Of Readers and Racial Narratives Essay Example for Free

Of Readers and Racial Narratives Essay Morrison explores the themes of fate and free will in a number of ways in the short story â€Å"Recitatif. † Regarding free will and the constant confusion over Maggie’s racial identity, Morrison is making the provocative point that a truly color blind society would still have acts of cruelty and their agents, who will never be able to really understand their own motivations. Through the picketing scene, she also explores another dark aspect of free will: that mistaken assumptions about racism and racist actions can, effectively, poor more fuel over the fire. See more: how to start a narrative essay The confusion over Maggie’s race also extends to the main characters, and the difficulty in discerning any definite racial identity on their part is Morrison’s clever way of drawing readers into the debate: after all, the arbitrary assignment of a certain identity to the two girls represents the reader trying to place a racial narrative on actions that do not inherently possess them. In doing so, the reader takes part in sowing confusion over race relations, and can more intimately understand how two life-long friends can end up on opposite sides of an ideological boycott because of the mistakes of the past. Morrison’s main inclusion of exploring fate is in the similar origins of the girls—she explores two lives that started out similar and yet ended up quite different, and invites the reader to determine what part (if any) race had to do with this. Discussion question: in forcing readers to overlay their own racial narrative over essentially color-neutral events, is Morrison the provocateur illustrating the inevitability of racism? And if so, what role should color-conscious modern students of race relations play in moving towards an integrated future?

Hotel Alka, Varanasi Essay --

Varanasi, the city of temples has 52 ghats on the banks of River Ganges. Hotel Alka is one of the top five hotels that provide one with a memorizing stay along the River Ganges. Located in the heart of the city on D3/23, Meer Ghat between the Dasaswamedh and Manikarnika ghats, the hotel is easily accessible from the Lal Bahahadur Shastri International Airport which is situated at a distance of 25 kms from the hotel. The hotel is much closer to the Varanasi Junction Railway Station that is only 5 kms away from it. It’s a breathtaking experience to view the beautiful Ganges from all the rooms of the hotel. One can also see splendid sunrise and sunsets, the Lord Vishwanath’s temple, boats floating on Ganges, people practicing yogic asanas and taking sacred bath in the holy river and a serene atmosphere filled with background score of the devotional songs from the balconies, rooms and restaurant of the hotel. One can really explore the River Ganga and Varanasi from hotel Alka. The best feature of the hotel is a huge courtyard and balconies perfect for relaxing and... Hotel Alka, Varanasi Essay -- Varanasi, the city of temples has 52 ghats on the banks of River Ganges. Hotel Alka is one of the top five hotels that provide one with a memorizing stay along the River Ganges. Located in the heart of the city on D3/23, Meer Ghat between the Dasaswamedh and Manikarnika ghats, the hotel is easily accessible from the Lal Bahahadur Shastri International Airport which is situated at a distance of 25 kms from the hotel. The hotel is much closer to the Varanasi Junction Railway Station that is only 5 kms away from it. It’s a breathtaking experience to view the beautiful Ganges from all the rooms of the hotel. One can also see splendid sunrise and sunsets, the Lord Vishwanath’s temple, boats floating on Ganges, people practicing yogic asanas and taking sacred bath in the holy river and a serene atmosphere filled with background score of the devotional songs from the balconies, rooms and restaurant of the hotel. One can really explore the River Ganga and Varanasi from hotel Alka. The best feature of the hotel is a huge courtyard and balconies perfect for relaxing and...

Honesty †the Best Policy Essay

Honesty is the human quality of communicating and acting truthful and with fairness, as best one is able. It is related to truth as a value. This includes listening, reasoning and any action in the human repertoire — as well as speaking. Superficially, honesty means simply, stating facts and views as best one truly believes them to be. It includes both honesty to others, and to oneself (see: self-deception) and about ones own motives and inner reality. Western views on honesty  Since the quality of honesty applies to all behaviors, one cannot refuse to consider factual information, for example, in an unbiased manner and still claim that one’s knowledge, belief or position is an attempt to be truthful. Such a belief is clearly a product of one’s desires and simply has nothing to do with the human ability to know. Basing one’s positions on what one wants — rather than unbiased evidence gathering — is dishonest even when good intentions can be cited — after all even Hitler could cite good intentions and intended glory for a select group of people. Clearly then, an unbiased approach to the truth is a requirement of honesty. Because intentions are closely related to fairness and certainly affect the degree of honesty/dishonesty, there is a wide spread confusion about honesty–and a general belief that being dishonest means that one always  correctly understands if their behavior is either honest or dishonest. Self-perception of our morality is non-static and volatile. It’s often at the moment we refuse to consider other perspectives that there is a clear indication we are not pursuing the truth, rather than simply and exclusively at the moment we can muster up evidence that we are right. Socrates had much to say about truth, honesty and morality, and explained that if people really understood that their behavior was wrong — then they simply wouldn’t do it — by definition. Unfortunately, honesty in the western tradition has been marginalized to specific instances — perhaps because a thorough understanding of honesty collides with ideologies of all types. Ideologies and idealism often exaggerate and suppress evidence in order to support their perspectives — at the expense of the truth. This process erodes the ractice and understanding of honesty. To an ideologist the truth quite often becomes insignificant, what matters most are their ideals and what ever supports their desires to enjoy and spread those ideals. Human beings are inherently biased about what they believe to be good due to individual tastes & backgrounds, but once one understands that a decidedly biased approach to what is true — is inherently dishonest, one can also understand how idealism and ideology have poorly served the quest for an honest, moral society. Both honesty and morality require that we base our opinions about what is good — upon unbiased ideas of what is TRUE — rather than vice versa (determining what is true based on what we feel is good) — the way all ideologies would have us believe. The studies of Confucius about honesty Confucius recognized several levels of honesty, fundamental to his ethics: His shallowest concept of honesty was implied in his notion of Li: all actions committed by a person to build the ideal society – aiming at meeting their surface desires of a person either immediately (bad) or longer term (good). To admit that one sought immediate gratification could however make a bad act better, and to hide one’s long term goals could cloud a good act. A key principle was that a â€Å"gentleman† must strive to convey his feelings honestly on his face, so that these could help each other coordinate for long term gain for all. So there was a visible relation between time horizon, etiquette and one’s image of oneself even in the mirror. This generates self-honesty and keeps such activities as business calm, unsurprising, and aboveboard. In this conception, one is honest because it suits one’s own self-interest only. Deeper than Li was Yi or righteousness. Rather than pursuing your own interests you should do what is right and moral – based on reciprocity. Here too time is central, but as a time span: since your parents spent your first three years raising you, you spent three mourning them after they die. At this level one is honest about one’s obligations and duty. Even with no one else to keep you honest or to relate to directly, a deeply honest person ould relate to ancestors as if they were alive and would not act in ways that would make them ashamed. This was part of the moral code that included ancestor worship, but Confucius had made it rigorous. The deepest level of honesty was Ren, out of which flowed Yi and thus Li. Confucius’ morality was based upon empathy and understanding others, which required understanding one’s own moral core first, rather than on divinely ordained rules, which could simply be obeyed. The Confucian version of the Golden Rule was to treat your inferiors as you would want your superiors to treat you. Virtue under Confucius is based upon harmony with others and a recognition of the honest reality that eventually (say in old age) one will come under the power of others (say one’s children). So this level of honesty is to actually put oneself in context of one’s whole life and future generations – and choose to do or say nothing that would not reflect one’s family’s honour and reputation for honesty and acceptance of truth, such as eventual death. Partially because of incomplete understanding of these deeper notions of honesty among Westerners, in Asian countries it is common to refer to those who do not have them as barbarians. While sometimes Asian cultures sanction an almost intolerable degree of delay and ambiguity for Western tastes, it is very often to avoid lying, or giving a positive impression where doubt exists. These would be thought dishonest by Asians. Thus pressing for a decision on a matter where it is not yet possible to give an honest commitment or answer is seen as extremely rude – in effect, forcing someone to choose to be either rude or dishonest. Both being unthinkable in traditional culture, one thus delays. A Buddhist teaching on honesty Thanissaro Bhikkhu taught: â€Å"Real honesty is being honest about what your possibilities are, what your potentials are. Thats where true honesty lies. It stretches us. It’s not simply admitting where we are – that’s a beginning step, it’s not the end step. So be honest about where you are but also be honest about what your possibilities are. That keeps the challenge of the path always before us. †

Buddhism A New Way Of Life Without Materialistic Needs...

In the universe there s a galaxy, and on this galaxy there s the solar system, and in this solar system there is a planet earth, and in this planet earth lives 7 billion people. We are all the same, but divided by key things; oceans and mountains, culture and society, but most important religions and beliefs. Out of the hundreds of practices and beliefs that make part of planet earth one of the most interesting form of religious practice is Buddhism. Buddhism is the practice of finding peace within one s self by developing inner peace, wisdom and kindness. This practice dates back 2,500 years, and the founder is known as Buddha Shakyamuni. He was born a royal prince in a town called Lumbini; originally part of northern India but now makes part of Nepal. When Buddha was 29 years old, he retired from his royal life and left to the woods to follow the spiritual life of meditation. He found a new way of life without materialistic needs by finding inner enlightenment. Buddha teaches how t o get liberation from suffering from oneself, and how to attain enlightenment for the sake of others; his main goal was to give people permanent liberation from suffering by helping them find lasting peace or nirvana. The Buddhist culture believes that all of our problems are caused by a confused and negative state of mind, but all good fortune and happiness comes from a positive state of mind. Buddhism is meant to teach the human mind how to overcome negative minds like ignorance, anger,Show MoreRelatedThe Growth Of Technology And Consumerism1528 Words   |  7 Pagescreates an extremely materialistic society, where people feel they must ‘keep up with the Jones’. This leads to criminal activity such as muggings, theft, and breaking and entering all to obtain material items. 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Atman and Brahman are identical with oneRead MoreIndi Challenging Indian Religious Authority1300 Words   |  6 PagesIn short, it is a journey of a Brahmin s son Siddhartha- transitioning from spiritual to materialistic and back to the spiritual world to attain self-realization, authenticity, and spirituality. The novel s setting takes place in ancient India, during the period of the Gautama Buddha (The Sublime One). Below, I will show how Siddhartha’s story legitimates Hinduism, but challenges both Hinduism and Buddhism. According to Siddhartha neither Brahmins, Samanas nor Buddha can teach how to attain NirvanaRead MoreBuddhism And Its Impact On Society Essay1263 Words   |  6 Pagesis Buddhism. Buddhism is the practice of finding peace within ones self by developing inner peace, wisdom and kindness. This practice dates back 2,500 years, and the founder is known as Buddha Shakyamuni. 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(Liette) She does work in a notorious neighborhood in Chicago and deals with youth using restorative justice, or making youth accountable without having them placed in the criminal justice system. She puts the gospel values into action when she works with the community. One of the tools that is used is the circle which is story telling in a way. An example of when this was put into use and worked was when a youth was caught after breaking into a police officer ’s home. The circle time provedRead MoreMy Favorite Food Brings Me Comfort And Satisfaction2027 Words   |  9 Pagesresponses in people† (15). These experiences help create feelings, which then help people better interact with their world. This interaction can be portrayed in Buddhism. Buddhism serves as a hope and an escape from the harsh realities of the world through the aspects of Buddha’s teachings, Mara temptation, and enlightenment. Buddhism is a combination of interactions with the sacred, one of the main human interactions is done by following the Buddha. â€Å"To follow the Buddha means to be like him†Read MoreA Brief Note On The Japanese Religion Of Shintoism1446 Words   |  6 PagesDocumentary Questions: 1. People tended to worship nature gods such as spirits of the earth, sky and river. As the human communities matured and developed, local, tribal and ancestral spirits became the center of focus in their beliefs and religious life. This leads to inferring that people did not understand natural phenomena and thought it was a punishment for their behavior from the deities. People thought natural phenomena was able to change based on their relationships with the deities. 2. PeopleRead MoreThe Existence Of Religion And Spirituality Essay1737 Words   |  7 Pagescurrent religion. The surviving art documents and ideological evolution in human consciousness: People saw themselves in a new relationship to the environment and to other living species. Human, mostly female, representation was growing in importance; the male was still generally confined to a zoomorphic form (Gadon, 25). People lived peacefully with the earth and coexisted without causing great harm to nature. Humans hunted when they needed to eat and used all the animal had to offer. Sadly, howeverRead MoreThe Nature Of The Universe Balance2033 Words   |  9 Pageson â€Å"All there is with no thinking† and had a chill down my spine. Since little, I learnt that everything has its nature and force of flow. We need to respect the forces and the nature without purposively altering the force. We accept things are just at it is, it has its nature. These are from the idea of Taoism, â₠¬Å"Wu Wei†. It does not mean that we do not need to think before an action, instead, we do not put exaggerated and forceful energy to make something to flow. I also, believe the existence and