Brave New World Essay

In the book â€Å"Brave New World† the advancement of science that is concerned is not affected by the lead character, John the Savage. Instead it is the advancement of science itself. It is show to affects individuals and it is show to be used against humanity which frightens alienated guests that are in a control within the plot and their ideal environment. On one hand John is interested to find out the world where his roots come from. However what he sees he doesn’t understand because it is not how he imagined it would be. On the other hand the heroine of â€Å"Heroes and Villains†, Marianne, adapts to new primitive society quite well however her compressed emotions would not show her actual joy and delight to someone less intellectual. This gives her privilege in a barbarian society. This difference between the characters is important because it shows how individuals can change the environment around them regardless of their position and status in society. Angela Carter must have used this idea to make a female leader because of her personal beliefs; bearing a feminist attitude. She is interested in creating magic realism. However Huxley on the other hand presents an unsuccessful male individual who attempts to change the world. Unsuccessful in his pursuit, he demonstrates a character that may convey a resulted view that the writer obtained due to the time when novel was written. Huxley came from a highly educated family of scientist and had knowledge about future technological advances. After authors trip to America he was concerned about wastefulness of American society. He didn’t like how American people spent their spare time in worthless things and did not try to improve their intellect. Therefore his opinion developed to believing that â€Å"Nowhere, perhaps, is there so little conversation†¦ It is all movement and noise†¦ †. Experience in the United States made him pessimistic about the cultural future of Europe. He said: â€Å"The thing which is happening in America is a revaluation of values, a radical alteration of established standards. † Advancement of technology, science, and psychology can change humans into a kind of standardized beings, if control over their genes was possible, as it was described in â€Å"Brave New World†. If Government morals would reach certain level they would be capable of performing these changes now. World is getting closer to a position where these things can be achieved. It is important to understand this and prevent this from happening. Huxley intention seems to be to pass this message over to people and to make readers recognise what the minority can do. Also people might have had small hope for a happy future at the time of this crisis of upcoming war, so attitude must have been quite cynical. This is effectively presented in the novel by Huxley which is also not long before the government notices exotic infection of individualism which causes John the Savage to elimination imperfection from society. This seems to be the only option for controllers which insures civilisation continues to existence. After Bernard Marx discovers John, he uses him to improve his reputation in his society because he is so desperate to be popular and to fit with others. Because John is a loner in the reservation he is very excited about escaping. However John is very idealistic character that becomes a loner in both societies that lives in his own Shakespeare’s tale based world. ‘O brave new world! ‘ It was a challenge, a command†, this quote originally fromMiranda’s speech in Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tempest†, Act V, Scene I. John’s understanding of everything is quite old fashioned but his character is sympathetic for the readers, because it must be quite hard for our society to change believes and adapt to rules like â€Å"Every one belongs to every one else†. The heroine in â€Å"Heroes and Villains† presented to the reader from her childhood when her characteristics started to develop. After series of unfortunate events in Marianne’s life her life seems to make no sense to her and she seeks for adventures and excitement. Marianne’s father comments to Marianne’s attitude that her escape from boring professor society may lead to danger, â€Å"opposite of boredom is chaos†. This is ironic because this quote predicts future events. But Marianne is a very brave and strong character. She is not afraid. Series of incidents like being bit by a snake or even being raped by an individual whose life she saved on many occasions doesn’t bring her to tears. Her bizarre morals and unique mind-set wouldn’t let her act in a normal way, because she wouldn’t be special any longer. In Huxley’s dystopia world, everyone in Brave new world use the drug that helps to keep people from experiencing stress and all other negative emotions. Also this is the way to prevent all the conflicts. Pain, stress, grief, humiliation and disappointment are very unique emotions but it does come up occasionally due to technological flaws that are caused by an accident. Lenina is another character that got isolated and withdrawn from her original society and moved unintentionally to the reservation. She soon experienced all the differences and difficulties in new environment. She had no access to the drug that she was dependent on. â€Å"A gramme is better than a damn. † Her immune system weakened and her organism was affected. She gained weight, plus abuse of alcohol probably affected her brain as well as other organs too. The books title, â€Å"Heroes and Villains†, portrays the role of labelled characters in creating the social perception of difference and conditioning children to hate the other. It comes from the name of the game that Professors’ children play. The Co plays imaginative character roles of heroic Soldiers who always win over evil Barbarians. It is ironic, that Marianne refuses to play the game, but also questions the rules of the game by denying permanent victory of professor’s soldiers as well as rejecting the idea of good and bad, when she says that she does not know â€Å"which is which any more, nor who is who†. While in brave new world there are five strict social classes with special characteristics created for specific reasons to perform different types of work as well as specific intelligence level and suitable colouring cloths to be easily identifiable by others. Children are conditioned to like what they are and to hate to be someone else from the other class using Pavlov’s technique of classical conditioning. Techniques like using electric shock to make children dislike roses that represent nature the powerful farce of imagination and ideas as well as book the source of knowledge, which must be limited for performance of specific semi skilled job.

Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis Essay

Johnson & Johnson had manufactured Extra-Strength Tylenol in capsule and tablet form since 1959. Tylenol became one of Johnson & Johnson’s most successful products, accounting for 17 percent of the company’s profits. Extra-Strength Tylenol constituted 70 percent of all Tylenol sales. Johnson & Johnson also enjoyed a tremendous amount of trust and goodwill from the public, nurtured in part by its adherence to the company credo of responsibility to customers, employees, shareholders, and the community. In 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that were laced with cyanide. After this incident, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson was faced with very serious, important decisions; should he recall only the extra strength Tylenol in Chicago or nationwide? He was also concerned that this incident would forever ruin the Tylenol name, even after the investigation, proved that the tampering did not occur within the company. I would have advised the CEO of the company to make a public announcement, assuring the pubic that these cases were isolated to the Chicago area, that this was by no way caused by the negligence of Johnson & Johnson employees. Also, he would need to state that the company is doing everything possible to ensure that this does not occur again and that they were working closely with the authorities to determine the cause. I would also advise a nationwide recall. I believe that a recall should have been issued for the entire nation. Although this would cause a significant loss for the company, it would save their reputation. It would ensure the customers that the CEO was doing everything possible to protect them, which would help reestablish their trust in the company. If a recall were not issued, people still would not be buying the product and it would sit on shelves for months, even years, because people would always be fearful they would get a bad batch. If a recall were issued, this would not be called into question. The new batches would be issued with a tamper evident seal and there would be no question whether or not they were tampered with again. From an economic point of view, recalling the product resulted in a loss of an estimated $150 million dollars. Legally speaking, recalling the product could have saved Johnson & Johnson millions of dollars in law suits not to mention certain laws that they had to abide by through the food and drug administration. Morally, Johnson & Johnson did the right thing. They removed their product from store shelves, re-embedded a certain amount of trust in their company and potentially saved many, many more lives. These results do not significantly differ from the decision Johnson & Johnson eventually made. Economically, the company suffered for a short period of time, but returned full force after precautions were made to ensure this never happened again, sealing the future of the company, literally and figuratively. The company benefitted from their credo because they stated their responsibilities and what they valued to the public which reinstated a certain amount of trust in the company again. There are other companies since Johnson & Johnson that could have used a similar credo, for instance the peanut butter incident and the formula incident (both from a couple years ago). Both of these cases were similar because it involved poisoning of a product. The companies also eventually bounced back from the incident. I believe that the credo had a great deal to do with saving the company brand because it stated all of the main goals and responsibilities of Johnson & Johnson. However, I think that developing the tamper-resistant packaging, recalling the product, and distributing over 80 million in coupons also had a great deal to do with it. Without all of these factors though, who knows whether or not the company would have been able to recover from this incident. I believe that Johnson & Johnson should not have continued to market the capsule form as soon as it returned to the market. The incident was too fresh in the publics’ mind for it to sell as well as it had before the incident. I do however feel that the capsule form should have been reintroduced to the market after a few years. Upon discovering that there was another death three years later from a similar incident, I would advise the company to ensure that this death was not from the previously recalled batch. Also, since this incident was isolated to one person, it would seem that someone tampered with that particular bottle. With all of the new tamper-resistant packaging it would be nearly impossible for someone to poison a bottle with it going unnoticed. However, I would advise the CEO of Johnson & Johnson to inform the public of the incident instead of trying to conceal it. I would be much more interested in purchasing a product from an honest company than one who hides mishaps.

It Is Better to Be the Eldest Child Than the Youngest One in the Family Essay

â€Å"Mr. Chairman, honorable judges, misguided members of the opposition, and members of the floor: Good day to all. â€Å"Standing here today on this breezy morning as the third speaker for the proposition, I wish to continue where my team-mates left off to correct the misleading information presented by the opposition. â€Å"For instance, the second member of the opposition claimed that the youngest child will be treated more leniently than the others. Now, is this an advantage? By being treated too leniently, the child might think that his misbehavior is perfectly acceptable. Ever heard of the expression â€Å"Spare the rod and spoil the child†? It is true. Without strict and loving discipline, a beloved child might end up being the black sheep of the family. Now, the opposition contends that it is an advantage to be spoilt in this way. How can this be? â€Å"The opposition has also pointed out that the youngest child is usually more pampered. I agree. But, again, is this good? It is indeed enjoyable to be fussed over, pampered and mollycoddled but what will this pampered child grow into? It is a maxim that too much or too little is no good: Once a pampered child grows up, he will be overly dependent on others, in other words, spineless. Would you like to be this spineless adult? I leave you to decide. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen, having straightened out a few delusions of the opposition, I shall present my own points. One of the advantages of being an eldest child is that he is used to being respected and obeyed by his siblings. This is because they know he is wiser and more experienced. This is a good feeling and it creates high self-esteem. This self-esteem will motivate him to succeed in every aspect of life. â€Å"Undeniably, the eldest child will shoulder more responsibilities. He will often be left in charge of the younger ones. The eldest child is also cast as a role model for the younger ones. Thus, he has to try harder to maintain discipline and a high standard of behavior. â€Å"The eldest child, having to cope with his siblings’ antics, will also develop patience. He may have to give in to his siblings because `they are too young to understand’. Thus, he develops tolerance and understanding of other people’s weaknesses. â€Å"All these points were described as ‘disadvantages’ by the opposition. They are only disadvantageous if you are unable to see the long-term benefits. You see, these momentarily trying circumstances will shape the child and prepare him for the challenges that lie ahead. According to a survey conducted by the Home Ministry, an average of 3 out of 5 successful people — corporate leaders, lawyers, politicians — were the eldest children in their families. â€Å"On to my next point, which centers on the word ‘privileges’. In most cases, the eldest child will inherit the greater share of the wealth. According to Chinese custom, the eldest son carries on the family name, therefore he deserves a larger share of the property. In monarchies, the eldest child is the heir to the throne, as in the case of Prince Charles. If you think that the eldest child is only privileged if he belongs to a wealthy family, you are wrong. The distinction is even sharper in poor families where the eldest child may be the only one whom the family can afford to educate or feed properly. â€Å"So, there you have it. Clear arguments to demolish the opposition to this motion. And now I hand over to my opponents, to give the sensible ones amongst them a chance to start defecting over to our side. Thank you.†

Financial Management case study 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial Management case study 2 - Essay Example Based on the probability distribution of the rate of return, you can compute two key parameters, the expected rate of return and the standard deviation of rate of return. This in fact is the measure of risk for a single asset. State Probability Return on Stock A Return on Stock B 1 20% 5% 50% 2 30% 10% 30% 3 30% 15% 10% 4 20% 20% -10% Given a probability distribution of returns, the expected return can be calculated using the following equation:Where, E [R] is the expected return on the stock; N = no: of states; pi is the probability of state i and Ri is return on the stock in state i. So we see that Stock B offers a higher expected return than Stock A. However, that is only part of the story; we haven't yet considered risk. Given an assets expected return, its variance can be calculated using the following equation and the standard deviation is calculated as the positive square root of the variance. Although Stock B offers a higher expected return than Stock A, it also is riskier since its variance and standard deviation are greater than Stock A's. Advantages of Risk and Return: It enables investors and entrepreneurs in taking capital budgeting decisions. In case of risk chances of future losses can be foreseen. Disadvantages of Risk and Return: Uncertainty lies in decisions taken based on these. Calculations might be difficult at times. (b) Explain, with examples, how you would measure the risk of a portfolio. Most investors invest in a portfolio of assets, as they do not want to pout all their eggs in one basket. Hence what really matters to them is not the risk and return of stocks in isolation, but the risk and return of the portfolio as a whole. Expected return of a portfolio: The expected return of a... Most investors invest in a portfolio of assets, as they do not want to pout all their eggs in one basket. Hence what really matters to them is not the risk and return of stocks in isolation, but the risk and return of the portfolio as a whole. Expected return of a portfolio: The expected return of a portfolio is simply the weighted average of the expected returns on the assets comprising the portfolio. For eg : when a portfolio consists of two securities then the expected return is Consider the following two stock portfolios and their respective returns (in per cent) over the last six months. Both portfolios end up increasing in value from $1,000 to $1,058. However, they clearly differ in volatility. Portfolio A's monthly returns range from -1.5% to 3% whereas Portfolio B's range from -9% to 12%. The standard deviation of the returns is a better measure of volatility than the range because it takes all the values into account. The standard deviation of the six returns for Portfolio A is *1.52; for Portfolio B it is *7.24.

Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Japan - Essay Example Today the process of reclamation of land from the sea is going on but it is faced with resistance from environmentalists that argue the bay is more important as an ecological buffer for both the land and the commercial fishing industry. Future land development is this area will now have to deal with balancing environmental concerns and the need for space in the face of limited supply on Japan's Island nation. This paper will explore the alternative ways in which Land reclamation project in Tokyo bay could proceed in light of all the competing motivations that exist. After introducing the history of land reclamation in Tokyo Bay it will look at the the way in which construction would ideally have to be implemented using the ideas of famed Japanese Architect Kenzo Tange. It will look at the arguments for conservation projects in the area that would perhaps be more attractive to the Japanese population than monolithic construction projects and it will touch on the possibility of using f loating structures to expand construction. In exploring these alternatives this paper will place the rationales for these approaches in their appropriate historical, social, cultural and scientific context. Tokyo Bay formed about 12000 years ago following the last glacial age(1, Tomoyuki). Over the millenia an intricate network of coral grew in the pattern of coral in all coastal regions. This coral today provides a vital role in the protecting the delicate ecosystem that exist in the area. There are many life forms that presently exist. Major groups of corals were only discovered within the last decade but now there is found to be an extensive network of coral all throughout the area. Indeed the bay is teeming with life. A rich population of plankton that have ironically thrived on the treated sewage waste that has been released into the bay provide the food base for a number of fish that live in the area, including bass, parrot fish,and shrimp to name just a few. The area has long been noted to produce fish stock at a higher rate than the surrounding ocean precisely because of the plankton. The problem has been that the encroachment by land reclamation has also claimed much of the fl at land that surrounds the bay. Over 90 % of this land has been reclaimed in the last 50 years(4 , Mason) . The reasons for this expansion are rooted in Japan's need for more space. There are 127 million people in Japan living in a geographical area the size of only five times the size of Britain(6, Mason). Land reclamation therefore is almost an historical inevitability. The earliest example of land reclamation occurred in the Edo era over 400 years ago. While this reclamation undoubtedly effected the delicate ecosystem the scale was small enough that the system was able to absorb the shocks. This remained the case till the postwar period when industrialization proceeded at a rapid pace. Ironically the first widespread utilization of land reclamation arose out of a need to curb pollution. The Asanao Cement Corporation was the principal culprit in the the pollution of the inland areas of Fukagawa. A plan was therefore devised, ill conceived in retrospect, to reclaim land along the Tokyo bay and situate much of the heavy industry in this area(5, Amazaki). This was in 1912 and the growth expanded during the years of World War II, but only really dramatically increased in the post war rapid economic expansion. Amazaki describes the

Analyze a Category of Advertisements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analyze a Category of Advertisements - Essay Example Multiple methods of advertising reaches out to the most people possible. To determine whether these marketing tactics work, a return on the dollar ratio is calculated by each company's marketing team. When looking for certain advertisements to categorize together, it was easy to see that many of them are somewhat similar depending on the product. Fragrance advertisements all look the same with any celebrity aiming to make a dollar has a fragrance line up and coming. Celebrities are also used to endorse a wide variety of products of anything from make up with spokespeople such as Drew Barrymore and Ellen DeGeneres to tennis shoes endorsed by popular athletes such as Michael Jordan. When trying to evaluate which genre of advertising to choose to analyze, I decided upon weight loss program advertisements. This includes weight loss supplements and dieting programs and can even combine that with fitness programs that guarantee that people will get ripped bodies in just a matter of a few m onths. The many avenues for advertising include billboards, television, radio, mobile advertisements, online advertising and print advertisements in newspapers and magazines. When analyzing weight loss program advertisements, various products are marketed on virtually every avenue. The products range from crash diets and magic pills to lifestyle changing diets and workout regimens. For this genre, the marketing processes are all across the board, targeting a variety of people. As Americans, with obesity on the rise, many of these weight loss programs can appeal to a variety of different audiences. However, they are all effective in their own way, appealing to audiences of different ages and both male and female either for an instant weight loss change or one that is more gradual and requires discipline. One advertisement that I have seen rather frequently is one that appears in many celebrity gossip magazines. The product is NV and it promises the product buyer that a person can dro p one jean size in two weeks. The advertisement is endorsed by former Playboy bunny and ex-girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, Holly Madison. She can be categorized herself as a 30-something year old bombshell. Already thin, the advertisement shows Holly Madison heading to a grocery store in an already too tight shirt with a little bit of belly flab hanging out. In the advertisement, it has her own caption written stating that she looked awful in that picture and after using NV got her body back. She is then pictured looking slim and glamorous and the product is called one that acts fast and that it is one of Hollywood's secrets of the stars who need to lose weight immediately. The advertisement prominently displays Holly Madison's hot new body after using a weight loss product and also shows a smaller photo of the actual product. It advertises which major chain retailers that the product can be found and also gives a web address for those looking at the advertisement and says that a person may be able to try a bottle for free. While flipping through other magazines of this same type, celebrity gossip, the same advertisement can be found throughout. Some of them are single spreads and some are even a full three pages of full color advertisements showing the beauty and glamour of being able able to drop weight fast just like the celebrities do. Readers of this type of magazine are typically female and based on the

The Arab Israel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Arab Israel - Essay Example Therefore, it means that the Palestinians who were forced to run away from their homes should not be refused from going back there. The Israeli government had accepted to comply with the United Nation’s Resolution 194 in which it was told to allow the Palestinian refugees to go back and live in their homes. The right to return law is internationally binding and should be respected by all the countries including Israel. The Palestinian refugees in Syria are facing lots of problems which can only be solved if they are given rights to go back to their own homes. In conclusion, the Plestinian refugees, just like any other, have right of return rights which should be implemented. It is the best way through which they can be saved from the hunger, lack of medical care and sufferings in the refugee camps in Syria. The Israeli government should forget about its demographic wars and instead help these refugees. After all, it should accept responsibility for their

Metaphysics of Philosophy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Metaphysics of Philosophy - Research Paper Example The figure is around two times the level of global warming for the 100-year period from 1905 to 2005 (UNIPCC 30). The UNIPCC described the earth’s warming as â€Å"unequivocal† and reported that this is â€Å"evident† in the â€Å"widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level† (30). Global average sea level has been rising from 2.4 to 3.8 millimeter per year or at an average of 1.8 millimeter per year from 1993 to 2003 (UNIPCC 30). Arctic sea ice extent has been decreasing from 2.1 to 3.3% per decade or at an average of 2.7% per decade (UNIPCC 30). In the ongoing global warming, although the ocean is taking up 80% of the additional heat, the land regions have warmed faster than the oceans (UNIPCC 30). The warming is definitely affecting the fishes and the living organisms of the world’s oceans as well as the entire earth’s plant and animal kingdoms or the globe’s flora and fauna in technical terms. The ability of humanity to derive or produce food from the planet is most likely affected. The UNIPCC confirmed that there are shifts and changes in algal and zooplankton abundance in oceans and lakes (31). There are also effects on coral reefs (UNIPCC 31). The UNIPCC also noted that one effect of global warming is an early spring and related events such as â€Å"leaf-unfolding, bird migration and egg-laying† (33). The UNIPCC also reported that with global warming, there is an â€Å"excess heat-related mortality† in Europe and changes in patterns as well as sources of infectious diseases (33). Hunting and travel seasons are affected (UNIPCC 33). The rise in sea level is also contributing to â€Å"losses of coastal wetlands and mangroves† as well as to the â€Å"increasing damage from coastal flooding in many areas† (UNIPCC 33). The UNIPCC has solid evidence on global warming and climate change. It studied

Eugne Delacroix Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Eugne Delacroix - Research Paper Example He travelled far and wide, incorporating the Oriental culture in his work. He passes down an impressive legacy to his descendants especially the artistic school of the Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists. Eugene de la Croix was contemporary with the Romanticism movement spanning from 1790 to 1850, rose as a reactionary wave against the Age of Reason or Enlightenment. Romantics are characterized by nature, sentimentalism, idealism, imagination, religion, utopia, memory, symbolism, and heroism. All of these attributes are evidenced in Eugà ¨ne de la Croix’s works of art. Romanticism is set apart from other epochs because it asserted the importance of individualism; therefore, romantic writers had the liberty to conform to the ideals of the movement and to detour in a new direction according to their own individual desires. De la Croix himself was described as individualist because despite the heritage of his predecessors like Michaelangelo, he invented himself by his own paintings. Because of Enlightenment’s neglect, Romanticism reasserts nature, feeling, memory, symbolic representation, imagination, myth, and spirituality. One can find all these details in De la Croix a rt work. In Romanticism, nature is lauded as one of the most supreme objects of observation. Feelings and sentimentalism are core aspects of Romanticism since feelings and emotions are the channels through which man expresses thought and creativity. Romantics though that sensory and sensual perceptions also where vital in validating man as a being and not solely the mind as enlightenment intellectuals taught. Memory and imagination are mental transactions which evoke, project, and create images. In memory, anything can happen details can be altered, exaggerated, idealized, and forgotten. Frequently in the romantics’ works, nostalgia and a tender evoking of the past play prominent roles where the romantic’s retrospective vision is viewed in idyllic and

King Henry and His Six Wives Essay Example for Free

King Henry and His Six Wives Essay The Elizabethan Era contained major events that remain documented in history. If the historical figures of the Elizabethan Era had not existed, history would have taken a dramatic turn. The full histories and personalities of each of Henry’s wives show how these women left their marks on the English throne and they changed the course of history. King Henry VIII was endowed with outstanding mental and physical gifts. He mastered Latin and French, understood Italian, learned mathematics, studied Homer and Virgil, read Cicero, and was knowledgeable about the histories of Thucydides and Tacitus (Shostak 6). Henry was the first English king to acquire a Renaissance education. Henry was also endowed with great physical accomplishments. He was a superb horseman. He enjoyed wrestling, jousting, swordsmanship, and tennis. Henry also had a passion for music. He mastered the skill of performing with three different instruments: the lute, organ and the harpsichord. He also composed music. He wrote two five-part masses, several different instrumental pieces, several songs and one anthem (6). â€Å"King Henry VIII was born Henry Tudor VIII after late-king, Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York on June 28, 1491† (Bruce 3). Henry was the King of both England and Ireland from 1509 until death. Henry VIII was a true Renaissance prince. He also wanted absolute power.Henry was not the only Monarch of the Tudor regime; â€Å"He had three other brothers: Prince Arthur, Edmund, and Duke of Somerset Tudor, and two sisters: Mary and Margaret Tudor† (Shostak 5). Arthur, who became Prince of Wales, married Catherine of Aragon in November 1501. After a short period of the marriage, Arthur died, which made Henry Prince of Wales. On April 22, 1509, Henry VII died, which upgraded Henry VIII as king and the seventeen-years-old prince acceded to the throne on April 22, 1509 (Bruce 23).Two months later, he married his brother ´s widow, Catherine of A ragon. This queen was widower of Arthur, Catherine of Aragon. Catherine was born on December 16, 1485 in Spain. She was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. They sent over 100,000 crown worth of plate and gold as a wedding gift. She had left Spain to marry Prince Arthur of Wales in 1501, which they went off to marry in London. After Arthur died, Catherine and Henry married as King and Queen of England (Shostak 15). She was happy through the first few years of marriage, but due to health problems, she miscarried five of six pregnancies; the child who survived was named Mary, born in 1516. They went off to marry in London. King Henry VIII was brought up to bring forth an heir of his throne a son. He knew after trying continuously with Catherine, he would never have a son, while she was still announced as queen (Bruce 27). Henry tried to put pressure on Pope Clement VII to give a special dispensation to him to divorce Catherine. When Wolsey failed in his negotiation with the Pope to get the dispensation, Henry fired Wolsey and decided to sidestep established legal procedures of the Church (Bruce 34). In a 1529 Act of Parliament, they limited the powers of the clergy by a series of statutes. Then, in 1533, he married Ann Boleyn, who soon gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth (tudorhistory.org). The following year, Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, which named the king the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Then, there followed the suppression of Catholic monasteries throughout England in May, 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed on the grounds of marital infidelity (Shostak 45). Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour, who died in childbirth after giving birth to the king ´s only legitimate son, the future King Edward VI (tudorhistory.org). In 1540, Henry vice-regent and chief minister Thomas Cromwell arranged a political marriage between Henry and Ann of Cleves in the hope of attaching German protestant interests to those of England. Henry detested Anne ´s appearance so he had the marriage annulled and ordered for Thomas Cromwell to be executed on the charge of treason. In 1543, Henry married Catherine Parr, his sixth and final wife (Jokinen). They were married for three years before Henry ´s death. Henry ´s later years saw a renewal of hostilities with both France and Scottish. Henry personally invaded France in 1544, where his armies captured city of Boulogne (tudorhistory.org). The two nations ceased fighting in 1546. Henry ´s later years were also characterized by rigorous persecution of both Catholics and Protestants. Henry died on January 28, 1547, at the age of 55. It was Henry ´s request that he was laid to rest alongside his third wife, Jane Seymour (Sypniewski). Tudor Parliaments were an essential aspect of English government and administration in the sixteenth century. After the Kings Council, Parliament was the nations most important institution. In Tudor times most important decisions concerning government were made by the king or queen and a small group of advisers called the Privy Council. However, before these decisions became law, they had to be passed by Parliament. Parliament was the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords was made up of about sixty Bishops, Dukes, Earls and Barons. It was unusual for members of the House of Lords to criticize the kings policies. If they did so, they were in danger of being stripped of their titles. Members of the House of Commons were more independent as they were sometimes elected by the people who lived in the area they represented. However, few people had the vote and in many cases the largest landowner in the area decided who went to Parliament. Parliament was much of an occasional institution. Meaning Parliament was active under the Tudors, and exceptionally active in the reign of Henry VIII. Henry VIII was in favor of holding regular Parliaments (Shostak 57). When Henry was in conflict with the Pope in Rome, he claimed that the votes taken in Parliament showed he enjoyed the support of the English people. Elizabeth held fewer Parliaments than her father. On average, she held a Parliament once every four years. Elizabeth made it clear that members of the House of Commons had complete freedom of speech. However, she believed that certain issues such as religion or foreign policy were best left to her and her Privy Council (tudorhistory.org). Henry VIII wanted an annulment of his marriage on the grounds that there had been adultery. Although, nobody knows if this was true or not, was a way out for Henry and a chance for him to marry Anne Boleyn, who he hoped would give him an heir. He sent Cardinal Wolsey to the Pope to plead his case, but he failed, for this reason Henry VIII dismissed him in 1529. However, in 1533, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, deserting the Catholic faith, granted the annulment. He passed legislation restricting papal jurisdiction in England and eventually, passed the Act of Supremacy, making him the Head of the church in England (Jokinen). Thomas Cranmer suggested Henry to abolish and destroy the monasteries, since they were very rich and confiscated their wealth and properties for his own use (Jokinen). Through the Act of Supremacy, he declared himself to be the only Supreme Head in Earth of the Church of England instead of the Pope (Jokinen). Henry VIIIs courtships were equally sexually driven. He wooed Jane Seymour with gifts and bribes to members of her family, but only decided to abandon Anne Boleyn days and possibly hours before she was arrested. In the case of Katherine Howard the transition from would-be mistress to consort is evident. Henry was in full pursuit within weeks of seeing her, not without a degree of encouragement on her part which should have indicated to him that she was more experienced than was claimed (Jokinen). They were married three weeks after the Cleves divorce and by then Katherine may already have begun sleeping with Henry. The Elizabethan Era was full of controversy and obstacles for many of its historical characters to overcome. The six different wives of King Henry VIII experienced first hand controversy due to the King’s love of women as well as power. Although King Henry VIII married six different women, his decisions helped to change and fascinate the course of history for the modern world to reflect.

Church Responses to the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s

Church Responses to the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s How did the Church of England respond to the sexual revolution of the 1960s? This subject is potentially vast in scope and could easily extend well beyond the structural requirements of this dissertation; certain parameters need to be established initially therefore. It seems the most appropriate place to begin would be to establish what the Church of England’s traditional views of sexual relationships was; after this we should examine the sexual revolution of the 1960’s before going on to discuss more directly its impact upon the church. At this point we will look at three of the most vexed, the Church’s views on the position of women in society and in the clergy,the position of homosexuals, and the church’s views on divorce and remarriage. Finally we will note some of the most significant long term impacts of the sexual revolution and of societies changing attitudes. There can be little doubt that there is more disagreement than ever,over the question of the relevance of the Bible and of Christianity for the understanding of human sexuality.   As in so many other areas of Christian practice, the traditional consensus has broken down and the issue is not fiercely debated. For many conservative Christians, the Bible remains the touchstone for how men and women are to understand and practice their sexuality and how family life, church life and social life are to be conducted.   For many others, however, the Bible has little or no authority as it is so obviously ‘old fashioned’ and‘out of date’ that its teachings cannot be relevant, credible or useful in modern society.   Yet more find themselves positioned somewhere between the two; caught between feelings of loyalty to the Bible and what it represents, and on the other a conviction that people in the modern world simply do not or cannot take the Bible seriously any more,particularly if interpreted literally, as those in the first group would do.    Arguably the most exciting recent development in the study of early Christianity has been the weakening of the traditional departmental divisions between secular and ecclesiastical historiography.   As soon as traditional historians started to turn away from exclusively studying military and political history, towards the study of social history; then, Christian texts became such a rich source of evidence that they could no longer be ignored.    Since the enlightenment, a question mark has been placed against the Christian heritage; scholars who turn their attention to early Christianity sometimes feel as thought hey are touching a raw nerve and can become tempted to overlay his own prejudices on the subject,instead of maintaining academic distance. In no area is this more true than in the study of sexuality – our attitude towards our own sexual natures and the moral and ethical problems it gives rise to. The extremely demanding and authoritarian teachings of the church on the subject of marriage, and the concomitant issue of sexual practice outside of marriage, is a significant part of our Christian heritage that is still very potent today; even amongst people and communities that outwardly reject it. It is this that provokes denunciation from the idealist and the secular historian alike; Edward Gibbon is perfect example of this: â€Å"The Enumeration on the whimsical laws, which they most circumstantially imp osed on the marriage bed, would force as mile from the young, and a blush from the fair.†Ã‚   In both his attitude and his tone, Gibbon has influenced many more recent historians. Robin Lane Fox,   for example, devoted the greater part of chapter of his work Pagans and Christians, to early Christian sexual morality with aâ€Å"fullness and relish that almost make up for a total lack of sympathy.†Ã‚   He describes virginity, for example, as â€Å"nothing but the most selfish of human ideals.†Ã‚   Wolfgang Leech, following on from the work of Gibbon, is also highly critical; stating that asceticism and intolerance are the two main contributions that Christianity has made to European culture.      It is upon this background that the work of Peter Brown has emerged.His essays on early Christian monasticism   and his The Body and Society   on sexual renunciation in the early church, takes on its full significance. Brown is also one of the aforementioned secular historians that posses no personal loyalty of affiliation to the Christian Church, who will increasingly dominate the study of the subject in the coming years. Brown’s approach, however, is significantly more tolerant than that of Gibbon and his successors. He is not dominated by the moral absolutes of the enlightenment; with its,often open, hostility to traditional Christian morality. For brown,history can be broken down into individuals who had the capacity to make free choices and exercise free will; whilst having a complete understanding of the consequences of their actions.    For Brown, the Kernel of traditional Christian sexual morality was the concern with single-mindedness, or purity of heart; a reorientation of an individuals’ will so that it would cease to serve the warring impulses of man, and respond, instead, to the will of God.   Brown goes on to note that it is hardly surprising that the ideal of purity of heart and of virginity became quickly inseparable, and that the leadership of Christian communities became the purview of a small,celibate, religious elite.    These suggestions of early Christian discipline may suggest penitential system that would have been more dominant and dictatorial than the early Church ever actually developed.   The rules of early Christian communities; with their broad ranging and unbending condemnation of adultery, fornication and homosexuality, appears to leave little room for flexibility. This inflexibility of the rules can only have had the effect that they could often simply not be applied.    In any discussion of the position of the Church on any matter, the writings of the New Testament can not be ignored. Our Lord’s own celibate state is explicit in the Gospels, and is an un-remarked corollary or his prophetic role.   Sexual morality receives distinctive and no-nonsense treatment in the dominical forbidding of divorce and the Pauline encouragement of virginity. The issue remains subordinate one, however, until a century later; but what was the origin of this concern with sexual purity that so came to characterise Christianity in general and the pre sexual revolution Church of England?    The most common answer to this puzzle is to place the blame squarely upon the shoulders of outside influences, largely from Hellenism. It is likely that the very first Christians had a thoroughly positive attitude towards sex and marriage, the replacement of this position by something diametrically opposed to it has to have been as a result of outside influence; specifically the dualism of Platonism with disintegration of the body and bodily pleasures.   On this point, Brown notes â€Å"I have frequently observed that the sharp and dangerous flavour of many Christian notions of sexual renunciation, both in their personal and their social consequences, have been rendered tame and insipid, through being explained away as no more than inert borrowings from a supposed pagan or Jewish background.†Ã‚      To ascribe whatever any given individual dislikes in the historical position of Christianity to outside influences, is so obviously tendentious device for preserving the truth and distinctiveness of Christianity, that it hardly requires and refutation by the historian.  The contrast between the sexually positive attitude of early Christian sand the bleak otherworldly Platonists is no less crude, foolish and absurd than the polar and once popular opposite; the contrast between acetic and sexual pleasure hating Christians and the pleasure lovingpagans.    It is of considerable interest, as the attitudes seem to haveremained relatively unchanged in the Church of England and the wider Church, to enquire into the attitudes towards sexuality and marriage in the Churches most successful early missions. The surviving source material relates to the aristocracy.   The task of attempting to discern the attitudes of the masses on any subject is difficult, but necessary.We must always be aware of the potential for crude stereotypes between Christian and pagan. Paul Venue   argued from epigraphic and literary evidence, however, that the first few centuries of the Christian era saw, not so much the replacement of Greco-Roman sexual mores objurgate ones as the development within both paganism and Christianity of what he calls the â€Å"bourgeois† notion of marriage wit hits strict stress upon fidelity. The reality, as Price notes,   is that it is â€Å"vain to seek to compare the values and attitudes of the‘average’ pagan with the ‘average’ Christian.†    The sexual discourse of early Christian writers differed from those of pagans to an extent in the early period. The ethics of telethons and Stoics alike laid stress upon self-control and upon the rational use of the mind; on the dominance of the intellect over the will; and , of course, of the subjugation of impulses and physical emotions. In general, however, the discourse of the philosophers on matters of sexuality was limited. We cannot, however, argue that pagans of the period had a remarkably relaxed attitude to the whole subject;this would be to misunderstand the distinctive character of the philosophical discourse of the time. This tended to concentrate so heavily upon the good of the soul that the needs of the body were neglected.    The distinctive sexual discourse of early Christianity has its origins, in large part, in the second century and thus post dates the New Testament. It would be a major mistake, however, to think that the debate occurred outside of the scriptures; a close reading of the letters of St. Paul show that the issue and thus Christian and eventually Church of England attitudes, were fed by a range of biblical themes.    The strengthening of the institution of marriage was also a central tenet of the early Church, as well as of Christianity and indeed of the Church of England today; however, the stress early writers placed upon virginity precluded a positive promotion of marriage. But in society,both ancient and modern, where marriage was firmly the norm, the institution could not have been negatively affected by the advocacy of celibacy, however enthusiastically argued. Christian writers and thinkers, then and now, have been keen to uphold monogamous marriage in the face of excesses in the opposite direction,   i.e. sexual indulgence and promiscuity.    The early Church, then, evidently laid a heavy emphasis upon sexual abstinence and purity of heart. The rules on these matters were unbending, although perhaps, in reality, not always obeyed. Adultery,fornication and homosexuality were expressly forbidden. Given the nature of the question, however, it seems appropriate to now turn our attention more specifically to the Church of England, and its traditional view’s on sexuality.    The traditional views of the Church of England are hardly different from those highlighted above, although hey have come under fire and indeed under review in recent years.   In 2003 the House of Bishops  published a guide to some aspects of the debate on human sexuality.  The report was commissioned three years previous to its publication date and is a weighty tome. The report sets out a variety of views of the Church of England on such topics as homosexuality, bisexuality fantasticality, as well as heterosexuality. The report and sought to restate Church of England policy on matters of sexuality whilst promoting reflection upon them. Although these issues will be discussed further later, it is important at this stage to note that the report did not advocate or suggest changes in Current Church policy.    Towards the end of the 1960’s; many people in Britain, particularly women, had come to believe that a sexual revolution was taking place. Angela Carter wrote, in 1969, that â€Å" the introduction of more or less100 per cent effective methods of birth control, combined with the relaxation of manners that may have derived from this technological innovation or else came from god knows where, changed, well,everything.†Ã‚   Rabble,   a contemporary of Carter and fellow novelist,argued similarly; stating, in the Guardian: â€Å"We face the certainty of asexual revolution.† She goes on to claim again that this is linked inseparably with the development of effective methods of contraception.Not all contemporaries of Carter and Rabble believed that a sexual revolution had occurred, however; for example Weeks   and Lewis   have argued that heterosexual sexual behaviour remained conservative during the late 60’s and beyond. The only measurable and record able change occurring in sexual behaviour was the rising incidence of premarital sexual intercourse. On the basis of the ample evidence that the unmarried insisted that they were only having sexual intercourse with their intended spouse, they dismiss the idea of a sexual revolution and claim it was nothing more than the continuation of an existing trend. Indeed, outside of the middle classes (see below), premarital sexual intercourse had almost certainly been a significant part of the courting ritual, reaching a low point around 1900, when survey records began, but rose back to more normal levels as the century progressed. During the 1960’s, however, with the advent of the birth control pill premarital sexual intercourse â€Å"became radical sexual behaviour,regardless of the intentions of those participating in it.†Ã‚      The sexual revolution of the mid twentieth century appears to have begun in the upper middle classes. This class can be characterised or defined by their ambiguous relationship with power. They do not feel as though they are influencing events, but they do enjoy sufficient economic, financial and cultural privileges to create a desire to maintain the social system.   They were willing participants, therefore,only in a revolution with regard to their private lives. Members of this class can be further characterised as working hard and paying high taxes, but with no chance of moving further up the social ladder described them as being of the ideal class for Marcus; although these analyses would have to be differentiated in terms of masculine and feminine to include how female emancipation and revolt have played a part in the sexual revolution.      Before they became merged into the middle classes, the aristocracy had a pre-bourgeois morality. Like the bourgeoisie, the urban and rural working classes had never been under the impression that they were in any way in control of their lives; this would seem to be particularly relevant to women. For a long time, the working classes seem to have been highly suspicious of the permissiveness of the liberal morality of the privileged classes.      This necessarily brief analysis of the middle classes should give usa basis from which to understand one of the characteristic elements of the sexual revolution; the withdrawal from the exterior world into private sphere of family on the one hand and sexual partner(s) on the other. This movement can be seen in the every day life of middle class people living in their homes or flats with their nuclear families,withdrawn into itself. At work, as well as in the daily drudgery of the commute to work, the middle class person (man or woman) of the 1960’sand beyond, had hardly any real control over their lives: to attempt to compensate for this to some degree, by experimenting in his private,family and sexual life.   But, in the ever developing consumer society that was coming into existence even in the 1960’s, the experiments were limited and resulted in very little real change.      We should now return our attention to the issues of the sexual revolution. As mentioned earlier, the development of the contraceptive pill was a significant contributory factor in the changing moral position, particularly among women; but even before the arrival of the pill, increasing use of contraception and new attitudes to sexuality were combining with anxiety about rising illegitimacy figures, to provoke comment from some elements of society on the existence of premarital sex and the denial of contraception to unmarried women.   We can also place premarital sexual relationships within the context of other sexual activity that was occurring outside marriage in the late 1950’s.The 1957 report, published by the Wolfed Committee on homosexual offences and prostitution, recommended that behaviour that took place in private between consenting adults should be decriminalised but that legal penalties for public displays of sexual behaviour should be strengthened.   Esse ntially, although it was never actually illegal,that was the already existing position as regards women and premarital intercourse. Premarital sexual intercourse was carried out in private between consenting adults. The sanctions imposed by the society of the late 50’s were severe enough to ensure that it had to be covert and concealed, but it was certainly never illegal. If the women became pregnant as a result of her sexual activity, the judgemental of society was heavy; she would have been, essentially, a social outcast. Having the child was also the only outcome of pregnancy as abortion was illegal at the time. Having an illegitimate child was highly stigmatised and something that was avoided at all costs, it was treated almost like having a criminal record.   A combination of the almost50,000 illegitimate children born a year at the very beginning of the60’s, and the introduction of the birth control pill that removed the most obvious side effects of promiscuity ; a new openness was forced upon an unwilling populace, and by the end of the 1960’s this had resulted in general public acceptance of the hitherto private and hidden sexual activity.    The Wolfed report, mentioned above, placed a great emphasis upon self control and self restraint; important values in the 50’s and earlier. With supreme irony, any publicity given to the report, and any public discussion of sexual behaviour that it may have generated were seen as examples of a lack of restraint by many people. Such‘mainstream’ thinking was, however, of decreasing effect; by the end of the 50’s, increasing numbers of people were discussing such matters and felt no stigmatism for doing so. A number of historians have discussed the debates of the time and they need not concern us too greatly here:  but what these historians’ accounts lack is any sense of how the discussion changed throughout the 60’s. As the decade wore on, it became increasingly permissible to discuss sex and sexual behaviour in public. An excellent example of this is given by an examination of the British Medical Associations annual magazine, Family Doc tor produced supplement entitled: Getting Married. The 1959 edition of this publication contained two articles that caused great offence at the time: The first by a Dr. Wilmington containing a seemingly lighthearted question â€Å"are you a bride and are you pregnant too?†Ã‚   reference to the rising rate of pregnancies occurring outside of marriage. The second article, by a Proof. Chess er, suggested that using contraception, like the newly developed pill, successfully removed the problems that arose from sexual activity outside of marriage; he wen ton to argue that â€Å"people should have the right to choose between being chaste and unchaste as long as society does’t suffer†.   Chess er’so pinions were strongly disapproved of in many newspapers of the day,for example the Daily Mail, the Daily Express, the People, the Women’Mirror and the Sunday Graphic.   These newspapers had a very considerable combined circulation, and thus very wide reach . The Daily Express alone had a readership of over four million in the early 60’s.  The story was not only taken up by the national press, but by the provincial press too, and also, of course, by the religious newspapers:   needless to say the coverage was almost universally negative. The publishers, the British Medical Association, withdrew the issue   with its offending article from circulation after only 2 days.  The article was later reprinted twice, first of all in the New Statesman and then by Chess er himself.   Even after republishing the article, Chess er himself evidently felt compelled to note   that he wa snot condoning or advocating promiscuity or premarital sexual activity;even in the early 60’s a medical professional could not openly argue for such things.    An excellent indication of the sexual morals of the time is given by an incident in 1960. Penguin Books were prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act for the first full and unabridged version of Lancaster Lover by D. H. Lawrence.   The prosecution ultimately failed; but Ralph,   who later edited a transcript of the trial, later wrote that quite quickly the prosecution became about the promiscuous and adulterous behaviour of the eponymous character. Ralph reported that thirteen episodes of physical sexual activity wee described in detail in the book using â€Å"four letter words†.   The defence succeeded in arguing that, although the sexual relations noted above did occur outside of marriage, Lawrence presented them as pure and holy.   The trial received extensive news coverage, and sales of the Penguin edition were suitably boosted.    Evidence, such as that presented above from novels and marriage manuals; show us that, by 1960, those who were the most forward thinking and sexually progressive in society accepted Lawrence’presentation of sex, even adulterous sex, as justified by love. Along with the success of Lawrence’s novel in the Penguin edition, the Sunday Pictorial   serialised a sequel called Lady Chastely’s Daughter;which, because of its popularity, went on to be published as a novel.    The idea that sexual relations outside of or marriage could be validated by love was not a new one; however, the idea that the presentation of the suggestion that new and different approaches to sex should not be vilified in the national news media, was new. Briggs comments that â€Å"what distinguished [the decade of the early 60’s]from others in the history of broadcasting was that the BBC as an institution- with [Hugh] Greene as its Director General -considered it necessary to align itself with change.†Ã‚   An example of this can be found in the BBC’s annual Rebirth Lectures series of 1962: in this year the lectures were given by Professor G. M. Car stairs, a psychiatrist and academic, he was asked to present a series of lectures on the subject of â€Å"the state of the nation, in the light of changes, which have come about in the community and private life since the beginning of the century.† The most notable lecture for an understanding of the B BC’s role in changing sexual morality was the third: Corsairs that pre-marital licence has been found to be quite compatible with stable married life.†Ã‚   The BBC had a very wide audience, although largely middle class, the press coverage that this produced reached a much wider audience. Mary White house initially began her crusade of opposition to changing sexual morals as a result of this new direction from the BBC.      The changes in the attitude of the BBC, and of society in general,did not escape the attentions of the Church of England. Some controversial Anglican theologians, such as the Bishop of Woodlice,revealed that the newly developing sexual standards and beliefs were being seriously debated within the Church of England. In 1963 he wrote:â€Å"nothing can of itself be labeled ‘wrong’. One cannot, for instance,start from the position ‘sex relations before marriage’ or ‘divorce’are wrong or sinful in themselves. They may be in 99 cases or even 100cases out of 100, but they are not intrinsically so, for they only intrinsic evil is lack of love.†Ã‚   The Church of England appears to have had little or no relevance to the sexual revolution that was occurring in the late 50’s and early 60’s; however, the Mass-Observation surveys  of the 1940’s did indicate that even a nominal adherence to Christianity correlated very clos ely with larger families and a more restrictive approach to sexual behaviour. It is probably true that the position of and statements from the Church of England reached and were listened to be a greater proportion of the population than is usually thought to be the case. Church of England’s Reaction to the Sexual Revolution.   The 60’s undoubtedly saw an erosion of moral authority, not just of Christian morality, but also of a consensus based morality, generally seen by the mainstream of society as correct and upheld by society as aw hole. This was a morality that ensured single women should not obtain contraception without any need to legislate that this should be the case. The Perfume affair in 1963 in which he was revealed to have been engaging in sexual intercourse with an escort gave a huge push to the belief in the growing hypocrisy of the establishment and the need for anew morality.      Probably the first substantial change in the theoretical construction of the morality of sexuality came in Alex Comfort’s Sex in Society,first published in 1950 but only achieving success with its republication in 1963.   The impact of the book was no doubt aided by the author’s appearance on a BBC discussion program defending premarital sex.   Several prominent and traditionally conservative Anglican Bishops responded, among them Canon Bentley, to what was becoming known as the new morality. In 1965 Bentley described Comfort’views as follows: â€Å"When your son brings a girlfriend on a visit, will you say to your mother in law, ‘Do take a tray of lemonade into the garden for Charles and Mary; they’Ave been playing tennis all day,’ and next morning inexactly the same tones, ‘Do leave a tray down the passage for Charles and Mary; they’Ave been playing sex all night’? This looks like Dr .Comfort’s hope because he tells us we ought to know that sex is the healthiest and most important human sport.†    Comfort probably made a greater contribution to the development of the new debate on sexual morality than anyone had done since Lawrence.The major difference between the two was that Comfort did not accept that love, in the form of a monogamous sexual relationship, legitimised sex. Comfort argued that sex was a physical pleasure, not too dissimilar to eating. He went on to argue that people should indulge as much as they wished, as long as they were considerate of the feeling sand morality of others, and that they took the necessary precautions to ensure no children wee conceived.   Canon Bentley responded to this position of Comfort by asking â€Å"can we actualise these hopes in the1960’s? Alas no; for the key to realising this ideal is a wholly foolproof form of contraception.†Ã‚   Evidently the Canon did not see the birth control pill in this light, many others, however, did; including Comfort himself.   Thus, by even the mid 60’s there were debates raging on sexual mores both within the Church of England, and in the general population. These debates; whilst in many ways theoretical, presented people   with very real choices and possibilities, with regard to how they were to live their lives.    One of the major effects of these debates; caused in no small way by the Church of England, combined with extensive media coverage of the birth control pill was that, for a great number of young women, the idea of the pill was just as important as its reality. This can be seen by In gram, a journalist and author, who went back in the late 70’s to visit with her 11 plus class; girls who were in their late teens in the early 60’s, about growing up in that decade. She describes the publicity given o the pill as â€Å"our generation was growing up with the knowledge that somewhere out there existed a contraceptive which promised you would be able to get away with it, in the way only men had before.†Ã‚   There were, obviously, alternative models to that advocated by the Church of England, and young women were increasingly aware of their choices; this is not to say, however, that they would exercise their choices, they may well have agreed with the Churches teach ings on the subject. It should be noted that the sample was of grammar schoolgirls, not typical among the population as a whole. As more educated women they were, perhaps quite naturally, aware of their choices and women in this social group wee the first unmarried women to be taking the contraceptive pill.   This theory supports the assertion made earlier in this dissertation that the sexual revolution occurred primarily, or at least initially, among the middle classes. The refusal to prescribe the pill to young women such as these, created an issue around which debates on sexuality and sexual morals could conducted.    In the early 60’s there was increasing awareness, through books,television, plays, newspapers etc. of the distress and depression that unwanted pregnancy generally has on women. It was believed that unmarried mothers had personality problems or character disorders and were treated accordingly.   Adoption caused many women, then and now,lasting grief and was thus not desirable from the point of view of the mother. Illegal abortions became increasingly popular, with women attempting to self terminate with increasing frequency to avoid the social stigma attached to being an unmarried mother. The only acceptable response to becoming pregnant whilst unmarried was to marry as soon as possible, certainly before the child was born. This would certainly have been the wish of the Church and indeed of mainstream society too. Many such marriages simply did not last however.   The Rise of ‘Feminist Theology’ and the Church of England’s Reaction.    It is impossible to separate Christian theology from the social aspects of the Church of England in the era in which the theology is produced. It should also be recognised that while the Bible will always be the final and permanent authority within the Church of England;theology, like the very Church itself, is in constant need of reform and renewal: the sexual revolution was such an era of reform,particularly with regards to the role of women in society and in the Church.    The Church’s teachings on the relationship between men and women could be argued to have historically owed more to the social nature of the Church, rather than to any biblical references. Many observers have noted that traditionally, the Church of England has taught equality of the souls in the afterlife, but inequality of the sexes in this world,and certainly within the church.   Throughout almost all of its history,   the Church of England has been a patriarchal institution based upon defining the male as superior to the female. Through its sexually distinguished ‘doctrine of man’ the church has, for centuries legitimised laws and structures in society which secured male rule and demanded female subservience and obedience.      Within the Church of England, however, there have been an increasing number of women and men who have discovered the seeds of equality within the pages of the Bible and have come to believe in the equality of the positions of women and men as being intrinsic to the Bible.  Many Christian women had, until relatively recently, felt a discrepancy between the gospel from which they drew strength and inspiration; and the church which severely restricted their life and prevented then from joining the ministry. Feminist theology, therefore, has essentially existed as long as there have been women who have drawn their faith from the Bible in ways that were counter cultural   to the prevailing attitudes of Church of England.    Modern feminist theology did not begin within the Church of England,but in the USA at the end of the 1960’s. It has its roots, primarily in the experiences of Christian women living under the pressure of ideology and structures, claimed by the patriarchal leaders of the church to be the eternal will of god as seen in the gospels.   This modern feminist movement has created a far better c

The importance of digital technology in life

The importance of digital technology in life Our era has come to see the vital importance of digital technology in our daily lives. It allows us to unlock a huge collection of information and communication data. Each kind of task, be it a regular task or a job specific task requires digital proficiency or literacy. Digital literacy can be defined as the ability to use digital technology, communications tools, and or networks to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information in order to function in a knowledge society (Lemke, 2003). The execution of a successful approach for the advancement of digital literacy skills is known to include multiple components that tackle hurdles for explicit demographics such as; attitude, age, socioà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ economic status, language, and regional availability of resources. In order to increase digital literacy levels strategies must be targeted and implemented, where necessary for specific populations and situations keeping an account of different obstacles. According to (Castel ls, 2009) there is a technological transformation with the increasing use of internet access. Therefore, technology transforms the mode or platform in which we converse and process knowledge. A substantive growth in execution of information and communications requires improvement in quality of life and development by preparing people for a knowledge society. As said by (Castells 2009, pg 21) networks demonstrate strength in their flexibility, adaptability and capacity to self configure. Therefore networking is here to reside and education has no alternative but embrace it. In this essay the basic focus is on the need to develop nations digital skills at all levels as it is gradually becoming important in the present period where technology and its benefits are becoming more sophisticated and pervasive. By critically discussing whether developing the nations digital skills at all levels helps in achieving fairness rather than amplifying it in the presence of various inequalities? The Digital Britain report sets out an action plan to contribute its full potential to secure UKs place as one of the worlds foremost digital knowledge economies which is significantly dependent on having enough people with the accurate skills in the exact place at the precise time by applying new technologies; further assembling a high class of professionals and ensuring Britains future prosperity. The issue is not only of financial competitiveness, but also of fairness which is defined as ensuring that all have access to the content, services and skills to contribute and connect effectively to the digital economy and the benefits are available to all. There is an immense range of services delivered online while also a hazardous threat to those who lack or struggle to access technology. Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media (November 2007) believes that It is neither morally acceptable nor economically sustainable to leave millions of people behind, unabl e to use information and communications technologies to their advantage. However it is of upmost importance to transform the lives of those who are excluded in order to avoid the major parts of our society being deprived and enduringly lag behind. Though, the matters about digital exclusion broaden far-off than ensuring access to internet albeit with the increasing role of the internet in daily life, an analysis of utilizing the opportunities offered by the internet is of fundamental significance. To critically discuss the actions taken by The Digital Britain report in line with developing nations digital skills; it is required to understand and discuss why should there be an urgency to build on the nations skills, what digital skills are currently being delivered, how these are processed, how is it made sure that no one misses out and lastly to what extent the contribution of internet access is helping the society to improve the present inequalities? In this essay, we will discuss and argue the answers to these questions to aid us in understanding the relationship between digital inclusion, digital skills and media literacy. The essay will first converse about the opportunity to ensure that no one is prevented from access to broadband followed by raising the topic about engaging the society to use and understand the digital media and finally, providing them with the capability to develop and acquire the necessary digital skills to involve themselves in the digital economy wit h confidence and support. Whenever we talk about building the nations skills, the first thing which comes to mind is the need to incline towards digital economy. In todays changing business scenario most of the positions advertised by the recruiters require at least some type of IT-user skill. In the year 2009 around 92% jobs required applicants to hold both general (hardware and software skills) and specific application skills (such as databases, and spreadsheets) in particular. For Britain to increase its competitiveness in the global economy of 21st century, it requires to create awareness among people to embrace the digital technology for a safe speculation of an information revolution that can alter every part of their lives. Therefore the government has taken various inspired initiatives to educate everyone with a vision to shape a brighter future for Britain. Talking about UKs present landscape as per national statistics, the number of adults who have never accessed internet in 2010 is about 9.2 million. The National Digital Participation Plan in collaboration with Digital Britain Report has set a determined aim of reducing the number of non-internet users in the country by 60% by 2014 by overcoming the three barriers to digital inclusion availability, affordability and capability. For this, the UKs government is committed to distribute broadband services universally up to 2Mb/s by 2012 which is a significant step to ensure more of the general population in the UK will have an opportunity to access to the internet. The Race Online for 2012 program in the UK challenges governmental and nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ governmental stakeholders to work collectively to aid the deprived groups to enhance digital literacy skills making it affordable for them. According to (HM Government, Nov 2009) The best use of digital technology, either directly or indir ectly to improve the lives and life chances of all citizens, particularly the most deprived, and the places in which they live. Hence, the various proposals by Race online 2012, Digital Charter, Digital Champion and expert Taskforce are considered to take imperative steps to reach the next level for forming a fully digitally engaged society which encourages excellence and fairness. Over recent years the government has enhanced its understanding of social exclusion through scrutiny of cohort studies and longitudinal surveys. Information has become one of the chief inputs in financial procedures, and information and (ICT) steadily became vital for the capability of enterprises, communities and individuals to contribute effectively in the global economy (Hollifield and Donnermeyer, 2003). When wisely applied, ICTs recommend prospects via network effects to narrow down social and economic inequalities and to sustain innovative market access in services and support wealth creation. The basis of inequalities in internet access and use are frequently hinted back to usage factors (price of technology, lack of information, ability or operational skills) and psychological factors (nervousness about using technology or reluctance to try something new) (Van Dijk and Hacker, 2003). There is a crucial need to tackle the difficulty of the particular individuals and communities who might have lack of knowledge, the resources, or the ability to achieve an equivalent opportunity to contribute in society and economic life . For the ones working in more disadvantaged communities, and who see the impact of technology on peoples daily lives, the relations among digital and social equality are perceived without any doubt. However, it is argued that the spotlight should be on structuring the business case for digital inclusion quantitatively and qualitatively. According to Castells despite the globes increasing interconnectivity there are some individuals that are extremely involved in a global networks and others stay mainly excluded. Therefore the analysis of international digital strategies and European Union actions lists key international policy goals: digital equality, accessibility for all, literacy and digital competence, technology to enhance and technology for inclusion in order to gain better understanding of the needs and problems and by delivering affordable services to engage individuals with the internet sources in an attractive way. Consequently this explains how various international policy goals helps individuals to overcome various psychological factors like anxiety and lack of interest by accustoming them to the available technology. According to (Reaching Out: Action Plan on Social Exclusion, September 2006) It is possible to extend opportunity to the least advantaged so that they enjoy more of the choices, chances and power that the rest of society takes for granted. Ofcom plays an imperative role in promoting media literacy and persists to work with stakeholders in turn to: offer people the opportunity and inspiration to develop proficiency and self-confidence to participate in communications technology and digital society; and update and allow people to handle their own media activity (both consumption and creation). This argument follows up and agrees with the statement made by Selwyn (2002) about the significance of considering the diverse variety of activities which are associated to internet use (expenditure activity, investments activity, manufacturing activity, political activity and social activity). Accordingly, government in collaboration with the assistance of private and public media organizations operates as a unifying and funding source in support of digital literacy programs. Further in order to sustain media literacy; enriching public services like libraries and museums can offer individuals an enhanced quality of life. Baroness Estelle Morris (June 2009) published her autonomous appraisal of ICT user skills. The report states arguments about the term digital life skills and how it is used to recognize the set of essential ICT skills for using and accessing a computer and communicating information. It discusses that digital skills have an impact on an adults equality of accessing information and services, employability, social inclusion, further engaging into learning and increasing the business productivity. Morriss report supports and affirms the statement made by Stewart (2000) that equality is achieved not through a redistributive programme on resources but contribution in person and through shared life chances. Whereas Castells (2009, pg 57) disagrees and argues that even with developing access to the internet and to wireless communication, abysmal inequalities in broadband access and educational gaps in the ability to operate a digital culture tend to reproduce and amplify the class, ethnic, r ace, age and gender structures of social domination between and within countries. Following these arguments, the research led and conducted by Cassie Hague and Ben Williamson (August 2009) shows that any involvement in digital sharing helps in alleviating the inequalities caused by social class and ensuring optimistic results for everybody despite of their gender, ethnicity and social milieu. The government legislation under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 also promotes equality of opportunity by eliminating various racism based discrimination. As a summary, this explains the initiatives taken by the Digital Britain and the UK Government to overcome various inequalities. Kling (1999) hypothesized that internet use is an issue of social-technological access referring to infrastructure and physical availability of computer resources in contribution with the combination of specialized knowledge, financial resources and technical expertise required for the full utilization of ICT. E-skills main aim is to work with employers, educators and government to make sure that UK has the technological skills it requires to thrive in a global digital economy. A current thesis from the London School of Economics (LSE) concludes that half of Europes efficiency in recent years can be credited to IT investments. Today, a large sector of all working professions make use of technology, therefore it is reasonable to assume that everybody should be introduced to essential information technology (IT) skills. The International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) has recognized various standards in the regions of essential digital skills and career technical skills. The t ypical example is the e-Europe plan, which has affirmed objectives of constructing a digitally literate Europe. The British Governments proposal incorporates two extraordinary cabinet posts known as the e-Minister and e-Envoy to position and install the suitable infrastructure and ICT widely. The Digital Britain report also highlights numerous methods in which the digital plan can assist parents to recognize improved results for their child through Home Access Program, helping them to develop the digital skills in order to confidently support their childs safety; to effectively and efficiently use the internet content in turn helping young generation to make the most out of the new technology. The UKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ based Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum argues that in the future it will become even more important that children have the ICT skills which allow them to relate themselves to the upcoming technology and face the challenges with self-confidence and flexibility. As technology can motivate students and help prepare them for prospective jobs. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 from the US department of education aspires to seal the success gap among deprived and struggling learners and their peers. The program pursues the argument that all kids can be trained and that schools are responsible for a kids growth. This highlights the steps taken by the governments of UK and US in order to furnish the future generation of their country with the aptitude to be technologically competent and to inquire appropriate, suitable and significant questions about the digitalized saturated world of 21st century. To digitally include everyone in the economy, the government has taken various initiatives to include old generation as well. According to the research by HM government there are a range of barriers like lack of understanding and confidence, comprehension to use the equipment, fear and anxieties and sense of inertia and ageism due to which older generation is left behind. To overcome these obstacles, digital inclusion programs are adopted such as Age UK internet champion of the year, older people in the media award winner etc to provide them with various opportunities and to develop the basic ICT skills; further boosting their confidence and embellishing older peoples lives. Hence, to seal the digital skills gap, upcoming economies are required to improve the aptitude of their personnel for internet age roles. This can facilitate in creating a sustainable social and economic infrastructure. As a result, to ensure that older people are not isolated from digital economy, help is provid ed for them to engage in significant technological opportunities to support independent living and to benefit from the services widely available. On a nationwide perspective Britain has already taken a lead in enhancing the national digital literacy widespread and laid down a remarkable standard for Canada which is working towards creating the right circumstances for a worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ class digital economy by solving the skills shortages among different Canadian groups. Countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and in recent times the USA, have made digital literacy a keystone of their digital economy strategies. In contrast to Singapore, Britain shows a lack in participation in digital economy, reaching near 100% whilst studies in Singapore show a 100% commitment and participation. This shows a vast difference in the objectives already achieved and future aims of both the countries. Though this difference, UK is trying to strike a balance between digital inclusion and exclusion by developing a National plan for digital participation, to amplify the scope and prepare people to participate in the digital society. This essay sets out a framework adopted by the Digital Britain report and the government to address the problems related to digital inclusion, digital skills and equality. If we critically analyse the data and information covered in this paper, we can clearly interpret the numerous ambitious goals the UK government have set out in the near future. The aims listed by the government enclose various actions needed to be undertaken by the UK economy in order to attain the listed objectives in the Digital Britain report. The discussion about the universal availability and fairness for all allowed us to think whether people will engage in this new technology and embrace it in near future or not? According to Charles Leadbeater, people go online for three different experiences such as to enjoy, talk and fulfil new experiences, as media encourages them to experience, connect and be creative. Digital Britain report has little to talk about this mix. Another aim is to provide affordable and at tainable broadband facility to every household. Although these courageous plans are backed up with vast quantities of data and research, simply building technological infrastructure and access will not guarantee the people of Britain to be innovative to generate an environment for digital revolution. For that reason the UK government needs to publicly show more specific ideas and plans about what is wants to see happen in the near-term future rather than using the blurred terminology which hides the true picture than it should reveal. The Digital Britain Report shows clear positives and negatives about the aspects we have covered and albeit there are criticisms, the pros outweigh the cons as written in this paper. The whole composition tries to answer the questions regarding the key issues of Digital skills, Digital Inclusion along with fairness and access for all and the concerns regarding inequalities. As the internet is becoming an amplified trend (Van Dijk and Hacker, 2003) Digital Britains goals were clear from the beginning regarding developing nations digital skills at all levels by ensuring that the population is ready to use and access the digital technology confidently. There is an essential need for digital literacy to further aid the citizens to participate in the digital landscape. To acquire skills there is a requirement in this era to have a grasp on the knowledge about digital tools, critical skills and social awareness. For digital inclusion; capability and relevance, availability and affordability are three main areas which are required to be addressed in order to promote digital literacy and participation. This consequently increases the scope of fairness in the economy. The concern is not only about the fairness and digital inclusion but is also to overcome inequalities. To avoid inequalities based on socio-cultural and socio-technological perspective, the government legislation has taken various actions in terms of proposing programs like Race online 2012, Digital Charter, and Digital Champion. On a global perspective comparing to different nations, UK is establishing a vision to develop clear and simple techniques to construct a digital knowledge economy in the modern era. Therefore in conclusion, UK government is motivated with its goals for broadband speeds and to encourage people to access new digitalized technology. What remains at question is that do people want to be part of this new web technology and are they ready to accept it and embrace it in near future?

Different Styles in Coaching :: essays research papers

Different Styles in Coaching No one is alike, everyone has there own way of doing things. For example, I was coached by two different basketball coaches in my high school years; both of whom had their own unique style of coaching. Coach Lira and Carla coached the same sport even though each had different strategies for their athletes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Coach Lira was forty years old and had coached for ten years. She coached for the same high school she played basketball at, and has a lot of experience in coaching as well as playing the game. Being on Varsity her sophomore year shows she is a good basketball player and knows the game well. Lira is considered a good coach because she can make a team win games. The relationship she had with her players was more like a teacher to a student. She wasn’t a friend figure. Being late was never an issue with her, she was always on time. Lira had many rules and was very strict. For example if you were late you would have to do one hundred pushups. During the games she would pick the players she liked over the players who deserved to play because of her short temper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She had workout practices. Every practice she made us do drills that would help us in a game. Making the players do 100 pushups and sit-ups before going through plays was very tiring. We would go through plays over and over until we got them down exactly they way she wanted them. We would practice every Saturday morning from 8:00 to 11:00. Are practices were different from regular practices because they were so intense. Lira took us to the championship game. Without her coaching, we would never have gone that far.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My other coach, named Carla, was 20 years old, still going to college with no experience in coaching or playing basketball. She wasn’t a very good basketball player herself. In high school she was on the team but was on the bench. Carla really didn’t know the game that well. Losing games made her a bad coach. Carla was not a coach; she was more like a friend. Being late to every practice made her irresponsible. One positive thing about her was she never picked favorites. In fact, the players thought she wasn’t strict enough. She didn’t set rules. No one was scared of her because she was too nice.

Emily Dickinsons Fascicle 17 Essay -- Emily Dickinson Fascicle 17 Poe

Emily Dickinson's Fascicle 17 Approaching Emily Dickinson’s poetry as one large body of work can be an intimidating and overwhelming task. There are obvious themes and images that recur throughout, but with such variation that seeking out any sense of intention or order can feel impossible. When the poems are viewed in the groupings Dickinson gave many of them, however, possible structures are easier to find. In Fascicle 17, for instance, Dickinson embarks upon a journey toward confidence in her own little world. She begins the fascicle writing about her fear of the natural universe, but invokes the unknowable and religious as a means of overcoming that fear throughout her life and ends with a contextualization of herself within both nature and eternity. The first poem in the fascicle, â€Å"I dreaded that first Robin so†, shows us a Dickinson who is intimidated by even the most harmless creatures in the world around her. Despite the title she gives herself, â€Å"The Queen of Calvary†, her fears seem to hinge on a feeling of inferiority to these small harbingers of spring (24). The first chirp of the robin holds some awful power, while the daffodils become fashionable critics of Dickinson’s simplicity. These comparisons set Dickinson up as someone very small and â€Å"childish†Ã¢â‚¬â€she cannot even stand up to birds and flowers without fear of being exposed to them and found lacking (26). The next poem, â€Å"I would not paint—a picture—† continues this idea, but with a slightly more pleasant spin. While somewhat paradoxically rejecting the idea of making art herself (even devoting a stanza to why she should not write poetry), she gives a sense of the exhilaration she find s in being the audience for any kind of art. Ultimately,... ...Dickinson has for the most part conquered her fears. As the second poem gave us the unsettling idea that the author of the poem we were reading was afraid to compose poetry, this poem shows us her coming to terms with that. Her list of creatures blessed with wonders they had not dared to hope for extends quite naturally to include her. She has come to her â€Å"Heaven† through poetry—â€Å"unexpected†, but eventually with confidence brought about by the trials dealt with throughout the fascicle. The poems are very closely linked, each one showing us some new aspect of Dickinson’s personality that leads toward her confidence. Finally, Dickinson has found her voice and in this final poem proclaims that she has found a peace to which she had not dared aspire at the beginning. Now she has both nature and poetry within her grasp—this is â€Å"Heaven† and â€Å"Old Home† all at once.

Kite Runner

The kite runner: Literacy Essay A single event can shape the rest of a lifetime. Redemption is a way that makes up for the cause of the guilt. The Kite Runner  is very much a â€Å"novel of redemption. † The main character, Amir, has to find a way to redeem himself after having betrayed Hassan. Sanaubar, likewise, must find redemption. Baba resolves his past guilty by doing good deeds First, Amir redeems himself by steps into courage and rescues the son of his brother Hassan Redemption is the act of saying or being saved from sin, error or evil, which the main character Amir seems to need the most.Amir lives with the guilt he has built up over the years because of one incident from his childhood. Amir's father’s words still echo through his head  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything. † Pg (24). Although Amir destroyed the lives of many people, and he has had more than one opportunity to redeem himself of his guilt, he is not the selfish little boy he once was. Before Amir can go on the road to redemption, Amir must realize that he can't go back and change what he has done as a child, and he must find inner peace.Although if it was not for Amir's actions as a child, Sohrab never would have needed to be saved in the first place but by saving Sohrab, the last piece of Hassan's life, does make a difference. From the moment he chose to turn his back on Hassan, there were many chances where  Ã¢â‚¬Å"There's a way to be good again† (238). For all his wrongdoings, but he chose not to take any of these. Sohrab was his last and only chance for redemption. â€Å"I have a wife in America, a home, a career and a family†.But how could I pack up and go back home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things? And what Rahim Khan revealed to me changed things. Made me see how my entire life, long before the winter of 1975, dating back to when that singing Hazara w oman was still nursing me, had been a cycle of lies betrayals and secrets† (238). Amir finally became the man who stood up for himself and his sins. Throughout his childhood, Amir looked for his father's affection and he never could get it. His father had said  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I'm telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy (24).Amir's father would have been proud of him at this very moment because that was all he had wanted from him. The guilt that was built over the years was finally put to rest at the safety of Sohrab. In Afghanistan when Amir stood up for Sohrab and Assef aggressively beat him up, Amir had said  Ã¢â‚¬Å"My body was broken just how badly I wouldn't find out until later but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed. † (289) which showed Amir had come to terms with what he had done as a child and was finally felt relieved.Although he was getting beat up, it did not matter anymore, he just wished he had stood up to Assef years ago, and maybe he w ould have earned his redemption in that alley. Second,  In the novel Baba Seeks redemption by treating Hassan well and always remembering his birthday. Amir and Baba were planting tulips, when Amir had asked Baba if he'd ever consider getting new servants And Baba said ‘’Hassan's not going anywhere, he'd barked. He’s staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we're his family. He had wept, wept, when Ali announced he and Hassan were leaving us. † (237) Kite Runner Human beings are morally ambiguous people. We are neither purely evil nor purely good, but often a mix. And maybe that’s why many of us are attracted to literature works with morally ambiguous characters such as The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner was set in Kabul, Afghanistan, proceeds to United States during the Soviet Union invasion, and then the setting goes back to Kabul when the Taliban rises in power. In this novel, Amir, to whom the whole story of the book is centered around, is a morally ambiguous character.Amir is a Pashtun boy; he betrays his friendship with Hassan, a Hazara son of Amir’s father’s servant. Guilt haunts Amir for years even after he had left Kabul and moved to United States. Amir is a morally ambiguous character because he’s a coward, he’s selfish, he betrays his friend and lies, but he also finds courage to face what he had done wrong and finds salvation. The first part of the book The Kite Runner proves ho w Amir is not a purely good character.Amir often hangs out with the Hazara boy, Hassan and would tell Hassan that they are friends, but he still feels he’s above Hassan because Amir is Pashtun and Hazara people are considered below the Pashtun people. Amir wouldn’t hang out with Hassan when other Pashtun boys are with him, he also mocks the fact that Hassan can’t read, not considering the fact that Hassan doesn’t have the opportunity to get an education. Amir couldn’t stand Hassan’s intelligence: Amir had written a story about how a man’s tears turn into pearls when they fall into this magic cup, and the story ended with man’s wife dead in his arms on a mountain pile of pearls.When Hassan heard the story, he had enjoyed it, but he also raised a few questions that angered Amir, â€Å"Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to be sad to shed tears? Couldn’t he have just smelled an onion? † (p. 3 4). Amir was angry because a mere Hazara boy who couldn’t read had taught Amir something he, an educated boy, didn’t figure out. These few examples that show how Amir is mean and arrogant are nothing compared to what he does to Hassan later on.Assef is a Pashtun boy that truly hates Hazaras and believes that Hazaras should all disappear. When Amir catches Assef raping Hassan, instead of stepping in, Amir runs away and pretends nothing had happened. When guilt started eating Amir up and he couldn’t stand facing Hassan because Hassan reminds him of his cowardly action, he pinned a crime of thievery on Hassan in order to have Hassan evicted from his house. The second part of the book shows that Amir isn’t purely evil despite what he has done.For a while, Amir’s life is filled with the guilt of not saving Hassan from the rape and it kept Amir from being completely happy, even though he found the love of his life in America and got married. Then one day , Amir’s father’s friend, Rhahim, called him to give him a chance to redeem himself. â€Å"There’s a way to be good again† (p. 226). Amir did find a way to be good again. Amir went back to Afghan to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab, to take him with Amir because Hassan and his wife had been shot to death on the street by the Taliban.Amir finds Sohrab with Assef and ends up getting into a physical fight with Assef. Amir basically lets Assef beat him up and while being beat up, Amir feels relieved. â€Å"My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed. Healed at last† (p. 289). Amir felt that he was being healed from the guilt that has been crawling beneath his skin every single day. He had betrayed his one and only friend, Hassan, lied, and destroyed a chance where Hassan might have left to United States with him and would still be alive.Amir felt that he finally got what he deserved and h e felt much better, he had found salvation. And he had afterwards taken in Sohrab as his own son. Amir had been a coward; he had made selfish decisions and ruined Hassan’s live, but if he had been purely evil then he would not have felt guilt, nor would he have risked his life to bring back a mere Hazara’s son. But he had been filled with guilt and he had gone to find Sohrab and redeemed himself. And thus, Amir is a perfect example of a morally ambiguous character. Kite Runner In â€Å"The Kite Runner,† written by Khaled Hosseini, tells a vivid story that demonstrates the political and religious discrimination in Afghan society. Concerns about discrimination are reminded to the reader as one reads about the story of two Afghan boys. A major struggle is evident between the two groups in Afghanistan, the Pashtuns, and the Hazaras. Discrimination sets into place as we learn about the history between the two family lines. On page 9, Amir read from a book that says â€Å"Pashtuns had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras †¦ the reason was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a.This sets in the idea that the Pashtuns killed the Hazaras simply because they were not Sunni Muslims, resulting in the discrimination in society against the Hazaras. Throughout the novel, there were many scenes of discrimination such as how Hassan was never invited to Amir’s birthday parties, Assef constantly picking on Ali and Hassan as they are from a different class, and especially when Assef was raping Hassan. Assef believed that it was his right to rape Hassan because in his eyes, he was only a Hazara, an object which he can own and control.The Author Khaled Hosseini also used many literary devices to emphasize the effects of discrimination in society. This is shown on page 298 when Assef says â€Å"Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage. † This is a metaphoric device where Khaled Hosseini had Assef regard the garbage as the Hazaras. He also clearly portrayed Assef in terms of being Hitler by having the same ethnic and political views.Another technique the author used to show discrimination was on page 380 when General Taheri says â€Å"they will want to know why there is a Hazara boy living with my daughter. † This is when the General begins to question Amir’s actions. This shows that even a likeable character like the General, ha s a nastier side and that even he would show discrimination. More importantly, this depicts the common prejudice in society. Discrimination, racism, prejudice, these are themes that people tend to avoid discussing about.Discrimination is everywhere; everybody knows about it as it is happening, yet nobody says anything to stop it. This reminds me of a book I once read called â€Å"How To Kill A Mockingbird. † To sum it all up, a black man was accused of raping a white daughter, and although the man was clearly innocent, the jury ultimately decided to convict the man, because he was an African American descent. This illustrates how discrimination is like a poison gas; it is easily contagious and affects everybody in the community, clouding our judgments.In the novel, I read a passage that I found very bizarre. It was on page 27 when Amir says â€Å"the curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either†¦ but we were kids who had learned to crawl togethe r, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. † I found this to be strange because Amir seems to be contradicting himself, making this a paradox because no amount of history, ethnicity, or society, can change the fact that Amir and Hassan practically spent all their childhood moments together, making them friends, if not, best friends.Another powerful passage in the novel was on page 169 when Baba says â€Å"we may be hardheaded and I know we’re far too proud, but, in the hour of need, believe me that there’s no one you’d rather have at your side than a Pashtun. † This perplexing reference makes me wonder if even Baba represents prejudice in civilization. This also makes me think that Baba believes you want a Pashtun at your side only if you’re a Pashtun and likewise to Hazaras. This shows the segregation and ethnic problems that constantly crawl its way up to the surface.Year after year, discrimination o nce again sets foot into society. We’ve all believed discrimination would disappear after Martin Luther King’s speech, but unmistakably, discrimination is like a spark of flame that refuses to go out. In the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini used many tactics to show that every character discriminates against others, representing society. This is evident on page 27 when Amir says â€Å"in the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara.I was Sunni, and he was a Shi’a, and nothing was going to change that. † This shows that despite the fact that Amir and Hassan are really close, social prejudice sets foot once again, demonstrating that it can even influence children. I wonder why society discriminates against other cultures. Is it because it makes them feel that their culture is superior? Or perhaps it satisfies people by seeing others in emotional pain. From this point forward, I understand that the world is filled with discrimination, which must now be stopped.People have believed that as long as there are people of different background and culture, discrimination would live on. I believe that discrimination only lives because we want it to. People are afraid of others from different cultures simply because they might not share the same customs, which scares some of us. However, if people can look past the differences disconnecting us all, then civilization would be able to coexist harmoniously with others from a different race, thus, ending this long lasting chain of discrimination. Kite Runner In â€Å"The Kite Runner,† written by Khaled Hosseini, tells a vivid story that demonstrates the political and religious discrimination in Afghan society. Concerns about discrimination are reminded to the reader as one reads about the story of two Afghan boys. A major struggle is evident between the two groups in Afghanistan, the Pashtuns, and the Hazaras. Discrimination sets into place as we learn about the history between the two family lines. On page 9, Amir read from a book that says â€Å"Pashtuns had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras †¦ the reason was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a.This sets in the idea that the Pashtuns killed the Hazaras simply because they were not Sunni Muslims, resulting in the discrimination in society against the Hazaras. Throughout the novel, there were many scenes of discrimination such as how Hassan was never invited to Amir’s birthday parties, Assef constantly picking on Ali and Hassan as they are from a different class, and especially when Assef was raping Hassan. Assef believed that it was his right to rape Hassan because in his eyes, he was only a Hazara, an object which he can own and control.The Author Khaled Hosseini also used many literary devices to emphasize the effects of discrimination in society. This is shown on page 298 when Assef says â€Å"Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage. † This is a metaphoric device where Khaled Hosseini had Assef regard the garbage as the Hazaras. He also clearly portrayed Assef in terms of being Hitler by having the same ethnic and political views.Another technique the author used to show discrimination was on page 380 when General Taheri says â€Å"they will want to know why there is a Hazara boy living with my daughter. † This is when the General begins to question Amir’s actions. This shows that even a likeable character like the General, ha s a nastier side and that even he would show discrimination. More importantly, this depicts the common prejudice in society. Discrimination, racism, prejudice, these are themes that people tend to avoid discussing about.Discrimination is everywhere; everybody knows about it as it is happening, yet nobody says anything to stop it. This reminds me of a book I once read called â€Å"How To Kill A Mockingbird. † To sum it all up, a black man was accused of raping a white daughter, and although the man was clearly innocent, the jury ultimately decided to convict the man, because he was an African American descent. This illustrates how discrimination is like a poison gas; it is easily contagious and affects everybody in the community, clouding our judgments.In the novel, I read a passage that I found very bizarre. It was on page 27 when Amir says â€Å"the curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either†¦ but we were kids who had learned to crawl togethe r, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. † I found this to be strange because Amir seems to be contradicting himself, making this a paradox because no amount of history, ethnicity, or society, can change the fact that Amir and Hassan practically spent all their childhood moments together, making them friends, if not, best friends.Another powerful passage in the novel was on page 169 when Baba says â€Å"we may be hardheaded and I know we’re far too proud, but, in the hour of need, believe me that there’s no one you’d rather have at your side than a Pashtun. † This perplexing reference makes me wonder if even Baba represents prejudice in civilization. This also makes me think that Baba believes you want a Pashtun at your side only if you’re a Pashtun and likewise to Hazaras. This shows the segregation and ethnic problems that constantly crawl its way up to the surface.Year after year, discrimination o nce again sets foot into society. We’ve all believed discrimination would disappear after Martin Luther King’s speech, but unmistakably, discrimination is like a spark of flame that refuses to go out. In the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini used many tactics to show that every character discriminates against others, representing society. This is evident on page 27 when Amir says â€Å"in the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara.I was Sunni, and he was a Shi’a, and nothing was going to change that. † This shows that despite the fact that Amir and Hassan are really close, social prejudice sets foot once again, demonstrating that it can even influence children. I wonder why society discriminates against other cultures. Is it because it makes them feel that their culture is superior? Or perhaps it satisfies people by seeing others in emotional pain. From this point forward, I understand that the world is filled with discrimination, which must now be stopped.People have believed that as long as there are people of different background and culture, discrimination would live on. I believe that discrimination only lives because we want it to. People are afraid of others from different cultures simply because they might not share the same customs, which scares some of us. However, if people can look past the differences disconnecting us all, then civilization would be able to coexist harmoniously with others from a different race, thus, ending this long lasting chain of discrimination. Kite Runner Friendship Sometimes, up in those trees, I talked Hassan into firing walnuts with his slingshot at the neighbor's one-eyed German shepherd. Hassan never wanted to, but if I asked, really asked, he wouldn't deny me. Hassan never denied me anything. And he was deadly with his slingshot. Hassan's father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get. He would wag his finger and wave us down from the tree. He would take the mirror and tell us what his mother had told him, that the devil shone mirrors too, shone them to distract Muslims during prayer. And he laughs while he does it,† he always added, scowling at his son. â€Å"Yes, Father,† Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet. But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor's dog, was always my idea. But we were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. I spent most of the first twelve years of my life playing with Hassan.Sometimes, my entire childhood seems like one long lazy summer day with Hassan, chasing each other between tangles of trees in my father's yard, playing hide-and-seek, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, insect torture – with our crowning achievement undeniably the time we plucked the stinger off a bee and tied a string around the poor thing to yank it back every time it took flight â€Å"Think of something good,† Baba said in my ear. â€Å"Something happy. † Something good. Something happy. I let my mind wander. I let it come: Friday afternoon in Paghman.An open field of grass speckled with mulberry trees in blossom. Hassan and I stand ankle-deep in untamed grass, I am tugging on the line, the spool spinning in Hassan's calloused hands, our eyes turned up to the kite in the sky. Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don't have to say anything †“ that's how it is between people who are each other's first memories, people who have fed from the same breast. A breeze stirs the grass and Hassan lets the spool roll. The kite spins, dips, steadies. Our twin shadows dance on the rippling grass.From somewhere over the low brick wall at the other end of the field, we hear chatter and laughter and the chirping of a water fountain. And music, some thing old and familiar, I think it's Ya Mowlah on rubab strings. Someone calls our names over the wall, says it's time for tea and cake Next to me, Sohrab was breathing rapidly through his nose. The spool rolled in his palms, the tendons in his scarred wrists like rubab strings. Then I blinked and, for just a moment, the hands holding the spool were the chipped-nailed, calloused hands of a harelipped boy.I heard a crow cawing somewhere and I looked up. The park shimmered with snow so fresh, so dazzling white, it burned my eyes. It sprinkled soundlessly from the branches of white-clad tree s. I smelled turnip qurma now. Dried mulberries. Sour oranges. Sawdust and walnuts. The muffled quiet, snow-quiet, was deafening. Then far away, across the stillness, a voice calling us home, the voice of a man who dragged his right leg Quote #1Sometimes, up in those trees, I talked Hassan into firing walnuts with his slingshot at the neighbour’s one-eyed German shepherd.Hassan never wanted to, but if I asked, really asked, he wouldn't deny me. Hassan never denied me anything. And he was deadly with his slingshot. Hassan's father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get. He would wag his finger and wave us down from the tree. He would take the mirror and tell us what his mother had told him, that the devil shone mirrors too, shone them to distract Muslims during prayer. â€Å"And he laughs while he does it,† he always added, scowling at his son. â€Å"Yes, Father,† Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet.But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor's dog, was always my idea. (2. 2-3)| This passage shows up early in the novel and really tells us quite a bit about Amir and Hassan's friendship. Hassan protects and defends Amir and, foreshadowing later events in the novel, refuses to tell on Amir. (Hassan will later take the blame for the wad of cash and the watch. ) We should also note that Amir seems like the gang leader in this passage, getting the two boys into trouble. Does Amir control the relationship? Is this why Hassan often takes the blame for things?Does Amir ever take responsibility for anything in the novel? Quote #2Then he [Ali] would remind us that there was a brotherhood between people who had fled from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break. Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His w as Amir. My name. | There's a primal closeness between Amir and Hassan. Later, we'll find out the two boys have the same father, but notice how Hosseini is laying the groundwork for that revelation.The two boys might as well be brothers: they learn to walk together, they learn to speak together, and they feed from the same breast. Which brings up an interesting question: What does Rahim Khan's revelation – that Amir and Hassan are half-brothers – really change? Aren't the two already brothers in everything? Or does â€Å"blood† fundamentally change Amir's relationship with Hassan? Quote #3Ali and Baba grew up together as childhood playmates – at least until polio crippled Ali's leg – just like Hassan and I grew up a generation later.Baba was always telling us about the mischief he and Ali used to cause, and Ali would shake his head and say, â€Å"But, Agha sahib, tell them who was the architect of the mischief and who the poor laborer? † Bab a would laugh and throw his arm around Ali. But in none of his stories did Baba ever refer to Ali as his friend. (4. 2-3)| Baba and Ali's friendship parallels Amir and Hassan's on a number of levels. First, as this passage indicates, there's a similar pattern of leadership (and power): both Baba and Amir have dominant roles in each friendship.And, lest you forget, Baba betrays Ali much like Amir betrays Hassan. As they say, two peas in a pod. Or, maybe it would be four peas in a pod. We're not sure. Anyways, after Amir learns that Baba lied to him for years, he says: â€Å"Baba and I were more alike than I'd ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us† (18. 7). Four peas in a pod. Quote #4But we were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. I spent most of the first twelve years of my life playing with Hassan.Sometimes, my entire childhood seems like one lon g lazy summer day with Hassan, chasing each other between tangles of trees in my father's yard, playing hide-and-seek, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, insect torture – with our crowning achievement undeniably the time we plucked the stinger off a bee and tied a string around the poor thing to yank it back every time it took flight. (4. 6)| Amir lays out the opposing argument just prior to this paragraph. In it, he says ethnicity will always define a relationship.We believe Hosseini really wants us to grapple with Amir's contradictory stances: Does Amir's friendship with Hassan ever get past history, ethnicity, society, and religion? Later, Amir will justify his cowardice in the alleyway by asking himself if he really has to defend Hassan (since Hassan is a Hazara). Does Amir ever get past his prejudices? We're really not sure about this one. Hosseini devotes the entire novel to this question. Quote 5†³I know,† he said, breaking our embrace. â€Å"Inshallah, we'll celebrate later. Right now, I'm going to run that blue kite for you,† he said.He dropped the spool and took off running, the hem of his green chapan dragging in the snow behind him. â€Å"Hassan! † I called. â€Å"Come back with it! † He was already turning the street corner, his rubber boots kicking up snow. He stopped, turned. He cupped his hands around his mouth. â€Å"For you a thousand times over! † he said. Then he smiled his Hassan smile and disappeared around the corner. The next time I saw him smile unabashedly like that was twenty-six years later, in a faded Polaroid photograph. (7. 52-54)| Yet again, Hassan demonstrates his loyalty and devotion to Amir.If we were to judge Amir and Hassan's friendship by actions and not simply expressions of loyalty, the score would be pretty lopsided. (Of course, Amir saves Hassan's son at the end of the book from a pathological pedophile so that counts for something. ) We also want to point out the irony in Hassan's reply: â€Å"For you a thousand times over! † Amir will develop a pretty nasty case of insomnia as the guilt piles up inside him. Really, Amir returns to the alleyway thousands of times in his memory before he comes to peace with his cowardice.And so the phrase â€Å"a thousand times over† is colored with some pretty devastating irony. Yes, Hosseini is using irony again. Quote #6[Assef:] â€Å"But before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: Would he do the same for you? Have you ever wondered why he never includes you in games when he has guests? Why he only plays with you when no one else is around? I'll tell you why, Hazara. Because to him, you're nothing but an ugly pet. Something he can play with when he's bored, something he can kick when he's angry. Don't ever fool yourself and think you're something more. † Amir agha and I are friends,† Hassan said. He looked flushed. â€Å"Friends? † Assef said, laughing. â€Å"You pathetic fool! Someday you'll wake up from your little fantasy and learn just how good of a friend he is. Now, bas! Enough of this. Give us that kite. † (7. 106-108)| This is a fairly complex scene. Assef, before he assaults and rapes Hassan, asks Hassan whether he really wants to sacrifice himself for Amir. We know Amir is listening in – and watching – this exchange between Assef and Hassan. In a way, Assef's speech is not prophetic but descriptive: Amir is abandoning Hassan right now.However, we wonder if Assef's description is inaccurate. Is Assef describing his own relationship with Hazaras or Amir's with Hassan? Sure, sometimes Amir does cruel things to Hassan, but he also reads to Hassan and spends almost all his free time with Hassan. Amir may hesitate to call Hassan his friend, but perhaps that's because neither â€Å"friend† nor â€Å"servant† really describes Hassan. â€Å"Brother† might do the trick, but Amir has no idea at this p oint. Quote #7†³Think of something good,† Baba said in my ear. â€Å"Something happy. † Something good. Something happy.I let my mind wander. I let it come: Friday afternoon in Paghman. An open field of grass speckled with mulberry trees in blossom. Hassan and I stand ankle-deep in untamed grass, I am tugging on the line, the spool spinning in Hassan's calloused hands, our eyes turned up to the kite in the sky. Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don't have to say anything – that's how it is between people who are each other's first memories, people who have fed from the same breast. A breeze stirs the grass and Hassan lets the spool roll.The kite spins, dips, steadies. Our twin shadows dance on the rippling grass. From somewhere over the low brick wall at the other end of the field, we hear chatter and laughter and the chirping of a water fountain. And music, some thing old and familiar, I think it's Ya Mowlah on rubab strings. Someone calls our names over the wall, says it's time for tea and cake. (10. 73-75)| You need some context for this quote. Baba and Amir are on their way to Pakistan, but they're not traveling by taxi or bus. They're in the belly of an oil tanker along with dozens of other Afghans.Baba tells Amir to think of something â€Å"good,† something â€Å"happy. † So what does Amir think of? His childhood with Hassan. We believe this passage proves Amir's (brotherly) love for Hassan. Notice that Amir doesn't recall a special moment with Baba, or even his books or poetry. He thinks of Hassan. Quote #8Lying awake in bed that night, I thought of Soraya Taheri's sickle-shaped birthmark, her gently hooked nose, and the way her luminous eyes had fleetingly held mine. My heart stuttered at the thought of her. (11. 104)| Soraya doesn't sound that hot here.From Hosseini's description, we picture the witch in â€Å"Sleeping Beauty†: her nose is hooked like a scythe , and her eyes are glowing in a potion-induced mania. However, we do think Soraya's sickle-shaped birthmark should remind you of someone else in the book. Give up? That's right: Hassan. (Hassan has a harelip. ) Why do you think Hosseini compare these two characters through their physical features? What else do they have in common? Quote #9When we got to Kabul, I [Rahim Khan] discovered that Hassan had no intention of moving into the house. â€Å"But all these rooms are mpty, Hassan jan. No one is going to live in them,† I said. But he would not. He said it was a matter of ihtiram, a matter of respect. He and Farzana moved their things into the hut in the backyard, where he was born. I pleaded for them to move into one of the guest bedrooms upstairs, but Hassan would hear nothing of it. â€Å"What will Amir agha think? † he said to me. â€Å"What will he think when he comes back to Kabul after the war and finds that I have assumed his place in the house? † Then, in mourning for your father, Hassan wore black for the next forty days. (16. 4-25)| You may be confused by the voice here. It's actually not Amir – Rahim Khan gets one chapter in the book. Rahim Khan recounts his trip to Hazarajat to find Hassan and bring him back to the house in Kabul. When Hassan does move back to the house with Rahim Khan, he refuses to live where Baba and Amir lived. Does Hassan's refusal suggest that Hassan is only Amir's servant and the two never achieved an equal friendship? (Side question: Does Hassan sense – on some unconscious level – Baba's true relationship to him? Is that why he mourns Baba for forty days? )Quote #10Next to me, Sohrab was breathing rapidly through his nose. The spool rolled in his palms, the tendons in his scarred wrists like rubab strings. Then I blinked and, for just a moment, the hands holding the spool were the chipped-nailed, calloused hands of a harelipped boy. I heard a crow cawing somewhere and I looked up. The park shimmered with snow so fresh, so dazzling white, it burned my eyes. It sprinkled soundlessly from the branches of white-clad trees. I smelled turnip qurma now. Dried mulberries. Sour oranges. Sawdust and walnuts. The muffled quiet, snow-quiet, was deafening.Then far away, across the stillness, a voice calling us home, the voice of a man who dragged his right leg. (25. 150)| We think this is one of the most beautiful passages in the book. Hosseini moves effortlessly between the past and present. Sohrab becomes Hassan, and the park in Fremont, California becomes a snow-quiet Kabul. The smells of Kabul mix with the smells of the New Year celebration in the park. Perhaps, at least in the space of this passage, Amir does find peace. America allowed Amir to escape his past for so many years; but, in this moment, the two homelands merge.Ali calls Amir home, and Amir doesn't seem to mind. ROAD TO AMIR'S REDEMPTION† – THE KITE RUNNER REVISION ———â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Top of Form zainboThreads: 1 Posts: 3 Author: Zain Mehdi | Edited by: zainbo Mar 11, 2012, 12:58pm #1| The topic of the Essay is â€Å"After reading the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, do you think Amir has found redemption in things he's done. If so, please explain how† I wrote this essay based on the events that took place in the novel. Each paragraph must have a quote from the book and I've included that.I just need to see if my essay is well written, correct grammar and other little mistakes. Please and thank you. â€Å"ROAD TO AMIR'S REDEMPTION In a lifetime, everyone will face personal battles and guilt, some large and some small. Such as guilt over sneaking out, not doing homework, or telling your parents a little white lie. People find peace of mind through redeeming themselves, in other words, we do something that makes up for the cause of guilt. Khaled H osseini's novel The Kite Runner revolves around betrayal and redemption.Redemption is the act of saying or being saved from sin, error or evil, which the main character Amir seems to need the most. Amir lives with the guilt he has built up over the years because of one incident from his childhood. Amir's fathers words still echo through his head â€Å"A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything. † ? pg. 24 Although Amir destroyed the lives of many people, and he has had more than one opportunity to redeem himself of his guilt, he is not the selfish little boy he once was. How often does one stop and think, â€Å"How will this affect everyone else in my life? Amir had a chance in the alley, to put Hassan first and change the path of both their lives, but he made the decision to turn around and run because it was what he thought was best for him: â€Å"I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was goi ng to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan ? the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past ? and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me.I was afraid of getting hurt. That's what I told myself as I turned my back to the alley, to Hassan. That's what I made myself believe. I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. † ? pg. 77 Amir's selfish ways were a result of the lack of his father's affection in his life. As a young boy, he was forced to deal with his father's disinterest in him, which made him incredibly jealous of Hassan.Amir could not understand at the time, why his father adored his servant's son more than his own son. As the tension increases between Amir and Hassan, Amir can no longer stand to see Hassan everyday because of what Amir had not stopped and he could not bare seeing his father showing Hassan love and not him. Hassan and his father are forced to leave their home after Amir places his watch under Hassan's pillow and accuses him of stealing it. Hassan did not even deny the accusations because he had figured out what Amir was doing. â€Å"Hassan knew.He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time. † ? pg. 111 Even after the alleged theft of the watch, Amir's father is willing to forgive Hassan, which stunned Amir, and made him see that the love his father has for Hassan is greater than he imagined. Amir did not just ruin Hassan's life; he also ruined the lives of many people with his decisions after the incident in the alley. Baba lost a chance to watch his son, Hassan, grow up and also lost the chance to bring him to America so he could start a new life.Sohrab lost both his parents to war because they were still living in Afghanistan, lost his childhood to war, and tried to commit suicide as a result of Amir going back on his promise to keep him safe from orphanages. Soraya lost her right to the truth when Amir kept his past a secret even though she opened up to him about hers. It is one thing to destroy your own life with guilt, but it is a completely different issue when you destroy the lives of others. Before Amir can go on the road to redemption, Amir must realize that he can't go back and change what he has done as a child, and he must find inner peace.Although if it was not for Amir's actions as a child, Sohrab never would have needed to be saved in the first place but by saving Sohrab, the last piece of Hassan's life, does make a difference. From the moment he chose to turn his back on Hassan, there were many chances where â€Å"There's a way to be good again† ? pg. 238 for all his wrongdoings, but he chose not to take any of these. Sohr ab was his last and only chance for redemption. â€Å"I have a wife in America, a home, a career and a family†. But how could I pack up and go back home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things?And what Rahim Khan revealed to me changed things. Made me see how my entire life, long before the winter of 1975, dating back to when that singing Hazara woman was still nursing me, had been a cycle of lies betrayals and secrets. † ? pg. 238 Amir admits that he cost Hassan a chance at a good life and that he had many opportunities to change the outcome of Hassan's life. But at this moment he realized he could lose everything he has built in America, but for the first time in his life, Amir did not care about only himself, he came to terms with what he had done, and he was ready to redeem himself at any cost.Amir finally became the man who stood up for himself and his sins. Throughout his childhood, Amir looked for his father's affection and he neve r could get it. His father had said â€Å"I'm telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy. † ? pg. 24 Amir's father would have been proud of him at this very moment because that was all he had wanted from him. The guilt that was built over the years was finally put to rest at the safety of Sohrab. In Afghanistan when Amir stood up for Sohrab and Assef aggressively beat him up, Amir had said â€Å"My body was broken? ust how badly I wouldn't find out until later? but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed. † ? pg. 289 which showed Amir had come to terms with what he had done as a child and was finally felt relieved. Although he was getting beat up, it did not matter anymore, he just wished he had stood up to Assef years ago, and maybe he would have earned his redemption in that alley. | | Jennyflower81Threads: – Posts: 884 Author: Jennifer Reeves 85 | Mar 11, 2012, 02:17pm #2| Such as guilt over sneaking out, not doing homework, or telling your p arents a little white lie. Not a full sentence.You could start this sentence with: â€Å"Guilt can stem from†¦ † People find peace of mind when they redeem themselves, in other words, they do something that makes up for the cause of their guilt. Amir had a chance in the alley, to put Hassan first and change the path of both their lives, but he made the decision to turn around and run because it was what he thought was best for him: I would break up this sentence into 2 sentences, because it is a bit too long, it would be easier to read if it was in 2 shorter sentences. Amir's selfish ways resulted from the lack of his father's affection in his life.At the time, Amir could not understand why his father adored his servant's son more than his own son. As the tension increases between Amir and Hassan, Amir can no longer stand to see Hassan everyday because of what Amir had not stopped and he could not bare seeing his father showing Hassan love and not him. Right here, you be gin writing in present tense, when the beginning of the essay is written in past tense, be sure to stay consistent with this, it makes your paper easier to read that way. | | zainboThreads: 1 Posts: 3 Author: Zain Mehdi | | Thank you, any more updates? | Jennyflower81Threads: – Posts: 884 Author: Jennifer Reeves 85 | Mar 11, 2012, 05:04pm #4| Amir did not just ruin Hassan's life; he also ruined the lives of many people with his decisions after the incident in the alley Can you be more specific about how exactly did he ruin Hassan's life? This is kinda vague. Another example of a life ruined is that of Soraya- you say: Soraya lost her right to the truth when Amir kept his past a secret even though she opened up to him about hers I don't know if this is her life being ruined, although she was wronged.How did this ruin her life? Clarify this. †¦ but it is a completely different problem when you destroy the lives of others. Although if it was not for Amir's actions as a chil d, Sohrab never would have needed to be saved in the first place but by saving Sohrab, the last piece of Hassan's life, does make a difference. This sentence is long and confusing, I would make it into 2 shorter sentences. Amir admits that he cost Hassan the chance at a good life and that he had many opportunities to change the outcome of Hassan's life.At this moment, he realizes he could lose everything he has built in America, but for the first time in his life, Amir did not only care about himself, he came to terms with what he had done, and he was ready to redeem himself at any cost. | | chalumeau | | ROAD TO AMIR'S REDEMPTION? â€Å"During their lifetime, most people face guilt: some appropriate some inappropriate. Redemption is a way that makes up for the cause of the guilt. In Khaled Hosseini's novel, The Kite Runner, the theme revolves around betrayal and redemption. † I looked up the word â€Å"redemption† in The Kite Runner: p. 5, â€Å"All I saw was the blu e kite. All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption. If Baba was wrong and there was a God like they said in school, then He'd let me win. I didn't know what the other guy was playing for, maybe just bragging rights. † Important quote. p 231, â€Å"And from this one last chance at redemption. † What is going on here? â€Å"My body was broken? just how badly I wouldn't find out until later? but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed. † ? pg. 289 Good quote you found. Salvation is when God saves you. Redemption may be part of salvation, but redemption also has a place separate from the Divine.After doing a wrong, a person may be redeemed by performing some act, or saying something, or fighting for (or against) someone. You know how they say, â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder? † Redemption is in the eye of the wronged party. It's why you hear phrases such as, â€Å"redeemed in her eyes. † You can't be redeemed without permission. Hopefu lly, the wronged party accuses the right person, and the right person knows what wrong was committed. Otherwise, you have a very confusing situation for all parties. One that cannot be redeemed. Ever. Try writing your essay again with the theme of redemption as the main focus.Try to answer these questions: 1) What wrongs were committed? Pick the best 3 wrongs he committed. You partially explained these. 2) What does Amir think about redemption? Why does he seek it? Usually a person feels badly about something, or the other party is making his life miserable enough to cause him to cry,† ___! † 3) What action or words support him receiving redemption? 4) What action or words deny him redemption? 5) At the end is he redeemed? In the eyes of the wronged party? Did the wronged party (parties) know the truth that the reader knows? Does he feel redeemed?Did he know the same truth as everyone else? For the record, I've never read The Kite Runner. I don't have a copy of the novel either. I wanted to try to help you focus and organize your essay. I've written many A-essays over the years. | | zainboThreads: 1 Posts: 3 Author: Zain Mehdi | Mar 12, 2012, 08:37pm #6| thanks, ill try to work on it| | Essay Forum / Literature Review /| Unanswered [this forum] / Featured / Similar| Bottom of Form Similar discussions: * Michigan Supplement. Kite Runner * The Kite Runner: A Marxist Perspective * The Kite Runner Thesis Statement * HELP! Kite Runner Essay on Father/Son relationship * Persuasive essay on The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini + The Devil in the White City * The redemption of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities * Run after the kite –common app essay * UC Essay — I am a runner, track and cross-country * Developing Runner's Mindset — Common App Essay for Stanford * Morality and Responsibility essay (connection between Frankenstein and Blade runner) Random: MSW Essay on Parent Advocacy- Child Protective Services The discrimination theme in The Kite Runner helps explain? DiscriminationThe Kite Runner tackles the issue of ethnic discrimination in Afghanistan with an example of the relationship between Pashtuns and Hazaras. Baba's father sets an example for him of being kind to Hazara people, even though they are historically demeaned and persecuted. He could have easily sent Ali to an orphanage after his parents' death, but chose to raise him in his household. Baba does the same with Hassan, although this is complicated by the fact that Hassan is actually his son. Even in Baba's house, the house of best intentions, the class barrier between the Pashtuns and Hazaras endures.Ali is as dear to Baba as a brother; he calls him â€Å"family. † But Ali still lives in a hut and sleeps on a mattress on the floor. He tends the garden, cooks, and cleans up after Baba, and raises Hassan to do the same. So strong is Hassan's identity as a servant that even as an adult, when Baba is gone, he has no sense of entitlement. He insists on staying in the hut and doing housework. When Hassan dies defending Baba's house, he does so not because he feels it belongs to him, but because he is being loyal to Baba and Amir.In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, discrimination is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. On the one hand, the Taliban do not seem to care whom they are beating, torturing, or executing. Children like Sohrab and grandmothers like Sanaubar are all susceptible to the Taliban's cruelty. In this way, the Talibs discriminate against everyone but themselves. As Amir notices, Assef forces Sohrab to dance to music for his enjoyment dancing and listening to music have long been banned. Amir thinks, â€Å"I guessed music wasn't sinful as long as it played to Taliban ears. On another level, the Taliban discriminate specifically against the Hazara people. They massacre the Hazaras not only in Mazar-i-Sharif, but in the region of Hazarajat and nearly anywhere else they can find them. Assef and his fellow s do not see the Hazaras' lives as worthwhile; they barely see them as human. Assef tells Amir, â€Å"Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage. † Like his idol, Hitler, he feels entitled to killing those he deems unworthy of living in his land.He even relishes the term â€Å"ethnic cleansing† because it goes so well with his garbage metaphor. Hosseini has mentioned in interviews that his focus on discrimination in The Kite Runner angers some Afghans, who feel it is inappropriate. Like Baba, many people do not mention the Hazaras' history of persecution. Perhaps these people are so uncomfortable with this topic because by having Assef appear in pre-Taliban times and emerge as a leading Talib, Hosseini shows that the Taliban's persecution of the Hazaras and other Shiites is not new, but a greatly intensified outgrowth of long-held discrimination.In The Kite Runner friendship is a recurring theme, particularly in terms of how friendship is experienced between different social classes and castes. This is explored in the relationships between Baba and Amir who are Pashtun and Ali and Hassan who are Hazara. A central issue in the novel is how friendship is experienced, understood and expressed between social unequals when they have been pushed together by circumstances (Baba’s father’s adoption of Ali meant he and Baba grew up from boyhood together, followed by Amir and Hassan sharing their entire childhoods in the same house, despite their very different status within the household. Amir constantly reflects on the question of friendship: ‘But in none of his stories did Baba ever refer to Ali as his friend. The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. Not in the usual sense anyhow†¦Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a and n othing was ever going to change that. Nothing. ’ When questioned by Assef about his friendship with a Hazara Amir admits: â€Å"But he’s not my friend! † I almost blurted. â€Å"He’s my servant! Had I really thought that? Of course I hadn’t. I hadn’t. I treated Hassan well, just like a friend, better even, more like a brother. ’ Hassan regards Amir as his friend and shows it by his unfailing loyalty which is indicative of his awareness of the unequal power in the relationship. Amir is bothered by Hassan’s unfailing loyalty and self denial on his behalf. ‘For you a thousand times over’ is the repeated phrase expressive of this loyalty – and we note how it is this phrase which finally comes from Amir himself at the end of the novel.Hassan’s loyalty is brought out by Assef’s remarks before he assaults him: ‘Before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: Would he do the same for yo u? †¦ to him, you’re nothing more but an ugly pet. Something he can play with when he’s bored, something he can kick when he’s angry†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Hassan then says that he and Amir are friends, a remark which is again cynically rebuffed. The retrieved kite symbolises the strength of Hassan’s loyalty; this is in sharp contrast to the cowardice and disloyalty that Amir is about to show. However, Hassan never ceases to regard Amir as his friend as his letter confirms. Kite Runner Human beings are morally ambiguous people. We are neither purely evil nor purely good, but often a mix. And maybe that’s why many of us are attracted to literature works with morally ambiguous characters such as The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner was set in Kabul, Afghanistan, proceeds to United States during the Soviet Union invasion, and then the setting goes back to Kabul when the Taliban rises in power. In this novel, Amir, to whom the whole story of the book is centered around, is a morally ambiguous character.Amir is a Pashtun boy; he betrays his friendship with Hassan, a Hazara son of Amir’s father’s servant. Guilt haunts Amir for years even after he had left Kabul and moved to United States. Amir is a morally ambiguous character because he’s a coward, he’s selfish, he betrays his friend and lies, but he also finds courage to face what he had done wrong and finds salvation. The first part of the book The Kite Runner proves ho w Amir is not a purely good character.Amir often hangs out with the Hazara boy, Hassan and would tell Hassan that they are friends, but he still feels he’s above Hassan because Amir is Pashtun and Hazara people are considered below the Pashtun people. Amir wouldn’t hang out with Hassan when other Pashtun boys are with him, he also mocks the fact that Hassan can’t read, not considering the fact that Hassan doesn’t have the opportunity to get an education. Amir couldn’t stand Hassan’s intelligence: Amir had written a story about how a man’s tears turn into pearls when they fall into this magic cup, and the story ended with man’s wife dead in his arms on a mountain pile of pearls.When Hassan heard the story, he had enjoyed it, but he also raised a few questions that angered Amir, â€Å"Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to be sad to shed tears? Couldn’t he have just smelled an onion? † (p. 3 4). Amir was angry because a mere Hazara boy who couldn’t read had taught Amir something he, an educated boy, didn’t figure out. These few examples that show how Amir is mean and arrogant are nothing compared to what he does to Hassan later on.Assef is a Pashtun boy that truly hates Hazaras and believes that Hazaras should all disappear. When Amir catches Assef raping Hassan, instead of stepping in, Amir runs away and pretends nothing had happened. When guilt started eating Amir up and he couldn’t stand facing Hassan because Hassan reminds him of his cowardly action, he pinned a crime of thievery on Hassan in order to have Hassan evicted from his house. The second part of the book shows that Amir isn’t purely evil despite what he has done.For a while, Amir’s life is filled with the guilt of not saving Hassan from the rape and it kept Amir from being completely happy, even though he found the love of his life in America and got married. Then one day , Amir’s father’s friend, Rhahim, called him to give him a chance to redeem himself. â€Å"There’s a way to be good again† (p. 226). Amir did find a way to be good again. Amir went back to Afghan to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab, to take him with Amir because Hassan and his wife had been shot to death on the street by the Taliban.Amir finds Sohrab with Assef and ends up getting into a physical fight with Assef. Amir basically lets Assef beat him up and while being beat up, Amir feels relieved. â€Å"My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed. Healed at last† (p. 289). Amir felt that he was being healed from the guilt that has been crawling beneath his skin every single day. He had betrayed his one and only friend, Hassan, lied, and destroyed a chance where Hassan might have left to United States with him and would still be alive.Amir felt that he finally got what he deserved and h e felt much better, he had found salvation. And he had afterwards taken in Sohrab as his own son. Amir had been a coward; he had made selfish decisions and ruined Hassan’s live, but if he had been purely evil then he would not have felt guilt, nor would he have risked his life to bring back a mere Hazara’s son. But he had been filled with guilt and he had gone to find Sohrab and redeemed himself. And thus, Amir is a perfect example of a morally ambiguous character.