Dreaming in Cuban Essay Example for Free

Dreaming in Cuban Essay Throughout the years, Cuba is known to be a Communist country struggling to determine its own identity. Some Cubans have fought with the decision to stay in their native country or migrate to the United States. Others have decided to settle in Cuba and let their fate be determined by the gods. Santeria, an African religion mixed with Catholic traditions, is practiced by many Cubans and allows followers to establish their destiny by the orishas, or African spirits. It also gives a sense of individuality to the characters in the novel, Dreaming in Cuban which incorporates several elements of the faith into the story. Overall, the Santeria religion affects the Cuban people in many parts of their lives politically, artistically, musically, and in their relationships. Santeria or La Regla Lucumm originated in the region of West Africa and was part of the traditional faith of the Yoruba inhabitants. It was brought to the Caribbean countries of Cuba, Haiti and Brazil, Trinidad, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic through the Yoruba people who were part of the slave trade. When they arrived at their Caribbean destinations, they reluctantly baptized within the Roman Catholic faith and were forced to leave behind their traditional beliefs and practices. However, they managed to come up with a way to merge their beliefs with the Roman Catholic Church by â€Å"†¦choosing a catholic saint and associating the saint to each of the orishas, [or African gods,] of their traditional practices† (Santeria 101). The santeros focus on building relationships with â€Å"powerful, but mortal, spirits, called orishas, [which is] a manifestation of †¦God† (BBC). In addition, they are taught that if they carry out the appropriate rituals, these spirits will support them in life, and enable them to â€Å"achieve the destiny that God planned for them before they were born† (BBC). The idea makes the followers feel that they have a purpose for their life and will live their life according to the standards. According to a Cuban researcher, â€Å"there are several principle orishas which are believed to control every aspect of human life, especially health, purity, and fertility. The orishas are rather like Greek gods or goddesses, in that they reflect the human weaknesses and strengths, but are closely identified with their Catholic counterpart† (Marshall 231). In Dreaming in Cuban, by Christina Garcia, Felicia chooses her orisha to be Saint Sebastian due to her admiration of his â€Å"double death† (Garcia 77). She was able to related to the god in a way that resembles how she feel. A man chooses to sacrifice every little item he has to his orisha: â€Å"He lights an unfiltered Popular—Cuba’s national brand—and offers a bit of tobacco to Eleggua, the orisha of opportunity† (Sigler 207). Having the fear of a god controlling his life, the man would submit everything he has to the god. For such crisis as the Cuban Revolution, Cubans have sought for help from the spiritual world and have become drawn to the Santeria religion. According to a documentary filmmaker, Cubans have always â€Å"flocked to Santeria priests, or babalawos, during hard times to ease their weary bodies, minds, and souls; and the current climate of economic instability proves no exceptions† (Sigler 213). They have also looked to their orishas for a â€Å"†¦source of comfort and help in time of need†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gonzalez- Wippler 70). However, in order to continue receiving assistance from the, they have to uphold their moral behavior strictly. Straying from the â€Å"right and narrow way† will disqualify them from the protection of the orishas and will receive punishment. A santero priest who lived in Cuba says he sees between seven to eight clients per day, but â€Å"demand for his services has gradually increased in recent years† (Sigler 213). Thus, the downfall of the life quality in Cuba increased the influence of the religion on Cubans. Many people are drawn to the practices of the religion throughout their neighborhoods. According to an Afro-Cuban woman, â€Å"[she] was drawn to the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria and to the practice of spiritualism, [and] grew up surrounded by many people who practice this religion of African origin and who believed in the orishas, or African gods† (Carrillo 63-4). The African society in Cuba has been looking for solace in their history of torture and discriminating experience: â€Å"The slave seeks a bit of peace and hope after much suffering and harassment. With rites, offerings and the sacrifice of blood, he invokes the gods of redemption, from whom he has been brutally separated by inhuman slavery† (Marshall 235). The religion makes them feel more human and therefore helping them live their lives the way the â€Å"gods† what them to live. Felicia wishes to settle peace with her father. Her best friend Hermania told her â€Å"He [the orisha] will bring you and your father peace, a peace you never knew while he lived on this earth† (Garcia 14). Eventually, she decided to give into her friend’s request and sacrificed a goat on the altar. Felicia also went to Santeria for another husband, believing that she can attain her blessings through orishas: â€Å"believers can accomplish many things because the dead are benevolently inclined toward the living†¦Felicia del Pino is fortunate in that she knows unequivocally what she wants: another husband. In this respect, at least, she will be twice more blessed† (Garcia 147). However, they told her she cannot keep her husband: â€Å"What you wish for, daughter, you cannot keep. It is the will of the gods† (Garcia 148). This became true later on when the man she met died in a fire. In another part of the book, Celia visits a santera â€Å"when she was dying of love for the Spaniard† (Garcia 159). Therefore, Santeria affects people in their relationships because people rely on the religion to fix their issues on love. The Santeria religion may manipulate the minds of their followers to fail in their revolution against Batista. Traditionally, all the presidents in Cuba have been â€Å"initiated santeros† (Gonzalez- Wippler 69) and given a god to protect them; therefore the followers of Santeria are in fear and submission to the leader. They also believed that the battle for the power between Castro and Batista was fought on two levels: the physical world and the world of the orishas† (Gonzalez- Wippler 69). It was believed that Castro won the war because of the many [sacrifices] made on his behalf, but he could not destroy Batista who escaped from Cuba with a fortune. In the novel, Felicia asked Hermania’s father about fighting Batista. However â€Å"he said it was useless, that the scoundrel is under the protection of Chango†¦ Batista’s destiny†¦is set. He will escape Cuba with a fortune in his suitcase† (Garcia 163). The religion affects the santeros in their political stance and gave them no hope of rebelling against the president of Cuba. The Santeria religion is also increasing in its numbers after the Revolution. â€Å"Now that there is more freedom of religious expression, an increasing number of young people have been initiated into Santeria. And since they no longer fear losing their jobs or facing other hassles because of their religion, you can see people on the streets wearing colored, beaded necklaces that correspond to their particular saint† (Carrillo 67). Pilar, in the book, also wore beads to represent an orisha: â€Å"I select a red and white one and place it over my head† (Garcia 200). In an African woman’s opinion, â€Å"Santeria and the ‘folklore† of my family neighborhood was no longer devalued or considered taboo; on the contrary, these practices were to be celebrated as a central part of [her] Cuban heritage† (Morejon 84). Therefore, the religion grows substantially in rate by the acceptance that they have of expressing themselves. In the life of an African woman, Santeria affected the way she expressed herself through art: â€Å"I’ve always felt inspired to paint Afro-Cuban folk themes, mostly orisha motifs, although some of my early work is landscapes. I paint with both acrylics and watercolors. (Carrillo 66)† Pilar also paints the colors of the beads that she chose to represent the orisha, Chango: â€Å"I awake and paint a large canvas ignited with reds and whites, each color betraying each other†(Garcia 203). Thus, the Santeria religion affects the people artistically. The religion also affected Cuban music. The system of beliefs was interconnected in that â€Å"†¦white saints were matched to black gods while African drums beat time to Catholic prayers† (Marshall 20). The practice of drum beating plays a major part in Cuban music and how it centers on the orishas. The dance moves are â€Å"choreographed to represent sacred messages to and from† (Gonzalez- Wippler 195) each other. Not only does it affect the rhythm and movements in dancing but also the lyrics of voiced music: â€Å"Santeria†¦has supplied many songs sung in Yoruba by a male singer leading a chorus to the rhythm of conga drums, while dancers dressed in different colors express the attributes of the different orishas or saints of the sect† (Marshall 216). Therefore, Santeria affect the music part of the Cuban lives. As time progresses, the influences to Santeria will continue to increase in Cuba and sink into the spiritual identity of Cuba. According to a professor in history, â€Å"†¦Santeria isn’t just a religion, its part of the Cuban identity† (Sigler 212). Santeria may be widely celebrated because so many people in the government are currently practicing the religion† (Sigler 213). Thus, Santeria will continue to affect the Cubans politically, artistically, musically, and in their relationships.

The American Revolution: War Of Independence

The American Revolution: War Of Independence The American Revolution is a historical event that provokes the true spirit of nationalism in many Americans. They honor the proactive fathers, shake their fists at oppressive England, and applaud at the legends of daring and headship. It has always been the curiosity among the people that how the Americans of the 18th century got along with the victory. How did the green, weakly equipped, roughly trained military of a newborn country consisted of 13 liberated and jointly jealous nations draw closer to crush one of the worlds utmost military powers? Was it unknown New World insurrectionary strategy, French support, British wrong steps, American marksmanship, or the intrusion of great luck that made the difference? The question went on until in the years of 1950s and 1960s, French and American observation in Indochina grasped the life out of the query. There were evident and considerable distinction between the American revolutionary war and Vietnamese dispute. However, after Vietnam it no longer looked dubious that immense armed forces may possibly submerge in an effort with a minor but willful rival along with a resident population whose faithfulness may not be trusted, Above all, when the expenses of the warfare and ambiguity about its reasons damaged the big powers national help. All those circumstances were present in Britains battle with its American colonies. Post-Vietnam Americans know personally why Britain eventually could prefer to remove its military- albeit it was not totally crushed -rather than to lengthen a devastating struggle. Even so, the American Revolution is an unsuitable name for the reason that it was not really a revolution. Dr. George Grant (2003) define revolution as, the revolution occur when men goes for aggressive warfare not in favor of their command because they desire instantaneous alteration in or eradication of the previous command. (Grant, 2003, no. 20) These all things are found in the French Revolution, but not in the so-called American Revolution. Rather looking for essential reformation of society, the earlier fathers sought to defend traditional rights. (Woods, pp. 11). If it was not a revolution, then what was the American Revolution? Conceivably more appropriate terminology would be the American War for Independence. Longing to transform Englands rule as a result that the colonies would be regulated legitimately, the earlier fathers struggled no revolution, only a war for Independence in which Americans threw off British authority in order to retain their liberties and self-governm ent. (Woods, year, pp. 14). Their reflection formed by people like John Locke, John Calvin and Montesquieu, the first Americans had a conventional outlook of government that they assumed England had desecrated. Americans appealed to the King of England to reinstate their civil rights, but the king rejected. Hopeless of settlement, the colonists look forward to solve their problem by own self to reinstate the control, not to produce a new one. If the term revolution were applied, it would be more correct to declare that the revolutionaries were the English king and parliamentarians who rebuffed to go along with the printed agreements that they had handed over the colonies. (Grant, 2003, no. 20) Even though many hated British rule but the colonists did not desire to be free because they concealed abhorrence for England. There were various basis of war and were greatest significance to the Americans, who just wanted to claim their constitutional rights as British subjects. Earlier than the war, according to Woods, they complained that their early-chartered rights were being debased. (Woods, pp. 13) These all-primitive chartered rights were the mixture of the Magna Charta, the Arbroath Petition, and the English Bill of Rights. All these rights provided the same rights to the colonies as to the English cities. The Magna Charta granted stated observances of which we have granted in our kingdom as far as pertains to us towards are men, shall be observed in our entire kingdom. (Magna Charta) Nevertheless, King George III was not giving them their full rights that he was giving to English cities by imposing additional taxes and laws that were not there in England itself. Instead of hearing Americans plea peacefully, the Americans were charged ruthlessly by the British government to insure the price of the war. As John Locke describes tyranny in his Second Treatise on Government as the application of power ahead of right and that right being in the purpose of government to safeguard all the mankind rather than harming anybody except it is for the purpose to do fairness on an wrongdoer. British breached the rights of the charters, liberty and natural law. What England was forcing on the colonies was also an infringement of the Magna Chartas section 13. By all laws that mentioned above and by their own individual charters, the colonies were legally protected from Englands dishonest proceedings. The primitive Americans were worried about their family; they intended to guard the freedom that they had navigated the ocean to safeguard and the colonists thought that their charters stood as promise. When their complaints were neglected, the colonists struggled tenaciously for freedom. (Grant, 2003, no. 18) The colonists were not struggling for a trouble-free living for themselves, but for liberty from oppression for their companions, kids, and generations to come. They wanted to defend the biblical commandment in spite of of Englands tyranny. Because of salutary neglect a term meaning that English government backed out of the colonies business for years the Americans had efficiently governed themselves while England was busy fighting wars. The colonists had happy and peaceful livelihood when the British were busy in their wars and did not hoped to be bothered. However, at the wrapping up of their wars, Britain began taxing the colonies. As expected, the colonists objected, but the English branded them as extremists. After doing a number of efforts to resolution, the colonists left and go for the way out which was war. In succeeding years, it has been feasible to evaluate further considerately than before the troubles Britain confronted in formulating a successful plan for terminating American confrontation and to point the variations in British notions of how to carry out a complex battle. At first, the British perceived conflict as the discipline of the unruly. According to the second President of the United States John Adams, the record of the American Revolution activated as early as 1620. The Revolution was provoked before the war started. The Revolution was in the hearts of the people. The values and enthusiasm that directed the Americans to rise up and to be located back for two hundred years and wanted in the past of the country from the first initiative in America. More severe in its consequences was the new financial strategy of the British government, which required more funds to sustain the rising empire. Unless the taxpayer in England was to contribute it all, the colonies would have to supply as well. However, takings could be obtained from the colonies simply via a stronger central management, at the cost of colonial autonomy. The foremost action in launching the new structure was the approval of the Sugar Act of 1764. This was planned to gather revenue exclusive of regulating trade. Actually, it substituted the Molasses Act of 1733, which had positioned an excessive import taxes from non-English regions. To impose it, customs representatives were prepared to demonstrate more power and strictness. On the night of April 18, 1775, General Gage transmitted persuasive facts of his battalion to remove these weapons and to take Samuel Adams and John Hancock into custody, both of whom had been commanded to send to England for their trial. However, Paul Revere and two other messengers had warned the whole country. After the quarrel on 18 April 1775 at Concord, the British thought they might finish civil disobedience by separating and reprimanding the insurgents at Boston via display of power. By squeezing the core of struggle, the British expected to get the remainder of the colonies into a row. On the contrary, this tactics did not last long. On 17 June 1775 at the Battle of Bunker Hill, the British instigated a wild frontal attack on the American positions on Breeds Hill in an effort to show the indestructibility of trained armed forces against inexperienced troops. The exhibition was not a success. Despite of the excessive sufferings, the rejection of the Americans to surrender until they tire out their bullets forced the British to have another look at American power. It was no longer convinced that the revolts could be frightened. Moreover, the flood of assistance from further New England towns and the guarantee of abet from the other colonies damaged their certainty that the revolt cente red in Boston only. With first suppositions about the rebellion failing, the British must call for a new plan. On May 10, 1776, a declaration to cut the Gordian knot was approved. At that time only a official announcement was required. On June 7, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution announcing in support of independence, overseas coalitions, and American federation. Instantly, a team of five, supervised by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, was appointed to dispose a formal statement setting forth the causes which impelled us to this mighty resolution. On 4 July 1776, the day of Independence was declared. It was not only declaration of the newborn state but also lay down the example of philosophy of human freedom for upcoming generation. It lay not specific objections but upon a wide support of individual autonomy that could control common support all over America. The political philosophy behind the liberty was precise and clear: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed: that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Jefferson) In the Declaration of Independence, the colonists legitimately declared their self-governance and make a list of injustices carried out against them. At that time, Jefferson made it apparent that in every step of these tyrannies they have formally requested for restoration but they have been disappointed every time. The Revolutionary War persisted for further six years, with combating in every colony. For several months once independence was confirmed, the Americans experienced harsh setbacks. The opening of these was in New York. From the moment the Declaration of Independence was signed, France had not been impartial. The government had been willing to take revenge with England from the time when France was crushed in 1763. In addition to that, eagerness for the American reason was great: the French logical world was itself in rebel against feudalism and its benefits. Yet, although France had appreciated Benjamin Franklin to the French court and had provided aid to the United State s, it had been unwilling to jeopardize of direct intrusion and openly call for war with England. After the war of years, British wishes to take legal action against the war. However, in the year of 1782, the House of Commons voted to discard this attempt. Lord Norths control knocked out, and the new ministry under Lord Rockingham initiated talks with the American peace representatives. Dialogues began in April in Paris and the initial articles of peace were signed on 30 November 1782. After approval by Britain and the U.S. Congress, the ultimate peace treaty was signed September 3, 1783. The war has been refought numerous times in an effort to detect the vital British blunders. Perhaps no policy was identical to the task of soothing American struggle. Regardless of their greater numbers, the British carried out in an aggressive situation that again and again overwhelmed all attempts to stop rebellion. It is correct that as the war heaved on Americans were lethargic to join up, unwilling to pay for still more supplies, and extremely exhausted of the quarrel. However, in the final analysis it was the rebuff of the national population to surrender and the willpower of hundreds of inexperienced, badly supplied militia companies to annoy the opponent that weighed greatly in the crushing of the British forces in America. The former Americans did build a new administration later than the American War for Independence and only in that manner; the earlier fathers can be believed as revolutionaries. Instead of a rebellion of horror and fear, nevertheless, the American Revolution was a diplomatically and fatalistic revolution. After all this, the real revolution started in America when England treated America as a self-regulating state. Americans were looking to modify instead of completely changing the government. Since they were having biblical fundamentals in their society, earlier Americans realized that man is corrupt and on earth, there cannot be an ideal government. Nevertheless, they were having hope that it was achievable with Gods help. Therefore, with the intention of forming an ideal coalition, create justice, assure domestic harmony, present the general security, encourage the common wellbeing, and protected the blessings of independence to ourselves and salute to the former Fathers that initiated the American Reformation. Work Cited The Constitution of the United States of America. Law.emory.edu. 1787. Emory Law School. 1995. DeMar, Gary. Was it Right to Fight the War for Independence? Biblical Worldview Magazine July 2005 Grant, George C. American Culture. Lecture notes. Franklin, Tennessee; Gileskirk, 2003 Jefferson, Thomas The Declaration of Independence. U.S. History.org 1776. U.S. History.org. 1995. Locke, John. Second Treatise on Government. libertyonline.hypermall.com .1690. Liberty Online. 1999 . The Magna Charta Constitution.org 1215. Constitution Society.1995. Woods, Thomas E., Jr., Ph.D. The Politically Correct Guide to American History. Washington D.C.: Regnery Publishing Inc, 2004

Psychological Analysis of Crash (2004)

Psychological Analysis of Crash (2004) Omar Fawzy Cinema Psychology: Crash The movie Crash explains social psychology concepts through stereotypes and people’s relationships. It touches on many social psychological concepts and theories through the representation of American society’s racial diversity and discrimination. The American community contains many races. This diversity, although culturally beneficial, can in some cases lead to conflict. The movie examines a group of different people living in Los Angeles and the social system, which are their social relationships as they come into contact with each other. The characters are reprehensive of American society as they are chosen to show the diversity in the city and there are people representative of the Los Angeles community. The main themes of the movie, which all the rest of the concepts communicate around are discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping. The movie displays the fundamental attribution error concept, also called the correspondence bias, describes, â€Å"The tendency, in explaining other people’s behavior, to overestimate personality factors and underestimate the influence of the situation. (Wade and Tavris, pg 338) This concept portrays racism from both sides. While White people, represented by Sandra Bullock, assume that all African Americans, as well as Latinos as dangerous, the African Americans, represented by Ludacris, assume that all White people are racist. In both cases, they are stereotyping people’s intentions and their nature because of their race. In addition to race, a person’s physical image can also create stereotypes which is â€Å"a summary impression of a group in which a person belives that all members of the group share a common trait or traits (Wade and Tavris, Pg 352) Ludacris is portrayed as a bald guy with tattoos all over his body. His physical appearance also contributes to Sandra Bullock’s stereotype of him as a gangbanger because that is the mental representation she has of these types of people. The Self-fulfilling prophecy theory is also seen in the movie through Sandra Bullock and Ludacris’s relationship. Self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation that is fulfilled because of the tendency of the person holding it to act in ways that bring it out (Wade and Tavris, Page 493) This was seen when Ludacris noticed that Sandra bullock was afraid of him, and so he attacked her and her husband and hijacked their car. On the other hand, African Americans in the movie, especially Ludacris, assumed that all White people were racists, which is also a fundamental attribution error, as they attributed certain characteristics to people based on generalization. Another social concept that was seen in this example is peer pressure. Ludacris’s friend gave in to peer pressure, the influence exerted by peers upon each other to behave a certain way, when he let Ludacris convince him to hijack Bullock’s car. Another social relationship that portrayed racial stereotypes was Mat Dillon’s Cop character and his partner officer Hansen. While Dillon was portrayed as a racist character, his partner was not racist. That however did not stop him from getting affected by Matt Dillon’s points of view. His automatic thinking led him to hastily shoot a black man hitchhiker because he thought he was pulling a gun from his pocket when he was pulling a small statue of a saint. This was mainly due to priming, which is â€Å"a method for analyzing implicit memory in which a person reads or listens to information and is later tested to see whether the information affects performance on another type of task† (Wade and Tavris, Pg 213) If Mat Dillon had not primed his opinions on Hansen, perhaps he would not have automatically shot the man and assumed bad conduct and threat. Through this storyline we see how stereotypes develop. Although Hansen is not racist, one experience he had with an African American made him think that they are all the same, dangerous. The movie discuses how discrimination becomes a stereotype out of habit. We are shown the evolution of stereotypes throughout the movie. As the stereotype begins initially as just the way people perceive each other, it develops into death threats by the end of the movie. Ryan Philippe displays blunt bystander apathy, where in crowds when someone is in trouble, individuals often fail to take action or call for help because they assume that someone else will do so (Wade and Tavris, Page 347). Ryan does that during the search, as does the husband. The bystander apathy is shown through Ryan Philippe who displays altruism throughout the movie apart from the end. The husband, Terrence Howard, has a bystander effect as well during the first encounter with the police. This changes however, the second time where he shows a misattribution of arousal because he has mixed up feelings and nothing had happened where he had done something wrong in front of the police but he was still furious at the police because of the first encounter, which is why he is mad for no reason the second time. The many social psychology concepts in the movie are represented through the characters. For example, the locksmith, Michael Peà ±a, shows an altruistic personality throughout the whole movie. He prefers to help others with no benefit, and sometimes even a cost to himself. Also, Sandra Bullock represents self-awareness by the end of the movie, as she realizes her personality and that gets angry all the time. She becomes more aware of her actions and behavior. The ‘feel good do good’ theory is shown through Ludacris’s when he frees the Asians from the van, and then laughs out of joy. By helping someone else, he put himself in a good mood. Survival instinct is portrayed in the movie through Ludacris and his friend’s accident. After they run over a man, they deliberated helping him at first because they could have gotten into trouble. This act of pro social behavior was done as a result of the â€Å"feel bad, do good† concept. Their guilt because of what they did made them stop and help him, as well as their desire to save themselves from the trouble they could get into if they are caught. Racism is further portrayed through Matt Dillon’s partner when he goes to the African American chief of police to complain about Dillon’s racist actions against black civilians. The chief refuses to take action because he fears that the racist system of the police department would take away his job. Furthermore, the concept of appraisal theory (Wade and Tavris, Pg 457) is portrayed through Sandra Bullock’s fear, and refusal to express it. As a result, she got attacked with a gun and then goes on to m ake a social cognition, which is defined as â€Å"how people’s perceptions of themselves and others affect their relationships and how the social environment influence thoughts beliefs and values† (Wade and Tavris, Pg 338) and another fundamental attribution error about the locksmith changing the key and going to sell it. Works Cited Tavris, Carol, and Carole Wade.Invitation to Psychology. 5th ed. 2011. eBook.

Essay :: essays research papers

Unit 1: Narrative Essay Feeling complete with your own personal mental and physical standpoints is essential if you ever want a fulfilling relationship. Knowing your own ability to live vigilantly day to day, being gratified with the prospects of how you are living your life up untill this point. This is what determines wether your ready to take the step into entering a relationship. Every point in ones life is a learning experience. Treating past relationships as learning experiences help to better your understanding of what your really looking to gain out of future relationships. The following paragraphs discuss a story of my past. This story revolves around a relationship taking place at a negative point in my life. So my lesson to you is one I learned the hard way. Being happy with yourself is vital before attempting to by happy with someone else. To mentally set the scene for my story, I will give some background into my mental and physical standpoint. During the time of this story, I was under a lot of stress from various circumstances. I had just recently lost my job at Subway and had no source of income. Becouse I lost my job, I had no longer the money nor the resources to continue with athletic training. Taking the three months off from athletic training had a negative effect on my physical appearence. With a noticable loss of physical appearence, my self esteem began to drop slightily. So all together, threw one run of bad luck into another, i was spiraling down into a depression like state. It all started the first week of grade 10. I was walking to math class and i met up with a few of my lunch crew friends. I noticed my friend Ashlea talking to Erin Berring. Erin was an attractive, smart and fashonable girl. I always had a thing for smarties. In school she had straight A's, and was also the leader of the female wrestling team. I felt a little up on myself that day for some reason. I figured there was no better time then the present to chat it up a little. The conversation went quite well, which was different from what I expected. She even asked for my number so we could continue our talk later that night. "Why would she be interested in me?," I said to myself. After all, she seemed way out of my league.

The Benefits of FFA Membership Essay -- Expository Essays Research Pap

The spacious, mute auditorium is suddenly turned into a buzzing social center as the large double doors are swung open by thousands of enthusiastic young members of the National FFA Organization. Although the topics of their conversations may range from discussions on recent use of Global Positioning Satellites in tractors, to arguments over the greatest country singer of all time, these young people all have one thing in common. They are all wearing the blue corduroy jacket of the FFA, proudly displaying the FFA emblem on the back, embroidered with blue and gold thread. These members are standing in the center of Freedom Hall; the main auditorium used to hold the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. They are anxiously awaiting the first session of the first National Convention to be held in Kentucky. Amidst the sea of blue and gold, one member stands silently in awe of the multitude of people. The sleeves of his blue jacket hang stiffly at his side and the copper zipper shines brightly; both signs of a brand new jacket-- a brand new FFA member. His face looks passive as if he really doesn't know how to react, but the sparkle in his eyes betrays his excitement. This is the first FFA activity he has attended as a high school freshman. To the average person, the boy looks quiet and shy. However, a seed of strength is beginning to take root inside this young man. Through being involved in this convention as well as many more FFA activities in the young man's career in FFA, a world of possibilities is opening up for his future. The National Future Farmers of America program was started in 1929 by a group of young people desiring an organization in which they could take agricultural education classes, practice their l... ...eles Times, 5. Retrieved on March 20, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (Newspapers) on the World Wide Web: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.htm. Prominent Former Members of the FFA. (2001, September 13). National FFA Organization. Retrieved March 19, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ffa.org/htm Sheshadri, T. (2001, December 26). Student recognized for agricultural acumen. The San Diego Union Tribune, N1-4. Retrieved on March 20, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (Newspapers) on the World Wide Web: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.htm. Tenney, A. (1977). The FFA at 50. Alexandria, VA: Future Farmers of America. West, S. (2001, September 20). FFA more than cows, plows. The Houston Chronicle, 6. Retrieved on March 20, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (Newspapers) on the World Wide Web: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.htm. The Benefits of FFA Membership Essay -- Expository Essays Research Pap The spacious, mute auditorium is suddenly turned into a buzzing social center as the large double doors are swung open by thousands of enthusiastic young members of the National FFA Organization. Although the topics of their conversations may range from discussions on recent use of Global Positioning Satellites in tractors, to arguments over the greatest country singer of all time, these young people all have one thing in common. They are all wearing the blue corduroy jacket of the FFA, proudly displaying the FFA emblem on the back, embroidered with blue and gold thread. These members are standing in the center of Freedom Hall; the main auditorium used to hold the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. They are anxiously awaiting the first session of the first National Convention to be held in Kentucky. Amidst the sea of blue and gold, one member stands silently in awe of the multitude of people. The sleeves of his blue jacket hang stiffly at his side and the copper zipper shines brightly; both signs of a brand new jacket-- a brand new FFA member. His face looks passive as if he really doesn't know how to react, but the sparkle in his eyes betrays his excitement. This is the first FFA activity he has attended as a high school freshman. To the average person, the boy looks quiet and shy. However, a seed of strength is beginning to take root inside this young man. Through being involved in this convention as well as many more FFA activities in the young man's career in FFA, a world of possibilities is opening up for his future. The National Future Farmers of America program was started in 1929 by a group of young people desiring an organization in which they could take agricultural education classes, practice their l... ...eles Times, 5. Retrieved on March 20, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (Newspapers) on the World Wide Web: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.htm. Prominent Former Members of the FFA. (2001, September 13). National FFA Organization. Retrieved March 19, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ffa.org/htm Sheshadri, T. (2001, December 26). Student recognized for agricultural acumen. The San Diego Union Tribune, N1-4. Retrieved on March 20, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (Newspapers) on the World Wide Web: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.htm. Tenney, A. (1977). The FFA at 50. Alexandria, VA: Future Farmers of America. West, S. (2001, September 20). FFA more than cows, plows. The Houston Chronicle, 6. Retrieved on March 20, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (Newspapers) on the World Wide Web: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.htm.

Increasing Hate Crime Awareness in the US Essay

Though latest report released last October 2006 by the US Department of Justice – FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program showed a decrease in total number of reported incidents, 7,163 in 2005 vs. 7,649 in 2004 (Hate Crime Statistics 2005), there has been an inversely growing awareness on this topic among various stakeholders – legislators, law enforcement officials, and the American public – such that term â€Å"hate crime† has become a part of everyday vernacular among Americans. Three factors contributed to this growing awareness. Firstly, the organizational initiatives, normally the offended party group in order to protect their civil rights, are taking active roles, through their advocacy campaigns, support services and education programs. Prominent proponents, among others, are American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for all Americans, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for the Jewish, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD), La Alianza Hispana for the Latin-Hispanics and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for African-American group. Secondly, the Federal Government on its part, through the DA’s Office has a Civil Rights Unit composed of attorneys for education and intervention services, working in cooperation with victim-witness advocates. In addition, Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crime has its ‘Stop the Hate Website’ Campaign promoting awareness of hate crimes and providing resources for responding to and preventing such acts. Thirdly, concerned group initiatives, such as NGOs in the likes of Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education programs and litigations, play an independent, third-party role in increasing hate crime awareness.

Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot by Robert Olen Butler Essay

A coward, by definition, is a person who lacks courage, especially one who is shamefully unable to control his fear and so shrinks from danger or trouble. In the short story, â€Å"Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot†, Robert Olen Butler makes the point that cowardly behavior can ultimately lead to ones demise through his use of plot, characterization, symbolism, and irony. In this story, Butler portrays a jealous husbands cowardly behavior when dealing with his supposedly cheating wife, which leads to his death. He then returns in the form of a parrot to endure the pain of his decisions. As demonstrated by the husband, who is the main character in this story, cowardly behavior can be caused by weaknesses as relatively common as uncontrollable emotion and in-the-moment compulsion, combined with an aversion to attacking life’s problems head on. However, in this story the effect of this behavior is even more devastating and heart-breaking; it can be the ultimate dem ise of what could have been a long and otherwise meaningful life. The story takes place in Houston and begins with the husband already in his bird form. He is in pet store with other parrots and his wife walks in. She does not know its him but she immediately picks him out over the other parrots. When he gets settled in his new cage at home, the husband begins reminiscing about his past cowardly actions that got him into his current situation. His insecurities began when his wife continually mentioned the new guy at her work. His cowardly actions follow soon after when he states that â€Å"my goal was to hold my tongue about half the time† (Butler, 188). Instead of confronting her with his allegations, he locks himself up to keep quite. Later he finds the name and address of the man he suspects his wife is sleeping with. Still in human form, he makes the most cowardly decision yet and decides to spy on his wife’s possible lover. He goes to the house on a saturday afternoon and the neighborhood is empty. He heard sounds from the second floor window so he climbs a tree to get a better look. His desperateness for answers bring him dangerously close to the end of the tree branch, bring him to his final moments as a human. He feel from the tree, hitting his head and ending his human life. His cowardly behavior ultimately lead to his death. None of this would have happened if he confronted his  wife. He was so scared that she would leave him that he never said a word to her. Right from the start, Butler characterizes the husband and his lack of courage. The husband starts off by stating, â€Å"I never can quite say as much as I know† (187). Throughout the story, the husband’s continues to show this cowardly behavior by never confronting his wife about any of his accusations. Instead he suffers from his bottled-up feelings of inadequacy, low sense of self worth, and fear of losing his wife if he were to confront her with allegations of having extramarital affairs. Butler continues to shows the cowardly characteristics of the husband when he goes behind his wives back to try and find answers. He described the event, stating, â€Å"I was holding on to a limb with arms and legs wrapped around it like it was her in those times when I could forget the others for a little while. But the crack in the shade was just out of view and I crawled on along till there was no limb left and I fell on my head† (188). Instead of confronting his wife or her lover, he engaged in an act of snooping, which ended his human life, and turned him into a parrot. As a result of the husband’s cowardliness, he endured a hellish existence as a parrot. Even in parrot form, he continued to express his feeling of jealousy and inadequacy as a husband. His emotional problems, however, did not stop at feeling of being an inadequate husband. He also showed serious signs that he lacked a sense of self worth as a person. He seems to base his worth on his wife’s affection toward him, and expressed almost a feeling of helplessness without her. He belittled himself and his role in the relationship, stating, â€Å"When we held each other, I had no past at all, no present but her body, no future but to lie there and not let her go. I was an egg hatched beneath her crouching body, I entered as a chick into her wet sky of a body, and all that I wished was to sit on her shoulder and fluff my feathers and lay my head against her cheek, my neck exposed to her hand† (189). By comparing himself to a chick, the husband expressed an inherent need to be cared for, and showed no sign of capability in coping with life on his own. In the end, the jealous husband (in the form of a parrot) committed his final cowardly act: he made the decision to purposely fly into the window and kill himself.  This act was the most absolute and appalling effect of his cowardly ways. The last lines of the story are an insight into the husbands suicidal thought process. He said, â€Å"And I spread my wings. I will fly now. Even though I know there is something between me and that place where I can be free of all these feelings, I will fly. I will throw myself again and again there. Pretty bird. Bad bird. Good night† (191). A huge potential for disaster in the husband’s marriage was symbolized as he displayed a pitiful lack of assertion. He was more than aware that his wife was engaging in an affair, but fear of losing her kept him from confronting her the way he could have. He described his cowardly dilemma, stating, â€Å"Hey, I’m not stupid. She said another thing about him and then another and right after the third one I locked myself in the bathroom because I couldn’t rage about this anymore. I felt like a damn fool whenever I actually said anything about this kind of feeling and she looked at me like she could start hating me real easy and so I was working on saying nothing, even if it meant locking myself up† (188). By locking himself in the bathroom, he is taking the cowards way out of confronting his wife. This is a great use of symbolism, as he is metaphorically locking up his emotions and problems when he should be dealing with them and his wife. This is the same cowardly behavior that led to the husband’s demise, and is consistent with the symbolism of his life as a parrot, in which he was locked in a cage, just as he was locked in the bathroom as a man. The most heart-wrenchingly part of the husband’s story, however, is not just that he had his heart broken daily; it was the simple fact that there was absolutely nothing he could do about it because he is now a bird. Butler displays irony when the husband, in his parrot life, compares his lack of communication in his marriage to his absolute inability to say what he thought as a parrot. In his human life he bottled up his emotions and feelings but now that he is a parrot he has a lot to say but no words to express them. He sat in a cage, wanting desperately to speak his mind, and express his love to his wife, but he couldn’t. He made the thought-provoking statement, â€Å"I can never say what is in my heart to her. Never† (190). The effect of his cowardly behavior, by not saying what was in his heart in his  human life, had made it even more impossible to communicate after he had fallen out of the tree and died. The husband states that â€Å"the crack in the shade was just out of view and I crawled on along till there was no limb left and I fell on my head† (188). The fact that he had fallen out of a tree and is reincarnated as a bird is also totally irony too. Butler could have reincarnate the husband as any animal and he chose a bird and birds don’t fall out of trees. With this story, Robert Olen Butler clearly demonstrates that cowardly behavior can lead to ones demise with his use of plot, characterization, symbolism and irony. As a result of uncontrollably strong emotions, insecurities, desperately compulsive actions, and failure to engage in direct confrontation with his offenders, the husband died a sudden and cowardly death, only to return as a parrot, and suffer the intolerable pain of witnessing his wife’s heart-breaking promiscuity. The ultimate result of his cowardly behavior was his suicide, which closed this cowardly tale with an appropriately cowardly ending. This story could be interpreted as a testament of failure to challenge a person’s own fears. This story is relevant to life because it is likely that devastating consequences, such as the ones experienced by the jealous husband, can be avoided by facing fears with courage, and standing up for one’s self with conviction, in spite of danger or trouble.