Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in the city of Trier in Prussia,
now, Germany. He was one of seven children of Jewish Parents. His father
was fairly liberal, taking part in demonstrations for a constitution for
Prussia and reading such authors as Voltaire and Kant, known for their
social commentary. His mother, Henrietta, was originally from Holland and
never became a German at heart, not even learning to speak the language
properly. Shortly before Karl Marx was born, his father converted the
family to the Evangelical Established Church, Karl being baptized at the
age of six.
Marx attended high school in his home town (1830-1835) where several
teachers and pupils were under suspicion of harboring liberal ideals. Marx
himself seemed to be a devoted Christian with a "longing for self-sacrifice
on behalf of humanity." In October of 1835, he started attendance at the
University of Bonn, enrolling in non-socialistic-related classes like Greek
and Roman mythology and the history of art. During this time, he spent a
day in jail for being "drunk and disorderly-the only imprisonment he
suffered" in the course of his life. The student culture at Bonn included,
as a major part, being politically rebellious and Marx was involved,
presiding over the Tavern Club and joining a club for poets that included
some politically active students. However, he left Bonn after a year and
enrolled at the University of Berlin to study law and philosophy.
Marx's experience in Berlin was crucial to his introduction to Hegel's
philosophy and to his "adherence to the Young Hegelians." Hegel's
philosophy was crucial to the development of his own ideas and theories.
Upon his first introduction to Hegel's beliefs, Marx felt a repugnance and
wrote his father that when he felt sick, it was partially "from intense
vexation at having to make an idol of a view [he] detested." The Hegelian
doctrines exerted considerable pressure in the "revolutionary student
culture" that Marx was immersed in, however, and Marx eventually joined a
society called the Doctor Club, involved mainly in the "new literary and
philosophical movement" who's chief figure was Bruno Bauer, a lecturer in
theology who thought that the Gospels were not a record of History but that
they came from "human fantasies arising from man's emotional needs" and he
also hypothesized that Jesus had not existed as a person. Bauer was later
dismissed from his position by the Prussian government. By 1841, Marx's
studies were lacking and, at the suggestion of a friend, he submitted a
In, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author takes you on the journey of a woman, Janie, and her search for love, independence, and the pursuit of happiness. This pursuit seems to constantly be disregarded, yet Janie continues to hold on to the potential of grasping all that she desires. In, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author, Zora Hurston illustrates the ambiguity of Janie’s voice; the submissiveness of her silence and the independence she reclaims when regaining her voice. The reclaiming of Janie's independence, in the novel, correlates with the development and maturation Janie undergoes during her self discovery.
In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is a beautiful African-American woman who wants to explore and find love with a real man. She goes through a few men trying to do this, but at the same time she is unwillingly forced with these men who don’t affiliate with the love she desires. However, when Tea Cake marries Janie she gains self-determination when he expresses his love and affection to her that is qualifying factors of her love expectations. Therefore, Janie learns the value of true love and proves herself as a brave woman.
The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston explores the life of an African American woman from the south who is trying to find herself. The protagonist of this novel is Janie Crawford. She is trying to defy what people expect of her, and she lives her life searching to have a better life. Zora Neale Hurston’s life experiences influence the book in many ways, including language, personality, and life experiences.
Janie’s first attempt at love does not turn out quite like she hopes. Her grandmother forces her into marrying Logan Killicks. As the year passes, Janie grows unhappy and miserable. By pure fate, Janie meets Joe Starks and immediately lusts after him. With the knowledge of being wrong and expecting to be ridiculed, she leaves Logan and runs off with Joe to start a new marriage. This is the first time that Janie does what she wants in her search of happiness: “Even if Joe was not waiting for her, the change was bound to do her good…From now on until death she was going to have flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything” (32). Janie’s new outlook on life, although somewhat shadowed by blind love, will keep her satisfied momentarily, but soon she will return to the loneliness she is running from.
The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937) is a search for self-fulfillment and true love. On a porch in a small town called Eatonville a story is told about an attractive African American women's journey. Her name is Janie Crawford. Her struggle to find companionship and herself starts as a young girl who had lost both of her parents. She lives with her grandmother who is a nanny for a wealthy white family. Janie would play with the children without realizing a difference in their race. She first realized how separate she was when she looked into the mirror for the first time. This struggle of separation stayed with her for her whole life. She was then forced by her grandma to marry an older man who would provide her with security and a nice home. Her marriage lacked love, which was replaced with the control of her husband. She was then swept away by a young black man, Joe Starks, who at first promised her a life of the love that she deserved. Joe became the beloved mayor of Eatonville and was knee deep in wealth.
On February 4, 1847, Adolph was born in Barmen, Prussia. His parents passed away only 15 years later. Finding necessity for a quick occupation, Adolph started an apprenticeship at the Henry Wenker Brewery. The ambitious young man paid for his apprenticeship by working at the brewery as a bookkeeper.
A foundational belief in Christianity is the idea that God is perfectly good. God is unable to do anything evil and all his actions are motives are completely pure. This principle, however, leads to many questions concerning the apparent suffering and wrong-doing that is prevalent in the world that this perfect being created. Where did evil come from? Also, how can evil exist when the only eternal entity is the perfect, sinless, ultimately good God? This question with the principle of God's sovereignty leads to even more difficult problems, including human responsibility and free will. These problems are not limited to our setting, as church fathers and Christian philosophers are the ones who proposed some of the solutions people believe today. As Christianity begins to spread and establish itself across Europe in the centuries after Jesus' resurrection, Augustine and Boethius provide answers, although wordy and complex, to this problem of evil and exactly how humans are responsible in the midst of God's sovereignty and Providence.
Friedrich Nietzsche was born on October 15, 1844 in Röcken bei Lützen, Prussian Province of Saxony, Germany. He was a German philosopher best known for challenging the beliefs of Christianity’s dogma and ethical values.
It is difficult for humans to allow life to flow without being proactive. This is especially true when it comes to love. One may try very hard to try to resist the attraction that they may feel to avoid the potential hurt that may result from being in love. In contrast, others may seek love and never find it. In the two novels, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Hurston and The Autobiography of My Mother by Jamaica Kincaid the characters demonstrate that although one may attempt to manipulate the circumstances in which love is attained, there is no way of predicting how love will manifest itself. The characters are put into situations that compromise their beliefs towards love, and in addition, they engage in a socially unacceptable relationships. The unpredictable nature of love can also be observed as one character resists the urge to be swept into the arms of love whereas the other is vigorously searching for it.
all others. The way we started, grew as a society, and live now, are totally
Later, after much study and introspection, Augustine discovers that he has been mistaken in attributing a physical form to God. Yet, he still presses on to reconcile his mind to the true precepts of Christian ideology. But what does he...
In the Confessions, Augustine wrote about his struggle with understanding how evil exists in a world created by God. He questioned how it was possible and why God allows evil in his creations because God is supremely good. After delving into finding a solution, Augustine concluded that evil does not exist, and the things deemed as evil are caused by free will. This paper will argue that Augustine has successfully proven that evil does not exist by explaining his earlier explanation of the origin of evil taught by the Manicheans, explaining Augustine’s teachings, and finally, using the textual descriptions of Augustine’s unwillingness to convert as support for his conclusion.
The slapstick comedy The Foxy Widow by Carlo Goldoni captures the audience with a captivating story with plenty of physical performances and dynamic characters. With numerous themes referencing trying your luck and love at first sight, this play keeps the audience intrigued. The dynamic chorus built the play without flaw and developed the play smoothly as well with simple scenery held the play together through transitions into scenes. Additionally, the acting in the play was above any expectations I had. Characters were complimented by their actors and I would highly recommend this play to everyone.
In the beginning, God created the world. He created the earth, air, stars, trees and mortal animals, heaven above, the angels, every spiritual being. God looked at these things and said that they were good. However, if all that God created was good, from where does un-good come? How did evil creep into the universal picture? In Book VII of his Confessions, St. Augustine reflects on the existence of evil and the theological problem it poses. For evil to exist, the Creator God must have granted it existence. This fundamentally contradicts the Christian confession that God is Good. Logically, this leads one to conclude evil does not exist in a created sense. Augustine arrives at the conclusion that evil itself is not a formal thing, but the result of corruption away from the Supreme Good. (Augustine, Confessions 7.12.1.) This shift in understanding offers a solution to the problem of evil, but is not fully defended within Augustine’s text. This essay will illustrate how Augustine’s solution might stand up to other arguments within the context of Christian theology.
Author Claudia Gray stated, “Self-knowledge is better than self-control any day” (Goodreads). Evil and sin exists in our world today and the temptation they bring bounds many human’s spiritual being. Finding the root of all evil is a hard and torturous concept to understand, but knowing one’s own free will helps bring understanding and deliverance from the evils of the world. Throughout the book Confessions Saint Augustine “ponders the concepts of evil and sin and searches the root of their being” (Augustine 15). The existence of evil is one of the most worrisome challenges a Christian or any individual deals with throughout life. Saint Augustine’s beliefs concerning the root of all evil and sins transforms as he begins to grow and develop in the knowledge of his free will and spiritual being. Early on, he believes “God created all things and evil is a thing, therefore God created evil” (Augustine 73-74). From this he conceives the notion that God cannot be good if he knowingly created evil. As Augustine begins to grow in his spiritual walk, his views begin to evolve as he questions his Manichee’s beliefs and explores the concepts of good and evil. From his inquiring Augustine develops the question, what is evil and what if evil did not need creating? He asks, “Do we have any convincing evidence that a good God exists” (Augustine 136-137)?