Chinas Modernization Is The Greatest Industrialization...

The People s Republic of China has had one of the wildest real estate sectors of any large-scale global economy. Chinese real estate value have been appreciating dramatically and at least abroad in the United States, media outlets have been covering this topic in an extremely sensationalistic way reporting ghost cities, and real-estate bubbles at their bursting point. Yale Professor Stephen Roach[1] says that China s modernization is the greatest urbanization story that the world has ever seen. A plethora of articles and documentaries cover the phenomenon of Ghost Cities which are supposedly the symbols of economic waste and rampant industrialization in the People s Republic of China. Observers blame the rise of these Ghost Cities on corrupt funding via risk-laden local-government financing vehicles and as symptoms of China inevitable demise. The skyscraper-filled skylines of a number of Chinese cities remain eerily vacant devoid of inhabitants. Yujiapu, located in Conch Bay north of the bustling port city of Tianjin is a backdrop of dirty vacant office towers and unfinished hotels that strangely resembles New York s Big Apple. Situated in a river bend, and modeled after Manhattan, Yujiapu was envisioned in 2008 to become the new financial center of the world complete with a Rockefeller Plaza and China s version of the Twin Towers. The 5-star Country Garden Phoenix Hotel, billed as the largest hotel in Asia is a deserted shell with no signs of construction.Show MoreRelatedGrave of the Fireflies -------- My Personal Reactions1582 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican blockbusters that treat brave soldiers as heroes (such as Pearl Harbor, We were soldiers, Windtalkers, etc.), this one addresses wars brutal impact on innocent civilians, especially children. With the war on Iraq now undergoing, this point has all the more relevance. Under the same American bombing, innocent Iraqi children are now suffering just as much as Seita and Setsuko in this movie have suffered, and even more, for the Iraqi people and land have long known the horrors of poverty, hungerRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesRosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire

Inequality From A Sociological Perspective - 1507 Words

Inequality from a Sociological Perspective Social inequality is an important area of study for sociologists. It concerns the privileges of certain sections of communities, and aims to determine how and why societies experience inequality. This is important in addressing issues of inequality and striving towards a society where people do not face discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, class or social groups that they belong to. The study of inequality in sociology originally started with theorists like Karl Marx, who looked at the unequal distribution of wealth in their society. They focused on the way that this inequality affected social status and social change [van Krieken, et al., 2006]. In the current era, studies on†¦show more content†¦Sometimes these unequal statuses lead to serious problems in one’s life in society and in the navigation of the present legal system. This is a particular issue among Indigenous and migrant populations when it comes to crime and deviance from the social ‘norms’ of the country, leading to unfair and unequal rates of imprisonment. According to the Australian Bureau Of Statistics Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners accounted for 27% of the total Australian prisoner population, while the total population of Indigenous Australians over the age of 18 years in 2016 was approximately 2% [ABS, 2017 and 2011]. Here we can see a clear inequality in imprisonment rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples as opposed to the non-Indigenous population of Australia. And here a problem is encountered. Why is it that so many Indigenous peoples are imprisoned? There are several possible answers to this question. One is that Indigenous people are being discriminated against due to systematic racism, and thus being imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit, or being imprisoned more for crimes that non-indigenous people aren’t. Another is that Indigenous people are simply committing more crimes than non-indigenous peoples. If this is indeed the case, one must ask why this is. Why is such a comparatively small part of our population committing more crimes than the rest? Van Krieken,Show MoreRelatedEssay on what is the sociological perspective (imagination)691 Words   |  3 PagesQuestion 1: What is the sociological perspective? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;What is the nature of the social sciences? This is the question that began the study of society, first performed by C. Wright Mills in his development of the idea of the sociological imagination. There are many different aspects to the sociological perspective. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines perspective as â€Å"the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance†Read MoreDorothy Smith s Approach Challenges Sociological Theory949 Words   |  4 Pages Dorothy Smith’s approach challenges Sociological Theory and the way it has been constructed. She offered a framework to close the gap between the objective knowledge and the personal experiences that people encounters in everyday life. Most importantly, Smith challenges one of the most traditional sociological discourses of male dominance through the use of concepts, theologies, and textual concepts that confines human behavior. Her framework known as institutional e thnography constitutes thatRead MoreSociological Perspectives On The Sociological Perspective1178 Words   |  5 PagesThe Sociological Perspective is a behavior that connects one with society. As written in the textbook Society the Basics, sociological perspective is also defined as â€Å"seeing the general in the particular† (Berger, 1963). A major part of being a sociologist is finding patterns in everyday life. As an ordinary person, finding patterns is almost a natural instinct. Every individual falls into a category, whether how unique they claim to be. Individuals can be categorized by race, class, sexual orientationRead MoreThe Sociological Perceptions Of Health And Illness1552 Words   |  7 Pagesthe sociological perceptions of health and illness. This essay also discusses about the various patterns of health inequality within society, and to evaluate the different perspective and views of health within our society. It will also provide a brief analysis of two dif ferent starts to the study of health and illness. This essay will then move on to examine different health pattern which are gender, ethnicity and class. 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As seen in the filmRead MoreThemes Of Immigration Issues937 Words   |  4 Pagestheme, the books says that â€Å"Inequality is wov en into basic social structures and institutions, and this inequality contributes to social problems† When someone in power or and a high social status like our president has a negative view or pushes their own agenda a lot of people will follow. These problems affect me directly as I was born in Mexico, hearing Trump say harsh and untrue things hits directly home. At the same time the fourth theme gives us a new perspective. Although many may see immigrationRead MoreScociological1136 Words   |  5 PagesMajor Sociological Paradigms There are three sociological perspectives that shape the structure of society as a whole. Functionalist perspective, symbolic interactionism and conflict theory. Sociologists develop these theories to explain social phenomena. In this essay I will explain the origins and evolution of the three main sociological perspectives and listing the sociologists that made major contributions to these disciplines. â€Å"The functionalist perspective is a sociological approachRead MoreThe Core Concepts Of Sociology1578 Words   |  7 PagesThe core concepts of sociology are a combination of original theories with improved sociological approaches that build upon them over time. Sociology utilizes three main theories to approach the study of society with different focus points that result in different outcomes. Furthermore, as stated by Robert Faris and William Form from britannica â€Å"The early schools of thought each presented a systematic formulation of sociology that implied possession of exclusive truth and that involved a conviction

Foot Binding Free Essays

string(162) " in the family to work on the farm and could not afford the luxury to tend to aesthetics or fashion, as bounded feet were seen as dainty, elegant and attractive\." For what reasons and results did mothers bind their daughter’s feet in China? History 20I Historical Investigation Word Count: 2,000 Julie Diep April 1, 2012 A. Introduction In contrast to a physically disabled child’s question of â€Å"Why me? † left unanswered, the traditional Chinese had a cruel yet straight forward answer of â€Å"Because your childhood is over and it is time to grow into a woman. † Which led to the merciless act of willingly breaking and forcefully binding a girl’s foot at a ripe young age to the length of three inches, no longer than the length of a deck of cards. We will write a custom essay sample on Foot Binding or any similar topic only for you Order Now Woman who were seen inferior to men, were treated as objects exchanged in marriage for business or to tie two families together. They were expected to follow society’s rules, foot binding being one of these rules to increase the value of a female. During the 19th century, â€Å"†¦40–50% of Chinese women had bound feet; for upper class women, the figure was almost 100%†¦ † (William Rossi). The Chinese culture encouraged this foot binding process as it was highly desired from ancient China to the 20th century until the establishment of the new Chinese Republic officially banning the process, ceasing it’s use. Mothers considered and inflicted the painful process of foot binding upon their daughters for reasons of marriage, status, and beauty with positive results or death from infection and a life-long physical disability. B. Summary Of The Evidence * The practices of foot binding were described as â€Å"San tsun gin lian,† â€Å"Golden Lotus† or â€Å"Lily†. By the 19th century, 40–50% of Chinese women had bound feet and for upper class women, the figure was almost 100%. * According to historical account, root of foot binding lie in China in the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 A. D. ), during the rule of Emperor Li Yu in China. The ruler’s favorite concubine Yao-Niang performed a dance on the tips of her toes atop a golden lotus pedestal. * Another origin is of an Empress who had club-like feet, which became a desirable fashion. * Criteria for a well-bounded foot is three inches in length, a three inch deep clef between the heel and sole and that the appearance of the bounded foot is seen as a dainty extension of the leg. * The elder village women or mother was responsible for initiating and monitoring the binding process. * Foot binding was begun between the ages of two to five before the arch of the foot had a chance to develop fully. Toenails were cut back to prevent in-growth and infection. * Each foot would be soaked in a warm mixture of herbs and animal blood; this was intended aid the process by softening the tissue and bones of the foot to allow manipulation. * All the toes on the foot except for the big toe are broken and folded under the sole. * The broken toes were held tightly against the sole of the foot while the foot was then drawn down straight with the leg and the arch forcibly broken. * The foot was then bound in place with a 10’x2†³ silk or cotton bandage. The bandages were repeatedly wound, starting at the inside of the foot at the instep, then carried over the toes, under the foot, and round the heel, the freshly broken toes being pressed tightly into the sole of the foot. At each pass around the foot, the binding cloth was tightened, pulling the ball of the foot and the heel ever close together, causing the broken foot to fold at the arch, and pressing the toes underneath. * Each time the feet were unbound, they were washed, the toes carefully checked for injury, and the nails carefully and meticulously trimmed. Immediately after this pedicure, the girl’s broken toes were folded back under and the feet were rebound. * Process took approximately two years. * Toenails would often in-grow, becoming infected and causing injuries to the toes. * The tightness of the binding meant that the circulation in the feet was faulty, and the circulation to the toes was almost cut off. * As the girl grew older, the bones would begin to heal, although even after the foot bones had healed they were prone to re-breaking. * Septicemia and gangrene resulted from the bacteria. A 1997 study by researchers at the University of California at San Francisco found that women ages 80 and older with bound feet were more likely to have fallen in the previous year and to need assistance in rising from a sitting position. They also had lower bone density in the hip and spine than women with normal feet, increasing their risk of debilitating fractures. * Foot binding was first practiced among the elite and only in the wealthiest parts of China, which suggests that binding the feet of well-born girls represented their freedom from manual labor and wealth. In politics, a woman was kept from interfering if she was immobile, and a â€Å"kept† wom an reflected a powerful man. * Mothers would endure binding their daughters’ feet as an investment in the future. The more attractive she could make her daughter, the better marriage prospects she had. * A bound foot signified that a woman had achieved womanhood, and served as a mark of her gendered identity. * Small bounded feet were seen as elegant, dainty, beautiful, erotic and a prerequisite for finding a husband. * Foot binding was eventually banned in the 20th century with the rise of the new Republic of China through educational campaigns. C. Analysis From the birth of a baby girl, the status of the family determined whether her feet would be bounded or left untouched. If the family was wealthy and was of elite status, the girl’s feet would be bounded. It represented the freedom the girl had from manual labor, as she would not be able to walk or work in her bounded state, which also maintained family honor and reputation. Bounded feet set the boundary between higher and lower class. The people of lower class needed everyone in the family to work on the farm and could not afford the luxury to tend to aesthetics or fashion, as bounded feet were seen as dainty, elegant and attractive. You read "Foot Binding" in category "Papers" The â€Å"Golden Lily† or bounded feet were a desirable fashion among women and signified the transformation of a girl into a woman. The process marked the end of her childhood and the beginning of womanhood, which was important to one’s identity. By not being able to bind their daughter’s feet, it was detrimental to her prospects of marrying into the higher class and raising her social status or having a more prestigious marriage. Zhou Guizhen, survivor of foot binding, 86 years old, states, â€Å"At that time everybody had bound feet. If you didn’t, you’d only be able to marry a tribesman from an ethnic minority. The higher class glorified this painful process as aesthetically pleasing and as an investment in the girl’s future marriage. In China pre 19th century, marriage was a crucial part of a woman’s entire life. Woman had the purpose of being a wife and reproducing children. Without marriage, there would be no husband to rely on , children to tend her grave and no prosperity to her family. If a woman did not marry it equated to a life with no meaning. In marriage, wealth, status and physical appearance were crucial. Marriage was a bond between two households or businesses. Thus the mother would increase the value of her daughter by binding her feet to display the wealth, status of the family and the attractiveness of the daughter’s physical appearance. Bounded feet increased marriage prospects and the likeliness for her to marry into another wealthy family, which would benefit her own family in return. They were seen as erotic and as a form of chastity, being the symbol of submission to the husband. An immobile wife would not be able to leave the house and is wholly dependent upon the husband, thus objectifying the woman and reflecting a more dominant man. Bounded feet were only seen as attractive when concealed in the lotus shoes. Some men preferred to never see the bounded feet, so that they were concealed in their shoes as a beautiful mystery. â€Å"If you remove the shoes and bindings, the aesthetic feeling will be destroyed forever. † (Feng Xun). It was understood that the erotic fantasy of bounded feet did not equate to the unpleasant physical reality, which was therefore to he kept hidden. To an extent, foot binding was not considered a form of body mutilation but as a component of female attire or adornment. If done correctly the girl would survive the process, only to live with the physical disability and further risks of medical problems. During the process, despite the meticulous care of trimming the toenails, they would often in-grow causing infections in the toes and feet. The tightness of the bindings would decrease blood circulation to the feet ceasing injuries to heal and gradually worsen to infection or rotting flesh. The girl would be susceptible to infections such as septicemia and gangrene due to the increase of bacteria. The practice of foot binding was not only physically crippling, but it also produced physiological implications. The abdomen would swell, the lumbar vertebra would curve forward and the back would be inflicted with increased muscle stress. This forced the woman to put all her weight on her lower body and pelvis. One’s whole body was deformed as a result from foot binding. Simple acts such as squatting and bending were difficult. Large corns and calluses would appear on the bounded feet and had to be cut off. Instead of walking in a straight line, the woman would have to walk side to side in a swaying motion. As the years passed, the bounded foot would continue growing, but instead of growing longer the foot would grow crooked. This would cause further injuries and deformities to the foot. The toes would curl deeper inwards causing potential infections, which inevitably followed with diseases. According to a 1997 study by researchers in the University of California found that woman ages 80 and over with bound feet had lower bone density in the hip and spine than a woman with normal feet, suggesting that the bones were prone to re-breaking and fractures. Opposition to the foot binding first began in China during the Qing period (1644 – 1911) with Manchu rule. When foreign missionaries began to gain footholds in China after the Opium war and the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, the new Nationalist government of the Republic of China banned foot binding. The Lotus feet were no longer a symbol of beauty but a symbol of oppression and were seen as a barbaric practice of the old China. Through modern education campaigns, it was explained that the rest of the world did not bind women’s feet and that China was seen as savage, making the nation subject to international ridicule. The advantages of natural unbound feet over bound feet were encouraged. Natural feet societies were formed whose members pledged not to bind their daughter’s feet or allow their sons to marry women with bound feet. These tactics succeeded in eradicating the use of a practice, which has survived for thousands of years. D. Conclusion According to an old saying in China, â€Å"There are a thousand buckets of tears for one who binds her feet. † These woman’s tiny feet sealed their tragic fate all for marriage prospects, status and beauty, ingredients for a good life of a woman in pre-20th China. Only to live with a self inflicted physical disability prone to infections, diseases and medical injuries. With the rise of the 20th century and the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the era of foot binding had been abandoned leaving only fragments of the past that present day society view as a horrific mutilation of the human body. E. Bibliography Dehoff, Elizabeth. â€Å"Foot Binding†, Ask, http://shoes. about. com/od/footwear/qt/foot_binding. htm Farlander. â€Å"Chinese Foot Binding†, h2g2, http://h2g2. com/dna/h2g2/A11558722 Holman, Jeanine. â€Å"Foot Binding†, 2010, http://www. josephrupp. com/history. html Mao, J. â€Å"Foot Binding: Beauty And Torture†, The Internet Journal of Biological Anthropology. 008 Volume 1 Number 2 Myfanawy, Evans. †The Painful Tradition of Foot Binding in China†, Pattya Daily News, September 16, 2010, http://www. pattayadailynews. com/en/2010/09/16/the-painful-tradition- of-foot-binding-in-china/ Wikipedia contributors, â€Å"Foot binding†, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? ti tle=Foot_bindingamp;oldid=483989361 1 (accessed March 28, 2012). ——————————————– [ 1 ]. J. Mao, â€Å"Foot Binding: Beauty And Torture†, The Internet Journal of Biological Anthropology. 2008 Volume 1 Number 2 [ 2 ]. Farlander, â€Å"Chinese Foot Binding†, h2g2, http://h2g2. com/dna/h2g2/A11558722 [ 3 ]. Ibid. [ 4 ]. Myfanawy, Evans. †The Painful Tradition of Foot Binding in China†, Pattya Daily News, September 16, 2010, http://www. pattayadailynews. com/en/2010/09/16/the-painful-tradition-of-foot-binding-in-china/ [ 5 ]. Blood poisoning from bacteria. [ 6 ]. Decomposition of body tissues from bacterial infection. [ 7 ]. Elizabeth Dehoff, â€Å"Foot Binding†, Ask, http://shoes. about. com/od/footwear/qt/foot_binding. htm [ 8 ]. Farlander, â€Å"Chinese Foot Binding†, h2g2, http://h2g2. com/dna/h2g2/A11558722 [ 9 ]. Wikipedia contributors, â€Å"Foot binding†, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Foot_bindingoldid=4839893611 (accessed March 28, 2012). [ 10 ]. Farlander, â€Å"Chinese Foot Binding†, h2g2, http://h2g2. com/dna/h2g2/A11558722 [ 11 ]. Wikipedia contributors, â€Å"Foot binding†, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Foot_bindingoldid=4839893611 (accessed March 28, 2012). [ 12 ]. Blood poisoning from bacteria. [ 13 ]. Decomposition of body tissues from bacterial infection. [ 14 ]. Jeanine Holman, â€Å"Foot Binding†, 2010, http://www. josephrupp. com/history. html How to cite Foot Binding, Papers

Assuming Is Dangerous free essay sample

When people make assumptions, based on things that they think they see, hear, or know; without confirming their conclusion first, anything can result. For Lester Burnham, it can be concluded, the result of someone else’s assumption would be his own death. Throughout the movie America Beauty, there were many miscommunications between the characters, but only one particular failure to communicate cost someone their life. Colonel Frank Fitts was very concerned with his sons’ activities and his relationship with Lester Burnham, unaware of the true nature of the relationship between his son and Lester, the Colonel made accusations based on bits of information he gathered from short conversations with Lester and even â€Å"seeing† something he actually did not see. Had he asked the right questions his conclusions would most likely not have caused him to take Lester’s life in the end of the movie. There was also one particular moment where Lester could have possibly saved his own life by telling the Colonel that he was actually not a homosexual. We will write a custom essay sample on Assuming Is Dangerous or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It was stated in our textbook Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication written by Kathy Sole that a very important part of communicating is making sure the message received is the correct message intended. It would appear that the Colonel has a problem with homosexuals but when he kissed Lester in the movie, there is more to understand about Colonel Frank’s sense of self. As it says in our text â€Å"Today most researchers believe that who you think you are is a complex mix of how you see yourself; how others see you; what parents, teachers, and peers have told you about yourself; and what your society or culture tells you that you are or should be. †(Sole, 2011) Colonel Frank must have never accepted his true self if he was a homosexual, instead he adapted to what others always believed he was. He appeared to have done his best to prove everyone else right. Therefore, instead of the Colonel actually having a problem with homosexuals; he actually had a problem with himself. When the Colonel confronted Lester about his relationship with his wife, Lester’s responses were vague in a way that further solidified Frank’s assumptions that Lester was gay. When he kissed Lester and Lester said, â€Å"I think you have the wrong idea† Colonel Frank took it as a rejection, when Lester could have said, â€Å"No, man, I am not gay† or something of the sort. If Lester had responded in a way that did not humiliate or make Frank feel inadequate he may not have killed Lester. Colonel Frank and, Lester both should have delved a little deeper, and made more of an effort to understand what each of them were actually trying to say, or the messages they were trying to convey. If they had done a better job and communicating, Lester would have been aware of Colonel Frank’s assumption that he was gay, and able to correct Frank. If Colonel Frank had asked the right questions after Lester’s vague responses, he would have understood that Lester’s relationship with his wife was not â€Å"just for show† because he was gay but rather because they were trying to be the couple that others thought, they should be.

Scientology Essays - Scientology Beliefs And Practices, Scientology

Scientology Scientology is a fairly new religion. Founded in the twentieth-century by a man by the name of L. Ron Hubbard. He began his studies long ago and wrote a book in 1950 called Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. He claimed that this book was one of the first tools used to solve the problems of the mind. This book focused on irrational mind, war, crime, and insanity. Mr. Hubbard designed this book so that anyone can use it to improve oneself. He did not stop at Dianetics, however, he felt that there were still some issues that had to be addressed. He was now going to try to figure out the nature of the human being, what makes up our "being." Mr. Hubbard combined religion, philosophy, and his theory of dianetics and came up with Scientology. Mr. Hubbard had a unique life. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska, the son of a naval commander Harry Ross Hubbard and Ledora May Hubbard. L. Ron Hubbard was born on March 13, 1911. When he was about two his family moved to Montana where he learned to be a rough western cowboy. His mother was thoroughly educated woman. She taught him how to read and write at an early age. L. Ron Hubbard was said to have an avid interest in life at an early age. When his father's naval career required that they move away from Montana, his mother was responsible to teach him the schooling he missed. When Ron was twelve the family moved to Seattle, Washington. Ron got the liberty to be associated with many different types of people such as the Blackfoot Indians, Beijing magician, Chinese magicians, and studying Buddhists. He enrolled at George Washington University, his father put him into mathematics and engineering. Now he learned how to take the scientific approach to solving problems. He became more and more interested in the way the mind works. He would ask the professors at George Washington University and they could not give him an answer, so he came up with the idea that the western culture did not understand a thing about the mind. He believed that it was his duty to explore the mind and to tell the western world how it works. This is when he came up with dianetics and then eventually the religion of scientology. Scientology consists of eight dynamics. With these dynamics, a person realizes that his life extends beyond himself. The first dynamic is "self." This teaches you to survive as an individual. Taking care of such things as mental and physical health. It does not include other people, it is the urge to survive as an individual. The second is "creativity." Creativity is making anything for the future. Creating a family, and raising children to the best of your ability. This dynamic also means that sex is simply a mechanism to procreate. The third is "group survival." This is the drive to survive in a group. This can be any group, community, friends, a company, a state, or a race. The size of the group does not matter, it is merely to survive as a group. The fourth is"species." This one is the dynamic of the species of mankind. Being American would fit into the third dynamic because it is a nation. The fourth deals with every man, woman, and child in the world. The fifth dynamic is "life forms." According to Scientology there are two parts to the mind, the analytical mind and the reactive mind. The analytical mind has standard memory banks which record memory as a series of mental images. It records standard factual data, however, it does not account for any type of emotional or physical pain. The reactive mind kicks in during moments of painful moments. It also records data with mental images though in a different way. The reactive mind is selective about what it records. It only takes in pain or the emotional part of any given situation. Mr. Hubbard believes that if you can reduce the use of the reactive mind, you will be able to solve situations more effectively. If you solve a problem without letting your emotions get in the way the solution will be more objective than subjective, and being objective will give you better results. There are three parts to the human body: the mind, the body, and the thetan. The term soul has taken on so many meanings that Mr. Hubbard has created a word which defines his meaning of the

Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Essays

Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Essays Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Paper Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Paper Asian American womens writing came of age in the 1970s and 1980s. Most of these women writers were middle- or upper-class, well-educated women. This fact is reflected in the development of Asian American memoir/fiction-as-theory and can be seen in the works of Maxine Hong Kingston. Maxine Hong Kingston utilizes the Chinese tradition of â€Å"talking-story† as a structuring device within her prose narratives. â€Å"Talking-story,† as its name suggests, is the female Chinese practice of telling stories, often from one generation to the next. One of such â€Å"talking-stories† is Maxine Hong Kingstons autobiography, The Woman Warrior, which embodies the search for identity in the narrative act. The Woman Warrior expresses the Chinese American experience through family history combined with memory, legend, and imaginative projection. Maxine Hong Kingston is writing about the writer’s Chinese American experience and the Chinese American experience, where Maxine has stressed the need for many voices to speak out and express the diversity and variety of Chinese American life. The Woman Warrior needs to be considered fundamentally as feminist text. As Kingston says quite simply, ‘Growing up as I did as a kid, I don’t see how I could not have been a feminist. In Chinese culture, people always talk about how girls are bad. Right away, it makes you radical like anything’ (Kubota 1998, p. 3). Clearly, The Woman Warrior partly concerns the narrator’s apprehension of, and rebellion against the misogynistic scenario. At the same time, however, she is quick to recognize its repressive complement in the sexual standards of America, where feminine submissiveness is prized in different ways. Kingston’s highly crafted reworking of mythological and biographical sources in the text as a whole is underpinned by a desire to move through and beyond these limiting constructions. In her reappropriation of the Fa Mu Lan mythology, particularly, she can be seen as attempting to construct a new narrative of femininity that is neither ‘traditionally’ Chinese nor ‘traditionally’ American, combining the assertion of female strength and resourcefulness with the celebration of passion and maternity. By equating the battles of her reappropriated Fa Mu Lan with the author’s own struggles of writing, moreover, she explicitly seeks to identify her own use of story-telling as the weaponry of a contemporary woman warrior: The swordswoman and I are not so dissimilar. May my people understand the resemblance soon so that I can return to them. What we have in common are the words at our backs. The idioms for revenge are ‘report a crime’ and ‘report to five families’. The reporting is the vengeance not the beheading, not the gutting, but the words. And I have so many words ’chink’ words and ‘gook’ words too that they do not fit on my skin. (p. 53) In Maxine Hong Kingstons family memoirs, The Woman Warrior is introduced as a complex legacy of family secrets, a repressed history that haunts the American-born narrator. Although The Woman Warrior seems to suggest that the narrators primary quarrels are with her parents and community, whose methods of socializing her seem too Chinese and out of step with the familys life in America, the grimness of that life is gradually revealed to be rooted in the Asian American past in America, the invisibility of that past to mainstream Americans, and its consequent resistance to narration. When Maxine Hong Kingston broke the silence that had been punishing her aunt in 1975, she shocked American readers into recognizing Chinese Americans as complex subjects, subtly changing the cultural landscape for those to follow, but many of her readers did not immediately understand that hers was an American story. The narrator in The Woman Warrior struggles to comprehend the legacy of craziness and conventionality, of curses and blessings, bequeathed her by her mother, who is at once a vessel of traditional culture and a courageous fighter in a harsh environment. The daughter, fearful that she has â€Å"no stories of equal pain,† avoids becoming merely the transmitter of her mothers stories: although The Woman Warrior begins with the mothers stories, it ends with the daughters.

Paper on Texas History and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Paper on Texas History and Culture - Essay Example Presently, Texas views the government as a force that benefits the whole state. Thus, the people of Texas engage in political activities with an aim of deciding the type of government that should govern their activities. Traditional culture of Texas views politics as a special preserve of social and economic elites – as a process of maintain law and order. Likewise, the present political system of Texas serves as a solution to the public problems. It views political participation as a privilege and accepts social pressure and restrictive election laws that limit participation. Critics believe that this culture stems from the traditional political culture (Maxwell, Crain & Santos 21). As evident in the past, political activities are a preserve of the rich or social elite. This tends to explain the dominance of the Republican Party in the Texas. Largely, the fact that the social elite dominate the political class makes the running in a political office an activity that a few people would like to perform. The settlement pattern of Texan people as well as the traditional attributes of the Texan people has continued to define the present political landscape of this state. In Texas, individualistic thoughts override traditional attributes. The result of this situation is evident in the political participation. Available literature indicates that voter turnout in Texas is lower than the National Average because Texan people believe that politics is a domain of economic interest, and many ignore the role of politic in their lives including its benefits (Maxwell, Crain & Santos 20). Despite the social and cultural extensions that have occurred due to civilization and modernity, black towns seems to exist alongside the white towns. This traditional and cultural aspect seems to define the participation in political issues by the residents of these towns. Elements of segregation still affect social, religious, fraternity