Why is Politics Important?
We have been asked why we are decreasingly involved with politics and political concerns; perhaps a better question would be why should we be more so?
We are a generation that learns from experience, that takes its truth not from the words of those in power, but rather from what we can observe with our own eyes and ears. We have been lied to countless times, in every way possible, and are starting to become jaded and indifferent to the entire thing. "When have I lied to you?" you ask, "When have I attempted to deceive you?" The deception you have offered lies not so much in intentional mistruth, but rather in things that we have seen, and it is a set of deceptions that we are reluctant to forgive you for.
We have been told that we live in a country where we are not judged by class or color, that we can be anything we want to be if we apply ourselves. But we have seen our brothers an...
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...ut massive restructuring of our political system. Perhaps a way to make it more realistic for the common people to take part by serving in office. That is, after all, what democracy is in the first place. Some way that we can take power without having millions of dollars at our disposal. All I ask is that if you expect us to take part in your games, that you at least give us a fair voice, and allow us to take the opportunities that we have been promised so many times before.
There is many racial elements in, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a story that has caused much controversy over the years. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, was published two decades after the civil war was over, yet it is set in a time period before the civil war began so there is many examples of racism and slavery. Mark Twain believed that slavery, and owning slaves was acceptable, but he was not a racist.
Many words the book contains are full of vivid disgust towards black slaves. Every single line talks about how white people despise and refuse to accept the black race. Answering Aunt Sally's question about whether or not anyone is hurt Huck answers, "no mum, just killed a nigger."(Twain 213) This is the one and only acceptable way to talk about black people in the "white" society. In addition to this, not only is the black people treated differently from the white, they are also considered to be one's property. "He is the only property I have," (Twain 122) Huck is perforce to say in order to save Jim. This is the only way to get through without the essence of suspicions. Though Huck shows racism in public as society teaches him, deep inside he understands that Jim is a great person. Through the eyes of Huck Finn, Mark Twain shows that there is more to people then looks and race, showing the importance of beliefs and character.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Twain’s main characters depicted the societal issues of racism in the South. Huck Finn, a poor white boy, and Jim, an African American slave, both encounter situations that cause these characters inter turmoil because of the societal standards of the time. According to Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
Sula by Toni Morrison is a compelling novel about a unique, self-confident woman. As in many other books, each secondary character in the story serves as a vehicle to explain the main character. Hannah, Sula's mother, is dominated by the element of air; she is free spirited, frivolous and child-like. On the other hand, the element of fire is prevalent in Sula, who is impulsive, hot-tempered and passionate. Despite the differences between the two, Hannah's lifestyle intrigues and influences her daughter. The effect Hannah has on Sula is reflected in many of her daughter's perspectives and actions. As a result of the ubiquitous presence of fire within her, in contrast to her mother's blithe spirit, Sula carries all of Hannah's immorality and actions to a more extreme level. Both women have promiscuous tendencies, do not have close friendships with women, and become easily irritated by Eva. The difference is that Sula's fiery character leads her to act more cruelly than her mother.
It is an accepted notion that race does not define an individual. However, it is an ideology that people have to deal with due to society’s nature. After the collapse of Jim Crow’s laws, race was not supposed to be a limiting factor on any individual in the United States. It had been widely accepted that it was nothing more than a myth. However, due to past transgressions, measures were put in place to ensure that people of color who had been harmed by segregation policies had easy access to tools that would better their lives. The fact that society believes that race is nothing more than a myth blinds people to the racial injustices that still take place. For instance, black people are six times more likely to be imprisoned than whites are. Moreover, three out of every four white persons do not have black friends. The opposite is true for two out of every three persons of African descent (Stockman). Nonetheless, the term race is slowly losing its meaning. A portion of society believes that being black will get you killed, while the other is of the opinion that it gets you a free pass to college. Despite the fact that that racism is a myth, there is still the unbearable truth that racial issues are present with little change on the
.... Those who opposed to those outrageous classifications were label as ignorant. Society gave African Americans no other alternative but to accept the social remarks imposed towards them, and if not they were classified as insane. Andrew Heberek discusses the psychological and emotional problems African Americans faced in society due to social remarks. Some of the problems Heberek discussed are African Americans lack of individualism. Mozora Sandler and David Briggs in their study incorporated the percentage of African Americans who are discriminated in American society. Marjorie Pryse and Michael Hardin both incorporate the inner struggles African Americans were facing in society and how their identity was interfered. Overall, the social remark American society has imposed towards the minority has led the majority of African Americans to be invisible.
Classism has existed for many years within the Black community. It introduced its self to the slaves and has continued to reveal its self to Blacks well into the 21st century. Having a great presence within the Black community, classism has caused a disunification within the Black community. In the years of slavery the house Negro considered himself better than the field Negro. Today the middle-class black considers himself above the lower-class black. Both the house Negro and the middle-class black family have strived to disassociate themselves from those Blacks of lower status. Consequently, Blacks have suffered a great separation among their community.
There are many aspects of story that come together to create a complete narrative. A lot of the tools used by writers are intentional and serve the purpose of driving home certain aspects of the story or creating and engaging, and entertaining narrative. Toni Morrison—the author of Sula—is no different. Morrison employs many writing techniques and tools in her narrative Sula. It is important for the reader to be aware of and understand some of these narrative tools that the author uses because it allows the reader to gain a better understanding and appreciation for the narrative. In Sula a few narrative techniques that allow for the argument of women experiences to shine through are the use of a third person narrator, and gaps; throughout the story these tools allow the reader to become interested in and focus in on women experiences.
Though each individual experiences life differently certain experiences link them together. Specifically, being a person of color while being a singular experience, is also a very universal when it comes down to the way in which minority groups are subject to the oppression of the white mainstream. The friction between being proud of one’s identity or choosing to ignore it and assimilate into society, is complex and is a fact that many people of color struggle with, because it is not easy to be proud of one’s identity when everything around them is telling them not to be, so in a sense these individuals see themselves in two ways, a minority proud of their identity, and then as an outsider in a white world where they feel as if they will never be accepted.
Toni Morrison’s novel Sula is rich with paradox and contradiction from the name of a community on top of a hill called "Bottom" to a family full of discord named "Peace." There are no clear distinctions in the novel, and this is most apparent in the meaning of the relationship between the two main characters, Sula and Nel. Although they are characterized differently, they also have many similarities. Literary critics have interpreted the girls in several different ways: as lesbians (Smith 8), as the two halves of a single person (Coleman 145), and as representations of the dichotomy between good and evil (Bergenholtz 4 of 9). The ambiguity of these two characters allows for infinite speculation, but regardless of how the reader interprets the relationship their bond is undeniable. The most striking example of their connection occurs right before the accidental death of Chicken Little. In the passage preceding his death, Nel and Sula conduct an almost ceremonial commitment to one another that is sealed permanently when "the water darkened and closed quickly over the place where Chicken Little sank" (Morrison 61):
In Toni Morrison’s novel Sula, the theme of the story is good versus evil. It’s embodied into the story in various forms to question what defines right and wrong. Good versus evil is presented in forms that are understood on the surface and beneath the surface which gives it multiple meanings. The relationship between Sula and Nel is the main expression of this theme, however, there are also many other contributors such as color schemes, gender and race differences, and life and death. This theme sheds light on the significance and interpretation of issues of everyday reality which includes controversies related to identity struggles, super natural forces, the impact and relevance of upbringing on development, family structure, and racism. Morrison demonstrates the importance of good versus evil with her writing in the way that she overlaps them and interprets them as products of one another. The friendship of Sula and Nel creates a presence of good and evil within their relationship to each other and their community.
Sula has a feminist spirit and refuses to melt into the typical mold of a woman. She "discovered years before that [she was] neither white nor male, and that all freedom and triumph was forbidden to [her]" (52). Because of this she decides to lead her life on her own terms. Sula encounters both racism and sexism and is placed in a situation in which she has no release for her wild spirit. She cannot live out in the world with the freedoms of a man, but doesn't want to live as a stereotypically sheltered woman either. In attempting to break these boundaries she is hated by the town and viewed as an "evil" person by the community in which she lives.
First there is the presence of the old stereotypical woman character, a woman split between the conventional and nontraditional roles of women. No differences are apparent initially between Morrison's Sula and any other women's literature in the past. Women are depicted either as docile servants to men, like Nel, or ball-busting feminist monsters like Sula. The hidden aspect of the novel lies underneath these stereotypical surface roles, in the incomprehensible and almost inappropriate bond of the two women. In the final scene of Sula, Nel comes to the realization that the emptiness inside her is due to the loss of Sula, not Jude (Morrison 174). Her friendship with Sula is all that matters.
I have also learned about different types of audiences and speeches including persuasive, informative, entertaining and delivering special occasion speeches. It came to my attention that whenever I was making these presentations or speeches, I needed to do so with confidence, consistence and practice before the actual presentation and completely eliminate the element of panic. It was also clear that capturing the attention of the audience and engaging them in the whole process, it was necessary to have a very strong introduction and also try and use visuals to deliver the message. It was therefore vital to respect each person’s diversity and cultural values (Lucas, 2011).
In public speaking I learned many types of concepts, theories and terms of communication. In concepts of publicly speaking there’s, relaxation, practice, credibility, attention getters, attire, organization, volume, emotion, audience relation, and movement. In my first speech, “The any old bag speech” I quickly learned the do’s, don’ts and concepts of my speech performance.