Americas racial front Essay Example for Free

Americas racial front Essay This scripture, taken from Matthew 15:8, denotes flawlessly what was, what is, but hopefully what will not always be the plight of Americas racial front. In 1964, a Civil Rights Act was passed outlawing segregation in schools and other public places. Following its passage, blatant acts of racism were no longer tolerated in the United States. This meant that to utter racial slurs, and publicly assert ones agreement with racial stereotypes came to be considered distasteful or politically incorrect†. Therefore, though in more covert forms than in times past, racism yet rears its ugly head. Perhaps this is because America, though cloaked in the beautiful garment we refer to as equality, is yet stained with the sin of racism. This fact is most evident in the very places in which it was originally outlawed. One of the many purposes for which this law was passed was to prevent age, gender, and racial discrimination in the field of healthcare. Unfortunately, because discrimination is not a superfluous issue, but rather a serious concern due to its institutionalization, elderly people have died in huge numbers due physicians who did not hold their heal in high enough regard to follow proper (though at times, troublesome) procedure. In addition, homosexuals are often experience horrible bedside manners from doctors who disagree with the way in which they’ve chosen to live their lives, and sadly African American men, women, and children are constantly subjected to second-rate care simply due to the color of their skin. This ugly picture is nothing like the pretty one painted by America for others to see.

The Symbol Of A Lion :: essays research papers

The symbol of the lion represents everything in the short story â€Å"A Lion on the Freeway†. It was written by Nadine Gordimer in her short story book called The Embrace of a Soldier. Gordimer was an African writer, and her stories have been translated into many languages including English for many people to enjoy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story â€Å"A Lion on the Freeway† is about a lion which has escaped onto the freeway. Gordimer describes the scenery of a town with a zoo in it and how the main character can always hear the animals making noise, especially the lion. This fiercely described story is short, but makes a very important point about the lion in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To Gordmer, the lion is a symbol of wild power, and its original home in Africa was also where this author once lived. A popular phrase people hear of the lion is that it is the â€Å"king of the jungle†. That single phrase describes the lion perfectly, because the lion is a being of great power and passion and its strength and boldness is recognized throughout the world. In this story, it is contained in a cage, not taken from the wild, but born there. The lion may have been born in captivity, but its wild instincts are definitely still alive within the lion’s spirit. This is why the lion would yearn for a way out of its cage and search for freedom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the end of the story, though, Gordimer explains of how the people must capture this lion and stop it once again, if not kill it. Because of its great power and strength, the people are afraid of it and therefor must find a way to stop the lion before he causes damage. This may represent raw human emotions and feelings from deep inside the human race. People cannot let these raw instincts escape to keep order in the world, so then we must keep them locked away inside where no one can see them. Secrecy. As in the lion, these feelings are powerful, but in society instincts must be controlled. However, do people always control their emotions and what they feel at heart? Definitely not, but the public would usually like to think so, except perhaps when it may come to cliches or advertisements (because they ironicly admire those who stand out).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If one does not look at â€Å"A Lion on the Freeway† carefully, it seems dull and unimaginative.

Oedipus by Thomas Blackburn Essay

There are many levels of pain, some of which are discomfort, grief, and agony. In his poem â€Å"Oedipus†, Thomas Blackburn uses diction, imagery, and organization to create a tone of suffering that truly exemplifies pain at its greatest, as well as a tone of feebleness and impotence. From the beginning of the poem, Blackburn’s diction suggests Oedipus’s immorality and wretchedness. For example, Oedipus’s shadow is â€Å"monstrous†, representing his horrific past and future as a monster. However, Oedipus is soon transformed into a powerless and blind being. The poem describes Oedipus as he â€Å"gropes† and â€Å"stumbles†, signifying his weakness and the effects of his self-inflicted blindness and handicap. The diction is very significant, as it provides insight on the actual story. Near the conclusion of the play, Oedipus is weak and blind not only to the physical world, but to the truth as well, resulting in his mother hanging herself, as seen in the poem in, â€Å"and let this woman on the strangling cord†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . In the second to last line of the poem, Blackburn symbolizes Oedipus’s degeneration into death by discussing an ape’s â€Å"carcass†. The dead body of the animal shows Oedipus’s final stage in life, from his powerful position in the â€Å"palace† to the carrion of the â€Å"desert†, and supports the tone of suffering and impotence. The many stages of Oedipus’s nature, from his wickedness to his gloom, are effectively portrayed through Blackburn’s use of imagery. Blackburn quickly introduces the depravity of Oedipus, who has â€Å"the odour of her body on his palms.† This image refers to Oedipus, who sleeps with his mother and wife, Jocasta. Yet, without knowing the story, the image created is sinful itself in nature by the mood created by the â€Å"odor of her body†, which appears both sexual and sensual. In the next stanza, Blackburn depicts Oedipus as he â€Å"gropes for the sage’s lips.† This symbolizes Oedipus’s realization of the truth, which Teresias, the â€Å"sage† has told Oedipus. Upon piecing all the clues and knowledge together, Oedipus knows that he has been ignorant and avoiding his inevitable fate. With Oedipus acknowledging the truth, Blackburn leads to the dominant image of Oedipus as he suffers the consequences of his unwise actions. After Oedipus is banishes from the land, he is seen as a â€Å"newly born† with his daughters â€Å"leading him with childish  hands.† The reader can instantly envision Oedipus as a child crawling through the desert, with his daughters ironically portrayed as his guardians. Oedipus loses the sense of sight and turns into a powerless creature with no spirit, represented by a child that is associated with a figure that is new to the world and knows nothing, including the truth, in Oedipus’s case. Thus, the usage of imagery develops Blackburn’s tone of suffering as Oedipus progresses toward what his fate has decreed. Organization throughout the poem helps to portray and lay emphasis upon certain areas where Blackburn’s message about the fall of Oedipus and fate is evident. Analysis of the overall poem shows a decrease in Oedipus’s character. He is first portrayed as a monster in the palace walls, but as the poem progresses, Oedipus’s fall into destruction progresses as well. He begins to desperately seek the truth and when it is found, Oedipus becomes a helpless and weak creature. Similarly, the beginning to the poem depicts Oedipus as he indulges himself in his desires. However the ending of the poem shows â€Å"prophetic birds† flying overhead, symbolizing fate and how Oedipus eventually falls into submission and lowers himself as a person. The chronology also adds to the tone by allowing readers to slowly develop an understanding of Oedipus’s suffering and pain. The placement of Oedipus’s demise at the end also adds emphasis to the message, since it is the last stanza that the reader reads and will remain in the reader’s mind the longest. It is clearly evident that the special organization of the poem helps to support the tone and message conveyed to the readers throughout the writing. From the introduction to the end, Blackburn constantly provides support for the tones of suffering and weakness. Through diction such as â€Å"helpless†, imagery of Oedipus’s demise in the desert, and organization that created emphasis on certain clues, the tone and message is easily identified. Oedipus was truly a tragic story involving the fall of a king to a blind and powerless child, with the sad, horrific, and painful understanding of truth and fate integrated to create a dramatic play.

Amy Tans The Joyluck Club Essay - 1150 Words

Even though people do not read books anymore, stories still travel amongst people. Whether these stories are anecdotes between friends, or historical lessons from parent to child, stories pass around like a ball in a game of catch. However, not many stories possess aspects that allow them to hold the title of interesting. The novel The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, is about a group of eight girls who tell the story of their life from their own perspectives and how the events they encountered in the past developed their characters, making their diverse behaviors and actions understandable. They explain the misfortune and sadness in their life, and how never giving up and moving forward blessed their lives with luck and joy. However, what†¦show more content†¦The reason that this story is powerful, however, is because Rose changes. When Ted tells her that he wants to have a divorce, she sulks for a few days, but then realizes her problem. Calling him over, she gives him the divor ce papers, his name still there, but lacking hers. His shock was appropriate, since the viewers too felt the same surprise. The story takes a powerful turn, as Rose felt nothing, no fear, no anger (219). She no longer feared disappointing him and being different from him. She developed from the little girl who would listen to others, into an adult who made her own decisions. She finally learned, like her mother, how to swim against the tide. The development of Roses character aids the story into being powerful, but there was also another aspect that makes this true. Moreover, Roses story is powerful because it holds misfortune that makes the reader upset. Powerful stories do more than just develop characters; they make the reader understand the character. They make the reader agonize over the pounds of misfortune piling onto a characters back, forcing them to carry excess burdens. The two main hardships that burden Rose are the death of her younger brother and her divorce. Going to the beach with her family, her mother assigns the task of watching over her youngest sibling, Bing. At first, she does a good job of doing so, teasing him in the process, adding the sweet comic relief that gives the reader time to laugh and