Different Cultures And Traditions Essay Example for Free

Different Cultures And Traditions Essay Using texts from different cultures and traditions discuss how free will or determinism in form of development or outcome of the stories. (1500 2500 words) I believe that we are not so free in this world even though most people would like to think we are. Our lives are controlled by many factors which we do not seem to notice. Some people accept what their future is and live with it, with out even attempting to change it. Fortunately thought there are also the same amounts of people who can see their own future but strive to do what ever they can to change it for the better. Now through out this essay I will compare two stories which are Veronica and Country Lovers. There are many instances in these stories of how if the main character in the story made a different decision than the outcome of the story would have been completely different. So we will see what might have happened if the character made a different choice later on in this piece but first I will talk about the different points of view brought out in these stories. We shall start of with the story of Veronica. This story is of a girl and a boy who are best friend and they live in quite a poor village in Africa and the boy Okeke gets a chance to go to the city and study at university due to a scholarship which he had won and Okeke asks Veronica to come but she decides to stay. When Okeke, after finishing his course at university as a doctor comes back to the village he sees Veronica in her dying moments. When Okeke asks to save her she refuses because her husband had died and her son had died also so she had nothing else to live for. Now Okeke thinks Veronica should have left with him and become his secretary and should have attended night classes where as Veronica thinks she should stay because she hates to leave her family behind even though her father was a brute and beat her. If we were to compare the points of view established in the story Veronica with the raised in the story of Country Lovers. (This is the story of Thebedi and Paulus.) This story introduces Paulus Eysendyck, a white farmers son, and Thebedi, the black daughter of one of the farm workers. As children, Paulus and Thebedi played together, but when they are teenagers they begin a sexual relationship. They have tender feelings for each other, even though their relationship is ultimately doomed in the end. Thebedi marries Njabulo, a kind young black man who has loved her for years. Two months later, Thebedi gives birth to a light-skinned child.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ That Thebedi is pregnant when she marries is not considered scandalous because men in this culture often insist on finding out before marriage if their women are barren. The childs light skin, however, reveals who the father really is. Still, Njabulo treats the baby as if the child were his own. Paulus learns that Thebedi has married and has a light-skinned child. He panics about the child and visits Thebedi in her hut. He asks her to give the baby to someone else to raise, but she does not. Two days later, he asks to see the child alone. Waiting outside the hut, Thebedi hears soft groaning sounds, and the baby soon dies. Officials discover that the baby was poisoned, and Paulus is arrested. Initially, Thebedi says that she knows he poisoned the baby, but when the trial comes, she claims that she does not know what he did in the hut. Paulus is set free. There are clearly two separate points of view which you can clearly see. The point of view of Paulus and Njabulo. Now Paulus is very judgemental and slightly racist. I say this because he wanted to and did kill the baby just because it was light skinned. I can also say this because of the following quote you must give it to someone this proves he is quite racist because he is calling the baby an it who is quite disrespectful. Also there is also a quote which suggests that he could have been the one to kill the baby I feel like killing it myself this also adds some extra evidence against him for killing the baby. And then there is the point of view of Njabulo which is he loves the baby so much he uses the small wages which he gets from his farm work to buy the baby what ever it needs and could ever want. He is such a devoted father. But then again though I suspect that Njabulo might not believe that the baby is not his, I say this because of what he says for Thebedis birthday notice he says Thebedis baby and not their or his birthday which makes me say that he does believe within himself that the baby is his own. I suspect he may think that because the baby has got light coloured skin and because they are both black he would have thought that the baby would have had the same coloured skin as the parent and because the babys skin is light coloured he might suspect that Thebedi might have had an affair with a white man and got pregnant and had a baby. Now we can move on to analyse the language which is used in these texts. Now the language which is used in these two stories are very expressive, they allow us to feel what the character are feelings. I will start to analyse the language used in the story of Veronica. And then I will move to analyse the story of Country Lovers. This in my opinion is a very heart felt and emotional story and I feel it is quite sad that the baby died in the end and that no body was convicted for the death of the baby if there was a murderer. But before we get to that lets start with the language used in Veronica. There are many persuasive words use in this particular text. The language which I have encountered in this text I have never seen or heard of before. Many people have commented on the language which is used in these texts and it is considered to be quite complex but I shall persevere and try to unravel the language in this text for you so that you may understand it as well as I have tried to. There are persuasive words a plenty in this story to help us to understand what the characters in the text are feeling. Now if we move on to analyse the language which is used in Country Lovers. The language which is used in this text is quite complex also so I will try to impart with you the knowledge which I have learnt about the language of this text. Many may say that the words are quite simple but the thing which is hard about the language in this text I the inner meanings within these words which means there is a meaning within a meaning. Now I have scrutinised the language, I will now go on to analyse the structure. There are two main things in the structure which need to be discussed and they are story and characters. I shall start by discussing the story in both of the stories. I have explained at the beginning of this piece the main story lines of these stories but in this paragraph I will go more in to depth about how the author of this story has kept the reader interested and leaving them wanting more. In Veronica for example this story is quite short, even though the story is short does not mean that the story is not interesting or boring. Short stories are just as interesting as novels or long novels. In this story the author has not used many difficult or hard to understand words and all the long / hard words are necessary to give the effect which is given. The author also made it easier for the readers understand what the characters in the story are feeling. For example we said goodbye and she hurtled away. I thought I saw a tear in her eyes as she turned to go. From this quote I can tell that Veronica was really sad about Okeke leaving her and she wanted to avoid a long goodbye because she probably knew the longer she stayed with him the more upset she would get about the thought of him leaving. Now I will move on to analyse the story in Country Lovers. This story is slightly longer than Veronica but is still very interesting. The author of this text does not use many long/ hard words but she does not need to the story is powerful enough and gets the point across without the need to use long and difficult words. This story is quite descriptive, for example: Hidden by the mesh of old, ant eaten trees the more descriptive a story is the better picture of what is happening in the story. If the author is too descriptive it is boring and if there are only few words of description then it isnt very good to get a picture of what is happening in your head. But the author of this story has found the right limit. Now I move on to talk about the characters in these stories. In Veronica there are only two main characters and they are Okeke and Veronica. Now these characters are very well made up and they were designed to play off each other. Where as Veronica is quite resistant to move Okeke is quite happy to try to persuade Veronica to move with him to the big city. Where as in Country Lovers there is Thebedi, Njabulo and also Paulus. Njabulo is quite a shy and retiring type where as Paulus is the alpha male and is more demanding and quite mean and strict. And Thebedi last of all is quite laidback but when she was required of it she was not afraid to stand up for herself. Finally I will analyse if the main characters had main a different choice then what would have happened and how the ending would have been changed. I will start with the story of Veronica. If Veronica had decided to go with Okeke and work as a secretary to him and goes to night classes then she probably would have led a happier and fuller life and also would not have died as early as she did and she would have had a happy and rich family life. In the story of Country Lovers what would have happened if different decisions were made. If Thebedi did not have a sexual relationship with Paulus in her teenage years then he probably would not have come back in her life and Thebedis baby would not have died. Also Njabulo and Thebedis relationship would have been stronger and better. To bring a conclusion to this piece both pieces are brilliant in the way that they are written and put together. They are fantastic short reads which I would recommend to any one to read and also if you wanted to read about different cultures and traditions.

Plessy vs. Ferguson :: essays research papers

Plessy went to court and argued that the Separate Car Act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. The judge, a Massachusetts lawyer, was John Howard Ferguson. He had previously declared the Separate Car Act "unconstitutional on trains that traveled through several states." However, in regards to the Plessy trial, he stated that Louisiana could regulate railroad companies that only operated within its state. Ferguson found Plessy guilty of refusing to leave the white car. Plessy decided to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Louisiana, but that court upheld Ferguson's opinion. Plessy then decided to take his case to the United States Supreme Court. In 1896, The Supreme Court of the United States found Homer Plessy guilty once again. Justice Henry Brown, the speaker for the eight-person majority, wrote: "That [the Separate Car Act] does not conflict with the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery...is too clear for argument...A statute which implies merely a legal distinction between the white and colored races -- a distinction which is founded in the color of the two races and which must always exist so long as white men are distinguished from the other race by color -- has no tendency to destroy the legal equality of the two races...The object of the [Fourteenth Amendment] was undoubtedly to enforce the absolute equality of the two races before the law, but in the nature of things it could not have been intended to abolish distinc tions based upon color, or to enforce social, as distinguished from political equality, or a commingling of the two races upon terms unsatisfactory to either." The one lone dissenter, who argued in favor of Plessy's case, and seemed to be the only one with a real understanding of equality, was Justice John Harlan. He wrote his own speech regarding the case and its decision. "Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law...In my opinion, the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott case...The present decision, it may well be apprehended, will not only stimulate aggressions, more or less brutal and irritating, upon the admitted rights of colored citizens, but will encourage the belief that it is possible, by means of state enactments, to adopted the recent amendments of the Constitution.

How Do the Novel Holes Deal with the Issue of Power? Essay

Essay questions: how do the novel holes deal with the issue of power? . Intro: Holes, by Louis Sachar, are a very important novel for students to study when learning about power and justice. The novel explores these two themes closely as we are taken an a journey through around camp green lake with Stanley, a character who has been wrong fully accused of stealing a pair of sneakers. Through the techniques ideas of characterisation setting and themes, the author is successful in communicating different ideas about power. The first technique is characters in holes are used to show how different people have different levels of power. Stanley, the main character is described as being overweight, shy and unpopular. And he was innocent of the crim for which he was convicted. Stanley was a given a choice by the judge, ‘’you may go to jail, or you may go to camp green lake.’’ (Chapter 2, page 5). He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whenever something went wrong Stanley’s family would always blame Stanley’s no –good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great—grandfather because of his awful luck and hopeless luck. The warden is very different character who is described as powerful, mean and unjust and the only rule was in the camp green lake is ‘don’t upset the warden’ , the warden was feared by many of the kids , because she pushing the boys to work harder . the evidence of her being powerful is in (chapter 1 page 3 )’’ the Warden owns the shade’’ X-ray, one of the boys Stanley’s makes friends with at camp green lake is described as powerful person in the powerless group. He earned a day off because Stanley gave the lid lip stick X-ray said to Stanley that he should give whatever he finds to him because he has been there for a year and he deserves the day off more than he does, so the warden lets X-ray have the rest of the day off, a double shower and a clean set of clothes and she also orders Mr.Pedanski to fill all the canteen with water. The evidence of these is when X-Ray said ‘’ if you find something else give it to me, okay?’’. (ch.11, Pge52) All of these characters demonstrate that power is not distributed evenly in camp green lake and highlight that in society, people can feel powerful and powerless depending on their experiences. The second technique, setting is used to show how the boys experience very unfair and uncomfortable condition during their time at camp green lake. The name of the camp is ironic because the lake is actually dry and brown. Camp green lake name’s fall somewhere between a joke and a curse, nothing is green there and there is no lake, its full-blow desert. ‘’the average temperature in the shade is 95 degrees’’ (ch1, page 3), and the boys have a very difficult life there because they work hard and they didn’t have a rest time just when they find something they will take a day off like X-ray. And they were sleep in coat, get 4 minute shower and relax in a recreation room where ever thing is wrecked. Mr. Sir makes the bandage out of his sunflowers seeds sack and tells Stanley to go right back to work â€Å"it is not nap time.’’ (ch 17 page 78). Sacher creates barren setting to emphasise how the boys at camp were mistreated and that sometimes in life, people are powerless to their living conditions. The third technique that made Holes such an effective novel for students to read is dialogue; dialogue is used by Sacher to communicate all of the emotions felt by the character at different points in the story. When Stanley talks to Zero about teaching Zero how to read, but Stanley rejects Zero’s request. But then after awhile Zero dagged Stanley’s hole while he was away so Stanley found out that he have the power over Zero with simply teaching him. On the other hand Stanley has justice between him and Zero because their deal was to dig hole for Stanley and in exchange he teaches Zero. An evidence of this is when Stanley said â€Å"I’ll try to teach you to read†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ch.22.Pg.96) he expresses what he will do and how much f ability he will put to teach Zero. Therefore, dialogue is the most effective technique in Holes and that the novel Holes is an important novel for students to study while learning about power and justice. In conclusion the idea of power is expressed in a different ways in the novel Holes. The author, Louis Sacher, has used a many different techniques including characterisation, setting and dialogue to communicate his ideas easily and in a fun way. This book is very entertaining for young readers and teaches that power is an important issue that affects all people in society.

Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - The Struggle of Sexual...

The Struggle of Sexual Minorities Explaining how to challenge the discriminatory attitudes that remain rampant throughout the world, Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a recent article, quotes the incisive words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu: We are all of equal worth, born equal in dignity and born free and for this reason deserving respect. . . . We belong in a world whose very structure, whose essence, is diversity almost bewildering in extent, and it is to live in a fools paradise to ignore this basic fact. The archbishops words lay bare an essential, wonderful truth about humanity, ignorance of which continues to create suffering for people everywhere. One group of people for whom the question of†¦show more content†¦They were of every hue of the human rainbow, ranging in age from 19--65. Greg Martin, an SGI-USA vice general director, says his attendance of the conference transformed him. I was made more deeply aware of the great courage that GLBT members have to have just to be themselves. I am more deeply aware of the depths of their struggles, even facing physical danger, simply for being who they are. For myself, sharing experiences and conversations with the other participants afforded me an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of diversity and the perspective that Buddhism offers on this issue, particularly with regard to the struggles experienced by young people as they confront the challenges of allowing their unique qualities and personalities to bloom. The idea of respecting diversity is almost a clichà ©. But recognizing the necessity of respecting diversity and creating a world where this is a reality are very different matters. The crux of Buddhism is the struggle to create a world where the dignity and uniqueness of each individual is valued and respected. In the United States today, many youth struggle to understand who they are and how they fit in. 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