The Nature of the Beast: An Analysis of the Genre of Science Fiction

All modes of inquiry correlate with each other due to their tendency to coalesce in their emphasis on questions, which raise issues on autonomy, justice, and politics. The differences of literary theories, for example, merely spring from their construal of the relationship between the exercise of power and the text. Structuralism views the relation in terms of the relationship of the formal elements in a linguistic system. Marxism assesses the relationship in terms of the role of such relations in the existence of social structures.The same method is used by Psychoanalysis, with the emphasis on the conscious and unconscious mind. Deconstruction, on the other hand, perceives the texts’ role in destabilizing oppositional modes of power. Despite of these differences amongst discursive procedures, it does not overshadow the fact that these theories give emphasis on their analysis of the political and institutional structures within society. A concrete example of this can be seen i n the opposing theories of constructivism and essentialism.Despite their adherence to competing narratives of oppression and resistance [constructivism places emphasis on multiple identities thereby opposing essentialism’s stance on singular categorization] both theories show interest on the subject’s position within society and how this position can affect the development of his identity. In fact, if one isolates the discussion of identity and narratives of oppression in both discourses, one will notice that the ultimate commitment of the theories they adhere to gives emphasis on the idea of political justice.Politics within these discourses is seen as a collective action of resistance, which aims for change in the hopes of attending to the problems evident in the formation of identity and agency. It is important to note that literature as a repository of human experience has always been influenced by politics. Exercise of power within society is associated with and d ependent on the mass production of certain kinds of literature, which allows the cultural qualification of ideas.The relation between literature and politics can also be seen in literary theory’s assessment of the formation of consciousness and unconsciousness, which is related to the maintenance, and transformation of the predominant modes of power made possible by literary output (Eagleton 210). It is also dependent upon the ahistorical positioning of the literary text, since this allows the continuous creation of meaning for a particular text. This mode of relationship invokes the aesthetic character of literature. Literature as a form of discourse enables the perception of aesthetics as a process of communicating while remaking a work.The aesthetic act becomes the incarnation of meaning rather than a demonstration of truth. This is possible since in the process of reading a text, the subject -which can be both the reader and the author- produces another text which is the same as the earlier text yet entirely different from it. Perceived within the dialogic process, the interconnectedness of completion and fragmentation can be understood by recognizing that it is in fact the fragmentation of the text, which allows the completion of the text itself.Within this perspective, the aesthetic act becomes political through the social interaction necessitated by the creation and continual recreation of an artistic work. Literature, in this sense, becomes the locus of a condensed and social evaluation. Intersubjectivity precedes subjectivity wherein the production and repression of meaning is seen as a socio-ideological process rather than an individual process. In this scheme, the text is allowed the character of fluidity. No permanent theoretical stipulation and ethical meaning can be attached to it since to do so is tantamount to denying the ahistorical character of the text.This character is invoked since in the end when one considers a text, what is given importance is not necessarily the historical reading of the text but the various readings made available by the literary theories and ethical standpoints that one may attach to the text. Within this process, there is an emphasis on the reassessment and creation of new standpoints since the interpretation of the text involves the consideration of both the act of writing and reading the text.The re-conceptualization of a literary text through reading enables the individual to undergo a process of analyzing the truth connected with the discourse in which the text is situated, while at the same time reassessing its connection to his self. Due to this, assessing a text becomes a personal and political act wherein the common adage â€Å"the personal is political† can be phrased into an equally influential counter notion that â€Å"the political is personal†. It is important to note that there is a big difference between these two adages.To say that the â€Å"personal is po litical† is only tantamount to equating political importance to personal experiences whereas to say that the â€Å"political is personal† involves following an ideology and political theory in making decisions in everyday life. The function of the verb† is† in both adages is not that of identification. This process, wherein the reading of a text becomes a vehicle for self-realization and self-transformation is emphasized within the literary genre of science fiction. The Genre of Science FictionGenres, as systems of classification, are means of strategic control. Within the field of literature, it is believed that the continuous division of literary works into different genres leads not only to the classification of the work and the text but also to the imposition of values and ideals to those people who read the works belonging to a specific genre. Through genre categories like ‘Romance’, ‘Horror’, or ‘Mystery’, those i n control of the modes of production control both the reader and the author of the work.By promising the readers a familiar set of meanings and controlling the demand for the production and formation of those meanings, those who are in control of the modes of production direct the construction of narratives. Within this context, it is possible for the stories that are produced within society to be a part of a broader form of social classification. Due to this, there is the construction of a particular set of meanings, which can only be understood within specific systems of classification. Genres in this sense become instruments of control.This is evident if one considers that genres â€Å"encode rules that constrain the†¦production and reception of meanings†¦communicated through a large number of meta-texts† (Hodge 27). These meta-texts become the basis for the production of knowledge. All knowledge is positioned as knowledge in itself and knowledge produced from an d within body. As soon as both forms of knowledge are connected to a knowing subject, the subject becomes ensnared to the poststructuralist dictum of the unity and independence of the self, which leads to the formation of the narratives of the self.Narratives then display the imprint of culture and its institutions on the individual’s sense of identity. Since self and language are mutually implicated in an interdependent system of symbolic behavior, the language that one uses for the creation of literary narratives dictates the creation of identities. The modern era thereby places the individual in a kind of political double bind as it coerces the individual to conform to normalizing and disciplinary forms of narrative construction evident in the â€Å"domestication of literature† (Suvin 373). Science fiction, however, as a genre eludes the monopolizing character of other genres.As a genre, it is at the intersection of various fields. It draws on the elements of popula r culture, science, and all types of social relations (James and Mendlesohn 1). This is evident if one considers that it employs a methodology and an approach, which enables the specification of a new set of values through the depiction of a radical form of reality. In this sense, science fiction is less of a genre if one is to conceive of a genre as specifying a particular text’s subject matter and approach to themes. As opposed to the other literary genres, science fiction cannot be expected to employ a specific set of elements and tropes.It may however be depicted as a form of ongoing discussion since the texts within the genre may be perceived as mutually referential due to their characteristic opposition towards a naturalistic and empiricistic conception of reality. Science fiction as a genre is thereby defined by its critical stance towards the normative depictions of reality. However, to state that this is the defining characteristic of the genre provides problems for the genre itself. This is evident if one considers that it leaves the genre open to other forms of literary texts with the aforementioned characteristics such as fantasy and myth.Contrary to this, science fiction stands in opposition to the aforementioned forms of literature. Science fiction is neither totalizing nor deterministic as it presents a predetermined conception of the conception and end of reality [myth]. Furthermore, it is neither based upon a conceptual scheme that posits the impossible as ordinary [fantasy]. James and Mendlesohn state, â€Å"the sense of wonder is the emotional heart of science fiction† (3). David Nye refers to this as the appreciation of the sublime evident in science fiction texts.Such a description further echoes Frederick Pohl’s description of science fiction as â€Å"a way of thinking about things† (qtd in Malzberg 38). Generally, this â€Å"way of thinking about things† may be†¦ All of these will show that the spo ntaneous and habitual orientation of attention is inimical to the maintenance of reality. Therefore, scientific fiction provides a reorientation of attention and a kind of ontological conversion, which affects the aesthetic, ethical, and political perceptions of the reality. This reorientation also affects the ontology of the world.

What is Womens Studies

Women s Studies explores a wide assortment of issues. Since the scope of topics that Women s Studies covers is so broad, it is difficult to come up with a solid definition that fully explains this subject. I believe that the central category of analysis in Women’s Studies is gender. This subject examines the historically constructed understanding of what it means to be a â€Å"woman† or a â€Å"man. † Women s Studies courses examine gender and women, drawing on a wide variety of experiences from women s perspectives. Not only does Women s Studies explore gender; it also takes a good look at the issues of race, class and sexual orientation and how they impact the development of women in a variety of cultural, social, and economic contexts. Because it is the norm that white, middle class, straight, able-bodied women of a certain age have considerably more access to power and resources than women of color, poor women, lesbians, the disabled, the very young or very old, incorporating the life stories and views of these minority women is a crucial part of Women s Studies. Women of color who are involved in Women s Studies have and still are making great strides in eliminating the stereotypes that not only involve their sex, but their race and culture as well. The text Women: Images and Realities written by Amy Kesselman et. al. includes Black feminist Alice Walker s definition of womanism: Black feminism, or womanism, draws on the historical strength of black women in their families and communities and the rich African-American tradition of resistance, persistence, and survival (12). Women s Studies also takes a in depth look at feminism. Kesselman s et. al. defines feminism as The belief that women have been historically subordinate to men, as well as to the commitment to working for freedom for women in all aspects of social life (9). Women s Studies classes often focus on the early feminists, the struggles they endured, and the impact they have had in getting women as far as they are in society today. I believe Women s Studies owes a big part of its existence to the movement for the liberation of women; the feminist movement exists because women are oppressed. Kesselman s et. al. text, describes Women s Studies as a course which Is an important and exciting experience that introduces new ways of seeing both the world and oneself (8). As our society becomes increasingly diverse, I believe students who study Women s Studies develop an awareness and understanding of diversity that makes an important contribution to any endeavor.

Zoo Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zoo Activity - Essay Example Although the other placental mammals had a tendency to live in grasslands, marine and other environments, the adaptive niche for the primates was trees. According to the arboreal hypothesis, this provided numerous challenges and opportunities such as depth perception and binocular vision, climbing by utilising prehensile hands and feet instead of claws, varied diet resulted to omnivorous adaptation and longer life span, increased their intelligence and more elaborate social system which they required to cope with. 1. White-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar) White-handed gibbons are diurnal, natural aerial acrobats and are fairly awkward on the ground. The have long fingers and limbs, special thumbs and strong arms are specialised to the arboreal life in their forest home. Stewart and Harcourt (16-19) noted that as they swing from limb to limb they usually hook their fingers lightly over the branches. When they meet a break in the trees, they have the capability to leap to the next tree up to 25-30 feet away. Their intelligence in locomotion makes them quick and efficient when moving from feeding to escaping from predators. The morphology and behavior of white-handed gibbon With regard to its morphology, the white-handed gibbon lacks a tail and has a throat sac located beneath the chin. The average body mass for an adult is around 5.7 kilograms, and for the female it is around 5.3 kilograms.

Social Inequality in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Social Inequality in Australia - Essay Example In this process, it has also allowed the policy of social inequality and discrimination between the White and non White classes of people in terms of their immigration in to the soil of Australia. The White people were allowed freely by following the liberal practices of immigration rules where as the strict restrictions were imposed for the non European people under the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 which is nothing but encouraging the policy of social inequality. In other words, the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 has initiated a trend in which the differential attitude of Australian administration was followed towards the treatment of different races of the people (Immigration Restriction Act, 1901). Staring with the nature of the tests put to the immigrants, several other restrictions were imposed to non white people for discouraging them to stay in Australia. Even in case of labor immigration, the white labor were allowed to enter the soil of Australia where as other c lasses of labor were restricted under the clauses of Immigration Restriction Act of 1901. This discriminatory and social inequality attitude of Australian authorities was further continued in different arena for which the seeds were sown in the form of Immigration Restriction Act of 1901. ... ralia Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 was passed by the House of Parliament of Australia for the main objective of limiting the immigration rate of non Europeans to Australia. The policy of social inequality and White Australia in restricting the immigration of alien persons in to the land of Australia is very well reflected in the form of Immigration Restriction Act of 1901. It has decided the fate of the people who were willing to enter Australia for various types of works since long and it tilted towards selective concessions to white people and it is even influencing the public policy related to immigration at present also. Hence, it is very significant instrument in the history of Australia which may be analyzed form time to time for making betterment in the rules and restrictions related to immigration to Australia. The basic origin of introducing this Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 was in the form of opportunism and can be traced to the history of formation of Austral ia. When Australia was formed by union of six colonies, they wanted to build the nation protecting from foreign forces and the Common wealth of Australia was proclaimed in 1901. As the armed forces were controlled by the British, the Australians wanted to have control over the people who would migrate from other regions. They feared that people from China and Japan may dominate in some economic spheres if they are allowed to settle in Australia which would affect the prospects of local people. At the same time, the trade unions in Australia also felt that if people form Asian origin are allowed to immigrate in to Australia, the labor wages may go down which would negatively influence the earnings of the labor of Australian origin. At the same time, the population of Australia in 1901

Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) Term Paper

Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) - Term Paper Example Furthermore, it supposes that the chromatographic column contains an infinite number of separate layers (theoretical plates). Separate equilibrations of the sample between the stationary and mobile phase occur in these layers. The analyte moves down the column by transfer of equilibrated mobile phase from one ‘plate’ to the next. There is a more convincing theory, ‘the rate theory.’ This theory depends on the speed of elution and thus speeds of diffusion of the dissolved particles. The analysis and application of this theory leads to the Van Deemter equation. This equation relates the variance per unit length of a separation column to the linear mobile phase velocity by considering several factors. They are physical, kinetic, and thermodynamic properties of a separation. The physical factors are such as; A) Eddy diffusion. B) Longitudinal diffusion C) Resistance to mass transfer It (chromatography) is thus seen to exploit the differences in partitioning beha vior between a mobile phase and a stationary phase to separate the components in a mixture. These components contained within a mixture may interact with the stationary phase based on charge, differing solubility or adsorption capability. Several terminologies are associated with the process of chromatography; a) The analyte- this is the substance to be separated during chromatography. b) Bonded phase- this is a stationary phase that is covalently bonded to the support particles or to the inside wall of the tube being utilized.. c) A chromatogram is the visual output of the chromatograph. d) The eluate is the mobile phase that is leaving the separation column. e) The eluent is the solvent that carries/dissolves the analyte. f) The immobilized phase is a stationary phase that is immobilized on the support particles, or on the inner wall of the column tubing. It is similar to the bonded phase g) The mobile phase is the phase that moves in a definite direction. h) The  solute  refe rs to the sample components in a solvent. i) The  solvent  refers to any substance capable of solubilizing another substance. This is important especially in the liquid mobile phase in liquid chromatography. Several methods of chromatography exist as well (singh). They include; 1) Chiral chromatography 2) Countercurrent chromatography 3) Pyrolysis gas chromatography 4) Simulated moving bed chromatography 5) Reversed phase chromatography 6) Two dimensional chromatography 7) Expanded bed adsorption chromatography 8) Size exclusion chromatography 9) Ion exchange chromatography 10) Supercritical fluid chromatography 11) FPLC The FPLC is the method of interest in this case. The FPLC method was developed and marketed in Sweden by the Pharmacia Company in 1982. It was originally called fast performance liquid chromatography. Principle of functioning The purpose of purifying proteins with FPLC is to deliver quantities of the target protein at sufficient purity. This is done in a way tha t ensures the protein is in a biologically active state to suit its further use. Furthermore this can mean pure enough that the biological activity of the target is retained. This high level of purity requires preliminary preparation of the sample. This is mostly by IEC. In most FPLC systems, there are two solvents/ buffers (A, B). There is also a resin that is chosen so that the protein of interest will bind to it by a charge interaction. When the sample and mix of buffer (100% A) and protein is introduced, the protein will bind to

International business in the globalization process Essay

International business in the globalization process - Essay Example This means that these global giants are ready to look after the societal aspects since they have understood how things work within their own respective areas. An example of such a global giant is Shell which has earmarked corporate social responsibility campaigns within the fields of education and empowerment to the small business owners all over the world (Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan, 2011). The less than responsible businesses could be given food for thought since these global giants are playing big within the corporate social responsibility realms and ask for encouragement within their own ranks. They could find new ways and means to go out there and bring about a significant difference within the lives of the people, just like the global giants that have invested heavily within the corporate social responsibility undertakings. In essence, the role played by the major businesses in this day and age is of tremendous influence and should be treated as such because this embodies the basis of a significant change in the times to follow. References Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan., 2011. International Business Environments and Operations, Prentice Hall.

SPE 565 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SPE 565 - Essay Example These are social-cognitive theory by Bandura, 1991, Theory of Planned Behaviour by Azjen, 1991 and Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour by Triandis, 1981. (Bandura, 1997) defined social-cognitive as a theory that "explains how people acquire and maintain certain behavioural patterns, while also providing the basis for intervention strategies" (n.p.). The factors to be considered to evaluate behavioural change are the people, environment, and behaviour. This social cognition model focuses on self-efficacy expectancies or beliefs about a person's ability to perform certain behaviour. A framework for designing, implementing and evaluating programs are being offered in social-cognitive theory. To better analyze this social cognition model, analysis of the pros and cons when this model is used should be presented. SCT is an important and effective means for educators in assisting the students to gain new supporting skills by developing feelings of self-efficacy from their own mastery experiences. SLT can help educators determine why certain learning activities work, and why other activities aren't very effective as the students may receive standard persuasive techniques to try to instil feelings of self-efficacy. ... It is believed that all of the people are able of doing critical thinking, in spite of their differences. Additionally, social cognitive theory encourages the use of non-traditional methods of learning instructions and evaluations, which involves a major time commitment on the part of the expert using the model. Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) evaluated: The theory of planned behaviour is a theory about the relation between behaviour and attitudes. It was projected by Icek Ajzen as an annex of the theory of reasoned action (TRA). It is one of the most prognostic persuasion theories. As (Wikipedia, 2007), "it has been applied to studies of the relations among beliefs, attitudes, behavioural intentions and behaviours in various fields such as advertising, public relations, campaigns, healthcare, etc." (n.p.). TPB can cover people's intentional behaviour which Theory of Reasoned Action cannot explain. TPB would help better forecast health-related behavioural intention as it improves the predictability of intentions. It can give explanation to individual's social behaviours by viewing social norms as important factors. However, TPB fails to notice emotional factors and may only provide limited assessment on these areas. Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour (TIB) - Triandis Theory This model is based on TRA and TPB although based on (Davis et al., 1992) "efforts towards developing models that incorporate a non-utilitarian aspect of technology acceptance have been made" (pp 1111-1132). Hence, it does not distinguish the emotional from the cognitive domain and promotes assumption that an individual is positioned on the dimension of both emotional and cognitive bipolar in terms of evaluation. Triandis theory of interpersonal

Identify, compare and contrast for the CIA Agency Essay

Identify, compare and contrast for the CIA Agency - Essay Example Of our concern is the fact that Directorate of Science and Technology relates to information security standards in the agency (CIA, 2011). Factors like integrity of the personnel, secretiveness of the personnel and the information, and the availability of such information make up information security. In this context, confidentiality dictates that secretive information should stay as a secret and only authorized persons should receive access to such information. On the other hand, integrity relates to the morality, soberness, and the criminal history of the personnel. Then availability of information and information security relevantly serves an important part in the Agency. Furthermore, there are different standards that govern the application of information security. Some of these standards draw certain similarities while others portray divergent characteristics. Such standards may include and are not limited to Personnel Security Standards, Investigative Requirements and Standards , and Reporting Requirements (Tenet, n.y). Nevertheless, the main aim of all information security standards for CIA Agency is to help in fulfilling its mission in U.S. The Director of Central Intelligence oversees the formulation and implementation of the information security standards for CIA Agency. The National Security Act of 1947, as amended, and Executive Orders 12333 and 12968, set all the information security standards for CIA to apply to all US Government civilian and military personnel, employees, contractors, and consultants who seek access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). The Personnel Security Standards deal with qualification for accessing SCI. They stipulate the criteria for security approval on a person who seeks to know the basis for accessing SCI. According to the standards, such a person access to SCI must be a US citizen and the individuals immediate family must be US citizens.

How the internet has changed world culture Essay

How the internet has changed world culture - Essay Example The widespread use of the Internet has resulted in a virtual shrinking of the world that has led to the speculation of the concept of the world collapsing into a single Global Village. This leaves us with the strong possibility of the evolving of a new world culture at the detriment of the existing wide varieties of cultures around the world. Many of the cultures around the world are grounded in the religions practised in the surroundings. These religions have come down the ages and provide instil strong moral flavors to the cultures. Some of these morals may appear orthodox and out of sync with the modern world. Yet, they provide the moral fibers in most of the cultures worldwide. From the perspective of these moral fibers ingrained in the many cultures, the Internet appear â€Å"1000 times more dangerous than the television†, making it the â€Å"the world’s leading cause of temptation†, â€Å"a deadly poison which burns the souls†, as it incites and encourages sin and abomination of the worst kind (Singh 2009, p.46). In other words the influence of the Internet on world culture is to tear apart the moral fibers ingrained in it through moral pollution of the world culture (1). This criticism of the negative influence of the Internet on world culture stems from the innumerable pages of written and visual pages present in it. For instance, pornographic sites abound in the Internet, providing hours of questionable viewing to any user of the Internet, irrespective of age and gender. The Internet has made it possible for the emergence and proliferation of virtual communities or groups built around specialized interests, themes or cultural identities. Members of these virtual communities or groups tend to devout their time and attention more on these virtual social groupings than the real cultural groups that they belong to. A consequence of this is the fragmentation of cultures around the world, or in

History of Special Education Essay Example for Free

History of Special Education Essay It was not until the middle decades of the eighteenth century that Europe turned, for the first time, towards the education of persons with disabilities. The spirit of reform, crystallized in the philosophy and precepts of the European Enlightenment, created new vistas for disabled persons and the pioneers who ventured to teach them. Although special education emerged in a number of national contexts, France was the crucible where innovative pedagogies to assist those deaf, blind, and intellectually disabled emerged and flourished (Winzer, 1986). Following the French initiatives, movements to provide services for those in the normative categories of deaf, blind, and intellectually disabled were contemporaneous in continental Europe, Britain, and North America. Prior to the mid-eighteenth century, individual deviations were rarely tolerated and little was done for those who in some way disrupted the norms of a society. Disability was not an innocuous boundary; rather, it was a liability in social and economic participation. People perceived as disabled – whatever the type or degree – were lumped together under the broad categorization of idiot, scorned as inferior beings and deprived of rights and privileges. This early period is replete with innumerable stories of healing, many imbued with an Indeed, many special educators seem curiously disinterested in the foundations of the field; historical knowledge is learned incidentally and unintentionally (Mostert Crockett, 1999–2000; Winzer, 2004). To some, history becomes increasingly selective, with the past made over to suit present intentions; others speak to the ‘lack of history’ (Renzaglia, Hutchins Lee, 1997, p. 361). At the same time, some contemporary writers disparage earlier events, programmes, and pioneers in favour of contemporary models. Some point to fossilized traditions; others hold that if today’s inclusive movement embodies the best ideals of social justice then the past, by extension, had to be unjust (Winzer, 2004). Implicit to this position is a steadfast unwillingness to learn from the wisdom of the accumulated past. The middle decades of the eighteenth century witnessed the pervasive influence of the European Enlightenment. While the intellectual project of the Enlightenment was to build a sound body of knowledge about the world, its humanitarian philosophy prompted ideas about the equality of all people and the human responsibility to take care of others, particularly individuals outside the private circle of the home and the family. Reform movements sprang up, aimed at the improvement of the well-being of groups of individuals, varying from poor people and slaves to prisoners, the insane, and disabled people. In France, the Abbe Michel Charles de l’Epee (sign language) assimilated Enlightenment ideals of equality, as well as novel concepts about language and its development. He joined these to the sensationalist philosophy of John Locke and the French philosophers to promote innovative approaches to the education of deaf persons. If de l’Epee’s doctrine promoting a silent language of the hands was not unprecedented, it was nevertheless revolutionary in the context of the times. In devising and instructing through a language of signs, the Abbe gave notice that speech was no longer the apex of instruction in the education of deaf persons. Simultaneously, he influenced and guided innovations for other groups with disabilities, specifically those blind, deaf blind, and intellectually disabled. Following de l’Epee’s successful mission with deaf students, Valentin Hauy in 1782 initiated the instruction of blind persons using a raised print method. Somewhat later, in 1810, Edouard Seguin devised pedagogy for those considered to be mentally retarded. The French educational initiatives travelled the Atlantic to be adopted by pioneer educators in US and Canada. Rejection of French innovations did not imply that British advances were minor. On the contrary. Building on the prerogatives of earlier pioneers, teachers and clergy such as Thomas Braidwood and John Townsend promoted education for deaf persons. Schemes to assist other groups soon followed. By the close of the eighteenth century in Europe and Britain, the instruction of disabled persons was no longer confined to isolated cases or regarded merely as a subject of philosophic curiosity. Permanent facilities were established, staffed by a cadre of teachers experimenting with novel and innovative pedagogical methods. The French endeavors formed the core of systems and methods adopted in the United States and much of British North America (Canada). In the latter, however, the Maritime provinces of Nova. Scotia and New Brunswick initially adopted British pedagogy (see Winzer, 1993). Founded on a humanitarian philosophy, evangelical commitment, and unbounded philanthropy, they established from 1817 onwards a complex of institutions designed to cater to the unique needs of exceptional individuals. Pedro Ponce de Leon(1578) in Spain created the first documented experience about education of deaf children (from nobility) AbbeCharles Michel de l’Epee(1760) in Paris created the â€Å"Institutpour sourds†(Institute for deaf) Louis Braille invented â€Å"Braille script†(1829). Pioneers in Special Education Jean-Marc Itard [pic] DECS Order No. 1, s. 1997 Organization of A Regional SPED Unit and Designation of Regional Supervisor in-charge of Special Education -DECS Order No. 14, s. 1993 Regional Special Education Council -DECS Order No. 26, s. 1997 Institutionalizing of SPED Programs in All Schools -DECS Order No. 5, s. 1998 Reclassification of Regular Teacher and Principal Items to Special Education Teacher and Special School Principal Items DECS Order No. 11, s. 2000 Recognized Special Education (SPED) Centers in the Philippines. -REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7277 AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REHABILITATION, SELF DEVELOPMENT AND SELF-RELIANCE OF DISABLED PERSONS AND THEIR INTEGRATION INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF SOCIETY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES http://www. deped. gov. ph/default. asp SPED teachers to sharpen tools in a national conference PASIG CITY Teachers and school administrators handling children with special learning needs are expected to further hone their skills during the 2013 national conference on Special Education (SPED) being put together by the Department of Education (DepEd). â€Å"We are opening the conference to public and private school teachers and administrators and other SPED service providers in line with our policy to continue to create a culture of inclusive education,† said Education Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC. The conference aims to engage teachers and school administrators in the discussions of the evolving practices in handling SPED learners with the end-view of producing inclusive policies. Preparations are now underway for the conference to be held in November in Iloilo which carries the theme â€Å"Special Education: A Bridge to Inclusion. † One of the conference highlights is the awarding of prizes to the winners of the Search for the Most Outstanding Receiving Teachers, as well as Outstanding SPED Teachers and SPED Centers. The national finalists will be awarded certificates while the national winners will receive plaques of appreciation and cash prizes. The conference will also be a venue to discuss current trends, skills and practices on the management of inclusive education schools. â€Å"We can also expect presentations on researches on inclusive education which others may adopt or adapt,† added Luistro. The Philippines, as a signatory of the Salamanca Statement of Action on. Special Needs Education, recognizes the principle of equal educational opportunities for â€Å"all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions† (Salamanca Statement, 1994). This framework was adopted in the Philippines through the Department of Education Culture and Sports (now DepEd) Order no. 26 which institutionalized inclusive education. The order required the organization of at least one SPED center in each division and implementation of SPED programs in all school districts where there are students with special needs. Special education started in the Philippines in 1907 with the establishment of the Insular School for the Deaf and Blind. The school started with 92 deaf persons and one blind person. Today, DepEd serves 11 types of children with special needs in public schools. As of school year 2006-2007, there were 162,858 students with special needs at the elementary level, 51% or 83,231 of whom are in the gifted program. The remaining 49 % were students with various disabilities such as hearing impairment, visual impairment, learning disability, mental retardation, behavior problem, autism, and cerebral palsy. Students with learning disabilities comprise 25% of students with special needs. However, up to this date, many children with learning disabilities, mental retardation, and autism remain unidentified in public schools (DepEd, 2006a). The inclusion of children under these three categories of special cases were among the major concerns of the TEEP-SBM-Inclusive Education (IE) project. Historical Foundation of Inclusive Education Based on the book of Teresita G. Inciong, Yolanda S. Quijano, Yolanda T. Capulong, Julieta A. Gregorio, and Adelaida C. Jines entitled Introduction To Special Education, it was during the year of 1902 and under the American regime that the Filipino children with disabilities were given the chance to be educated. Mr. Fred Atkinson, General Superintendent of Education, proposed to the Secretary of Public Instruction that the children whom he found deaf and blind should be enrolled in school like any other ordinary children. However, the country’s special education program formally started on 1907. Mr. David Barrows, Director of Public Education, and Miss Delight Rice, an American educator, worked hard for this program to be possible. Mr. Barrows worked for the establishment of the Insular School for the Deaf and Blind in Manila and Miss Rice was the administrator and at the same time the teacher of that school. Today, the school for the Deaf is located at Harrison Street, Pasay City and the Philippine National School for the Blind is adjacent to it on Polo Road. During the year 1926, the Philippine Association for the Deaf (PAD) was composed of hearing impaired members and special education specialists. The following year (1927), the Welfareville Children’s Village in Mandaluyong, Rizal was established. In 1936, Mrs. Maria Villa Francisco was appointed as the first Filipino principal of the School for the Deaf and the Blind (SDB). In 1945, the National Orthopedic Hospital opened its School for Crippled Children (NOHSCC) for young patients who had to be hospitalized for long periods of time. In 1949, the Quezon City Science High School for gifted students was inaugurated and the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled was organized. In 1950, PAD opened a school for children with hearing impairment.

Promote Effective Whistle Blowing Philosophy Essay

Promote Effective Whistle Blowing Philosophy Essay To promote effective whistle-blowing, Singapore had establish a framework under the Singapore Code of Corporate Governance where one guideline stated that the AC (audit committee) should review the policy and arrangements by which staff of the company or other persons may raise concerns about possible improprieties in matters of financial reporting or other matters. Arrangements for such concerns to be raised must also in place and independently investigated, and for appropriate follow-up action to be taken. The existence of a whistle-blowing policy should be disclosed in the companys Annual Report, and procedures for raising such concerns should be publicly disclosed as appropriate. Implementing such procedures can promote whistle-blowing as it legitimize whistle-blowing and provide formal channels for resolving complaints (Near and Miceli, 1995). This essay will explore several ethical points of views to justify if employees should have the duty to whistle-blow on unethical or illegal acts: utilitarianism, an ethical framework which focuses on the outcomes or results of actions deontology; an ethical theory which is concerned moral actions. Utilitarianism is defined as the ethical tradition which directs us to make decision based on overall consequences of our action (Hartman and Desjardins 2008). Weeks and Nantel (1996) also claims that an one acting on utilitarianism considers the maximum benefits towards its beneficiaries. An action is considered good or right if it results in more good consequences over the bad ones (Beauchamp and Bowie, 1997: 22). Therefore, a utilitarian would attempt to actions that will maximize net social bene ¬Ã‚ ts as a result of their actions (Lamsa, 1999: 346). Bentham (1781) claims that human beings are utilitarian by nature. Bentham (1781) says that when reasoning a moral decision from a utilitarian view, a highly sophisticated hedonic calculus which constitutes of seven considerations, are involved. These considerations comprises of intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, purity, fecundity and extent. The category extent measures the degree of our moral decisions impacting others . Hence, it is consistent that utilitarian calculations are used to consider the well-being of others as a heavily weighted factor in determining a course of action (Bentham, 1781). Deontology On contrary to utilitarianism, deontology is maintains that the morality of an action is based on series of rules and principles, rather than the consequences of the action. According to Kant (1780), to act in a morally right way, one should act from duty, regardless of the consequences (Kitson and Campbell, 1996: 13). Kant (1780) argues that the good will of a person cannot be determined by the consequences of the act of willing as good consequences could be resulted by accident from an action motivated by bad intentions, whereas bad consequences could be resulted from an action with good intentions. He claims that a person with good will acts out of respect for the moral law as they feel they have a duty to do so. Kant suggested that an action is only morally right if you were willing to have everyone act in a similar way in a similar situation (Lamsa, 1999: 347). Kant believed that actions should respect underlying moral law; a persons motives should re ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ect recognition o f a duty to act and that morality provides a rational framework of rules, which constrains and guides people (Beauchamp and Bowie, 1997: 33; Kant, 2000: 54-5). So should employees have the duty to whistle-blow? Both ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology discusses whistle-blowing in the context of moral duty. Whistle-blowers acting on the theory of utilitarianism would consider about the likely outcomes of their decision and will only blow the whistle if the rewards outweigh the costs (Southwood, 2001) whereas for those who are acting on the theory of deontology will blow the whistle if they think is morally right as moral obligations are irrelevant with the consequences. Using Benthams utilitarian perspective, one can argue that the negative effects of whistle-blowing can outweigh the rewards. So while an individual aims to disclose the unethical behaviours of an organisation so as to prevent the organisation from further wrongdoings, one would have to consider, as Bok introduced, the three types of conflicting loyalties; conflict between public interest of various sorts, conflict between loyalty and the organisation and the colleagues, and lastly the conflict between recognition and retaliation to the whistle-blower. The first conflict is the conflict between the public interests. Potential whistle-blowers would have to consider if stepping forward is in fact for the public interest. They would measure the extent of the threat and also consider if their actions would improve. The second conflict is their loyalty to the organisation and their peers. The employees, as human beings, will naturally form relationships with their colleagues and their loyalty, respect, commitment and emotional ties will also be developed for their workplace. Hence, by enforcing a duty for employees to whistle-blow would override their loyalties and organisation. The last conflict is the recognition and retaliation of whistle-blowing. In most cases of whistle-blowing the whistle blower stands alone against the majority; the organisation, their colleagues, the government and even their family. Hence, there would likely be a high potential of the whistle-blower suffering retaliation, such as losing their job, being called a rat or mole in the organisation and even suffer punishment as their organisation did if they were to be involved in the wrongdoings as well. Other severe consequences include affecting others such the whistle-blowers family, their close peers and even the entire organization. These negative consequences can be damaging in many ways; psychologically, sociologically and otherwise. Such scenario can be related to a real case occurred in Singapore. In 2005, in the Singapores National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Scandal, ex-Chief Executive Officer, T.T Durai, as well as other board of directors, were charged for misusing of public funds under the Prevention of Corruptions Act by the Police. However, before the scandal, accusations had already been about T.T Durai squandering and misusing of the funds for his own personal needs. The first two whistle-blowers, one of them being a volunteer of NKF, were summoned to court separately for defamation when both claimed that T.T. Durai had been travelling in Singapore Airlines first-class cabin. Both had to pay an undisclosed amount of damages to NKF and offer an apology as well. A cure-suffering father of one of the whistle-blower passed away upon learning about the law suit. The third whistle-blower was sued by NKF when she circulated an e-mail accusing the foundation of paying their staffs high bonuses instead of helping the poor and needy. She also warned the public about donating to the foundation. In results of her action, she had to pay a lump sum of S$50,000 in damages to NKF and also publish a public apology on local newspapers. After the scandal was exposed, though T.T Durai and the board members involved had been punished by the law, the three whistle-blowers had already suffered major negative consequences. Not only did the whistle-blowers not achieve their goal in disclosing the organisations illegal behaviour, they suffered serious punishment under the law and one of them even lost a family member indirectly as a result of his actions. Given the severity of the consequences of whistle-blowing, is it realistic for an individual to fulfil a duty to blow the whistle on unethical or illegal behaviour? On the other hand, whistle-blowers acting on the deontological perspective are considered moral agents. This holds true according to Kants theory of deontology as the intention of the whistle-blowers are for the well-being of the organisation. Whistleblowing addresses the issues of benevolence. The issues of benevolence involved in whistleblowing stem from the positive effects whistleblowing can have on others since whistle-blowers, by disclosing information about organisational wrongdoing, might warn society about organizational crimes or danger and thereby prevent further wrongdoing. However if an organisation were to impose a policy that employees have a duty to whistle-blow, they will lose such moralities and moral responsibilities and also limit their autonomy as well. While organisations introduce such policies to strengthen autonomy of the employee, it would also indicate that employees would be held accountable if they fail on their duty to whistle-blow. Therefore implementing duties to whistle-blow will turn autonomy into a liability. This would also create other imposed responsibilities for the employee as they are held responsible for what they have or have not done in relation to what they know or ought to know. Whistle-blowing policy would turn into a management tool for organisations to control their employees behaviour. This would result in employees not able to bring their whole-selves to work and thus limit the autonomy. Also, implementing such policies can protect organisations as they can shift responsibilities and blame to individual members. Individuals acting on deontological principals can also be regarded as a Good Samaritan. According to Fabre (2002), a Good Samaritan has the moral and legal obligation to help others in peril; hence this would fit in to the framework of Kants goodwill theory. A Good Samaritan characteristics, which according to include the absence of a special relationship and the absence of a professional or contractual obligation to help those in need. A Good Samaritan, explains Fabre, is a stranger who is not particularly qualified, professionally, to help, and who happens to be at the critical place, at the critical time (2002, 129). McCabe (1984) raise the objections and problems that arise with the duty to rescue. These problems are also applicable to whistleblowing and need to be addressed if the duty to whistleblow is implemented. The first objection relates to the situation where numerous people are in a position to rescue but nobody does so. Who will then be held liable for the failure to rescue? A problem with organizational whistleblowing and the potential duty to rescue is that it almost always involves a number of people who are in a position to rescue. Organizational activities and actions generally involve a number of people who know or ought to know about them. A second issue raised by McCabe is the risk of harm to the rescuer which is related to Good Samaritan laws. The risk of harm to whistleblowers is substantial as they are often harmed psychologically and financially despite any whistleblower protection that may apply to them. The last objection that McCabe mentions is the issue of a negligent rescue. What if the rescuer is well meaning but inept and causes harm to the party he is trying to rescue? In terms of whistleblowing this may occur when the whistleblower is ill informed or mistaken and damages the organization by claiming that it has misbehaved when that in fact was not the case. Conclusion In this essay the likely consequences of implementing whistle-blowing as a duty for employees are explored. It is possible that if such policies were to be introduced, as employees are going to be held responsible if they were to fail their duty to whistle-blow, they would be obliged to blow the whistle regardless if the employees might suffer more severe negative consequences than the rewards they can achieve. While they have the well intention of preventing the organisation from further wrongdoings, they might suffer backlash and the consequences might not only affect the individual, but also to their family and even the organisation itself. They enable people at work to be moral agents, who are responsible for their behaviour, and have the autonomy to behave as their conscience dictates them. However, implementing these policies may also turn responsibility into liability and increase the control of people by organisations, holding them responsible for what they do or fail to do, thus further institutionalising the organisation man or woman. This possibility makes whistleblowing policies a management tool to make people at work liable for what they do or fail to do. This second possibility also shifts responsibility of organisational behaviour to employees, making them responsible not only for reporting organisational wrongdoing but for organisational wrongdoing. They also need to be examined in terms of likely consequences, and effect on people and organisations moral behaviour and responsibility.

Sam Walton :: essays research papers

Sam Walton a small-town merchant who had operated a variety of stores in Arkansas and Missouri, Walton was convinced that consumers would flock to a discount store with a wide array of merchandise and friendly service. When Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart Store in 1962, it marked the beginning of an American success story that no one could have predicted. Wal-Mart is a place where prices are low and value and customer service are high every day. Because Wal-Mart carefully controls expenses to maintain its low price structure, customers do not have to wait for a sale to realize savings. Sam Walton had no idea his business would take off like it has. Today, years after his death, the company is still growing steadily. He never thought that his little $25,000 investment in a retail store would be a huge success, but Walton had an idea that no one had ever thought of. This would be the thought that would not only change his life, but the lives of millions of customers as well. The creator of K-mart Said he fabricated up the idea that if he offered well-know brands and sold them around 15% cheaper than other retailers, then this would make them a powerful source in the retail business, and little did the creator of K-mart knew Walton was right. Regarded by many as the entrepreneur of the century, Walton had a reputation for caring about his customers, his employees and the community. Walton proved to be a visionary leader and was known for his ability to quickly learn from his competitors' successes and failures. In fact, the creator of Kmart once claimed that Walton "not only copied our concepts, he strengthened them. Sam just took the ball and ran with it". In the 70’s and 80’s K-mart wasn’t going into towns that had a population lower than 50,000 people, so Walton decided that he would put his stores in small towns that all the major retailers were ignoring. As Walton stated, â€Å"When people want to simplify the Wal-Mart story that’s usually how they sum up the secret of our success, â€Å"Oh, they went into small towns when nobody else would.†Ã¢â‚¬  Walton realized early on that he couldn’t build stores in just large cities like his competitors. So realizing this, he built his stores around his distribution centers and warehouses, in which each store was no more than a days drive away.

Lord of the flies :: essays research papers

In the exciting novel, Lord of the Flies, there are many symbols. Some more important and more observed than others. One of these more important and more thoroughly observed symbols is Piggy’s specs. Piggy’s specs are crucial to the boys’ survival on the island because they made the fire that they so badly needed for survival. His specs help in there survival because without the specs to make the fire they wouldn’t have been able to keep warm, cook food, or signal the ship that rescued them. The specs were so important that they argued and fought over who got them. One time Jack’s gang stole them and broke them because they wanted them and needed them so badly. So many people desired them because they are needed to survive on the Island. Lastly, the specs represent many things in the book such as power, leadership, and differences between Jack and Ralph.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Piggy’s specs are used for lighting the fire in the beginning of this novel. This is a huge accomplishment because without the fire the kids would have died a long, long time ago. The fire enabled them to eat, keep warm, and signal planes of boats for rescue. His specs are essential to their survival.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The specs help in their survival because the fire is the main priority on the Island. It cooked the food that the hunters kill. Without cooking the food they can’t eat anything except berries and plants. These things run out and are not as nutritional. The kids need meat to survive. The fire kept the kids warm during the nighttime. At night it gets cold out and the kids could get sick if they are exposed to extremely hot or cold temperatures. This would cause the kids to get sick and maybe even die. Also, the fire was used as a signal. The fire signaled the boat that rescued them from the Island. The boat wouldn’t have come to save them if it didn’t see the smoke made by the fire. The fire is an absolute necessity on the Island. The kids would have had no chance of living without the fire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One time, the specs got broken because Ralph and Jack separated and Jacks gang wanted the spec. Therefore, Jack’s gang tried stealing them in the night from Piggy. They didn’t steal them but the specs were broken. Another time, they ambushed Piggy and stole them from him.

Fun Should be the Focus of Youth Sports :: Argumentative Persuasive Essay Examples

  Ã‚   Over the last two decades the growth of youth sports has reflected the popularity of professional sports in our society. To a foreign observer of the American culture we appear to be a sport's obsessed society. Sporting events and news are available to us twenty-four hours a day on television and radio; sports are an enormous industry. In 1995 it was determined that the sporting industry generated 85 billion dollars worth of business. It is now estimated that by the year 2005 the sporting industry will be worth more than 150 billion dollars, making one of the top ten industries in the U.S. (Murphy 32). The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has had a profound affect on youth sport's organizations. Recent surveys place the number of children participating in various team sports at around 20 million. However, critics estimate that as many as 73 percent quit sports by age thirteen. The majority of children drop out by middle school age because sports are no longer fun for them. There are several contributing factors to this phenomenon, parents and coaches putting excessive pressure on children, over competitiveness, anxiety, and simple loss of interest.    Children join sports at a young age, and it is usually the parent who decides what sport the child will play. Parents are often very involved in their child's sport. The parents buy the team trophies, uniforms, and equipment and shuttle their child to and from games and practices. Most children enjoy this time they spend with their family and friends. There is little emphasis placed on competition and children all have an equal chance to participate. They are able to "play" with their friends outside the school environment and simply have fun, which in turn keeps children interested and involved in their sport.    As children get older they ascend to a higher level in their sport, for instance, from T- ball, to little league. During this time pressure to succeed starts to rise. Parents and coaches often become more involved with the game than with their children, attention starts to focus to the more "talented" players on the team, and competition and "who wins" takes precedence over having fun. In his book The Cheers and the Tears, sport's psychologist Shane Murphy Ph.D., claims that "One way in which many traditional youth sport programs fail to meet the needs of children is by introducing too much competition too early.

The Arena

The Arena â€Å"We glide through darkness but the early morning kind, darkness about to lift. † It is without discussion an adventure and an experience to have a child. Mostly a feeling of great love follows. But definitely a responsibility and fear follows. The fear of being insufficient and maybe even the fear of endangering what you love the most. This is because our identity changes. In 2008 Martin Golan wrote the short story The Arena. The story is about a father and his son. The father is driving his son to the arena, where he is going on a trip with his lacrosse team by bus.The story circles around the protagonist of the story, who is the father. It is written in his point of view. The story consists of very little dialogue, which only is between him and his son. Mostly the all-knowing reader is confronted with the father’s inner dialogue as if the reader was inside his head. This and the point of view are also shown in the language of the story. It is informal a nd spoken language that is written to look like a dialect: â€Å"I spent many an afternoon at the Arena when my boy was small† (page 2, line 4-5).It has the effect that it easier to see through the father’s eyes and identify with him. This leads to a characterization of the father. Already in the first few lines you sense a strong emotional connection to his son or children in general: â€Å"The Arena somehow manages to be too cold and too hot at the same time, and my afternoons there were equally mixed, the physical discomfort eased by seeing my child dizzy with the boundless delight children take in simple games† (page 2, line 6-8). The father seems fascinated by the childish dewy-eyed way of thinking.But the most significant is that just seeing his own child happy counterbalances his physical discomfort. Now his son is a teenager and he is driving him to the arena at six a. m. on a Saturday morning. â€Å"The early weekend hour, the stillness we alone are he re to break, is like the drive to a hospital for birth, or (I cannot dwell on this) in an ambulance with an injured child† (page 2, line 22-23). Whatever the father thinks of, he always seems to connect it somehow with children – in this case the contrasting joyful and sad stage.The protagonist seems distant and in his thoughts. He is not mentally present in the car. Then he states: â€Å"Before the life I have now I had another life, with a different woman, and we also had a child, a boy named Willie† (page 2, line 37-38). But the boy beside him, the one going to the arena, is his only child. This combined with his fear of dwelling by the thought of an ambulance with an injured child raises the suspicion that Willie is dead. This suspension is slowly confirmed but mostly indirectly.The suspension evolves as the father thinks: â€Å"We attended a group for parents of children who died in preventable accidents, and everyone tried to be helpful† (page 4, lin e 122-123). He and his former wife could have prevented the death of their son Willie. It may have been their fault or they could have felt it that way. In a way it is confirmed by the fact that the father and his first wife could not stay together after what happened. â€Å"We had to part after what happened, and it wasn’t from lack of love, I promise you that† (page 3, line 57-58).The relationship was no longer an intimate connection between to people in love, â€Å"†¦ it was as if the he borders between what one expects and what happens, between one person and another, had collapsed† (page 4, line 110-111). After Willie died it was as if the father and the first wife only did what was expected, how a normal happy couple would act. He explains it as if everything they did had quotation marks around like it was acting, just a lie. They were not happy and could not stay together. They had to move on from each other, but he did not.The father has not left th e past in the past. He always dwells at the thoughts of his former life: â€Å"I had missed a turn. I do this a lot. He’s never had a father who isn’t absent-minded, who remembers where to turn on roads he’s travelled a hundred times† (page 3, line 78-79). This also indicates that the father has lived there, a New Jersey suburb, a long time. It is possible he may not even have moved after the divorce. He sometimes wakes up and questions which life he is in – the first life or the second life. You sense a longing for his former life and Willie.His second wife looks like his first wife, so much that even he himself sometimes is in doubt. On the outside his present life seems like just as big a lie as the former. But when the father and his son reach the arena, something is different. His son jumps out of the car and starts playing with his friends. This scene seems to calm the father. â€Å"†¦ It hits me as nothing has since Willie† (page 5, line 144-145). Jumping children having fun, a symbol of life that seems to assure the father that it is okay to let go. He knows he will always worry for his child but that he will stand eside him all his life and help him. The protagonist starts at one point but ends another, which indicates a chronological composition. The structure of the story is atypical. Despite the chronological composition, the story focuses mostly on the past without being flashbacks. It illustrates on of the many contrasts of the story: the past vs. the present. The most significant contrast in the story must however be the one of life and death, closely related to the past/present contrast. The father’s past, his first life, was very emotional. It starts of very happy and crammed with love.But it ends horribly and clearly leaves marks on his mind and soul. These depressing memories are brought with him into his new life that otherwise is filled with life. It is not less filled with love than th e first, but the father’s need to remake his past with a happy ending overshadows the possibilities of real happiness. The contrasts life and death, past and present are in this case deeply connected to the contrast happy vs. depressed. These contrasts show the themes of the story that are self-acknowledgement and the escape from the past.In addition is another important theme the close bond between child and parent. The most important thing in the world for the father is his child. He will protect him no matter what and prevent what happened in the past. The story is more like memoirs than fiction. During the short drive from their home to the arena the reader understand the father’s feelings and thoughts. He describes episodes of his life as different â€Å"arenas† – the most important being Willie. It may be a curious version of Giddens’ theory on creating our identity and arenas.There are many different arenas, where you have to act after which arena it is. You have to learn and create your own identity from the experience you get in these different â€Å"spaces† so you know how to act in the many social arenas we are confronted with. The combination of the title The Arena and the memoir style can have had the intention to force us, the reader, to consider our own identity and how we act in our arenas. It may be Golan’s way of explaining the importance of knowing what to let go and when to move on so that it is possible for us to act in the best possible way in our future arenas.

Secret Life of Bees Research Paper

Jackie Yets 3/21/11 Per. 6, English H2/SP Secret Life of Bees Research Paper While one reads the Sue Monk Kidd novel, The Secret Life of Bees, an enigma acquainted with the book is why the Black Madonna of Breznichar in Bohemia is used as opposed to a white Virgin Mary. With the story taking place in the racist south of 1964 it would be reasonable to assume that a black Mary wouldn’t be common, or readily accepted; however she still occupies a large area of the women’s lives. For the Boatwright’s, the Daughters of Mary, and quickly for Lily and Rosaleen, the black Virgin Mary is placed in the book as a source of strength, and maternal comfort. The most obvious symbolism of the Black Madonna of Breznichar in Bohemia is that it is featured in the novel to give the characters a religious strength. In the story of ‘Our Lady of Chains’ August tells how the statue was such an inspiration to the slaves, and how â€Å"Our Lady filled their hearts with fearlessness†¦ And if it ever grew weak, they would only have to touch her heart again,† (109-110). ‘Our Lady of Chains’, another Divine black figure in the book besides the Madonna of Breznichar, does that same thing for all of the women. Along with ‘Our Lady’ the Bohemian Black Madonna has the same effect on the Daughters of Mary, because it showed them that â€Å"what’s divine can come in dark skin. You see, everybody needs a God who looks like them,† (141). In the real world however, there is no such thing as the Black Madonna of Breznichar in Bohemia. The historical region of Bohemia was located in the same area as modern Poland, and Poland is home to a well known Black Madonna, Our Lady of Czestochowa, who shares many similarities with the Madonna of Breznichar in Bohemia. These similarities, including features and elements of the pictures, strongly suggest that the Madonna of Breznichar in Bohemia is based on Our Lady of Czestochowa. Our Lady of Czestochowa is well known for her ‘miracle working’, mostly involving scaring away foreign invaders and assisting small groups of defenders in defeating powerful armies (Similar to Lily, Rosaleen, the Boatwrights, and the Daughters of Mary gaining the strength to convince an angry T-Ray to leave Lily with them? ). The Black Madonna is also historically known to have been at the foundation of rebellions and revolutions, and leading to freedom; which can again be connected to Lily leaving and becoming free of her father. However the Black Madonna of Breznichar in Bohemia also has another role. Another component of the Bohemian Madonna’s role is her place as a ‘mother of thousands’. In a reflection on The Secret Life of Bees by the author, Sue Monk Kidd said that the Black Virgin Mary existed in the novel to be a symbol of comfort. She also planned for Lily to have a coming home to herself, and a discovery of a mother within to take place with the help of a divine female presence, the Black Mary. Along with the strong connections between the Mary and a mother-like role to the characters, in a religious perspective she is of course a symbol of motherhood, and giving life. In general, the Virgin Mary is known for giving birth to Christ. There is also another connection concerning the Black Mary, which is that she is the ancient earth-goddess that was altered for use in Christianity. Many other goddesses were pictured as black, most importantly Ceres the Roman goddess of agricultural fertility. Keeping in mind the theory that the Black Madonna is an ancient earth-goddess, agriculturally the best fertile soil is characterized by a black color. The blacker the soil, the more becoming it is for farming. Good farming leads to more food, which keeps humans alive. Summing it up, the black earth gives life. This is another strong connection to a life giving maternal role. There’s also another spiritual connection to the comfort brought by the presence of Our Lady of Czestochowa. This connection regards the hidden meaning of the colors present in the images of the Mother; first is the blue-green background, which symbolizes hope. Foremost, the brown skin color is more important, subtly indicating the human element as well as the long history seen by the Madonna. With all of these characteristics related to the Black Virgin Mary, it is clear why Kidd would create this divine figure to inspire her cast of characters. The insurgence nurtured in the history of Black Madonna created the perfect symbol to guide Lily in her search for a home and a connection to both her literal mother, as well as the mother within herself. Works Cited Duricy, Michael P. â€Å"Black Madonnas: Our Lady of Czestochowa. † Black Madonnas. The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute. , 26 March 2008. Web. 13 March 2011. Jozwik, Ziemowit. A Treasury of Europe. Europe and Me Magazine. N. p. 4 January 2010. Web. 13 March 2011. < http://www. europeandme. eu/8heart/455-the-black-madonna> Kidd, Sue Monk. Secret Life of Bees- The Black Madonna in the Novel. Sue Monk Kidd. LUX Interactive, LLC. , n. d. Web. 13 March 2011. Duricy, Michael P. Black Madonnas. The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, 6 October 2009. Web. 13 March 2011. Cahoy, Nate. Comparing Madonnas. The Black Madonnas. PB Works. n. d. Web. 13 March 2011. Our Lady of CzestochowaBlack Madonna of Breznichar in Bohemia

A Thousand Splendid Suns

It made me forget about the real world and dragged my mind into the world of Miriam and Leila. Miriam is a girl who was â€Å"born a Hiram, a source of shame to her father and his family' (60). Her father Jail is of the upper-class men of Kabul, and her mother a lowly woman cast out of her home by her master Jail. Every Thursday, Jail would visit Miriam and tell her of the wondrous stories of her past, and Miriam, a naive little girl, would eat up all the Lies he feeds her. Her mother would warn her against It all, but Miriam chose to believe the happy version of events Jail told her.He was a rich man telling rich lies. Why would Marls own father be so cold-hearted to pretend to love her and aka up stories that arena even true? I think he does this because â€Å"[he is] ashamed of [her]† (50); but he doesn't want her to know his true personality or else she wouldn't respect him since he is her father after all. Social appearances told society whether you were worth their time or not, so Jail wanted to save his face and keep his good reputation. Nowadays, we are still Judged by our social status and appearance though it isn't as severe and open as back then in the late asses.Maria's mother once warned her that there was â€Å"only one skill† she had to perfect, â€Å"[a]ND it's this: tamale. Endure† (17). We can observe how obedient Miriam Is, because she did endure. She â€Å"quietly endure[d] all that [fell] upon [her]† (82) through the good times and the bad – especially through the bad. If I had to live Maria's life, I doubt that I would have endured through everything that came my way as well as she did. Miriam is like a coconut: she has a hard shell, and nothing can break her. But on the inside, her heart is so big and generous, yet she sometimes feels like she can't keep up the brave face any longer.The first few days of Maria's forced marriage were tough on her. She wasn't used to the new surroundings and she was oilin g â€Å"adrift and forlorn† (56). But little by little, chore by chore, with each smile and connection she made with her new husband, she thought to herself â€Å"that they would make good companions after all† (77). After losing her first child, Miriam returns to her state of misery and loses the connection she had with her husband Rehashed. His temper goes out of control, and everything she does has this sense of dreariness and to her â€Å"life †¦ [seems] so exhausting† (83).I can feel Maria's despair and grief as If It were almost my own even though I have no Idea what It feels like to have lost a child. This Is an example of Chalked Hussein's power In writing: he draws me In with his vivid words painting a clear picture in my mind. Chapter 16-25 (Part TWO) Journal #2 In Part Two of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the narrator takes us down the path of life of Leila. When she was only nine years old, the Soviet Union had already invaded Afghanistan. Some peop le, like Laic's teacher, said that â€Å"the Soviet Union was the best nation in the world†¦ Mind to its workers, and its people were all equal† (101). But others disagreed strongly with this statement. Laic's father believes firmly in education, especially for women. He thinks that education should come before marriage â€Å"because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated† (103), which is quite the opposite of what most other parents with daughters think. Leila has been â€Å"the top-ranked student† (103) for the past two years, but she feels that she cannot tell her friends Hessian and Gist as they do not have the same perspective on education as Leila and her father.Ever since Laic's two older brothers have went off to war, her mamma has been depressed and feels like there is no point in life. She is an â€Å"unmoving blanketed mound† lying in bed everyday. From this, I inferred that mamma prefers her sons to Leila. This is a great example of how in some cultures parents favor sons over daughters. Why is this so? I think this is because of the stereotype that boys are better than girls. I see no reason why a girl cannot be as strong or smart or talented as a boy in any way. Nowadays, we try to ban this way of thinking but some people still have this belief.One afternoon, â€Å"a stranger with news† (122) came knocking at her door. He came to tell her parents that Laic's brothers, Nor and Mad, have died triumphantly, fighting for their beloved country's sovereignty. Many people the next morning arrived at their funeral, but all Mamma did was â€Å"sway back and forth and stare at the rug with a remote, spiritless look† (125). Contrarily, it was hard for Leila â€Å"to summon sorrow, to grieve the deaths of people [she] had never really thought of as alive in the first place† (125, 126) because her brothers had left for war when she was a very young girl.Even though the last of the S oviet convoys left the city in 1989, Mamma swore she would not celebrate nor rejoice until the Unexamined win the war against Incunabula and â€Å"hold a victory parade right here in Kabul† (138). Three years later, unexpected happened. Incunabula surrendered ! From that day on, â€Å"Mamma rose from bed a new woman† (145) and resumed her motherly chores. Unfortunately, around a week later everything unraveled and instead of having a common enemy, the Unexamined found the enemy in each other. They fired rockets at the mountains, and â€Å"the mountains fired on Kabul† (157).One day after school when Gist was walking home with her friends, a stray rocket struck them. It was only during the funeral the next day the information finally started to sink in and â€Å"[a]t last, Leila began to weep for her friend† (161). For Leila, the bad news Just kept coming like an ocean's waves. This time it was her best friend and lover, Atari, who was moving to Pakistan. She felt betrayed and heartbroken, but at the same time she knew he had to go. Almost everyone in her neighborhood had packed their belongings and left, but Mamma refused.She said it was an â€Å"affront, a Dearly, These two women were similar; they were both compassionate and kind-hearted. One night, when Rehashed their husband was in a foul mood, Leila talked back to him. He immediately assumed it was Miriam who taught her to do this, even though they weren't exactly friends at that time. He took out his leather belt, and that meant a beating for Miriam. Just as he brought the belt down, Leila lunged at him, pleading him to not beat Miriam. Even though Miriam was Jealous and reluctant to befriend Leila at first; she soon learned to accept and appreciate the other woman's companionship.The beginning of their friendship sparked when Leila first asked Miriam to have tea, after a long weary day doing chores around the house. â€Å"l know it's chilly outside, but what do you say we s inners have us a cup of chaw in the yard? † Leila asked. Miriam protested weakly at first, but gave in to the thought of a break from all the work. From then on, they had daily chaw and were no longer enemies, but n understanding came across the two of them and they started to do their chores together. I don't relate at all to the lives of Leila and Miriam, so why did I feel their pain and their happiness like I was experiencing it?It was because Chalked Hussein wrote this book with such emotion and depth; he wound my mind carefully into the life of these two women. CONNECTIONS Chalked Hussein wrote this book with hope in his heart and a mind-blowing story to tell. He used many literary devices to spice up his book and to add more pizzazz. When Nana told Miriam â€Å"To Jail and his wives, I was a poker. A muggers. You too. † This is a powerful metaphor describing how others looked down on them because they were from a lower caste. Another device would be â€Å"early e vening† and â€Å"badly out of breath†.They are examples of alliteration for emphasis on the time of day and the condition of the character. He also used similes. Some examples of that would be â€Å"She could make out the minarets in the distance, like the dusty fingers of giants†¦ † Which compares the distant towers to the fingers of a giant and â€Å"She had a mouth that ran like a sewing machine† which compares tells us that Hessian not only talked a lot but also very fast. Lastly, one example of personification is â€Å"They are not friendly countries. † A country cannot be friendly, it is the people living in the country that are friendly or not.This book was written in two perspectives: Maria's and Laic's. It was a bit confusing Jumping back and forth from these points of view, but it showed the opinion of these two women and laid out the two sides of this story. ANALYSIS One part of the book that was very touching was when Miriam accept ed her punishment for killing Rehashed to save Leila, so that Leila can live the rest of her life peacefully and without fault. It shows owe big Maria's heart is, how willing she was to give up her life for someone she loves. Leila wanted Miriam to run away with her, but Miriam refused.She said, â€Å"Eve killed our husband. Eve deprived your son of his father. It isn't right that I run. I can't. Even if they never catch us, I'll never escape your son's grief. † It broke my heart to see Leila leave Miriam behind, but it was decided. Miriam said Leila and her children have given her the happiness she was looking for – there was nothing else she wanted. RESPONSE The other part that moved me so much was the letter Jail wrote to Miriam to apologize Tort now en treated near, Ana now en wasn't a good Tanner to near.He wrote, â€Å"l dare, I dare allow myself the hope that, after you read this, you will be more charitable to me than I ever was to you. That you might find it in your heart to come and see your father. That you will knock on my door one more time and give me the chance to open it this time, to welcome you, to take you in my arms, my daughter, as I should have all those years ago. It is a hope as weak as my heart. † This paragraph in his letter stood out to me the most, and it shows how sorry Jail was for not being there for his daughter all those years. For giving her away to marriage, for treating her like she wasn't good enough for him.RESPONSE After reading the letter, I think that Jail has changed, that death's open arms have given him a change of heart. It brought tears to my eyes, because Miriam didn't have the chance to forgive her father and make everything right again. Why didn't Miriam visit Jail after receiving his first letter? I think it was because she was scared of seeing him after so long, of what he would think of her, and mostly importantly she was scared of him not opening the door for her again like the day of he r birthday years before. RESPONSE The message the author tried to convey was as clear as a summer sky to me.It is that friendship is something we should all treasure. It shows us that sometimes teamwork is essential to win even though sometimes we have to sacrifice. Leila and Miriam won the war against Rehashed, but in this case Miriam had to give up her life for it. It was a beautiful but heart-breaking deed: Miriam sacrificing herself for her sister and only friend Leila; she was so humble to put others before herself. In conclusion, Chalked Hussein gave the readers a very powerful image of his home country Afghanistan and showed us how strong a true friendship can be. A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini is one of the most admired Afghani authors of the 21st century. He is best know for works such as The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns that explore the hardships of living in Afghanistan during the Soviet Invasion and Taliban regime. This paper will discuss the life and work of Khaled Hosseini with special emphasis on the effect on women in Afghan society in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini was born on March 4, 1965. He is the eldest of five children, and was born in Kabul, Afghanistan where his father worked for the foreign ministry and his mother taught Persian literature.Hosseini’s father was relocated to work in Tehran, where Hosseini’s passion for Persian literature grew and inspired him to write short stories of his own. In 1973 the Afghan King, Zahir Shah was overthrown by his own cousin, Daoud Khan, in a bloodless coup. In 1976, Hosseini’s father was again relocated to Paris where Khaled and his family moved. Onl y two years after Daoud Khan’s reign, he was overthrown by a communist faction, and killed. Hosseini’s family, now wary of the Soviet impact in Afghanistan, were granted political asylum in the United States.Although Hosseini struggled with English in his first year of high school, he was greatly inspired by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, to continue his passion for writing. Determined to make ends meet for him and his family, after graduating high school in 1984 he enrolled in Santa Clara University to study biology, and later earn a his bachelor’s degree in 1988. Hosseini became a practicing internist after he gained his Medical degree at the University of California.Hosseini joined the Kaiser Permanente Health Maintenance Organization and settled in Mountain View, California with his wife, Roya, to start a family. Throughout Hosseini’s medical studies he felt it was his responsibility to tell the world about the country he knew, before it was consumed with war, so he published his first novel The Kite Runner. He told the story of two Afghan boys who’s lives undertake different paths with the events of the war. â€Å"The Kite Runner spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list, and returned to the list five years after its initial ppearance† (Khaled Hosseini Biography). In 2003, following the success of his first novel, Hosseini returned to Afghanistan after twenty seven years. Where he felt devastated and shocked the remains of his country. In 2006 he joined the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees, from war zones around the world. Since 2003 Hosseini had been working on his second novel which focuses on the effect of women during the Soviet Invasion and under the Taliban dictatorship. A Thousand Splendid Suns, like the first novel became an international bestseller, while The Kite Runner became a highly acclaimed motion picture.Khaled Hosseini gave up his medical practice t o write and continue his work for the United Nations. (Khaled Hosseini Biography; â€Å"Khaled Hosseini | Biography) A Thousand Splendid Suns is divided into four parts. In part one we meet Mariam. Mariam lives with her Nana in a kolba and is the illegitimate child of a wealthy cinema owner from Herat. Mariam praised the ground her father, Jalil walked on. But when her mother kills herself and she’s sent to live with her father, she realizes that she’s the personification of shame to her him.Jalil marries Mariam off to Rasheed, a shoe make from Kabul who turns out to be an abusive husband. In part two of the novel we meet Laila. She was born on the same day the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Due to the fact that her older brothers are off at war with the Soviets, Laila’s mother is in deep depression. Laila tells about her best friend Tariq, who she later falls in love with, and about her days during and after the Soviet Invasion. The day Tariq tells Laila that he ’s leaving Kabul due to the bombs reigning down on the city, they spontaneously end up having sex.Then two weeks after Tariq’s departure, Laila’s family also decides to leave, but a bomb hits her house and kills her parents. In part three Mariam and Rasheed take Laila in and nurse her back to health. When Laila finds out she is pregnant with Tariq’s child she decides to marry Rasheed so that he believes the child is his. Mariam and Laila are enemies at first, but Rasheed’s abusive behavior manages to bring them together. In an extreme act of self-sacrifice Mariam kills Rasheed in order to save Laila’s life, and turns herself in to the authorities.In part four Laila runs away with Tariq, who comes back after so many years where they manage to make a living in a hotel where they also work at. In order to pay tribute to Mariam, Laila decides to visit Herat where she sees the kolba that Mariam and her mother lived in, she reads the letter Mariam ’s father had left her, and when she finds out that she’s pregnant with her third child, she decides that if it’s a girl she’ll name her Mariam. A Thousand Splendid Suns tells of the relationship of two unlikely women who are brought together by the events taking place in their country. It’s our lot in life, Mariam. Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have† (19). Mariam didn’t heed the words of her mother back then in the kolba, but she did learn throughout her life that women in general had to endure the many hardships that life presented. The Soviet Invasion and Taliban regime has had a lasting effect on the women of Afghanistan. They have struggled with the Taliban’s political reign in government as well the the â€Å"cultural contraints†¦of tradition and religion†(Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in men’s power struggles).Through the lives of Mariam and Laila one sees the disastrous events that have ta ken place in Afghanistan as well as the sturggle that women have endured to gain independence. One can see where the â€Å"notions of honour and shame†¦emphasise female modesty and purity†(Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in men’s power struggles) through Mariam’s birth. Mariam’s mother was cast out of the house she lived in as a servant for having a passing affair with the owner of the house who was wealthy and of high class. Mariam thus considered herself â€Å"an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (4).Furthermore, in a poor excuse to rid himself of the shame and dishonor he brought upon his family, Mariam’s father marries her off. [He] â€Å"didn’t have the [heart] either†¦to stand up to his family, to his wives and in-laws, and accept responsibility for what he had done†(7). When Laila was rescued from the remains of her house and Rasheed claimed that her liv ing in his house would â€Å"look dishonorable†(214) shows that a women’s honor and purity means everything in Afghan society, and to ruin those things means bringing shame upon oneself and one’s family.That is why Laila agreed to marry him, because she knew that if anyone were to find out she was pregnant and unmarried, she would be thrown out into the streets, and plenty of unimaginable things were to happen it to her then. Sura 4:34 â€Å"Men stand superior to women in that God hath preferred the one over the other †¦ Those whose perverseness you fear, admonish them and remove them into bed chambers and beat them, but if they submit to you then do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great. † (qtd. in Legacy of the Prophet)This quote suggest that male relatives have the authority to beat their wives if they disobey them. They are many incidents in A Thousand Splendid Suns where Mariam and Laila are beaten into submission. Mariam is f orced to chew on pebbles as a demonstration of how her food tastes to her husband, and is left spitting â€Å"out pebbles, blood, and the fragments of two broken molars†(104). The Quran also states that women are to be beaten if they deny their husbands bed; Mariam is threatened to be beaten because Rasheed (her husband) claims that she is influencing Laila to not sleep with him.Mariam and Laila were tortured after they tried to escape Rasheed’s home by being locked in separate rooms, where they went without water and food for days. Laila is severely beaten, almost to the point of death, when Rasheed finds out that she allowed Tariq into his home and allowed him to see her without a burqa. Male relatives in Afghanistan also have a right to honor killings, if a women is not a virgin on her wedding night her male relatives have the right to kill her in order to avenge the family honor.If a wife is accused of adultery she is stoned to death, and if a woman is caught with a man who is not a relative, she is given a hundred lashes and a year in prison (Islam and Women’s Rights). Men are not greatly punished for the same â€Å"crime† that women commit since many of them can have multiple wives and concubines. This shows the injustice between men and women in Afghanistan and how tradition and religion is used to control their everyday lives. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1978 gave woman a better sense of independence.This new governmental reform encouraged woman to a better education, teach in schools, work in hospitals, and permitted them to not wear a burqa. This reform also included the prohibition of forced marriages and also raised the marriage age to sixteen. â€Å"Women have always had it hard in this country†¦but they’re probably more free now, under the communist, and have more rights than they’ve ever had before†(135). According to the Commision on the Status of Women one must fight against the u se of tradition in order to eliminate the discrimination of women (Women in Afghanistan).But such reforms were not taken lightly and were deemed un-Islamic, and thrust Afghanistan into a civil war between Soviet troops and the Mujahideen. â€Å"Of course, women’s freedom is also one of the reasons people out there took up arms in the first place† (135) The next ten years resulted in millions of Afghans leaving the country due to the fighting in many rural areas where men, women, and children became targets of the war at their doorstep. After the Soviet retreat in 1989, the Mujahideen were in a political power struggle that resulted in mass hysteria and the rise of the Taliban.Before the Soviet Invasion and Taliban regime, men and women were declared equal through God. They were given the right to vote, choose their own partners, and a right to an inheritance. But under the Taliban all of these rights were taken away, and many of their laws favored men over women (The P light of the Afghan Woman). â€Å"Attention Women: You will stay in your homes at all times. It is not proper for women to wander aimlessly about the streets. If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a male relative.If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home†¦Girls are forbidden from attending school. All schools for girls will be closed immediately. Women are forbidden from working. If you are found guilty of adultery, you will be stoned to death†(278) Although female health professionals were still given the liberty to work under strict rules, they had harsh woking conditions. Many hospitals weren’t provided with the necessary tools in order to work on patients. â€Å"They had no clean water,†¦no oxygen, no medication, no electricity†(286).Women were segregated from men in every aspects of life, but wouldn’t it be fair to provide them with the necessities they needed in order for survival? Not only did these h ospitals not have the equipment needed, they were probably too far to travel to if someone was at risk of dieing. It is because of these reason’s that Afghanistan has the â€Å"second highest infant mortality rate as well maternal mortality rate in the world†(Afghanistan: Mortality Rates Remain High For Mothers, Newborns). The Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law has reduced women to poverty, worsened their health, and deprived them to an education.Even though they have taken away basic individual rights, the Taliban’s laws against women were particularly inhumane. [Mariam] remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. â€Å"As a reminder of how women like us suffer†¦How quietly we endure all that falls upon us† (91). The women of Afghanistan have e ndured a lot in these past 33 years. They have struggled between life and death, poverty, and hopelessness.Through the connection of two unlikely friends one learns of the hopes and despairs people face in times of war and dictatorship. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini has managed to portray the events that have taken place in Afghanistan and the injustice, suffering, and endurance that women face in everyday life. Works Cited Esfandiari, Golnaz. â€Å"Afghanistan: Mortality Rates Remain High For Mothers, Newborns – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. † Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty – Free Media in Unfree Societies. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. rferl. rg/content/article/1068295. html/content/article/1068295. html. Freeman, John. â€Å"A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini | Book Reviews | Chron. com – Houston Chronicle. † Houston News, Entertainment, Search and Shopping | Chron. com – Houston Chronicle. Web. 14 Mar. 201 0. http://www. chron. com/disp/story. mpl/life/books/reviews/4834205. html. Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Bandung: Qanita, 2007. Print. â€Å"Khaled Hosseini | Biography. † Khaled Hosseini | A Thousand Splendid Suns. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. khaledhosseini. com/hosseini-bio. html. Khaled Hosseini Biography — Academy of Achievement. † Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. achievement. org/autodoc/page/hos0bio-1. â€Å"The Legacy of the Prophet. † Dhushara. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. dhushara. com/book/zulu/leg. htm. Papas, Voula. â€Å"Islam and Women's Rights | Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc. † Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc | Founded 1970. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. atheistfoundation. org. au/articles/islam-and-womens-rights. Qazi, Abdullah. â€Å"The Plight of the Afghan Woman. † Afghanistan Online. Web. 14 Mar. 010. http://afghan-web. com/woman/. â€Å"Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in Men's Power Struggles. † PeaceWomen Project. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. peacewomen. org/resources/Afghanistan/AIAfghanWomen. html. â€Å"Women's Human Rights Resources – Women in Afghanistan. † Bora Laskin Law Library, University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. . Bibliography Esfandiari, Golnaz. â€Å"Afghanistan: Mortality Rates Remain High For Mothers, Newborns – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. † Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty – Free Media in Unfree Societies. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. ferl. org/content/article/1068295. html/content/article/1068295. html. Freeman, John. â€Å"A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini | Book Reviews | Chron. com – Houston Chronicle. † Houston News, Entertainment, Search and Shopping | Chron. com – Houston Chronicle. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. chron. com/disp/story. mpl/life/books/reviews/4834205. html. Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns . Bandung: Qanita, 2007. Print. â€Å"Khaled Hosseini | Biography. † Khaled Hosseini | A Thousand Splendid Suns. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. khaledhosseini. com/hosseini-bio. html. Khaled Hosseini Biography — Academy of Achievement. † Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. achievement. org/autodoc/page/hos0bio-1. â€Å"The Legacy of the Prophet. † Dhushara. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. dhushara. com/book/zulu/leg. htm. Papas, Voula. â€Å"Islam and Women's Rights | Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc. † Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc | Founded 1970. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. atheistfoundation. org. au/articles/islam-and-womens-rights. Qazi, Abdullah. â€Å"The Plight of the Afghan Woman. † Afghanistan Online. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. ttp://afghan-web. com/woman/. â€Å"Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in Men's Power Struggles. † PeaceWomen Project. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. peacewomen. org/resources/A fghanistan/AIAfghanWomen. html. â€Å"Women's Human Rights Resources – Women in Afghanistan. † Bora Laskin Law Library, University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. http://www. law-lib. utoronto. ca/diana/afghanwomen. htm. Yardley, Jonathan. â€Å"Jonathan Yardley – Jonathan Yardley – Washingtonpost. com. † Washingtonpost. com – Nation, World, Technology and Washington Area News and Headlines. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. A Thousand Splendid Suns It made me forget about the real world and dragged my mind into the world of Miriam and Leila. Miriam is a girl who was â€Å"born a Hiram, a source of shame to her father and his family' (60). Her father Jail is of the upper-class men of Kabul, and her mother a lowly woman cast out of her home by her master Jail. Every Thursday, Jail would visit Miriam and tell her of the wondrous stories of her past, and Miriam, a naive little girl, would eat up all the Lies he feeds her. Her mother would warn her against It all, but Miriam chose to believe the happy version of events Jail told her.He was a rich man telling rich lies. Why would Marls own father be so cold-hearted to pretend to love her and aka up stories that arena even true? I think he does this because â€Å"[he is] ashamed of [her]† (50); but he doesn't want her to know his true personality or else she wouldn't respect him since he is her father after all. Social appearances told society whether you were worth their time or not, so Jail wanted to save his face and keep his good reputation. Nowadays, we are still Judged by our social status and appearance though it isn't as severe and open as back then in the late asses.Maria's mother once warned her that there was â€Å"only one skill† she had to perfect, â€Å"[a]ND it's this: tamale. Endure† (17). We can observe how obedient Miriam Is, because she did endure. She â€Å"quietly endure[d] all that [fell] upon [her]† (82) through the good times and the bad – especially through the bad. If I had to live Maria's life, I doubt that I would have endured through everything that came my way as well as she did. Miriam is like a coconut: she has a hard shell, and nothing can break her. But on the inside, her heart is so big and generous, yet she sometimes feels like she can't keep up the brave face any longer.The first few days of Maria's forced marriage were tough on her. She wasn't used to the new surroundings and she was oilin g â€Å"adrift and forlorn† (56). But little by little, chore by chore, with each smile and connection she made with her new husband, she thought to herself â€Å"that they would make good companions after all† (77). After losing her first child, Miriam returns to her state of misery and loses the connection she had with her husband Rehashed. His temper goes out of control, and everything she does has this sense of dreariness and to her â€Å"life †¦ [seems] so exhausting† (83).I can feel Maria's despair and grief as If It were almost my own even though I have no Idea what It feels like to have lost a child. This Is an example of Chalked Hussein's power In writing: he draws me In with his vivid words painting a clear picture in my mind. Chapter 16-25 (Part TWO) Journal #2 In Part Two of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the narrator takes us down the path of life of Leila. When she was only nine years old, the Soviet Union had already invaded Afghanistan. Some peop le, like Laic's teacher, said that â€Å"the Soviet Union was the best nation in the world†¦ Mind to its workers, and its people were all equal† (101). But others disagreed strongly with this statement. Laic's father believes firmly in education, especially for women. He thinks that education should come before marriage â€Å"because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated† (103), which is quite the opposite of what most other parents with daughters think. Leila has been â€Å"the top-ranked student† (103) for the past two years, but she feels that she cannot tell her friends Hessian and Gist as they do not have the same perspective on education as Leila and her father.Ever since Laic's two older brothers have went off to war, her mamma has been depressed and feels like there is no point in life. She is an â€Å"unmoving blanketed mound† lying in bed everyday. From this, I inferred that mamma prefers her sons to Leila. This is a great example of how in some cultures parents favor sons over daughters. Why is this so? I think this is because of the stereotype that boys are better than girls. I see no reason why a girl cannot be as strong or smart or talented as a boy in any way. Nowadays, we try to ban this way of thinking but some people still have this belief.One afternoon, â€Å"a stranger with news† (122) came knocking at her door. He came to tell her parents that Laic's brothers, Nor and Mad, have died triumphantly, fighting for their beloved country's sovereignty. Many people the next morning arrived at their funeral, but all Mamma did was â€Å"sway back and forth and stare at the rug with a remote, spiritless look† (125). Contrarily, it was hard for Leila â€Å"to summon sorrow, to grieve the deaths of people [she] had never really thought of as alive in the first place† (125, 126) because her brothers had left for war when she was a very young girl.Even though the last of the S oviet convoys left the city in 1989, Mamma swore she would not celebrate nor rejoice until the Unexamined win the war against Incunabula and â€Å"hold a victory parade right here in Kabul† (138). Three years later, unexpected happened. Incunabula surrendered ! From that day on, â€Å"Mamma rose from bed a new woman† (145) and resumed her motherly chores. Unfortunately, around a week later everything unraveled and instead of having a common enemy, the Unexamined found the enemy in each other. They fired rockets at the mountains, and â€Å"the mountains fired on Kabul† (157).One day after school when Gist was walking home with her friends, a stray rocket struck them. It was only during the funeral the next day the information finally started to sink in and â€Å"[a]t last, Leila began to weep for her friend† (161). For Leila, the bad news Just kept coming like an ocean's waves. This time it was her best friend and lover, Atari, who was moving to Pakistan. She felt betrayed and heartbroken, but at the same time she knew he had to go. Almost everyone in her neighborhood had packed their belongings and left, but Mamma refused.She said it was an â€Å"affront, a Dearly, These two women were similar; they were both compassionate and kind-hearted. One night, when Rehashed their husband was in a foul mood, Leila talked back to him. He immediately assumed it was Miriam who taught her to do this, even though they weren't exactly friends at that time. He took out his leather belt, and that meant a beating for Miriam. Just as he brought the belt down, Leila lunged at him, pleading him to not beat Miriam. Even though Miriam was Jealous and reluctant to befriend Leila at first; she soon learned to accept and appreciate the other woman's companionship.The beginning of their friendship sparked when Leila first asked Miriam to have tea, after a long weary day doing chores around the house. â€Å"l know it's chilly outside, but what do you say we s inners have us a cup of chaw in the yard? † Leila asked. Miriam protested weakly at first, but gave in to the thought of a break from all the work. From then on, they had daily chaw and were no longer enemies, but n understanding came across the two of them and they started to do their chores together. I don't relate at all to the lives of Leila and Miriam, so why did I feel their pain and their happiness like I was experiencing it?It was because Chalked Hussein wrote this book with such emotion and depth; he wound my mind carefully into the life of these two women. CONNECTIONS Chalked Hussein wrote this book with hope in his heart and a mind-blowing story to tell. He used many literary devices to spice up his book and to add more pizzazz. When Nana told Miriam â€Å"To Jail and his wives, I was a poker. A muggers. You too. † This is a powerful metaphor describing how others looked down on them because they were from a lower caste. Another device would be â€Å"early e vening† and â€Å"badly out of breath†.They are examples of alliteration for emphasis on the time of day and the condition of the character. He also used similes. Some examples of that would be â€Å"She could make out the minarets in the distance, like the dusty fingers of giants†¦ † Which compares the distant towers to the fingers of a giant and â€Å"She had a mouth that ran like a sewing machine† which compares tells us that Hessian not only talked a lot but also very fast. Lastly, one example of personification is â€Å"They are not friendly countries. † A country cannot be friendly, it is the people living in the country that are friendly or not.This book was written in two perspectives: Maria's and Laic's. It was a bit confusing Jumping back and forth from these points of view, but it showed the opinion of these two women and laid out the two sides of this story. ANALYSIS One part of the book that was very touching was when Miriam accept ed her punishment for killing Rehashed to save Leila, so that Leila can live the rest of her life peacefully and without fault. It shows owe big Maria's heart is, how willing she was to give up her life for someone she loves. Leila wanted Miriam to run away with her, but Miriam refused.She said, â€Å"Eve killed our husband. Eve deprived your son of his father. It isn't right that I run. I can't. Even if they never catch us, I'll never escape your son's grief. † It broke my heart to see Leila leave Miriam behind, but it was decided. Miriam said Leila and her children have given her the happiness she was looking for – there was nothing else she wanted. RESPONSE The other part that moved me so much was the letter Jail wrote to Miriam to apologize Tort now en treated near, Ana now en wasn't a good Tanner to near.He wrote, â€Å"l dare, I dare allow myself the hope that, after you read this, you will be more charitable to me than I ever was to you. That you might find it in your heart to come and see your father. That you will knock on my door one more time and give me the chance to open it this time, to welcome you, to take you in my arms, my daughter, as I should have all those years ago. It is a hope as weak as my heart. † This paragraph in his letter stood out to me the most, and it shows how sorry Jail was for not being there for his daughter all those years. For giving her away to marriage, for treating her like she wasn't good enough for him.RESPONSE After reading the letter, I think that Jail has changed, that death's open arms have given him a change of heart. It brought tears to my eyes, because Miriam didn't have the chance to forgive her father and make everything right again. Why didn't Miriam visit Jail after receiving his first letter? I think it was because she was scared of seeing him after so long, of what he would think of her, and mostly importantly she was scared of him not opening the door for her again like the day of he r birthday years before. RESPONSE The message the author tried to convey was as clear as a summer sky to me.It is that friendship is something we should all treasure. It shows us that sometimes teamwork is essential to win even though sometimes we have to sacrifice. Leila and Miriam won the war against Rehashed, but in this case Miriam had to give up her life for it. It was a beautiful but heart-breaking deed: Miriam sacrificing herself for her sister and only friend Leila; she was so humble to put others before herself. In conclusion, Chalked Hussein gave the readers a very powerful image of his home country Afghanistan and showed us how strong a true friendship can be.