The New Testament By Peter Essay - 2022 Words

Peter Introduction The New Testament is characterized by the existence of imperative Biblical figures, with the likes of Jesus Christ, the Apostles, among many others. Peter was among Jesus’ first disciples. From his turning point, as manifested in the book of John 21, to his progress as a dedicated leader as manifested in Acts, to his final emergence as a co-elder as manifested in the Epistles of 1st and 2nd Peter, Peter exhibited traits of a transformational and charismatic biblical figure (Neil William 409). As a Charismatic and transformational figure, Peter drew the attention of diverse Biblical researchers who to date, portray him as the epitome of ideal Christianity (Neil William 389). Throughout his life, Peter was affiliated with various accomplishments and shortcomings that reflect imperative spiritual lessons for Christians in contemporary societies. Background Peter’s imperative, emotional, and impulsive character makes him an interesting Biblical figure in the New Testament. Peter dominates the Gospels, the Epistles of Peter (1st and 2nd Peter), and the first eleven chapters of the book of Acts (Apostle Peter Biography 1). As depicted in John 1:43, 12:21, Peter was a humble fisherman from the City of Bethsaida (Apostle Peter Biography 1). Originally, Peter was known as Simon Peter, before Christ converted his name to Peter (the rock) in the book of Matthew 16: 18. Peter’s achievements and inadequacies formed an essential part of his life as a biblicalShow MoreRelatedThe Canon of the New Testament1517 Words   |  7 PagesWhat we know today as the New Testament was compiled over a period of many decades. It was first referenced as the â€Å"New Testament† by Clement of Alexandria. It is believed that the books that comprise what we know as the New Testament canon were in existence no later than the end of the first century. The included books varied by different sources until the fourth century when the Bishop of Alexandria, Athanasios, included them in a letter to his flock in AD 367. His list was approved by councilsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Exodus 1722 Words   |  7 Pages Acts quotes and alludes to the Old Testament many different times. Exodus is the mainly alluded to in the whole book of Acts. Exodus chapter two is referred to eight different times. Exodus 2 speaks of Moses, when he was hiding in the basket in the river and tells about when he killed an Egyptian. Acts seven is basically a more in-depth telling of Exodus two. Psalms is quoted 18 times in the book of Acts. In Acts Psalm chapter sixteen is quoted three times. Chapter 16 of Psalms is talkingRead MoreThe Disciple Of Jesus By Simon Peter1275 Words   |  6 PagesSimon Peter is undoubtedly the best-known disciple of Jesus. But how well known is he, really? Everyone knows his name, Simon, and his nickname, allegedly given by Jesus himself, Cephas, which in the first century was not a name at all but a noun meaning â€Å"rock.† This at least was his nickname in Aramaic – the language that both Jesus and Simon spoke. In Greek, the language of the New Testament, the word for rock is petra, where we get his more commonly known name, Peter. The name Simon PeterRead MoreCompare and Contrast Hebrews, James, and 1 Peter1210 Words   |  5 PagesThe final eight epistles of the New Testament canon exert an influence out of proportion to their length. They complement the thirteen Pauline Epistles by offering varying perspectives on the richness of Christian truth. Each of the five authors – James, Peter, John, Jude, and the author of Hebrews – made a distinctive contribution from his own point of view. Like the four harmonizing approaches to the life of Christ portrayed in the Gospels, these writers provide a sweeping portrait of the ChristianRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Storm On The Galilee 1656 Words   |  7 Pageshis oil paintings of biblical scenes from the Old Testament. Christ in the storm on the Galilee is an oil painting done by Rembrandt, which depicts one of the most important moments in the old testament. Not only is it mentioned before the crucifixion of Christ, but also a fter his resurrection. In order to understand how Christ was seen and the significant moments of the old testament, the Sea of Galilee needs to be investigated. In the Old Testament, it was called the Sea of Chinnereth that JesusRead MoreThe Foundations Of The Canons1702 Words   |  7 PagesThe early church had the writing of the Old Testament but did not have a formal set of canonized books regarding the Messiah to draw their inspiration from. Though they had letters from Apostles there were many heretical writings that were circulating throughout the lands that were teaching doctrine different from those who knew Christ personally. Josephus stated that no one had been bold enough to add, take away, or change the wording in the Old Testament scripture (), this was what the Church wasRead MoreThe Development Process Of The New Testament Canon1729 Words   |  7 PagesDEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON SUBMITTED TO DR. NICKENS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE COURSE CHHI 301_D01 BY DANIEL BAILEY LAFOLLETTE, TN NOVEMBER 2012 â€Æ' â€Æ' ABSTRACT Perhaps the greatest achievement to come from early church history is the establishment of a universal New Testament Canon. While we may not put much thought into it today, which books should be included or excluded from the New Testament was once the center of muchRead MoreThe New Testament791 Words   |  4 PagesThe New Testament The second part of the Christian Bible is the sacred books of the New Testament. It is the recordings of Jesus and his earliest followers’ lives and teachings. The New Testament only covers several decades unlike the Old Testament, which covers thousands of years. The earliest manuscript we have containing all the books of the New Testament comes from 300 A.D however it included books that are not in the Bible today (Schenck, 2010, p. 27). â€Å"The Council of Carthage in A.D. 397Read MoreGeneral Epistles: Books and Issues Covered943 Words   |  4 Pages(Niswonger, 1992, 253). James is often called the Proverbs of the New Testament because it is filled with small admonishes to the Christians regarding what they should be and how they should act. James speaks of the wisdom given by God and the tongue. The church at this time had been inexistence for about 30 years and was starting to forget some of what Jesus had taught and needed to be reminded what a Christian was to be. I Peter Of course, this is the first of consecutive books to be writtenRead MoreThe New Testament Canon.1295 Words   |  6 Pages New Testament Canon Charles Bragg CHHI 301- B02 02/02/2015 â€Æ' The Greek word â€Å"kanon† (G2834) , in today’s society we use the spelling â€Å"canon†. In theology, its chief application is to those books received as authoritative and making up our Bible. The Protestant canon includes 27 New Testament books. It is commonly said that the Protestant test of canonicity is â€Å"Inspiration†. That is, Protestants accept into their canon those books they believe to be immediately inspired by God and therefore

My Philosophy of Education Essay - 609 Words

A teacher is a combination of the most important professions in the world: doctor, mother, philosopher, motivational speaker, scientist, counselor, and so much more. Besides a child’s parents, an educator is the biggest influence in a child’s life. A student’s educational experience is what molds many of the events of their future, which is why I want to become a teacher. I want to be a mold for younger generations, and I hope for students to remember a knowledgeable and ethical teacher. My desire as an educator is to be able to provide the knowledge and experience that is required for a student to survive today. I believe that every child is an individual and learn in various different ways. It is imperative that not only critical†¦show more content†¦I intend for my classroom to be a place to learn and a place to develop social skills. When a student enters my classroom I want them to walk in with wonder, question, and excitement in knowing that as their teacher I will go above and beyond to guide them towards success. It is up to me as a teacher to help students reach their fullest potential in not only subject areas, but with experiences throughout life. Classroom management is extremely important because it involves educating the student as a whole, which includes the physical, emotional, and social aspects of each child. It is my desire to create an environment that is safe, stable, supportive, creative, invites a sharing of ideas, encourages esteem, and promotes healthy everyday learning. I want my class to imagine themselves as a puzzle and each one of them is an important piece of that puzzle. Every student should feel as though their presence is a major and effective contribution to the class as a whole To be an effective educator I will strive to develop a curriculum that gears towards students interests and fosters motivation. Motivation is the key to keep students engaged and actively involved as well as stimulating the mind and passion to continue learning. It is my desire to keep students attention by being creative, engaging the students in hands on activities, involving them in cooperative learning and urging them to think critically. As a teacher I must remain flexible and practice patience toShow MoreRelatedMy Philosophy On The Philosophy Of Education844 Words   |  4 PagesIn mathematics, as in life, everything must be brought to the simplest of terms. I base my teaching philosophy on the foundation that every student is capable of learning mathematics. I will strive, as a teacher, to ensure that my students are able to have a strong foundation of mathematical skills when they leave my classroom. Some students believe that they are not mathematically gifted; therefore, i ncapable of learning mathematics. I believe to the contrary, all students with motivation, sustainedRead MoreMy Philosophy On Philosophy Of Education852 Words   |  4 PagesMy Philosophy of Education My philosophy of education is founded on a belief that all students have a desire to learn and to feel accepted. Learning takes place when students are able to have their specific needs meet inside the classroom, to feel accepted in the environment, and find the learning to be meaningful. I believe that before learning can take place a proper educational environment must be present inside the classroom. In order to make any classroom work I believe you need meet three criteriaRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education As A Education864 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent philosophy of education, and what purpose education serves in a child’s life. The five philosophies of education that we recognize are: Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Social Reconstructionism, and Existentialism. I would most recognize my philosophy of education as Essentialism. Essentialism has been a dominant influence in American education since World War II. It focuses on core curriculum of traditional academic topics. I believe that the purpose of education is teachingRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education And Education1038 Words   |  5 PagesMy Philosophy of Education When trying coming up with a personal philosophy of education, I had to ask myself what the purpose of education is. To me, the purpose of education is to teach students knowledge that is needed to make it through school and to succeed in the world after graduation. Anyone can go into teaching, but not every teacher can teach. Teachers go above and beyond to introduce methods, philosophies, and strategies to help their students learn, as well as, retain the informationRead MoreMy Philosophy of Education824 Words   |  4 Pages13 February 2011 My Philosophy of Education I believe that progressivism educational philosophy most closely matches my educational ideals. In my opinion based on the progressivism educational philosophy, the purpose of education is to enable students to learn useful knowledge that has meaning to them in the future. Thus, the most useful education for students is the skill of â€Å"learning how to learn†. When students understand the methodsRead MoreMy Education Philosophy 1511 Words   |  6 PagesPersonal Mission Statement Education is the imparting and acquiring of knowledge and skills through teaching and learning. As an educator, my personal mission statement is to master my subject area in order to serve as a role model for my students thereby producing students who thoroughly understand the subject matter, and who develop holistically. In order to achieve this goal I must have a set education philosophy with a strong Christian worldview. I must also have a general understanding of theRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education1056 Words   |  5 PagesPhilosophy of Student Engagement My philosophy of education is that every child should receive high quality education that is inclusive, relevant and meaningful to their life. I am a firm believer of making pedagogy relatable to my students. My vision is driven by my personal experiences with the American school system. I was what is thought of as â€Å"A child at risk†. I am an immigrant, black, Muslim student. My life is transactional as I am a part of multiple marginalized groups. Most of my teachersRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education And Education864 Words   |  4 PagesPhilosophy of Education Children are the future and their education is the key to our society’s success. When considering this, I realize I have an immense responsibility as an educator. The main focuses of my teaching are active learning, building character within students, and providing meaningful curriculum. I want to create a comfortable setting where every student feels safe to learn. In many ways, my philosophy agrees with the holistic approach to education. I feel this challenges the studentRead MoreMy Philosophy on Education814 Words   |  3 PagesMy Philosophy of Education I think when I made the decision to become a teacher I was not thinking the seriousness of this decision. When we become teachers we also become the molder that will shape our student to be successful in life. But when you decide to become a teacher in a Christian school you are not only shaping this student to be successful in life but we are also shaping their Christian mind to do things with a feeling knowing that they are shape and where made by the image of GodRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education1015 Words   |  5 Pagesimmediately sparked my interest in becoming an educator and share my personal beliefs on the important aspects of education. In addition to this, I will present various traits I believe are essential and critical for teachers to successfully fulfill their role as an educator. During my elementary years, I developed an urge to frequently ask many questions during the school day. Being able to question anything was astonishing to me. This was because my parents were unable to answer my questions and help

Classroom Management free essay sample

The Classroom Management training is a four module learning tool essential to teachers for providing the best and most appropriate discipline plan. The online training tool consists of four modules. Each module provides a pre-test and post-test along with practice activities to prepare one for the real world. Module 1-Establishing Classroom Rules for Student Deportment Module 1 discusses when and how classroom rules should be established. Rules should be established with the assistance of the students. It helps them to retain the knowledge of what is expected. It lists sample rules that must be positively stated. There is a difference between school rules and classroom rules. This module outlines rules for the school and the classroom. It offers ways to actually teach rules and specifies some reinforces to follow with behavior. After reviewing module 1, I plan to engage my students in the rule making process. I think it will be helpful to allow them to actively involve themselves with something that they are expected to adhere to. However, as important as it is for teachers to achieve this skill, it is just as important for students to believe they their teacher is â€Å"withit. † Students will still act disruptively if they feel the teacher does not notice them. Some ways that teachers can display this technique are: consistently suppress misbehaviors of exactly those students who began the problem; dealing with the more serious of two discipline problems occurring simultaneously; and decisively handling off-task behavior before it gets out of hand or imitated by other students(â€Å"Whom are We Talking About: Jacob Kounin,† 2008).Similar to withitness, overlapping involves the ability to attend to multiple classroom events at one time, and avoiding fixating on one event at the expense of all other classroom activities. For example, if a teacher is conducting small group assignments, and a pair is off task, a teacher may address them from a distance while still conducting the activity. (â€Å"The Kounin Model,† 2008). Momentum is keeping the lesson moving briskly, requiring the teacher to plan effectively to avoid slow downs.Kounin believes that teachers should not lecture for a long period of time to allow students to gain knowledge by moving around and maximizing their allotted time. By minimizing delays and interruptions, causes students will not lose interest and misbehave. (Charles, 1989). In conjunction with momentum is smoothness. While lecturing, a teacher must maintain direction and not drift off on tangents, be diverted with irrelevant questions and information or fall victim to â€Å"flip flops,† â€Å"dangles,† or â€Å"truncation. Otherwise, students will be confused and act out from loss of interest. (â€Å"Classroom Management Theorist and Theories/Jacob Kounin,† 2009) Lastly, Kounin refers to group focus as the ability to engage the whole class. Some techniques he offers are: building suspense or ask community questions Though community questions may appear random, it draws the group’s attention and intrigue. The teacher must incorporate procedures to handle multiple situations at once to maintain group focus.For example, if a student completes an assignment early, he/she must have a back up plan such as providing another assignment or enrichment activity while he/she helps other students that are struggling (â€Å"Classroom Management Theorist and Theories/Jacob Kounin,† 2009). Kounin’s Model of Classroom Management is an important topic for teacher’s today, because it is one of the most difficult skills to acquire. Student-centered classrooms and discovery lessons are becoming much more popular in our classrooms, leading to a more active learning environment. Being able to handle multiple situations at once, keeping students engaged, maintaining momentum and smoothness in your lessons and transitions takes experience. These are the most difficult techniques for a first year teacher to learn; therefore, making them a habit during that year will allow for mastery of these skills to occur. I believe that Kounin’s Model is important to develop an effective classroom environment; however, discipline problems will occur, no matter the amount of preventive planning a teacher makes.Kounin does not address his procedures for disciplining, if he would or would not discipline children differently, nor does he address misbehaving as a response to some factor that is outside of the teacher’s control. As a teacher, I would incorporate Kounin’s theory in my teaching planning and practices, though remembering that each student may require different accommodations. References Charles, C. M. (1989) Building Classroom discipline: from models to practice.

Times Of Change And Hope Essays - Animal Testing,

Times Of Change And Hope It has been said that while times change, people do not. From my past experiences, and from things that I have learned throughout the years, I have to agree with the previous statement. I feel that the morality of a person almost always rules when it comes to making serious and important decisions. Different time periods can alter ones thinking in certain situations to an extent. For example, in The Sea and Poison, Nobu Ueda had moved to Manchuria with her new husband. While she was living there, she noticed that her neighbors occasionally hit their maids. While Nobu would not usually hit her maid, soon enough she started to do so. Her morality was influenced in a way by the norms and stigmas of her surroundings and time. However, different people react differently in different situations. Everyone had free will and the freedom to make their own conscience decisions. When Suguro and Toda were asked if they wanted to take part in the vivisection's, both had agreed at first. After taking time to think about what they were actually going to take part in, they started to feel awkward. Suguro for instance was definitely having second thoughts about his decision then later regrets his decision. On his walk to the hospital the day the vivisections were to take place, he contemplated on going back to his boarding room. This is his conscience reminding him of his moral standards. All day before the vivisections, there was nothing for Suguro to do. Suguro and Toda seemed to avoid each other and did not let a word pass between them. When it came time for the ?experiment? on the prisoner, Suguro was not able to follow through on his duties involved in the vivisection. Suguro's morality triumphed besides the fact that ?everyone else was doing it.? Toda however was able to take part in the vivisection but was somewhat uneasy about the whole experience. The fact that he helped take someone else's life did not seem to phase him that much. Throughout the book Toda seemed to be more apathetic to such things than Suguro. Toda has no moral strength. That is just the type of person he is. The Old Man felt the vivisection would make a contribution to science. However, after the vivisection takes place, we see the Old Man peering into the operating theater looking troubled. The Old Man feels he was trained to save lives, not take them. In the end all are troubled and destroyed by the vivisection, especially Suguro, but no one reveals their feelings. In conclusion, the decision in general all depends on the particular person. I personally feel that in the case of the vivisection if the right person were asked, they would have declined. Suguro was not able to participate in the vivisection because of his own personal feelings, however, others were able to. If I was asked to participate in the vivisection I would definitely decline the offer, however I am sure there would be others that are distorted enough to do so.

How to Come Up with an Iconic Character Name in 12 Steps

How to Come Up with an Iconic Character Name in 12 Steps How To Come Up With A Character Name: an Author's Guide Before you’ve even started your novel, you’re in danger of stalling on one crucial detail: how to come up with a character name.Will you choose a short, blunt name, like James Bond? A memorable one, like Holden Caulfield? Will you go with self awareness, like Artful Dodger, or absurdism, like Ignatius Reilly? Or, perhaps, will you pick no name at all?Coming up with character names shouldn’t be impossible, but it is important. To help you navigate this all-important choice, we drummed up 12 steps. But first, let's unpack why you might not want to simply pick a name out of a hat.Why do names matter?Think of any character from any book. Got one? We're willing to bet they aren’t named â€Å"John.†For a name to stick in the reader’s head, it should be as thoughtful as every other aspect of your novel. Character names are to characters as titles are to books, so if you’re blindly putting finger to phone book when picking one, you’re d oing it wrong.Fortunately, it’s not too hard to do right. In reality, a character name has just a few things to establish:Clarity: Helps the reader differentiate between the major players.Character: Reveals personality and the type of character without needing to say more than a word.Bankability: The right name can make your character iconic.As for how to choose a character name yourself, that’s a whole other question - one we’ll take a crack at answering next. Pop Quiz: Do you know the three reasons that character names matter? How to come up with a character nameYou deserve more than common sense advice that you could come up with yourself: only give names to important characters, for instance, or avoid common names. These are 12 top shelf tricks to mastering the art of naming a character. Did you come up with any character names you're particularly proud of? Show them off in the comment box below!

How To Use Neuromarketing To Connect With Your Audience With Roger Dooley

How To Use Neuromarketing To Connect With Your Audience With Roger Dooley What triggers your readers to buy? How can you write better calls to action and get more conversions? Today we’re going to be talking to Roger Dooley, the brains behind the book Brainfluence: 100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers With Neuromarketing. He also writes the Neuromarketing blog and regularly contributes to Entrepreneur and Forbes about neuromarketing. What is neuromarketing, and how can you use it to connect with your audience and get better results? That’s what we’re going to be talking to Roger about today. You won’t want to miss it! How Roger defines neuromarketing, the different types of neuromarketing, and how large and small businesses take advantage of the different types. Some of the principles of why neuromarketing techniques work, including social proof, authority, and reciprocity. Roger’s thoughts on case studies, emotions, and the words that potential customers and marketing professionals use. Why it’s important to understand your target buyer’s unconscious needs as well as their conscious needs. Roger’s best tips on building trust with your audience. How to turn your fans into buyers and how to create effective calls to action. Roger’s advice to a marketer who is just starting out in learning about and implementing some neuromarketing techniques. Links: Brainfluence Neuromarketing blog Roger on Entrepreneur Roger on Forbes Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion The Persuasion Slide Perennial Seller If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Roger: â€Å"Even if you are a small business and you can’t afford to do costly studies, you do have the ability to run different kinds of tests in your app or on your website and see what works best.† â€Å"That person who’s purchasing the product may have certain conscious needs but there are also unconscious needs that the buyer probably is less concerned about.† â€Å"Behavioral psychology, in particular, is important. Those are the things that don’t cost any money to apply.†

Political parties Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political parties - Personal Statement Example He or she achieves this by coming up with a lose-lose model which creates war between the political parties. Political parties in U.S are divided into two. First are the traditionalists or republicans who are contented with how things are. Secondly are the progressives or the democrats who believe in moving the society forward. Both groups believe in different ideologies. Therefore, the loser meets his or her political greed by holding on to the party ideology, thus forcing other members to vote against a particular motion in parliament. This becomes difficult for the government to meet its objective effectively, living the citizens unattended. As a state, Americans need to realize that traditionalists and the progressives have views that will never complement each other. With this in mind, they should not allow the losers ideologies to take down what they voted for in order for the government to deliver its promises to

DEBATE on Are Uniforms a Good Way to Improve Student Discipline and Essay

DEBATE on Are Uniforms a Good Way to Improve Student Discipline and Motivation - Essay Example In the US for example, it is observable that majority of schools prefer prescribing dressing codes as opposed to school uniforms, due to the lack of a strict national legislation to make wearing of school uniforms mandatory. In this context, 2006 statistics indicated that only 14% of public schools in the country had their students wearing uniforms, while 55% had dressing codes (Hamilton, 2008). A dressing code is different from uniforms in that students are allowed to wear clothing items of their choice as long as they conform with stipulated restrictions and guidelines, which, for example, may include and not limited to; length of a dress, colors, skin exposure etc. This paper is a critical evaluation on whether school uniforms should be made compulsory as a way of promoting discipline and student motivation. School Uniforms Wearing of School uniforms is a good way of promoting discipline among students as well as motivating them to concentrate on their studies. It is true to say t hat the contemporary world is full of diversity ranging from different types of cultures to social and economic disparities. This is no different in institutions of learning, where it is found that different students come from families which are different in terms of wealth. In this context, failure to impose uniforms on students would be a way of extending the disparities to schools, as each and every student would be motivated to outdo each other in terms of fashion, whereby it would be easy to tell which student comes from a poor family and which one comes from a wealthy one. This is one way of promoting inequality, which is a potential cause for student distraction as those wearing cheap clothing would be possessed by envy towards their rich counterparts (Cruz, 2001). This means that students wearing cheap clothing would have higher chances of not concentrating on what the teacher is saying, as they would be distracted constantly by the habit of evaluating each other’s ou tfit. In a mixed class for example, it would be easy to find ladies wearing provocative clothing in the effort to look sexy, which may be a major distraction to their male counterparts, who have a natural instinct of reacting positively to nudity. School uniforms are important in promoting teamwork (Cruz, 2001). It is said that birds of the same feather flock together. In this context, it means that there is a possibility of exclusion, whereby rich students may tend to form their own study groups whereas poor ones would have to form their own despite the fact that knowledge knows no boundaries. This means that coming from a wealthy family does not guarantee academic excellence, whereas coming from a poor family does not imply poverty of ideas. Uniformity in this context would be of great assistance as it would encourage students to bond and assist each other based on the fact that each and every person has his or her own capacity to understand and interpret issues, but as it is beli eved, two heads are better than one. For example, one may find that a poor student is well established and knowledgeable in a subject such as Mathematics while another from a rich family is good in Physics, but poor in Math and vice versa. If a uniform can play a major role in bringing together these two individuals to assist each other, then, the government and the society at large have a moral obligation to support

Why we treat men and women differently Essay Example for Free

Why we treat men and women differently Essay The process of learning gender roles begins right when we are born. The first question people ask of a newborn is â€Å"Is it a boy or girl? † This question illustrates the importance of gender in organizing our expectations and perceptions of an individual. In American culture we tend to give boys and girls different types of toys to play with and dress infants according to gender. If you look at your baby pictures, you may find that you were often dressed in either blue or pink. One US study reports that 90% of the infants observed at a shopping mall were dressed in gendered colors and or styles (Shakin, Shakin Sternglanz, 1985). By the age of 3 children begin to accurately label people by sex (Fagot, Leinbach Hagen, 1986). Gender role socialization progress throughout life from various sources – parental expectations, modeling of gender roles by peers and images of males and females in the media all contribute to our ideas on what it means to be male or female. Gender role is a psychological construct that develops in children as they are socialized in their environments. As children become older, they learn specific behaviors and patterns of activities appropriate and inappropriate for their sex and they either adopt or reject those gender roles. Sandra Bem (1981) argues that gender is one of the fundamental ways we organize information and understand experiences about the world. The way we think of being male or female is a web of behaviors, attitudes, objects and conventions that are associated with being male and being female. We then use this web of preconceived notions to understand the people around us. To illustrate, lets look at the story of Stella, a senior high school student. Stella’s parents were egalitarian; they believed that gender should not hinder their daughter’s future. They wanted their daughter to grow up without the encumbrances of gender Perception of stereotypes affects our behavior Page #2 role stereotypes. They made sure that they trained her to be assertive, to be an achiever and always told her that being female should not hinder her from pursuing her dreams. True to her parents’ words, Stella was an outstanding student, had good leadership skills and had been accepted to a university that she wanted. However, Stella did not have many girl friends. She was not invited to slumber parties and girly stuff though she got along well with the boys. Then one day, she overheard the boys at school talking about her, one of them remarked that Stella was more of a boy than a girl and he wouldn’t want to go to the prom with her. Stella was stunned, she never thought of herself that way, she felt confused and hurt. The story tells us of Stella’s predicament. She was brought up to think that everyone can reach for his or her dreams and you simply have to work hard for it and this is what she did. But her peers see her as a misfit, the girls did not like her because she was not interested in girly stuff and the boys did not think of her as a girl. We can say that her peers are reluctant to accept Stella because she goes against the traditional gender roles. Majority of her peers have been socialized to think that girls should be emotional, gentle, beautiful and nurturing while boys should be tough, competitive and strong. Our preconceived notions of what a man /woman should be and what they should not be is always present in our daily interactions and in how we understand others. Children generally use the term sissy to label a boy who is not a bully and boys torment girls because they are weak and cannot keep up with them. We applaud men who are achievers, who are leaders, who can provide their family with all the comfort and luxury of life, while we scorn at women who exhibit the same traits because we think that a woman should not sacrifice her family for her career. Consequently we can observe that more and more women choose to be single or marry at Perception of stereotypes affects our behavior Page #3 a later age when they have reached their dreams. Even the sex double standard favors men over women, it is almost innate in us to be forgiving to husbands who have extramarital affairs because we rationalize that boys will always be boys. On the other end we become disgusted when we hear of a wife having extramarital affairs. Our judgment is clouded by our schemas rather than finding out the story behind the act. Gender stereotypes are actually the most ingrained and prevalent forms of stereotyping. It is present across cultures and affects all of us from birth to the day of our death. The way we relate to and are being related to is largely based on our gender. It has become a fundamental part of who we are as persons and even dictates what we become in life. Women generally pursue careers that are nurturing and man generally are in occupations that makes use of their power and authority. Stella in such an early age is confronted with her being not a typical girl and if she gives in to the pressure of being accepted by her peers then she might not become what her parents dreamed her to be. And the end question of whether gender stereotypes are negative or positive is not really the issue. Gender role socialization is a necessary function of society to maintain the status quo. Women are disadvantaged by these stereotypes because it limits their opportunity for personal growth, but at present we see a breaking away of the traditional gender roles into a more egalitarian form. More and more husbands have stayed home to care for the children, while more women are joining the work force and getting top positions in all the institutions of society. Thus, like Stella’s parents, we can dispel our gender role biases and hope that in the future our children would live their lives the way they want it to be, not because they are male or female.

war in iraq Essay -- essays research papers

George W. Bush is asking Congress for $80 billion more for the failed Iraq war. Congress is gearing up to pour more money to "stay the course" of the past two tragic years. Tell your Member of Congress that not one more dime should go to waging war in Iraq. Instead, the U.S. must end the occupation, bring our troops home, and support Iraqi sovereignty. Many good-intentioned people in the United States say we can't withdraw our troops now and abandon Iraqis to chaos and disorder. Yet the U.S. presence on the streets of Iraq is fueling animosity, motivating the armed resistance, and sealing the fate for failed democracy in Iraq. Every extra day and dime the U.S. spends on its reckless course in Iraq deepens the suffering in Iraq and at home. The President's fourth "supplemental" spending request for the Iraq war will add $80 billion to the more than $151 billion already appropriated. It is time for us to demand that the Administration and Congress stop perpetuating the cycle of violence in Iraq, stop sending so many soldiers and civilians to their graves, and stop diverting precious resources that could be used to rebuild Iraq and fund critical domestic needs 110 of these organizations have banded together to form U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW), a national organization committed to ending the war, returning the troops, restoring funding to social programs and government services, and changing the direction of U.S. foreign policy. (A list of USLAW affiliates is posted at the USLAW website at http://uslaboragainstwar.org.) Union members and their family members are being killed, wounded, disabled and psychologically traumatized in a war that has already killed almost 1500 U.S. military personnel, wounded more than 10,500 others, a war in which more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died. This war is siphoning resources from our communities, starving or eliminating essential public services and social programs, eroding our democratic rights, and making our country even less secure. It is time for labor to speak out! At this time of discussion about renewing our labor movement, how can we not discuss the most urgent issue facing American and its working families? We ask you to put the issue of the war on the agenda of the up-coming Executive Council meeting. And we urge the national leadership of the AFL-CIO to oppose this reckless, i... ... the US to more than $200 billion through 2005. One obvious question when considering costs is why the government has to ask for supplemental appropriates in the first place. Why can't it be put in the annual budget request? According to Chris Preble, director of foreign-policy studies at the Cato Institute in Washington, DC, "There is one good argument for not using Iraq costs for not being in the annual military budget. That is the risk you build in tens or hundreds of billions of dollars that are not applied to Iraq, but applied to somewhere else. However, that concern is completely overwhelmed by the fact that funding for war by supplements really seems to be intended to conceal some of the costs, and to present costs to Congress to be a fait accompli. Congress can't vote against such things without being accused of undermining troops in the field." According to Chris Hellman, military-policy analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, DC, "It seems to me you have to ask the fundamental question. I believe if the president went to Congress and said we are going to put it in the top line and we need to fund it, Congress would say

Ballad of A Mother’s Heart by Jose La Villa Tierra Essay

The night was dark, for the moon was young And the stars were asleep and rare;The clouds were thick, yet Youth went out To see his Maiden fair.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dear One,† he pleaded as he kneltBefore her feet, in tears,†My love is true; why have you keptMe waiting all these years? â€Å"The maiden looked at him unmoved,It seemed, and whispered low:†Persistent Youth, you have to proveBy deeds your love is true.† â€Å"There’s not a thing I would not doFor you, Beloved,† said he.†Then go,† said she, â€Å"to your mother dear And bring her heart to me. â€Å"Without another word,Youth left and went to his mother dear. And opened her breast and took her heart.He did not shed a tear! Then back to his Maiden fair he ran,Unmindful of the rain;But his feet slipped and he fell down And loud he groaned with pain! Still in his hand he held the prize That would win his Maiden’s hand; And he thought of his mother dear So kind, so sweet, so fond. And then he heard a voice, Not from his lips but all apart:†Get up,† it said; â€Å"Were you hurt, Child?†It was his mother’s heart. 1. Fundamentals of Christian Morality Respecting Human Sexuality Ric A. Cervera St. Paul University Iloilo 2. Celebrating My Manhood / Womanhood 3. As God’s gift to us, it is the way in which we experience and express ourselves as sexual beings. Human Sexuality (Celebrating My Manhood / Womanhod ) 4. The Sixth Commandment protects human sexuality. You shall not commit adultery† prohibits married persons from entering into sexual union with someone other than their spouse. 5. It touches on the very nature of human sexuality and the full range of man-woman relationships. It protects the family and marriage, with their two ends of procreation and human completeness. 6. The Christian view of sexuality Our sexuality is viewed as a fundamental component of personality, a good thing created by God, restored by the power of Jesus Christ and enriched by the saving activity of the Church, and by which the whole person enters into communion with others. 7. Sexuality is not the same as the sex act. All human persons must develop their God-given gift of sexuality. But some freely choose, for the sake of the Kingdom, not to enter into the sex act. 8. With Christian view on human sexuality, men and women are: of equal personal dignity and human rights  created through love and for love  called to mutual gift of self and reciprocity  different but complementary 9. The different states of life expressing love for men and women are: consecrated celibacy chosen freely for the sake of the Kingdom conjugal union of the married  Christian youth before entering into a definite state of life the single blessedness chosen by lay faithful 10. The Sixth Commandment â€Å"liberates† man and woman from: â€Å" self-righteous decency ,† consisting of hypocritical moralizing and misguided taboos regarding sexuality; â€Å" i ndecency ,† which exalts casual, spontaneous sex without commitment or love. 11. â€Å" You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife† goes to the interior root and source of the disorders of the flesh by prohibiting covetousness, or evil desires of the heart. The Ninth Commandment 12. The Ninth Commandment protects and enjoins a free, responsible fidelity life-long conjugal union. 13. Positively, the Ninth Commandment enjoins purity of the heart or the virtue of chastity which signifies the spiritual energy capable of defending love from the perils of selfishness and aggressiveness . 14. The Church’s position in masturbation, homosexuality, pornography and prostitution These realities masturbation and homosexuality hinder achieving such sexual maturity by turning away from the self-giving love and service to life. 7. Dapat isaisip ang mga virtue na napakahalaga sa Ika-anim na Utos-purity ,temperance , self-control at modesty. Iwasang gumawa ng anumang bagay na ikakasira ng iyong dignidad.Ang pagrespeto mula sa iba ay nakukuha kung irerespeto mo ang iyong sarili.ï‚ž Ang mga babae ay dapat igalang.Huwag silang babastusin.ï‚ž Ang ating kapwa anuman ang kasarian ay dapat igalang.

Lord of the Flies Essay

In society there are leaders for examples Presidents and Prime Ministers. These leaders need to have certain characteristics, which include respect, maintaining order, and to protect the people. When these leaders start to ignore their responsibilities the society starts to get uncontrollable and mistakes will happen. For an example when leaders ignore protection and safety their actions undermine the groups ability to function, also when leaders ignore respect their actions undermine the groups ability to function. All of this happens in the story written by William Golding Lord of the Flies. All in all when leaders ignore their responsibilities their actions undermine the groups ability to function. To begin, when leaders ignore respect their actions undermine the groups ability to function. When Ralph gets assigned Chief by a vote he makes the rules where some of Jacks choir boys will go hunting and some watch the fire so it does not go out. When Ralph and Jack got into a fight about how Jack does not help out the group with their hunting, and how they are just wasting time because they barely catch a pig or any food for the group he disrespects them: â€Å"Boys armed with sticks.† (Golding,127) This shows that Ralph does not really care for them and their skills that they seem to have according to Jack. After Ralph had said this Jack left the group and asked anybody who wanted to join him could do so if they wanted to. After Jack left with his group him and Ralph are always fighting now but one occasion it gets a little out of hand: â€Å"You’re a beast and a swine you bloody, bloody thief!† (Golding,177) After Ralph said this it made Jack furious he stole Piggys glasses for fire for themselves instead of asking for it he just took it. After this was said Jack also killed Piggy. Ralph being leader and ignoring respect undermines the groups ability to function. As leader, Jack also fails to respect people and keep peace. Jack disobeys Ralphs orders to have to choir boys watch the fire because Jack feels that they need the men to hunt and not get rescued. When the fire went out it could of saved them in that time frame as a symbol of help but he decides to disrespect Ralph and not listen to his orders: â€Å"We had to have them in the hunt.† (Golding,69) After Ralph confronted Jack about the fire going out he refused that he was wrong although he knew he disobeyed Ralphs orders, which in the end could of resulted in getting rescued by the boat that drove by. Now Jack in his own group decided that they need to attack Ralphs camp and steal Piggys specs so they can have fire instead of just asking him: â€Å"Ralph remember what we came for. The fire. My specs.† (Golding,161) Jack invaded Ralphs camp here to steal Piggys glasses to have fire. As Jack said that he came for fire and that the specs were his, although the specs are Piggys. Piggy even asked Jack to give back his glasses but he refused and killed Piggy. Jack is just disrespecting Piggy and Ralph here not listening to them at all. Jack refusal to have respect undermines the groups ability to function. Both boys, clearly fail in their responsibility to have respect. Ralph being voted leader should have respect for others and enforce it instead of ignoring it, having thee problems caused the group to fall apart. Jack on the other intentionally disrespected everybody in the group to get what he wanted . In both cases, however, when leaders ignore respect, their actions undermine the groups ability to function. To begin, when leaders ignore protection and safety their actions undermine ability to function. Ralph being the leader of the group tries to keep it safe for everyone to live so he decides that they need to make shelters for the group. Ralph is trying to make the shelters for everyone but no one will help him except Simon because he failed to maintain order from everyone: â€Å"But you like it!†¦You want to hunt! While I-† (Golding,125) Ralph is clearly upset here with Jack of how he wont help them make the shelters while they go out and hunt for pigs. Ralph not being able to control the group early on had failed him now, since no one will listen to him they have a lack of safety due to them not have shelters for them sleep in. Also at camp the boys have to sleep in the dark one night when the fire burned out: â€Å"We cant get any more wood Ralph not in the dark not at night† (Golding, 125) As shown here there is a lack of protection due to not having the fire at night because it resembles hope. That night they had no hope they had fear. The fear of darkness was scaring the littluns and some others to go in the forest to get wood to keep the fire burning. Jack also fails in his responsibility to keep it safe and protected. During the storm when everybody was dancing, Simon was walking to all the boys and Jack thought he was the beast and went to attack him: â€Å"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!† (Golding,141) Jack is not having safety for the group because he is getting them to kill a human who they think is the beast which is not. After they killed Simon they realised how small the beast was and the found out that it was Simon. Jack saying â€Å"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!† got the group all hyped up and not paying attention who or what the beast was and they just acted and attacked it. After Jack killed Piggy and killed the conch, he attacked Ralph and saying he is the new chief: â€Å"See? See? There isn’t a tribe anymore! The conch is gone†¦ Im Chief† (Golding, 181) Jack is furious here just after he killed Piggy he threatened Ralph that he would do the same. Jack is totally ignoring safety and protection is actually doing the complete opposite ignoring it a killing other people in his tribe. When Jack ignored his responsibility to maintain protection and safety it undermines the groups ability to function. Both boys, clearly fail in keeping the island safe and protected. Ralph tried to protect the group but since he joked around when he was first chief no one took him serious when he needed them to help. Jack totally ignored safety and did the opposite he tortured people, and also killed people. In both cases, however, when leaders ignore their responsibilities to maintain safety and protection it undermines the groups ability to function. In conclusion, when leaders ignore their responsibilities their actions undermine the groups ability to function. When leaders ignore protection and safety their actions undermine the groups ability to function, also when leaders ignore respect their actions undermine the groups ability to function. If all of this happened in our life, we would all become epic fails, just like how everyone did in this book.

Anglos essays

Anglos essays In Anglo-Saxon literature and most likely in Anglo-Saxon times, men were measured by many of the same aspects of life that men are measured by today's standards. Men of that time period were godless, fearless, fame seeking and most of all, courageous. Everyone was in search of these qualities and they achieved them by completing daring deeds, withstanding harsh conditions and they loved beating the odds. These qualities still live on in us. Beowulf not only killed a terrifying monster, the monster's mother and also killed a huge dragon too, achieving fame and showing kingdoms how much strength, courage and fearlessness he had. It also seemed that heros of that time had to boast about their deeds to other kingdoms and villages. Acquiring such qualities lead to boasting. People love to boast when they have beat the odds and have shown the world their will-power. Boasting when drunk is still very existent is every part of the world like it was part of the Anglo-Saxons culture. In Beowu lf, when Beowulf greets Hrothgar, he says, "Hail, Hrothgar! I am kinsman and thane of Hygelac. In my youth I have set about many brave deeds (*) How many times have you introduced yourself to someone and say, "When I was younger, I accomplished many great things?" It wasn't enough for a man to show just his people of his accomplishments, he had to make it know for everybody to see. The same can be said about our us today. If someone has acquired lots of money through his accomplishments; he/she lets everyone know by buying expensive cars, houses, jewelry etc to state their success. In the Wanderer, the author says, "Men eager for honor bury sorrow deep in their breast." (Wanderer, lines 16 "No man is living....to whom I fully unlock my heart." (Wanderer, lines 10 & 11) The wanderer is sprinkled with small lines like these to show that a real man can take anything ...

Odyssey Book IV - Summary of the Events

Odyssey Book IV - Summary of the Events Odyssey Study Guide Contents Telemachus and Pisistratus arrive at the court of Menelaus and Helen where they are welcomed, bathed, oiled, dressed, and feasted even though the royal couple is making their childrens wedding preparations. After they eat Menelaus hazards a guess that they are the sons of kings. He says that few among mortals have as much wealth as he although he has also lost much, including men; the one whose loss he most laments is Odysseus. He doesnt know whether Odysseus is dead or alive but when he sees how moved Telemachus is, he silently deduces that he is the son Odysseus left in Ithaca as a baby. Helen comes in and voices Menelaus suspicion. More stories bring more tears until Helen doses the wine with a pharmacopeia from magical Egypt. Helen talks about how Odysseus disguised himself to get inside Troy where only Helen recognized him. Helen helped him and said that she regretfully longed to be with the Greeks. Then Menelaus tells about Odysseus work with the wooden horse and how Helen almost undid it all by tempting the men inside to call out to her. Telemachus says its time to sleep, so he and Pisistratus sleep outside in the colonnade while the royal couple goes to their indoor bedroom. At dawn, Menelaus sits beside Telemachus. Menelaus asks why Telemachus came to Lacedaemon. Telemachus tells him about the suitors, which Menelaus says is shameful and Odysseus would do something about if he were there. Menelaus then tells Telemachus what he knows about Odysseus fate, which involves the story of meeting Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea, at Pharos. Proteus daughter, Eidothea, tells Menelaus to take 3 men (whom she covers with sheep skin) and wait until her father has finished counting his seals and fallen asleep. Then Menelaus is to grab Proteus and hold on regardless of whether Proteus becomes a lion, a boar, water, or fire. Only when Proteus stops morphing and starts asking questions should Menelaus let go and ask him how he can get out of Egypt. After gaining the necessary information about sacrifices and doubling back down the Nile, from Proteus, Menelaus inquires about Odysseus and learns he is being held by Calypso. Menelaus asks Telemachus to stay a while so he can gather together gifts. Telemachus says he wants to get going on his quest, but appreciates the gift offers. Theres only one problem, Ithaca is ill-suited to horses, so could he please exchange the kind offer of horses for something else? Menelaus agrees and thinks well of him for asking. Back in Ithaca, the man who lent the ship to Telemachus wants it back and asks the suitors if they know when it will return. This is the first the suitors know that Telemachus is gone. Penelope also hears about it for the first time and is distraught. She questions Eurycleia who dissuades Penelope from notifying old Laertes about his grandsons departure. The suitors plan to ambush and murder Telemachus on his return. They sail out to wait in a cove. Penelope is comforted by a dream phantom of her sister, Iphthime, to reassure her of Telemachus divine protection. Book III Summary|Book V Read a Public Domain translation of Odyssey Book IV. Odyssey Study Guide Contents This book suggests that Helen may have gone willingly to Troy and then later regretted her decision. Menelaus may not have entirely forgiven her. He changes the topic from her helpfulness towards the Greeks in her narrative about Odysseus to the related one of the men inside the horse who are tempted by her voice to call out to her. It is not clear why it matters whether Menelaus makes it back before Orestes does to kill Aegisthus, murderer of Agamemnon. Proteus tells Menelaus that because he is the husband of Helen, who is the daughter of Zeus, he will end up in a good spot in the afterlife, in the Elysian Fields. Telemachus had told his nurse Eurycleia about his plan but hadnt wanted his mother to know for fear she let on too soon. He had good reason as her tearful behavior shows. Had the suitors known any earlier, they might have killed him before he had accomplished anything. Mentor was recognized in the ship in which Telemachus set sail, but he was also seen in town. This doesnt present a problem. It is simply assumed that one, presumably the one with Telemachus, is a god in Mentor-disguise. Telemachus didnt turn down a present but asked if he could have something else instead because the present was unsuitable. I dont think we do that very much today because we are afraid of hurting feelings, but perhaps people today would react as Menelaus did perfectly amenable to replacing it with another. Near the start of the book, the familiar theme of hospitality creeps up. Menelaus is prepping for weddings, but when he hears there are strangers on his shore, he insists that they be properly entertained, and all, of course, before he questions his visitors. Odyssey in English Odyssey Study Guide Contents Telemachus - Son of Odysseus who was left as a baby when Odysseus went off 20 years earlier to fight in the Trojan War. Menelaus - king of Sparta and brother of Agamemnon. When Menelaus married Helen, a promise was extracted from all the rejected suitor-princes that they would come to the aid of Menelaus should anyone try to abduct her. Helen - daughter of Zeus and wife of Menelaus. Paris took her to Troy and the Greeks came to take her back, fighting the Trojan War over her. On her return, she and her husband Menelaus are long delayed in Egypt where Helen learns some of the magical properties of herbs. Pisistratus - Youngest son of Nestor. Younger brother of Trojan War fighters Antilochus and Thrasymedes. Pisistratos accompanies Telemachus on his journey. Proteus - the Old Man of the Sea. He herds seals and can change into any form. Menelaus has to hold onto him no matter what shape he changes into. His daughter is Eidothea, who not only helps Menelaus against her father, but s laughters four seals in order to provide covering for the men. Penelope - the faithful wife of Odysseus who has been keeping the suitors at bay. Iphthime - sister of Penelope, daughter of Lord Icarius and bride of Eumulus. A phantom of her is sent to comfort Penelope. Eurycleia - the old faithful servant who kept Telemachus secret when he left Ithaca and didnt want his mother to let on to the suitors. Antinous - The ringleader suitor who is approached for information about the ship Telemachus borrowed. He gathers together the suitors chosen to ambush and murder Telemachus. Profiles of Some of the Major Olympian Gods Involved in the Trojan War Poseidon Zeus Athena Notes on Book IV

My New Small Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

My New Small Business Plan - Essay Example colates as well as to offer efficient and friendly services throughout our retail and confectionary market outlets because customer satisfaction is imperative. The priority of our chocolate products is given to customer satisfaction by providing right service along with right information at right time and right place. The main target audience of Cloud7 will be women and school children. Women play a vital role in chocolate market as they are the largest purchasers of chocolates either for home consumption or for giving gifts. The most remarkable fact about UK chocolate market is that people over 55years of age consume chocolate worth 700 pounds every year, which accounts to be 21% of the total chocolate consumption. Consumer’s eating habits and lifestyles are constantly changing as general public due to busy life schedule depend mostly on chocolates and short snacks to make up for missed meals. Even though few have concerns and awareness about sugar and fat in chocolate, they regard it to be an affordable daily treat. In recent years, chewing small treat chocolate has been one of more dynamic sectors with in the confectionary market, especially in United Kingdom. The latest reports show that people in the UK consume larger number of chocolates than in any other European country and their love of chocolates and sweets continue to flourish day by day. It was accounted that UK consumed 30% or more of the total chocolate consumption in Europe, that comes around 660 900 tonnes per year. Chocolate confectionary accounted for 70% of the total sales value in the UK market and the per capita chocolate consumption was valued as 11.25kg per person. For a new chocolate brand Cloud7, it would be a tough time to get a market where the competition is fierce and is dominated by multinational companies like Cadbury, Mars and Nestle who fight each other to keep hold of their profitable portions of this  £5.3bn market. For the last five years, Cadbury had been very strong and

World war 2 through the 1970's Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

World war 2 through the 1970's - Research Paper Example There were several turning points in America through the 1970s. These were the points of time when a significant change occurred. They were also moments of decision. At this time, there were many changes taking place around the world. Millions were dead, and the United States had become a super power (Finkelman, 2005). A sweeping historical turning point during the Second World War through the 1970s was the Watergate scandal. This political scandal took place in 1972, in the United States. There was a break in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington DC at the Watergate office complex. At the time, Richard Nixon was the president and his administration attempted to cover up its involvement in the break in. During the investigation into the scandal, many things got found out. It became discovered that president Nixon was taping all the conversations in the white House. It was this tapes that when later they got handed over government investigators implicated the president to have got involved in the cover up. Money that also got found on the burglars got connected to a slush fund used by fundraising group for the re-election of the president. Nixon’s vice president Agnew also admitted to tax evasion. The scandal was a crucial turning point because it led Americans to have key mistrust within their leaders and thus begin to question their leadership skills. It had a vital political impact on politics because political leaders and everyone else are fully aware that no one is above the law. This is because this scandal led to the resignation of a United States president. In America today, there is closer examination of the procedures of the executive office by the public. It served as a civic lesson to the public. People began to pay keen attention to their leaders and started to question leaders in local and state offices. This scandal also asserted the judiciary’s power to bring justice and equality of opportunity. Another key historical turning point that occurred during the World War II through the 1970s was the civil rights movement. This was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law. It took place between 1950 and 1980 (Finkelman, 2005). It took the form of civil resistance and campaigns aimed at bringing change. In some places, it became accompanied by armed rebellion and civil unrest. In America, the social rights movements aimed at outlawing racial discrimination and restoring voting rights to blacks. These movements not only gave equality to African American’s but also women. This had a significant impact on America today as it eventually led to the first black president and women in politics are reaching for the glass ceiling. This movement in America ensured that today certain groups of people got allowed to hold the basic rights that are guaranteed in the constitution. African Americans and women have an equal opportunity to be wealthy and lead a good life. No oneâ€⠄¢s rights get limited by law in America today as previously was the case. This movement ensured that today there is equality of rights and opportunities in America (Finkelman, 2005). America in the late 1930s wanted to stay out of the European conflict that became the World War II. This was because World War I had ended just 15 years earlier, and it was still a fresh wound to many Americans. World War I killed people, cost money, damaged property and affected everyone who encountered it. Most of them believed that the lives lost in World War I were so many and it was not worth it. A majority of American population was opposed to any policy that could involve the United States in another bloody conflict. In the years after the world war I Americans had reached the conclusion that it had been a disastrous mistake to

The 2004 Elections in USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The 2004 Elections in USA - Essay Example Many issues were raised at this time including alleged obstacles in voter registration, voter suppression, and reliability of the voting machines in question along with racial discrimination. Minor issues like registration offices rejecting forms because they were not printed on a certain type of paper and other major issues like voter eligibility issues, voter suppression - a lot of voters were turned away in trepidation of voting for the opponent etc. In A Note on the Presidential Election in Ohio, Dennis Kucinich said. "Dirty tricks occurred across the state, including phony letters from Boards of Elections telling people that their registration through some Democratic activist groups were invalid and that Kerry voters were to report on Wednesday because of massive voter turnout. Phone calls to voters giving them erroneous polling information were also common" clearly depicting the nefarious activities brimming during the elections. There were other instances like endless lines at voting stations bringing about general discomfort for people trying to get their votes in as the whole time balance went wrong for them. Moreover, road blocks put in place by the police were an enormous hold back for people trying to access certain polling places.

Gender-Based Assumptions of War Victims

Gender-Based Assumptions of War Victims IS THE VIEW OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN MERELY AS VICTIMS OF WAR TOO SIMPLISTIC? International actors faced numerous Humanitarian crises throughout the 1990s, leading to a New War thesis, made particularly prominent by Mary Kaldor. Whilst wars have historically been concerned with violence against the most vulnerable, only recently have studies focused on massive civilian casualties, largely women and children (Kaldor 2013: 133). In mainstream thinking, war remains an exclusively male issue where men are ‘naturally’ those who perpetrate violence; meanwhile, women and children are seen only as victims. Empirical data, however, reported that men as potential fighters are most likely to be targeted in armed conflict, including sexual aggression (Carpenter 2006: 88). Wars create all sorts of victims and perpetrators, spanning gender and roles. Thus, is the role of women and children merely as victims too simplistic? Want This paper examines how common gender-based assumptions and unclear victim-related terms led observers to consider victimization as intrinsic and gender specific. As Cynthia Enloe (2004: 10) stated, ‘naturally’ is a dangerous notion that depicts women as life-giving versus men as life-taking (Coulter, Persson and Utas 2008: 7). However, men, women and childrens roles are much more diverse and complex. Analysis of the Syrian crisis illustrates this argument and provides evidence that men, women and children may be victims, perpetrators, or even both. ‘Women and Children First’. The necessity to have a ‘victim’. Thinking about armed conflict and human security, victims are often at the heart of leaders’ decision-making and civil society’s policies. The search for adequate victims’ and humanitarian programs raised the debate about which side or communities should be acknowledged as victims and revealed the many faces of victimhood (Huyse 2003: 54). Part of the dilemma comes from the political-biased connotations and the legal definition(s) of the term victim. To discuss the former argument, we choose to use the definition provided by the 1985 UN Declaration, which defined a victim as: a person who, individually or collectively, have suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or substantial impairment of their fundamental rights, through acts or omissions that are in violation of criminal laws operative within Member States (UN 1985). Women and gender-based violence. Gender-based violence, especially wartime rape, is as old as war itself. For a long time in history, the ‘inferior’ position of women or certain ethnic or racial minorities was considered as natural, following Browmiller’s thesis that ‘War provides men with the perfect psychological backdrop to give vent to their contempt for women’ and became inherent to territorial advance (Brownmiller 1975, 32). During the liberation of Europe in 1945, the Russian Army raped over two million German women (Beevor 2007). However, women had to wait fifty years with the atrocities of Bosnian, Sierra Leone and Rwandan reports on rape camps to finally obtain the ear of the International community. The mediatization of armed groups using the enemy’s women to achieve ethnic cleansing, genocide and occupation goals upon the enemy raised awareness about the use of rape as a weapon (The Economist 2001, Farwell 2004). Pressures by feminist lobbies and academics led to an attempt by the UN to reinforce the protection of women and girls from gender-based violence, recognizing this ‘regrettable aspect of the war’ as a crime against humanity (Farwell 2004: 389, Erturk 2008: 1, DEDAW 1993). Nonetheless, sexual violence is not the only form of conflict-related victimization of women. The over-classification of women as ‘bush wives’, camp followers, and sex slaves undoubtedly raised the world’s awareness on gender-based violence but also diverted policy makers to address and establish efficient policies for all the range of victims (Coulter, Persson and Utas 2008: 8). For example, concerns about the health needs of women in conflict-zones – especially pregnant mothers and their children are annually expressed. In 2009 the Red Cross reported the highest rates of maternal deaths happen in war-torn countries (Puechguirbal 2009). Besides physical sequels, women suffer also from long-term and indirect psychological, social, and economical related-forms of violence. For example, women injured by sexual violence endure physical sufferings but also psychological pressures such as shame when they are back in their communities or economic deprivations and sanctions. Those issues are particularly contentious in cases where women are culturally dependent and subjected to their husbands. (Puechguirbal 2009, Erturk 2008, Tickner 1997: 628). Children as victims The same reasoning occurs with children. UNICEF recently alleged the number of children affected by civil wars has more than doubled over the past years, exceeding more than 5.5 million (UNICEF 2014: 3). However, the numbers do not reflect the form of violence and oppression nor do they specify a time distinction. Children are mainly described as ‘direct victims’ suffering from the direct effects of violence. Nevertheless, more attention should be given to the many other invisible victims, such as those children who lost one or more family members and suffer from the aftereffects of the violence they witnessed (Huyse 2003: 57, Worldvision 2014). Usually defenceless and vulnerable, children are killed, physically abused, kidnapped, recruited as soldiers, and/or displaced. In Syria, more than 1.2 million children have fled their homes, most of them are under 12 (UNICEF 2014: 18). In refugee camps, children are particularly exposed to malnutrition and unsanitary conditions, leading to all kinds of disease. Separated from their family, and/or without support from parents who could barely afford to feed and protect them, children suffer socio-economic deprivation and usually have no access to basic necessities. They are prevented from going to schools and are either enrolled as child labour and/or forced into sexual slavery, – or in the case of young women, married off to older men – to supplement their family’s meagre income (Shivakumaran 2014). In addition to physical abuses, children suffer from long-term psychological traumas from their experiences. In Syrian refugee camps, psychologists noticed unusual level of distress and visible signs social and physical dysfunction among displaced children (Atlas 2014, Winter 2014). Isolated and socially rejected, children who have been traumatized during the conflict develop sequels that can lead to new forms of violence –child soldiers, street gangs, juvenile delinquency or vendetta— (Boyden 2006: 4). In war-torn societies, the observations can generally be extended to second-generation victims; from children who suffered high levels of stress from the adults around them and children born in camps[1], to the grandchildren who carry memories from elder generations (Huyse 2004: 54, 57). Victims of Man’s war For a long time, there was a belief that men fight wars to protect vulnerable people, defend their family’s wealth, and the interests of the nation. This stereotypical role of the ‘active male protector’ naturally defined women and children as ‘passive-protected’ actors. Nevertheless, this common understanding about women and children’s victimization largely diverted the international debate from other under-acknowledged realities (Tickner 1997: 627, Enloe 2012: 7, Rygiel 2006: 150) First, armed groups are not always protecting the weak; second, the assumption that victimization is gender specific overlooks the presence of female fighters among armies (Goldstein 2001: 59). Finally, keeping in mind the fate of children as victims, recent researches indicate empirical evidence about children’s contribution to armed violence, including child soldiering. From victims to active participants Violence committed by children or women has an important symbolic power on people’s minds, because it challenges traditional social constructions that women and children are the most vulnerable (Hunt and Rygiel 2006: 2). Children as weapons Child soldiers have been in use for a long time: regular armies before the Geneva agreements made use of children. As a result of changing societal values and greater awareness of the issue, child soldiering increasingly gained political salience over the last decades of civil wars intensification. Images of tens of thousands small boys with an AK-47 –considered as a ‘cheap’ and ‘disposable goods’ by African War-lords (Rosen 2005)– created terrifying damages worldwide (Erwin 2002, Hoge 2014). However, child soldiers are generally portrayed as direct or indirect victims, forced and pressured by adults to commit brutal atrocities. Numerous testimonies by former child soldiers show the dilemma for those children who killed to defend themselves, either from their captor or an opposing armed faction (BBC 2005). The recent video released by the Islamic State (IS) shows the process of indoctrination and militarization: children carry guns as big as them, and are trained in radical ideology (Vinograd, Balkiz and Omar 2014). Many of those children are around 12-13 and do not actually have a choice, but some of them are already adults. This also leads to the debate around the capacity of youth to exercise a measure of personal autonomy in their decisions and actions (Maclure and Denov 2006: 120). Since 2002, ‘child soldiers’ definition relies the UN straight 18 principle and outlaws all major forms of children involvement in hostilities under that age (OPAC 2007). However, this strict definition tends to obscure the weight of experience, social-context and environment in which youth are evolving (Boyden 2006, Maclure and Denov 2006) Latest psychological analyses demonstrate the necessity to differentiate childhood and adolescence: much of the analysis so far has infantilized the young people as receptors of environmental stimuli, or of adult pressures, often disregarding particular cognitive and behavioural dynamics (Boyden 2006: 1). In some cases, children join for ideological reasons or for other advantages and opportunities war can bring – e.g. money, resources and power to name a few reasons. The prospect of getting a better life is worth war, leading young people to join the rebellion for the same reasons as adults (Hoeffler and Collier 2001, Boyden 2006: 4). Moreover, some scholars tend to explain instability in certain region as a consequence of demographic changes and increasing masses of youth. Post-conflict zones are primarily addressed taking into consideration the limited capacity of war-torn states to handle youthfulness (Maclure and Denov 2006, Boyden 2006: 10). For example, re-recruitment of child soldiers into war is particularly difficult to address (Hoge 2014). In response to evidence of child soldiering by the Kurdish rebel group, the International Criminal Court signed an agreement with the YGP establishing a ‘non-combatant’ category for children between 16 and 18. However and despite Demobilization, Demilitarization and rehabilitation (DDR) programs, dozens of children have tried to re-join local Kurdish military unites on their own (Geneval Call 2014). Women and Men on the moral continuum. From Antigone[2] to the Ozalp[3], women have actively participated in all aspects of war. Historical records show that women perform successfully in war –sometimes even more than their male colleagues. The quasi-exclusion of women as ‘combatants’, refers to the gender constructed discourse and dichotomy between women (peaceful) and men (warlike) which denied the active participation of women as individual perpetrators of violence (Hunt and Rygiel 2006). For example, in 2003, when were released the images of Lynndie England abusing Iraqi prisoner at Abu Ghraib surfaced, the first comments were not related to the atrocities perpetrated on the Iraqi prisoners nor the executors —no one knew, knows, or remembers the names of the other U.S. guards (Brittain 2006: 84). The shock was particularly focused around the picture of the ‘little white woman’ holding a leash tethered to the prisoner’s neck (Struckman 2010, Brittain 2006: 84) Consequently , it has become necessary to critically analyse women’s role as ‘perpetrators and perpetuators’, regarding the estimated number of women engaged today in ‘unwomanly’ behaviour worldwide, including Western armies (Goldstein 2001, Cohen and al. 2013). Fighting for freedom – The case of Kurdish Female fighters The recent growing progress of IS has given particular attention to the fighters for freedom, which fight to prevent the expansion of the Islamic caliphate. In reporting on Kobani attacks by IS, media have begun focusing specifically on the increasing proportion of female fighters who joined the Kurdish movements under the banner of the Women’s Protection Unit (YPJ). Never before has such international concern been given to female combatants and the role they can play in a major combat zone. In the region of Kobani, one in three of the city defenders are female (Pratt 2014, Mezzofiore 2014). From passive ‘protected’ to active ‘protector’, Kurdish female fighters represent a category of women that diverge from the one previously encoded in the society. Besides their abilities to shoot multiple types of weapons, they developed a full range of other skills based on physical and cognitive differences between men and women. For instance, they are mostly marksmen and snipers, as it requires ‘calm, patience and finesse,’ a typically female trait (Pratt 2014). Contrary to the images of vulnerable women, YPJ soldiers almost reveal signs of masculinity by accepting ‘death as a sacrifice that is part of the life choice they have made’ (Pratt 2014). And yet, motivations could be almost identified as feminist ones. IS treat women as objects, giving female fighters even more power against ISIS; some say that Islamic rebels are more terrified of being killed by women because if they do they cannot go to heaven (Mezzofiore 2014) The Kurdish example raises many concerns among scholars since it contrasts the common perception of women’s role. The YPJ’s struggle proves that women can be perfectly capable and willing of performing violent acts to ‘defend the Kurdish people against all evil’ (Pratt 2014). Some suggest that this could lead to the empowerment of women in the region, since female fighters are being taken much more seriously today than in the past (Mezzofiore 2014, Gatehouse 2014). Under fire – All victims? The institution of war has never been good for women and children (Farwell 2004). To a larger extend, war has never been good for anybody. Even if women and children are among the worst victims, they are not the only ones. The held idea that women and children are most likely to be displaced is not always giving justice to the data. Regarding the statistics about Registered Syrian Refugees, Males represent 48.7% and Female 51.3% of exiles. Refugees also include elderly persons, wounded warriors, minorities, people with disabilities, etc (UNRHC 2014). By qualifying women and children only as victims or combatants, scholars conceal the large range of positions they can occupy during a conflict. The mobilization of the society in the war effort has existed as long as war itself. During the First World War, the Munitionettes[4] and their children worked in factories to provide for men at war. They have been enrolled in offices, communications, intelligence, maintenance and many other under-acknowledged ways (Goldstein 2001: 78). Partly victimized, partly victimizing, women are often considered as those who sacrifice the most during war (Huyse 2003: 56) In Africa, women who must fight in armed groups have often been doubly victimized – forced to join the rebellion and raped by enemies and comrades. Consequently, it is impossible to draw a sharp line between the two categories, preventing the implementation of programs to address these women and girls’ actual lived experiences (Coulter and al. 2008 XXX). For example in post-reconstruction policies, they have failed to include women and young girls in DDR programs. Part of it is due to policy-makers’ refusal to recognize woman as combatants (Coulter and al 2008: P). Thus, depending on the policies implemented, women can suffer from deeper discrimination mainly related to the structural roots prevailing in society before the conflict (Cohen and al 2013:5) Porter’s study about rape in Uganda found that rapists are more often husbands/boyfriends or men from the same community rather than enemies (Porter 2013, Utas 2005). Or they can expect better positions with regard to equality between women and men. For example women were generally granted the right to vote after World War Two. Moreover, by emphasizing on the large proportion of women who have been abused, the debate on gender-based violence on men has been overlaid. Barring a few exceptions, the literature does not pay attention to the fact that men are also victims of poor treatment, thereby tortured more violently. Sexual violence is an issue commonly defined as affecting women and young females and yet, male rape, genital mutilation and other forms of emasculation have an important impact on men that should be documented (Cohen and al 2013: 7, Sivakumaran 2013). Aggressors often abuse male enemies or political prisoners intentionally dehumanize and humiliate them (Sivakumaran 2013, Carpenter 2006). Nevertheless, because of the psychological and social implications of male victimization, less attention is given to male adults and adolescents who have been oppressed and/or forced to commit crimes (rape, mass killings, kidnapping), leading to a bias in human security studies (Carpenter 2006). From ‘Women and Children’ to ‘Women’ and ‘Children’ Gender-based common assumptions have largely shaped the way people perceive men, women and children’s roles in war. The persistent idea of a masculine monopoly on force promotes a simplistic view of war as the continuation of politics, where men are the main actors (Enloe 2004). By categorizing men as life-taking, women as live-giving and children as the next generation, it appears that scholars have misjudged the role of women and children, especially during wars. After the mediatisation of the Bosnia Civil War and the Genocide in Rwanda, policy-makers and NGOs mainly focused on those visible atrocities that reduce the role of women and children to mere victimhood. The proportion of women and children suffering from conflicts is substantial. However, the amalgamation of ‘Women and Children’ under a unique category because of their relative ‘vulnerability’, diverted attention away from existing structural realities. Following this myth, scholarâ€℠¢s researches have exacerbated the idea of ‘tough men’ dying to protect ‘tender women and children’ and failed to question if women and children are merely victims of war. 1 [1] The huge number of child refugees is not only driven by the recent Syrian conflict but also by the growing number of Syrian, Afghan and Somali children that were born in refugee camps. (UNHCR 2014) [2] Antigone†¦ (Anouillh [3] With a lack of ammunition and in a hopeless situation, Ozalp killed herself not to fall into the hands of the rapists (Mezzofiore 2014) [4] Women working in munitions factories during WWI.

Essay --

â€Å"And therefore women, being weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall; therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall and thrust his maids to the wall† are the words spoken by a Capulet servant at the beginning of the play (I.i.14-17). He illustrated right off the bat that the women characters had a completely different place in society than men did and were thought to be weaker compared to them. Although there are only three main female characters in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, it’s easy to interpret what the roles of women were in Verona during the Renaissance time period. Based on the female characters in Romeo and Juliet, it seems they matured more quickly than women do today, portrayed a subservient role in society, and were seen as an object to possess. Considering people during the Renaissance didn’t live as long as they do now, the women in Verona during that time matured much more quickly than women do today. Marrying and having children were jobs that were often completed before the age of eighteen. Juliet’s marriage to Paris was supposed to happen when she was only thirteen years old, and Juliet’s mother tells her that she became a mother â€Å"much upon these years† (I.iii.70-72). Women during that time were passed down from their parents to their husbands without much chance of independent thought or action. Juliet had never even considered marriage until her mother brought it up, and seemed somewhat astounded when she did. Because there were arranged marriages at that time, there were likely many instances when the women didn’t love their chosen man. Juliet’s arranged marriage to Paris is an example of this, And because of it, an ample amount of trouble arose. Women had little freedom during that... ...ord to hire people to do work for them, but it wasn’t like that for other poor families of the Renaissance. Women in Verona during the time of the Renaissance had a completely different place in society than the men did. Juliet, Lady Capulet, and the Nurse were the only female characters in the play, but were able to illustrate the roles that all women had during that time period. All women during the Renaissance time, based on the characters of Romeo and Juliet matured more quickly then women do today, played a subservient role in society, and played the role of an object to possess. Their roles show that they were powerless compared to men, but still had an important role in society. Women have gained significant control and influence since Romeo and Juliet was written, but unfortunately there are still many cases around the world where women are secondary to men. Essay -- â€Å"And therefore women, being weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall; therefore I will push Montague’s men from the wall and thrust his maids to the wall† are the words spoken by a Capulet servant at the beginning of the play (I.i.14-17). He illustrated right off the bat that the women characters had a completely different place in society than men did and were thought to be weaker compared to them. Although there are only three main female characters in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, it’s easy to interpret what the roles of women were in Verona during the Renaissance time period. Based on the female characters in Romeo and Juliet, it seems they matured more quickly than women do today, portrayed a subservient role in society, and were seen as an object to possess. Considering people during the Renaissance didn’t live as long as they do now, the women in Verona during that time matured much more quickly than women do today. Marrying and having children were jobs that were often completed before the age of eighteen. Juliet’s marriage to Paris was supposed to happen when she was only thirteen years old, and Juliet’s mother tells her that she became a mother â€Å"much upon these years† (I.iii.70-72). Women during that time were passed down from their parents to their husbands without much chance of independent thought or action. Juliet had never even considered marriage until her mother brought it up, and seemed somewhat astounded when she did. Because there were arranged marriages at that time, there were likely many instances when the women didn’t love their chosen man. Juliet’s arranged marriage to Paris is an example of this, And because of it, an ample amount of trouble arose. Women had little freedom during that... ...ord to hire people to do work for them, but it wasn’t like that for other poor families of the Renaissance. Women in Verona during the time of the Renaissance had a completely different place in society than the men did. Juliet, Lady Capulet, and the Nurse were the only female characters in the play, but were able to illustrate the roles that all women had during that time period. All women during the Renaissance time, based on the characters of Romeo and Juliet matured more quickly then women do today, played a subservient role in society, and played the role of an object to possess. Their roles show that they were powerless compared to men, but still had an important role in society. Women have gained significant control and influence since Romeo and Juliet was written, but unfortunately there are still many cases around the world where women are secondary to men.

Like Water for Chocolate Essay

Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Squalevella Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub (Trd); ISBN: 0553472550 Copyright 1994 CHAPTER ONE. JANUARY. Chrutnuw Ro/ INGREDIENTS 1 can of arOin 1/2 choriw aaye oreyano 1 can of chitej rrano 10 haro ro PREPARATION: Take care to chop the onion fine. To keep from crying when you chop it (which is so annoying!), I suggest you place a little bit on your head. The trouble with crying over an onion is that once the chopping gets you started and the tears begin to well up, the next thing you know you just can’t stop. I don’t know whether that’s ever happened to you, but I have to confess it’s happened to me, many times. Mama used to say it was because I was especially sensitive to onions, like my great-aunt, Tita. Tita was so sensitive to onions, any time they were being chopped, they say she would just cry and cry, when she was still in my greatgrandmother’s belly her sobs were so loud that even Nancha, the cook, who was halfdeaf, could hear them easily. Once her wailing got so violent that it brought on an early labor. And before my greatgrandmother could let out a word or even a whimper, Tita made her entrance into this world, prematurely, right there on the kitchen table amid the smells of simmering noodle soup, thyme, bay leaves, and cilantro, steamed milk, garlic, and, of course, onion. Tita had no need for the usual slap on the bottom, because she was already crying as she emerged, maybe that was because she knew then that it would be her lot in life to be denied marriage. The way Nancha told it, Tita was literally washed into this world on a great tide of tears that spilled over the e dge of the table and flooded across the kitchen floor. That afternoon, when the uproar had subsided and the water had been dried up by the sun, Nancha swept up the residue the tears had left on the red stone floor. There was enough salt to fill a ten-pound sack-it was used for cooking and lasted a long time. Thanks to her unusual birth, Tita felt a deep love for the kitchen, where she spent most of her life from the day she was born. When she was only two days old, Tita’s father, my great-grandfather, died of a heart attack and Mama Elena’s milk dried up from the shock. Since there was no such thing as powdered milk in those days, and they couldn’t find a wet nurse anywhere, they were in a panic to satisfy the infant’s hunger. Nancha, who knew everything about cooking-and much more that doesn’t enter the picture until later offered to take chargeof feeding Tita. She felt she had the best chance of `educating the innocent child’s stomach,† even though she had never mauled or had children. Though she didn’t know how to read or write, when it came to cooking she knew everything there was to know. Mama Elena accepted her offer gratefully, she had enough to do between her mourning and the enormous responsibility of running the ranch and it was the ranch that would provide her children the food and education they deserved-without having to worry about feeding a newborn baby on top of everything else. From that day on, Tita’s domain was the kitchen, where she grew vigorous and healthy on a diet of teas and thin corn gruels. This explains the sixth sense Tita developed about everything concerning food. Her eating habits, for example, were attuned to the kitchen routine: in the morning, when she could smell that the beans were ready, at midday, when she sensed the water was ready for plucking the chickens, and in the afternoon, when the dinner bread was baking, Tita knew it was time for her to be fed. Sometimes she would cry for no reason at all, like when Nancha chopped onions, but since they both knew the cause of those tears, they didn’t pay them much mind. They made them a source of entertainment, so that during her childhood Tita didn’t distinguish between tears of laughter and tears of sorrow. For her laughing was a form of crying. Likewise for Tita the joy of living was wrapped up in the delights of food. It wasn’t easy for a person whose knowledge of life was based onthe kitchen to comprehend the outside world. That world was an endless expanse that began at the door between the kitchen and the rest of the house, whereas everything on the kitchen side of that door, on through the door leading to the patio and the kitchen and herb gardens was completely hers-it was Tita’s realm. Her sisters were just the opposite: to them, Tita’s world seemed full of unknown dangers, and they were terrified of it. They felt that playing in the kitchen was foolish and dangerous. But once, Tita managed to convince them to join her in watching the dazzling display made by dancing water drops dribbled on a red hot griddle. While Tita was singing and waving her wet hands in time, showering drops of water down on the griddle so they would â€Å"dance,† Rosaura was cowering in the corner stunned by the display. Gertrudis, on the other hand, found this game enticing, and she threw herself into it with the enthusiasm she always showed where rhythm, movement, or music were involved. Then Rosaura had tried to join them-but since she barely moistened her hands and then shook them gingerly, her efforts didn’t have the desired effect. So Tita tried to move her hands closer to the griddle. Rosaura resisted, and they struggled for control until Tita became annoyed and let go, so that momentum carried Rosaura’s hands onto it. Tita got a terrible spanking for that, and she was forbidden to play with her sisters in her own world. Nancha became her playmate then. Together they made up all sorts of games and activities having to do with cooking. Like the day they saw a man in the village plaza twisting long thin balloons into animal shapes, and they decided to do it with sausages. They didn’t just make real animals, they also made up some of their own, creatures with the neck of a swan, the legs of a dog, the tail of a horse, and on and on. Then there was trouble, however, when the animals had to be taken apart to fry the sausage. Tita refused to do it. The only time she was willing to take them apart was when the sausage was intended for the Christmas rolls she loved so much. Then she not only allowed her animals to be dismantled, she watched them fry with glee. The sausage for the rolls must be fried over very low heat, so that it cooks thoroughly without getting too brown. When done, remove from the heat and add the sardines, which have been deboned ahead of time. Any black spots on the skin should also have been scraped off with a k nife. Combine the onions, chopped chiles, and the ground oregano with the sardines. Let the mixture stand before filling the rolls. Tita enjoyed this step enormously, while the filling was resting, it was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to evoke the past, bringing back sounds and even other smells that have no match in the present. Tita liked to take a deep breath and let the characteristic smoke and smell transport her through the recesses of her memory. It was useless to try to recall the first time she had smelled one of those rolls-she couldn’t, possibly because it had been before she was born. It might have been the unusual combination of sardines and sausages that had called to her and made her decide to trade the peace of ethereal existence in Mama Elena’s belly for life as her daughter, in order to enter the De la Garza family and share their delicious meals and wonderful sausage. On Mama Elena’s ranch, sausage making was a real ritual. The day before, they started peeling garlic, cleaning chiles, and grinding spices. All the women in the family had to participate: Mama Elena, her daughters, Gertrudis, Rosaura, and Tita, Nancha, the cook. And Chencha, the maid. They gathered around the diningroom table in the afternoon, and between the talking and the joking the time flew by until it started to get dark. Then Mama Elena would say: â€Å"That’s it for today.† For a good listener, it is said, a single word will suffice, so when they heard that, they all sprang into action. First they had to clear the table, then they had to assign tasks: one collected the chickens, another drew water for breakfast from the well, a third was in charge of wood for the stove. There would be no ironing, no embroidery, no sewing that day. When it was all finished, they went to their bedrooms to read, say their prayers, and go to sleep. One afternoon, before Mama Elena told them they could leave the table, Tita, who was then fifteen, announced in a trembling voice that Pedro Muzquiz would like to come and speak with her. After an endless silence during which Tita’s soul shrank, Mama Elena asked: â€Å"And why should this gentleman want to come talk to me?† Tita’s answer could barely be heard: â€Å"I don’t know.† Mama Elena threw her a look that seemed to Tita to contain all the years of repression that had flowed over the family, and said: â€Å"If he intends to ask for your hand, tell him not to bother. He’ll be wasting his time and mine too. You know perfectly well that being the youngest daughter means you have to take care of me until the day I die.† With that Mama Elena got slowly to her feet, put her glasses in her apron, and said in a tone of final command: . II â€Å"That’s it for today.† Tita knew that discussion was not one of the forms of communication permitted in Mama Elena’s household, but even so, for the first time in her life, she intended to protest her mother’s ruling. â€Å"But in my opinion â€Å"You don’t have an opinion, and that’s all I want to hear about it. For generations, not a single person in my family has ever questioned this tradition, and no daughter of mine is going to be the one to start.† Tita lowered her head, and the realization of her fate struck her as forcibly as her tears struck the table. From then on they knew, she and the table, that they could never have even the slightest voice in the unknown forces that fated Tita to bow before her mother’s absurd decision, and the table to continue to receive the bitter tears that she had first shed on the day of her birth. Still Tita did not submit. anxieties sprang to her mind. Doubts and the next week she didn’t speak a single word to her. What passed for communication between them resumed when Mama Elena, who was inspecting the clothes each of the women had been sewing, discovered that Tita’s creation, which was the most perfect, had not been basted before it was sewed. â€Å"Congratulations,† she said, â€Å"your stitches are perfect -but you didn’t haste it, did you?† â€Å"No,† answered Tita, astonished that the sentence of silence had been revoked. `Then go and rip it out. Baste it and sew it again and then come and show it to me. And remember that the lazy man and the stingy man end up walking their road twice.† â€Å"But that’s if a person makes a mistake, and you yourself said a moment ago that my sewing was . â€Å"Are you starting up with your rebelliousness again? It’s enough that you have the audacity to break the rules in your sewing.† â€Å"I’m sorry, Mami. I won’t ever do it again.† With that Tita succeeded in calming Mama Elena’s anger. For once she had been very careful, she had called her â€Å"Mami† in the correct tone of voice. Mama Elena felt that the word Mama had a disrespectful sound to it, and so, from the time they were little, she had ordered her daughters to use the word Mami when speaking to her. The only one who resisted, the only one who said the word without the proper deference was Tita, which had earned her plenty of slaps. But how perfectly she had said it this time! Mama Elena took comfort in the hope For one thing, she wanted to know who started this family tradition. It would be nice if she could let that genius know about one little flaw in this perfect plan for taking care of women in their old age. If Tita couldn’t marry and have children, who would take care of her when she got old? Was there a solution in a case like that? Or are daughters who stay home and take care of their mothers not expected to survive too long after the parent’s death? And what about women who marry and can’t have children, who will take care of them? And besides, she’d like to know what kind of studies had established that the youngest daughter and not the eldest is best suited to care for their mother. Had the opinion of the daughter affected by the plan ever been taken into account? If she couldn’t marry, was she at least allowed to experience love? Or not even that? Tita knew perfectly well that all these questions would have to be buried forever in the archive of questions that have no answers. In the De la Garza family, one obeyedimmediately. Ignoring Tita completely, a very angry Mama Elena left the kitchen, and for that she had finally managed to subdue her youngest daughter. Unfortunately her hope was short-lived, for the very next day Pedro Muzquiz appeared at the house, his esteemed father at his side, to ask for Tita’s hand in marriage. His arrival caused a huge uproar, as his visit was completely unexpected. Several days earlier Tita had sent Pedro a message via Nancha’s brother asking him to abandon his suit. The brother swore he had delivered the message to Pedro, and yet, there they were, in the house. Mama Elena received them in the living room, she was extremely polite and explained why it was impossible for Tita to marry. â€Å"But if you really want Pedro to get married, allow me to suggest my daughter Rosaura, who’s just two years older than Tita. She is one hundred percent available, and ready for marriage At that Chencha almost dropped right onto Mama Elena the tray containing coffee and cookies, which she had carried into the living room to offer don Pascual and his son. Excusing herself, she rushed back to the kitchen, where Tita, Rosaura, and Gertrudis were waiting for her to fill them in on every detail about what was going on in the living room. She burst headlong into the room, and they all immediately stopped what they were doing, so as not to miss a word she said. They were together in the kitchen making Christmas Rolls. As the name implies, these rolls are usually prepared around Christmas, but today they were being prepared in honor of Tita’s birthday. She would soon be sixteen years old, and she wanted to celebrate with one of her favorite dishes. â€Å"Isn’t that something? Your ma talks about being ready for marriage like she was dishing up a plate of enchiladas! And the worse thing is, they’re completely different! You can’t just switch tacos and enchiladas like that!† Chencha kept up this kind of running commentary as she told the others-in her own way, of course-about the scene she had just witnessed. Tita knew Chencha sometimes exaggerated and distorted things, so she held her aching heart in check. She would not accept what she had just heard. Feigning calm, she continued cutting the rolls for her sisters and Nancha to fill. It is best to use homemade rolls. Hard rolls can easily be obtained from a bakery, but they should be small, the larger ones are unsuited for this recipe. After filling the rolls, bake for ten minutes and serve hot. For best results, leave the rolls out overnight, wrapped in a cloth, so that the grease from the sausage soaks into the bread. When Tita was finishing wrapping the next day’s rolls, Mama Elena came into the kitchen and informed them that she had agreed to Pedro’s marriage-to Rosaura. Hearing Chencha’s story confirmed, Tita felt her body fill with a wintry chill: in one sharp, quick blast she was so cold and dry her cheeks burned and turned red, red as the apples beside her. That overpowering chill a lasted a long time, and she could find no respite, not even when Nancha told her what she had overheard as she escorted don Pascual Muzquiz and his son to the ranch’s gate. Nancha followed them, walking as quietly as she could in order to hear the conversation between father and son. Don Pascual and Pedro were walking slowly, speaking in low, controlled, angry voices. †Why did you do that, Pedro? It will look ridiculous, your agreeing to marry Rosaura. What happened to the eternal love you swore to Tita? Aren’t you going to keep that vow?† â€Å"Of course I’ll keep it. When you’re told there’s no way you can marry the woman you love and your only hope of being near her is to marry her sister, wouldn’t you do the same?† Nancha didn’t manage to hear the answer, Pulque, the ranch dog, wentrunning by, barking at a rabbit he mistook for a cat. â€Å"So you intend to marry without love?† â€Å"No, Papa, I am going to marry with a great love for Tita that willnever die.† Their voices grew less and less audible, drowned out by the crackling of dried leaves beneath their feet. How strange that Nancha, who was quite hard of hearing by that time, should have claimed to have heard this conversation. Still, Tita thanked Nancha for telling her-but that did not alter the icy feelings she began to have for Pedro. It is said that the deaf can’t hear but can understand. Perhaps Nancha only heard what everyone else was afraid to say. Tita could not get to sleep that night, she could not find the words for what she was feeling. How unfortunate that black holes in space had not yet been discovered, for then she might have understood the black hole in the center of her chest, infinite coldness flowing through it. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw scenes from last Christmas, the first time Pedro and his family had been invited to dinner1 the scenesgrew more and more vivid, and the cold within her grew sharper. Despite the time that had passed since that evening, she remembered it perfectly: the sounds, the smells, the way her new dress had grazed the freshly waxed floor, the look Pedro gave her . . . That look! She had been walking to the table carrying a tray of egg-yolk candies when she first felt his hot gaze burning her skin. She turned her head, and her eyes met Pedro’s. It was then she understood how dough feels when it is plunged into boiling oil. The heat that invaded her body was so real she was afraid she would start to bubble-her face, her stomach, her heart, her breasts-like batter, and unable to endure his gaze she lowered her eyes and hastily crossed the room, to where Gertrudis was pedaling the player piano, playing a waltz called the Eyes of Youth.† She set her tray on a little table in the middle of the room, picked up a glass of Noyo liquor that was in front of her, hardly aware of what she was doing, and sat down next to Paquita Lobo, the De Ia Carzas’ neighbor. But even that distance between herself and Pedro was not enough1 she felt her blood pulsing, searing her veins. A deep flush suffused her face and no matter how she tried she could not find a place for her eyes to rest. Paquita saw that something was bothering her, and with a look of great concern, she asked: â€Å"That liquor is pretty strong, isn’t it?† â€Å"Pardon me?† â€Å"You look a little woozy, Tita. Are you feeling all right?† â€Å"Yes, thank you.† â€Å"You’re old enough to have a little drink on a special occasion, but tell me, you little devil, did your mama say it was okay? I can see you’re excited-you’re shaking and I’m sorry but I must say you’d better not have any more. Yo u wouldn’t want to make a fool of yourself.† That was the last straw! To have Paquita Lobo think she was drunk. She couldn’t allow the tiniest suspicion to remain in Paquita’s mind or she might tell her mother. Tita’s fear of her mother was enough to make her forget Pedro for a moment, and she applied herself to convincing Paquita, any way she could, that she was thinking clearly, that her mind was alert. She chatted with her, she gossiped, she made small talk. She even told her the recipe for this Noyo liquor which was supposed to have had such an effect on her. The liquor is made by soaking four ounces of peaches and a half pound of apricots in water for twenty-four hours to loosen the skin1 next, they are peeled, crushed, and steeped in hot water for fifteen days. Then the liquor is distilled. After two and a half pounds of sugar have been completely dissolved in the water, four ounces of orange-flower water are added, and the mixture is stirred and strained. And so there would be no lingering doubts about her mental and physical well-being, she reminded Paquita, as if it were just an aside, that the water containers held 2.016 liters, no more and no less. So when Mama Elena came over to ask Paquita if she was being properly entertained, she replied enthusiastically. â€Å"Oh yes, perfectly! You have such wonderful daughters. Such fascinating conversation!† Mama Elena sent Tita to the kitchen to get something for the guests. Pedro â€Å"happened† to be walking by at that moment and he offered his help. Tita rushed off to the kitchen without a word. His presence made her extremely uncomfortable. He followed her in, and she quickly sent him off with one of the trays of delicious snacks that had been waiting on the kitchen table. She would never forget the moment their hands accidentally touched as they both slowly bent down to pick up the same tray. That was when Pedro confessed his love. â€Å"Sen on to Tita, I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to be alone with you to tell you that I am deeply in love with you. I know this declaration is presumptuous, and that it’s quite sudden, but it’s so hard to get near you that I decided to tell you tonight. All I ask is that you tell me whether I can hope to win your love.† â€Å"I don’t know what to say . give me time to think.† â€Å"No, no, I can’t! I need an answer now: you don’t have to think about love, you either feel it or you don’t. I am a man of few words, but my word is my pledge. I swear that my love for you will last forever. What about you? Do you feel the same way about me?† â€Å"Yes!† Yes, a thousand times. From that night on she would love him forever. And now she had to give him up. It wasn’t decent to desire your sister’s future husband. She had to try to put him out of her mind somehow, so she could get to sleep. She started to eat the Christmas Roll Nancha had left out on her bureau, along with a glass of milk, this remedy had proven effective many times. Nancha, with all her experience, knew that for Tita there was no pain that wouldn’t disappear if she ate a delicious Christmas Roll. But this time it didn’t work. She felt no relief from the hollow sensation in her stomach. Just the opposite, a wave of nausea flowed over her. She realized that the hollow sensation was not hunger but an icy feeling of grief. She had to get rid of that terrible sensation of cold. First she put on a wool robe and a heavy cloak. The cold still gripped her. Then she put on felt slippers and another two shawls. No good. Finally she went to her sewing box and pulled out the bedspread she had started the day Pedro first spoke of marriage. A bedspread like that, a crocheted one, takes about a year to complete. Exactly the length of time Pedro and Tita had planned to wait before getting married. She decided to use the yarn, not to let it go to waste, and so she worked on the bedspread and wept furiously, weeping and working until dawn, and threw it over herself. It didn’t help at all. Not that night, nor many others, for as long as she lived, could she free herself from that cold. TO BE CONTINUED Next month’s recipe, Chabeta weooina Cake. CHAPTER TWO. FEBRUARY. Chabefa Wany Cake INGREDIENTS. 175 aranw refinco granetlate0 uyar 300 yram cake flour, fteo’ three tim& 17eay arateo peel of one lime PREPARATION: Place five egg yolks, four whole eggs, and the sugar in a large bowl. Beat until the mixture thickens and then add two more whole eggs repeat, adding the remaining eggs tw o at a time until all the eggs have been added. To make the cake for Pedro and Rosaura’s wedding, Tita and Nancha had to multiply this recipe by ten, since they were preparing a cake not for eighteen people but for 180. Therefore, they needed 170 eggs,which meant they had to arrange to have that number of good eggs on thesame day. To get that number of eggs together, they preserved all the eggs laid by the best hens for several weeks. This preserving technique had been employed on the ranch since time immemorial to ensure a supply of this nourishing and indispensable food throughout the winter. The best time to preserve eggs is August or September. The eggs must be very fresh. Nancha preferred to use only eggs laid the same day. The eggs are placed in a cask containing crumbled sheep fodder, allowed to cool, and then covered completely. This will keep the eggs fresh for months. If you want them to keep for more than a year, place the eggs in an earthenware crock and cover them with a ten-percent lime solution. Cover tightly to keep the air out and store in the wine cellar. Tita and Nancha had chosen to use the first method because they didn’t need to keep the eggs fresh for that many months. They had placed the cask containing the preserved eggs between them under the kitchen table and were taking the eggs out of it as they put the cake together. When she had beaten barely a hundred eggs, the phenomenal energy required for the task began to have a bad effect on Tita’s mood. To reach the goal of 170 seemed unimaginable. Tita beat the mixture while Nancha broke the eggs and added them to it. A fit of trembling shook Tita’s body and she broke out in goose bumps when each new egg was broken. The egg whites reminded her of the testicles of the chickens they had castrated the month before. Roosters that are castrated and then fattened up are called capons. The family had decided to serve capons at Pedro and Rosaura’s wedding because they would impress everyone with the quality of the dinner, as much for the amount of work required in their preparation as for the extraordinary flavor of the birds themselves. As soon as the date of the wedding was set for the twelfth of January, they ordered two hundred roosters to be bought for castrating and fattening up. This task fell to Tita and Nancha. Nancha because of her experience and Tita as punishment for feigning a headache to avoid her sister Rosaura’s engagement. â€Å"I won’t stand for disobedience,† Mama Elena told her, â€Å"nor am going to allow you to ruin your sister’s wedding, with your acting like a victim. You’re in charge of all the preparations starting now, and don’t ever let me catch you with a single tear or even a long face, do you hear?†