...Inequality Towards A Stronghold In today’s society you think of most everyone being treated equally. Of course there are always people that do not respect everyone. Twenty plus years ago is an example of the extremes of how women were treated. In the books Things Fall Apart and Persepolis there is a plethora of examples of how women were not treated as equally as the men. One of the major reasons that the women are being treated badly is because of religion. Marji was experiencing the start of people trying to enforce the veil when she was younger. It was hard for her to adapt because she didn’t understand how it fit in and why she had to wear it. “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had...
Words: 644 - Pages: 3
...Things Fall Apart Political Structure Okonkwo’s plight in Things Fall Apart underscores the value of his community; he goes to great lengths and eventually martyrs himself in an attempt to keep intact his society’s way of life. His ascension to be a leader in the community is marked by success in combat and physical prowess, which renders him “one of the greatest men of his time” (8). Although the Umuofian government is militant and unremitting, it has some semblance to the United States government in that it makes decisions to better protect and serve its people. The United States government strives to protect and endow its constituency with an emphasis on equality and liberty, completely unlike the patriarchal and aggressive values that Umuofia embraces. Umuofia and America are both sovereign states that attempt to provide a “good life” to its constituents, but do so very differently. Property owning family men are the essential considerations of the Umuofian government. For these men, “it [is] right to be masculine and to be violent” (53). At ritualistic gatherings, Okonkwo “tremble[s] with the desire to conquer and subdue” (42). The expectations for aggressive and masculine society are not in place in the United States. A “good” man in American society is one that treats his family well and values everyone around him as equal. Polygamy is nonexistent in America. The government recognizes everyone’s rights as equal and nobody is deemed inferior for their gender. Women...
Words: 487 - Pages: 2
...Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe gives a vivid portrayal of the African society before colonialism, during colonialism and after colonialism. It is centered on a tragic hero, Okonkwo, whose aim for success and fear of weakness drives his entire life and eventually leads to his fall. Achebe uses Umoufia, a land surrounded with strong traditions and culture as the case study to depict the effects of culture clash on a land where “Things Fall Apart; the center cannot hold” (Achebe, 2009). The title of this book is symbolic to the turnout of events in the story and foreshadows the inability of Umoufia to resist the pressures of change. In the novel, we see a clash between cultures and change that leads to the fall of the Igbo society, a clan that used to be strong and powerful before the white people came. The Igbo people face a dilemma on whether to accept the change, keep their way of life or better still balance both worlds in one. The way Achebe presents the arrival of the colonists and their imposition of change on the Igbo Society raises some thought to me on the true intention of colonialism i.e. did they come to spread Christianity or to acquire the land? The rapid unfold of events in the novel makes me harness the latter view; they took the stronghold of the Igbo society i.e. religion, turned it into a weakness, in the name of change, to enable them exploit the land. One thing that held the society together was their religion/tradition and once the colonists introduced...
Words: 1247 - Pages: 5
...Jean Gathoni English 10 23/11/2015 Things Fall Apart vs. Kenya Many societies all over Africa have beliefs rooted deep in ancient religion. Some beliefs in those societies include, polygamy, polytheism, and patriarchy. One such culture that followed these were the nine Ibo-speaking villages of Umuofia. Umuofia is the village in which Okonkwo, prospers in everything to secure his manly post in the tribe. The role of each family member in Umuofia is much defined. The men are overly intimidating. The women and children are treated defectively and often abused. Life in Umuofia is very different from life in Kenya before colonial times. Before the arrival of the Europeans, there was a dominant tribe called the Maasai. Like Umuofia, the Maasai’s were feared by other tribes because they had a fierce reputation, engaging in frequent raids against their neighbors, that gave them power beyond the number of warriors. But the Maasai were quite different from Umuofia. The Umuofia people did not engage in frequent attacks against their neighbors. They made the opponents choose whether they wanted to go to war or present them with a young man and a virgin woman to spare their village from devastation. The Maasai also had some beliefs similar to Umuofia. They had a god called Enkai who they believed gave them all the cattle in the world. For the Umuofia people it was different but on a small-scale level. They had a god called Chukwu, who is their only God and all the others...
Words: 614 - Pages: 3
...this act. Homosexuality is mentioned in the Bible many times and exploits it as an immoral sin. A scripture from the Letter to the Corinthians states, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers not male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God”, and a scripture from Leviticus states, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you." These two scriptures are straight out of the Bible and defile homosexuality to the fullest extent. In Genesis, the Bible says that God made man and a woman to multiply. Homosexual couples are incapable of procreating...
Words: 1522 - Pages: 7
...is a story that tells about the life of a poet who experienced brutality for a very long time. He was also a farmer. His name was Egil Skallagrimsson. In the story, he is depicted as a psychologically, ambiguous character who was at one point in time a great and wonderful composer of poetry but who was also endowed with staggering brutality. The sags shows the progression of Egil who moves from a naïve savagery youth to a pronounced mature man who bears with him a serious content of wisdom. His wisdom and maturity comes at a time when he struggles to defend his honor in a consecutively solving dispute with the Norwegian King, Erik Blood-axe, and fight for the English King, Athelstan, in his battles against Scotland. Despite every other thing that happens, he is depicted as one character who is fascinating and complete with human character. Egil Saga has been considered by many to be one of the deepest arts of insight into ethos of the Viking Age of many works of fiction. For those who always tend to think that an anti-hero is a current idea will be disillusioned of that concept by this account, which is pinpointed on an obnoxious and violent man who strangely wins our sympathy but continuously loses it through his murderous reactions. The story offers a very good insight as to the development of Norway and Iceland. The story is premised on the conventions of the genre, it commences with ancestors. Further, you come to realize in the book that the title character is only procreated...
Words: 1365 - Pages: 6
...The Garasia tribal community has gained a place of prominence in Indian culture due to their lifestyle and culture. This Garasia tribal community has got concentration in several areas of the state of Rajasthan. The Garasia tribal community is considered to be the third largest tribal group of the state of Rajasthan. The people of this tribal community are basically concentrated in different parts of this state namely Kotra, Abu Road tehsil of Sirohi, Bali and Desuri tehsils of Pali districts, Gogunda and Kherwara tehsils of Udaipur. As per the history, the Garasias tribes are a division of the Rajput community. The colonization made the scarcity of lands during the time of the British administration, and the tribal people were marginalized and started living with the people dwelling in the forest. The further division was created by the nationalist movement in between the groups. Among the Garasias, the Bhil-Garasias are the part of tribes who married the Bhil women to maintain peace and harmony. This tribal community is divided in three sections namely the nanki niyat, moti niyat and nichli niyat and these sections have further clan divisions namely Solanki, Mali, Parmar, Raidara etc. The territory of the Garasia people is called patta and the smallest unit of the villages is termed as hamlet or phalia. The word `Garasias` is derived from the Sanskrit word `gras` that signifies the substance. The history says that after defeated by Ala-ud-Din Khilji, the Rajputs took flight...
Words: 1491 - Pages: 6
...is the collective consciousness of the nation probably better essayed than in the cinema, which is viewed with passionate enthusiasm. Taking Popular Hindi Cinema as a mainstay of Indian culture, this article tries to create a link between the depiction of homosexuality in Popular Hindi Cinema and the society. Different viewpoints are looked from and observed in Indian popular culture, such as the non – acceptance of homosexuality by some quarters, the crude stereotyping and the slowly emerging new wave of thought that treats the subject with a compassionate eye, and gives it a humane treatment. Submitted by : Vivek Maheshwary 0800206 INTRODUCTION : Many Bollywood movies have explored various social issues such as child marriage, polygamy, dowry system, casteism and terrorism. However, homosexuality, a taboo subject in Indian society and religion, has yet not been fully explored in Bollywood. “Homosexuality refers to sexual behaviour with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a homosexual orientation.” Gay refers to male homosexuality whereas lesbian refers to female homosexuality. Jab pyaar kiya to darna kya, Jab pyaar kiya to darna kya, Pyaar kiya koi chori nahi ki, Chhup chhup aahein bharna kya.. The above song is from the movie Mughal-E-Azam can be translated as ‘What is there to be afraid of if you have loved? You have only loved someone and not stolen anything, then why you are hiding and sighing’. This song may well apply to the homosexual couples in Indian...
Words: 2559 - Pages: 11
...Pentecostalism * One way in which this religion spread begins with an independent bible school in Topeka, Kansas, founded by Charles Fox Parham (1873-1929) * Some students there had a particular concern for the account in the Christian New Testament recorded in the book of Acts, chapter two, describing what happened to Jesus’ disciples as they gathered in a private room in Jerusalem during the Jewish festival of Pentecost. * This festival attracted thousands of tourists who spoke many different languages. According to the account, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in these different languages. This phenomenon is called “speaking in tongues” or glossolalia. Those who spoke in different languages believed the Holy Spirit granted them the gift or power to do so. Much of the Christian tradition restricted such miraculous gifts to the age of the apostles and did not expect them later. * Parham’s students in Topeka found nothing in the biblical text that limited such spiritual gifts to an ancient time. On New Year’s Day, 1901, Agnes Ozman received the gift of speaking in tongues. Parham soon embraced the idea, equating such spiritual gifts with a “second baptism” that followed the traditional baptism which used water to anoint individuals. This second baptism was a baptism of fire * Speaking in tongues is a form of ecstatic experience when for a time another power seized control of one and manifests itself. * The Pentecostal...
Words: 6697 - Pages: 27
...I was born in the year of 1986 in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. My parents followed and were a part of a religious polygamy cult named the Fundamentalist Church of Ladder Day Saint, or better known as the FLDS. Most members of the cult lived in a small town they call Short Creek, on the Utah Arizona border. My father had two wives. We called them Mother Karen, and Mother Marsha. Mother Karen was my birth mother. I was the seventh child of twenty children. We were required to ensue their very strict rules. No television, no radio, no public schools, no communication with anyone outside the religion. We were also required to wear long dresses, with long sleeves. It was considered immoral for a girl to talk to or look at another boy, unless...
Words: 1984 - Pages: 8
...(Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York) and also the District of Columbia. Maryland, Washington, and New Jersey will eventually allow same-sex couples to marry, but the bills haven’t taken effect yet. There are several other states that respect out-of-state marriages, and recognize domestic partnerships or civil unions (“States”). Denmark has accepted same-sex marriage for over twenty years and for several years now in Canada. No societies in these two countries have collapsed nor are divorce rates rising, which are common accusations (Eskridge). If Denmark has had a successful twenty years of same-sex marriage without the fall of their civilization, I doubt the societies in the United States will breakdown if same-sex couples get married. However, that doesn't stop the arguments from being made. So, the only thing someone has to do to cancel out a logical argument is to introduce fear. Nearly forty-six percent of people in the U.S. oppose gay marriage, but fifty-eight percent of people are supportive of gay rights (“Most Say Homosexuality Should be Accepted by Society”). This means that many of the same people who are passionately in favor of gay rights oppose same-sex marriage. This may be because a majority of the population doesn’t understand what homosexuality really is. There are also a lot of stereotypes about gay...
Words: 2497 - Pages: 10
...Compare and contrast essay: Ancient Egypt and Greece The ancient Egyptian and ancient Greek civilizations are two of the oldest known civilizations in our history. The Egyptian civilization, based in the eastern part of North Africa, is believed to have started around 3150 BC and continued till the end of the Pharaoh rule in 31 BC. The ancient Greek civilization is believed to have been in effect from 1100 BC till about 146 BC. Many similarities and differences existed between these two civilizations, as even though they co-existed during a certain timeframe (1150 BC to 146 BC), they were located in different geographical areas. Because of these differences in geography, both these civilizations were subjected to different kinds of exposure, which included contact with other civilization and cultural inheritance. In the political sphere, we find that the Egyptian civilization had stronger emphasis on central authority, while the Greeks had a more decentralized structure, where powers were distributed over the cities and the states as well. As far as art is concerned, we find that the Egyptians were more involved in creating great monumental and gaudy structures, while the Greeks were more involved in creating smaller, more literary pieces of art. One of the biggest reasons why these two civilizations had these differences is due to their geography. The Egyptians had easy access to large stones that they could bring in to their country and use them to erect such monumental...
Words: 2939 - Pages: 12
...Justice of Michael Sandel: In 1884 the British ship Mignonette foundered in the South Atlantic. The four crewmen, including the captain, escaped in a lifeboat, with only two cans of turnips for sustenance. One of the survivors was the cabin boy, 17, an orphan, who soon took sick after drinking seawater. On the 19th day at sea, utterly desperate, the captain, Thomas Dudley, suggested drawing lots to determine who would be killed so that the others might survive by eating him. One man objected, and the plan was put off. The next day, however, the captain told the others to look away, offered a prayer, and slit the cabin boy's throat. Four days later, the crew spotted a ship "as we were having our breakfast," the captain later wrote. Back in England, two of the three survivors were charged with murder. By utilitarian logic—the greatest good for the greatest number—it's hard to object to the act. Yet many in the hall do object, and Sandel, stalking the stage, scanning the room, wants to know why. When one student suggests that the act would have been justified had the boy, Richard Parker, consented, Sandel replies, in an amused tone: "What would that scenario look like? Dudley is there, penknife in hand, but instead of the prayer, or before the prayer, he says, 'Parker, would you mind?'" Students seem to think the proposed lottery would have justified the killing. Sandel probes: Can a fair process sanction something so abhorrent? And what if the loser changes his mind after...
Words: 3984 - Pages: 16
...4 March: City of God – Utopian Reader – include a little bit on it – 22 volumes in all. Christianity – Augustine – classicly trained greek scholar. City in north Africa. Story like apostle Paul – orginially a person who persecuted Christians – north African wealth family from – found enlightenment in Christianity. Once he joined became one of the early scholars trained in greek – regulized Christian theology. Influence on western world – top four or five who influenced. Confessions and City of God his writings…look up! What’s the purpose of improving human society – complex – why do it? Can human society be made better? Why bother, what is the point, justification? Takes effort, misery involved, change, unknowns, takes energy, takes risks. HAPPINESS – justification for improving society. What do you have to have to be happy? What is happiness – PHI 101 – happiness according to whom? Lack of misery; literally the elimination of misery. Secondly, food – gives pleasure – Happiness is lack of human misery and maximizing /pleasure and happiness. Bliss 24/7 – hedonism Epicureanism – eliminating misery and maximizing happiness. The justification of utopianism = why did plato want the republic? Justisifcation for improving human society among the Greeks? Poor always poor, always unhappy, death claims everyone - it is rational to maximize pleasure and eliminate misery. Do eternally accouding to plato. Opinions – 1. Relativism is a retreat in the 20th century. Can’t...
Words: 44275 - Pages: 178
...INDEX 1. Acknowledgment Pg.3 2. Abstract Pg.4 3. Introduction Pg.5 4. History Pg.7 5. Indian Feminism Pg.9 6. Where feminism goes wrong Pg.14 7. Bibliography Pg.20 ABSTRACT Women have always been an integral part of society. However, more often than not their contribution in the human society has been ignored. This gave rise to the need of empowering women and hence the feminist movement. This research project aims to comprehend and analyze the very essence of Feminism in terms of the 3rd wave and in Indian context. It also analyses the myths associated with feminism and the flaws which lead to the ambiguity in the whole concept of feminism. Further, the paper discusses as to whether the term “feminism” can be brought under one general definition or there is much more to it. INTRODUCTION DEFINITION "A woman should be barefoot, pregnant and chained to a stove," stated Ben Glantz, a high school senior. Drew Pershing, another senior, also shared a joke, "What does a woman do after she leaves a battered shelter? The dishes...if she knows what's good for her!" Daily jokes and comments such as these, no matter how harmless, are detrimental to the status of women and a dangerous undermining of their accomplishments. Shared by both genders, sexually discriminative comments are widely accepted in society as normal and harmless. "I didn't mean anything by that; I was just kidding," whimpered Ben Glantz after receiving several cold stares from young women who overheard...
Words: 5715 - Pages: 23
