Alice Walkers Color Purple - Historical and Political Insight Essay

The Color Purple : Historical and Political Insight Alice Walker’s writings were greatly influenced by the political and societal happenings around her during the 1960s and 1970s. She not only wrote about events that were taking place, she participated in them as well. Her devoted time and energy into society is very evident in her works. The Color Purple, one of Walker’s most prized novels, sends out a social message that concerns women’s struggle for freedom in a society where they are viewed as inferior to men. The events that happened during and previous to her writing of The Color Purple had a tremendous impact on the standpoint of the novel. The Civil Rights Movement was the largest influence on Walker’s writings. In a decision handed down by the Supreme Court in 1954, the beginning of civil rights occurred. In the decision of Brown vs. The Board of Education, the court ruled that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal because they gave AfricanAmerican children a sense of inferiority and retarded their educational and mental development. That case began the civil rights uprising in the United States. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbid businesses connected with interstate commerce to discriminate when choosing its employees. If these businesses did not conform to the act, they would lose funds that were granted to them from the government. Another act that was passed to secure the equality of blacks was the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This act, which was readopted and modified in 1970, 1975, and 1982, contained a plan to eliminate devices for voting discrimination and gave the Department of Justice more power in enforcing equal rights. In another attempt for equal rights, the Equal Employment ... ...ally signed in 1973 and the Americans returned home following the signage. However, all was not well in the US. Overall, the war was very unpopular to the public and it led to radicalism and polarization of the country’s youth. Many universities had demonstrations and a resistance against institutions was prevalent on college campuses. By 1974, the country’s economy was in recession, a direct response to the Vietnam War. The Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War were the two primary influences on the life and writings of Alice Walker. Walker is still alive today and continues to write about society issues that have affected her life. "Civil Rights and Liberties-Civil Rights Movement." Encyclopedia Americana. 1996 ed. Jackson, Melinda L. "Alice Walker-Womanist Writer." Online. Internet. 14 April 1998. Available http://wwwvms.utexas.edu/~melindaj/alice.html

Hoaxes: Deception and Cardiff Giant

Hoaxes What is a Hoax? A hoax is something that is intended to deceive you or better described as a theory. They are many hoaxes in the world that have been developed over time. The two I have decided to tell you about are in the top 10 famous hoaxes in the world. These two are the Cardiff Giant and then the Cottingley Fairies. As you will out while you continue to read is both of these came out not to be completely true. George Hull who was a tobacconist created the hoax, Cardiff Giant. â€Å"He decided to create the giant after an argument at a Methodist meeting about a passage stating there were giants that once lived on the earth. The men he hired to carve the man, were instructed to make it long out of gypsum. Edward Burghardt was hired by Hull to carve the stone into a man and not tell anyone. To make the stone man look old and weathered, they used many stains and acids. By the time he was transported to a farm the United States has already spent 2,600 dollars trying to figure out the hoax, this was in 1868. In almost 1869, two men dug up a well and discovered the giant. One of the reporters said, â€Å"I declare some old indian has been buried here! Later some guy set up a tent and charged 25 cents for people who wanted to see the giant. Hull later sold his interest for 23,000 dollars to a man with the name of David Hannum. They moved it to Sycacuse, New York for an exhibit. It was so popular that a man named P. T. Barnum offered 50,000 dollars for the giant; he was turned down. He later hired a man to model the giants shape and cover it in wax and created a plaster replica. The replica was put on display at New York and claimed that it was real and the other one was fake.Barnum got sued by Hannum for calling his giant fake. Barnum got sued by Hannum for calling his giant fake. Hull eventually confessed to the press on December 10. On February 2, 1870, both of the giants were revealed in the court as being, fake. Barnum was ruled by the judge that he c ouldn’t be sued. The story of Cottingley Fairies is based off of a series of five pictures that were taken by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths. Elsie borrowed her dad’s 25 cent camera one day and toke pictures behind the family house. As Mr.Wright was developing the pictures, he saw fairies in them, but he said they were, fake. She was banned from taking anymore pictures, but her mom, Polly, was convinced they were real. In the summer of 1919, the whole situation became public and an author wrote an article saying these fairies were real. The next fifty years od there life was spent avoiding the public and is particular hoax continued to be believed by a lot of people. Frances and Elsie both admitted when they were about to die that the first four that were taken was fake, but the fifth photo was, authentic.

History of Barter System

Barter system Barter system is an age-old method that was adopted by people to exchange their services and goods. This system was used for centuries, before the invention of money. People used to exchange the goods or services for other goods or services in return. Nowadays, barter services has staged a comeback with the advent of more sophisticated techniques that aid trading through the Internet. During ancient times, barter system was a local phenomenon, which involved people in the same locality. However, today barter system has become global. You can now negotiate with the opposite party, regarding the value of the item you want to barter and vice versa. The advantage of bartering is that it does not involve money. You can buy an item in exchange for some other thing you current . The barter system was one of the earliest forms of trading. History of barter system It facilitated exchange of goods and services, as money was not invented in those times. The history of bartering can be traced back to 6000 BC. It is believed that barter system was introduced by the tribes of Mesopotamia. This system was then adopted by the Phoenicians, who bartered their goods to people in other cities located across the oceans. An improved system of bartering was developed in Babylonia too. People used to exchange their goods for weapons, tea, spices, and food items. Sometimes, even human skulls were used for barter. Another popular item used for exchange was salt. Salt was so valuable at that time, that the salary of Roman soldiers was paid in salt. The main drawback of this system was that there was no standard criteria to determine the value of goods and services, and this resulted in disputes and clashes. These problems were sorted out with the invention of money, but the barter system continued to exist in some form or another. The Europeans started traveling across the globe during the Middle Ages and used barter services to trade their goods like furs and crafts to the East, in exchange of perfumes and silks. People of colonial America did not have enough money for business, which was mainly based on barter services. Most of their business consisted of wheat, skins of male deer (bucks), musket balls, etc. They were also experts in exchanging services. If members of one family agreed to help their neighbors in harvesting their crops, the latter would help the former in their task, like roofing their building. The history of barter system can also be linked to the initial years of Oxford and Harvard Universities, where students used to pay their fees as food items, firewood or livestock. Barter services became popular during the Great Depression in the 1930s', which witnessed a scarcity of money. The barter system was used as a way of obtaining things like food and other services. The trading was done between people or through groups, who acted as agents and facilitated third party bartering. These groups were like banks, where people maintained their accounts. In case of sale of any of the items, the account of the owner would be credited and the account of the buyer would be debited. It is worth mentioning that Adolf Hitler also used barter system to collect money for funding the war. He was engaged in barter trading with Greece, Sweden and Russia. Post World War II, the people of Germany too resorted to bartering, as the German currency had lost its value. Barter system has been in use throughout the world for centuries. The invention of money did not result in the end of bartering services. Sometimes, monetary crises fueled the revival of the barter system, and the current recession has once again set a stage for its comeback. Even though money is there for trading and for business, barter system still exists and has become more strong and organized. ly have, but don't want. This type of trading can be done through swap markets and online auctions.

Child Marriage in India Essay

Child marriage means that two children are forced to marry each other with the consent of the two families. The children are forced into the institution of marriage without knowing about its significance in the long run. Though parents are of the opinion that they involve their children in such rituals because it is an age old custom and it will also secure the future of their children but the reality is not so. Though in some cases parents believe in such superstitions and dogmas in other cases greed is the most significant factor. How can a girl’s future become secured if she gets married to a man who is 60 years of age while the girl herself is barely 14 or 15? Only their parent’s future will be secured with the amount of money the man and his family pay in return of the girl. This heinous crime cannot be termed as marriage it is simply selling of the girl child. The man will molest her at a tender age and at the same time he will kiss death pretty soon. The girl will end up being so horrified with the custom of marriage that she will dare not enter the institution again. A whole future filled with frustration and anger will result thereby. The sad news is that the institution of child marriage is still present in India in a number of villages and districts. Though the government has taken strict actions and child marriage has been declared as a big crime, still this practise is prevalent till today. The question that arises is that what can be done to stop this hidden crime? Apart from the measures taken by the government it is essential for colleges and other institutions like non- government organizations to make certain moves. It is advisable to approach such villages and districts and educate the parents about the ill- effects of child marriage. Though it is not easy to make them understand easily but you never know that which activity or step of yours can change their minds at any point of time. Short films, live plays can be shown to them and the moral behind these plays should obviously show the pathetic future of the kids who are forced to get married. More and more schools should be set up in such villages as a result of which people will sooner or later get their children admitted in schools. Such people should also be informed about the punishment given by the law and order of the country in an exaggerated way so that they get immensely scared even before thinking about such a crime. It is also advisable on the part of the government to take as strict actions as possible in order to abolish this institution completely. The path is tough but victory can be achieved if strict actions are taken. College students as a part of their college campaign can visit such villages and personally talk to the mothers of children explaining the ill- effects of child marriage in the lives of their children. It is easier to make a mother explain the problems her child would face because women are soft by nature. India is a developing nation and aims to become a developed nation in the near future, but can a developed nation have brides and grooms who have not yet attained adulthood. It is impossible for India to become a developed nation if child marriage is not abolished. Government should start an inquiry in such districts and villages and the homes where married couples under the age of 18 and 21 for a girl and a boy respectively are found, strict actions should be taken. The girl should be sent to her parent’s home and both the parents of the couple should be punished. There are places where mere words cannot change an individual’s heart. It is only strict action in the form of punishment that can alter their minds. The sooner this institution of child marriage is abolished the better for the whole nation. It is true that the percentage of child marriage has dropped over the years but still this institution exists. All the citizens should join hands to abolish this practice to make India a better place to live in.

A Child's Drawing Expresses Their Psychological Ability and Feelings Essay

A Child's Drawing Expresses Their Psychological Ability and Feelings - Essay Example Talking does not offer a comprehensive medium of expression. According to Golomb (pp. 42), a child’s hidden feelings can only be expressed by art, specifically drawings. Be it small or a large drawing so much can be said from the piece of art. Other than career and professional drawings, drawings have been used to detect the feeling in most children who undergo psychological problems. In some instances drawings as an art has been used as anger management tool. This is an indication on how important art is in managing of human emotion. In an argument by Herne, Cox & Watts (pp. 115), a child’s drawings expresses about 75% of their internal feelings both emotional and psychological. In interpreting the drawings psychologists consider color, size, location of characters, characters, page location, font and shading type and the facial expression of child when drawing an image or character. Apart from the expression of feelings, drawings at different ages in children denote t heir psychological growth. From scribbling to real images and drawings is one notable feature in child development when drawings are concerned. It is this fact that has enabled me to come up with the theory that â€Å"a child’s drawing expresses their psychological ability and feelings†. This paper will focus on how drawings show a child psychological growth and interpretation... This stage is known as fortuitous realism. At this stage a child understands scribbling as the best work of art they can achieve. However, as much as scribbling can be seen as insignificant, the way scribbling is done by a child can tell more about their emotion and psychology. Some children may scribble dark scribbles while at times scribble gentler and light scribbles. According to the American Counseling Association (pp. 34) this may denote anger or frustration and also satisfaction and happiness respectively. The second stage occurs between the ages of 4 – 7. This stage is known as preschematic stage. This stage is categorized into two stages of development. The stages are failed and intellectual realism. In the failed realism a child draws elements that are completely unrelated from the real image of the element. Intellectual realism is when a child draws an element from their knowledge. For instance, a child may draw a cup since the image is in their brain. The third sta ge of development is the schematic stage. The stage comes up between the ages of 8 – 9. In this stage a child draws what they see. The element shows the features of the real image. This is aimed at transferring their visual sense to the mental sense then the interpretation follows. It is also noted that this point kids differ from the accuracy of their drawings. At this point is where the visual and interpretation abilities of children are noted. Different children have different visual and interpretation prowess. This indicates that the psychology of children differs depending on their mental abilities. The three stages show that drawings effectively indicate the psychological growth and strength of children.

Teaching assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teaching assignment - Essay Example The plans are devised to improve the working skills of the students in linguistics. Many African mothers carry, or nestle, their babies on their backs. This custom has advantages for both mother and child. A working woman, who has nobody to look after the baby, knows he is safe on her back, while her hands are free for her work. Meanwhile, the baby stays in close contact with his mother and feels warm and safe. This sense of security may be suddenly broken, however, when the child can no longer be carried, he may be put down and expected to behave like a grown up child. But as he has been over-protected for so long through nestling that he now feels very insecure and may behave like a baby. Children need freedom and the chance to use their limbs. They need to be able to observe and explore their environment. They also need to learn how to make and do things on their own. Therefore, even when mothers must carry their babies everywhere, they should try to set them free whenever possible. a. Look at the picture. What do you think it is about? Which part of the world do you think this woman is from? All right, you now know that the woman is from Africa and she is carrying a baby on her back. You know a bit about the picture. By presenting the above-mentioned lesson plan I have observed the following learning outcome in the working skills of the student with respect to English language. The student was able to understand the meaning of nestling. He was able to generate a discussion on how babies are cared in villages and cities. He was able to do the following: The student was in need of audio visual aid that he or she must be provided with some sort of audio visual aid. The lesson plan was presented in a good style which enhanced the abilities of the student but not at a mature level. He or she was in need of more hard work. In the subject plan the student was provided with the

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - Essay Example Her novel My sister’s keepers also deal with moral, ethical and psychological consequences of situation that have a contradicting point of views. This novel was published in 2004 initially and raises many contradicting issues pertaining to genetic engineering and rights pertaining to control of minor over her body. This novel tells the story of a family whose daughter has been suffering from extremely harmful form of cancer and genetically designed other daughter is brought to the world for sake of saving her sister and help in recovery (SparkNotes, n.d.). The protagonist of the story was Anna Fitzgerald who plays a role that is argued by many. Her character is defined by her link to elder sister Kate, whose health depends upon her and her efforts for fighting for her rights as an individual and battle of getting freedom from this special link. These efforts and willingness can be seen in her chat with Campbell that how much she wanted to be a sister to Kate in all the past te n years and she couldn’t achieve that status in anyway. The tragic and sorrowful reality of Ana’s character can be seen in her efforts of getting freedom and treated as an independent person rather than being used for a purpose only, which was keeping her sister Kate alive. These contradictory thoughts complicates her character and mind by making herself guilty for thinking of getting an independent identity unrelated to her sister when she knows only she can be source of health to her sister. It forces her to think of herself as a selfish person and feeling less. All of these negative feelings lead her to engage in harmful activities that could affect her health such as smoking with Jess. Anna is shown as a helpless and disputed soul as she is willing to help her sister as well to combat this disease by donating her kidney to Kate, but the Kate is destined to die in any way later or sooner. And at the same time she is willing to be independent of this issue by filing a lawsuit against her parents that states and provides all rights of Anna on her own body and helps her in not donating her sister the Kidney. She is actually shown as fulfilling her sister’s desire as well as Kate herself wants to die because she is tired of fighting against this cruel disease. This represents the righteous side of Anna and love towards her sister. Therefore, it is the lawsuit filed by Anna that is targeted towards completing the wishes of both sisters at a time (SparkNotes, n.d.). Since Anna is a product of genetic engineering and an unwanted and undesired child in her parents life, which is solely brought to this world by her parents with the help of science for sake of keeping her sister alive. Therefore she is also shown as a point of node between science and compassion through out the story. The extent of using Anna by her parents can be seen in Sara’s in form of desires for using Ana’s body organs for the health and safety of her elder da ughter Kate only and she had never thought of Anna as a person or her own child. Therefore, it can be concluded that the character of Anna has been represented as a person who is sacrificed her life and happiness for her sister to the readers and her family. Her character is respected for her great deed, loving and devoting attitude so she can be considered as a source of light and happiness to her family. She is also shown as a joyful person who is funny and a very sympathetic person. She has not only physically helped her sister to remain healthy