Ceremony free essay sample

Cultural Collision in Ceremony Leslie Marmon Silko’s enlightening Pueblo Indian, mixed heritage perspective in her novel Ceremony represents significant progress for the oppressed culture and identity of Native Americans. European Colonizers entered America with a society focused on exploiting all the country had to offer. Unfortunately the manipulation and deception that accompanied this society came at a colossal cost to the countries natural resources and native people. In her novel Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko illustrates the â€Å"witchery† of white society and its destructive affects on the Native American WWII veterans: Tayo, Rocky, Emo, Harley, Leroy and Pinkie. The stories of these individual characters portray the blinding destructiveness of white society; as well as the hopes and possibility of freeing mankind from the manipulative leash of â€Å"witchery. † Understanding the â€Å"witchery† and Native American traditions mentioned throughout the novel are essential in order to properly scrutinize the devastating impacts imposed by white society. According to Betonie, the wise medicine man who guides Tayo through his struggles, â€Å"it was Indian witchery that made white people in the first place. † (132) Betonies rebuttals the common Indian misconception that white people are solely responsible for the evils in the world; addressing that they â€Å"are only tools that the witchery manipulates. † (132) He believes the manipulative aspects of â€Å"witchery† divert individuals from a relationship with the natural and spiritual world to a more modernized relationship with the material world. This ideal is illustrated in the story of the ancient witches who’ve gathered from around the world to show off their special charms and powers; â€Å"The contest started like that. Then some of them lifted the lids on their big cooking pots, calling the rest of them over to take a look. † (134) Similar to a modern day fashion or technology show; the witches valued and compared their material objects. Later in the fable, a witch shares a horrifying story that introduces white people to the other witches. The witch says that they see no life when they look they see only objects. The world is a dead thing for them and that â€Å"they will kill the things they fear, all the animals, the people will starve. † (135) The withes are terrified by his story and ask, â€Å"to call it back† but it’s too late. In contrast to â€Å"witchery† the Pueblo Indian traditions revolve around the concept that everything is interrelated; believing that humans must respect the natural and spiritual world. Tayo exemplifies this custom when he encountered the mountain lion and â€Å"poured yellow pollen from Josiah’s tobacco sack†¦ into the four foot prints. Mountain lion, the hunter. Mountain Lion, the hunter’s helper. † (196) Recalling the Pueblo Indian myth of the hunter and mountain lion, Tayo respectfully honors the spirit. Tayo, Rocky, Harley, Emo, Leroy, and Pinkie are affected by the â€Å"witchery,† when they are persuaded to enlist in World War II in order to prove themselves patriotic Americans. They were America the Beautiful too, this was the land of the free just like the teachers said in school. They had the uniform and they didnt look different no more. They got respect. (42) Similarly to how the witch’s â€Å"jumped into [the] animals skins,† (134) to experience a different reality; the American uniforms gained the Pueblo men respect and a glimpse of the white American lifestyle. However, the respect and lifestyle were abruptly taken from the men upon the return of their uniforms. When everyone but Rocky returns to the Pueblo Indian Reservation from war, Tayo suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder and turns to drinking with his other veteran friends. \After Emo’s exposure to the white world during his time in uniform, he returns to the Pueblo Reservation as a representation of â€Å"witchery,† and its manipulative ways. Emo results to alcohol and forgets his Native American roots, replacing traditional stories with ones of white woman and fighting ‘Japs’. Emo was envious of the white society and he believed that â€Å"belonging was drinking and laughing with platoon, dancing with blond women, buying drinks for buddies born in Cleveland, Ohio† (43) Emo’s brutal enthusiasm of war is portrayed when he states, â€Å"we were the best. U. S. Army. We butchered every Jap we found. No Jap bastard was fit to take prisoner. † (61) His souvenir bag of Japanese teeth further depicts his cruelty and wickedness. Emo has always disrespected Tayo because of his mixed heritage, however towards the end of the novel Emo acts boldly by telling the community that Tayo has gone crazy. Just like the â€Å"witchery† that manipulated the men into war; Emo manipulates the other alcoholic veterans: Leroy, Harley, and Pinkie into searching for Tayo. Emo eventually kills his veteran supporters and leaves for San Francisco. Emo’s escape symbolizes that just like the â€Å"witchery,† he still exists. Harley, Leroy, and Pinkie represent the week Native American war veteran alcoholics who are easily manipulated. Leroy’s purchase of his no money down truck from a white many portrays a â€Å"ripped off† Indian, when Tayo â€Å"could smell fumes from the loud busted muffler. † (157) Harley, Leroy and Pinkie are manipulated by Emo to turn against Tayo; and as a result they all die. Tayo addresses that there cause of death was a result of witchery either way, when he says â€Å"it was not much different than if they had died at Wake Island or Iwo Jima: the bodies were dismembered beyond recognition and the coffins were sealed. † (250) When Tayo return from war, he suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome; unable to be cured by western medicine. Critic Roland Barthes has said: Literature is the question minus the answer. Using Ceremony, consider Barthes observation and write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers any answers. Explain how the authors treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. completion of his mythical ceremony heals his Reservation. Silko hopes that her novel, just like Tayo’s ceremony, has the power to heal mankind from the manipulation of â€Å"witchery. †

Visual Analysis of a Beuford Smith Photograph Essay Example

Visual Analysis of a Beuford Smith Photograph Paper The piece which I will analyze was shot by Beuford Smith, and is titled These Colors Dont Run. It was taken in 1999 and is a silver gelatin print. It is displayed in Robert B. Menschel Photography Gallery in the Schine Student Center at Syracuse University. The issue at the heart of Smiths print appears to be race and racial tensions, as with many of the other works on display. However unlike some of the others it was not taken in the period during and before the sixties. Rather than this time, which we view as the era of racial change and the peak of racial tension in America, it was taken in 1999 a time were less attention is given to any remaining tension. Nor does the print depict an actual event which we view as a symbol of racial tension, like Million Man March in Washington D.C. and Three Placards, June 14, Anti-Apartheid Rally, Central Park, New York New York City. How exactly is Smith commenting on our current situation and what is he saying? The print is done in black and w hite making one think that it was in fact taken during the civil rights movement. However this assumption is quickly found to be wrong as one investigates the boys shirt which has the words Operation Desert Storm. By having viewers make this assumption and then find out that it is not so the color serves to emphasize that this is about a current issue. Also the black and white coloring makes it feel more like a factual documentation. The two focal points of the piece are the young African American boy on the out side of the shop and the elderly white woman seated at the counter looking through the glass. The boy has a sad look on his face and has his hands on to caf style tables on the sidewalk. His stance seemed determined his gaze is fixed on something in the street. Although we can assume the boy is not actually thinking of racial issues his appearance may be intended by Smith to represent the larger African American society, un

CUSD Summer Research Experience Essay Sample

CUSD Summer Research Experience Essay SampleThe CSU Summer Research Experience Essay Sample is one of the many written exam's required for entrance into the undergraduate program. This course requires a minimum grade of 70% for placement on an actual college campus. While this essay test is not something many will expect, it is still a way to measure a student's potential as an undergraduate.In the first part of the Summer Research Experience, students are asked to write an essay on what they would like to gain from the course. Many students describe themselves as experts at their chosen field of study. In other words, they have studied and absorbed all that information and know it inside and out. This part of the course provides students with the opportunity to really see how their skills have developed over time.When looking at the second part of the Summer Research Experience, students are asked to list their favorite hobby. Students often choose sports or music or books or for be ing 'non-essential' activities. While students choose a particular hobby, this type of writing provides a way to highlight a significant aspect of their personality that they cannot do without.The third part of the Summer Research Experience is the Analytical Writing section. There are several strategies that students can use in this section. Using descriptive adjectives and verbs can be a great way to add some energy to their writing. Using a large quantity of open-ended questions can also come in handy here.The final part of the Summer Research Experience is the Word Analysis and Syntax section. Students must be familiar with the rules for grammar and spelling in order to succeed here.This part of the Summer Research Experience is only taken as a class elective, but can provide a great foundation for future academic success. This essay sample provides a great review of the subject matter that students will face in their future undergraduate courses.If you plan to take the Summer R esearch Experience at CSU, look no further than the CSU Summer Research Experience Essay Sample. This sample is a great introduction to the many facets of this course and can help you prepare for your exams before you begin the course.

The Dawes Act of 1887

The Dawes Act of 1887 The Dawes Act of 1887 was a United States post-Indian Wars law intended to assimilate Indians into white U.S. society by encouraging them to abandon their tribally-owned reservation lands, along with their cultural and social traditions. Signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on February 8, 1887, the Dawes Act resulted in the sale of over ninety million acres of formerly Native American-owned tribal land to non-natives. The negative effects of the Dawes Act on Native Americans would result in the enactment of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the so-called â€Å"Indian New Deal.† Key Takeaways: The Dawes Act The Dawes Act was a U.S. law enacted in 1887 for the stated purpose of assimilating Native Americans into white society.The act offered all Native Americans ownership of â€Å"allotments† of non-reservation land for farming.Indians who agreed to leave the reservations and farm their allotment land were granted full U.S. citizenship.Though well-intentioned, the Dawes Act had a decidedly negative effect on Native Americans, on and off the reservations. US Government-Native American Relation in the 1800s During the 1800s, European immigrants began settling areas of U.S. territories adjacent to Native American-held tribal territories. As competition for resources along with cultural differences between groups increasingly led to conflict, the U.S. government expanded its efforts to control Native Americans. Believing the two cultures could never coexist, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) ordered the forced relocation of Native Americans from their tribal lands to â€Å"reservations† west of the Mississippi River, far from the white settlers. Native American resistance to the forced relocation resulted in the Indian Wars between Native American and the U.S. Army that raged in the West for decades. Finally defeated by the U.S. military, the tribes agreed to resettle on the reservations. As a result, Native Americans found themselves the â€Å"owners† of over 155 million acres of land ranging from sparse desert to valuable agricultural land. Under the reservation system, the tribes were granted ownership of their new lands along with the right to govern themselves. Adjusting to their new way of life, Native Americans preserved their cultures and traditions on the reservations. Still recalling the brutality of the Indian wars, many white Americans continued to fear the Indians and demanded more government control over the tribes. The Indians’ resistance to becoming â€Å"Americanized† was viewed as uncivilized and threatening. As the 1900s began, the assimilation of Native Americans into American culture became a national priority. Responding to public opinion, influential members of Congress felt it was time for the tribes to give up their tribal lands, traditions, and even their identities as Indians. The Dawes Act was, at the time, considered the solution. Dawes Act Allotment of Indian Lands Named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, the Dawes Act of 1887- also called the General Allotment Act- authorized the U.S. Department of the Interior to divide Native American tribal land into parcels or â€Å"allotments† of land to be owned, lived on, and farmed by individual Native Americans. Each Native American head of household was offered an allotment 160 acres of land, while unmarried adults were offered 80 acres. The law stipulated that grantees could not sell their allotment for 25 years. Those Native Americans who accepted their allotment and agreed to live separately from their tribe were granted the advantages of full United States citizenship. Any â€Å"excess† Indian reservation lands remaining after the allotments were determined available for purchase and settlement by non-Native Americans. The main objectives of the Dawes Act were to: abolish tribal and communal land ownershipassimilate Native Americans into mainstream American societylift Native Americans out of poverty, thus reducing the costs of Native American administration Individual Native American ownership of land for European-American style subsistence farming was seen as the key to achieving the Dawes Act’s objectives. Supporters of the act believed that by becoming citizens, Native American would be encouraged to exchange their â€Å"uncivilized† rebellious ideologies for those that would help them become economically self-supporting citizens, no longer in need of costly government supervision. Impact Rather than helping them as its creators intended, the Dawes Act had decidedly negative effects on Native Americans. It ended their tradition of farming communally held land which had for centuries ensured them a home and individual identity in the tribal community. As historian Clara Sue Kidwell wrote in her book â€Å"Allotment,† the act â€Å"was the culmination of American attempts to destroy tribes and their governments and to open Indian lands to settlement by non-Native Americans and to development by railroads.† As a result of the act, land owned by Native Americans decreased from 138 million acres in 1887 to 48 million acres in 1934. Senator Henry M. Teller of Colorado, an outspoken critic of the act, said the intent of the allotment plan was â€Å"to despoil the Native Americans of their lands and to make them vagabonds on the face of the earth.† Indeed, the Dawes Act harmed Native Americans in ways its supporters never anticipated. The close social bonds of life in tribal communities were broken, and displaced Indians struggled to adapt to their now nomadic agricultural existence. Many Indians who had accepted their allotments lost their land to swindlers. For those who chose to stay on the reservations, life became a daily battle with poverty, disease, filth, and depression. Sources and Further Reference â€Å"Dawes Act (1887).† OurDocuments.gov. US National Archives and Records AdministrationKidwell, Clara Sue. â€Å"Allotment.† Oklahoma Historical Society: Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and CultureCarlson, Leonard A. â€Å"Indians, Bureaucrats, and Land.† Greenwood Press (1981). ISBN-13: 978-0313225338.

The Quest for Individual Freedom in Liberalism

The Quest for Individual Freedom in Liberalism Liberalism is one of the principal doctrines in Western political philosophy. Its core values are typically expressed in terms of individual freedom and equality. How these two ought to be understood is a matter of dispute so that they are often differently declined in different places or among different groups. Even so, it is typical to associate liberalism with democracy, capitalism, freedom of religion, and human rights. Liberalism is has been mostly defended in England and the United States. Among the authors that most contributed to the development of liberalism, John Locke (1632-1704) and John Stuart Mill (1808-1873). Early Liberalism Political and civic behavior describable as liberal can be found across the history of humanity, but liberalism as a full-fledged doctrine can be traced back to approximately three hundred and fifty years ago, in northern Europe, England, and Holland in particular. It should be remarked, however, that the history of liberalism is entrenched with the one of an earlier cultural movement, namely humanism, which flourished in central Europe, especially in Florence, in the 1300 and 1400s, reaching its apex during Renaissance, in fifteen hundreds. It is indeed in those countries that most delved into the exercise of free trade and exchange of people and ideas that liberalism thrived. The Revolution of 1688 marks, from this perspective, an important date for liberal doctrine, underlined by the success of entrepreneurs such as Lord Shaftesbury and authors such as John Locke, who returned to England after 1688 and resolved to finally publish his masterpiece, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690), wherein he provided also a defense of individual liberties that are key to the liberalist doctrine. Modern Liberalism Despite its recent origins, liberalism has an articulated history testifying of its key role in modern Western society. The two great revolutions, in America (1776) and France (1789) refined some of the key ideas behind liberalism: democracy, equal rights, human rights, the separation between State and religion and freedom of religion, the focus on the individual well-being. The 19th century was a period of intense refinement of the values of liberalism, which had to face the novel economic and social conditions posed by incipient industrial revolution. Not only authors such as John Stuart Mill gave a fundamental contribution to liberalism, bringing to the philosophical attention topics such as freedom of speech, the liberties of women and of slaves; but also the birth of the socialist and communist doctrines, among others under the influence of Karl Marx and the French utopists, forced liberalists to refine their views and bond into more cohesive political groups. In the 20th century, liberalism was restated to adjust to the changing economic situation by authors such as Ludwig von Mises and John Maynard Keynes. The politics and lifestyle diffused by the Unites States throughout the world, then, gave a key impulse to the success of liberal lifestyle, at least in practice if not in principle. In more recent decades, liberalism has been used also to address the pressing issues of the crisis of capitalism and the globalized society. As the 21st century enters into its central phase, liberalism is still a driving doctrine that inspires political leaders and individual citizens. It is the duty of all those who live in a civil society to confront with such a doctrine. Sources: Bourdieu, Pierre.  The Essence of Neoliberalism.  http://mondediplo.com/1998/12/08bourdieu. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.  Liberalism.  https://www.britannica.com/topic/liberalism. The Liberty Fund.  Online Library. http://oll.libertyfund.org/. Hayek, Friedrich A.  Liberalism.   angelfire.com/rebellion/oldwhig4ever/ .Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Liberalism.  https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberalism/.

Sociology and Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology and Anthropology - Essay Example Since most people know that smoking is hazardous to people’s health, just a limited number really understands what other social problems smoking can cause to both the people and the entire society. As stated, smoking results in death. According to the World Health Organization, smoking holds responsibility for every single death in five. Extent of Effects of Smoking as a Social Problem Apart from deaths, smoking extended illnesses such as cancer, respiratory and heart diseases among others. Facts maintain that continuous smoking can lead to cancer, which is a killer in both the contemporary United States and the world. Furthermore, smoking claims a higher percentage of heart diseases and respiratory illnesses in America. Smoking also causes liver cirrhosis, which, in turn, results in death if not treated early enough (McEachern, 2010). As people continue to wonder about the direct effects of smoking, research observations reveal that passive smoking, which is a common phenomen on among most Americans, causes lung cancer. Passive smoking is as endangering as it has links with cot death and asthma in children as well as glue gear (Barrett, 2009). Therefore, it is agreeable to say that smoking does not only affect whoever is smoking but also affects those around him. Additionally, contemporary United States, among other countries, is part of the largest producers of tobacco leafs. Tobacco planting results in deforestation as planters must clear the bushes before they replace them with tobacco trees (Gobo, 2004). This shows that the need for smoking leads to deforestation, which in the end results in lack of land for other agricultural purposes. Consequently, people suffer from poverty and other social problems due to tobacco plating in the contemporary United States. Further, the level of crime is on the increase in contemporary United States (Delamater & Myers, 2010). Criminal investigations record the habit of smoking among the youth as one of the most com mon motives of indulging in crime. This is because smoking among teenagers in contemporary United States goes hand in hand with other substance abuse. As a result, the need for more of these substances and lack of resources to acquire them among this generation accounts for their involvement in criminal activities (Barrett, 2009). Sociological Theory That Explains Smoking Interestingly, sociologists and other great thinkers tend to theorize almost everything. Through theorizing, they believe they can set forth better platforms where people can understand certain phenomena. The theory of structural functionalism explains smoking by aiding in establishing the factors that lead to smoking (McEachern, 2010). Additionally, it tries to expound on matters relevant to ways of stopping the habit of smoking. Sociologists in the criminal department have made the use of structural functionalism as a core element in trying to establish the type and amount of smokes, and the time consumed by smok ers. The theory of structural functionalism tries to provide empirical and modified range of type of cigarette that a particular person has been smoking (Evans, 2009). This symbolic dialect also encompasses the application of the theory of symbolic interactionalism which is a social psychological instrument used by sociologists in establishing the amount of smokes consumed by the subject. Essay Two The Nature-Nurture Debate The nature-nurture controversy has been and still is a

Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Insurance - Essay Example This insurance mostly targets young drivers because they are inexperienced and reduces their chances of getting into road accidents (Avery, 2011). In most cases, young people, both male and female, usually lack a sense of responsibility especially when they know that they have parents or guardians to take care of them. This is a moral hazard since these young people have a tendency of taking adverse risks because they know that they will not incur the cost of the damages they cause. Young men are known for engaging in risky behaviour such as drunk driving, overspeeding, and ignoring road signs. This puts them on the high premium section because they are high risk insurance buyers (Telematics insurance, 2012). Young women, on the other hand, are known to be more careful because they pay attension to the roads as they drive and are keen on observing road rules. This means that young female drivers are bound to benefit more from telematics insurance than their male counterparts. Conform ing to the provisions of telematic insurance policies gives the young female drivers an opportunity to enjoy low premiums thus lower insurance costs (Wright, 2012). However, being young, both men and women are bound to make the same mistakes that could cause accidents in which the car gets damaged or they damage other people’s property. They do all this because they know that their parents pay the car insurance and, therefore, they behave recklessly. However, there comes a time that they have to be responsible for their actions and this involves paying for their car insurance. This prompts for the selection of an insurance cover that takes care of their needs wholesomely. Telematic insurance promises rewards for its most careful drivers, and this could encourage careless young drivers to be more careful and abandon their moral hazard so as to increase their chances of getting rewards. Telematic insurance is known for its use of technology gadgets which are pricy especially to the young vehicle owners interested in buying insurance cover. Most of the information given to the buyer is about the use of up to date technology to recover lost vehicles and to help drivers avoid accidents. However, the user is not aware that these gadgets are expensive and contribute to the charges of the insurance cover. This is a case of adverse selection because one party is withholding information from the other. The fact that this cover contains rewards in its package only serves to attract clients and to prompt them to be careful while driving (Wright, 2013). When young people realize that their risky behaviour result in loses, they might opt to get an insurance cover thus research for an insurance cover. A standard insurance policy requires all those buying insurance to pay for a certain standard amount. This means that females, who are less likely to damage their vehicles have to pay more. In any case they might not even use the cover after all because chances of them g etting into an accident are very low. Male drivers, on the other hand, tend to get into accidents and the amount females pay may just subsidize that used by the younger males. In addition, insurers do not reduce the price of insurance cost for young female drivers just because they tend to use it less often. In fact, insurance costs keep going higher