socialist feminist criticism :: essays research papers fc

Socialist Feminist Criticism: You Dropped the Bomb on Me, Baby   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feminism and gender studies have been described as having the ability to â€Å"challenge literary and culture theory to confront the difficult task of assimilating the findings of an expanding sphere of inquiry† (Contemporary Literary Criticism 567). This area of study has taken center stage during the last fifty years, not only in our society, but also in literary criticism. Although the terrain Feminism traverses can hardly be narrowed down to one single definition, the exploration of the genre can, at times, be the most intriguing feature of the criticism itself. While feminism has undoubtedly changed the way women and gender roles are considered in society today, it has also had an impact on the way that I, too, read literature, look at American culture, and view the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walter Ong suggests that â€Å"‘literature’ itself is the product of—or completely wound up and ‘imbricated’ in—the social contexts out of which it grows† (CLC 461). The social contexts that exist in our society have not only affected our societal systems themselves, but also have changed the way we view our class systems, gender roles, and sexual choices. Viewing society from a Marxist perspective can also help us decipher the unspoken rules that govern us. â€Å"Not only do Marxist critics want criticism to be constantly aware of history—both present and past history—in reading and literature, they also demand that the criticism become more overtly political or†¦ ‘politically informed,’ so that it attempts, as Marx said, not simply to interpret but to change the world† (CLC 462). This intent is similar to that of the feminist genre in that both camps are seeking to change the w ay we understand the world and to eventually change the world itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feminism and Marxism are further intertwined if you consider the female sex as a social class of its own. In my analysis of Walt Whitman’s poem, I Hear America Singing, I commented that â€Å"by studying cultures and societies from the Marxist vantage point we are better equipped to understand the affects of social classes on our lives. The theories of Marxism provide the thinking worker with an understanding which is capable of leading him through the many events and complex processes of society, economics, the struggle of classes, and politics.† But, by utilizing these techniques in combination with those of the Feminist perspective, we are equipped with an even greater microscope under which to examine the social contexts that surround and inevitably influence us.

Symbolism in the Red Convertible

October 1st, 2012 Symbolism in the Red Convertible In writing, authors use symbolism to relay a deeper meaning to what they actually write. This technique captures important elements and gives the reader an idea of the theme of the story without the author directly telling them. Louise Erdrich uses symbolism to help emphasize and reveal the themes and message of her stories. â€Å"The Red Convertible,† by Erdrich, is a story about brotherly love as the highest value between two brothers, Lyman and Henry, and also about the difficulties veterans of war and their families face at post-war times.Symbolism plays a big part in this story, revealing the hardships Henry brings home from the battlefields of Vietnam, and to show Lyman's difficulties with handling separation and distance from his brother. The story is told from Lyman Lamartine’s point of view as he recounts the relationship he had with his older brother, Henry. He says how they both bought a red Oldsmobile conver tible on impulse and traveled the country with it. He recalled it as a very happy and carefree time between the brothers. Then Henry went off to fight in the Vietnam War and when he returned he was a very changed man.He was depressed and lost interest in everything, including the car and his brother. When Lyman realizes the relationship between him and his brother will never be the same, he takes a hammer and beats the car up so it is in horrible condition. Henry sees the broken car and fixes it up. Once finished, the boys drive the car to a lake and  Henry tries to give Lyman complete ownership of the car but Lyman constantly refuses. The brothers enjoy a tiny moment of laughter and hopefulness and after spending a couple good minutes together, Henry tells Lyman that he needs to cool off, and he jumps into the river.Apathetically, Henry says that his boots have filled with water and he goes under in the current. Lyman tries to save his brother but can’t. Then he turns the car on and sends it into the river, watching it sink to its demise just like Henry. The red convertible could be seen as a symbol of attachment. The two brothers by the car on impulse, using all the money they had with them, and soon it becomes their source of fun, adventure, and relaxation. This car creates a strong bond between them. Both brothers owned the car and left a part of them attached to the car.Henry then goes off to war, and hands his keys to Lyman, but the car is abandoned just like the brothers relationship. The war has broken the attachment between the brothers. From this point, the boys try to give full ownership of the car to the other brother, realizing that neither of the brothers can own the entire red convertible for himself, because they both have part of themselves sentimentally attached to it. When Henry drowns, Lyman is compelled to drive the car in the river, destroying the part of the car that was Henrys.Without Henry, half of the car is symbolically miss ing and Lyman knows he cannot ever drive the car again because car was only driven when the boys were attached. The Oldsmobile could also be seen as a symbol of brotherhood and the war-torn relationships of soldiers when they return home. When they bought the car, they did not need to discuss it because they understood each other without saying a word. They travel together, and this represents a normal, healthy brotherly relationship. When Henry returned a changed man, he was not interested in anything, including Lyman and the car.Lyman understood and caught on that his brother did not care for life anymore because the car was life to him before the war and now Henry doesn’t care for it. When Lyman destroys the car in an attempt to get Henry interested, it is his gesture of brotherly love and also a demonstration of the separation between them. The car portrays the destroyed relationship between Henry and Lyman. And in response, Henry repairs the car, putting the last of his soul into the car. He remembers the condition the car and himself was in before the war and is concerned. Eventually Henry realizes he could not fix himself.This reflects the concerns that many soldiers had coming home regarding the futures of their relationships and how they feared it would just be another casualty of the war, which many were, including Henry and Lyman’s. He uses the fixed convertible to save his love for his brother. Later when Henry tells Lyman to take care of the car, both brothers understood that Henry was preparing for death. He could not leave the world with the car and his relationship with his brother broken, and fixes the car as his last shot to save both. When the car was finished and He and Lyman went on one more trip, he was ready to die.Lyman saw the car more as an instrument to try and return his brother to the way he used to be before the war. But once Henry drowns and dies, the car is useless to him. There is symbolism in the short story that reflects Native American culture in the modern world. Lyman and Henry go on trips for months, travelling the country. These trips could represent the nomadic lifestyle of early Native Americans. At the end of the story, before Henry drowns himself, he and Lyman share a moment of fun and laughter. Henry does a wild and crazy dance, and this could be reflected as a ritual or traditional dance of Native Americans.The color red is a big symbol in the story. The convertible is red and was specifically put in the title and story by Louise Erdrich. Red has a positive and negative meaning. Positively, red means strength and love. This reflects Henry and Lyman because their brotherhood bond was strong and powerful, and they loved each other. Red could also mean aggression and war. This obviously reflects the war that damaged the relationship between the brothers and ruined Henry, and also the anger the brothers had that the relationship and their lives were not the same and would never be t he same again.The color red shows up more in the story, like in the beginning when the two travels to the Blood Reservation and meet a girl named Susy. Blood is obviously red, and Susy represents a part of their lives that was happy and carefree, and would never be the same. She impacted the boy’s lives and the free-spirit they once had. The color red appears once more on the boy’s very last trip when they head east to Red Rock. This is where Henry accepts death and that his life will never be the same again and commits suicide. In literature,  symbolism  is used to give meaning to the writing beyond what is actually written on the page.The plot and actions that take place can be thought of as one level, while the symbolism is on another, deeper level to enhance the story. In her short story, â€Å"The Red Convertible,† Louise Erdrich uses symbolism to help the reader see the message and theme of the story. She takes the color red, the convertible, and other moments in the story and has hidden symbols and meanings in them that emphasize the theme of strong brotherhood between Lyman and Henry and the negative aftermath that war has on its soldiers relationships back home.

African American History: A Close Up on Baptist Churches Essay

As you enter through the door on the first level of this San Francisco-based Baptist-rooted church, you become overwhelmed by the warm hug and kiss of Sister â€Å"What’s-her-name?† as she bold and kindly greets you, â€Å"Good morning! God bless you!† Walking up the stairs heading into the Worship Center, Brother and Sister â€Å"So and so† affectionately embrace you, just as an aunt or uncle would at a family function. In an instant, you are drawn in by the harmonious singing of the choir over the upbeat sounds of musicians playing the drums, keyboard, guitars, organ and tambourines. As you look around, you may not recognize everybody, but you sense a powerful family-like bondage. Although the love of Christ is all-inclusive to any and everyone, this non-exclusive church is predominantly African American in population. There is a noticeably implied bond which seems to be more genuine, the more melanin you contain. This tremendously impacts individuals within the congregational community. Why is it that the most segregated hour in America continues to be 11:00am Sunday morning? Research directs us towards clues on how church origins and U.S. history has and still is heavily influencing African Americans in the Modern Church of today. In James P. Eckman’s Exploring Church History he writes about the foundation of the church starting with the Apostolic Age, which began around 30 B.C. and immediately followed the death of Jesus Christ in the first century, through the modern church of the 21st century. Reviewing the timeline from the Apostolic Age (1st century) to the Church Fathers (95-300s), onto Ancient Church and Theology (4th century), following the Medieval Church (400-1500s), through the Reformation period and Catholic Church (16th century), to the Scientific Revolution (1600-1700s) onto the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, we discover that many events influenced the building and forming of the â€Å"black church† in America. Tracing these events we can see a thread of the Christian Church trailing through European countries for several hundreds of years. In the latter of events above, we learn that Europeans began enslaving Africans and started to migrate over to a land that we now know as America. During the  developmental period of the first African American Churches in the 1700-1800s slavery was very prevalent in the United States. Henry H. Mitchell, author of Black Church Beginnings, predisposes how though enslaved Africans had their own religious traditions and practices, there were some overlooked factors that contributed to their fascination in Christianity which soon took route in the African American Society. He goes on to state that the typical West African town was a community of faith. The tribesmen generally assumed that if they lost a war to another tribe or nation, the god of the triumphant party ought to be included in their beliefs since the conquerors’ god was strong enough to grant them victory (Mitchell, page 33). He discusses how they found commonality between their expressive African culture and the unheard of, free expressiveness for whites in their churches. The Africans became more and more interested as they began interpreting the Bible for themselves and found parallels in traditional African religion. They were able to relate to the Old Testament stories [like the enslavement of Hebrews by the Egyptians] and saw hope in Moses and Jesus as mighty deliverers. The above mentioned were significant factors which ultimately led to African slaves placing their hope in â€Å"the white man’s† God and Bible: The Black church in America had its origins in the slave religion of the American South. Deprived of their identity, oppressed by their masters, and unable to establish their own institutions, many slaves turned to Christianity. Faith in Jesus Christ gave them hope for the future when His justice would right the wrongs done to them. (Eckman, page 98) Near the dawning of the formation of the original black churches in the 18th century, some slave masters allowed [or even required] slaves to attend church services with them. Others allowed monitored the worship services, however, they were plagued with fears of possible rebellion. Mitchell describes contrasts between liberal and oppressive slave masters. Some oppressive masters withheld knowledge of Christianity from slaves and beat or even killed those who began to worship God devotedly (Mitchell, page 33). Many, if not all, plantations held stealthy worship services in the woods, swamps or brushes. L. Maffly-Kipp describes, in her article â€Å"African American Religion in the Beginning†, how the slaves used symbolism that was not detectible by their captors. It’s as though Africans began to develop a secret society and reactively initiated exclusive churches. The underground services of worship were labeled as the â€Å"Invisible Institution† since they were invisibly held to the eyes of slave masters. Here the slaves began mixing the Christian faith with African rhythms and singing, which led to the formation of the Negro spirituals (Maffly-Kipp). Most spirituals contained two-folded meanings of worship and freedom. [From time to time, (especially in February or around January 15th) we’ll hear some of these old Negro spirituals in today’s predominantly black churches.] Maffly-Kipp infers as the Africans made their appeals of justice unto God, they were also organizing and planning escapes. According to Melva Wilson Costen, author of African American Christian Worship, the first African American church of record, founded in 1758 in Luneberg, VA, was called Bluestone African Baptist Church —owned mostly by slaves. The number of African American churches grew throughout the U.S. between the years of 1750-1800 (over 20 churches of record). Bluestone and subsequent black founded congregations contained partial white populations where they were outnumbered by blacks however Euro-American preachers, as controlling moderators, oversaw these churches. African Americans were not encouraged to lead the congregations (though many were considerably powerful preachers and potential leaders) nor were they allowed any voting privileges. The African American Church continued to evolve in the South and dominant denominations of Baptist and Methodist expanded nationally from 1841-1865. Leadership began to change as did laws towards the end of the 19th century, post the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, 1865 Abolition of Slavery (13th Amendment), 1868 Civil Rights (14th Amendment) and 1870 Voting Rights (15th Amendment). The early Black Church played a significant role in social activism by oratorical pressing towards the abolitionist movement, assisting  in the Underground Railroad, ministration in civic and social responsibility, and through slave insurrections. As Mitchell put it, â€Å"in the root culture of African Americans, nothing is excludable from the design and will of God† (page 138). [This is noteworthy; we’re able to see a continuum of legislative struggle against Africans throughout American history, in a way which the church is affected and involved.] In 1894, a pride-filled, yet rare, exception for African Americans occurred when the pastor of the first African Baptist Church was elected Moderator and Preacher of the Philadelphia Baptist Association. While racial discrimination took many blows, one civil case in Louisiana devastated the progression towards its elimination. In 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to enact the separate-but-equal principles in the famous Plessy v Ferguson case, disregarding equality while planting proliferate seeds of segregation throughout the nation (Records of Supreme Court). This ruling gravelly punctured the church as it promoted separation between Christians, which was contrary to the â€Å"Love thy neighbor as thyself† Christian teachings. As history reveals, for more than 50 years our national society was structured in such way to where the non-association between European Americans and minority races was the norm. After several years of social discomfort, the church began to take a stand against this legal inequality. In Rhetoric, Religion and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965 by Davis Houck and David Dixon a passion-filled recording of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at a conference in Nashville, TN on April 25, 1957 is referenced (pages 217-224). We find Dr. King proclaiming his strong conviction of faith and declaring his hope in God for deliverance while attacking the moral issues of the Supreme Court’s decision made in the 1896 case. The revolutionary reverend, who led the Civil Rights Movement, charged the Christian Church with the responsibility of standing up against segregation and discrimination (Houck & Dixon, page 220), speaking to all Christians urging them to keep in mind that they answer to God and not the opinions of men. {In all my research, it was here that I saw the shift of focus from African American Christian Heritage to just Christian Heritage.} How difficult would it be for the masses to grasp this concept after hundreds of years of contradictory conditioning? We now live in an era postdating the Civil Rights Movement by more than 40 years; in a time where we [as a nation] elected our first African American president. In the most diverse area of the country (San Francisco), while we are starting to see more racially integrated churches in the Bay Area, 11:00am Sunday morning [for some reason] continues to be the most segregated hour across the U.S. Clearly these historical events continue to affect today’s African Americans within church communities and all people within congregational communities. What else can be concluded from this research? Old habits die hard. . Works Cited Ammerman, Nancy Tatom. Congregation & Community. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1997. Print Costen, Melva Wilson. African American Christian Worship. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993. Print. Eckman, James P. Exploring Church History. Wheaton: Crossway Books a division of Good News Publishers, 1996. Print. Houck, Davis W.; Dixon, David E. Rhetoric, Religion and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006. CityCat.Web. March 3, 2010. Maffly-Kipp, L.. â€Å"African American Religion In the Beginning. † Mississippi Link 4 Feb. 2010,Ethnic NewsWatch (ENW). ProQuest. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. Mitchell, Henry H. Black Chruch Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publising Company, 2004. Print. Records of the Supreme Court of the United States. â€Å"Plessy v Ferguson† OurDocuments.gov, May 18, 1896, Web. March 3, 2010

Italian Renaissance essays

Northern/Italian Renaissance essays Northern Vs. Italian Renaissance Art The characteristics of art that seem the most prevalent during the Renaissance are Classical Revival (going back to Greek and Roman times for subject matter and inspiration), Humanism (the idea that humans are focus), Window of Nature (the idea of including nature in the pieces), Syncretism (including Greek and Roman mythology and/or characteristics in Renaissance art), Cult of Beauty (Plato's notion of ideal beauty and love), Empiricism (making the work look as real as possible), Individualism (individuals are important, and become a focus of art), and Idealism (humans and religious figures are painted in their most ideal form). Raphael's fresco The School of Athens and Brueghel's oil painting The Wedding Dance. Although both pieces contain the characterizing elements of Renaissance art, they are different in many Raphael's fresco stands 26 feet by 18 feet and is a model of Italian Renaissance art, containing obvious examples of each of the components of Renaissance art. The School of Athens is a prime model of the Classic Revival. The school portrayed is a school of philosophy in ancient Athens. The people are wearing Greek loose fitting robes for their garments. The architecture of the building is primarily Greek with the columns and arches representing those of the times of Aristotle and Plato, whom are also represented. Humanism and Individualism can be seen in the fresco because humans are the subjects of the painting. Individual people are the focus of the piece, and each has been given their own personality and identity. Raphael has done a phenomenal job depicting each person's facial expression and body movement. The Window of Nature is evident (although not as prevalent as in other works of this time period) in the background of the work in the clouds painted over the heads of Aristotle and Plato. Raphael h...

Affects on New Englands and the Chesapeakes Culture essays

Affects on New England's and the Chesapeakes Culture essays New England and the Chesapeakes citizens may have the same English origin, but they each have very distinct, tightly knit societies. Every region has their own separate way of running their colony that causes differences in development to occur. So no matter where their origin, their new home decides their religion, government, and culture. Religion was an important factor in New England and they took it very seriously. When people like John Calvin and Anne Hutchinson came along bringing their beliefs of predestination with them, it usually led to banishment. New England wanted to lay down their laws so they formed the Church of England in 1530. Some of the regulations associated with the Church upset some puritans and they tried to break away. The people of New England were such firm believers in their religion, sometimes leading to extremes of obsessive fear, which resulted in the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Religion was somewhat intertwined with the government in New England. At least one intelligent, religious person was trying to make the rules better. For example, John Winthrop. He came to the realization that in order to be united and respected, they must be considered higher. This concept was referred to as the city upon a hill (Document A). Another attempt to create a better society happened in 1639 when the first constitution in American history was drafted. It was controlled by substantial citizens and based on the consent of the people. Many other laws and standards were created during this time, trying to start effective colonizations based on Godly faith and morals (Document D). The one thing that made New Englands government strong was their ability to try. Religion and government did take up most of New Englands time but culture was a big part of their life also. They had such an eager focus on the subject of education that their first college, Harvard, was foun...

Statistical Measures of Unemployment

Statistical Measures of Unemployment Most data regarding unemployment in the United States is collected and reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS divides unemployment into six categories (known as U1 through U6), but these categories dont line up directly with the way that economists categorize unemployment. U1 through U6 are defined as follows: U1 Percentage of labor force unemployed 15 weeks or longerU2 Percentage of labor force who lost jobs or completed temporary workU3 Percentage of labor force who are without jobs and have looked for work in the last four weeks (note that this is the officially reported unemployment rate)U4 U3 plus the percent of the labor force that counts as discouraged workers, i.e. people who would like to work but have stopped looking because they are convinced that they cant find jobsU5 U4 plus the percent of the labor force that count as marginally attached or loosely attached workers, i.e. people who would theoretically like to work but havent looked for work within the past four weeksU6 U5 plus the percent of the labor force that counts as underemployed, i.e. part-time workers who would like to work more but cant find full-time jobs Technically speaking, the statistics for U4 through U6 are calculated by adding discouraged workers and marginally attached workers into the labor force as appropriate. (Underemployed workers are always counted in the labor force.) In addition, the BLS defines discouraged workers as a subset of marginally attached workers but is careful not to double count them in the statistics. You can see the definitions directly from the BLS. While U3 is the main officially reported figure, looking at all of the measures together can provide a broader and more nuanced view of what is happening in the labor market.

Pagan Influence in the Culture of Ukraine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Pagan Influence in the Culture of Ukraine - Essay Example   Although this construct may come as something of a shock to many, the different methods whereby Ukraine and the influences that have acted upon as compared to the United States ultimately make for a very distinct culture (Schulman 1998). The first determinant of this is the level to which paganism plays into the fabric of society. True, the nation itself has been â€Å"Christian† since the time of Prince Vladimir the Great (circa 988 AD), the long history of the people and the subsequent invasions from the East, including Mongols, Tatars, Khazars, and a litany of other peoples from the steppes of Central Asia meant that a great deal of diverse pagan beliefs were interjected into the culture of the nation as a function of the various tribes and kingdoms that spent time ruling over Ukraine (Holmes 2007). This level of paganism is exhibited in a litany of different ways within the culture; one of these being the celebration of the holiday â€Å"Ivana Kupala† which celebrates the life force of the rivers, lakes, and streams and continues to be celebrated throughout Ukraine and many other Eastern European countries (Culture and Arts 2009). Similar winter solstice activities have also engrained themselves into the culture as dances around the base of fir trees, harvest celebrations, days for the dead, and a litany of other pagan holidays and references pervade the culture in ways that would not necessarily be the case in the United States. There are of course a number of superstitions that continue to pervade the culture as well. An example of this includes the belief that whistling indoors means that the individual will soon have no money.  Ã‚