Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Struggle for Racial Uplift Essay Example for Free

The Struggle for Racial Uplift Essay * Ishmael. He was caught in the jungles of Africa at a young age and has lived his life in captivity ever since. He started out in a zoo-purchased by Walter Sokolow, with whom he learned to communicate telepathically. * Ishmael’s investigation focused on the issue of captivity-and grew into a more comprehensive exploration of humanity. * Ishmael helps the narrator understand his cultural history. Ishmael divides humans into two groups: Leavers and Takers. * Takers are members who believe you should dominate first the planet, then the universe, through technological innovations. Leavers are members of tribal cultures that live simple, basic rules that govern other populations on Earth. * Ishmael helps the narrator see that taker culture is in freefall, bound to crash once you have depleted the planet of its biological and environmental resources. * Ishmael shows the narrator how various cultural myths have helped shape both cultures. One main myth he discusses is the story of Adam and Eve. -historically this myth was used by Leaver cultures to explain the expansion of Taker cultures. -Leavers were trying to understand why Takers had turned to agriculture and were trying to force their way of life on the Leavers. -Takers had eaten of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil — the tree of the gods must eat from in order to know who should live and die. Only to know that that form does not belong to life- form on earth. * Narrator becomes a teacher in Ishmaels honor, in hopes to teach people about the taker culture and find a new way to live w/others on earth. Character List and Analysis * Ishmael- they see themselves as superior and removed from the rules that structure the evolution and survival of other life-forms on the planet. * through his research on human history, hes come to see that they, too, are captive to a destructive way of life in their pursuit of domination over the rest of the world. * Through his studies, Ishmael tries to understand why humans feel called to dominate the world, and he teaches the explanation hes come up with to his student (the narrator) Narrator * The nameless narrator is Ishmaels fifth student and the only one who isnt completely defeated at the end of his instruction. * Hes open-minded and maintains his desire to save the world, though he often finds it difficult to maintain a sense of hope. * Analysis * cultural revolution of the late 1960s * constructing the novel in first person, the reader closely aligns himself with the narrator and can sympathize with the problematic feeling of giving up ones youthful dreams * by being both named and renamed, Ishmael gains a stronger sense of himself as an individual. He is not the giant enemy Goliath-but rather Ishmael, the cast-off son of Abraham. * Quinns use of biblical allusions for Ishmaels names structure the relationship he has with humans. While imprisoned, hes a goliath, an unknown monster. Once hes able to communicate with humans and share their knowledge, he is like a distant relative, as the offspring of Ishmael are to the offspring of Isaac in the Bible. * why are things the way they are? This question is first presented by Ishmael in his memories of life in the zoo. Part 1 * Rachel’s mother, who has always resented Ishmaels relationship with her husband and daughter. * When Ishmael moved in the city he became a teacher, his key subject being the issue of captivity. * Ishmael says that, while it may not matter if one individual discovers the lie, it could change the world if the entire human population discovered the truth. Analysis groundwork to answer the novels central question: why are things the way they are? -Ishmael uses rhetorical strategies, such as asking guiding questions and storytelling, to engage his pupil -humans are captive to a civilizational system and are unable to see the bars of the cage. Part 2 * Ishmael explain The first is that story is the explanation of the relationship between humans, the world, and the gods. * second is that to enact something is to live as if a certain story is a reality. * The third term he defines is culture, which is a group of people enacting a story. * Mother Culture concludes that the Leavers story is the first chapter of humankinds development and the Takers are the second chapter. * narrator insists there is no overarching story or myth that forms his culture. * Greeks did not think of their myths as myths either; rather, what are now considered myths were just the stories that structured their lives. Analysis-Quinn associates takers with civilization and leavers with primitive cultures. –Additionally, Ishmael provides the narrator with three key definitions for story, to enact, and culture. -framework for Ishmaels exploration of Takers and Leavers, who are groups of people with their own story theyre enacting as a culture. Part 3 * myth contains facts, those facts are arranged in a way that suggests the point of the formation of the universe and evolution is the formation of man. Ishmael claims that this is the central idea behind the Takers culture — that Earth was made to support human life Analysis- storytelling is essential to the narrators epiphany in this section. -story featuring a jellyfish rather than a human at the end of it, narrator begins to see the difference between fact and myth. Ishmael and the narrator discuss the way culture influences humans, and on the micro level as a means for Ishmael to instruct the narrator. -many of Ishmaels statements to the narrator are in the form of leading questions . Part 4 * Taker Culture, middle of the story is humankinds time as hunter-gatherers, a time when they were living much as other animals do. * for humankind to achieve its destiny, it had to discover agriculture, which provided it with the means of staying in one place and developing civilization and technology. * so why must man do this? Whats the purpose of rising above the other animals? Ishmael has the narrator imagine an Earth without humans on it; * Ishmael helps the narrator see the next part of the story: man was put on Earth to rule it, and to do so he had to conquer it. * Taker cultural story suggests that things are the way they are because man had to fulfill his destiny of conquering everything, really things are the way they are because man hasnt become the ruler of the world, but its destroyer and enemy. Analysis- why are things the way they are — evolves in Part 4 through Ishmaels use of imaginative exercises and Socratic dialogue. * Ishmael encourages the narrator to imagine Earth without man. Through this creative exercise, the narrator sees the world in a new way and better understands his culture myth. * explain how Takers justify the destruction of the worlds natural resources and wildlife, the narrator says that Takers would see this as the price that must be paid to advance human culture. Part 5 * figure out the end of the story. * man has been put on Earth to conquer it, in conquering it hes caused a lot of problems. * but at the end of his story is that humans are inherently flawed and thus will continue to screw up their pursuit of paradise. * Ishmael asks what evidence his culture uses to back up its claim of being flawed, and the narrator admits it only uses its own history. * topic of prophets and asks the narrator why Taker culture is so obsessed with prophets. Analysis- Mother Culture says humans do not know how to live, so they rely on prophets to tell them what to do. Ishmael foreshadows that the narrator is ready for the next step — to see the world through the Leavers eyes, rather than the Takers. Part 6 * Mother Culture would suggest that humans are above any law that applies to the rest of life on earth. * regardless of what Mother Culture says, the law of living applies, and that hell use the analogy of gravity and flight to explain. * Takers gods tricked the Takers in three ways: -the Takers not the center of the universe -humans evolved just like everything else, even though they feel above evolution. -not actually exempt from the laws of life. * even though it feels like flight, and Takers are accelerating toward a crash. Takers also see abandoned attempts at civilization (for example, the Mayans) but nonetheless believe that their attempt will survive because it has worked so far. Analysis -Taker culture: it is obedient to a law about living, but it is ignorant of that law and so is unable to see how its doomed to fail. -Newton discovered the law of gravity by observation. Ishmael also builds on this analogy to explain that the only way to understand what laws organisms must live by is by observing living organisms. -Mother Culture tells Takers that theyre above the laws of life, they too are in free fall, and eventually their civilization will also crash due to its inability to follow the laws of life. Part 7 * ishmael invites the narrator to imagine himself in a foreign land where everyone is happy * Through more questioning, the narrator discovers he has three guides with which to narrow down the law by which they live: -what makes their society successful what people in the society never do -what a person who has broken the law has done that the others never do. * species of creatures on the planet have followed this rule and prospered; it is only that when a portion of humans decided to abandon the law and live beyond it that Earths ecosystems were thrown out of balance. * He realizes that he doesnt want to complete this task, once hes learned Ishmaels lesson hell be left alone again. Analysis -Ishmaels analogy allows the narrator to better see how wildlife also follows similar rules and that Takers have tried to abandon such rules. -narrator is upset by this proposition as he realizes that, if hes successful, hell eventually no longer be Ishmaels pupil. -What will he become when hes no longer a student? Part 8 (1-6) * takes the narrator four days to figure out the basic laws of life. He returns to Ishmael on the fifth day with his findings. * He says the three basic rules. What they promote? -promotes diversity and survival for the community as a whole since it favors no species above the rest. * Ishmael-ecological principles, when food supplies increase, populations increase. Additionally, when population increases, food decreases and when food decreases, population decreases as well. * increasing populations leads to more and more groups of starving people among the population as a whole. Part 8 (7-10) * The American Heritage Book of Indians, and instructs him to look at the map. * narrator admits theres nothing stopping people from changing geographies, and this helps Ishmael make his key point: -there were cultural and territorial boundaries between the diverse tribes that lived in the Americas prior to the arrival of European settlers. * narrator feels hopeless; he thinks no one in Taker culture will be willing to kill off Mother Culture and try another way of life. * Ishmael helps the narrator see that the overarching law is that the world was made for many species to live on, not for one to dominate the rest. * Taker culture. They fill their lives with distractions and drugs to make up for the lack of satisfaction Analysis-Ishmael points out, people in Leaver cultures experience dramatically fewer cases of addiction and suicide. -Leaver culture might be a key way to change the destructive path Taker culture. Part 9 (1-8) * Taker culture took off with the beginning of the Agricultural Revolution and that it has been spreading ever since. * The Gods were arguing, whether which species should prosper.they decide to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil-soon they had godly power. * Gods were worried knew humans would be tempted to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and have godly powers too- so they forbid the tree. * story has always remained mysterious to Takers as it doesnt make sense why it should be forbidden. Analysis-explains the roles of gods and humans and the problems that occur when humans take on the role of the gods. -knowledge of the gods, which is the ability to determine what should live and what should die. -differences between the two is their cultural attitudes to the rest of life on the planet. Part 9 (9-11) * Taker destiny, they had to take land from the herders. Ishmael instructs the narrator to read the story of Cain and Abel to better understand how this expansion took shape. * Cain represents the Takers who must kill the Leavers (Abel) in order to expand agricultural production. -Cain and Abel arent actual brothers, but representatives of different human cultures. * Takers, through the spread of Christianity, came to adopt a tale that once was used to show their shortcomings as one of their own creation myths. Part 9 (12-17) * in order to understand why the Takers were invading their land and taking it from them, they had to figure out how they got to be the way they are. * the gods, upset with these Takers, had banished them from the garden of life, forcing these people to get their food through the hard work of farming. * Taker perspective, is not the right to have the knowledge of the gods, but the issue of disobedience-story makes much more sense when told from the Leavers perspective. Analysis- Ishmael helps the narrator to see how Leavers saw the Takers as cursed -Leavers saw the story of The Fall as the story of the Takers becoming cursed, the Takers saw it as the story of their growth -The Fall has evolved not to explain the formation of humans on earth, but the formation of a specific culture -Takers interpretation, he is punished for disobeying the gods, not for the knowledge he gained. Takers are able to make the story a tale of hope/tale of warning, as it is for the Leavers — Adam has eaten of the gods tree and thus must die. Part 10 (1-4) * sidetracked by work and a dental emergency, causing him to miss several days of meetings with Ishmael. * Ishmael got evicted. * Narrator finds Ishmael in a slideshow carnival. The narrator tries to help Ishmael, but Ishmael doesnt appreciate the narrator butting into his personal life. Analysis Ishmael is cold, distant, and wary of the narrators desire to fix the situation. -thru narrator and Ishmaels dispute. Ishmael learns to distrust humans benevolence and resents his dependency on the kindness of humans in order to have a decent life. Part 10 (5-9) * narrator defines culture as whats passed along from generation to generation. For Leaver cultures, culture has evolved since the start of the species and is passed down Analysis -Takers transmit knowledge of agricultural production over the centuries, constantly expanding and improving on the technology used to grow crops. -Leaver cultures transmit knowledge about living well and the way of life of a specific culture rather than the means of production. -Evolution to explain differences between leaver and taker cultures. -leaver cultural structure evolved allowing their cultural practices to adapt and support their livelihood in the environment in which they find themselves. -Taker Cultural structure responds to its cultural beliefs that man is made to rule the world and that everything in the culture is designed to bring the environment under humankind. Part 11 * Mother Culture-technological development * life before the Agricultural Revolution was horrible and that to live that way would be reprehensible. * narrator tells Ishmael that while he may have enough food, he doesnt have enough to free himself from the gods Analysis-If offered to go back to hunter-gatherer time- Taker society for that matter, would reject the offer because Mother Culture has taught him that such a lifestyle is intrinsically worse than Taker Culture. Part 12 (1-6) * Still imprisoned and sleepy, Ishmael asks narrator what happens to Leaver cultures that does not happen to Takers? * evolution is what happens because Leavers remain within the community of life. * removing themselves from the rules that govern life on earth, have removed themselves from evolution. * Man’s role on earth? a guide or role model — a figure that sets the standard for how self-aware, intelligent life-forms should act to benefit and promote biodiversity. Analysis-Taker culture has removed itself from the chain of evolution by living outside the ecological laws. -focused on the historical events that have resulted in the current state of human dominance on the Earth: environmental degradation -Humans should rethink their role to have a positive rather than negative impact on the worlds ecology Part 12 (7-12) * chapter two of the Leavers story-the issue of civilization. the attitude civilized nations have toward the world. * Ishmael tells him he must be a teacher, for humans minds must change before their actions will. * that all members of Taker culture are imprisoned by a destructive, unfulfilling way of life. And, like any prison, it has ways of distracting inmates so they dont notice the conditions. ANALYSIS -Ishmael suggests to the narrator, the only way to change peoples actions is to start with their minds. -Ishmael reminded the narrator of the ways Mother Culture hides the bars of her prison. -help his fellow prisoners see what binds them to their ecologically destructive way of life. Part 13 * Ishmael dies. Analysis – narrator regrets that his self absorption enabled him to see that Ishmael was sick. -With Gorilla Gone, Will There Be Hope for Man? contemplate what action should come next after such philosophical debate and discussion.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Vying For A Title :: essays research papers

Vying for a Title   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The contenders have been primped and manicured by their masters and are ready to be placed on display. The subjects with the wealthiest owners attend top-notch obedience schools where they are trained in the art of acting and appearing in a way uncharacteristic to their nature. They are rewarded with special treats when they work hard during training. The skills learned in these unique schools are not useful anywhere else, but in the competitions are judged and often given a champion prize. The contestants are paraded in, coached by their owners. Each standing tall with her head raised and nose up. Most are showing their teeth as if to be smiling or happy. Truthfully, they are showing the judges the straightness and whiteness of their teeth. Both the long-haired and short-haired have had chemicals applied to them to make certain every hair lays perfectly. The outward appearances of the participators are close to flawless. If any flaws are detected in the preparation they are quickly covered up. Trainers and owners see imperfections as point deductions. Those are deductions they can’t afford when a title and thousands of dollars are on the line. A woman moves from one contestant to the next testing them. To the last in the line of female competitors the question is asked, â€Å"If you could change the world, what would you change?† Too confidently the girl replied, â€Å"I would end world hunger and poverty.† When all she really aspires to do is win this contest and the next. This is what pageantry is about. Parents who subject their children to beauty pageants teach their children that winning these contests will bring them happiness. Is being deemed the best at being fake really anything to be happy about? Too many mommies and daddies believe so. Do the pageant parents have their own dreams about their daughters being Miss Americas? Do the participants really compete in beauty contests to better themselves or their futures? Do they have a driving force from behind the stage? Will these parents go to any extent to mold their daughters into something that might win a few of these superficial contests? â€Å"†¦Didn't the Ramseys think that putting JonBenet in all those beauty pageants, looking so seductive, was inappropriate. The child was 5. All the pictures we saw were of her looking 25 and slinking and winking.† (Schwartz) â€Å"Mrs. Ramsey said that was just the public's problem and if they thought a 5-year-old trying to look more sexy than Madonna was a bit twisted - well that just shows what twisted people we have in this country.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Responding to the Wii Essay

Kazuo Hirai, the chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) has encountered two large rivals in the video game industry this year. Nintendo and Microsoft have released advanced video game consoles that have left Sony sales behind. Nintendo especially, has broken the status quo for marketing in the video game industry by dramatically expanding its target market from 18-34 year-olds to 9-65 year-olds both male and female with its new video game console, the Wii. For years, Sony had gone head to head with Microsoft competing for the same market with their PSPs and X-Boxes consoles. Both Sony and Microsoft focused on using advanced technology to create cutting edge video game consoles whose purpose was more than just video games. Their target market was 18-19 year old males. On the other hand, the Wii is not as advanced as the PSP or X-Box. Its main attraction are its wireless, motion-sensing controllers that allow gamers to use their limbs (punching, swinging, batting) to control the actions of on-screen characters. Also, the Wii was designed with user- friendly capabilities that appeal to all audiences. Nintendo is threatening competition for Sony. There are five main forces that drive Video Game Industry competition: * Intensity of rivalry among Competitors * Threat of New Entrants * Threat of Substitutes * Bargaining Power of Suppliers * Bargaining Power of Buyers Strategic Issues Intensity of Rivalry among Competitors One of Sony’s largest threat and competitor is Nintendo. Nintendo sold 32.4 million units for the Wii, while Sony sold 15.5 million units. While Sony was occupied retaliating to Microsoft’s X-box video game console, Nintendo rose to take number one position in the video game industry. In 2007, Sony lost 9.7% of its Operating Margin, while Nintendo was up to 58.8% in millions of dollars. This is an important issue because Sony has been at the top of the industry for many years and is now suddenly is losing capital. Currently in the Video Game industry rivalry and competition is really intense. In Sony’s case, it is the way Nintendo’s Wii console is appealing to all audiences that has affected Sony the most. With Sony only reaching out to a closed market, it is difficult to increase sales. Also, Sony has to keep up working on new technology for the PSP to overcome Microsoft’s X-box. If Sony does not step up its g ame, then soon it will be left behind and sales will hit the floor. Threat of New Entrants Sony’s second rival in sales is Microsoft and their video game console, the X-box 360. Microsoft threatens to take control of the gaming market of 18-35 year olds. Microsoft brought out the new X-box live that allows players to play online with players from all over the world while video chatting with them at the same time. If Sony does not address the issue with the Wii, and does not improve sells, Microsoft could take over Sony’s target market. This force is moderately strong, and is another threat to Sony. Threat of Substitutes In Sony’s case, if Sony does not respond to the Wii or X-box and loses its target market new entrant s might join the video game industry to take advantage of the lack of motivation from Sony and their target market. Sony needs to make sure it keeps their current target market by providing improved technology and new games. If not, then there could be a possibility that new competitors come into play and take Sony’s position as lead video game provider for 18-35 gamers. Also, Nintendo could just take over the whole Video Game industry. Although, this force is not very strong it can definitely happen, especially with Sony’s sales loss. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Currently, Sony is not being affected by the bargaining power of suppliers. However, the companies that it does work with (Toshiba and IBM) could refuse to manufacture new products for Sony if they feel they are taking a risk based on Sony’s drop in sales. For example when Microsoft joined the Video Game Industry it attempted to do things differently, like not charging royalties to third parties, thus third party console makers declined to manufacture x-boxes. This is also a moderate force that must be kept on check because whatever Sony’s decision is to do in respond to the Wii, Sony will have to go to these third parties to manufacture the new ideas. Bargaining Power of Buyers For Sony, there is not a lot of bargaining power from buyers. The issue is that its market is not as large as Nintendo’s. This force is not an immediate threat to Sony but rather would happen in a case where a company was forced to reduce the price of its video game console to please its market. The main issue in the Video Industry is not the cost of the product but rather the quality and popularity amongst the market. Recommendations Of all these five forces that drive Video Game industry competition, the strongest forces are the intensity of rivals and threat of new entrants. Sony should not try to compete with Nintendo for the market, but should instead focus on its strongest facets in order to keep pleasing their current target market. Sony has become very popular amongst its target market and if it is not focused it can become weak and lose its market. If this happens then Microsoft would take Sony’s position and market and have no other main competitors. If Sony can improve sales by pleasing its target market, then the other four forces can be avoided. Sony should stay focused on finding new technology to improve its current game console to please its current target market. This market has been following Sony since its birth and should be Sony’s priority. Rushing into a larger market could damage Sony even more. The Video Game industry is definitely an attractive business for So ny, but Sony should be aware of its competitors and keep its product high quality.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Roman Gladiators vs. the Gladiator Movie

In May 2000,  Gladiator  opened in movie theaters. Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) is a successful general from the Battle of the Danube under Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), son of Marcus Aurelius, condemns Meridius to probable death by sending him into the gladiatorial arena. Commodus isnt merely sending to an uncertain death the general he perceives as a threat to his throne. The new emperor himself enters the arena to ensure Meridius permanent  end. If the plot seems a bit far-fetched, its not—at least in the most obvious way, because Commodus and probably another half dozen emperors did indeed set foot in the arena. Emperor Gladiators The adulation of the crowds has to be among the most compelling reasons to become a gladiator. At first, gladiators were slaves, criminals condemned to death, and war prisoners. In time, free men volunteered to become gladiators. Brooklyn Colleges Roger Dunkle says it has been estimated that by the end of the Republic, half the gladiators were volunteers. There were even women gladiators. That Emperor Septimius Severus banned female gladiators suggests that by the beginning of the third century A.D., there was a sizable number of such Amazons. Two of the mad emperors, Caligula and Commodus, appeared as gladiators in the arena. Seven other emperors who werent demented, including Titus and Hadrian, either trained as gladiators or fought in the arena. The Gladiator Was Honored but Unrespectable Anyone who became a gladiator was, by definition, infamis (whence: infamy), not respectable, and beneath the law. Barbara F. McManus says gladiators had to swear an oath (sacramentum gladiatorium): â€Å"I will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword.†Ã‚  This consigned the gladiator to possible death, but also conferred honor, much like that of a soldier. Not only was there honor for a gladiator, but there were adoring crowds, and, sometimes there was wealth (victors were paid with a laurel, monetary payment, and donations from the crowd) and a life of leisure. Some gladiators may have fought no more than two or three times a year and may have won their freedom within very few years. Because of the financial incentive, free men and even aristocrats who, having squandered their inheritance had no other comfortable means of support, would voluntarily become gladiators. At the end of his service, a freed gladiator (as a token, he received a rudis), could teach other gladiators or a he could become a freelance bodyguard. The plot is familiar: In todays movies, the ex-boxer, having survived dozens of bloody KOs with only a few disfigurements, becomes a manager or trainer at a boxing school. Some popular sports figures become sportscasters. occasionally, they become television or movie personalities or even politicians. Political Gladiator Fights An editor is a person who gives something forth into the public, like a public game. In the Republic, the Editores were politicians who, wishing to curry public favor, would put on fights between gladiators and animal shows. Today, municipalities build stadiums with tax dollars, a burden shared rather than being shouldered by a benefactor. The person with the status of the editor may be the owner of the sports team. Onto the floor of the amphitheater sand was poured to absorb blood. The word for sand in Latin is harena, from which our word arena comes. Sources depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/gladiatr/gladiatr.htm, Roger Dunkle on Gladiators www.ualberta.ca/~csmackay/CLASS_378/Gladiators.html, Blood Sport