Rebellion Against Oppression Essay Example for Free

Rebellion Against Oppression Essay How Does Oppression Within â€Å"Like Water for Chocolate† and â€Å"The House of Bernarda Alba† Lead To Unnatural Consequences? In both ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ and ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ rebellion against oppression is a strong theme, with both Tita and Adela struggling to break free of their mother’s authoritarianism. However, it is important to realise that with both characters, the authors are using them to symbolise their own journeys. Federico Garcia Lorca uses Adela’s strong willed fight against Bernarda Alba to represent the costs of repressing the freedom of others. Likewise, in Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel uses Tita’s constant battle against Mama Elena to show how women struggle to be heard and how both men and tradition can be strong oppressors. Laura Esquivel employs magic realism throughout ‘Like Water For Chocolate’ to show how Tita’s emotions are transmitted and exaggerated through food. Laura Esquivel presents the supernatural as an everyday event, however not all the characters accept it in the same way as reality, for example Mama Elena remains convinced that Tita is somehow doctoring the food to her own liking, instead of it being ‘magical tears’. Tita lives in a traditional female role, she enjoys cooking and is a selfless nurturer but she lives under a matriarchal rule. A woman who has â€Å"never needed a man for anything†, which leaves the reader questioning why Tita seems to require a man in her life in order to â€Å"alight her matches†. Adela, although fighting for her right for freedom again Bernarda Alba, still believes that she must take orders from Pepe. The traditional roles the mothers have created for their daughters continue even in their rebellion. The men in both books are not particularly strong characters. All leaving the women to suffer for the mess they have created themselves. When Librada’s daughter kills her newborn baby in order to avoid the shame of having sex with someone out of wedlock, â€Å"a big crowd† gather in order to kill her. It is completely unnatural that the woman is being prosecuted for being a â€Å"woman who tramples on decency† as opposed to a murderer. This is an ironic recasting of the Mary Magdalene narrative, which exposes the hypocrisy of Bernarda Alba’s society. This shows however, that within both texts, men are far less restricted than the women. The man is of no fault for having sex out of wedlock, it is her shame. Similarly, in ‘Like Water For Chocolate’ Mama Elena is far more annoyed at the idea of Tita shaming her family than of Pedro cheating on her eldest daughter. Mama Elena is obsessed with tradition and all her actions reflect this. Tita, being the youngest daughter of the family, is forced to remain at home until the day her mother dies. Mama Elena immediately disregards Tita’s questioning of the tradition, saying, â€Å"for generations not a single person in my family has questioned this tradition†, expressing that Tita should simply accept these traditions as fact and that she does not have the right to question her mother’s authority. Rosaura informs Tita that her only daughter will care for her and never marry, according to family tradition. Rosaura tries to mirror her relationship with Esperanza to the relationship her mother and Tita shared. Tita is horrified to discover that Rosaura plans to ‘perpetuate such an inhumane tradition†. Rosaura does not seem to have any powerful emotions and persists to carry on the family traditions as a poor imitation of her mother. It is class and not tradition that keeps Bernarda Alba from concealing her daughters from the world of marriage and men within ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’. Her mind is focused on how the world views her and her family. When Angustias is seen looking at Pepe El Romano, her mother asks â€Å"is it proper for a woman of your class to go chasing after a man? She is instantly noticing that her daughter is stepping outside her class and reining her back in. When Matirio is set to marry Enrique Humanas, Bernarda won’t allow it because her ‘blood will never mix with that of the Humanas family’ proving that her only real interest is in class rather than the welfare of her daughters. Mama Elena and Bernarda Alba have different reasons for oppressing their daughters but both women are equally as keen to enforce their rules. It is ironic how un-natural the ends of oppression are shown to be. When Tita is brought into the world prematurely after her fathers sudden death, Mama Elena is the opposite of a nurturer, never forging any bond with Tita. Tita develops a relationship with food that gives her the power to nurture and give outlet to her emotions. Tita rebels against her mother’s authority first through her consorting with Pedro. When Tita receives the news that Pedro is to be married to Rosaura, her life begins to crumble around her and throughout the novel there are many times when they meet without Mama Elena’s knowledge. Roberto, Rosaura and Pedro’s son is a strong, if not surprising influence in Tita’s actions. Roberto forges the bond with Tita that her and her mother never had and ‘contary to what she had expected’ she feels â€Å"an immense tenderness towards the boy†. It is when Roberto dies that Tita’s desire to please her mother and her own desires clash and she outwardly defies her mother and steps out of the shadow of oppression for the first time. She â€Å"tears apart all the sausages† symbolizing her finally destroying her mother’s rules. When Tita is found in the dovecote, it is ironic that Mama Elena states that â€Å"there’s no place in this house for maniacs! † when her oppressive nature is what caused Tita to break down. When John arrives and removes her from the oppressive atmosphere her mother has created, and she is offered comfort and love, Tita’s failing sanity returns leaving the reader questioning Mama Elena’s own sanity as she confines her daughters to a life of unnatural solitude. Adela is quietly rebelling continuously through the three act play; her real emotion doesn’t arise until the end. From the first act, after the funeral Adela wears a ‘green dress’ making her stand out from her more conservative siblings. The colour green symbolises fertility which Bernarda objects to. This immediately separates her from her family. Unlike Tita, Adela never covers up her feelings in front of her mother or siblings, she knows what she wants and â€Å"her body will be for anyone†. Bernarda’s cane is her symbol of authority, one bang on the floor and all is silenced. In her fury Adela breaks ‘the tyrant’s rod’, the ultimate rebellion, breaking Bernarda’s status symbol. With her object of authority broken, Bernarda can no longer oppress her youngest daughter. Lorca structures the conflict between the characters, short sentences forces the audience to feel the panic of the women and the strength of Adela as Bernarda’s matricachal world crashes down around her. In the last act Adela’s repression from being with the man she loves causes her to commit suicide, an ironic tragedy. Lorca makes the audience judge public morality by showing how women are oppressed throughout the scenes and how people react in the most unnatural fashion, women are convicted of adultery before murder. When Adela hangs herself, Bernarda is strong on the knowledge that her daughter â€Å"died a virgin†, she is much more interested in how the town see her as oppesed to the fact her daughter murdered herself due to Bernarda’s rules. Gertrudis and Paca Le Roseta seem very similar characters; they both follow their carnal desire and run away. Paca La Roseta was â€Å"carried off to the top of the olive grove† by the men, when Bernarda finds out ‘she agreed to it’ she is eager to announce her distaste, claiming Roseta is a ‘loose woman’ and therefore to be shunned. Because she breaks the rules of what is deemed acceptable she is immediately rejected In chapter three, Tita’s lustful emotions find themselves in the quail in rose petal sauce. When served, the family’s hidden lust rise to the surface, all of them experiencing Tita’s desire. Gertrudis is the ‘conducting body’ for Tita’s rebellion giving her the opportunity to enter Pedro’s ‘hot, voluptuous, totally sensuous’ body. Esquivel uses magic realism to describe Gertrudis setting aflame and running away with a man. Totally defying the rules of tradition set down by her own mother. Bernarda’s mother rebels against her daughter constantly and loudly. Constantly shouting that she wants to ‘get married at the edge of the sea’. She questions ’why isn’t there any foam here? Nothing but black mourning shawls’, she wants to go somewhere bright and full of hope instead of being locked up surrounded by the darkness of oppression. Maria Josepha is persistent in trying to escape her oppressor, trying to be a mother, outstepping her boundaries. She wishes a lamb to ‘be a child’ as she has a strong maternal instinct that represents all the girls’ wish to be a mother. How they all must have a maternal instinct Bernarda is not allowing them to have. The family is unnatural, a denial of nature. Maria Josepha represents rebelling against oppression much like Gertrudis in ‘Like Water For Chocolate’. Throughout both books, the matriarchal oppression forces both women to come to an unnatural end. The strict ideas of tradition, class and how a woman should act condemn everyone to a life of tragedy. Lorca and Esquivel are both fighting for the voices that were not allowed to speak in their own society.

Athletes Leaving College Early :: essays research papers fc

`1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story of Korleone Young is a saddening one. Korleone was one of the top high school basketball players in the nation while he was in high school. At all the summer basketball camps, he played above his high school peers. During his senior season he dominated all his team’s competition. He had every major Division I basketball program wanting to give him a full scholarship. All of the national powerhouses like Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, and many more all recruited Korleone heavily. He also had another bug in his ear. The recent trend of high school stars like Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant skipping college to go to the pros appealed to him. He figured since he was a star he could skip college too. This was a big mistake. While his counterparts, Garnett and Bryant were drafted in the first round, Korleone fell to the second round. Once he got into camp he proved he was not ready for the physical style of play. After a couple seasons spent on inj ured reserve he is now out of the league. It is becoming more and more a trend for high school and underclassmen basketball players to forgo their college eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Most professional sports have restrictions to limit mentally and physically immature players from throwing away their college education to be unsuccessful in the professional ranks. In the National Football League, NCAA football players are not allowed to declare for the pro draft unless they have been in the school’s program for at least three years. In professional baseball and hockey, although they do draft players straight from high school, they have a minor league system set up. These minor leagues allow players the time to develop and still play against an excellent level of competition. This helps their growth process so that when they get into the real big leagues, they are somewhat ready to play and be a factor. 2 This influx of young players is not only hurting the player, but it is hurting the league and college sports. The NBA is now becoming filled with talented but immature players. College sports is losing it’s top athletes, sometimes after one year of college play. The players are also not graduating. This hurts because when a basketball player does not make it in the NBA, he has no degree to fall back on.

Stoning

Human Rights Research Task| Stoning In Iran| Daleen Conradie 11(O)| â€Å"You are a human being. You have rights inherent in that reality. You have dignity and worth that exists prior to law. † Lyn Beth Neylon Definitions Human Rights: Human rights are the basic freedoms as well as rights that all humans are entitled to. These human rights include the right to life, freedom of thought and expression as well as equality. Human Rights Violation: A violation of Human Rights is when someone has been discriminated against or has made it unable for someone to receive their basic freedoms or rights. Cultural Relativism:Cultural Relativism is the principle when someone’s activities and beliefs have to be understood according to their own individual cultures. Religious Relativism: Religious Relativism is the principle when someone’s activities and beliefs have to be understood according to their own individual religions. Stoning In Iran What is Stoning? Stoning is a way o f punishment where stones are thrown at the victim until they die. As a group complete this punishment no one can be held responsible for killing the person. This form of execution can be seen as a form of torture as it is slower than other forms.It is also said to be one of the oldest forms of execution that has been practiced in many areas of the world however most commonly in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. There are certain crimes that by the law of the country or community are punishable by death from stoning. If someone is accused and it is agreed by the people in power of the community they are put to death by stoning, even if there is no evidence to support the accusation. If the victim is a male they are buried up till their waste while a female is buried up until her shoulders. They are then thrown with stones by the volunteers in the community.These stones are picked specially to their size as they must be able to cause physical pain without causing death immediat ely. The stoning lasts until the person has died which on average is between 10 to 20 minutes. The family of the victim are forced to watch as well as sometimes take part. It all depends on what the punishment entails. The law of stoning however also allows the person to go free if they are able to escape however this is not always followed as many that escape are then shot. Human Rights Violation: When someone does not allow them to have their human rights it is seen as they treat them as if they are less than human.It creates the sense that they do not deserve respect or dignity. All individuals are entitled to justice, life and physical safety in order to grow in a safe and nurturing environment. There are many ways to violate rights but governments have created laws to restrict the â€Å"crimes against humanity† however individuals as well certain groups of people till break these law for their own selfish reasons. Unfair trial: In cases of stoning the judges are allowed to someone sentence someone to stoning without asking for permission from the government as well as often without proof of the crime.Iran law allows a judge to sentence someone based on their â€Å"knowledge. † This means that someone will be put to death not based on evidence but rather on the feelings of the judge. This means that many cases are unfairly tried. Abuse towards Women: â€Å"Right to life, liberty, and security of person without distinction of any kind, including sex† (Articles 2 and 3 of the UDHR) (http://www. stop-stoning. org/node/10) Most of the victims of stoning are women who have been discriminated due to their statutes, customs or values.In actions that can be seen as violating normal behaviour, women are more likely to be assigned the guilt especially in the cases of adultery. The women in these relationships have a higher chance of being stoned to death while the men will receive less severe or even no punishment. Cultural or Religious Context: In past history, stoning has been seen as tradition in many cultures and religions including Jewish and Greek communities. Stoning now is associated with Islam and Muslim cultures however there is no mention of stoning in these their religion book, the Quran (religious text of Islam. The only mention is implied in the Hadith (narrations concerning the words and deeds of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) when the Prophet Muhammad dealt with the Jewish Law. There have been many debates within Muslim religious communities as well as many people have spoken out against stoning saying it humiliates and defames Islam even though it is not accepted as Islamic Law. Due to this many Muslim nations have now banned death by stoning however there are still many countries that either under law or due to the community still uses stoning as a form of punishment.In Iran many Muslim people believe that stoning can be seen as Islamic however there is no proof to show that this is part of either religion . Effects on Society due to Violation of Human Rights: As there is an unfair treatment the people in the community then become afraid as well as they are unable to prove their innocence due to them being convicted based on a feeling of the judge. The people within the society live in fear and therefore there is then no unity in the community. Friends are lost during stoning as they can be the ones who are throwing the rocks. Women are treated the worse as they are seen as weaker and less important.This means that the word of men over power those of women. If a women is able to prove her innocence yet a man is has evidence to prove she is guilty even if the evidence it is not sufficient, the word from men will be taken and women will be punished. The violation of human rights creates an environment of fear and discrimination. How Violations of Human Rights Restrict the Dignity and Development of Human Beings: â€Å"Dignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and political discussions to signify that a being has an innate right to respect and ethical treatment. † en. wikipedia. org/wiki/DignityWhen someone does not receive their human rights they lose a part of being a human being. Those who violate rights take away something from humans; they do not give them the respect or treatment that they deserve which means that they do not have dignity. It has been taken away from them with no reason. The effect of this is that the person can then live in fear or they do not fully develop as they do not have the basic forms of security. Unfair trials or accusations mean that humans are not treated as equal. They need to have certain material objects or statuses in society in order to receive treatment that they deserve.They are not seen as innocent until proven guilty; they are seen as guilty based on one person’s opinion. When women are abused or seen as less superior they are also not treated as equal. They are discriminated against which can make them feel worthless. This can cause them to be unable to fully grow and develop into independent human beings as they have not been given the opportunity to achieve their full potential. When humans grow up in hard situations they are more prone to making wrong live decisions or they just do what they are told as they have not be exposed to the freedom of making their own choice.Unique cases show how the human spirit can’t always be broken so these people are able to fully develop however if they are never exposed to this hope, to certain human rights, they will conform and live by societies rules even if it mean stoning someone to death. As of 2010, stoning is still practiced in: Saudi Arabia Afghanistan Somalia Nigeria Sudan Iraq Iran â€Å"If cultural and religious practice is protected by the constitution, do you believe that it is then acceptable/ justifiable to practice the specific example you have researched. Certain cultural and religious practices are protected by the const itution as they are protecting the human rights that state one is allowed to practice the religion or culture they chose without being discriminated against. However there has to be a balance between human rights and beliefs as one can’t neglect one of them as they are both protected by the constitution. There have been many negotiations between these two points of view and many religions and countries have reached an agreement. This is not however.Stoning is seen as part of the Islam cultures however it is not stated in the Quran. This means that the cultural and religious point of view is not justifiable as stoning is not a religious practice. Many of the countries where stoning still takes place, such as Iran and Afghanistan, are part of the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights. Article 6 of the ICCPR states that â€Å"in countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes† (http:/ /www. stop-stoning. rg/node/10) Adultery is not a serious crime however people are still executed cause of these crimes as well as they are tortured which is a violation of the Human Rights, ICCPR and the Law of certain countries. If a cultural and religious practice is protected by the constitution it can be accepted to practice it if it is within the boundaries of human rights as human rights are also protected by the constitution. Death by stoning is not a religious practice therefore it isn’t protected by this part of the constitution as well as stoning for the crime of adultery is not allowed according to agreements made.Bibliography Information oregonstate. edu/instruct/anth370/gloss. html en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Cultural_relativism wordnetweb. princeton. edu/perl/webwn http://www. iran-e-azad. org/stoning/ en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Human_Rights_(Women_in_Armed_Forces)_Amendment_Act_2007 http://community. babycenter. com/post/a22865769/the_stoning_of_suraya_m. http://rayh arris57. files. wordpress. com/2009/12/human-rights-day. jpg http://science. jrank. org/pages/9933/Law-Human-Dignity. htmlhttp://www. stop-stoning. org/node/13 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Adultery#Stoning en. wiktionary. rg/wiki/human_rights en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Human_rights http://www. quotegarden. com/h-rights. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hadith http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Dignity en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Rights http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Human_rights http://www. stop-stoning. org/node/10 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Stoning http://www. dhushara. com/book/sakina/stoningetc/stoning. htm Bibliography Information http://www. unglobalcompact. org/aboutthegc/thetenprinciples/humanRights. html http://civilliberty. about. com/od/capitalpunishment/ig/Types-of-Executions/Death-by-Stoning. tm http://www. worldinconversation. org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/freedom. jpg http://meydaan. net/English/showarticle. aspx? arid=133&cid=46 http://answers. yahoo. com/question/ind ex? qid=20100706003525AASKrvg http://hubpages. com/hub/The-Stoning-of-Women-in-Iran-Its-global-impact http://www. nypost. com/p/blogs/capitol/message_for_president_obama_regarding_5uChiwg2KiCzjn7V3OnxyM http://www. unglobalcompact. org/aboutthegc/thetenprinciples/humanRights. html http://www. beyondintractability. org/essay/human_rights_violations/

How to Write a Literacy Narrative

I first learned to read at the age of three while sitting on my grandmother’s lap in her high-rise apartment on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, IL. While flipping casually through Time magazine, she noticed how I took a keen interest in the blur of black and white shapes on the page. Soon, I was following her wrinkled finger from one word to the next, sounding them out, until those words came into focus, and I could read. It felt as though I had unlocked time itself. What Is a â€Å"Literacy Narrative?† What are your strongest memories of reading and writing? These stories, otherwise known as â€Å"literacy narratives,† allow writers to talk through and discover their relationships with reading, writing, and speaking in all its forms. Narrowing in on specific moments reveals the significance of literacy’s impact on our lives, conjuring up buried emotions tied to the power of language, communication, and expression. To be â€Å"literate† implies the ability to decode language on its most basic terms, but literacy also expands to one’s ability to read and write the world — to find and make meaning out of our relationships with texts, ourselves, and the world around us. At any given moment, we orbit language worlds. Soccer players, for example, learn the language of the game. Doctors talk in technical medical terms. Fishermen speak the sounds of the sea. And in each of these worlds, our literacy in these specific languages allows us to navigate, participate and contribute to the depth of knowledge generated within them. Famous writers like Annie Dillard, author of The Writing Life, and Anne Lammot, Bird by Bird, have penned literacy narratives to reveal the highs and lows of language learning, literacies, and the written word. But you don’t have to be famous to tell your own literacy narrative — everyone has their own story to tell about their relationships with reading and writing. In fact, the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers a publicly accessible archive of personal literacy narratives in multiple formats featuring over 6,000 entries. Each shows the range of subjects, themes, and ways into the literacy narrative process as well as variations in terms of voice, tone, and style. How to Write Your Own Literacy Narrative Ready to write your own literacy narrative but don’t know where to begin? Think of a story linked to your personal history of reading and writing. Perhaps you want to write about your favorite author or book and its impact on your life. Maybe you remember your first brush with the sublime power of poetry. Do you remember the time you first learned to read, write or speak in another language? Or maybe the story of your first big writing project comes to mind. Make sure to consider why this particular story is the most important one to tell. Usually, there are powerful lessons and revelations uncovered in the telling of a literacy narrative.Wherever you begin, picture the first scene that comes to mind in relation to this story, using descriptive details. Tell us where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing in this specific moment when your literacy narrative begins. For example, a story about your favorite book may begin with a description of where you were when the book first landed in your hands. If you’re writing about your discovery of poetry, tell us exactly where you were when you first felt that spark. Do you remember where you were when you first learned a new word in a second language?Continue from there to explore the ways in which this experience had meaning for you. What other memories are triggered in the telling of this first scene? Where did this experience lead you in your writing and reading journey? To what extent did it transform you or your ideas about the world? What challenges did you face in the process? How did this particular literacy narrative shape your life story? How do questions of  power or knowledge come into play in your literacy narrative? Writing Toward a Shared Humanity Writing literacy narratives can be a joyful process, but it can also trigger untapped feelings about the complexities of literacy. Many of us carry scars and wounds from early literacy experiences. Writing it down can help us explore and reconcile these feelings in order to strengthen our relationship with reading and writing. Writing literacy narratives can also help us learn about ourselves as consumers and producers of words, revealing the intricacies of knowledge, culture, and power bound up in language and literacies. Ultimately, telling our literacy stories brings us closer to ourselves and each other in our collective desire to express and communicate a shared humanity.​ Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein is a poet, writer, and educator from Chicago, IL (USA) who currently splits her time in East Africa. Her essays on arts, culture, and education appear in Teaching Artist Journal, Art in the Public Interest, Teachers Writers Magazine, Teaching Tolerance, The Equity Collective, AramcoWorld, Selamta, The Forward, among others.