U can choose from below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U can choose from below - Essay Example He realized that the company was one of his working buildings and made a decision of taking all the tests required by the company in order to participate (Steven). Nicholas was immersed in the CRS’s game, though unwillingly. Through his participation in the game, things went out of control making the viewers unsure of the reality. The aim is to explore the plot, techniques, and characters in the film. Plot Nicholas is a wealthy banker with investments. Although his success has been brought about by his personal life, he remains hunted after his father committed suicide. On his forty-eight birthday, he receives a present from his brother, which is a gift card from the CRS Company, which Conrad promised Nicholas that it would change his life. Nicholas doubted but later calls the company. By meeting the fellow members, the game changes Nicholas mind; he applies though irritated by the time it consumed. He is later informed that his application was rejected. By this time, the game has already started and Nicholas highly believes that his life is at risk. He meets Christine who is a waiter and tends to be caught up in the game. Nicholas makes an effort of contacting the police about the company but they find the offices abandoned. At last, Conrad apologizes to Nicholas claiming that through the same company, he was attacked. Since Nicholas had nowhere else to run to, he finds Christine’s’ home and realizes that she is an employee from the SRC Company. She tells Nicholas that they are being watched, and he furiously attacks the cameras thereby forcing them to flee. Christine tells Nicholas that most of his close associates participate in the game. Nicholas later becomes unconscious and is drugged by Christine (Steven). When he wakes up, he finds himself in a cemetery at Mexico where he is forced to sell his golden watch. When he goes back home, he finds his mansion has already been seized. He takes out a gun apologizing to his wife for the neglec t. Nicholas discovers an employee from the SRC who is a famous actor forcing him to make his entries to the SRC. Nicholas almost committed suicide, although unsuccessful. He smashes through a glass roof landing on a giant air bag, which saved his life. He later finds himself with his friends and relatives as well as his colleagues in the game. Conrad is alive and explains that his intensions were for the game to change his brother’s life. Nicholas sees Christine leaving the party, follows her, and shares a cup of coffee, as he waits for the next assignment for the game. How the Actors Portray Key Character Role Reviewing Michael Douglas role as Nicholas Van Orton, examination is on his key traits being a cynic, cold-hearted, high-powered, driven, obsessive, and proud. His obsessive nature is brought out by the way he treats the employees at the investment bank, where he lashes out with demands that are rigid. In terms of being a cynic, he portrays this in a number of ways but in particular, he remains skeptical that the game might make his life fun. He even ends up delaying the call offered by the CRS Company, he also tries to shut others out of his life by showing that he is over the suicide of his father. His high-powered trait and drive are visible in the way he chooses to live his life, with a highly paying investment job and a mansion as his house. However, he is cold-hearted in terms of the inhumane way he treats his secretary (Elizabeth), his ex-wife, and his

President of the United States of America Essay Example for Free

President of the United States of America Essay The year 2008 saw the growth and emergence of various cultures around the world. This progression was however affected and sometimes hampered by the various global economic and political occurrences that defined the year 2008. The beginning of 2008 witnessed elections and consequent political instability in Zimbabwe which defined the global political system tremendously. This elections, which were characterized by allegations of rigging and foul-play caused global cries against the incumbent president in Zimbabwe, sanctions were imposed on the country thereby sending the country deeper into economic turmoil. These actions affected the global interaction of cultures in the sense that many Zimbabweans and Africans felt that the Western world was trying to impose its political culture on Africans who enjoy their culture to a great extent. This feeling of culture imposition from the Western world brought into Africa rejection of the Western culture irrespective of the goodness of the culture(David, K. 72-75) The middle of 2008 witnessed the ‘heating up’ of the most dramatic elections in the United States of America. This American election had an immense effect on culture around the world because the favorite candidate in the election, Senator Barrack Obama, had various ethnic backgrounds. Born to a Kenyan father and an American mother, Barrack has been viewed as the ideal world representative. His background and connection to the Asian ethnic community, to a great extent, complements his worldly representation. Consequently, this favorite candidate for the United States presidency, who represented various cultures around the world, emerged victorious because in him, Americans and the world felt represented in the affairs of the world politics. This election and the subsequent win of Barrack Obama for the White House cemented the cultural diversity of the American people and brought other foreign cultures to fame and scrutiny. This American election and the subsequent win for Barrack Obama as President of the United States of America, went a long way to encourage and promote inter-cultural integration around the world through marriage and lifestyle(David, K. 80-82) The end of the year 2008 witnessed a most devastating slump in the global economy as the world faced the credit crunch instigated by the mortgage crisis in the United States of America. This global economic melt-down led to a decrease in travel and purchasing power of individuals. Therefore, there was a significant reduction in global interaction thereby causing a reduction in inter-cultural interaction. The reduction in the purchasing power caused a slump in global trade which is a key component of global interaction. This also therefore reduced cultural interaction on the global stage. The closing of 2008 witnessed the biggest political crisis of the year, the Middle East Crisis. This crisis has had a devastating effect on the global cultural integration due to its ever changing form of violence. Many times, the violence is political with the Palestinians and the Israelites being the two aggressors. Sometimes, the crisis takes a religious angle with the Palestinians representing the Muslim faction while the Israelites represent the Jews. This Middle East crisis has therefore slowed down cultural interaction from the political and the religious angles(David, K. 93-96) Analysis of Arts and Culture in 2008 The year 2008 showed the different effects on arts and culture by the political, economic and religious happenings around the world. The year just showed us how vulnerable global arts and culture is to extinction, and at the same time prosperity, thanks to the global economic, political and religious dispensation. Through political, economic and religious development, global arts and culture flourished and sometimes reduced to a very low point. This fact therefore poses a challenge to every human around the world to ensure the flourishing of global arts and culture by allowing and maintaining political, economic and religious stability. The future of global arts and culture as defined by 2008 is uncertain. The future lies in the choices of men. The right choices will lead to the positive development of arts and culture while the wrong choices will lead to negative developments. The future is unpredictable and uncertain†¦it lies in our choices(David, K. 100-103) Arts in Global Interaction Arts can play a huge role in global interaction. Through arts, experiences are shared throughout the world. For instance, tourists travel all over the world and are welcomed by different cultures which they end up assimilating with. They are attracted by the unique nature of the different cultures and styles and some end up purchasing commodities from those cultures which they take back home. This art work gives the tourists a story to tell to their loved ones back in their homes. Therefore, through the making and selling of art work, one individual from one global destination earns a living, while others from various other destinations get entertained and have a story to share(David, K. 109-114). Indigenous Development of Talent In the current global village, local talent has great potential of developing into independent industries. Different culture and art forms are always appealing. If the local talent can be given space to develop and grow, the global market always has room for accommodating new art works thereby creating employment and income for millions of people around the world who represent the various art and cultural backgrounds. This arts and cultural talent can be developed through national arts and cultural exhibitions where the arts and cultures are showcased to the rest of the world. These exhibitions should also develop business systems that can support trade and therefore enable the artistes to earn a decent living. This is the only way to ensure sustenance of the various arts represented by people around the world(David, K. 112-118). Survey into the Main Global Initiatives on Arts, Culture and Society A small survey can be carried out to give a deeper understanding into matters affecting arts and culture with the following specifics: Purpose Statement: the world at large need to take up the responsibility of promoting arts and culture through ensuring political, economical and religious stability. Hypothesis: arts and culture thrive in a world of political, economical and religious stability. Objective: To study the effect of politics, economics and religion on arts and culture. The findings of the survey can then be recorded and analyzed to give a comprehensive conclusion to the survey. Work cited David, Kilcullen. (2007). â€Å"Ethics, Politics, and Non-State Warfare: A Response to Gonzalez. † Anthropology Today vol. 23, no. 3. pg 56-120

Macbeth Concept Of Imagination Philosophy Essay

Macbeth Concept Of Imagination Philosophy Essay Macbeth is the best example of Shakespeares use of imagination. Macbeth becomes very obsessed with an idea of becoming king and his imagination leads him to do horrible things. The purpose of this paper is to show how powerful Macbeths imagination was and how it served him. To successfully examine the concept of imagination in Macbeth it was necessary to read Macbeth itself, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human by Harold Bloom and O Sekspirovim tragedijama by Shahab Yar Khan. Also, diverse critics gave their input on this theme which was helpful in finalizing this research. ( Ian Johnston 1999, Henry Neill Paul 1938) Results show that Macbeth has freely chosen to embrace evil in his imagination. He has not resisted the impulse to imagine himself as a king. It is quite clear that Macbeths ambition and commitment to his evil desires led him to brutally kill all those who he sees as a threat. Introduction Shakespeare has for the centuries thrilled most of the readers and spectators around the world. His works have been studied in many countries, thus making him hailed as the worlds greatest writer ever. Someone once said that the man, who has no imagination, has no wings. We are all aware of that. The imagination runs the show. We cant accept the modern literature without it. Shakespeare used it very often and with so much excellence that he brought it to the perfection. Macbeth is the best example of Shakespeares use of imagination Harold Bloom says that Macbeth himself can be called the unluckiest of all Shakespearean protagonists because he is the most imaginative. His power of fantasy is so enormous that pragmatically it seems to be Shakespeares own. (Bloom, 1998, p.516) The universal reaction to Macbeth is that we identify with him, or at least with his imagination. Shakespeare describes various types of symbolism and imagery that leads to the downfall of the main protagonist, Macbeth. The showings of darkness represent its evil and tragic moments. Blood symbolizes murder and guilt. The symbol of clothing is particularly used to suggest the hiding of the real faces and true itself and it is also widely used in order to achieve the general theme of evil. There are also Biblical references, witchcrafts, ghosts and many other imagery tools which made the story even more phantasmagoric. Concept of Imagination When we speak of imagination the first thing that comes up to our mind is something unnatural; something beyond our concept of reality. Imagination is a long lasting phenomenon. It has roots in mythology. Many people had spoken about it and gave their definitions. They can all be put in one: it is the formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses. The witchcraft in Macbeth, though pervasive, cannot alter material events, yet hallucination can and does. The rough magic in Macbeth is wholly Shakespeares; he indulges his own imagination as never before, seeking to find its moral limits (if any). I do suggest that Macbeth represents Shakespeare, in any of the complex ways that Falstaff and Hamlet may represent certain inner aspects of the playwright. But in the Renaissance sense of imagination (which is not ours), Macbeth may well be the emblem of that faculty of Shakespeare, a faculty that must have frightened Shakespeare and ought to terrify us, when we read or attend Macbeth, for the play depends upon its horror and its own imaginings. Imagination 9 or fancy) is an equivocal matter for Shakespeare and his era, where it meant both poetic furor, as a kind of substitute for divine inspiration, and a gap torn in reality, almost a punishment for the displacement of the sacred into the secular. All of us posses, to one degree or anot her, a proleptic imagination; in Macbeth, it is absolute. Macbeth terrifies us partly because that aspect of our own imagination is so frightening; it seems to make us murderers, thieves, usurpers and rapists. (Bloom, 1998, p.516) In the Act I Macbeth is already introduced with extraordinary nature of his imagination: This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill; cannot be good: If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor: If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, whose murther yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man That function is smotherd in surmise, And nothing is, but what is not. According to Harold Bloom, my single state of man plays upon several meanings of single: unitary, isolated, vulnerable. The phantasmagoria of murdering Duncan is so vivid that nothing is, but what is not, and function, the mind, is smoothered by surmise, fantasy. Macbeth speaks to himself in a kind of trance, halfway between trauma and second sight. An involuntary visionary of horror, he sees what certainly is going to happen, while still knowing this murder to be but fantastical. His tribute to his own horrible imaginings is absolute: the implication is that his will is irrelevant. (Bloom, 1998, p.536) The Witches The witches interactions with Macbeth play a vital role in his thinking about his own life, before and after the murder of Duncan. Macbeth and Banquo recognize them as something supernatural, part of landscape, but not fully human. They have malicious intentions and prophetic powers. They do nothing other than talk and offer visions. They are not involved in any action, yet they are important symbols in the play. They are essential manifestations of the moral atmosphere of Macbeths world, just like the ghost in Hamlet. Macbeth so foresees an event that it seems to have happened already before it actually takes place. He is not aware of his ambition before he sees himself having performed the bloody crimes that fulfill his ambition. The witches exist to delusion people, to challenge their faith in themselves and the society. Professor Khan thinks that Macbeths evil-inner of himself attracts the witches: One namjerno Ä ekaju Macbetha i Banqua kao Ã…Â ¡to zlo Ä eka ljude. MeÄ‘utim, one Ä ovjeku ne predlaÃ…Â ¾u zlo: one radije spomenu object koji bi mogoao pokrenuti Ä ovjekovo vlastito naginjanje zlu, a u ovom sluÄ aju one to rade preko proroÄ anstva. Dobar Ä ovjek kao Ã…Â ¡to je Banquo, moÃ…Â ¾e se oduprijeti njihovom pozivu, jer on u sebi ima milost BoÃ…Â ¾ju, kao i trag prvog grijeha. (Khan, 2008, p.35) Unlike Macbeth, Banquo doesnt let his desires outweigh his moral caution. His response to the witches is different: But tis strange, And oftentimes to win us to our harm The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles to betrays In deepest consequences Macbeth cannot act on his awareness because his desires, kept alive by his imagination, are constantly mixed with his moral sensibilities. A part of Macbeth is fascinated with the possibility of being king. Its not entirely clear where this desire comes from. The witches put the suggestion into the play, but there is a strong hint from his wife that two of them have already talked about well before the play begins: What beast was t, then, That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man In that case, the appearance of the witches may be a response to Macbeths desires. He has not exactly invited them, but they are responding to his innermost imaginative desires. They dont tell him what to do; they dont say anything about killing Duncan. The witches cannot be responsible for Macbeths actions. His actions are not controlled by the witches. He is always free to choose how he is going to act. Hence, we can say that these witches are there to constantly remind us of the potential for evil in the human imagination. Blood Blood is everywhere in Macbeth, beginning with the opening battle between the Scots and the Norwegian invaders, which is described in harrowing terms by the wounded captain in Act 1, scene 2. Bloom in his Invention of human argues that of all Shakespeares plays, Macbeth is most a tragedy o blood, not just in its murders but in the ultimate implications of Macbeths imagination itself being bloody. Macbeths phantasmagoria of blood is constantly there: blood is the prime constituent of his imagination. (Bloom, 1998, p.520) Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth embark upon their murderous journey, blood comes to symbolize their guilt, and they begin to feel that their crimes have stained them in a way that cannot be washed clean. Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? Macbeth cries after he has killed Duncan, even as his wife scolds him and says that a little water will do the job. Later, though, she comes to share his horrified sense of being stained: Out, damned spot; out, I say . . . who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? she asks as she wanders through the halls of their castle near the close of the play. Blood symbolizes the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on the consciences of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, one that hounds them to their graves. (http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/themes.html) Professor Khan discusses the sight of blood and its color in his book: Ono Ã…Â ¡to viÃ…Â ¡e upada u oÄ i od boja svjetla i vatre, jeste boja krvi. I zaista, prizor krvi nam se konstantno natura, ne samo pukim sluÄ ajem, nego punim opisom i Ä ak ponavljanjem rijeÄ i u neoÄ ekivanim dijelovima dijaloga. (Khan, 2008, p.25) Dagger scene After discussing the crime he is about to commit with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth decided to go through with the terrible feat. He is sitting alone, waiting for some signal which would approve his evil act. The focus of this soliloquy, the invisible dagger, is one of first evidences of Macbeths powerful imagination; an imagination, which would later be the main reason for his lunacy, and in the very end, his downfall: Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressà ¨d brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable As this which now I draw. Thou marshallst me the way that I was going, And such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o th other senses, Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. Theres no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes When he goes out to commit the murder, he is hallucinating the sight of a dagger leading him toward the deed, and he is filled with a sense of horror at what he is about to do. He is, it seems, in the grip of his imagination and is not serving some conscious rational decision he has made. But, in the very act of letting his imagination lead him on, he is aware that what he is doing is wrong. Its as if the dagger is pulling him toward the murder (against his will)hes following an imagined projection of his desires, rather than being pushed into the murder by some inner passion. (http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/eng366/lectures/macbeth.htm) Its important to stress the imaginative tensions in Macbeths character before the murder and to appreciate his divided nature. Thats why summing up his motivation with some quick judgment about his ambition is something one should resist. That resolves the issue too easily. Macbeth, in a sense, is tricked into murdering Duncan, but he tricks himself. That makes the launching of his evil career something much more complex than a single powerful urge which produces a clear decision. (http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/eng366/lectures/macbeth.htm) After all, one needs to notice clearly how he is filled with instant regret at what he has done. If driving ambition were all there was to it, one would think that Macbeth and his wife would not become morally confused so quickly. Macbeths entrance after the killing brings out really strongly a sense that if he could go back to the speech about the imaginary dagger, he would not carry out the murder. Lady Macbeth thinks a little water will solve their immediate problem; Macbeth knows that that is too easy. He cannot live with what he is done and remain the same person. (http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/eng366/lectures/macbeth.htm) Macbeth and Banquos ghost Encounter Another instance in which Macbeths imagination comes into play again is when he sees Banquos ghost and he begins talking to him: Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee. Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold. Thou hast no speculation in those eyes Which thou dost glare with! Macbeth and only Macbeth can see Banquos ghost. Many critics say that Banquos ghost is not real but a delusion of his evil sub-conscious and the fear and guilt that have completely overwhelmed and paralyzed him. So Shakespeare uses the appearance of Banquos ghost as a means of revealing to his readers the mental turmoil of Macbeth. We know how Macbeths reacted to Duncans murder, when he said he will never sleep again, that he is capable of guilt. The ghost is a manifestation of that, just as the dagger was a manifestation of his ambition. Conclusion Macbeths ambition is driven by a number of factors including prophecy and Lady Macbeth. The witches foretell that Macbeth will become King. Macbeth believes them and the various prophecies come true during the play. Witches appear three times, but as a fruit of Macbeths imagination. Lady Macbeth is the driving force that encourages Macbeth to overcome his strong sense of guilt and take action. Macbeths ambition soon gets out of control and forces him to murder again and again to cover up his previous crime. The last prophecy Macbeth hears from the witches is: Macbeth shall never vanquish be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth. The supernatural force speaks the truth, but by obliquity and by double meaning. They have blinded Macbeth by extending his pride. The Shakespeares use of the apparition to represent the powerful evil spirits is effective to demonstrate the power of image over word. It is through the strengths of his imagination that Shakespeares characters have withstood time. They are played on every stage in the world. In the end, Shakespeares ingenious usage of themes and symbolism creates, as A. P. Rossiter calls, a play about the disintegration of the state of man, and the state he makes his. Without the witches, the ghost, the visions, and the apparitions, Macbeth would have been a dull and tiresome play.

From Korea to Harvard :: College Admissions Essays

From Korea to Harvard My experience at the international science festival festival last summer was definitely one of the best times I've had. The ten days I spent in Seoul, South Korea, were not just about traveling to a foreign country or even about learning science. To me, the festival was more about meeting people and understanding their cultures. The opening ceremonies of the festival immediately ignited my excitement. I was surrounded on all sides by students from all over the Pacific Rim: Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, and of course, Korea. It's hard for me to describe how moved and amazed I was to see so many people of so many different backgrounds brought together in one place. All of us were so different and yet so similar. We were brought up and shaped by completely different forces and experiences, but all of us shared a common love-science. I was fascinated to observe in a group setting the contrast between the overly accommodating nature of the easterners and the stronger emphasis on individualism of the westerners. During a group project on creating a model city, I remember the easterners busy building police stations and apartment complexes. A couple of westerners, on the other hand, suggested including a sports stadium and a golf course-options obviously not on the agenda of the easterners, who, however, hesitated to say "No!" I suggested that we could replace the stadium with an airport, an idea quickly accepted by all. This experience showed me that different cultures don't have to conflict but rather can compliment other cultures in finding a better solution. The closing ceremonies were to me the best example of the cultural awareness fostered during the festival: on the first day, almost none of the Americans were brave enough to try the kimchi and mystery meat that was served to us; by the end of the festival, however, all 500 students were singing the APEC theme song together at the top of their lungs. I was completely immersed in culture, diversity, and new ideas for ten short yet extremely fulfilling days. From this experience, I realized that seeing other cultures allowed me to learn more about my own, as it enabled me to understand mine from a different perspective. My experience at the APEC festival helped broaden my perspective and showed me a glimpse of just how many possibilities and ideas there are in the world.

Kurt Donald Cobain of Nirvana Essay -- essays research papers

Kurt Donald Cobain was the leader of Nirvana, the multi-platinum grunge band that redefined the sound of the nineties. Cobain was born on the 20th of February 1967 in Hoquaim, a small town 140 kilometres south-west of Seattle. His mother was a cocktail waitress and his father was an auto mechanic. Cobain soon moved to nearby Aberdeen, a depressed and dying logging town. Cobain was for most his childhood a sickly bronchitic child. Matters were made worse when Cobain's parent's divorced when he was seven and by his own account Cobain said he never felt loved or secure again. He became increasingly difficult, anti-social and withdrawn after his parent's divorce. Cobain also said that his parent's traumatic split fueled a lot of the anguish in Nirvana's music. After his parent's divorce Cobain found himself shuttled back and forth between various relatives and at one stage homeless living under a bridge. When Cobain was eleven he heard and was captivated by the Britain's Sex Pistols and after their self-destruction Cobain and friend Krist Novoselic continued to listen to the wave of British bands including Joy Division the nihilistic post-punk band that some say Nirvana are directly descended from in form of mood, melody and lyrical quality. Cobain's artistry and iconoclastic attitude didn't win many friends in high school and sometimes earned him beatings from "jocks" Cobain got even by spray painting "QUEER" on their pick-up trucks. By 1985 Aberdeen was dead and Cobain's next stop was Olympia. Cobain formed and reformed a series of bands before Nirvana came to be in 1986. Nirvana was an uneasy alliance between Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic and eventually drummer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Grohl By 1988 Nirvana were doing shows and had demo tapes going around. In 1989 Nirvana recorded their rough-edged first album Bleach for local Seattle independent label Sub-Pop In Britain Nirvana received a lot of recognition and in 1991 their contract was bought out by Geffen, they signed to the mega-label, the first non-mainstream band to do so. Two and a half years after Nirvana's first C.D. Bleach was released they released Nevermind, a series of different, crunching, screaming songs that along with it's first single Smells Like Teen Spirit would propel Nirvana to mainstream stardom. Smells Like Teen ... ... herself into a rehab center but left soon after a friend called her the next day with news of Cobain's death. Cobain's body was found when an electrician visiting the house to install a security system went round the back of the house when no one answered the front door and peered through windows. He thought he saw a mannequin sprawled on the floor until he noticed a splotch of blood by Cobain's ear. When police broke down the door they found Cobain dead on the floor, a shotgun still pointed at his chin and on a nearby counter a suicide note written in red ink addressed to Love and the couples then 19 month old daughter Frances Bean. The suicide note ended with the words "I love you, I love you." Two days after Kurt Cobain's body was found about 5,000 people gathered in Seattle for a candlelight vigil. the distraught crowd filled the air with profane chants, burnt their flannel shirts and fought with police. They also listened to a tape made by Cobain's wife in which she read from his suicide note. Several distressed teenagers in the U.S. and Australia killed themselves. The mainstream media was lambasted for it's lack of respect and understanding of youth culture.

Toni Morrison Essay example -- Biography Toni Morrison Author Essays

Toni Morrison In the mid twentieth century, the Civil Rights Movement influenced African-American writers to express their opinions. Most African-American writers of the time discussed racism in America and social injustice. Some authors sought to teach how the institution of slavery affected those who lived through it and African-Americans who were living at the time. One of these writers was the Toni Morrison, the novelist, who intended to teach people about all aspects of African-American life present and past. In Beloved like all of her novels, Toni Morrison used vivid language, imagery, and realism to reveal the interior life of slavery and its vestiges which remained in African- American life. Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18,1931 in Lorain, Ohio to George and Ramah Willis Wofford. She was the second of four children. Her parents influenced her writing because of their contrasting views. Her father had a very pessimistic view of hope for his people; however, her mother had a more positive belief that a person, with effort, could rise above African-Americans’ current surroundings (Carmean 1-2). Her parents also influenced her because they were â€Å"gifted storytellers who taught their children the value of family history and the vitality of language†(Carmean 2). Toni Morrison graduated with honors from Lorain High School. She went to Howard University where she majored in English Literature. While at Howard, she changed her name from Chloe to Toni. Toni Morrison went to graduate school at Cornell University. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Howard and a Master’s degree from Cornell. Toni Morrison met Harold Morrison, her husband, at Howard University where he was an architect student. Toni Morrison and Harold Morrison later divorced. Though they had two sons. Their first son was Harold Ford. Slade Morrison, their second son, helps Toni Morrison in her writing of children’s books. Toni Morrison has held many jobs as a writer, teacher, and an editor. As a teacher, she taught general composition and literature classes at Howard University. Some of her students at Howard were Houston Baker and Claude Brown. At Yale University, Toni Morrison taught creative writing and African-American literature. As an editor, she worked as senior editor at Random House in New York City. She worked her way up to that position from... ...using realism and vivid language. â€Å" Morrison had cast a new perspectives on the nation’s past and even suggests- though makes no promise- that people of strength and courage may be able to achieve a somewhat less destructive future† (Bakerman 173). Works Cited Bakerman, Jane S. â€Å"Toni Morrison.† American Women Writers. Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgrat. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2000.172-174. Carmean, Karen. Toni Morrison’s World of Fiction. Troy, NY: Whitston Publishing Company, 1993. 81-100. Johnson, Anne Janette. â€Å"Toni Morrison.† Black Contemporary Authors; A Selection from Contemporary Authors. Eds. Linda Metzger, et al. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Inc., 1989.411-416. Mobley, Marilyn Sanders. â€Å" Toni Morrison.† The Oxford Companion to African American Literature. Eds. William L. Andrews, Frances Smith, and Trudier Harris. New York: Oxford UP, 1997.508-510. â€Å"Toni Morrison.† Literature Resource Center. Feb. 2004. Gale Group. 8 Apr. 2004. http://galenet.galegroup.com Toni Morrison Uncensored. DVD. Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2003. â€Å"Works of Toni Morrison.† Big Chalk Library. Jan 1990. Big Chalk. 8 Apr. 2004.http://library.bigchalk.com

Gay Marriage is Immoral Essay

The debate over the acceptability of the same sex marriage in today’s world has raged on for a number of years now. Both pro and anti same sex marriage activists have been locked in a perpetual tug of war over whether this marriage is ethical or unethical or whether it should be legalized or outlawed. Since the first same sex marriage was given a formal recognition in Denmark, efforts have been stepped up by gay activists to have the same replicated in Europe and in the United States and with considerable success though. The term same sex marriage is used to denote a civil union of people from the same sex, recognized by law and accepted by the society. With all the controversy that has raged over this debate and after a clear analysis of the arguments and counter arguments, this paper maintains that same sex marriages are immoral and defy the natural order of the society. There are a number of reasons that indicate that gay marriages are immoral and should not be in any way recognized by law or by the society. The traditional stand and definition of marriage, a definition that has stood the test of time is that it is union of two consenting people, a man and a woman and not a union of two men or two women. This is the same stand taken by the two important Holy books; the Bible and the Quran. For the law to recognize same sex marriages or the society to purport to support gay unions, it is to go against the conventions as set by religion and traditions. Islam is vehemently opposed to same sex marriages. In the Quran, Muhammad Abu Zahra defines marriage as a contract between a man and a woman with an intention of living and assisting each other. Ibn Uthaimeen also takes a similar comprehensive perspective in regard to marriage seeing it too as a mutual contract entered into by a man and a woman with the sole purpose of bringing up a family. Procreation is core to marriage from an Islamic perspective. Christianity is against the union of gays in a marriage. The motivation behind this opposition stems from the book of Genesis where it says that God created man and a woman so that they can live together and assist each other. God saw that man had grown lonely in the garden of Aden and thought that He could give him a helper. This helper turned out to be a woman. According to the bible, homosexuality is a sin and will be highly punished. The Bible seems to lump homosexuals alongside murderers and thieves, meaning that it highly disapproves of such tendencies. It hence would be a contravention of Christianity for the same church to go ahead and bless same sex marriages (Caramagno, Thomas C, 34). There is a ranging controversy in the modern world when the issue of the same sex marriages comes up especially amongst Christians. Many liberal churches have gone ahead and blessed same sex marriages purporting to get the justification for this from the bible. This is not possible as the bible strongly condemns it, referring to it as an abomination. The new liberal churches are just consumed by the desire to appear modern and accommodating but not driven by the motivation to fulfill bibles promises. The Catholic Church for example has maintained its conservative stand on these issues quoting verses from the bible and not willing to conform to modernity, this is in spite of the fact that a number of bishops and presents have come out in a strong support of same sex marriages. It should be emphasized that in spite of the modern views on gay marriages, the bible still sees it as an immoral practice. The only union that Christianity should recognize is the marriage between a man and a wife (Robert P. George, Jean Bethke Elshtain, 46). A look at the various cultures in the world indicates that they are against homosexuality and by extension same sex marriages. A look at the history of homosexuality shows that it has always been frowned upon in the society, a concept referred to as homophobia. The mid of last century was full of hostilities towards homosexuals who were being subjected to all manner of injustices in the society. This sort of discrimination was cultural based; traditions were against homosexuality in the dominant feeling that it was immoral and also an abnormal practice. This is a notion that still stands in many cultures. Only in the last decades of the last century did this discrimination subside. Cultural relativism posits that our beliefs and practices are direct products of our culture. The dominant cultures are against homosexuality and hence no more accommodating towards same sex marriages. Emmanuel Kant’s philosophy on categorical imperative states that humanity should â€Å"act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law† (James welling, 1993) According to Kant, what is considered moral is one which can be done by everybody under all circumstances. Same sex marriages then are not acceptable if interpreted alongside this line of thinking. Traditionally, the real essence of marriage is procreation. This is something that can be achieved through same sex marriages. Emmanuel Kant could not have approved same sex marriages on the basis that they can not be taken up by whole or greater portion of the society. Similar to the cultural relativism principle is the virtue theory that seeks to lay great emphasis on virtues. The society has clearly demarcated virtues from vices. Stealing and promiscuity are vices that are frowned upon by every orthodox society. Homosexuality has been traditionally considered a vice and hence same sex marriage according to the virtue theory is also unacceptable. There is also the concern that allowing same sex marriage is tantamount to signaling the end of the world in terms of population density. It has been mentioned that religion and traditions recognize procreation as a key factor in marriage. This is one aspect that is clearly missing from gay marriages. It is important to note though that there are laws in some states and countries that allow same sex partners to adopt children. Sociologists have questioned the rationality of such an idea and whether such children will be able to grow up like normal kids. Perfect families comprise of both man and wife who come together to bring up children giving them both maternal and paternal love. Same sex marriages deny children the rights to enjoy this kind of love. There are a number of arguments that have been put forward by the proponents of same sex marriages. One of them centers on freedom association as a basic right. Freedom of choice movement and association are basic rights enshrined in the bill of rights. Discrimination is also an issue tackled in the same breath when human rights come up. By failing to give recognition to same sex marriages, the law and the society are discriminating against the minority. They go ahead and argue that homosexuals are human beings in need of recognition and liberty to do what they see fit without any form of discrimination. To deny them the right to marry like the heterosexuals is a contravention of their rights, privileges and benefits accessible to heterosexual partners in marriage. This is their basic human right (Wolfson, Evan, 19). Proponents of same sex marriages also use the evolution theory to justify its appropriateness. They have noted that the society and traditions have undergone an evolution and the society is gradually becoming more accommodating. Some held notions traditionally have ceased to hold. Polygamy was acceptable in the past but it is frowned upon nowadays. Homosexuality was seen as illegal but now it has become an acceptable practice. Having children out of wedlock is not considered a cardinal sin anymore. Proponents are saying that the same case should happen to the institution of marriage. The traditional idea of marriage as being a union of a man and a woman should also change to include same sex partners to ensure that many people join this holy institution Homosexuality too they argue is not unnatural, it is not unusual as some people claim it is. Homosexuality is a natural behavior deeply ingrained in a person’s genes and hence cannot be controlled. Prohibiting same sex marriages on the basis that people can change their behavior is wrong as it denies them a chance to be in a lasting, loving and faithful relationship as sexual orientation is incontrollable (Chauncey, George, 19). On the issue of its legalization, proponents of same sex marriages scoff at the idea that religion should have a say on whether it should be legal or should be prohibited. They claim that separation of states and religion is a key ingredient to any progressive and democratic nation. The government hence should not have a say on who one should marry or should not marry. This however is an argument that does not hold any water. Though they are right in their claim that the church and the state should be separated, this separation however does not delink totally religion from the process of law making. Laws and government legislations are a product of traditions and practices which to a certain extent are inspired by religion. Religious views have to be incorporated to ensure synergy. The argument on the evolution of societal practices is ill advised, just because changes have occurred and some things frowned upon have become acceptable does not mean that the society has to accept every thing that comes its way even when its inappropriateness has been recognized. Proponents of same sex marriage when they advocate against discrimination and decry their human rights violation. Discrimination against any person for his sexual orientation or gender is not acceptable, but this does not mean that same sex marriage is acceptable, but this does not mean that same sex marriages should be recognized. The societal traditions and values have to be upheld. In conclusion, it is important to note that prohibiting same sex marriages is not in anyway contravening fundamental rights of same sex partners, it is just a way of upholding values, beliefs and ideals entrenched deep in the society. Same sex marriages are immoral as they go against the conventions of the Bible and the Quran, both of which consider it immoral. Same sex marriages go against the traditional institution of marriage as they do not conform to one of its core essential, procreation. Legalizing same sex marriage is tantamount to sanctioning moral erosion and contravention of societal values and ideals. Works Cited Kant, Immanuel; translated by James W. Ellington [1785] Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd ed. Hackett. 1993, p30. Wolfson, Evan . Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People’s Right to Marry. New York: Simon & Schuster. 2004, 19.