Western society VS eastern society Essay Example for Free

Western society VS eastern society Essay Western Society VS Eastern Society In After the First Death there was major antagonism between the two different societies, the western (American) and eastern (Arabic) societies. Among the eastern society in the novel, appropriate education, value for life and the individual were merely betrayed and violated, they simply did not exist. However, one thing that did exist very strongly was patriotism. The eastern societies are firm believers in patriotism and are powerful patriots. The western society too believed in patriotism, however not nearly as strongly as the easterners. Yet, they still comprised of the values of life and the individuals themselves. Both sides believed in patriotism in their own ways. Both showed love and devotion to ones country. This was what the major conflict was all about. They both conceived and believed that their ways of life were accurate and proper. Nevertheless, only one side in the end was going to win. Either youre a great patriot or a great fool. (Page 192) This was a statement made by Artkin to the general, Bens father. The general stated that he was both. A great fool for risking his sons life in order to save Inner Delta, and a great patriot because he was willing to loose his own son and to go all lengths merely to save Inner Delta. Education played an immense role in the way Miro and Artkins society were educated, as appose to the American education system. I went to a special school, where I was taught the use of weapons and explosives. Combat: with the knife, the gun, the hands. (Page 124) This was how Miro the terrorist was educated, accompanied by thousands of other egotistic and ruthless future terrorists. Yet, still to this day there is no difference in the education system, and nothing has changed. Dictatorship and absolute authority are still operated in the eastern societies as well as continuing to teach terrorism and total patriotism. Miro had dared not question Artkin-no one was so foolish as to do that. (Page 60) This revealed how Miro was taught not to question authority, as appose to the American society, where questioning is believed to be encouraged and dictatorship is unheard of. Miros assignment was to kill the driver. Without hesitation. (Page 17) Life for Miro, Artkin and other terrorists were meaningless and empty, they did not value or appreciate life. They too were also extremely apathetic when it came to other peoples lives. And inflicting death did not bother him (Miro), neither did the contemplation of the act. (Page 18) That it does not matter whether or not I get away. Whether or not I (Miro) live or die. Whether anyone else lives or dies. I have served my purpose. (Page 217) These two particular quotes illustrated that other peoples lives as well as their own lives were pointless, and that it would not even scare them to see their own lives or other peoples lives perish. Automatically this paints a picture of how the two different societies in the novel lived, and the reason for all the conflict. Both societies had different beliefs and different views on life, which in this case produced major antagonism. Both believed that their way of life was superior to all others, and in order to prove that, they were willing to go to all lengths.

A Comparison Between ?Traveling through the dark? and ?A Noiseless, Pa

A Comparison Between â€Å"Traveling through the dark† and â€Å"A Noiseless, Patient Spider† William Stafford’s "Traveling through the dark" is beautifully written poem that expresses one of life’s most challenging aspects. It is the story of a man’s solitary struggle to deal with a tragic event that he encounters. Driving down a narrow mountain road, â€Å"Traveling through the dark,† the narrator of the poem encounters a deer. This line might fool the reader into believing the poem has a happy theme however, the first word of the second line reverses this belief. The deer is actually â€Å"dead on the edge of the Wilson River Road† (2, 911). The traveler decides to send the deer over the edge of the canyon, because â€Å"to swerve might make more dead† (4, 911). This line indicates that if he fails or â€Å"swerves† in his decision, the deer could cause an accident on the narrow road that might cost more lives. The narrator proceeds with his unfortunate task. He approaches the deer and observes that it is a recent killing. He drags her off to the side of the road, noting that she is â€Å"large in the belly† (8, 911). The narrator soon discovers that the deer is pregnant, and that her fawn is still alive. At this moment he hesitates, distraught over the decision he knows he must make. Faced by the implications of this decision, the narrator considers his surroundings: his car stares ahead into the darkness with its lowered parking lights, purring its steady engine; he stands â€Å"in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red,† (15, 912) and can â€Å"hear the wilderness listen† (16, 911). All of these describe the anxiety he feels about his responsibility. The personified car is expectantly awaiting his decision, eager to get moving again. The wilderness takes on human abilities also, silently witnessing the outcome it knows must be, but wishing it was otherwise. As the narrator ponders all of this, the taillights of the car illuminate him in their red light. This is reflective of the heightened emotions he is experiencing, but also brings to mind the bloody fate of the deer and her unborn fawn. The narrator thinks â€Å"hard for us all† (17,912) and proceeds with the task he had committed to since the beginning. He pushes the deer and her unb orn fawn over the edge into the river. There is much more to â€Å"Traveling through the dark† than its literal story. The ... ... wishes to underline this point by making the thread that the spider will use to launch itself into the air drawn out to an extreme. The spider is tireless in its quest, and so too is the soul. The soul, like the spider, is flinging out a "gossamer thread to catch somewhere" (10, 810). And like the spider, the soul is willing and able to wait until the moment shall arrive that is just right to begin its travels. However, like the spider's fragile silk, this bridge is also frail and prone to breakage from a careless act or an unheeding nature. So, in spite of the careful and deliberate act of flinging out a filament to catch on some unknown "sphere", it is possible that the soul may never reach its destination. For Whitman, that is both the excitement and the scariness of it all. Perhaps he is communicating to the reader the idea that though one may never get to where one is going, still, the journey is very important. Although by the language and the elements within these two poems seem very different, the interpretation suggests that they both discuss man’s journey through life. The physical in one, and the spiritual in the other.

German language Essay

Learning a foreign language calls for various considerations. The foreign language Germanof choice to be learned is of prime importance, for if the pursuit of this language does not yield any concrete productive results save for personal satisfaction, the course would then be considered superficial, if not at all futile. Some people have admitted that they took a course or two in French and Italian because they are considered the languages of romance and, more so, they are the languages of the nouveau riche and the culturally refined. Take these not as an attack on the nature of the French and Italian languages, but rather as an exposition of how people perceive certain foreign languages. By comparison, the German language would be a less popular option for undergraduates, save for those who chose it as their major and for those who have been required to take it under their curriculum. Most people would initially agree with Mark Twain’s musing: German is an awful language. If a literary genius like him had a rather hard time learning German, what more an ordinary person? Not to question Twain’s posturing, but the times have changed and the brain capacity of humans have actually evolved: the German language has, over the years, earned its own following and people have actually realized that it is an amazing language to pursue. So, why learn German? That would be a tough question to answer since it would be similar to asking why one would even bother learning a foreign language. In the Philippines, people already have their fill of a foreign language, what with English being so ingrained in our cultural subconscious. So, why bother learning another foreign language and why should it be German? Save for some very personal reasons, like wanting to understand a relative in Austria or to work in Germany after college, there are other varied reasons why one should be learning the German language, some of which could actually be socially, intellectually and economically fulfilling. For starters, contrary to what Mark Twain had been saying, German is an easy yet amazing language to learn. If one already knows English, then he already has an advantage. The two languages share many similarities in both vocabulary and grammar, owed much to the fact that they share common ancestry with the Germanic languages. Plus, German is a phonetically interesting language. As much as one finds it rather challenging to execute, due to its varied throat sounds, German phonetics makes it easy to predict how the spoken words are written and how the written words are pronounced. One might have probably heard of the terms â€Å"German precision† and â€Å"German efficiency†, pertaining to the fashion by which products made in Germany have been conceived and constructed. Truly, language is reflective of culture, and, as such, one could safely say that the precise and efficient German language is reflective of its precise and efficient people. And it is no wonder that Germans are known worldwide to be great innovators and profound thinkers. Gutenberg’s conception of the printing press, Einstein’s theory of relativity and Brandenburg’s creation of the MP3 digital music format are all testaments to German precision and efficiency. Marx’s Manifesto, Nietzsche’s writings and Hegel’s philosophy are all testaments to the profundity of the German imagination and intellect. Knowledge, if not at all mastery, of the German language allows one to access the works of these people in their original language, thus allowing one to fully understand the machinations of their philosophy or technology. Anyone interested in the same fields could automatically expand their knowledge and skill by knowing the language. If one wishes to be in the loop of world events, one cannot be free from the shadow of Germany and its culture. The influence of German culture in the world arena cannot be denied, and they instigate this influence more via the power of their technology. With 4 of the world’s 10 most innovative companies located in Germany, they hold 12. 7% of the world’s patent applications. Being a nation committed to research and development, Germany exports more high-technology products than any other country except the United States. Companies like BMW, Daimler, Siemens, Bosch and many others enabled Germany to become the 3rd strongest economy and the number one export nation in the world. Surely, companies such as these need competent employees and international partners. With all other things equal, the job candidate with knowledge of the German language would already gain an employment advantage. And this would not be limited to Germany. If one is looking for employment in the United States, knowledge of the German language would be a great edge since German companies account for about 700,000 jobs in the country. Being one of the economically strongest nations in the world, it would not be a surprise to know that Germany is also one of its greater political powers, influencing the international policies of the European Union and even the United States. Knowledge of the German language would allow one to understand how their policies are written and how it affects world events. For justly, the actions of these political powers affect each and every government and economy in the world, might as well understand where they are coming from and how they are influenced. Truly, knowledge of the German language brings about the personal satisfaction of knowing that one speaks in the language of great thinkers and innovators. But, in this fast paced world, knowledge of the German language ultimately gives one the opportunity to understand, if not at all participate in, world events, may it be intellectually, politically or economically. Language has become the primary tool of connecting nations, thus uniting the world one language at a time. So have your own say, learn German today.

Emmeline Pankhurst Quotes British Suffrage Radical

Emmeline Pankhurst was the best known of the leaders of the more militant wing of the womens suffrage movement in Great Britain in the early 20th century. Selected Emmeline Pankhurst Quotations The argument of the broken pane of glass is the most valuable argument in modern politics.We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that they can help to free the other half.Deeds, not words, was to be our permanent motto.Trust in God: She will provide.As long as women consent to be unjustly governed, they will be; but directly women say: We withhold our consent, we will not be governed any longer as long as government is unjust.We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.The moving spirit of militancy is deep and abiding reverence for human life.You have to make more noise than anybody else, you have to make yourself more obtrusive than anybody else, you have to fill all the papers more than anybody else, in fact you have to be there all the time and see that they do not snow you under, if you are really going to get your reform realized.It always seems to me when the anti-suffrage members of the Government criticize mili tancy in women that it is very like beasts of prey reproaching gentler animals who turn in desperate resistance when at the point of death.I have seen that men are encouraged by law to take advantage of the helplessness of women. Many women have thought as I have, and for many, many years have tried, by that influence of which we have been so often reminded, to alter these laws, but we find that influence counts for nothing. When we went to the House of Commons we used to be told, when we were persistent, that members of Parliament were not responsible to women, they were responsible only to voters, and that their time was too fully occupied to reform those laws, although they agreed that they needed reforming.Governments have always tried to crush reform movements, to destroy ideas, to kill the thing that cannot die. Without regard to history, which shows that no Government have ever succeeded in doing this, they go on trying in the old, senseless way.I want to say to you who think women cannot succeed, we have brought the government of England to this position, that it has to face this alternative: either women are to be killed or women are to have the vote.There is something that Governments care for far more than human life, and that is the security of property, and so it is through property that we shall strike the enemy.Be militant in your own way! Those of you who can break windows, break them. Those of you who can still further attack the secret idol of property...do so. And my last word is to the Government: I incite this meeting to rebellion. Take me if you dare!How different the reasoning is that men adopt when they are discussing the cases of men and those of women.Men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it. They have decided that it is entirely right and proper for men to fight for their liberties and their rights, but that it is not right and proper for women to fight for theirs.The militancy of men, through all the centuries, has drenched the world with blood, and for these deeds of horror and destruction men have been rewarded with monuments, with great songs and epics. The militancy of women has harmed no human life save the lives of those who fought the battle of righteousness. Time alone will reveal what reward will be allotted to women.What is the use of fighting for a vote if we have not got a country to vote in?Justice and judgment lie often a world apart.