King Xerxes was a ruler of over 170 providences stretching from India to Cush. As a great king over a vast empire, he showed his wealth by throwing long and large parties [1:4]. His display of wealth is the first thing that we see within Esther’s story [1:3-5]. This is important because it emphasizes how many people Xerxes was humiliated in front of when Vashti refused to come to him [1:12]. Due to the fact that his deposed wife Vashti disobeyed a command, he was counseled by advisers and then forced by his own edict to banish her and find a new wife. The king’s intention in calling for Vashti was to objectify her; he only wanted her to walk around naked in front of drunken guests attending his grand party. When she refused his order, the 7 wise men and the 7 eunuchs of the king were called in for their counsel. The queen was deposed for rejecting the king’s voice, which ultimately meant rejecting her husband’s order. Her behavior was condemned for its potential to spread and make other women want to do as the queen did. The powerful men nearest the king recognized her widespread example as queen and its likely harmful effect, and wanted to stop it. By Vashti’s example, we see that whenever a women stands up for herself, powerful men surrounding her have to put her down somehow. The wealth of the Persian Empire …show more content…
was so enormous that it could celebrate for 6 months, and not feel a hindrance to its resources. This party given was only for the powerful men of the kingdom, though the common people of Susa were given a week’s festivities afterwards [1:5]. What is described in the décor is that the items were natural, but rare resources that have to be hewn by people. In contrast the Hebrew was not allowed by their law to do any or obtain any of what was present at the party. The drinking was free, and the rule of the king was that people would do whatever they wanted. Their appetites were set loose to do whatever they wanted. The most powerful tool that changes anything is the law. Societal norms are created by the powerful. Societal constructs are made by them, and then things change, and generally for the worse. The ideal woman in this royal society is a submissive and beautiful woman. This is when the second main character comes in. Esther and Mordecai had assimilated to Persian culture over time, which is the way of things. She was an orphan and Mordecai took her and cared for her. Mordecai is recognized as seeing her as a daughter only, but the text reveals her as attractive of body and face. There is no other trait or characteristic concerning the girl. So Esther likely got the kings attention through sexuality, and by the art of seduction knowing how he was. The king did not remember his edict until he sobered- this was the king in place of God for Israel, a drunk pervert. Young men give the king the idea of taking the young, beautiful virgins in the lands. Culturally if the king turns any down the young men would get what the king discarded. Mordecai is a Jew, and this is a first time the term “Jew” is used. It’s clear that he is a patriot, keeping his national title even though Judea was no more. He was a die hard, and stuck in a circle motion concerning bringing about the kingdom again. The title of Benjamite likely relates to Mordechai’s relations to Saul, the first king of Israel. Mordechai is a diehard patriot, Israel will rise again! Esther and Mordecai had assimilated to Persian culture over time. Form is key here; she had a shape that men want. She was taken, and not asked. Since she was instructed not to tell her nationality she likely didn’t talk much, because of her accent. The women in the harem were trained in the art of sex. They didn’t have a choice and had to do whatever the king wanted. To rejoice in his being pleased by Esther the king threw another party and called it by her name. Pleasing the king sexually here is the likelihood, because that is what the king valued his women for. Mordechai’s arrogance is troublesome- he does not participate in the religious activity of Persia. Instead of being concerned with preserving life he concerns himself with his nationalism. He wanted to get God’s attention by his activity in tearing clothes, and wearing sacloth, and putting ash on his skin [4:1-2]. There was a protest against the king of Persia concerning the genocide. God is not mentioned one time in the whole book, it was a godless time. Esther lacked courage and confidence in addressing the matter of the genocide. The idea of dying on a cross was for everybody to see. This entire generation did not know God. What’s being learned is that the Jews are able to doop the powerful and overcome the powerful- and make them look really stupid. This story sets up the historical lesson that the Jews rule the world. Mordecai becomes a powerful wealthy man, and desires vengeance on those who wished harm on them would be dealt with. Esther was a mosaic character, and Mordecai was a Joseph character. This story takes over the Passover story, because it comes after, and instead of going to the wilderness they take over. Esther and Mordecai were murderous, they killed people and didn’t even plunder them, and they just wanted to kill people. This was a historic series of events. They shaped the future of Israel in this book. This book removes the need of the law for Jews and makes it that they only need to be Jews. The concerns related to hermeneutical significance of the Esther passage are readily applicable into the contemporary issue of violence enacted by modern nation-states and maintaining Christian identity as the Church.
This violence refers not only to explicit acts of genocide but also to the structures of empire implicit in classically liberal western states that are based upon what may be termed an alternative soteriology of salvation from an assumed state of human violence. Such a soteriology is perpetuated via the structures of empire that enforce laws through coercive violence. Violence is the powers second most dominating structural societal
aspect. One of the characteristics of Esther as a whole, and of chapters 7 and 8 in particular, is what may be referred to as intentional difference´ or peculiarity on the part of the Jewish people despite their situation, textually, in the Persian Empire (3:2-5; 8:15-17). Theologian Joerg Rieger notes how “within the history of the broad form of human governance labeled empire´ it is impossible for groups of people to remain neutral”. However in Israel’s case they didn’t have to be neutral, because they had the king in their pocket. Because of this they found power in Mordechai’s prostituting his adopted daughter, in so doing gaining political power.
Throughout History our world has seen societies which have risen to power and publicity through pure hatred and suffering of others. Our past could yet, reveal the answer to the question, “Can a society based on hate and suffering survive?”. The most powerful and controversial of these societies will be mentioned and with hope, put an end to our uncertainty. The German Reich, modern day North Korea, Al-Qaeda, and the Ku Klux Klan. These listed had based their societies on hate, suffering, or both, which they have marked themselves forever in history.
Xerxes was a man of power. The Great King of Persia, his empire encompassed the majority of the known world. On his invasion of Greece in the spring of 480BCE, he reportedly commanded a horde of over two million men. Even the Greek oracle at Delphi encouraged prudence in face of such an overwhelming force (7.140). Thus the question arises of why such an army failed to compel Greece into submission. I will explore this with focus on the key battles and the important factors, most notably the timing of the attack, the quality of his expeditionary force and Xerxes’ personal faults.
Nothing good ever comes out of violence.Two wrongs never make it right, but cause harm. Contemporary society has not responded enough legacies of historical globalization. This essay will cover the following arguments such as residential schools, slavery and the Sierra Leone civil war.
Matthaus, Shaw, Bartov, Bergen and Bloxham. (2011). Review Forum: Donald Bloxham, The Final Solution: A Genocide ( Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). Journal of Genocide Research. 13 (1-2), 107
Scheffer, David J. "Responding To Genocide And Crimes Against Humanity." U.S. Department Of State Dispatch 9.4 (1998): 20. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .
The final chapter (The Right to Death and the Power Over Life) is particularly interesting and contemporary. He argues that even if biopower seeks to invest in life, wars had never been more murderous than today’s era. Wars were in the past conducted in the name of the sovereign, while contemporary wars are conducted in the name of race, and the elimination of the “Other”, to make society stronger.
Hamamoto, D.Y. (2002). Empire of Death: Militarized Society and the Rise of Serial Killing and Mass Murder. New Political Science, 24 (1), 105-120. doi: 10.1080/07393140220122662
Postcolonial power is a hidden monster, it still do this day dominates the economies and pyschologies of Latin America and Africa. This has led to violence, both guerilla and dictator violence, and this violence is an unforgettable part of the past of African and Latin American culture.
The purpose of this paper is to show examples of evil both individual and institutional. Adolf Hitler’s vision of war and genocide was chosen as an example of individual evil. What other person in the 20th century defines evil better than Adolf Hitler? The Japanese invasion and subsequent rape of the then Chinese capital city of Nanking (Nanjing) in December 1937, was chosen as an institutional example of evil. These pages will show how a man rose to power in Germany and set in motion events that engulfed the world’s then superpowers in the costliest war in world history. How an army lost control of it’s men that then looted, burned and then systematically raped, tortured, and murdered 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers in a matter of weeks.
Therefore, legislation as deliberate law-making and the voice of the state of the sovereign body calls the common good of the life of man to the forefront of this question, both when democracy rules but primarily when totalitarian despots reign. The politicization of bare life as such legitimates the power of the sovereign state. But as repetitive instances of state-sponsored genocide have shown multiple times throughout the 20th century, state power can and does abuse the life of the citizen, whose life is paradoxically the force of the nation-state itself. It is through this e...
SAINATI, TATIANA E. "Toward A Comparative Approach To The Crime Of Genocide." Duke Law Journal 62.1 (2012): 161-202. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Nov. 2013
As long as there have been men and women on this planet there has been violence. This is an immutable fact. In all likelihood, there will always be violence within the human race. Robert Heinlein said, "Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Nations and peoples who forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms." Indeed this is plausible. The premise of these arguments is that giving a creature with a proven track record of violence a phenomenally powerful tool of destruction is less than wise. As an alternative, this paper proposes to limit access to such powerful devices (semi-automatic firearms) through the use of tracking methods, restricted sales, and heavier penalties for illegal possession of firearms. The firearms most specifically addressed are semi-automatic weapons including repeating rifles and handguns.
Paradigms of Genocide: The Holocaust, The Armenian genocide, and Contemporary Mass Destructions, 156-168. Sage Publications Inc., 1996. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1048550
Since women technically had no power without the help of a man, she had to be sly and crafty to get what she wanted. The perfect example of this is the teller of all these stories. Shahrazad the Vizier’s eldest daughter, willingly chooses to become the King’s next bride to be. “‘Give me in marriage to this King: either I shall die and be a ransom for the daughters of Moslems, or live and be the cause of their deliverance.’”. (pg19) Shahrazad tricked the King into keeping her alive by telling him stories and stopping in the middle of it to survive another night. Her plan works and not only is she spared but thanks to her, the king realizes that women are eloquent, and that they can be trusted. She also saved the lives of other girls since the king no longer needs a new woman every night. In The Tale of Al- Haddar, the barber’s second brother is tricked into shaving his beard and dye his eyebrows by a beautiful woman. This demonstrates that one should not to conclusions, even if it is a pretty
There are several aspects to look at when distinguishing a systematic genocide from other humans’ rights violations, and it is not an easy task. The current definition covers a basis of the word, but several other generalizations and details can be concluded to recognize when seeds of genocide are being sown. Genocide The Systematic Killing of a People indicates...