...of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, many events change his life and he has to choose to live with them or die. Ishmael has changed because of several major events that he lived through and has adapted and that has helped him survive in his war ravaged country. He has changed from young, innocent boy to mindless child solider to a proper adult but he still survives and that makes him very resilient. Though it was hard he found himself amongst war. One of the first major events was that he lost his parents. He was in Mattru Jong when rebels attacked his home in Mogbwemo. Slowly by surely wounded people started trickling in and he found out that way that he had lost his parents. His parents weren’t dead, just lost in the country. That changed him because it was the first of many wounds on his body and soul. Throughout the book he searches for them but they remain elusive and not inflicting wounds on the mortal body but instead ripping a large hole in his heart. “The sun peacefully sailed through the white clouds, birds sang from tree tops, the trees danced to the quiet wind. I still couldn’t believe the war had actually reached our home. It was impossible, I thought. We had left home the day before, there had been no indication the rebels were near.” (Beah, 10)He couldn’t believe it. It was just not possible. Your home is a fortress until it shatters. The second major event was becoming a boy solider at a young age. “The idea of death didn’t cross my mind at all and killing had...
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...Green History of the World and Quinn's Ishmael Clive Ponting's The Green History of the World and Daniel Quinn's Ishmael both critique the dominant paradigms of modern human civilization-especially where its relationship with environment is concerned. Both feel strongly that we are in trouble. Neither are quite willing to make final connections and present us with a systematic method for getting out of our impending ecological crisis, but they both do spell out what has been wrong, what is wrong now, and what will happen should we choose not to take evasive action. In the absence of similar works "in the canon" it is hard not to feel as though, (as the character Ishmael promised), if you accept their premises you are doomed to isolation for, those who see the future most clearly are usually outcasts, lost as to what power they may have to change minds and directions. Enlightenment almost always comes at a price, often steep. In the interest of exploring the necessity of dissent, let's follow that line of environmental thought a little further. Ponting presents us with the scientific/cultural evidence that backs up what Quinn is saying: that we as a species are destroying our foundations even as we proclaim our creation-Civilization-a success. If this massive breakdown and foreboding future are certainties, then we must ask-as Quinn does-who or what is telling us lies to make us believe otherwise? His character Ishmael calls it "Mother Culture" and insists that...
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...Ishmael Reed has received more critical responses than almost any other contemporary African American male writer. In spite of Reed’s ongoing conviction, as he and other black male artists have been misrepresented and virtually ignored, the press, scholars, students, journalist, fellow writers, and other assorted groups have studied his work. Born February 22, 1938, Reed has produced, since the Publication of The Free-Lance Pallbearers, five novels, four books of poetry, numerous reviews and critical articles, editor to five issues of major small multicultural press literary magazine, and collected two books of essays. To this day, Reed is considered to be a major literary leader of third world press, and continues to been a very affluent and busy writer. Throughout his wide-ranging works, it becomes apparent that Reed incorporates the impact of Afro Americans on the culture of the United States in the corpus of American letters. His tone and style are sometimes of satire and parody, but his intentions are deadly stern, as evidenced by his numerous essays advancing his major contribution—in the art of neo-hoodism. Recently, critics have inadequately labeled Reed’s fiction, and have deemed his collection of works as less interesting than his earlier, more notorious writings. To the naïve reader, these novels seem more straightforward in their plots and messages, and seem to have a much less tentative technique. However, the ostensive clarity is in fact part of a much more...
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...Green History of the World and Quinn's Ishmael Clive Ponting's The Green History of the World and Daniel Quinn's Ishmael both critique the dominant paradigms of modern human civilization-especially where its relationship with environment is concerned. Both feel strongly that we are in trouble. Neither are quite willing to make final connections and present us with a systematic method for getting out of our impending ecological crisis, but they both do spell out what has been wrong, what is wrong now, and what will happen should we choose not to take evasive action. In the absence of similar works "in the canon" it is hard not to feel as though, (as the character Ishmael promised), if you accept their premises you are doomed to isolation for, those who see the future most clearly are usually outcasts, lost as to what power they may have to change minds and directions. Enlightenment almost always comes at a price, often steep. In the interest of exploring the necessity of dissent, let's follow that line of environmental thought a little further. Ponting presents us with the scientific/cultural evidence that backs up what Quinn is saying: that we as a species are destroying our foundations even as we proclaim our creation-Civilization-a success. If this massive breakdown and foreboding future are certainties, then we must ask-as Quinn does-who or what is telling us lies to make us believe otherwise? His character Ishmael calls it "Mother Culture" and insists...
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...which was what it came down to” (Ishmael Beah, 29). At the age of twelve, Ishmael Beah’s world was turned upside-down, in the shock of the first few months’ experience with the civil war, he was not yet ready to change with the mercurial situations he finds himself in. The civilization he once knew as “home” was being rendered by attacking rebels, the land was unrecognizable by complete and utter violence. Former priorities were set aside in favor of mere survival. This specific quote captivates and sheds light on the multifaceted damage done by civil war and terrorism. As a victim of the violence, he was a young man who had lost his family and his way of life and was in turn considered dangerous by most civilians he encountered. Beah suffered from more than just simple physical pain. The anguish of losing his family and friends was compounded by the uncertainty each day brought. Beah explains, “One of the unsettling things about my journey, mentally, physically, and emotionally, was that I wasn’t sure when or where it was going to end. I didn’t know what I...
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...involved without much thought to the consequence of naming such disorders or what the diagnosis entail, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. While Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has remained, by and large, an accompanying evil byproduct of war it is not solely reserved for the soldiers who fight in battle; PTSD can be observed condition in any human being that has ever experienced disturbing events like those seen during war and armed conflict. In the books A Long Way Gone, Novel Without a Name, and Slaughter House Five there are clear undertones and powerful warning sign of post-traumatic stress disorder revealed in the characters during the course of the novels even if the condition was unnamed. In the book A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, the principal character in a story and author of this novel clearly pronounces his own battles with post-traumatic stress disorder. Beah speaks of the war violating the peaceful and happy ways of life in his home, Sierra Leone while he was only 10 years old and of how he was force onto an expedition to find his family that morphed into bloody fighting and a retribution for their deaths and of pure survival. Beah is witness to death, despair, murder, rape, and theft and is later forced into the ranks of the army to battle back again the rebels that were ripping his homeland apart. Beah finds himself using various drugs along the way that only enhances his...
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...The appearance of sacred reality in human form is called incarnation The rare quality of personal magnetism often ascribed to founders of religion is charisma Those who claim they worship the only true deity are known as exclusivists The psychologist Carl Jung proposed that the reason there are similarities among symbols in different cultures is because humanity has a collective unconscious from which it draws symbols Scientific materialism asserts that only the material world exists The Gaia Theory proposes the earth is a complex, self-regulating organism The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud argued that religion is a universal obsessional neurosis Symbolic stories which communities use to explain the universe and their place within it are known as myth The word religion probably means to tie back or tie again The belief that sacred reality is one underlying substance is known as monoism Approximately how old are shamanic methods estimated to be? 20,000-30,000 years When indigenous ways were threatened with repression, many of the traditions were practiced in secret In the eternal "Dream Time" there is no male female differentiation The religious term that means a model of the origins of the universe is cosmogony In most native cultures, spiritual ways are shared through rituals of altered consciousness Some West African groups recognize a great pantheon of deities known as the Orisa The Dahomey tradition from West Africa was carried to Haiti by thousands of African...
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...Death Death is a reality that is feared the most no matter how hard we try, we can’t escape. We are totally powerless to overcome death. The issue on the role of religion in death is relevant because living in a community surrounded by various religious beliefs means that remarkable events like this (death) can be perceived differently. The issue is controversial because most of the religions have a strong viewpoint regarding life and death and their concept differs a lot. While some religions believe that there is nothing but our life in this world. We live and we die and nothing destroys us but time, while other religions believe that the body dies and disappears, but the mind goes on - the mind has existed endlessly and continues...
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...1. How does Islam handle the relationship between man and woman in society? Many Quranic verses address men and women separately, as distinct sexes, while others refer to the human species as such. The injunctions of Islam are meant for both men and women, both of whom have immortal souls, are held responsible for their actions in this world, and will be judged accordingly in the hereafter. The gates of both Heaven and hell as well as the intermediate purgatorial states are open to members of both sexes, and the injunctions of religion pertain to both men and women, who are equal before the Divine Law in this world and before God on the Day of Judgment.As far as the social and economic aspects of life are con-cerned, Islam sees the role of the two sexes in their complementarity rather than in their opposition. The role of women is seen primarily but not necessarily exclusively as preserving the family and bringing up the children and that of men as protecting the family and providing economically for it.The Quran, however, does not forbid women to engage in economic or even political life, and in certain sectors of even traditional Islamic society, such as agriculture, women have always participated in economic life on a par with men. Both men and women have, however, complete economic independence according to Islamic Law, and a woman can do what she wants with her wealth independent of her husband. What is especially emphasized is the central role of the family, which remains...
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...the modern mainstream of a primordial, monotheistic religion that began with the earliest humans. Over millennia, the religion took form with the early Jewish prophets, was modified significantly by Jesus and finally shaped by Muhammad, the final prophet, who died in 632. Among Muhammad's most important acts was rejection of the old Jewish concept of a "chosen people." Instead, he taught that all people are born Muslim and that anyone -- regardless of color, nationality or social standing -- can join the Muslim community simply by submitting to God and reciting the words known as the shahadah: "There is no deity but Allah (God), and Muhammad is his messenger." Because of its powerful, cross-cultural appeal, Islam has won the hearts and minds of an estimated 1.6 billion people around the world, making it the second largest religion. Christianity has...
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...dwell upon these things as if they were the only experiences of God's providence, and as if they were not related to the great central control of His love - you will entirely miss their value. It is that we may be saved from such peril that we are meditating together thus on some of God's unlikely but never unkindly ministries. With this brief recapitulation let me ask you to turn to the word which is the occasion of our thought this morning in regard to the Divine ministry of delay by which God oftentimes tests His people. I will ask you to turn to the words of Jeremiah the prophet, in the book of Lamentations, in the third chapter, at the twenty-fourth verse: "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." It is especially on those last words that I want our meditation to be based: "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." Let us frankly admit at the outset that one of the great difficulties of life with many of us is concerned with the fact that God sometimes seems to delay His answers to our prayers. The most perplexing problem of many a Christian life is just this: that God apparently does not answer, and apparently does not even heed much of our crying. By His grace our faith in Him has not been finally disturbed....
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...The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ِب ۡس ي ٱ ٱلَّر ۡس َم ٰـ ِب ٱلَّر ِب ي ِب ِب ِب In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the [One Who] Sustains the Heavens and Earths, Director of all that is created, who sent the Messengers (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them) to rational beings, to guide them and explain the religious laws to them with clear proofs and undeniable arguments. I praise Him for all of His bounties. I ask Him to increase His Grace and Generosity. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah alone, who has no partner, the One, Who Subdues, the Generous, the Forgiving. I bear witness that our leader Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, His beloved and dear one, the best of all creation. He was honoured with the Glorious Qur’an that has been an enduring miracle throughout the years. He was also sent with his guiding Sunnah that shows the way for those who seek guidance. Our leader Muhammad has been particularised with the characteristic of eloquent and pithy speech, and simplicity and ease in the religion. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the other Prophets and Messengers, all of their families and the rest of the righteous. NO Copyrights!!! This book can be printed or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented...
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...PREFACE This major project examines the indispensable desiderata of Transcendentalism in comparison to the Dark Romantics background and how these technicalities prepare this work of art as an influential synthesis of human imagination incorporated with mystic facts. Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism were two literary movements that occurred in America during roughly the same time period (1840—1860). Although the two had surface similarities, such as their reverence for Nature, their founding beliefs were quite different, enough to make one seem almost the antithesis of each other. Moreover one’s genesis is ventured out from other; i.e. Dark Romanticism from the roots of Transcendentalism or precisely the lacunae are best determined for raising up the term called Dark Romanticism. Contents S. No. Page no. Chapter 1.........................................................................................................4-14 Chapter 2.........................................................................................................15-23. Chapter 3..........................................................................................................24-27 Resolution.........................................................................................................28-29 Work Cited................................................................
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF BOOKER T. WASHINGTON’S UP FROM SLAVERY By VIRGINIA L. SHEPHARD, Ph.D., Florida State University S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery 2 INTRODUCTION Booker T. Washington’s commanding presence and oratory deeply moved his contemporaries. His writings continue to influence readers today. Although Washington claimed his autobiography was “a simple, straightforward story, with no attempt at embellishment,” readers for nearly a century have found it richly rewarding. Today, Up From Slavery appeals to a wide audience from early adolescence through adulthood. More important, however, is the inspiration his story of hard work and positive goals gives to all readers. His life is an example providing hope to all. The complexity and contradictions of his life make his autobiography intellectually intriguing for advanced readers. To some he was known as the Sage of Tuskegee or the Black Moses. One of his prominent biographers, Louis R. Harlan, called him the “Wizard of the Tuskegee Machine.” Others acknowledged him to be a complicated person and public figure. Students of American social and political history have come to see that Washington lived a double life. Publicly he appeased the white establishment...
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...Biblical and Quranic narratives From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, contains references to over fifty people and events also found in the Bible. While the stories told in each book are generally comparable in most respects, important differences sometimes emerge. Anything in the Bible that agrees with the Qur'an is accepted by Muslims, and anything in the Bible that disagrees with the Qur'an is not accepted by Muslims. Many stories in the Bible are not mentioned at all in the Qur'an; with regard to such passages, Muslims are instructed to maintain neutral positions, but to read them and pass them on if they wish to do so. Often, stories related in the Qur'an tend to concentrate Islamic moral or spiritual significance of events rather than the details.[1] Western scholars tend to analyze similarities between Biblical and Quranic accounts of the same person or event as being evidence for the influence of pre-existing traditions on the composition of the Qur'an.[2] From a traditionalist Muslim perspective, such a discussion would make no sense; Muslims believe that the Qur'an was sent from God through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad in a series of revelations, and this divinely revealed text was then progressively dictated (word for word, and over and over again to make certain that there were no mistakes) by Muhammad to the followers of Islam. Moreover, Muslims believe that the Biblical tradition was corrupted over...
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