... Fern “Arable” and Mrs. Arable are two characters who are symbolic of their own themes: Inequality & Injustice vs. Power & Control, respectively. Fern “Arable” is the little girl who is introduced in the first few pages. Fern is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arable, and the sister of Avery “Arable”. The last names of the children are in parenthesis because Fern and Avery are not given proper last names in their introductions, unlike their parents. Fern’s purpose in the story “Charlotte’s Web” is to illustrate two important themes: Inequality and Injustice. Within her character development, Fern is shown as someone who feels that the world is unjust and unfair. She is also shown as someone who is not an equal being within her family, which is inferred when she isn’t given the proper title of a last name, whereas her mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Arable, are given that respect. Fern isn’t presented as “Fern Arable”, she is merely Fern; a little girl. There are many examples in just the first few pages of “Charlotte’s Web” that show how Fern represents the themes of Inequality and Injustice. The illustrations by Garth Williams on page 2 show Fern pleading desperately with her father to spare the life of the runt piglet. Sometimes, pictures do speak louder than words, and Williams’s illustration shouts volumes of the power struggle Fern faces while trying to make the world a fair place. Furthermore, the language that is used on page 2 to set the scene as Fern...
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...realized that social inequality existed between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie....
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...finding enlightenment. In the quest for enlightenment, darkness, such as ignorance, injustice, or prejudice, is both the obstacle and the motivation. Without shadows, there would be no need for light switches, without darkness there would be no reason to seek enlightenment. To accurately examine the meaning of darkness and the role it plays in the quest for enlightenment, definitive definitions of key terms must first be laid out. Darkness can be defined as a “lack of knowledge or enlightenment” (Dictionary.com). From this definition, we can see the ignorant in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave were living – both literally and metaphorically – in darkness. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail explained that the civil rights movement he led was a movement to end the unjust oppression of Blacks in 1960s America. King fought against darkness. Finally, Sherman Alexie’s character Jackson Jackson, from his short story What You Pawn I Will Redeem, lived in his own personal darkness as a listless, homeless, alcoholic Indian and experienced prejudice because of this. All of these short works explain and expound upon the idea of a quest for enlightenment, or “the state of having knowledge or understanding” (Merriam-Webster.com). Plato’s character wishes to dispel his ignorance and understand the world around him as it truly is. King’s movement hopes to turn mindless bigotry and injustice into equality. Alexie’s Jackson Jackson’s goal is to understand how he belongs to his...
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...speaking out and taking action. His Focus in the speech is specifically on speaking out and taking action in relation to inequality that exists in society. It is a sad fact that because of comfort, complacency, a morbid fear of communism, and our proneness to adjust to injustice, the Western nations that initiated so much of the revolutionary spirit of the modern world have now become the arch anti-revolutionaries. ... Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism. With this powerful commitment we shall boldly challenge the status quo and unjust mores, and thereby speed the day when every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.” This specific quotation deserves attention because it highlights an issue in society that is still prevalent today. Of course nowadays communism is no longer a big concern, however, racial and political inequality can still be seen everywhere. Our revolutionary spirit as Americans is also called into question through this quotation by Dr. King, who claims Americans maybe are too comfortable and willing to accept injustice. The “Break Silence” speech was given in 1967 but it still has significance to inequality we are witnessing today. A question was asked by one Chad Arnold the first week of class this semster, “who in this...
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...Faculty Forum / Re: Private University « on: November 02, 2012, 11:42:36 AM » Redefining the role of universities Hafiz G. A. Siddiqi Traditionally, a university is perceived as an institution that imparts higher education to produce all kinds of highly skilled manpower the society needs for its overall development. It undertakes research to create knowledge for national and global benefit. The universities and societies are interdependent. They help each other develop. In the final analysis a university is an institution of higher learning. However, this characterisation does not encompass all the roles a university plays. There was a time when roles of the universities were limited, elitist and exclusively for men. Oxford and Cambridge admitted women several centuries after they were established. The establishment of the oldest universities was church based. However, the intellectual discourses at the universities revealed a need for qualitative change in their role. By early 19th century, the modern universities dropped their elitist attire and started getting inclusive, admitting both men and women from all strata of society. The modern universities paved the way for rapid social and cultural changes, becoming more secular and democratic. The changes gradually transformed the universities into cultural institutions that mold young minds. Andre Beteille says: "University education became socially significant because, as open and secular institutions...
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...range of knowledge, which confirms the continuing existence of gender discrimination and its deep impact on the lives of individuals and their employers. (Ashberner, 1991; Arnold et al.1995; Davidson and Cooper, 1993; Marshall et al., 1995). Gender Discrimination is the worst of all discriminations and it badly affects the progress of any society. As mentioned above, discrimination has its grounds in the culture of any society. The prevailing thought in the society acts as a catalyst in worsening the situation of gender discrimination. Pakistan is no exception to this main problem which exists almost everywhere around the globe, even in the developed world. Women are the vulnerable strata of the society. They are subjected to different cruelties and injustices. There still prevails inequality in most of the societies, especially in the underdeveloped world. In Pakistan the fate of women is still questioned. There are laws which are meant to protect the women but still they remain mere orders having upon no...
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...Joshua Wu Equal in the Twentieth Century The late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century became the rising point of equality and social reform and protest. After many Nationalist movements of reform and revolts, this resulted in several unified countries. It then led to the next big social issue, equality. The female equality movement, especially the suffrage movement, gained traction throughout the world gaining massive support from many. Many female activists and authors were very vocal about the injustice they faced and how the societies they lived in needed to change. Some of these activists/authors were: Virginia Woolf, Alexandra Kollontai, Constance Markievicz, and Sylvia Pankhurst. Though in different forms and different pursuits these four authors pursued the same ultimate goal, equality. Virginia Woolf was an author during the turn of the century and in her piece, “A Room of One’s Own” she draws meaning from the injustice between the sexes in the time and in the industry of literature and art. In her piece, after referring to Shakespeare, she says, “A highly gifted girl who had tried to use her gift for poetry would have been so thwarted and hindered by other people…No girl could have walked to London and stood at a stage door and forced her way into the presence of actor-managers without doing herself a violence and suffering an anguish…for chastity may be a fetish invented…” (298). Prior to this quote Woolf spoke about the history of Shakespeare and how...
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...Visualize a world with discrimination, no civil rights, inequalities, injustices, and, in general, no human rights. Without remarkable, outstanding individuals who fought for them, those prejudices would exist today. Those individuals, through dark and light times, demonstrated significant character to help others and try to get justice served. They took a stand and risk to fight for equality. Heroes are people who are inspiring, committed, and selfless. Dolores Huerta is a hero because of her inspiration for people to keep on fighting against injustices. For instance, Dolores Huerta created a foundation named Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF). Through this foundation, she helps organize “people to run for office and advocating on issues of health,...
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...American president Barack Obama. Article after article published around this time had headlines reading, “Barack Obama: The End of Racism in America.” We finally did it! Racism in America was able to be totally eradicated through the election of an African American as our nation’s president. If only it was that easy. Now in 2014, eight years after the election of our nation’s first African American president, our country is experiencing one of the biggest racial unrests since the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. It has been 149 years since the end of slavery, 46 years since the end of the civil rights movement, and 8 years since America elected it’s first African American president. How can it be possible that Americans still face inequality due to their race? The reason is...
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...Throughout the history of the world, democracy and essential human rights have been achieved because of the brave men and women who have stood up to tyranny and oppression. Without the efforts of people like Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Henry David Thoreau, and Mahatma Gandhi, the United States would still be living in a time vastly consisting of white supremacy, glass ceilings and injustice toward people of other races and backgrounds. Today, some of these dreadful characteristics of American society endure but they have been severely weakened by protests and outcries from citizens demanding justice. Peaceful resistance paves the way for change and equality because it leads other people to become informed about different viewpoints. The...
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...Standing’, is a collection of poems that focuses on issues such as social inequality, injustice and poverty. In addressing these issues the poet uses various literary devices to arouse deep emotions in me. Two poems from his collection, "Still Standing" and "Beyond the Rage" touched me deeply as they addressed issues such as betrayal, deceit, poverty and inequality. The poem ‘Still Standing’ covers the themes of betrayal and deception. Michael Pintard shares his experiences of how he was deceived by the ones who were close to him. In the first stanza, Pintard uses a metaphor to bring out the theme of betrayal and show the readers how painful hateful rumors can be. “Though smiling lips in my face Conceal deceitful tongues That send fiery darts to pierce My back, my heart, as I walk That confident walk I am still standing.” This metaphor compared the words uttered about Pintard to fiery darts. I envisioned those whom he thought were his friends, gossiping about him behind his back, and this makes me angry. I can relate to this kind of deception and I am disgusted by a person who would actually take pleasure in causing others this kind of pain. This incident helped me to understand that some of my friends are not true friends. Even though they pretend to wish me well they are only wishing for my failure and to see me fall. This saddens me, but it opened my eyes to the deceit that exists in society. Furthermore, Pintard used imagery to convey the hurt...
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...after teenage pregnancy. In many cases, only one marriage-partner is a child, usually the female. Causes of child marriages include poverty, bride price, dowry, cultural traditions, laws that allow child marriages, religious and social pressures, regional customs, fear of remaining unmarried, illiteracy, and perceived inability of women to work for money. Child marriages were common throughout history for a variety of reasons, including poverty, insecurity, as well as for political and financial reasons. Today, child marriage is still fairly widespread in developing countries, such as parts of Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. The incidence of child marriage has been falling in most parts of the world. The countries with the highest observed rates of child marriages below the age of 18 are Niger, Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Guinea and the Central African Republic, with a rate above 60%. Niger, Chad, Bangladesh, Mali and Ethiopia were the countries with child marriage rates greater than 20% below the age of 15, according to...
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...multiple cases of police brutality, racial profiling, and overall general violence towards black people in the U.S. It is astonishing how many incidents have been occurring lately. Therefore, many protests and riots have occurred to fight back against theses injustices. One of the organizations that were created in order to bring awareness to the reoccurring issue of inequality and violence towards black people is a movement called Black Lives Matter. As injustices continue to occur, the Black Lives Matter movement becomes more popular and the issues towards black people are starting to be heard. The growth in awareness of how people with dark skin are treated...
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...Specifically, the document emphasizes how all men and women were created through God’s image. This proves the dignity in all humanity. Moreover, this fundamental principle of Biblical teaching should always stay relevant in any issue no matter the time period. Far too often, human dignity is violated due to structural injustices. When there is a destruction of human dignity, it makes proper sense to apply Biblical teaching. The priority to human dignity because of God’s image definitely isn’t the only theme the U.S. bishops mentioned about using the Bible in contemporary morality. Another important Biblical message is Jesus’s formation of a community of disciples. Most importantly, the community’s special concern about the poor and marginalized should always be pertinent. Jesus sought to teach others to live a life of acceptance for all. Though, Jesus wasn’t the only Biblical figure...
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...Structural violence refers to a systematic institution which inflicts harm in the way of individuals and disadvantages them in meeting their basic needs. Paul Farmer explains this term in An Anthropology of Structural Violence by separating the phrase. The term ”structure” refers to a neutral policy which supposedly exists unquestionably and permanently. “Structure” is paired with the term “violence” referring our attention to thoughts of injustices and inequalities. In actuality, these customs do not exist neither naturally nor neutrally, but have been embedded in the political, economic, and social organization of societies over time. Structural violence is not limited to local histories or countries classified as third world, but also...
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