The Case against Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Case against Marriage - Essay Example To begin with, the purpose of marriage has undergone a sea change. In the past, it â€Å"was how women ensured their financial security, got the fathers of their children to stick around, and gained access to a host of legal rights†. However, the feminist movement and other developments made significant changes in the lives of women. At present, they are at least as educated as men are, and make as much money as men do. The authors claim, â€Å"We’re also breadwinners in two thirds of American families† . In addition, women can establish their legal rights even without a legal marriage. Thus, while marriage was a necessity for women â€Å"to survive† (par. 8) in the past, it is not so at present. Thus, the authors note that due to the changes above discussed, at present what women look for in marriage is â€Å"a best friend, a business partner, somebody to share sex, love and chores†. In simple terms, what women expect in marriage is a â€Å"soul m ate†; not security anymore. In addition, the authors point out quoting social scientists that the institution of marriage as a long term contract is not as effective as people would love to believe. Quoting Curtis Bergstrand, the article states, â€Å"social science tells us fundamentally that this system is not working†. Moreover, there is the finding that â€Å"20 years into marriage, 90 percent of couples have lost the passion they originally felt†. Based on this, the authors point out that marriage was a stable institution in the past because of the dependence of women on their husbands for survival.

Outline French Revolution Debate Essay Example for Free

Outline French Revolution Debate Essay I. How do you think Louis XVIs qualities as a good leader led to the French Revolution?A. Louis XVI did not have confidence in himself, which made it impossible foranyone to have confidence in himB.A mediocre leader could run any country into debt, but only a miserable leader could let a Revolution happen that is negative for the current governmentC.Many of the people doubted him many times, and he could not fool an entire country into thinking the current system (Old Regime) wasnt broken and didnt need to be fixed II. In your opinion, what were the most major causes for the French Revolution?A.Old Regime1.Third estate treated ridiculously unfairly2.97% of people poor, impoverished and oppressedB.Enlightenment1.3rd Estate had little no say in government2.Prior, they were told what to think3.Enlightenment made people think and rethink all aspects of society4.Challenged church and government5.Led to people taking actionC.Estates-General Meeting1.Gave the 3rd Estate a voice2.Led to the creation of the National Assembly3.Made the 3rd Estate realize they can force change III. How large of an impact did the Enlightenment have on the French Revolution?A.Led to other things; got the ball moving on the subjectB.Let people think everything over for themselves, without a government bias IV. One of the historians in the film called the French Revolution the crossroads of themodern world. What does this mean, do you agree with this claim?A.No, American Revolution1.Happened around the same time, but America went through the Industrial Revolution first2.France declined after the revolution, as America skyrocketed3.America destroyed a world power, France destroyed themselvesB.Still many other monarchys in place at this time V. What kind of leader was Robespierre? Do you think he did a good job representing theFrench people?A.Described as an incorruptible leaderB.Better leader than Louis XVIC.Became power hungry, declined at the end of his reign1.Was reason for Reign of Terror2.Killed people he was afraid ofD.Did a good job, kept the Revolution going and helped it along VI.. Why do you think the initial goals of the Revolution became so distorted during theReign of Terror? Why do you think Robespierre had so much fear of politicaltraitors?A.Not sure if Robespierre was for or against the RevolutionB.New issues came up over timeC.Preoccupied with fearing for your lifeD.Feared political traitors because he was greedy1.Liked being in office2.Didnt want anyone to take that away from  him3.Could trust no one VII. What were the most important long term effects of the French Revolution?A.Democracy in FranceB.Bastille Day

Nathaniel Hawthorne Symbolism

Nathaniel Hawthorne Symbolism The Mastery of Symbolism in the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the most influential American Romantic authors of the nineteenth century, was born Nathaniel Hathorne on July 4th, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Nathaniel found interest in reading and writing as a young child and continued his interest well into his late teenage years when he began attending Bowdoin College. While in college, Hawthorne befriended Henry Wadworth Longfellow, a fellow Romantic author of the nineteenth century. Nathaniel Hawthorne changed his surname shortly after graduating from college from Hathorne to Hawthorne. The change is speculated to have been due to Hawthorne tracing his familys lineage back to John Hathorne, a great-grandfather of Hawthorne who was one of the judges involved in the sentencing of many women during the Salem Witch Trials. Out of embarrassment and superstitious of a curse upon the Hathorne family name, Hawthorne added the w to his surname. During Hawthornes mid-twenties and early thirties, he wrote in silence in the family room of his home. It was during this time Hawthorne practiced his craft for writing and spent a great amount of time perfecting his writing. Furthermore, for a short time in Hawthornes life, he joined a transcendentalist utopian society called Brook Farm, but he soon became dissatisfied with its lifestyle and left. The Brook Farm experience, along with his time spent tracing his lineage and time spent alone in contemplative writing, influenced Nathaniel Hawthornes philosophy and writing style, and lead Hawthorne to become one of the most well known authors of the American Romanticism literary movement. Nathaniel Hawthornes philosophy and writing style is a part of the literature style of American Romanticism. Considered the first illustration of American literary genius by Jennifer Hurley, book editor of American Romanticism, the literature of American Romanticism was written between the late 1830s and 1861, right before the rise of the Civil War. American Romantics, like Hawthorne, were unified by a concern with the internal world, the world of the psyche, as explained by Hurley on page twelve. Hawthornes aspect of American Romanticism exemplified the desire to explicate the qualities of human nature, such as its individuality, imagination, and intuition. Hawthorne, like other Romantics, explored the individuals isolation from society by providing complex psychological portraits of his protagonists (Hurley 12). While the United States of America was unstable, transforming from agrarianism to industrialism and political turmoil being at its peak during the nineteenth century, Roman tics, such as Hawthorne, found stability in seeking out the peace, beauty, and simplicity of nature and its relation to humankind. Hawthornes aspect of Romanticism was concerned with the psychological and symbolical analysis of certain types of human character and moral situations. Hawthorne extensively uses the literary technique of symbolism to convey an idea to his audience. Symbolism was a popular literary device of Romantics, where an object represented an idea. Symbols could have been a word, place, character, or any other object in which a meaning extended beyond the items literal context. Symbolism is a technique of the Romantics that has continued to be a popular literary device, and is a broad category in which allegory, a specialty of Hawthornes writing technique, is under its hierarchy. Hawthorne drew upon his personal and cultural history to create his intensely symbolic works that investigated the depths of the national American character. The symbolism of his works focused on isolation and guilt of the individual, the uncertainties of good and evil, and the continual hold of the past on the present. Hawthorne focused on his Calvinist lineage and Americas Calvinist ideological past, as well, in hopes of coming to terms and making sense of it. Hawt horne was deeply fascinated by the shifting and treacherous nature of the Puritan lifestyle, as explained by David Morse, author of American Romanticism: From Cooper to Hawthorne. The Puritans were endlessly attentive for symbolism in their daily lives. The Puritans clothing, gesture, behavior, languageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦all had their meaning which must be deciphered (Morse 182). Hawthornes writing is full of symbolic characters, settings, and objects. Hawthornes characters and settings are not always actually important for what they are, but for what they exemplify. Hawthornes audience finds the meanings of his symbols as they grow among his characters efforts to tell the audience what the symbols represent. Hawthorne uses the development of events in different settings to convey the meanings of his symbols as well. Hawthornes genius was in his technique of developing the symbolism of the story via the characters and events because Hawthorne, by intention, makes the characters and their actions the direct allegorists instead of the narrator of the narrative himself. Hawthornes genius is also in his efficiency to make his symbols so commonly placed and natural that they go overlooked. The meanings conveyed by these symbols become more effective when placed so naturally, they conceal themselves because it requires deeper intellectual and intrinsic thought on t he behalf of the reader. One of Hawthornes least recognized works came from his publication of his short story collection Twice-Told Tales, published in 1837. The short story The Hollow of the Three Hills is one unfamiliar to most. Summarized by Gary L. Pullman, author of The Hollow of the Three Hills: Hell on Earth, as: A young woman who suffers from an untimely blight rendezvous at an appointed hour and place with a withered, old hag (a witch) in the circular hollow situated in the center of three hills, having come to the crone to learn what has become of the husband and daughter whom the young woman abandoned years before. Their fate was intimately bound at one time, she concedes, although they are cut off forever from one another now. The witch, reminding the young woman that their time together is short (there is but a short hour that we may tarry here) and directing her to kneel and lay her head upon her knees, pulls her cloak over the young womans head, thus blinding her to the exterior world. The witch utters a profane prayer, by which she works a spell that enables the young woman to hear the voices of her parents and those of her family, whom she abandoned. Her parents, now old, lament the shame and affliction her desertion of her family has brought them. The witch tells the young woman th at her parents are weary and lonesome. Next, her husband speaks from within the confines of a mental institution, complaining of his wifes perfidy and of a wife who had broken her holiest vows, of a home and heart made desolate. Apparently, his wifes desertion of him and their daughter has caused him to lose his mind. The young woman lifts her head, replying to the witchs question as to whether it seems likely that there could be such merry times in a madhouse by saying there is mirth within its walls, but misery, misery without. The young woman longs to hear one more voice (presumably her daughters), and the witch obliges her, telling her to lay her head again upon her knees. The old woman begins to wave her spell again, but, as dusk deepens toward night, a funeral bell tolls, and a funeral procession approaches, several of the members of which revile the dead, pronouncing anathemas upon the deceased for her having abandoned her husband and daughter. When the witch shakes the motio nless young woman whose head rests upon her knees, to rouse her, she discovers that the young woman has died, and the witch says, Here has been a sweet hours sport! The young woman is portrayed as having left her loved ones because of an unforgivable dishonor or deceit she has committed, therefore, fled into nature, to loneliness and isolation. There she seeks comfort in the lap of the old witch. It is in this moment in the story the question of this allegorical story begins. Is the comfort the young woman seeks from the witch her damnation or salvation? Hawthorne explores an issue of critical summation, the greatest allegory of the story, of whether or not the witch is the womans salvation or damnation in the narrative. Hawthorne demonstrates, though, that the sole way for the reader, through the development of events and the characters courses of actions, to know is through his identification of the context that defines whether the witchs nature is of damnation or salvation for the young woman. To discover Hawthornes brilliance of symbolism in The Hollow of the Three Hills, the audience must only open its mind to understand how Hawthorne may be expressing a metaphor. For example, In those strange old times, when fantastic dreams and madmens reveries were realized among the actual circumstances of life, (The Hollow of the Three Hills 5), hints to the reader that the story is between the border of subjectivity, the inner world of the psyche, and objectivity, the outer world of nature. In another instance, when the witch says to the young lady, Here is our pleasant meeting come to pass according as thou hast desired. Say quickly what thou wouldst have of me, for here there is but a short hour that we may tarry here, the womans death is being foreshadowed. It is also suggested that the two meet because of a greater power which intertwines the fates of the young woman and the witch. Continuing symbolism in the story is found in the third paragraph of the narrative in the word sepulchre of the phrase, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦like a lamplight on the wall of a sepulchre, (The Hollow of the Hills 5) and again when the young womans head is rested on the knees of the witch and covered by the cloak, as described on page six of The Hollow of the Hills. Sepulchre indicates the young lady is near death in the presence of the witch. The darkness of the covering cloak symbolizes and foreshadows what the young ladys afterlife will be like without repentance of her sins. The darkness represents that she will not be reborn into life, but into death, physically and spiritually, and therefore both lives, her mortal and spiritual, will be claimed by damnation of sin. Toward the end of the narrative, Hawthornes symbolism is yet to cease. The golden skirts of day were yet lingering upon the hills, but deep shades obscured the hollow and the pool, as if sombre night were rising thence to overspread the world, (The Hollow of the Three Hills 8), is a representation of the life of the young woman as her life and what little happiness she attempted to retrieve from listening to the voices of her loved ones slips away and is overcome by death and misery. In the last moments of her life, the young woman, troubled with the guilt of abandoning her family, wonders the fate of her family. She seems to want to know their fate more to satisfy her curiosity than because she has come to a position of repentance. After all, the young lady accepts the services of a witch instead of seeking a reverend. By visiting the witch, she is dying on her knees in the spell of a witch rather than in prayer, and as a result, she dies in sin. Both of the womans lives, the physic al and spiritual, are in transgression. Furthermore, in death the young lady is not released of her sins, but is given an eternity of suffering and torment of what the witch pleases. The young woman is not only the servant of the witch, but ultimately the servant of the Power of Evil, the symbolical description of Satan. The bells at the end of the story make the reader aware, as if the bells were an alarm, that the story is a warning that the fate of the woman could happen to anyone. Hawthornes own religious beliefs come through in the story through expressing the need of repentance. The Hollow of the Three Hills examines human nature and its inevitability to fall short of perfection. According to Hawthorne, it is why man sins and must, therefore, repent of his imperfections. The symbolism of this tale related to the moral issues of his time period because while society was evolving into a modern industrial community, Hawthorne used his symbolism to express his opinion that society will unavoidably change, but for its cultural survival, the need for individual intuition and moral s must stay intact, or otherwise face great downfall, like the womans fate in the narrative, because societal perfection nor individual perfection is attainable. The symbolism within the story and allegorical message of the story is timeless because the symbols within the story and allegorical message of the story are still relevant today. American society will never outgrow the need for individuals to express intrinsic thought and need to stay in touch with ones morals and intuition because it is part of Americas philosophical and literary ancestry and one will always draw inspiration from Hawthornes symbolism. The timeless effects of Hawthornes symbols and allegories, along with his brilliance in his technique of developing the symbolism of the story via the characters and events and in his efficiency to make his symbols so commonly placed and natural that they go overlooked, are what make him the master of symbolism.

Environment and Governmental Policies :: Politics, Daoism

As humanity begins to use nature to fulfill their need for resources, they tend to create negative consequences to the environment that surrounds them. There are only a few governmental policies that ultimately lean towards a conservationist stand view, since this may be an economically unappealing concept, but there are some moral stances that promote the preservation of nature. In some cases, though, governments are able to support their ecological and economic issues together. It is stated that the â€Å"government has done nothing effective with its forests† and â€Å"the laws... provide neither for the protection of the timber from destruction nor for it’s use where it is most needed† (Doc. 5). This proposal supports the idea that the government’s policies do not advocate the safekeeping of our surroundings appropriately. The destruction of our environment is not decreasing because as our technology expands it becomes easier to â€Å"rule over [nature] without difficulty† (Doc. 4). Taking this into account, we must realize that â€Å"although development is vital...bio-diversity† is something that even humanity can’t live without (Doc. 8). Native American, Chief Seattle, responds to the government in 1852 saying that â€Å"to harm the earth† is something that is considered disrespectful to â€Å"its creator† (Doc. 6). From our own ethical conceptions, humanity is mostly in favor of the safeguarding of wildlife. Daoism, an early chinese concept, conforms to the conservation of nature in that they believe they shouldn’t â€Å"try to change the world by force† because it can cause â€Å"damage to [themselves]† (Doc. 1). From a Buddhist point of view, perpetuating the environment seems to be an important factor in their religion as they wish â€Å"all [creatures to] be blessed with peace always† (Doc. 2). In the Book of Genesis it states that we should â€Å"have dominion† over the creatures yet still â€Å"replenish the earth† (Doc. 3). As the environment is here for our uses, we still must keep it in a state that we can continue to use it. â€Å"Ethical criteria† of the earth may be defined that something is â€Å"right... when it preserve[s] the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community† (Doc. 7). In a point of view that is m erely based on morals, conservation of nature is a good and a necessary abstraction. On the other hand, the way we go about environmentalism is something that the human race has come to focus on and improve in the years past.

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

Idealism or EthnocideA Clash o

Idealism or EthnocideA Clash o Native history forms an important and distinct part of Canadian society. The history of relations between First Nations peoples of Canada and the European settlers that arrived on this country's shores extends over five centuries. Between 1725 and 1923 treaties were signed between the crown and several of the Indian tribes and nations living in what was to become Canada. Today these treaties are known as historic Indian treaties. From the beginning, treaties have been an important aspect of the relationship between the Crown and Aboriginal people. It is a myth that is perpetuated by many historians that the Canadian government was paternalistic and farsighted when dealing with the Plains Indians between 1870-1885 , at least in the sense of looking out for their best interests. On the contrary, the lavish promises entailed in the treaties made by the white man to induce Natives to surrender their land actually contributed to the demise of Native culture.Linguistic subdivisions in Cana daA false and blind sense of idealism motivated the Canadian government when it dealt with treaty negotiations. It is also a misconception that the treaties made were fair. This is most evident in the treaties concerning the Plains Cree. Before these treaties were made the Cree were a self-sustaining nation with their own forms of government as well as cultural and social realms. Afterward, the Treaties and the reservation system that they spawned would create a great divide in future relations between First Nations peoples and Canadian society.The Canadian government did not see treaties as a means for Natives to become civilized and assimilated into white society through the implementation of reserves. The Cree are said to be a primitive people that followed an inflexible system of tradition and custom, seeking to protect themselves against the advance of civilization. This traditional...