and structure, from a quantitative perspective using computational linguistics and natural language processing (NLP) analysis.

From this approach, you would use algorithms to extract useful information or insights about frequency of word and phrase usage, etc. This can include techniques like sentiment analysis, topic modeling, named entity recognition, and more.

2. Qualitative Approaches

In many ways, textual analysis lends itself best to qualitative analysis. When identifying words and phrases, you’re also going to want to look at the surrounding context and possibly cultural interpretations of what is going on (Mayring, 2015).

Generally, humans are far more perceptive at teasing out these contextual factors than machines (although, AI is giving us a run for our money).

One qualitative approach to textual analysis that I regularly use is inductive coding, a step-by-step methodology that can help you extract themes from texts. If you’re interested in using this step-by-step method, read my guide on inductive coding here .

See more Qualitative Research Approaches Here

Textual Analysis Examples

Title: “Discourses on Gender, Patriarchy and Resolution 1325: A Textual Analysis of UN Documents”  Author: Nadine Puechguirbal Year: 2010 APA Citation: Puechguirbal, N. (2010). Discourses on Gender, Patriarchy and Resolution 1325: A Textual Analysis of UN Documents, International Peacekeeping, 17 (2): 172-187. doi: 10.1080/13533311003625068

Summary: The article discusses the language used in UN documents related to peace operations and analyzes how it perpetuates stereotypical portrayals of women as vulnerable individuals. The author argues that this language removes women’s agency and keeps them in a subordinate position as victims, instead of recognizing them as active participants and agents of change in post-conflict environments. Despite the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which aims to address the role of women in peace and security, the author suggests that the UN’s male-dominated power structure remains unchallenged, and gender mainstreaming is often presented as a non-political activity.

Title: “Racism and the Media: A Textual Analysis”  Author: Kassia E. Kulaszewicz Year: 2015 APA Citation: Kulaszewicz, K. E. (2015). Racism and the Media: A Textual Analysis . Dissertation. Retrieved from: https://sophia.stkate.edu/msw_papers/477

Summary: This study delves into the significant role media plays in fostering explicit racial bias. Using Bandura’s Learning Theory, it investigates how media content influences our beliefs through ‘observational learning’. Conducting a textual analysis, it finds differences in representation of black and white people, stereotyping of black people, and ostensibly micro-aggressions toward black people. The research highlights how media often criminalizes Black men, portraying them as violent, while justifying or supporting the actions of White officers, regardless of their potential criminality. The study concludes that news media likely continues to reinforce racism, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Title: “On the metaphorical nature of intellectual capital: a textual analysis” Author: Daniel Andriessen Year: 2006 APA Citation: Andriessen, D. (2006). On the metaphorical nature of intellectual capital: a textual analysis. Journal of Intellectual capital , 7 (1), 93-110.

Summary: This article delves into the metaphorical underpinnings of intellectual capital (IC) and knowledge management, examining how knowledge is conceptualized through metaphors. The researchers employed a textual analysis methodology, scrutinizing key texts in the field to identify prevalent metaphors. They found that over 95% of statements about knowledge are metaphor-based, with “knowledge as a resource” and “knowledge as capital” being the most dominant. This study demonstrates how textual analysis helps us to understand current understandings and ways of speaking about a topic.

Title: “Race in Rhetoric: A Textual Analysis of Barack Obama’s Campaign Discourse Regarding His Race” Author: Andrea Dawn Andrews Year: 2011 APA Citation: Andrew, A. D. (2011) Race in Rhetoric: A Textual Analysis of Barack Obama’s Campaign Discourse Regarding His Race. Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 120 . https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/120

This undergraduate honors thesis is a textual analysis of Barack Obama’s speeches that explores how Obama frames the concept of race. The student’s capstone project found that Obama tended to frame racial inequality as something that could be overcome, and that this was a positive and uplifting project. Here, the student breaks-down times when Obama utilizes the concept of race in his speeches, and examines the surrounding content to see the connotations associated with race and race-relations embedded in the text. Here, we see a decidedly qualitative approach to textual analysis which can deliver contextualized and in-depth insights.

Sub-Types of Textual Analysis

While above I have focused on a generalized textual analysis approach, a range of sub-types and offshoots have emerged that focus on specific concepts, often within their own specific theoretical paradigms. Each are outlined below, and where I’ve got a guide, I’ve linked to it in blue:

• Content Analysis : Content analysis is similar to textual analysis, and I would consider it a type of textual analysis, where it’s got a broader understanding of the term ‘text’. In this type, a text is any type of ‘content’, and could be multimodal in nature, such as television advertisements, movies, posters, and so forth. Content analysis can be both qualitative and quantitative, depending on whether it focuses more on the meaning of the content or the frequency of certain words or concepts (Chung & Pennebaker, 2018).
• Discourse Analysis : Emergent specifically from critical and postmodern/ poststructural theories, discourse analysis focuses closely on the use of language within a social context, with the goal of revealing how repeated framing of terms and concepts has the effect of shaping how cultures understand social categories. It considers how texts interact with and shape social norms, power dynamics, ideologies, etc. For example, it might examine how gender is socially constructed as a distinct social category through Disney films. It may also be called ‘critical discourse analysis’.
• Narrative Analysis: This approach is used for analyzing stories and narratives within text. It looks at elements like plot, characters, themes, and the sequence of events to understand how narratives construct meaning.
• Frame Analysis: This approach looks at how events, ideas, and themes are presented or “framed” within a text. It explores how these frames can shape our understanding of the information being presented. While similar to discourse analysis, a frame analysis tends to be less associated with the loaded concept of ‘discourse’ that exists specifically within postmodern paradigms (Smith, 2017).
• Semiotic Analysis: This approach studies signs and symbols, both visual and textual, and could be a good compliment to a content analysis, as it provides the language and understandings necessary to describe how signs make meaning in cultural contexts that we might find with the fields of semantics and pragmatics . It’s based on the theory of semiotics, which is concerned with how meaning is created and communicated through signs and symbols.
• Computational Textual Analysis: In the context of data science or artificial intelligence, this type of analysis involves using algorithms to process large amounts of text. Techniques can include topic modeling, sentiment analysis, word frequency analysis, and others. While being extremely useful for a quantitative analysis of a large dataset of text, it falls short in its ability to provide deep contextualized understandings of words-in-context.

Each of these methods has its strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of method depends on the research question, the type of text being analyzed, and the broader context of the research.

See More Examples of Analysis Here

Strengths and Weaknesses of Textual Analysis

When writing your methodology for your textual analysis, make sure to define not only what textual analysis is, but (if applicable) the type of textual analysis, the features of the text you’re analyzing, and the ways you will code the data. It’s also worth actively reflecting on the potential weaknesses of a textual analysis approach, but also explaining why, despite those weaknesses, you believe this to be the most appropriate methodology for your study.

Chung, C. K., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2018). Textual analysis. In  Measurement in social psychology  (pp. 153-173). Routledge.

Dearing, V. A. (2022).  Manual of textual analysis . Univ of California Press.

McKee, A. (2003). Textual analysis: A beginner’s guide.  Textual analysis , 1-160.

Mayring, P. (2015). Qualitative content analysis: Theoretical background and procedures.  Approaches to qualitative research in mathematics education: Examples of methodology and methods , 365-380. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9181-6_13

Metoyer, R., Zhi, Q., Janczuk, B., & Scheirer, W. (2018, March). Coupling story to visualization: Using textual analysis as a bridge between data and interpretation. In  23rd International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces  (pp. 503-507). doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3172944.3173007

Smith, J. A. (2017). Textual analysis.  The international encyclopedia of communication research methods , 1-7.

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English 10 Quarter 1 – Module 2: Determining the Effect of Textual Aids on the Understanding of a Text

This module was designed and written with you in mind. Primarily, its scope is to teach you how to use textual aids and realize its effect in your understanding of a certain text.

While going through this module, you are expected to have:

1. use various textual aids in understanding a text; and

2. determine the effect of these textual aids in understanding a text.

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Using non-textual elements.

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Definitions of Common Non-Textual Elements

Chart -- see "graph."

Diagram -- a drawing that illustrates or visually explains a thing or idea by outlining its component parts and the relationships among them. Also a line drawing, made to accompany and illustrate a geometrical theorem, mathematical demonstration, etc.

Drawing -- a graphic illustration of representing a person, place, or object or a technique for outlining the geometry, layout, location, and design of a figure, plan, or sketch by means of lines.

Figure -- a form bounded by three or more lines; one or more digits or numerical symbols representing a number.

Flowchart -- a pictorial summary  [graphical algorithm] of the decisions and flows [movement  of information] that make up a procedure or process  from beginning to end. Also called flow diagram, flow process chart, or network diagram.

Form -- a logically structured document with a fixed arrangement of captioned spaces designed for entering, extracting, or communicating required or requested information.

Graph -- a two-dimensional drawing  showing a relationship [usually between two set of numbers] by means  of a line, curve, a series  of bars, or other symbols. Typically, an independent variable is represented on the horizontal line (X-axis) and an dependent variable on the vertical line (Y-axis). The perpendicular axis intersect at a point called origin, and are calibrated in the units of the quantities  represented. Though a graph usually has four quadrants representing the positive and negative values  of the variables, usually only the north-east quadrant is shown when the negative values do not exist or are of no interest. Often used interchangeably with the term “chart.”

Histogram -- step-column chart that displays a summary of the variations in (frequency distribution of) quantities [called Classes] that fall within certain lower and upper limits  in a set of data. Classes are measured on the horizontal ('X') axis, and the number of times they occur [or the percentages  of their occurrences] are measured on the vertical ('Y') axis. To construct a histogram, rectangles or blocks are drawn on the x-axis [without any spaces between them] whose areas are proportional to the classes they represent. Histograms [and histographs] are used commonly where the subject  item is discrete (such as the number of students in a school) instead of being continuous [such as the variations in their heights]. Also called frequency diagram, a histogram is usually preferred over a histograph where the number of classes is less than eight.

Illustration -- a visual representation [e.g., picture or diagram] that is used to make a subject in a paper more pleasing or easier to understand.

Map -- a visual representation of an area. It is considered to be a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes. Examples of types include climate, economic, resource, physical, political, road, and topographic maps.

Pictograph -- visual presentation of data using icons, pictures, symbols, etc., in place of or in addition to common graph elements [bars, lines, points]. Pictographs use relative sizes or repetitions of the same icon, picture, or symbol to show comparison. Also called a pictogram, pictorial chart, pictorial graph, or picture graph.

Symbol -- Mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship.

Table -- an orderly arrangement  of quantitative data in columns and rows. Also called a “matrix.”

BusinessDictionary.com. Created by WebFinance, Inc.; “Graphics for Display.” In Understanding Social Statistics . Jane Fielding and Nigel Gilbert, editors. Second edition. (London: SAGE Publications, 2006), pp. 69-93.

When to Use Non-textual Elements in Your Paper

The decision to use graphs, charts, diagrams, photographs, maps, illustrations, or any other forms of non-textual elements in the results section of your research paper should be a process of consciously considering whether any visual aids improve a paper's overall quality and readability. Do not include non-textual elements if the information can otherwise be described clearly and succinctly or if it does not contribute to understanding findings directly associated with the research problem. Below are examples of when you should consider or not consider using non-textual elements in your paper.

WHEN YOU SHOULD

• There is a Lot of Data . The most common reason why scholars choose to include non-textual elements in a study is that the research relies upon, or has generated, a large amount of information that needs to be summarized for the reader. This is especially true for studies using quantitative methods of analysis or that use surveys or other types of instruments for gathering large amounts of information or data.
• Presenting Data Over Time . Charts and graphs are especially useful for visualizing changes over time. For example, to compare how exports in coffee has changed over time in two countries, you can display a line chart where the x-axis graphically displays the volume of coffee exported and a y-axis is the period of time in years. The chart would have two lines visualizing the data for each country. This allows the reader to quickly comprehend how much exports have increased or decreased over time.
• Compare or Contrast Multiple Sets of Information . There are many types of charts, graphs, and diagrams. Many are particularly useful when you need to show how different sets of information compare or contrast with each other. This helps the reader contemplate the results of a study before moving on to the discussion section to consider why these differences may be significant and what the implications may be in relation to addressing the research problem.
• Bring Important Clarity to Multi-layered Research Problems . Visual aids can highlight and bring clarity to understanding complex issues in ways that cannot be adequately expressed using only words. For example, a research study focused on documenting litter problems in city streets can include a GIS map that highlights the severity of the problem in particular neighborhoods in relation to the background and socioeconomic status of residents and the distribution of bus stops and other places where people gather. This allows the writer to summarize the information and focus on discussing ways to interpret the results .
• Help to Reveal Patterns and Trends . A thorough description of patterns and trends that have emerged from the findings can over-complicate the narrative, making it difficult for the reader to follow the author's logic and main points. Non-textual elements can help visualize any patterns and trends within the data because it condenses this information in a way that allows the reader to quickly view the results, then focus on the narrative explanations of the key findings.
• Picture is Worth a Thousand Words . Photographs have the ability to visually document not only a specific moment in time, but to convey the emotions, feelings, and unique experiences of people at the center of your study. In this way, photographs help to humanize a research problem. For example, if your paper examines how local indigenous populations in different regions of the world respond to climate change disasters, photographs can help convey the struggles and adaptive strategies of people more effectively than relying exclusively on descriptions of what has happened.

WHEN YOU SHOULD NOT

• An important aspect of academic writing is the text must be clear and concise . If the data or information can be easily summarized, then adding a non-textual element is not necessary. For example, in the case of using a pie chart or bar graph to show only two contrasting numbers, such as, a difference in the number of charter schools versus public schools in a school district, would not help the reader understand the data any better than simply stating the difference in the text and moving on to explain why it is important [i.e., twenty percent of schools in the district are now chartered].
• Always be aware of the narrative flow of your paper . Non-textual elements ask the reader to stop, review the non-textual element, contemplate what it means, and then return to the reading the paper, sometimes over and over again. Given this, always keep in mind the importance of conveying key information to the reader through the use of narrative explanations before inserting a visual aid. If you decide to insert a visual aid, note that it needs to fit logically within the overall narrative flow of your paper.
• Adding a non-textual element should directly relate to understanding the research problem or main arguments of your paper . Visualizing information can capture the reader’s attention in ways that a narrative description cannot. However, you should always measure the importance of using a graph, chart, illustration, or other non-textual element against whether it adds explicit value to understanding the research problem. If you determine that it does not, then it is likely superfluous.
• Avoid overloading your paper with non-textual elements . In many science disciplines, such as geology or engineering, it is expected that a research study will include numerous visual aids. However, in the social and behavioral sciences, you should be deliberate in selecting how many non-textual elements you include in the main text of your paper because using too many can be overwhelming and hinder comprehension of the essential arguments you are trying to convey to the reader. If you must include numerous visual aids, prevent cognitive overload by placing them in an appendix or appendices.

Figures and Charts. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Statistics and Visuals. Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University; Chen, Min, Luciano Floridi, and Rita Borgo. “What Is Visualization Really For? In The Philosophy of Information Quality . Edited by Luciano Floridi and Phyllis Illari. Synthese Library, vol 358. (New York: Springer, 2014), pp. 75-93; Burgio, Valeria, and Matteo Moretti."Infographics as Images: Meaningfulness Beyond Information" MDPI Proceedings 1 (2017): 891; Few, Stephen. "The Chartjunk Debate." Perceptual Edge: Visual Business Intelligence Newsletter (April, May, and June 2011): 1-11; “Over 60 New York Times Graphs for Students to Analyze.” The Learning Network, The New York Times , Published June 10, 2020; Updated Oct. 23, 2020; “Graphics for Display.” In Understanding Social Statistics . Jane Fielding and Nigel Gilbert, editors. Second edition. (London: SAGE Publications, 2006), pp. 69-93.

Structure and Writing Style

Use non-textual elements, such as figures, tables, graphs, maps, photographs, etc., to support your key findings . Readers should be able to discern the meaning of non-textual elements on their own without having to refer to the text to understand the data being presented. Reference to a non-textual element in the text of your paper should focus on describing its significance in relation to the research problem or the topic being discussed.

In the social sciences, non-textual elements must have neat, legible titles, be simple, and have detailed captions that are written in complete sentences; they should fully explain the item without forcing the reader to refer to the text. Conversely, the reader should not have to refer back and forth from the text to the non-textual elements to understand the paper.

General rules about using non-textual elements in your research paper:

• Each non-textual element must have a short, descriptive title, numbered consecutively and complete with a heading [e.g., Table 1. National Sales Activity from 2009-2014].
• Conform to the rules set forth within the writing style you are using for the paper regarding the use of non-textual elements [e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago] and use it consistently throughout your paper.
• Either place figures, tables, charts, etc. within the text of the result being described, or refer to them in an appendix--do one or the other but never both.
• You should explicitly reference the number of the figures, tables, graphs, etc. in the text [i.e., "Table 6 shows..."]. Avoid expressions like, "in the chart on the following page" or "in the table below."
• If you choose to place non-textual elements within the paper, they should be positioned as close as possible to where it is first mentioned in the text.
• If you place non-textual elements in an appendix, make sure they are clearly distinguished from any raw data.
• Each non-textual element must be interpreted and its relevance and significance explained in relation to the research problem.
• do use a box or frame to surround the element.
• do not use a different text font to that used in the body of the work [e.g., Ariel vs. New Times Roman].
• do use small caps when formatting headings.
• do not use fancy or cursive fonts.
• do change the page layout from portrait to landscape if this helps you display the non-textual element more effectively; always place the "top" of the page along the left-hand margin and maintain page numbering.
• If the non-textual element within the text is not adapted from another source and totally your own creation, take credit for your work and say so! Otherwise, you must cite where you found the data. You must also cite the source even if you reorganize or rearrange the data [e.g., "Chart 4 is adapted from..."].
• You may refer to non-textual elements by using parentheses with or without the verb “see” (i.e., "see Table 1"). However, it is important to be consistent with whichever choice you make.

References to non-textual elements within the text of your paper are generally put in parentheses , e.g. "...the number of schools have grown (see Figure 1)" or "...although the distribution of savings among city employees has been reduced during the last decade (Chart 2)" because this information is generally supplementary to the results themselves; most of the text should focus on highlighting key findings.

NOTE:   Do not overuse non-textual elements! Include them sparingly and only in cases where they are an effective means for enhancing and/or supplementing information already described in your paper. Using too many non-textual elements disrupts the narrative flow of your paper, making it more difficult for the reader to synthesize and interpret your overall research. If you have to use a lot of non-textual elements, consider organizing them in an appendix . and refer to them in the text, such as, "data shown in Appendix One shows...."

ANOTHER NOTE:   Excel and other computer programs are capable of creating very elaborate, colorful, and dramatic looking non-textual elements. However, be careful not to let aesthetics and artistry overwhelm the message you are trying to convey to the reader. Use these features only to help improve the reader's understanding of the information being presented. For example, if a pie chart is being used to show the distribution of responses to a survey, use distinctive colors to distinguish between each part of the chart.

Chapter 4: The Research Process: Structuring the Research Paper. Effective Writing Center. University of Maryland; Durbin Jr., Charles G. “Effective Use of Tables and Figures in Abstracts, Presentations, and Papers.” Respiratory Care 49 (October 2004): 1233-1237; Few, Stephen. Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten . 2nd edition. Burlingame, CA: Analytics Press, 2012; Franzblau, Lauren E. and Kevin C. Chung. “Graphs, Tables, and Figures in Scientific Publications: The Good, the Bad, and How Not to Be the Latter.” The Journal of Hand Surgery 37 (March 2012): 591-596; Hartley, James et al. “Research on Tables and Graphs in Academic Articles: Pitfalls and Promises.” Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology 66 (February 2015): 428-431; Informative Presentation of Tables, Graphs and Statistics. Statistical Services Centre, University of Reading, United Kingdom, March 2000; Rodrigues, Velany et al. How to Use Figures and Tables Effectively to Present Your Research Findings. Tutorials: Manuscript Preparation. Editage insights. Cactus Communications, Inc.; Tables & Figures. Academic Skills Office, University of New England; Using Figures, Tables and Graphs. Language and Learning Online, Monash University..

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Essay on AIDS for Students and Children

500+ words essay on aids.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or better known as AIDS is a life-threatening disease. It is one of the most dreaded diseases of the 20 th century. AIDS is caused by HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which attacks the immune system of the human body. It has, so far, ended more than twenty-nine million lives all over the world. Since its discovery, AIDS has spread around the world like a wildfire. It is due to the continuous efforts of the Government and non-government organizations; AIDS awareness has been spread to the masses.

AIDS – Causes and Spread

The cause of AIDS is primarily HIV or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus replicates itself into the human body by inserting a copy of its DNA into the human host cells. Due to such property and capability of the virus, it is also known as a retrovirus. The host cells in which the HIV resides are the WBCs (White Blood Cells) that are the part of the Human Immune system.

HIV destroys the WBCs and weakens the human immune system. The weakening of the immune system affects an individual’s ability to fight diseases in time. For example, a cut or a wound takes much more time to heal or the blood to clot. In some cases, the wound never heals.

HIV majorly transmits in one of the three ways – Blood, Pre-natal and Sexual transmission. Transfusion of HIV through blood has been very common during the initial time of its spread. But nowadays all the developed and developing countries have stringent measures to check the blood for infection before transfusing. Usage of shared needles also transmits HIV from an infected person to a healthy individual.

As part of sexual transmission, HIV transfers through body fluids while performing sexual activity. HIV can easily be spread from an infected person to a healthy person if they perform unprotective sexual intercourse through oral, genital or rectal parts.

Pre-natal transmission implies that an HIV infected mother can easily pass the virus to her child during pregnancy, breastfeeding or even during delivery of the baby.

AIDS – Symptoms

Since HIV attacks and infects the WBCs of the human body, it lowers the overall immune system of the human body and resulting in the infected individual, vulnerable to any other disease or minor infection. The incubation period for AIDS is much longer as compared to other diseases. It takes around 0-12 years for the symptoms to appear promptly.

Few of the common symptoms of AIDS include fever , fatigue, loss of weight, dysentery, swollen nodes, yeast infection, and herpes zoster. Due to weakened immunity, the infectious person falls prey to some of the uncommon infections namely persistent fever, night sweating, skin rashes, lesions in mouth and more.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

AIDS – Treatment, and Prevention

Till date, no treatment or cure is available for curing AIDS, and as a result, it is a life-threatening disease. As a practice by medical practitioners, the best way to curb its spread is antiretroviral therapy or ART. It is a drug therapy which prevents HIV from replicating and hence slows down its progress. It is always advisable to start the treatment at the earliest to minimize the damage to the immune system. But again, it is just a measure and doesn’t guarantee the cure of AIDS.

AIDS prevention lies in the process of curbing its spread. One should regularly and routinely get tested for HIV. It is important for an individual to know his/her own and partner’s HIV status, before performing any sexual intercourse activity. One should always practice safe sex. Use of condoms by males during sexual intercourse is a must and also one should restrict oneself on the number of partners he/she is having sex with.

One should not addict himself/herself to banned substances and drugs. One should keep away from the non-sterilized needles or razors.  Multiple awareness drives by the UN, local government bodies and various nonprofit organizations have reduced the risk of spread by making the people aware of the AIDS – spread and prevention.

Life for an individual becomes hell after being tested positive for AIDS. It is not only the disease but also the social stigma and discrimination, felling of being not loved and being hated acts as a slow poison. We need to instill the belief among them, through our love and care, that the HIV positive patients can still lead a long and healthy life.

Though AIDS is a disease, which cannot be cured or eradicated from society, the only solution to AIDS lies in its prevention and awareness. We must have our regular and periodical health checkup so that we don’t fall prey to such deadly diseases. We must also encourage and educate others to do the same. With the widespread awareness about the disease, much fewer adults and children are dying of AIDS. The only way to fight the AIDS disease is through creating awareness.

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Guest Essay

The Constitution Won’t Save Us From Trump

By Aziz Rana

Mr. Rana is a professor of law at Boston College and the author, most recently, of “The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them.”

On Thursday, the Supreme Court gathered to consider whether Donald Trump, as president, enjoyed immunity from prosecution for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Even if the justices eventually rule against him, liberals should not celebrate the Constitution as our best bulwark against Mr. Trump. In fact, the document — for reasons that go beyond Mr. Trump, that long preceded him and could well extend past him — has made our democracy almost unworkable.

For years, whenever Mr. Trump threatened democratic principles, liberals turned to the Constitution for help, searching the text for tools that would either end his political career or at least contain his corruption. He was sued under the Constitution’s emoluments clauses. He was impeached twice. There was a congressional vote urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to proclaim Mr. Trump unfit for office. More recently, lawyers argued that the states could use the 14th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from the ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6 attack.

Each of these efforts has been motivated by a worthy desire to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his actions. Each of them has failed. As we head into the heat of an election season, we need to confront a simple truth: The Constitution isn’t going to save us from Donald Trump. If anything, turning the page on the man — and on the politics he has fostered — will require fundamentally changing it.

It is not just that Mr. Trump would never have been president without the Electoral College. Think about why those previous efforts to use the Constitution to hold Mr. Trump accountable failed. Impeachment processes collapsed in the Senate because it lopsidedly grants power to rural, conservative states. The Supreme Court was able not only to keep Mr. Trump on the ballot in Colorado, but also to narrow the circumstances in which disqualification could ever be used, because Republicans have been able to appoint a majority of the justices on the court, despite losing the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections.

For years, liberals were squeamish about acknowledging these facts, perhaps out of habit. While most countries view their documents as rules for governing — rules that may become outdated and can be reworked if necessary — our own politicians routinely tell a story of American exceptionalism rooted in our Constitution. It is a sacred document that, as Barack Obama once put it , “launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy,” grounded on shared principles of equality, self-government and personal liberty.

In these Trump years, as polls have shown some Americans drifting away from those shared ideals, liberals are clinging even more tightly to the document as a symbol under threat.

A year and a half ago, for instance, when Mr. Trump called for the “termination” of existing election rules, liberals were understandably outraged. Representative Don Beyer of Virginia labeled him an “enemy of the Constitution.” Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the White House, proclaimed that “attacking” the “sacrosanct” document was “anathema to the soul of our nation.” The problem is that these pledges of constitutional fealty can’t substitute for actually convincing the public of the importance of inclusive democracy.

Rallying around the Constitution means embracing the very text that causes these pathologies. Its rules strengthen the hand of those indifferent or even opposed to the principle of one person, one vote. After all, those rules smooth the path for a Trumpian right to gain power without winning over a majority. And they throw up numerous roadblocks to accountability — even when presidents attempt to subvert elections.

The shock to the constitutional system that Mr. Trump represents didn’t start, and won’t end, with him. The best — and perhaps only — way to contain the politics around him is to reform government, so that it is far more representative of Americans. The goal is to keep authoritarians from ever again gaining power without winning a majority and stacking powerful institutions with judges and officials wildly out of step with the public. But this requires extensive changes to our legal and political systems, including to the Constitution itself.

We need new campaign finance laws and expanded voting rights. We need to end the Senate filibuster, eliminate the Electoral College, combat gerrymandering and partisan election interference, adopt multi-member House districts and add new states like Washington, D.C. We need to reduce the power of the Senate, perhaps even moving toward a more ceremonial “ council of revision ,” as Jamelle Bouie has proposed.

Such reform requires pushing back against the extreme power of the Supreme Court through measures like judicial term limits and expansion of the size of the court. And an easier amendment process would give Americans the power to update their institutions and incorporate new rights into the document, rather than having to rely only on what judges decide.

No doubt these changes can seem politically unfeasible. But it would behoove Americans concerned about the dangers posed by Mr. Trump to take seriously such a comprehensive agenda, if for no other reason than because many on the right are already working on constitutional reforms of their own.

Groups like the Convention of States (which counts Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as a vocal supporter) have succeeded in getting 19 of the 34 states required under Article V of the Constitution to agree to convene a new constitutional convention. The Convention of States package of potential changes includes giving “a simple majority of the states” the ability “to rescind actions by Congress, the President, or administrative agencies,” empowering Republican officials to nullify any policies they oppose, regardless of whether those policies enjoy vast national support. As David Pozen of Columbia Law School has written , the right has even figured out how to run this second convention in a way that would ensure that state officials, again disproportionately Republicans, control what gets proposed and how voting proceeds.

These efforts will persist even if Mr. Trump is no longer on the political stage. And so long as liberals refuse to confront what needs to be done to fix the Constitution, his supporters and groups like the Convention of States will control that debate.

It now falls to Americans to avoid learning the wrong lessons from this moment. Mr. Trump may lose at the ballot box or be convicted in one of the four criminal cases he faces, including the one that started this month in Manhattan. If he is held accountable, it will not be because the Constitution saved us, given all its pathologies.

Aziz Rana is a professor of law at Boston College and the author, most recently, of “The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them.”

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