Proving King Lear Is a Tragedy Essay

A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances. A flaw in the character of the protagonist of a tragedy that brings the protagonist to ruin or sorrow. a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat: King Lear is a perfect example of a tragedy. In a typical tragedy, the main character, or tragic hero, is brought to suffer some extreme sorrow, because of a tragic flaw he possesses. King Lear, the tragic hero, carries the tragic flaw of vanity, which causes his downfall. His demise begins with him believing his two insincere older daughters, Goneril and Regan, tell him that they love him more than anything, and casts out his youngest daughter, Cordelia, who truthfully tells him, â€Å"I love your majesty according to my bond; nor more nor less† (Shakespeare 4). Lear is too arrogant to see that Cordelia is the daughter that truly loves him and throws out anyone close enough to tell him his mistake. As the plot progresses, Lear realizes Goneril and Regan have betrayed him and Cordelia did truly love him, but still refuses to return to Cordelia begging for forgiveness. At this point, Lear is mad, but Cordelia wants to nurse him back to health. Cordelia dies and later Lear dies of grief all because of his vanity.

Is It Art Essay

What is art? Every person has an individual response to an artwork which is determined through the collaboration between an individual and a specific artwork. If it contributes to your experience, as a consequence being symbolic of something, then it is probably art for you. It is therefore very problematic in order to supply a definition that comprises the whole world’s thoughts and feelings. Some believe that anything and everything in the world is art, while others believe that it takes aptitude, creativity, and an imagination to produce true art. Art can be a reflection of one’s idea brought into the world through painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, architecture, and many other ways. Artworks are determined and different according to an individual’s perceptions, beliefs, and ideas. To begin to decide what we like or dislike depends upon the subject matter of the work what it depicts and its contents, what the subject matter means, symbolizes, or radically opposes. Taking a trip in Washington, D. C. with my Uncle to Maya Lin’s Vietnam Memorial is an example of conflicting art. Many people viewed the monument as an insult to the memory of the very soldiers to whom it was supposed to pay honor. Depending upon an individual’s perspective, to be able to walk up out of the gentle slope out of the V, symbolizes for many the process of healing. The names chiseled in the wall, inflicts serious emotional feelings when you find the name of a loved one or a friend. Depending on how the light hits the polished granite it reflects first your own image back at you, as if to say that your life is what these names fought for. Just the sheer meaning of the fight for our freedom, lost lives there and psychologically even after returning state side, all for another’s life is symbolic art. Similarly is the lighted frog mosaic art lamp my mother purchased during a mother daughter scavenger hunt. At first sight it could be construed as the ugliest thing. Agreeing first glance or look it is ugly, does not fit, or have a particular purpose. Now, with second sight, added to the fact of mother passing, that same mosaic lighted lamp is the most beautiful piece of art. The symbolic emotional feelings of looking at the intertwined pieces of light blue pieces of glass at the base of the frog depict the water of its freedom. The different shades of green glass pieces of the frog make it representational. The black molding holding the glass pieces together give continuity, shape, and naturalistic features to the lamp, thus, creating the illusion that it is real. Lively color lastly conveyed to the interior of your home imparts the feeling of joy and love evoked with exceptional time spent between mother and child is symbolic of family love. Another art that is interpreted as representational would be tattoos. The shear pain from the needle into your body is permanent making it a work of art. The one drawn by their owner with underlying meaning can be the most symbolic than one drawn but the actual tattooist. To wear an angel on your skin can convey many underlying significances, yet to have a faceless angel portrays a deep meaning. Everyday millions of people come in contact with angels, whether it is a smile, kind word, motivation, helping hand, prayer, or assisting force in an individual’s daily life. Then to have the Chinese letters of eternal faith under that faceless angel can have various values. This is symbolic of having eternal faith that the world is surrounded by everyday angels forever. After all this said in conclusion I can say that art is surely not seen with open eyes, but with open minds. Minds open for absorption of painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, architecture, and many other ways. From the examples above, I can also say that art is also an act of giving a small part of you in order to express through the art piece. The portrait of Mona Lisa is not only a portrait of a woman is also a portrait of Leonardo’s need to express him through color, composition, and symbolic feelings of tranquility. When we are seeing the subject matter, we are not staring just a landscape, sculpture, or portrait; we are observing the artist’s needs and emotions reflected by the needs of society for art. Art can be symbolic whether it is representational, abstract, or nonobjective.

Overpopulation The Only True Environmental Problem Essay

In today’s society that we live in, there are countless of environmental problems that we face, such as global warming, fishing, pollution, and many other topics of that matter. These issues have affected our environment for the worse and have caused problems physically and economically. Yet, out of all the issues that effects our world on a daily basis, it is shown that overpopulation is one if not, is our biggest issue in our environment that is only getting worse due time, especially due to the rapid growth of the human population and the limited resources that are left on earth that we absolutely need to tend to our growing population. Even Dr. Charles A. Hall, who is a systems ecologist, states that, â€Å"Overpopulation is the only†¦show more content†¦The characteristic of acid rain is when it falls; it tends to eat away anything it particularly lands on. Damages can range from a variety of things such as weather, soil, and the cycles of a bunch of animals and plants. Acid rain also tends to contaminate lakes and even drinkable water which can be unhealthy for people in those areas where acid rain contaminates bodies of water. If acid rain contaminates the drinking water, it could potentially get people sick and take lives. Acid Rain has countless of effects that can directly negatively affect humans and our environment. Overpopulation has also increased industrial development, which goes hand to hand with higher living though, the increase in industry development will take away the amount of freshwater that would be available due to the continuous dumping of industrial waste being dumped into fresh water, also, in having a major increase in industrial development, we end up causing a major decrease in natural wildlife sue to the fact of building over open spots in nature to expand. Increase in industrial development would also cause hi living standards which generally makes people want to consume more resources which then creates even m ore waste and tends to increases the life expectancy which gives a negative effect on tryingShow MoreRelatedOverpopulation Is Not The Problem1395 Words   |  6 Pages Overpopulation Overpopulation is a prominent controversial topic among society, in which some believe the exponential growth of humanity is detrimental to its future, whereas others conclude this theory is a myth due to human nature and resources. In Isaac Asimov’s, â€Å"The Case Against Man†, he elucidated the verity of overpopulation, emphasizing that the disproportion of earth’s carrying capacity and its resources will inevitably lead to humanity’s demise. Introducing the notion thatRead MoreConsumption Overpopulation and Its Effects on the Environment1082 Words   |  5 PagesConsumption Overpopulation Think about a sign that says EARTH Max Capacity 10 billion. Based on what they have the human population plans out parties. They have a lack of space and resources. Anyone who would plan these parties would have to take in account for the amount of people that would have to scrunch in with each other, and how many people would not have enough food to last the party. Which basically makes it so the guests are down to a certain number. Our planet is a close similarityRead MoreEssay On Overpopulation1030 Words   |  5 PagesHuman overpopulation occurs when the ecological footprint of a human population in a specific location exceeds the carrying capacity of the place occupied by that group. Overpopulation can further be viewed, in a long term perspective, as existing when a population cannot be maintained given the rapid depletion of nonrenewable resources or given the degradation of the of the environment to give support to the population. Overpopulation is a problem that needs to be solved. Concern about overpopulationRead MoreThe Population Problem Essay1424 Words   |  6 PagesThe Population Problem Imagine a world where there isnt enough clean water to drink and there isnt ample food to eat. We have used up most of the resources that we require to survive. What little that is left is so polluted that it is not fit to be used. Is this our future? What are we doing to keep this from happening? We recycle, we ride our bikes, we compost, but is this enough? It is up to us to find a cure to the ailment that is destroying our planet. We only have one Earth to sustainRead MoreEffects of Climate Change Essay1095 Words   |  5 Pagesrelocate to Wisconsin we will face similar, if not more severe problems, as what illegal immigration causes. In a world which is already overpopulated, the last thing we want to do is take away land that is used for both human habitation and the production of crops and livestock, while still continuing to multiply at the same rate. This is exactly what global climate change is causing. There are three key areas that overpopulation will affect; the environment, Earth’s sustainability, and the impactRead More Overpopulation of the Earth Essay1698 Words   |  7 PagesOverpopulation of the Earth The little animatronic children at Disney World were right, it is â€Å"a small world after all†; maybe even too small. At the beginning of the present century there were approximately 1.7 billion people in the world(Southwick pg.159). Today, there are nearly 6 billion people in the world. The world’s population has more than tripled in the span of a hundred years. Given that the earth’s population is constantly on the rise and seeing as how our natural resources areRead MorePopulation Control. Overpopulation Is Defined As The â€Å"Condition1482 Words   |  6 PagesPopulation Control Overpopulation is defined as the â€Å"condition of having a population so dense as to cause environmental deterioration, an impaired quality of life, or a population crash† (Merriam-Webster). A similar way to think of this is if there are 10 people in a small elevator, it is going to feel congested and cramped. The people will be uncomfortable and they won’t be content with the current situation. This would be an impaired quality of life. If this is related to the environmental term, thenRead MoreOverpopulation and Environmental Problems1008 Words   |  5 PagesOverpopulation is becoming a leading environmental problem in which resources are becoming depleted faster than are being created. Hoevel explains, â€Å"Overpopulation occurs when a population’s density exceeds the capacity of the environment to supply the health requirements of an individual† (Hoevel 1). This means that after a population has overused the resources in an area, the environment will no longer be able to support them, and there lies the problem with overpopulation. Wenner explains, â€Å"SustainabilityRead MoreThe Term Sustainability in The Brundtland Report in 1987 Essay649 Words   |  3 PagesImpending climate change, overpopulation, poverty, depletion of resources, biodiversity loses, pollution, food security, economic crises and countless other issues are all traceable back to mankind’s unsustainable practices. Sustainability has often been deemed the only feasible approach to providing mankind with a worthwhile future. The term â€Å"sustainability† has gained considerable support since its publication in the Brundtland Report in 1987. The acceptance of the report by the United NationsRead MoreEssay on Pet Overpopulation1647 Words   |  7 PagesPet Overpopulation A pack of dogs is playing in a ditch which is in the middle of a busy road. Some people in the cars look to see if the dogs owner is nearby and wonder why anyone would allow their dogs to play so close to danger. Some drivers seem oblivious to the motley assortment romping in the water next to the road. They all keep driving without another thought for the safety or lives of those poor creatures. Unfortunately, this is a common scene in many areas. Unwanted dogs and

Essay on Religion Causes War - 1486 Words

RELIGION CAUSES WAR: PROS AND CONS There are many arguments and counter-arguments when discussing the topic of religion causing war. Many critics argue that throughout history, religion has been the single greatest source of human-caused wars, suffering, and misery. In the name of God (by whatever name), more suffering has been inflicted than by any other man-made cause. (Pro Side) Critics on the other side counter that modern secular ideological movements are actually responsible for much greater and more indiscriminate violence than any religion ever has been. (Con Side) They further contend that the claim that religion causes war is not supported by the historical or contemporary evidence. They maintain that only 7 (10%) of all†¦show more content†¦Let us see. Religious differences during the period of time coinciding with WWII led to discord between the people of Europe, whereby the Nazi Party rose upon a particular mans religious views. A passage from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf states, â€Å"†¦today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.† The Nazi Party blamed the Jewish people for the loss of World War I. It is beyond argument that by 1945, the genocide of six million Jewish people had been committed as a direct result of Hitler’s religious views. Bellum sacrum. With respect to the American Civil War, Wikipedia references a body of scholarship, led by Mark Knoll, that has highlighted the fact that the American debate over slavery became a shooting war in part because the two sides reached diametrically opposite conclusions based on reading the same authoritative source of guidance on moral questions: the King James Version of the Bible. Specifically, the pro-slavery South could point to slaveholding by the godly patriarch Abraham (Gen 12:5; 14:14; 24:35–36; 26:13–14), a practice that was later incorporated into Israelite national law (Lev 25:44–46). It was never denounced by Jesus, who made slavery a model of discipleship (Mk 10:44). The Apostle Paul supported slavery, counseling obedience to earthly masters (Eph 6:5–9; Col 3:22–25) as aShow MoreRelatedCauses of the Wars of Religion.951 Words   |  4 PagesThe political causes of the wars of religion. Throughout history in contemporary Spain before the civil war, violence against persons associated with the Catholic Church, the symbols of their religion or their interests, has been known for its recurrent and prolonged in time as one of the salient dimensioned Spanish anticlericalism, which emerged in the liberal political ideology, then it would be taken up by more radical republican currents and the movement of the workers. were five killingsRead MoreDoes Religion Cause War?1463 Words   |  6 PagesDoes religion cause war? Every culture and society in the world has some form of religion. The most popular religions in the world today are Christianity, Buddhism, and the Muslim religions. Other religious sects exist amongst distinct groups. Every religion has some form of philosophy or ideology followed by members. One common thing about the existing religions is the presence of a supreme being. The Supreme Being exists in many names with different abilities depending on every religion. TheRead MoreDoes Religion Cause War653 Words   |  3 PagesReligion causes war. This is a matter of historical fact. Since time immemorial, men have fought each other in wars caused by religion. There are at least three instances by which religion causes war. The first is when people try to compel other people to adopt their religion or religious perspectives. This comes from our innate tendency to want other people to subscribe to our beliefs. That desire can be accompanied with a strong zeal such that if others are impervious to our peaceful approachRead MoreDoes Religion Cause War?1079 Words   |  5 PagesDoes religion cause war? On this planet Earth, there have been many wars fought over many different things. They can range from freedom, oil, and religion. There were many wars fought over religion. For example, the thirty years war. The thirty years war was one of the major wars fought over religion. It was mostly fought in what’s now Germany. The thirty years war was one of the absolute longest and most destructive, and brutal conflicts in European history. The war was mainly between ProtestantsRead MoreDoes Religion Cause Wars?1258 Words   |  6 PagesThere is a conventional belief among many individuals that religion is the main cause of the present and past wars inflicting torment within the world. However, many humans fail to see past that belief; they are unable to understand that religion is just a small factor amongst the many contributing to the cause of wars. In fact, religion is merely a tool and an excuse used to hide the need for power and sins of the human nature. Among these factors, it may be the misinterpretation of religious teachingsRead MoreCan Religion Be A Cause Of War?1559 Words   |  7 PagesCan Religion be a cause of War? For centuries religion has impacted the world greatly, having an influence amongst people and their society that cause them to behave in certain ways. Throughout history religion has played a grand role in undertaking the parts that have structured many positive and negative effects in the world. People have been killed for what they believe, and people have as well killed in the name of their God. Religion has been the motivation and reason for many people to makeRead MoreDoes Religion Cause War?1790 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Religion is a cause of all wars, is a phrase which is often heard and said by many. The question here is, does religion really cause wars? It may not be the reason for all the wars that have taken place since this world came into existence but several wars which have been fought in the past and today are done so on the basis of religion. Religious wars are ones which are fought and then justified by religion. These wars can involve one nation fighting against another who have different beliefsRead More Religion Causes War Essay2331 Words   |  10 PagesReligion has played a major role in the lives of most cultures whether it is Christian, Islamic, Judaism, or another religious faith, but has it been the leading cause of war throughout history? God refers to sin as being the force that drives the world it provokes conduct involving one’s flesh and mind. Richard Dawkins an evolutionist, and agnostic, states that â€Å"religion causes wars by generating certainty† (Thacker). When he implies certainty in his quote, does he mean that this is a fact he isRead MoreDoes Religion Cause War? Essay1239 Words   |  5 PagesReligion has its shares of promoting violence. Many will argue that a cause of religion wars is for economic and political reasons, but others argue that those who start wars are, by definiti on, not religious. In reality, separating religion out of economic and political motives can be involved in such a way finding religious motives innocent of much. Excuses for Christianity responsibilities cannot be accepted whether the person has misappropriated the message of Christ. The primarily set of doctrinesRead More2- Religion Does Not Cause Wars860 Words   |  4 PagesReligion Causes War. So often is this sentiment heard in the best sellers from Richard Dawkins to Sam Harris that it has almost become a proverb. It is said so often that people believe it without question. But, in fact, religion does not cause war. If you are an atheist, I ask for your intellectual honesty in evaluating this question. You have every right to believe what you will, but we should all be honest and not sling mud where it is not warranted. Laying war at the feet of religion

The Code Of Chivalry And The Fundamental Thoughts And...

Mary Gamboa English 2223 Jennifer Smith 26 November 2015 Sir Gawain†¦ Chivalric? By analyzing Sir Gawain’s attempts of following the Code of Chivalry and the fundamental thoughts and actions of human nature helps to further analyze Gawain’s character. The definition of Chivalry is the â€Å"set of values and code of conduct for the medieval knightly class† (Shatz) examining Gawain’s attempts to achieve his goal of being the perfect chivalric knight, the nature of his obstacles has to be determined, and the development of his character has to be analyze. In trying to live up to perfection, Gawain discovers that he is not perfect just like society today. There is not a specific date that explains why chivalry began, but most†¦show more content†¦In brief, Sir Gawain’s fancy armor and position is another characteristic of a chivalric knight. The author of â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† gives the characters good manners, religious hope, compassion, etc. Also, the author states his point of view of a chivalric knight when he describes Sir Gawain and the pentangle suspended from Sir Gawain’s neck: â€Å"It is a sign by Solomon sagely devised/ To be a token of truth...For ever faithful five-fold in five-fold fashion/Was Gawain in good works...Devoid of all villainy, with virtues adorned...to his word most true and in speech most courteous...founded on the five joys (according to footnote 7 of SGGK, these were usually the Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and assumption)...the fifth of the five fives followed by this knight were beneficence, boundless and brotherly love, and pure mind and manners... and compassion most precious† (SGGK 626-54). In â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,† we see examples of moral, social, and religious conduct melding to form an all-encompassing chivalric code. Moreover, as evident from the quote above and other publications of the era, the Church was becoming quite influential in the shaping of chivalry. On this final day of Gawain’s quest, this representative of Arthur acts with honorable intent if not the utmost courtesy. He arrives at the Green Chapel intending to face a frightening peril in

Religions Spread Through Conquest (2421 words) Essay Example For Students

Religions Spread Through Conquest (2421 words) Essay Religions Spread Through ConquestReligions Spread Through Conquest- When studying history, both in a professional and academic sense, we try to make connections between civilizations and time periods. Historians have attempted to discover universal constants of human nature, a bond that forms from continent to continent, human being to human being. Is there a constant quality that all peoples posses, and is reflected in all civilizations? Indeed, it is extremely difficult to make generalizations about centuries of modern history. To say that something is true of all of history is virtually impossible, as a counter-example exists for just about anything that can be said of any group of civilizations. To say that all religions are spread by violence is equally unfair and untrue because contrasted religions has been spread in exceedingly diverse regions of the world, by vastly different cultures. Islam, as a prime example, has been characterized inequitably by historians and the media as a religion of violence. To put it bluntly, as this article does, â€Å"Islam was mainly spread through Arab territorial conquests (Sudo, 4).† However, upon examination, it is not fair to make the generalization that Islam is a religion of violence, and one notices when looking at world religion on a whole, one finds that Islam was no more violent than any other religion. In fact, not only is Islam not a fundamentally violent philosophy, but we can also see that many other religions normally considered â€Å"non-violent,† such as Christianity or Hinduism, have been spread through bloody conquest. Thus, in searching for a universal constant of history, we ought not fall into the â€Å"fallacy of abstractions,† as Sydney J. Harris keenly puts it, and assume that because of isolated incidents and conflicts of territorial ambitions, that all religions have violent tendencies. Islam has, throughout the centuries, been somewhat a victim of circumstance indeed it ha s been perceived by many as oppressive and cruel. This belief originated over a thousand years ago, when Islamic peoples first threatened the western world. As they slowly undermined Byzantine authority, Christians became terrified of their presence, resulting in widespread animosity and aversion. Hindus and Buddhists of the South Asian subcontinent lived under Islamic law for hundreds of years (Ahmad, et. al., 186), and eventually, in the twentieth century, split the region into angry factions (Ahmad, et. al., 207). Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, was a great warrior. This invariably lead defeated peoples to believe that he begot a cult of war and violence. Over the centuries, it also has developed the ability to instill a sense of holy purpose onto its believers and soldiers, where they go into a battle of certain death for their faith in the jihad, or holy war. Even today, the jihad is still a potent source of conflict and aversion, as the many of the problems in the Middle East center around the issue of Islamic Fundamentalism and the jihads. Originally, Islam was perceived by western historians as a religion of violence and conquest; â€Å"by preying on the caravans of the Quraish, weakened them to the point of submission (Mohammed and Islam, 1).† In fact, Mohammed was a warrior, aristocrat, and brilliant strategist a stark contrast to many other holy men of history. He was forced to both defend his cities and force submission, as the passage had shown, because of the strong military powers of his religious predecessors and oppressors, the pagans of the Middle East. Islam means â€Å"submission† according to the Islam discussion in class and one might assume that the submission was attained through military and forceful means. In fact, while Mohammed preached peace from 610 to 622 AD, he attracted few converts and was persecuted by the current ruling paganistic regime. After the visions of 622 AD, he realized that his cause was even more urgent than before, and only at that point did he begin to utilize his military skills (Class Discussion). However, despite the more violent nature that his quest took, even after the revelations by Gabriel in 622 AD, †by reciting his revelations aloud, Mohammed made many converts, (Mohammed and Islam,1).† Mohammed was not a purely violent man, but also a great speaker and demagogue (Mueller, 2). He did not solely attack the pagans of the Middle East, he also attracted a great deal of converts by the truths he spoke. â€Å"If he could be ruthless, he was more often gentle, kind, generous, magnanimous. He could be Christ-like in his sympathy for the poor (Mueller,2 ).† Another non-violent way of spreading Islamic culture was through the merchant system which developed around its new centers of trade and culture in both Mecca and Medina (Ahmad, et. al., 572). People from all around the region would come to those cities to trade, and were attracted by the religion. A s Islam developed and spread rapidly, its control quickly began to encroach on Byzantine territory where it found diverse groups of people, who resented the foreign control of the flailing western power. The people viewed the Middle Eastern Islamic conquerors as liberators from the oppressive Byzantine Empire, and welcomed both Islamic soldiers and religion. In addition to other non-violent means of conquest, when Muslims actually did militarily gain territory, they allowed other religions to grow around them. They did not force conversion by slaughter in the name of Allah, as Christians often did. The Muslims were tolerant of both foreign religions, peoples, and traders. They welcomed Far Eastern merchants into their territory. In India, while they did militarily gain control of the South Asian subcontinent, they never forced conversion, nor did they enter the territory with a religious intent. Indeed, the reason that the Hindu and Muslim clashes arose was based on religious differ ences, which were largely initiated by the Hindus, who viewed their conquerors as heretics not the opposite (Ahmad, et. al., 186). In fact, that page of the text also notes that the first Delhi sultans set up hundreds of schools, hospitals, and other public establishments. The Koran was very tolerant, accepted many beliefs, and was another basis for the peaceful spread of Islam. The Koran, according to â€Å"The Koran† article and class discussions, appealed to the impoverished and the destitute people from all walks of life could embrace the Koran, because it was targeted at them, not at the government-ranking aristocrats that most other religions were centered around, as those religions had been created for the purpose of social control, rather than deep spiritual convictions or for spiritual well-being. The Muslim needs no priest nor intermediary to pray to Allah the only spiritual transmitter to god he needs is prayer Islam does not even require a mosque or temple for litany. The actual religion of Islam preaches decidedly against violence and speaks out against aggression. â€Å"The concept of jihad refers to†¦ inner spiritual struggle of Muslims for self control in order to do good (Sudo, 5).† Actually, the average Muslim is not violent, nor is he driven by any form of holy conquest. Islam has been unfairly depicted as a religion spread through Jihad and the lure of riches and conquest. But Islam, the most unlikely of candidates, has been, throughout the centuries, a relatively tolerant religion. It has never believed in any form of religious genocide, nor had any inquisitions or messianic crusades, as religions of many other parts of the world did. In fact Akbar I of 1556-1605 AD, the third ruler of the Mughal Empire, took the ultimate steps toward tolerance, by marring a Hindu princess, and allowing Hindus a strong role in the government (Ahmad, et. al., 187). The wars that Islam fought have been rather secular, despite the fact that their government often was not. However, the same cannot be said of Christian, Hindu, and Aztec government, all which had strong ties to both violence and conquest, and indeed, while often are characterized as non-violent forms of religion (with perhaps the exception of Aztec), are equally as violent as Islam, if not more so. Perhaps the religion which has perhaps shaped the world, for better or worse, more than any other religion, has been Christianity. This is not to deny the roles of the vast numbers of religions in many parts of the world, nor which is to say that Christianity has been particularly unique. Despite the fact that the Western world likes to set European man and Christians apart from the rest of the world, their connection to imperialism, mercantilism, and social conquest is undeniably real. While Islam is seen by many as a violent religion because of its origins and the popularization of the term ’jihad,’ they have never had far-reaching imperial istic goals, nor have they preceded their soldiers with missionaries. Christians, however, as we have studied, were instrumental in the undoing of Africa, and in fact the seeds that the pious missionaries of Europe planted into African society eventually lead to the destabilization of centuries of culture and hierarchy. The missionaries poured into Africa, only to be followed by soldiers and company men it was the foothold of the missionaries that allowed Europeans to eventually dominate the continent All of which was done in the name of â€Å"saving enlightening the heathens.† Christianity is certainly not without its bloody conquest, as the most blatant example is that of the Crusades, which were, to Christians of the middle ages, the very symbol of their faith. The Christians ventured towards the holy land with the sole purpose of killing the ‘infidels’ and ridding the holy land of all Islamic influence, bringing it back into the light of Christianity. Howeve r, the Muslims in the holy land provided important technology for the Christians. In all truths, Christianity was spread to Latin America in a most brutal fashion. The Spaniards murdered millions of Indians, and wiped out civilizations of peoples not for the purpose of not only religion, but gold! The primary reason that Christianity remains the ubiquitous religion in Latin America is because the Spaniards forced conversion of their Indian slaves something that Islamic conquerors rarely did. In fact they charged a tax on their non-Muslim subjects, which eventually lead to conversion by choice rather than by force. Christians in the Americas came to dominate the continent by using their superior technology to forcefully overwhelm, enslave, or force conversion on inhabitants, in contrast to the Islamic people, who attracted converts from an economic standpoint, but also came to absorb many conquered peoples, as evident in the cultural blending of South Asia, which eventually fell apa rt for secular reasons (Ahmad, et. al., 186). Spaniards burned books, temples, and sculptures, and quelled all rebellion by the once mighty Americans (Ahmad, et. al., 46). The Spanish enslaved the Indians of Central and South America, while the British, Dutch, and French enslaved the Africans. Another religion with ties to violence is Hinduism. While that may perhaps be a startling revelation, history proves that it has had many violent incidents and tendencies. It was originally a product of the early Aryans, a war-like people who stormed into South Asia, sacking cities and eventually covering virtually all traces of the early culture of the Indus Valley. These Aryans transmuted their beliefs onto the now helpless people of the Indus river, and created what would eventually be Hinduism. While Hinduism remained relatively non-violent throughout the centuries, when the first Muslim invaders appeared and they clashed in both a philosophical and violent sense. Hindu violence returned i n the mid-twentieth century, when they finally regained control of India. They smashed a Muslim temple at Ayodhya (Ahmad, et. al., 207), and Sikh and Tamil rebel groups rebel against their authority. However, what is even more notable about Hinduism, is its rigid caste system, in which peoples have set social classes, that are totally unchangeable, and are products of the religion. The untouchables were considered as low as animals, and forced to do menial work such as sweeping and leather working. They were forced into a life of separatism, and the rest of Hindu culture either ignored them completely or hated them. And on the other side of the world, in Central America, the Aztec people were powerful warriors, who swept across the Mexican plains, conquering villages and whole peoples (Ahmad, et. al., 450). Their religion consisted of brutal human sacrifices of enemy slaves in fact the sacrifices grew so many in number that they were watching their population decline significantly, which eventually allowed the Spanish invaders to overcome them. When we look at the aggregate spectrum of cultures and religions, we see a significant relationship between religions and violence, one could conclude that much of the world’s problems today are echoes of past religious exploits in places such as Latin America, India, and Africa. To say that religion on a whole is violent and counter productive would be a massive abstraction and a false one too. In fact, the purpose of this essay is not to denigrate the notion of organized religion, but to clarify the purpose of the Islamic religion, and to dispel the commonly held notion that Islam is solely a cult of violence. Through the ages, religion brought light to literally billions of people. It has inspired artists, scientists, writers and scholars. It was the founding basis of Western Civilization, and our entire society. We cannot deny it’s overriding role in our history. The purpose of this essay is also not to contrast Islam as good and Christianity as bad. Truly, Islam, when closely examined, is a rather tolerant and non-violent religion it has no history of imperialism, nor has it ever forced the conversion of mass people. Whatever violence it has created, it is at least not any worse than any other religion. In summary, it is not fair to say that religions are fundamentally violent, nor does it do justice the study of history, which indeed proves to us that often religion had a far nobler purpose. Would our world perhaps have been a better place? That question can never be answered We do know, however, that religion was both violent and beneficial to classify it as one or the other would not do it justice. However, we will continue our search for the universal constant, and perhaps the study of religion will someday bring us closer to the truth. Atlanta Reconstruction Essay Religion Essays

Pop Culture and Society Essay Sample free essay sample

Popular civilization. or popular civilization is by dictionary defined as â€Å"cultural activities or commercial merchandises reflecting. suited to. or aimed at the gustatory sensations of the general multitudes of people† . The term â€Å"popular culture† came into being in the nineteenth century or earlier. Traditionally. the term has meant the instruction and general cultural consciousness of the lower categories. as opposed to the â€Å"official culture† . The emphasis in the differentiation from â€Å"official culture† became more marked towards the terminal of the nineteenth century. a use that became established by the Interwar period. Since the terminal of World War II. following major cultural and societal alterations brought by mass media inventions. the significance of popular civilization started to worsen with those of mass. media. image. consumer civilization. and civilization for mass ingestion. A innovator in this motion were societal and cultural alterations in the United States of America. The brief signifier â€Å"pop† for popular. We will write a custom essay sample on Pop Culture and Society Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page as in dad music. day of the months from the late fiftiess. ( Betts 2004: 14-27 ) Sociologists consider civilization as the formation of traditions and tendencies that link worlds in a common group. Therefore. human civilization existed even in prehistoric societies ; nevertheless. those prehistoric societies’ tradition and humanistic disciplines are by and large considered as folk art and folkways. Popular civilization requires that the multitudes should be practising and devouring it. thereby doing it popular. ( Weaver 2009: 12 ) The Western world’s foremost normally recognized pop civilization creative person was likely William Shakespeare. His theatre dramas are dateless classics. but he wrote them for a mass audience. thanks to which he fulfilled dad culture’s demand of art. which is meant to be enjoyed by the multitudes. Shakespeare’s art bridged the spread between popular and all right art in the sixteenth century England – and it is still considered the finest literature of all time produced in English. Several of his dra mas were set in other European states than England. which exposed the common Englishman to traditions of different categories and civilizations. potentially act uponing those of England. ( Weaver 2009: 14-15 ) Furthermore. popular civilization did non necessitate telecasting. wireless or the Internet to go planetary. When the first adventurers took to the seas or traveled overland paths to distant topographic points. they were influenced by illustrations of other cultures’ popular art. and returned with points connected with local popular civilization. such as imbibing java. If that had non happened. a celebrated java store Starbucks would be stuck seeking to sell cups of hot milk. The multitudes were normally non straight experienced to alien signifiers of popular civilization from different locations. but they were exposed to them over clip. At the same clip perceptual experience of what is pop civilization and what is non depended of nationality. For case – while Kabuki Theater was accessible to all categories of Nipponese people. Europe’s aristocrats ab initio regarded it as high art. ( Weaver 2009: 17-19 ) What is more. clip and resources of people were really important factors in making what is called a dad civilization. Even though many 19th-century industrial labourer s worked long hours. they had clip to pleasure themselves with a spot of civilization. Thankss to start civilization they had manage to make life which had more sense than merely survival. They enjoyed amusement locales and engage in avocations. trades and diversion outside their work lives. The concentration of people in urban countries. attracted by occupations in the mills. besides gave rise to more and different sorts of popular art signifiers. such as carnivals. theatrical dramas. concerts which brought more possible audiences. ( Weaver 2009: 20 ) Furthermore. pop civilization meant many different things for each decennary. It could be tight rolled denims. tamagotchi. loose jerseies. disco. new waves boots. blame. difficult stone. the Rolling Stones. The Beatles. Brittany Spears. ‘NSYNC. or Who Wants to be a Millionaire. These are merely a few of the different social tendencies. telecasting shows and music esthesiss sing different dad civilization subjects that have changed over the old ages. Many of these tendencies tended to come and travel. yet all were c onsidered as a pop civilization. There were and still are. different vesture manners. music penchants and telecasting shows that people considered to be the pop civilization of their clip. A batch of the things that were popular in the past are now fads that have come and gone. and the things that are considered pop civilization today will likely make the same. ( Weaver 2009: 22-23 ) Technology besides created new sorts of humanistic disciplines and points and made them available to everyone. non merely the affluent elite. Obvious illustrations that changed society significantly plenty to change the class of history are wireless. telecasting. gesture images. amplified music. computing machines and the Internet. Technology late erected another important milestone in the pop civilization timeline—the development of tech-based societal networking. Other technological progresss resulted in such diverse things as silk-screen printing ( Express your sentiment on your Jersey! ) . bowling alleys’ automatic pinsetters. and Wii. ( Weaver 2009:24 ) In add-on to bring forthing societal norms. popular civilization besides helps us set up societal boundaries. The music we listen to. together with the telecasting we watch and the apparels we wear non merely helps to determine our characters. but besides helps us find those people more similar to ourselves. Because we can indicate what sort of music do we wish and which we do non. it allows us to happen others who prefer similar things that we do. ( Betts 2004: 30-32 ) People who listen to Iron Maiden likely do non hold much in common with those people who listen to Justin Bieber. Pop civilization gives us an chance to happen people really similar to us. Possibly the easiest facet of popular civilization to detect is the rites that it creates. Adolescents are connected through dance nines. college pupils come together to watch favorite Television series. amusing book fans wait in line hours to see a new film. All these rites produce a felling that we belong at that place. adhering us with members of society over a common involvement. The ace bowl for illustration is a multibillion dollar matter because of the fact that 1000000s of people from all demographics will sit down and watch the game for three hours. Traveling to a concert gives you a since of societal solidarity. singing along to a vocal in unison with fifteen-thousand other people creates near societal bonds. even if you barely know anyone else at the concert. They portion a sense of intending in their individuality ; this shared significance is the footing of group solidarity. ( Betts 2004: 34 ) Arguably the most of import map that popular civilization serves in our society is that it creates the chance to societal alteration. This can be seen all the manner back to 1906 when Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle helped take to a revolution of the nutrient industry in America. Nowadays we can obseve this clearly most late with the sudden engagement of famous persons in the 2008 presidential election. chiefly in Barack Obama’s run. Robert DeNiro. Oprah Winfrey. Usher. Chris Rock. Scarlett Johansson. Ron Howard. Magic Johnson. and John Mayer are merely a few of the most recognizable people. who are linked with Obama. It is no surprise that Obama won the 2008 presidential election in a landslide. Companies have long known the consequence that famous persons have on America and have used them to force merchandises. We are seeing this once more with the engagement of such famous persons as Lady Gaga in the Gay Rights motion. ( Betts 2004: 35-36 ) To sum up. it is clear that popular civilization serves many maps in society. many of which are shared by offense. These maps include bring forthing societal norms. set uping societal boundaries. making rites that generate societal solidarity. bring forthing invention. and paving the manner for societal alteration. We can non merely push dad civilization off to the side as low-brow civilization and has no significance. Mentions Weaver. John A. ( 2009 ) Popular Culture Primer: Revised Edition. Routledge Betts. Raymond F. ( 2004 ) A History of Popular Culture: More of Everything. Faster. and Brighter. Peter Lang