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Thomas more utopia as a social model essay
Thomas More's utopia as social model
Thomas More's utopia as social model
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“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie introduces the story of a Spokane Indian boy Junior Spirit. The life in a Spokane reservation presented as a horrible reality. The theme of the genocide of Native Americans is seeing through the whole book. In the chapter “Remembering”, Junior resembles that “Reservations were meant to be prisons, you know? (-- removed HTML --) But somehow or another, Indians have forgotten that reservations were meant to be death camps”(217). This sentence is a straight reference to the time of the Holocaust. Reservation personifies a death place. Being born in Indian reservation automatically leads to being on the death row system.
As Alexie puts it, another example of the genocide in the novel is enormous levels of a suicide among the Indians in reservations today. Because of the extreme poverty and humiliation in the reservation, Indians use alcohol and drugs in order to overcome the depression inside their minds. Permanent
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As Thomas More puts it, “He that knows one of their towns knows them all—they are so like one another, except where the situation makes some difference”(eBook, Utopia, by T.More). As Arnold puts it, all Indian reservations were the same, drunk and unhappy, “But everybody was drunk. Everybody was unhappy. And they were drunk and unhappy in the same exact way”(212). In addition, there is no money in Utopia, as well as there is no money in rez. But Junior does not fit in this homogeneous community. Arnold was born physically different; he has disparate feelings and his own hope. This hope forces him to escape from the reservation; he is able to climb over “the Green Wall” (We, by Y. Zamyatin). Junior becoming a typical dystopian protagonist. Sherman Alexie became a dystopian protagonist in real life. He has to leave his reservation in order to be a writer; in order to show us how cruel could be the today’s world around
Inventing the Savage was an interesting look in how Native Americans are expected to assimilate into culture, and because they have no desire to assimilate in “Euro-American” culture, they are treated harshly. Though this book was published in 1998 (15 years ago), there is most likely unfair treatment for Native Americans in both regular society and prisons. By writing this book, Ross gives a great perspective on how Native Americans are treated like “cultural prisoners” and how the “Euro-Americans” do not take kindly to the behaviors of the Native Americans. Overall, this book is highly recommendable to anyone who has an interest in learning about Native American criminality, as well as the treatment of women in prison, but more importantly the treatment of Native Americans in prison even today.
In 1887 the federal government launched boarding schools designed to remove young Indians from their homes and families in reservations and Richard Pratt –the leader of Carlisle Indian School –declared, “citizenize” them. Richard Pratt’s “Kill the Indian… and save the man” was a speech to a group of reformers in 1892 describing the vices of reservations and the virtues of schooling that would bring young Native Americans into the mainstream of American society.
The rhetor for this text is Luther Standing Bear. He was born in 1868 on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He was raised as a Native American until the age on eleven when he was taken to Carlisle Indian Industrial School: an Indian boarding school. After graduating from the boarding school, he returned to his reservation and now realized the terrible conditions under which they were living. Standing Bear was then elected as chief of his tribe and it became his responsibility to induce change (Luther Standing Bear). The boarding schools, like the one he went to, were not a fair place to be. The Native American children were forced to go there and they were not taught how to live as a European American; they were taught low level jobs like how to mop and take out trash. Also, these school were very brutal with punishment and how the kids were treated. In the passage he states, “More than one tragedy has resulted when a young boy or girl has returned home again almost an utter stranger. I have seen these happenings with my own eyes and I know they can cause naught but suffering.” (Standing Bear 276). Standing Bear is fighting for the Indians to be taught by Indians. He does not want their young to lose the culture taught to them from the elders. Standing Bear also states, “The old people do not speak English and never will be English-speaking.” (Standing Bear 276). He is reinforcing the point that he believes that they
The narrator, ever since he was young, never really stuck by the traditional family standard of living: his father decides to start a new family with someone else that is not his mother and given the freedom to choose to live with his Aunt as his parental guardian. The narrator defines his relationship that he has with his Aunt that allowed him to truthfully say that he was “proud to be her nephew and her son” (52), which displays the narrator’s perception that although he is not her direct son, he is a huge impact and part of her life. He is able to define himself as her sole son. As the story goes on, the narrator realizes the conflict that he is soon stuck between. His life is molded into a mixed culture where he would: still have strong holds to his Native American heritage along with accustoming to the white’s expectations of attending college while maintain a strong relationship with his Aunt. Through his aunt having “so much love and knowledge to share, which she passed onto [the narrator] naturally” (53), the narrator is able to witness first-hand about the Native American tradition and beliefs. As compared to Gary Soto’s work, both narrators were able to view their culture under a new light with a positive perspective. By the end of the stories, both narrators were able to associate themselves with their cultures without feeling the need to change it or contemplate over, something that is irreplaceably taught to them through the power of family. Through this process, they have materialized that they did not have to alter the structure and way of life of their family in order to find clarity with who they are. However, the difference between the two stories is that each narrator learns these lessons through different means. The narrator from “Looking for Work” learns through
Have you ever wanted something really badly, but couldn’t afford it? This is a common occurrence, but what about food? Have you ever went to be hungry because you couldn’t afford to eat? Unfortunately, Junior, the main character in the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, felt exactly this way for food. Even though Junior didn’t have as many resources as the other “white kids,” he still chose to look at the positives. This novel shows that even in times of great hardship, people can still choose to have hope and look at the good in their lives.
Between the Reservation in which John grew up and the modern world surrounding it, there are many differences which John finds both alienating and enriching throughout the novel. Through these differences, John feels alienated in the Brave New World that conflicts with his personal beliefs. However, John also finds enrichment in making the case for a life containing work and misery. This combination of alienation and enrichment experienced by John serves to juxtapose basic ideals about how individuals ought to live.
Adolescents experience a developmental journey as they transition from child to adult, and in doing so are faced with many developmental milestones. Physical, cognitive, social and emotional changes are occurring during this tumultuous stage of life, and making sense of one’s self and identity becomes a priority. Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian addresses the challenges of adolescence in an engaging tale, but deals with minority communities and cultures as well.
Imagine living in such a time period, where thousands of children are confused and families are scared. That is what life was like during World War II. In the story, “Keeping Memory Alive”, the author, Elie Wiesel, discussed why remembering the concentration camps is important. “The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family” by Yoshiko Uchida describes daily life in the internment camps. Both stories are connected by sharing their feelings about the unfair treatment received during World War II in the 1940s.
“I’m never going to act like my mother!” These words are increasingly common and yet unavoidable. Why is it that as children, we are able to point out every flaw in our parents, but as we grow up, we recognize that we are repeating the same mistakes we observed? The answer is generational curses: un-cleansed iniquities that increase in strength from one generation to the next, affecting the members of that family and all who come into relationship with that family (Hickey 13). Marilyn Hickey, a Christian author, explains how this biblically rooted cycle is never ending when she says, “Each generation adds to the overall iniquity, further weakening the resistance of the next generation to sin” (21, 22). In other words, if your parents mess up you are now susceptible to making the same mistakes, and are most likely going to pass those mistakes to your children. In The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie shows the beauty of hope in the presence of a generational curse. Even though the elders are the ones who produce the curses, they are also the ones who attempt to break Junior from their bond forming mistakes. The curses that Arnold’s elders imprint on him lead him to break out of his cultural bonds and improve himself as a developing young man.
The theme of expectations and hope go hand in hand. Hope is another important element that sparks determination and drive. Hope is a feeling that overpowers all other feelings. No matter how tough life gets or situations become, all that is needed is a tiny amount of hope. As long as there is hope, these is motivation to keep trying and to keep pushing through. Once that hope is lost and people feel like there is no chance that they will succeed, they stop trying. This idea and theme of hope, or the lack of, is very prominent throughout the book. Junior, throughout the book, shows us how many Native Americans have lost hope. The driving force that keeps people pushing forward has gone out in many of these people. Junior shows the devastating effects of the loss of hope that exists in this community when Mr. P says “You're going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you walk away from the sad, sad, sad reservation” (43). This quote encompasses all of the devastating results that can be seen among reservation Indians. As the book shows, this lack of hope results in the poverty and substance abuse issues. When Junior says “But we reservation Indians don't get to realize our dreams. We don't get those chances. Or choices. We're just poor. That's all we are.” (13), he shows how there is no hope left on the reservation. People on the reservation feel like they don’t have the opportunities to thrive and make their
The film Crash occurs in the city of Los Angeles and its theme focuses on the diverse population of the city. It emphasizes alienation amongst the cultural groups where any meaningful connection occurs only if the characters in the film ‘crash’ into each other. The city is home to lively displays of wealth that is generally associated with the entertainment industry and so that makes income inequality a very negative aspect of the Los Angeles metropolis. There is a surge of immigrant population that struggles with racism, stereotypical behavior, and alienation in addition to the social inequality. The movie focuses on the lives of several characters in urban America. All of the characters exemplify vast differences in demography like age, gender, and class. These include characters of African American, Persian, Asian, Hispanic, Latino, and Caucasian descent. The film depicts these characters as harboring prejudices from their impressions and individual beliefs toward each other as well as using stereotypes to define each other. The concepts and specific approach that helps explain this film is identifying the issue of class, age, and ethnicity and how it shapes the views and actions of three characters in the film. Anthony, a black male that fits to his stereotype as a gangster from the ghettos of L.A.; Cameron Thayer, a successful black man that is conflicted about his role and identity in modern day society based on his color and career, and Farhad, a Persian immigrant that has his own conceptions and prejudice towards any person of color due to his beliefs and habitus, the cumulative embodied experiences that are shaped by structural realities. This film has its characters already shaped or in the process of shaping their ident...
Hope is a term used to describe a person’s desires. Hope is what drives a person to reach his or her goals. Whether or not a person has hope can determine their success when trying new opportunities. Hope is something that any person is able to have, no matter their financial situation, race, gender, or age. Every person is influenced by hope when they make choices in their life.
More than 1.3 billion people in our world live in extreme poverty as stated by Explore Campaigns. Struggles that come with poverty are shown in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Arnold Spirit, an Indian who is growing up on a poor reservation, is used to a poverty stricken lifestyle where it seems impossible to create a better life. His whole family has grown up on the reservation with little money and little education. Arnold, who is determined not to end up like the other indians on the rez, changes over the course of the novel from having no hope of ever leaving to becoming a brave, ambitious, and confident person who knows that he has a bright future.
The Native American Reservation system was a complete failure. This paper focuses on the topics of relocation, Native American boarding schools, current conditions on today’s reservations, and what effects these have had on the Native American way of life.
Can identity be a sharp weapon to overcome restrictions and oppression. Jose Munoz, a former performance studies professor at NYU argued in his article "The White to Be Angry" that identity is manipulative. According to Munoz, the manipulation of identity is called disidenticaction. Instead of rejecting society or a group wholesale, someone who disidentifies accepts some aspects of that society or group without assimilating to the dominant ideals. People, especially in minority groups, developed disdentifciation as an offensive mechanism because it allowed them to function within that group or society without becoming trapped. Munoz's theory provides a powerful analytical lens which I will use to evaluate the characters Corliss and Harlan in Sherman Alexie's Search Engine. Corliss is a Spokane Indian who aspires to evade the restriction placed on her by white and Indian society. Her motivation to evade her restrictions originates from her amour for poetry and books, which allow her to identify with literary figures such as a white Jesuit priest, Homer and Odysseus . Harlan is a Spokane Indian who was adopted and raised by white people. He attempts to define his identity as an Indian thorough writing poetry, which results in his acknowledgement as an Indian by white people. Books and poetry allow Corliss and Harlan to disidentify with their societal norms, and the opportunity to evade their society's restrictions and find humanity.