This papers topic is on Sight and Blindness in the play Oedipus Rex Essay

This papers topic is on Sight and Blindness in the play Oedipus Rex - Essay Example In light of this, it can be said that being sighted or blind does not necessarily correspond with the ability to control ones fate. It may be assumed that having the ability to see makes it easier to control fate, however, in Oedipus Rex, it is clearly evident that between physical and intellectual blindness, it is the latter which seems to allow for a more truthful vision of one’s destiny. Oedipus, the protagonist, is arrogant and intellectually blind. It is this arrogance and blindness which actually cause him to eventually fulfill the fate he so desperately tries to escape from. He begins his life with a prophecy from the gods; that one day he will kill his father and marry his mother. In a desperate attempt to avoid this terrible fate, his parents send him into the mountains to die. However, a shepherd saves Oedipus and the child is adopted by Polybus and Merope, the King and Queen of Corinth. While Oedipus was completely unaware of the prophecy during this time, he was safe from fulfilling his terrible destiny. Ironically, it is only when he begins to see the truth that he begins to approach his fate. As he becomes aware of the prophecy, he flees from home for safety in the hopes of avoiding his destiny. However, in doing so, he achieves the opposite; while fleeing Corinth, he meets his real father, King Laius, and kills him. He then makes his way to Thebes where he marries his real mother, Jocasta, and also brings a plague into the city. These events are hugely ironic, because if Oedipus had never become aware of the truth, he could have stayed blissfully ignorant, and safe from fulfilling his destiny. Alternatively, if Oedipus had been aware of the full truth from the beginning he could have potentially avoided his fate. His arrogance is further displayed when he declares that he will find the Kings killer so he can save the town from the plague, unaware that he himself is the killer. We can see that throughout the

Cultual Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance Essay

Cultual Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance - Essay Example Holme and Gronlund define subcultures as groups of individuals that, through a value or belief system, make conscious decisions to further differentiate themselves from the other cultural groups to which they might otherwise traditionally belong (Holme and Gronlund, 2005). For example, a child may be born African American and immediately be identified with that culture, but decisions that are made after that, such as religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or other aspects of worldview, may place that child within more narrowly defined subcultures. It is important for educators to have a thorough understanding of both the evangelical Christian and Goth subcultures, albeit for differing reasons. The evangelical Christian subculture, which consists of several Protestant churches, is critical because it is a growing and influential group. According to the US Census Bureau, 43 percent of Georgians identify themselves as evangelical Christians, a figure that closely resembles the 47 percent nationally that identify as evangelicals (Spengler, 2004 and US Census Bureau, 2003). Evangelical Christians must be understood not only because of their power as a group, but also because of their traditionally negative view toward public education. Many evangelical Christians are openly opposed to the secular nature of public education, and many Georgia parents do, in fact, enroll their children in private religious schools. It is important for the public school educator to be conscious and respectful of the strong belief system that may be he ld by evangelical Christian students, while also remaining mindful that unwavering support of the public school system may not exist in the students' homes. The Goth subculture is important for educators to understand primarily because of the stereotypes that exist about it and because of the underlying factors that may drive students toward the lifestyle. The Goth subculture is defined by a macabre style of dress and makeup - typically black clothing and nail polish, perhaps with mascara and even a white foundation makeup on the face - and the use of Christian and sometimes pagan symbolism (Robinson, 2006). The Goth subculture is present in Georgia, with sizable populations in areas such as Atlanta and Athens (Ford, 2006). History demonstrates that other students may be fearful of students who adopt the Goth lifestyle and research has shown that the students who adopt the lifestyle are often troubled, frequently dealing with feelings of isolation, depression, and even the desire to self-harm (Vince, 2006). Naturally, it is pointless and even counterproductive to paint all evangelical Christian and Goth students with the same brush. Without doubt, there are evangelical Christian students whose parents believe strongly in public education, just as there are certainly Goth students who are well adjusted psychologically. However, there are certain beliefs, values and tendencies that run through these groups. Because it is the job of an educator to teach - and to also make a genuine effort to understand - his or her students, it is important to gain an understanding of these two critical subcultures. Research methodology The research methodology for this paper will focus on the analysis of both

Analysing Islamic Law And Polygamy Religion Essay

Analysing Islamic Law And Polygamy Religion Essay Should a man have more than one wife? Im going to answer this with referencing from the Islamic law and my opinion with facts to back it up. Under Islamic law a man is allowed up to 4 wives but he must be able to show that he can treat woman equally and provide a separate home for each of them. The truth of the matter is that, the Law says every Muslim according to the religion can marry more than one woman. Article 6 Muslim Family Law Ordinance 1961 of Pakistan explains that it extends to the whole of Pakistan and applies to all Muslim citizens of Pakistan wherever they may be. No man, during the subsistence of an existing marriage, shall, except with the previous permission in writing of the Arbitration Council, contract another marriage, nor shall any such marriage contracted without such permission be registered under the Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Registration) Act, 1974. The God thy worship Allah has commanded the Muslims to marry, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦And marry those among you w ho are singleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This quote illustrates that a man can marry as many as he wishes but as long as the woman around them are single. The religion of Islam has been revealed for a long time to many societies. So therefore accommodates widely to different social requirements. Circumstances may warrant the taking of another wife but the right is granted, according to the Quran, only on one condition that the husband is scrupulously fair. The Quran is the only religious scripture in the world that says, marry only one. A Muslim marriage is not a sacrament like Christianity, but a simple, legal agreement in which either partner is free to include conditions. In Islam, marriage is essentially a contract. However, the division between sacred and secular was never explicit in Islam. Any action or transaction in Islam has religious implications. It is not quite accurate, therefore, to designate marriage in Islam simply as a secular contract. The appropriate designation of marriage could be a Divine Institution. Islam recognizes the value of sex and advocates marriage. Islam does not believe in celibacy. Nushaba Hussein, the chair of the Human Rights Action Committee of the Muslim Parliament says recognising polygamy would give legal recourse to women. In Islam, limited polygamy is permitted. Polygamy is one of the main targets for criticism on the part of non-Muslims and even some who claim to be Muslims. However, polygamy is not something that appeared with the advent of Islam, it has been practiced for a very long time. Believe it or not, Christians also believed/practised polygamy; the ban on polygamy in Christianity is a man-made prohibition, not divine law. In the Quran it says If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two, three, or four, but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one. The verse illustrates the sincere teachings of Islam regarding polygamy and includes the command to treat wives equally, and anyone who is unable to do so should marry only one women. I generally believe that if it is clearly stated in the Quran, Muslims should be allowed to marry as many wives as they please. The Quran is what Muslims use as their guidance so if the Holy Book permits them then it is their choice to make their own decision. I do not think anyone has the right to question what they believe since we all have different opinions and backgrounds; every individual human beings are different. Equality includes all social, economical and physical needs. It is very difficult for human beings to be completely fair, a fact which is recognised by the Quran . Which is proven in the world today. At times, the wife may be incapable of pregnancy and the husband desires to have children. Polygamy can also serve as a solution to this problem. Some men are not satisfied with one woman. By recognising this need of a man, Islam permitted them to marry more than one wife, rather than falling into the trap of adultery and fornication. These are just some of the reasons and wisdoms behind the permissibility of practicing polygamy. This is the decision of Allah, and it must be accepted by Muslims. According to the Islamic faith, the Quran can be challenged. In the Holy book, it goes into depth more on how the women should be treated and the rights they have as a wife. No one may argue that religious law is more important than state law, so if it is against their religious morals then men should be allowed to marry more than one women. However, in the religion it is not obligatory so it all goes down to the choices the men make. Polygamy is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife. Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women, even if it is your ardent desire: But turn not away (from a woman) altogether, so as to leave her (as it were) hanging (in the air). If ye come to a friendly understanding, and practise self-restraint, God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. Here we clearly see that Allah tells men that they will never be fair to their wives. He tells the men the pre-cautions of what they are about and gives a clear warning. Additionally it clearly nullifies the excuse that Allah gave them to practice polygamy. I personally believe from the No ble Quran that polygamy should not be allowed today to most Muslim men in the Muslim world. I am going to say yes, men should be allowed to have more than one wife especially if it has something to do with their faith and what they believe in. I do not believe that men should use this, as an advantage or practice polygamy for the sake of sexual pleasure but as a blessing. If people practice polygamy without being thoughtful to others, I am sure that Allah will take that negatively toward them, because Allah clearly demanded in the Quran that men should be fair, and think thoroughly before having multiple wives. He clearly encouraged men to settle down with one wife.

black holes :: essays research papers

The Search for Black Holes: Both as a Concept and An Understanding for age’s people have been determined to explicate on everything. Our search for explanation rests only when there is a lack of questions. Our skies hold infinite quandaries, so the quest for answers will, as a result, also be infinite. Since, its interception, Astronomy as a science speculated heavily upon discovery, and only came to concrete conclusions later with closer inspection. Aspects of the skies which at one time seemed like reasonable explanations are now laughed at as egotistical ventures. Time has shown that as better instrumentation was developed, more accurate understanding was attained. Now it seems, as we advance on scientific frontiers, the new quest of the heavens is to find and explain the phenomenon known as a black hole. The goal of this paper is to explain how the concept of a black hole came about, and give some insight on how black holes are formed and might be tracked down in our more technologically advanced future. Gaining an understanding of a black hole allows for a greater understanding of the concept of space time and maybe gives us a grasp of both science fiction and science fact. Hopefully, all the clarification will come by the close of this essay. A black hole is probably one of the most misunderstood ideas among people outside of the astronomical and physical communities. Before an understanding of how it is formed can take place, a bit of an introduction to stars is necessary. This will shed light on the black hole philosophy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A star is an enormous fire ball, fueled by a nuclear reaction at its core which produces massive amounts of heat and pressure. It is formed when two or more enormous gaseous clouds come together which forms the core, and as an aftereffect the conversation, due to that impact, of huge amounts of energy from the two clouds. The clouds come together with a great enough force, which a nuclear reaction ensues. This type of energy is created by fusion wherein the atoms are forced together to form a new one. In turn, heat in excess of millions of degrees Fahrenheit is produced. This activity goes on for eons until the point at which the nuclear fuel is exhausted. Here is where things get interesting. For the entire life of the stars, the nuclear reaction at its core produced an enormous outward force.

Keep It in Classrooms Essay

When it comes to the topic of discussing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in schools, most of us will agree that the interactions between whites and blacks in the book cause many controversies. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether Huckleberry Finn should be completely banned in schools. Whereas some people believe that keeping the book in school systems and developing a new curriculum solve the problem better, other people maintain that all schools must ban the book. The controversy over race, shown in Huckleberry Finn, takes place when Huck uses the â€Å"n-word† casually to talk about all blacks that he knows including Jim. The controversy over racism, also shown when the king, duke, and Huck go into a town and leave Jim and paint him blue so he looks ridiculous, may be argued because the king, duke, and Huck seem not to care about what they put Jim through. Some believe that when Jim stays at the Phelpses’ plantation in a cottage with many live animals, Mark Twain uses prejudices against blacks meaning they do not have many characteristics of humans because Jim live in a cottage and he cannot think for himself because Huck thinks for him. When my class started reading Huckleberry Finn, having an introduction to the book helped while we tried to understand how Twain writes. We discussed racism in our classroom which made me learn more from the class altogether. Although I grant that reading Huckleberry Finn may cause controversy and some discomfort, I still maintain that students should carefully read Huckleberry Finn with extra discussion and introduction about Twain’s background, style of writing, and ideas about racism. I believe that though Twain starts out the novel with some racist comments, by the end of the novel Twain proves to the audience that he is not racist. Franek and NiiLampti disagree with me in their article â€Å"Shoot the Author, Not the Reader† thinking that Twain never stops his racist comments and situations and â€Å"Twain’s other ‘hero’ †¦ acts] so stupid, naive, and subservient† (21). Though this depiction of Jim may be the way that Twain characterizes Jim at the beginning of the novel, by the end of the novel the views of Jim change because he grows during the novel and Huck also grows by accepting Jim into the novel. Franek and NiiLampti believe that by having a black character described stereotypically, black students in the class will feel uncomfortable. But instead teachers should take advantage of the moment to discuss racism in the setting of the book. The turning point for Jim’s rowth occurs when he helps the doctor by watching Tom so that the doctor can fetch more help. The doctor realizes that â€Å"he ain’t a bad nigger† (Twain 214). Jim, a noble friend to Tom, helps Tom and even risks his life in order to help out his friend. Huckleberry Finn studied in classrooms, the classic must be examined carefully and taken within the context before the Civil War although Twain actually wrote the book after the Civil War. The use of the â€Å"n-word† must be discussed before students start to read the novel because of course if the students see the â€Å"n-word’ for the first time, the written word will shock them. Huck uses the â€Å"n-word† on many situations and he does not think twice about saying the â€Å"n-word. † Huck explains how everyone respects Jim by saying, â€Å"Niggers would come miles to hear Jim† but while Huck praises Jim, he still uses the â€Å"n-word† because back when Huckleberry Finn took place, although the â€Å"n-word† derogatorily explained blacks, the negative connotation associated with the â€Å"n-word† today had not surfaced yet, and so people uses the â€Å"n-word† more frequently (5). Teachers and school boards should not ban the book just because the use of the â€Å"n-word,† and Paula Leider agrees with me in her article â€Å"Does Huck Finn Belong in My Classroom? † by saying that â€Å"when Huck Finn is taught in my classroom†¦ it must be explored with sensitivity† (50). If students start to understand the background of the book then the confusion about race will clear up; Leider explains that she likes to talk to her students about why Twain uses prejudices and what the problem is with them. Some of the same prejudices that were in place in the setting of Huckleberry Finn are still depicted today and the reasons for the prejudices stay the same. Twain has a firm attitude that depending on the situation the use of the â€Å"n-word† enhances the context and meaning. To make a more worthwhile class for students, teachers must make the students engage in conversation and provide the students with background information by starting the unit with a history introduction. Along with considering the context of the novel, teachers must note that Twain strengthens the book by adding literary value. A lot of what Twain wrote about had to do with the life that he lived and dealt with; he wants to inform the reader by telling an intriguing story. Katherine Schulten agrees while explaining that Twain uses satire to criticize prejudices from after the Civil War. Twain uses the literary tool of satire to poke fun at certain groups of people by using irony, but his irony must be obvious so that his audience understands that he is not serious. Huck and Jim talk on the raft about French people and Jim says, â€Å"Is a frenchman a man?†¦ Why don’t he talk like a man† (60). Using humor to poke fun at French people, Twain plays with French people because Twain did not like anyone foreign. In Huckleberry Finn the use of satire, a great literary tool that Twain uses, adds light fun and humor to the novel along with provoking thought. Huckleberry Finn has great literary value; the book can not be banned just because of racism. Marge Kraemer agrees in Schulten’s article â€Å" ‘Huck Finn’: Born to Trouble†: â€Å"I’d rather change my approach to a novel than lose the right to teach it† because in her school system the teachers decided to make a curriculum that pleases both sides of the argument (59). I agree with the decision that the Cherry Hill school community made because by keeping the novel the students can still study the literary value of the book. Students should read Huckleberry Finn in schools because the book has a great literary value and teachers can use the time reading to book to discuss racism. Suggestions to teachers may include: discussion of racism in the setting of Huck Finn, racism today, and how we deal with racism. To strengthen race relations, teachers need to convey to their students that they can speak up and disagree at anytime with what is said in the book because that makes the students more active readers. Ernest Hemingway says in his book Green Hills of Africa that â€Å"all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. † I agree with his statement because the book leads all other books and if Huckleberry Finn is ban, future generations will not be able to study one of the greatest pieces of American literature.

Tolerance and World Peace

Tolerance and World Peace What is the meaning of tolerance or world peace? Tolerance is the ability to the fundamental of other cultures without using individuals or own culture to compare others. World peace is the freedom, peace, and happiness between all nations and people. The two articles, â€Å"Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism† by Martha Nussbaum and â€Å"Don’t Forget the Little Plattons† by Michael McConnel, explains the tolerance and cultures. In my own understanding from the 2 articles, I think patriotism is opposite from the tolerance.However, the more patriotic the citizen is towards their own country, they will become less tolerant of other cultures. Nussbaum argues that all citizens should act cosmopolitanism to be sure there are truth, peace and justice in the world. Everyone should be able to â€Å"come together as a single body†1 (Nussbaum 1996, 10) to unite with other fellow human beings and not categorize each other into groups. This will lead to an increase of world peace. There is a quote when Nussbaum agree with this, â€Å"It is this community that is, fundamentally, the source of our moral obligations.With respect to the most basic moral values, such as justice, ‘We should regard all human beings as our fellow citizens and neighbors’. We should regard our deliberations as, first and foremost, deliberations about human problems of people in particular concrete situations, not problems growing out of a national identity that is altogether unlike that of others. â€Å" 2 (Nussbaum 1996, 7) This quote is referring to when the human that are living in the world today should observe being as a citizen for their country and neighbours within their community.When the citizen is devoting himself to the nation, it is most likely for the person to be more ignorant of the values and rights to be followed around the world. This is why there is no world peace because citizen would rather to focus on his or her own values and rights. There are other options for students as an advantage to be learning about other cultures and beliefs. â€Å"As students here grow up, is it sufficient for them to learn that they are above all citizens of the United States but that they ought to respect the basic human rights of citizens of India, Bolivia, Nigeria and Norway†¦Ã¢â‚¬  3 (Nussbaum 1996, 6)To bring changes to the tolerance level of nationalities is the students to be taught that they are the citizens of the world, not the citizen of their country. If the teachers in school taught the students more about other cultures from different countries this will build more tolerance education in the students. They would have better understanding of their beliefs and cultures and also others too. This will benefit a difference within the nationalities about tolerance.There are three arguments for the second concept of education from the Stoics that Nussbaum explain about tolerance and a bit of world p eace. Firstly, â€Å"they hold that they study of humanity as it is realized in the whole world is valuable for self-knowledge: we see ourselves more clearly when we see our ways in relation to those of other reasonable people. †4 (Nussbaum 1996, 8) I agree with him because we are here in this world for a reason, we are here to learn about the world as one society, world peace.World peace will make it easier for people to relate to others to expand more self-knowledge like self-actualization. Secondly, â€Å"†¦that we will be better table to solve our problems if we face them in this way. †5 (Nussbaum 1996, 8) This is true because looking in the past of the history from different politics has been cause from assassinations and wars. The best example is Hilter and his Nazi army when they try to take over Europe by killing people that are different such as being black, disable, Jews and more. We try to avoid these dangers by decreasing large groups in the world comm unity.Finally, they talk about that â€Å"†¦stance of the kosmou polites is intrinsically valuable, for it recognizes in people what is especially fundamental about them, most worthy of respect and acknowledgement†¦Ã¢â‚¬  6 (Nussbaum 1996, 8) If the world is seen as one society or entity, citizen will be tolerance about their cultural difference. They will focus more on what they would have in common. â€Å"These qualities may be less colourful than local or national traditions and identities†¦Ã¢â‚¬  7 (Nussbaum 1996, 8) We as individual still keep our culture, traditions, religion, and ethnicity even though the world is going to unite as one society.Even though the world comes together as world peace, it does not represent that we will not be able to undefined ourselves of whom we are. The point of this is to not separate each citizen from our community we are part of. But, we should hold the humanity that is part of it. This is how we should visualize ourselves as, â€Å"Our task as citizens of the world will be to draw the circles somehow toward the center. Making all human beings more like our fellow city-dwellers, and so on. We need to give up our special affections and identifications, whether ethnic or gender-based or religious.We need not think of them as superficial, and we may think for our identity as constituted partly by them. † 8 (Nussbaum 1996, 9) When I read Nussbaum’s article, I thought ‘ Isn’t Nussbaum being to self-centered? ’ But when I over read it again I understood her arguments and points she was pointing out relating to tolerance. On the other hand, McConnell’s article had also suitable points he wanted to argue about. With McConnell’s point, I agree to what he is explaining about tolerance that it does not come from the educational wise but it comes from home whereas family and older generation explain their own culture.Most of my point of view of different culture or belief did come from teaching in school when I took a World Religion course in grade 10. I learn a lot more about other beliefs and cultures more than usual. It was interesting because most culture have their own traditions that are practically the same traditions than other cultures. I also learn the ideas from my family and realtives. I do believe that the students should learn and understand the cultural teachings in school, so that they have a strong influence that could possibly change their perceptions. They key to moral education is to fuse the sentiments (especially love) to teaching of the good. We begin to do good because we love our preceptors (especially our parents); we want to please them and we want to be like them. We continue to do good because that is the kind of person we have grown up to be. † 9 (McConnel1996, 79) McConnell is trying to say in this quote is that tolerance start at home and than become more involving with the community. He also said that one could be part of the local community even though cosmopolitanism states that.But, it cannot be forgotten that the main purpose is to look at the world as a one society, world peace. Things will have to be accepted in some days where as it is possible that the communities maybe forgotten. To the conclusion, the 2 articles â€Å"Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism† by Martha Nussbaum and â€Å"Don’t Forget the Little Plattons† by Michael McConnel, had made excellent point of view of their own opinion about tolerance and cultures. I agree more of Nussbaum side because he stated that the world would be a better place if we all became more tolerant of other beliefs.This will help the world to have peace and as one culture. A way to change this is to change the teaching in school, whereas students can learn more about other cultures. However, the students’ opinions will change with the influence when the parent or relative tell the stories about their own culture. Another argument is the Stoics when the world was to get ride of smaller political groups that the war of dangers would be reduced. Both sides of these two arguments had made perfect sense points about the author’s opinion about tolerance and world peace.It is hard to select which to select as the best points, but in my opinion I liked Nassbaum points because she explained the benefits. On the other hand, McConnell explained the potentials. Nassbaum leaves me with better agreement on his article. Notes 1. Martha Nussbaum et al. , â€Å"Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism,† in For Love of Country: Debating the limits of patriotism, ed. Joshua Cohen (Boston: Beacon Press, 1996), 10. 2. Nussbaum, 7. 3. Nussbaum, 6. 4. Nussbaum, 8. 5. Nussbaum, 8. 6. Nussbaum, 8. 7. Nussbaum, 8. 8. Nussbaum, 9. 9.Micheal McConnell et al. , â€Å"Don’t Forget the Little Platoons,† in For Love of Country: Debating the limits of patriotism, ed. Joshua Cohen (Boston: Beacon Press, 199 6), 79. Works Cited McConnell, Michael. et al. â€Å"Don’t Forget the Little Platoons. † In For Love of Country: Debating the limits of patriotism, edited by Joshua Cohen, 78-84. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. Nussbaum, Martha, et al. â€Å"Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism. † In For Love of Country: Debating the limits of patriotism, edited by Joshua Cohen, 2-17. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996.