Bringing the past to life Jean Auel, the author of the Earth’s Children, displays an amazing ability to bring to life two species of our recent past. The setting for her series is in Europe around twenty-five thousand years ago. Her dedication to understand the human element during this time in our past is remarkable. Given this knowledge, she adds a real sense of compassion and empathy that brings her readers along with her to this magical time. In the series Auel addresses several issues that have been with humanity for a long time, yet still continue today. One of the main themes she writes about concerns prejudice at its core. There would certainly be extreme prejudice between two entirely different species. Some of Auel’s characters have been with her from the start, while others came along later on in the series. As Jean tells us in her Character page “attempting to characterize the culture of the early humans was a problem which presented several difficult decisions. The archeological record can only hint at activities and behaviors of humans”. Ayla, the heroine of the series was …show more content…
thought up at the start. She felt she would be closer to a female than a male as a main character. Ayla was a Cro-Magnon that had been taken in by a clan of Neanderthals that raised her as one of them. Jondalar, Ayla’s mate, was actually based on skeletal remains of a Cro-Magnon. Jondalar was a blond, blue eyed six foot six inch Cro-Magnon, and nearly as inventive as Ayla. He is an excellent flint knapper and Auel uses him to invent the atlatl. The atlatl is a spear throwing device known to have been invented around this time frame. Ayla’s Neanderthal family required a very active imagination. She decided to make Iza, her adoptive Neanderthal mother, a medicine woman after learning of a Neanderthal skeleton found in Iraq that had been buried with flowers and herbs known to have medicinal uses. Creb, Ayla’s adoptive father, was a shaman that had a crippled arm and was old for the era. Auel also thought up Creb at the very start. She was thrilled when she later read that at a site in Iraq a Neanderthal skeleton of an elderly man that had an amputated arm, was blind in one eye, and had a crippled leg. Upon reading this Jean exclaimed, “I had found my character”. Jean also brings in Ranec who is the first black skinned person introduced to a nearby clan. Ranec is half Negroid and half Zelandonii. This shows Auel addressing prejudice attitudes again. (Bestselling author of the Earth’s Children series). The incredible thing about the entire series is Auel’s ability to convey all this history without bogging the reader down with excessive technical jargon In Ayla, Jean has created a remarkable women that her followers have come to love and admire.
One downfall about the series is the length of time it has taken to write it. The series started with Clan of the Cave Bear in 1980 and was finally completed in 2011. When addressing this in 2001 Auel states in the letter to the readers, that it took much longer than she anticipated and that there was not one single reason. She admits to enjoying the research for these books but processing this knowledge and traveling to the various sites takes an enormous amount of time” She also gives us, “And, when I started these books, I had children in high school and college; now I’m a grandmother. Life sometimes interferes with writing”
(Auel). Whether or not readers are upset with the length of time it took to write the series, one thing is for certain, no expense was spared on getting all the finer details as accurate at possible. Through all of her research throughout the years Jean Auel has earned the respect of several Scientists and Anthropologists. Those interested in the past have been given a means to learn some history in the real life dramas of long ago.
In one, a specimen-creating brute robs a pelican child’s life and her guardian trying to bring her back to life. In the other, a prince learns the value of his frog-turned-princess and sets out on a quest to find her. Joy Williams’s Baba Iaga and the Pelican Child and Alexander Afanasev’s The Frog Princess are both critical facets of the fairy tale genre. While initially it may seem that Williams preserved no elements from Afanasev’s tale, upon a closer glance, it is evident that the two tales’ similarities outnumber their differences. By incorporating a generous portion of the original story into his, Williams’s version brings forth an innovative arrangement of classic and new. As a result, William’s tale introduces features to the tale that mirror everyday life lessons while simultaneously maintaining qualities that are reflective of the definitional aspects of the fairy tale genre.
In any given culture, people are proud of their heritage. However, when an individual of one group meets with people of another, and the element of ignorance is added, the individual will be socially ostracized. Of mixed descent, Rayon...
...r own unique ways.; however, the authors focus on different aspects of prejudice and racism, resulting in them communicating different ideas and thoughts that range from racial discrimination to stereotypical attitudes. The range of ideas attempt to engage the readers about the reality of their issues. The reality about a world where prejudice and racism still prevail in modern times. But when will prejudice and racism ever cease to exist? And if they were ever to cease from existence, what does that mean about humankind?
Racial discrimination has been an issue among different cultural groups, ethnic races and many religions. It is an issue that has stopped people from becoming well diversitized and embracing multiculturalism, especially during the olden days where slavery and wars were a huge part of the world. Racism has created a separation between people, causing many dilemmas’ to arise. This problem has been seen and touched upon throughout many works of literature and verbal presentations. A discourse on racial discrimination will be used to exemplify how individuals abuse their rights, categorize humans and ill treat others through an exploration of the texts in, Snow Falling On Cedars and The Book of Negroes. These novels have given an insight of the discrimination between different classes of people and the unfavorability of one’s kind.
Before Day and Night got to know each other, they were both discriminatory and prejudiced because they were so different from each other. Differences and the unknown are scary, but humanity has to overcome their fear of these words and their meanings, like Day and Night did. Society needs to realize that there are not two people in this world who are the same. Many people have similarities, but no two people are the exact same. Differences bring people together just as much as similarities do. If humanity doesn't stop being so condemnatory and contentious soon, they never will. Humanity needs to learn their lesson, like Day and Night did, and open their mind and heart up to the
Society has placed humans to be the highest life form because of their ability to think and reason and give consent. On these grounds it has allowed society to become numb to any injustice done to animals in any way. This essay will argue whether the subjugation of minority women is linked to the way society views and treats animals by defining current animal rights, the Women’s rights Movement and the process by which the minority is seen as an animal.
From the beginning of recorded history, possibly before then, humans have found a necessity for classifying and categorizing every aspect of life. This need for order has been used to efficiently organize and clarify the endless details on Earth. This arrangement of objects in groups has also created a very sinister and volatile mindset that some people live by. This associative manner of classification has lead to the formation of beliefs in race identities, stereotypes, and superiority in the form of racism. Racism is contempt for people who have physical characteristics different from your own (Nanda and Warms 1). This concept is often combined with what is called racialism. Racialism is an ideology based on the following suppositions: There are biologically fixed races; different races have different moral, intellectual, and physical characteristics (Nanda and Warms 1). This is the ideal that many people engage in consciously and the way some people think without even realizing it. The only way to overcome this derogatory belief system is to define the meanings and misunderstandings of racial differences.
In our global economy requiring functional and respectful relationships between nations, prejudice and stereotypes can be a destructive force both in the world and in individual societies, especially in diverse ones.
Through the selected readings it becomes clear that race is not only a social construct but also a value that changes depending on the region in which one inhabits. Despite the lack of scientific support for race as a biological phenomenon, race still results in misfortune for many minorities. This present throughout everyday life in terms of job opportunities, education, and life experiences.
The idea of ‘race’ is a problematic concept in various academic fields. In the discipline of Anthropology, the definition of this term carries much controversy. The concept of race that many people hold is in a sense, a social construct that changes amongst different cultures, one could look at different cultures to see racial definition as a cultural phenomenon in action (Kottak, 2000:139). King supports this idea that races are not established by a set of natural forces, rather they are products of human perception, “Both what constitutes a race and how one recognises a racial difference are culturally determined” (1981:156). Cashmore provides a brief definition of race as “a group of persons connected by common origin” (1988:235). However, Cashmore goes on to argue that the terminology of race has been used to reflect changes in the understanding of physical and cultural differences (1988:235). Cornell and Hartman argue the characteristics that constitute a definition for the concept of race are complex. The authors claim that race can be categorised in social and physical terms. Race is a “human group defined by itself or others as distinct by virtue of perceived common physical...
Racism comes in many forms and fashions. Reasons for this intolerance, are just as varied and numerous. Intolerance is displayed by humans toward one another in regards to skin color, ethnicity, religions and personal sexual habits, among a few. Comparably, some are taught through environment, the temperament that was prevalent in the households were one was reared, from acquaintances and from revered people that one connects with on life’s journeys, and from world views, among a few.
Racism is based on the belief that one’s culture is superior to that of others, and this racial superiority provides justification for discrimination. Racism begins with categorising by race, and therefore stereotyping particular cultures. A simple definition of prejudice given by St Thomas Aquinas states prejudice as “thinking ill of others without sufficient cause” (1. pg 21). Racism is a major issue in today’s society, affecting a large number of the world’s population and causing political and social turmoil. To evaluate the true meaning, effects and views concerning racism in today’s world, a number of literature sources were researched including novel, films, short stories, poetry, song lyrics, textbooks and magazine articles.
Tobias, Phillip. "The Meaning of Race." Race and Social Difference. Baxtor, Paul, Basil Sansom ed. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd., 1972. 19-43.
This brings attention to why race and ethnicity exist so predominantly in society. There are a number of theories that observe why racism, prejudice, and discri...
Prejudice and discrimination have both been prevalent throughout human history. Prejudice deals with the inflexible and irrational attitudes and opinions that are held by others of one group against those of another. Discrimination on the other hand refers to the behaviors directed against another group. Prejudiced individuals have preconceived beliefs about groups of people or cultural practices. There are both positive and negative forms of prejudice, however, the negative form of prejudice leads to discrimination. Individuals that practice discrimination do so to protect opportunities for themselves, by denying access to those whom they believe do not deserve the same treatment as everyone else. An example of discrimination based on prejudice involves the Jews. “Biased sentiments and negative stereotypes of Jews have been a part of Western tradition for centuries and, in fact, have been stronger and more vicious in Europe than in the United States. For nearly two millennia, European Jews have been chastised and persecuted as the “killers of Christ” and stereotyped as materialistic moneylenders and crafty business owners (Healey, p.65). The prejudice against these groups led to the discrimination against them.