Existence Of God Essay -- essays research papers

The Existence of God   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since I can remember, I have believed in God. I had always thought that he existed in a way that we did not understand and or can not comprehend, and that is spiritually (Almighty). I have always thought that it would be impossible to prove/disprove God's existence (solely based on the spiritual aspect), because if he is the almighty then he can come and go as he sees fit (be seen and unseen as he sees fit, too). There has been a lot that has happened to me, not only in spiritual essences, but also in a physical essence that strengthened my beliefs that God exists. Call it social conditioning, that I have this belief, but my family and friends all have the same belief. Even after the class (First course in philosophy) has ended I am no more clear whether God exist (in a physical manner) or does not (at all). Since I have grown up in the belief that God exists (which has not brought on any harm), then I shall go with what I believe in and state that he does ex ist. Evidence that he does exist is not needed, for this is like a court case you are innocent until proven guilty. So with this in mind, he exist until you can prove his non-existence. Although there are many arguments to disprove his existence none are solid proof. Just like there are many arguments to prove his existence that lack physical proof, too. With this all in mind I will argue that the, so-called, evidence of his existence out ways that of his non-exist...

Arthur Miller’s †The Crucible Essay

In 1953 Arthur Miller wrote a play entitled The Crucible, by writing this he aimed to challenge the assumptions of US society and led people to question each others responsibilities. In the 1950’s senator Joe McCarthy started to exploit the US fears of communism and organised a witch hunt. Miller would have seen this as similar to the Holocaust in the sense that people were being wrongly accused of being witches when they were not. Arthur was a Jew and so would have had sympathy with these people and this in my eyes was one of the key factors in the writing of this play. During the 17th century there was an outbreak in the belief of witchcraft in Europe. This led to mass immigration from Europe to America; the immigrants were Puritans and so set up their own strict Christian communities. This is how Salem, Massachusetts came into being. Miller’s characters convey my point through their change of personality from Act I through to Act IV. There are different types of change throughout the play such as change in character, beliefs and loyalty and these all occur at some point in the play to different characters. Proctor, a farmer, goes from a local, well respected man to a man accused of being in contact with the Devil. Abigail transforms from sweet and beautiful to malicious and evil. Hale on the other hand is bought into the play as a witchcraft ‘expert’, he ends up struggling with this particular case and so changes into a frail, old and weak man. Putnam is much like Proctor and his story throughout the play is much the same and ultimately ends in death. The first time Putnam is mentioned he is said to be ‘vindictive’, meaning he is sly and malicious. But there is a reason for this nature of his; Miller does say that Thomas Putnam is a man ‘with many grievances’. This quote alone says that his vindictive nature comes after a certain event in his life, this being that James Bailey (his son in law) had been turned down as minister of Salem. But this changes completely as the accusations of witchcraft come out from the woodwork, instead of being scarred by this grievance he turns to his controlling self. During Act I the Putnam family cry witchcraft on a certain Rebecca Nurse; this is all Thomas Putnam’s alter ego. The Nurses were the ones who ultimately prevented James Bailey from taking office in Salem and for Putnam, blackening the Nurse name would surely open the gateway for Bailey to become minister of Salem. So, at the start of the play Putnam is portrayed as the accuser, and rightly so. But as we go on through the play we see Putnam’s character change somewhat rapidly from the accuser to the accused. This is proven correct when in Act III Danforth says, ‘Mr Putnam, I have here an accusation by Mr Corey against you.’ This accusation alone shows how Putnam’s personality has changed from one extreme to the other; he has gone from accuser to the accused. This outlook on Thomas Putnam goes someway to describing how the whole ordeal in Salem has changed everyone and is bigger now than ever before. This shocks the audience as it shows that this whole ordeal in Salem is changing even the most respectable of men. The next character we see is Reverend Hale; he is brought in by Parris as a master of the supernatural arts, witchcraft. We are first introduced to Hale as, ‘Mr Hale is nearing forty, a tight-skinned, eager-eyed intellectual’. This makes the audience think straight away that Hale is a well respected and well educated individual who is very contempt with his job, to the extent he actually enjoys it. Miller described Hale as someone who, ‘†¦felt the pride†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. This shows Hale took pride in the fact he was sought after and good at his job, and a specialist in such areas. So, from how Miller describes Hale we see his willingness to be involved with this court and eager to show off his ability, as this improves his self esteem.. So it would be easy to assume that Hale would be a figurehead for the further Acts in the play, this is true to some extent, until Act III where Hale ultimately loses his head; he realises how much this case has affected Salem and its citizens, ‘I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court’. This quote itself lets the audience know how much the situation in Salem has blown up into something that never should have been. How it has all spurred from one accusation to a further ten, then at the end, over one hundred. It shows the audience how the situation has affected so many people and that Hale is the first to realise this. He, as a result, quits the court, this giving evidence to the statement that Hale’s personality has completely changed. At first he wants to be involved (the hero) and take pride in his work. But now, n Act III he gets as far away from the case as possible, it shows how the situation is changing people, and more so how it has changed Reverend Hale. Hale is now portrayed as a weak, deflated individual, lacking in personality. He goes from strong to frail and deflated. The audience watching this would feel confused at seeing this radical change in this holy moral figure.  Possibly the most important ambassador for change in The Crucible is John Proctor. We are first introduced to him during Act I, Miller describes John Proctor as, ‘†¦a farmer in his middle thirties. He need not have been a partisan of any faction in the town’

Jayanta Mahapatra`s poem “Dawn at Puri” Essay

Jayanta Mahapatra`s poem â€Å"Dawn at Puri† narrates by describing the Oriyan landscape, especially the holy city of Puri. Mahapatra is deeply rooted in Indian culture and ethos with which he is emotionally attached as a poet. Though the language of expression is English his sensibility is ‘Oriya’. In order to appreciate the prescribed poem it is important to understand his sensitive attitude to the native socio cultural practices.Here in the poem under discussion, Puri is the living protagonist for him .Puri is not only a setting but also a protagonist because he presents a graphic description of Puri as a central as a place for the four ‘ dhams ‘or ‘sacred cities’ but also for the ‘math’ or the monastery set up by Shankaracharya . Lord Jagganath is the main deity in Puri who is in the form of Lord Vishnu. The way Mahapatra delineates the events and incidents in the poem shows us that he disapproves of what is going on under the cover of tradition and practices. Look more:  first poem for you essay You will notice how life lies like â€Å"a mass of crouched faces without names† and you also can see how people are trapped by faith as expressed in the expression â€Å"caught in a net â€Å". The shells on the sand are â€Å"ruined† the word, â€Å"leprous† is suggestive of decadence and infirmity. The poem evokes loss of identity, anonymity, death, disease and decadence. As I have mentioned above, most of the Hindus wished to be cremated in the land of Lord Vishnu. The speaker’s mother also had such a last wish, the wish to be cremated in Puri. This is fulfilled by the effort of her son in the blazing funeral pyre which is seen as â€Å"sullen† and â€Å"solitary† .The poem winds up on an uncertain note like the corpse of his dead mother.character .Here Puri is personified. At Puri, we find a stretch of beach called Swargadwara or ‘Gateway to heaven’ where the dead are cremated. Many pious Hindus and widows feel that it is possible to attain salvation by dying at Puri. Mahapatra states: â€Å"Her last wish to be cremated here/ twisting uncertainly like light/ on the shifting sands.†

Abolitionist Movement after the 1930s

Anti-slavery movement before the 1930s was humble, partly slow, not well supported. Anti-slavery movement before the 1930s was a spark that led to abolitionism in the 1930s. Due to the abolishment of the 1930s, big movements were born in America. White divisions of the country come and the whites who caused various riots when they released their slaves killed each other. Conquered Negros fought for the true status of American society in the hands of various abolitionist leaders who fully supported African Americans. On the other hand, the tension between the northern abolition movement and the slave owner continues to rise. After many years anti - slavery rhetoric was poured in the south (especially through the southern postal system) the abolishment movement eventually gained an important footing in the attack of slavery in 1835. A strong reaction was caused in Charleston, South Carolina. Anti-slavery pamphlets and pamphlets have created it, and the abolitionists are hurting the rep utation of the South and getting sympathy for the movement in the north. These behaviors by the abolitionists will only weaken the relations between the North and the North, eventually leading to tensions that have reached the culprits in the past 30 years. Roy Efenkenbin, a professor of history at the University of Detroit, in a national debate on the gradual escalation of slavery to the civil war, said that the fundamental abolition movement was largely endorsed primarily by the Northern people for the South explained. Slavery fights. . He said that when these previous slaves told their story in lectures and printmaking it was dissatisfied with the concept that the audience and readers would satisfy or treat slaves well. They said to be crowded in front of the audience and to stop them, and the unmodified story was equally effective at mobilizing the audience to slavery. Abolitionism (or abolishment movement) is an exercise to end slavery. This term can be used officially or info rmally. In Western Europe and the Americas, the abolishmentism is a historical move aimed at terminating the slave trade between Africa and India and releasing slaves. As an example of the abolition of slavery in France by Louis XIII of France in 1315, there was Spain's King Charles I called Charles V Emperor. He passed the law which would abolish colonial slavery in 1542, but the law did not go through the largest colonial state and was not enforced. In the late 17th century, the Roman Catholic Church accepted the request of Lourenà §oda Silvade Mendouà §a to formally condemn slave trade strongly approved by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839. However, the abolition campaign began in the late eighteenth century when British and American Quaker began to question the morality of slavery.

Spanish Language in Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spanish Language in Schools - Essay Example The first study to track Toronto high school students through Ontario's new four-year curriculum also show that students who speak Spanish, Portuguese or Somali are at higher risk than kids who speak any other of the city's most common languages. And they are more likely to fail Grade 9 math and flunk the Grade 10 literacy test, and are less likely to apply to college or university. (American Renaissance, 21 September 2008). The result of the survey is without a doubt shocking and this is the biggest pitfall which is taking place in many schools around the globe. Once a student drops out, his/her whole life will be affected because of that decision and not all can become Bill Gates even after dropping out. The whole census was taken in order to find out what exactly was the reason of the students not faring well in their exams and the facts which came out were really shocking. The background of the student matters a lot, if a student belongs to Mexico or Portugal and the school authorities have Spanish as a compulsory language in the curriculum, the student would be very disappointed because his background is not apt in learning the language and moreover if he fails to show any improvement, the disappointment will reach a different level and the student will surely think of dropping out. All these things matter a lot to the students; the pressure these days on days in huge and coping with that pressure is not that easy. Spanish should be taught in the schools but it shouldn't be made compulsory because the students in a school will surely be from diverse backgrounds and some other language other than Spanish can be introduced but in that case also it should not be made a compulsion. By learning a language no student can become intelligent and develop as a person, a schools curriculum should have subjects which will develop the overall personality of the s tudent and learning Spanish will certainly not do that. "The purpose of learning Spanish is to communicate with the people who speak the language and to understand their cultures." (Kuala High school, 21 September 2008). Though it can be argued that learning Spanish has many advantages but overall its effects on students is very negative, especially for the students from diverse backgrounds. Spanish is very difficult to learn and the pronunciation is very complicated, the same makes the language very tough to learn. The schools which include Spanish in their curriculum make a big mistake and those schools never take into consideration the students from diverse background, which is the biggest mistake which they make and the same results in the students dropping out from the school and ultimately spoiling their career. The situation should be well understood by the school authorities and it should not continue, the people responsible behind introducing Spanish in the school's curriculum should learn from their mistakes before it's too late . The most important point here is the diversity of students studying in various schools and the immigration policies. There are so many people who travel and settle in different countries and if the native language of that country is included in the curriculum then they will surely be discouraged and will feel like giving up studies forever. So many times it so

Theme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theme - Essay Example The theme applicable to her story is the importance of developing a strong sense of one's own identity and personal strength, despite challenges and difficulties in life. The essay aims to proffer justifications for the theme of developing a strong sense of identity to enable Ying-ying to regain the life she had, not only for her personal benefit, but more so for her daughter, Lena. Ying-ying’s story through the Moon Lady presented her vivid remembrance of the particularly special day when she was merely four years old and her nursemaid prepared her for the Moon Festival. The depiction of her character was so accurate in portraying a strong sense of fiery identity, always curious, on top of things and wanting to get her way. Despite being told to stay put or to observe traditional norms, Ying-ying defied everything as she narrated running after dragonflies, climbing to the rickshaw with her mother (instead of her amah), running through the length of their boat, watching a bird catch fishes, and falling into the water to be lost during the height of the Moon Festival. With all the commotions, the experience of being lost coincided with the metamorphic loss of her personal identity and strength as the fear that enveloped her during the experience transformed her life to silence and as she failed to relay her wish to the Moon Lady: to be found.

Changes by Tupac Shakur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Changes by Tupac Shakur - Essay Example Grossman and DeGaetano in their book "Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV Movie and Video Game Violence" (1999) pursue this idea even further, as they prove that media not only conditions children and young adults to violent behavior, but also teaches them the "mechanics of killing". The adherents of this theory consider rap music to be one of the greatest threats for the soles and minds of young Americans. Jay Nordlinger in his article "'Bang': Guns, rap, and silence - violence in rap music" published in National Review (April 2001) claims that "gangsta" rappers glory in guns and gun violence in song after song after song." He, along with the other social activists tries to persuade the society that gun violence promulgated in the lyrics and videos of some rap singers is one of the main reasons for the children to bring guns to school and shoot their teachers and classmates. But it's obvious that rap music videos solely are incapable of creating this effect. Social conditions such as poverty, racial discrimination, substance abuse, inadequate schools, joblessness, and family conflict and dissolution contribute to an environment that fosters violence not just rap music videos. Some journalists and psychologists prove that rap videos are just one of the ways of "selling" rap culture. It's true, that for many of the rap singers their music is just the way to earn money and popularity, thus they fill their songs with the content that sells successfully. Unfortunately, there is always a demand for violence on our market. Before blaming rap music and videos for encouraging children and teenagers to commit violent acts, we should try to find out why is this music so popular among them. Why American teens and young adults, at list part of them, want to listen and watch songs, clips, and movies where people abuse, rape and kill each other Maybe something is wrong with our educational system, as it's unable to persuade the youth in the futility and danger of violence, to teach them that their goals can be achieved using other methods Or the problem lies within the society that cannot offer some of its young inexperienced members other sphere for actualizing their potential than that of crime and violence Typac Shakur, who's one of the most prominent rap singers, of our time made a great impact on part of our contemporaries. His texts expressed the opinions for all of those, who were underprivileged because of their race and financial state. This singer had himself grown up in a poor Afro-American family, thus he knew about the realities that were present in his songs. Lots of people say that Typac, together with other rap singers often overcharged the difficulties and severities the Afro-American poor have to experience, but, nevertheless, his songs became tremendously popular. A question arises here which's would his creativity have been so popular if he were lying in his songs Tupac's song Changes is one of his attempts to let the world see what is going on in the blocks were the poor Afro-Americans dwell. Most of us don't believe it until we see it by ourselves, as our