Beliefs Or Knowledge That Is Independent Of Culture

Beliefs Or Knowledge That Is Independent Of Culture The prescribed topic assumes that knowledge and beliefs are linked to culture .so what is knowledge?, what are beliefs?, what is culture?.Belief is defined as a principle or idea considered to be true (Websters dictionary, 2004) .By this definition the meaning that I got was belief is a conviction or an opinion without caring whether there is proof or not. So what is knowledge? Knowledge is what one knows, the body of facts accumulated over a period of time (Websters dictionary,2004). What is culture? Culture is appreciation and understanding of the arts, skills of a given people in a given period. Another definition is culture is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a religious, social or racial group All this definitions led to the question as to how knowledge, belifs and culture are acquired by a person. So how do we acquire knowledge? Knowledge is usually acquired through sensory perception an example being a curios little boy will acquire the knowledge that cactus plants are not meant to be held by the naked hand after he/she touches the plant and feels the pain. Knowledge can also be acquired through logical operations and emotional reactions. This kind of knowledge is caused by biological responses to stimuli, and could be considered not to be dependent of culture an example being facial expressions which are not taught or learned but they are biologically determined. So how is culture acquired? Culture is basically instilled in us when we are born. An example being me as I was born in Kenya and grew up in an Islamic background. So my culture is Islamic and Swahili and we do have our fair share of beliefs. Buddhists consider that knowledge is acquired through direct experience. So how is this experience achieved? Well the Buddhists achieve this experience by meditation opposite to the western traditions, which gives emphasis on a clear expression of thoughts and argument. Buddhists believe that words tend to expose the truth on the other hand, the recognition of Buddhists beliefs and customs for discovering the truth shows dependence of the culture of that knowledge. So are beliefs independent of culture? I will have to say yes on this. ? I will have to say yes on this. People may so no because some beliefs such as you must always wear clothes and shoes when leaving the house well I wont classify that as a belief but a ritual. Most beliefs are usually based on religion and culture. In the case of religion I as a Muslim have many beliefs that are dependent on my religion some of them being I must pray five times a day, the consequence of missing prayer is that we will burn in hell for a very long time. I believe in this theorem although there is no proof of sort but its a belief based on our religion. Beliefs that are based on my culture which is the Swahili culture are numerous. Some make sense and some do not make sense but I have no other choice than to live by these beliefs and follow them no matter what. A belief that I have always been told by my mother and has never ever made sense to me is that we should not clip our nails at night. I dont see how it applies in a real life situation. I usually cut my nails at night and so far so good nothing has happened to me. Another belief that is based on our culture is that we are told not to borrow salt at night. I dont know why it had to be salt but still like I said they do not make any sense to me at all, and we are expected to follow this beliefs although I think they dont make sense. But we do have to follow them, But some beliefs that my culture expects me to follow are somewhat sensible and I do follow them, examples of the sensible beliefs and rituals are like we should respect our parents and follow there each and every comm and, that is a belief that makes sense and I do believe that the people that do not live by this rule are actually bad people. I know there is no evidence that if you do not respect your parents you are going to get punished by the Almighty God but its a belief and in order to believe you dont need evidence or anything. All you need is your mind on whether to decide that you are going to believe in that belief or not. Another belief that I tend to differ with and is totally and purely based on culture is gender equality. I did some asking around and I found out in most of Kenyan tribes as well the Swahili culture tend to believe that men are more superior to women. They claim that man was created first so making them more superior and all that the women in our cultures should do is stay at home and prepare meals and clean the house while men are the bread winners. This is not such a wise belief, men and women are both humans so why should one kind be more superior than the other?, they were all created by the same creator!. With all this said I thing that all of my beliefs are independent of my culture. Some other people like the westerners who have no culture or dont know anything about their culture also have beliefs like the men should take care of their children and women, that is a belief that is common to all cultures in the world and also to those who dont have cultures so on an Americans p oint of view not all of their beliefs are based on the culture because the clearly have or dont know their culture. Community education (sociology), is dependent on the cultural expression of human knowledge that has been repeated again and again. Alfred webwruses was studying in the sociology of culture and he came up with the term kultursoziologe which mean cultural sociology which is a specific branch on sociology which is entirely dependent on culture. Culture is a very significant concept found in many branches of sociology, social stratification in the fields of scientific and social network analysis. Is knowledge based on culture? Well I will have to answer no on this query, knowledge is not entirely independent of culture. People may argue that knowledge such as traditional medicines, herbs are based on culture and some of those herbs that the traditional men used to use are used now by the scientists to make the medicine we consume today and they end up saving lives. History, its the study of past events and the effect on present life. Some of the knowledge in history is independent on culture a good example being the creation theory which one of the three possible theories of the origin of the world is based on culture and religion. In Swahili culture , the Elders have told us to believe in the creation theory and that it is God who created the world in six days and life starts on the seventh day. Knowledge such as this is independent of culture and. I gained this knowledge just by interacting with the elders of the family and they told me all sorts of stories Knowledge such as mathematics in example has no connection whatsoever with culture and such knowledge is not dependent of culture even one bit. Mathematics is purely about numbers and in my case the Swahili culture the elders who are supposed to be the wisest of humans dont even know simple math like one plus one. So are our beliefs and knowledge independent of culture? To some extent YES! Why am I saying yes? Its simply because most beliefs are based on culture and example being me, most of my beliefs are based on my culture although I do have beliefs outside my culture like if I drink plenty water at one go It may react with my body forcing me to throw up so its my belief that we should not drink much water and slowly as well. Knowledge also is somewhat dependent on culture and an example being the community sociology which is a whole branch in sociology that focuses on just culture. I then come up with the answer that both beliefs and knowledge are dependent of culture

Change Speech -Kite Runner, Poem, Article Essay

One can perceive change within themselves in various ways and through various mediums. Today I stand before you, ladies and gentleman to discuss with you three significant Changing Self texts I believe, strongly connect in their own ways with the Representations of Changing Self expo. Change can be an immediate process or it can be a series of events over a prolonged period of time like it is in Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, published in 2003. However, using different texts The Kite Runner and perhaps a poem, like The Door, by Miroslar Holub for example, can represent change of self not only in a different format, but also connecting ideas that change can be triggered by a certain event or experience in history which can leave a lasting impact on the present and future. At times we need to be coached or pushed into change, however in other instances we are called to embrace the opportunity as it arises. Sometimes we come across change unknowingly, by innocence or fear of circumstances as of a true story of an Indian boy named Saroo who unknowingly was driven through the process of change. Changing Self can be a very difficult process to acknowledge and to accept. This idea is significant in The Kite Runner; a ‘deeply moving’ novel demonstrates how a horrific experience of one unforeseen event can change the present and future of a young life. Amir slowly develops realisation with age that another change is required to bring about a new beginning or ‘a way to be good again’, as Rahim Khan said presented as a ‘one time’ opportunity . As discussed in the beginning of the novel we are revealed with a component of the past which reflects the choice of future Amir is faced with. The result of Amir’s dreadful experience of watching his servant friend, or not-so-much friend, Hassan being raped and the fact that he didn’t do anything about it, or step in and fight Asef before any commotion began fills Amir with unsound guilt and remorse which he proved unable to hide away from, ‘it was my past of untatoned sins† as quoted. This guilt is too powerful for him to acknowledge, so much so that he takes the course of trying to change the way things ran around his home, by getting rid of Hassan from his life. Amir runs away, metaphorically and literally from the environment and surrounds in hope to seek a better mind and reality. Using the literal ‘running’ from Afghanistan to America to seek safety, he does this metaphorically as he tries to run away from the guilt he cannot let go of. The symbolic use of the cleft lip is a significant detail in the novel used to classify that a person can be identified through specific events and choices, positive or negative. By this whereas Hassan had a cleft lip as a child, this same scenario is changed around as Amir embraces the opportunity to ‘become good again’ and save Sohrab, Hassan’s son, and Amir’s own nephew, from Asef. Amir changes his old cowardice to courage, stepping fourth to fight a losing battle with Asef, a noted, ‘cathartic’ experience, relieving himself from pain, with pain from the blows of Asef, leaving Amir with a cleft lip also. Only to be saved by Sohrab with the repeated symbolic use of the slingshot, this was also used to save Amir from Asef by Hassan years before. Amir feels as though he has positively changed for the better by embracing opportunity and new attribute of courage, filling in the gaps of his stained past. Changing self may be presented as a door of opportunity or experience we may be called to open. The Door, an influential, yet daring poem by Miroslar Holub emphasises in an imperative tone of urgency and pushiness that any change is better than no change at all. Therefore, one must embrace any change as the opportunity presents itself. The symbol of the door is an indicator of opportunities, and the need for them to be open, just as Rahim Khan was a door of opportunity for Amir to open and experience the ‘drought’ or movement of change willing to take place, good or bad. The words, ‘if there is a fog, it will clear’ demonstrates how this presented opportunity for Amir to relieve his life of guilt with be finally removed with action of ‘opening the door.’ The repetition of ‘go and open the door’ is not only encouraging but coaching and emphasising that if all doors are opened and even if so many are negative, there will still be a positive movement because the door was opened and ‘at least there will be a draught,’ or rather, at least you will have tried to do something about an awful event or experience with an unseen future and not remain in the same position, dealing with the guilt and regret, which cannot escape. As long as the door remains shut, the air will remain stuffy and uncomfortable to breathe in, so coming fourth and opening the door will let fresh air and new opportunities to evolve. The writer explains the positives of change which is used to entice or urge the reader to want to experience a new change of air. Changing circumstances in one’s life can erratically change and impact one’s life within a series of events contained by a short span of time. This concept is represented in the deeply touching true story of an Indian boy, named Saroo which was published in the Sydney Morning Herald back in March this year. Throughout 25 years, young Saroo went through an array of unforseen events which lead him away from lifelong poverty and his mother to where he is today, amongst the rich living in Australia. Just as the Herald Sun writes, ‘Australia’s very own, slum dog millionaire!’ Why was this so? Many say it occurred because of fate. When Saroo, whom at the time was only five years old- awoke alone and very frightened at one of India’s very many train stations very late in the evening after he had fallen asleep waiting for h is brother to return. At this part of Saroo’s life, he had very little and was uneducated. Was it fear or was it God or a mixture of the both who persuaded young Saroo to pursue looking for his brother in the closest train simply because, ‘he might be in there.’ This simple child’s thought shunted and altered his life away from anything he ever knew†¦ one unforseen event, encouraged by fear, taking the opportunity to open the doors which lead to a train, almost leaving to go to Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald describes this event as ‘the night his young life’s course was altered forever.’ This change of self is represented by the innocence of a young boy. This concept is characterised by Saroo explaining how the reality of trying to get home became a dead end, just like, all the trains he road, to try and reach home, only to meet with another dead end. Various aspects of Saroo’s life were in fact ‘dead ends’ but when it came to his life depending on it, just as Amir depended on the opportunity from Rahim Khan, as unforseen at the time as it was both boys embraced their opportunities to find something, whether a brother or second chance. They opened the door. Saroo’s door opened eventually to a family from Australia whom adopted him, suddenly and strangely out of his life course, he landed himself in Hobart. In conclusion, we can gather that changing self can be a difficult process, yet also an unforseen process which may take place over a series of events. These three researched texts have shown connecting and similar views that we must make use of experience and opportunity of change as it arises. Through these views, we are challenged that ultimately it is up to ourselves via thoughts or actions or a mixture of both to decide the course of change we are willing to take. In the Kite Runner, it is up to Amir to choose to put himself in danger to make up for his guilty past, The Door commands us to take opportunities, and yet in the Sydney Morning Herald’s feature Story illustrates that with physical experience change is forever impacting. Each of these demonstrates in their own way how change can somewhat be forced upon a person and ultimately deliver them into a new direction.

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible In connection to McCarthyism Essay

â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.† History is a â€Å"chronological record of events.† These events, whether positive or tragic, often repeat themselves. The McCarthy Hearings that took place in the 1950’s are a good example of this. The accusations of communism led to a nation-wide hysteria and fear of who was going to be named next. When this was over, the hope would be that nothing like it would ever happen again and nothing like it had ever happened before. However, we have not only repeated it on various occasions, but through Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, we also see the parallel of the event with the Salem Witch hunts that took place years before the hearings. The connection between The Crucible and the McCarthy Hearings is not an isolated one, but can also be made with other historical and current events that are happening today. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in response to The McCarthy Hearings. These two events can be connected in many ways; for example, people in each situation used hysteria for their own good. â€Å"Joseph McCarthy was a flagrant self-promoter† and extremely power-hungry. (Schrecker 242) He believed that by accusing people in high positions of having ties with communism that he would become a more respected figure. McCarthy’s accusations were based upon little to no evidence and of the tens of thousands accused, only a handful was actually persecuted. (Fried) â€Å"Throughout the early 1950’s, McCarthy continued to make accusations of communist infiltration of the U. S. government, though he failed to provide evidence†¦ These charges received extensive media attention, making McCarthy the most famous political figure in the nation after President Harry Truman. He was also one of the most criticized.† (Appleton History) McCarthy’s claims were givi ng him his desired attention and praise. He was already at a respected level in the government, however he desired more. In October 1953, McCarthy began investigating communist infiltration the United States Military. (Fried) When Army Chief of Staff Omar Bradley was accused, McCarthy’s popularity went down. Omar Bradley was a highly respected man and a true patriot. This can be connected to The Crucible because of what the main character, Abigail, does to get what she wants. Originally, all Abigail wants is a man, John Proctor. She accuses John Proctor’s wife of witchcraft in order to have  him all to herself. As Abigail realizes the empowerment she has gained, she begins blaming other innocent people of witchcraft. Eventually she becomes mad with power and blames Judge Hawthorne’s wife. â€Å"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.† McCarthy and Abigail both gained power through their accusations, and their desire for more power led to their demise. Another similarity between McCarthyism and The Crucible is that in both situations, people blamed others to save themselves. During the McCarthy Hearings, the only way to lower the charges against you was to expose another person working for the communists. Because of this, people were wrongly accused and punished. In the Salem witch trials, people were also released if they revealed someone who has â€Å"made a compact with Lucifer.† An additional similarity between McCarthyism and The Crucible was that there were explainable events that sparked the hysteria. In the McCarthy hearings, McCarthy’s false accusations sparked it. The hysteria could have been prevented simply if people were not so easily scared by the accusations and they took the time to examine their validity. In The Crucible, the event that sparked the hysteria was when the girls were dancing in the woods. This event could have been easily explained without tying it to witchcraft and many lives could have been saved. McCarthyism and The Crucible also have many differences. For example, the witchcraft in The Crucible was unbelievable and the testimonies were from children. If people in the village used reason, they could have determined the accusations were false. Joseph McCarthy was a respected general and had ties to the government. This made his claims very convincing and much more believable than the allegations made by children. Another difference was that the McCarthy hearings were on much larger scale than the Salem Witch hunts. In the McCarthy hearings nearly 10,000 people were affected, many of whom lost their jobs and their lives ruined. (Schrecker) The Salem Witch Trials were on a much smaller scale; only about 140 were affected. (Boyer) A third difference was that anyone who was accused of being a witch and did not confess or expose someone else was hung. Although more people were affected, no one was ever killed during the McCarthy Hearings. Hysteria is defined as â€Å"behavior exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic.† The McCarthy Hearings and the Salem Witch Trials were both hysterias. â€Å"McCarthy did not create the communist problem, but he exploited it shamelessly for political ends, accusing the Democrats in general with baseless, sweeping, shotgun allegations. He was a master of the sound bite, and played the press like a harp†. (Pinto) This was a time when people were afraid of war and the spread of communism. Because of this, they were easy victims to be caught up in the hysteria. McCarthy accused people to have ties with communism based on little evidence and thousands of people were wrongly accused. â€Å"Joe McCarthy was nosier, more impulsive, and more skillful in gaining publicity than the rest of the anticommunist network.† (Schrecker 242) McCarthy was good at spreading his message and got people scared of what could happen. The Salem Witch Hunts were also based on hysteria rather than facts or evidence. Puritans believe in The Supremacy of Divine Will in which God is absolute. (Reuben) When the girls were seen dancing in the woods, it caused panic in the town that â€Å"the devil is loose in Salem.† No actual evidence of anyone practicing witchcraft was presented, but accusations were made and the hysteria began. McCarthyism and The Salem Witch Trials are not the only examples of hysteria that occurred in history. Other events have had similar effects throughout history, causing impacts to society and to individuals. One example is the Japanese Internment Camps of the 1940’s and 50’s that changed the lives of about 120,000 Japanese Americans. (Sakurai 16) â€Å"Frightened children clutched their parents’ hands. The adults were scared, too, but they tried hard not to show their fear. Armed soldiers herded the families onto the trains and buses that would carry them far away from their comfortable homes. The United States government was sending Japanese Americans to bleak prison  camps. How could such a terrible thing come to pass?† (Sakurai 3) December 7th, 1941 Japan bombed the military base at Pearl Harbor. This began the discrimination against Japanese Americans. Until the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, the United States had been very firm about staying out of World War II; however, this unprovoked act forced a declaration of war on Japan. This caused fear and anger against the Japanese Americans. â€Å"Japanese Americans had done nothing wrong, but they shared a common ancestry with the enemy pilots who bombed Pearl Harbor.† (Sakurai 8) In The Fall of 1942, Japanese Americans were put in permanent relocation centers, isolating them from the rest of the world. This racist hysteria discriminated people not for their actions, but because of their looks and ancestry. This compares to the McCarthy Era and to the Salem witch trials because in each circumstance people were accused of being part of something to â€Å"be feared†. The accusations did not have any basis in this situation, except the physical features of the accused. â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.† The likelihood of hysteria, such as the McCarthy Hearings or the Salem witch trials, developing today is not only very probable, it is evident. Although there is very little chance that anyone is going to be convicted of being a witch like in Salem, people are still very scared of today’s â€Å"witches†. Since 9/11, our â€Å"witches† are those people who look different. They come from any place in the Middle East. It does not matter which of those countries they are from, or even if they were born here in the United States. Just the color of their skin, their dress, their religious beliefs, or their accents make them suspicious of being a terrorist. They have been searched, harassed, fired from jobs, physically harmed, and discriminated against. Our lives were drastically changed by what happened on September 11th, but our reaction has not changed much since the witch trials of Salem or the McCarthy Hearings. We truly have not learned from the lessons of the past and it is impossible to say if we ever will. Whether it is the fear of witchcraft, communism, war, diseases, or terrorism, it is easy to see that people are persuaded very quickly. There is no need for fact or proof, just a convincible  McCarthy or Abigail to make the accusations and start the hysteria. Perhaps that is why â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.† Works Cited Appleton History. 21 Apr. 2003. 12 Dec. 2003 . Belfrage, Cedric. The American Inquisition: A Profile of the ‘McCarthy Era’. New York: Thunder’s Mouth P, 1989. 183-275. Boyer, Paul, and Steven Nissenbaum. The 1692 Salem Witch Trials: . 1997. 10 Dec. 2003 . Fried, Albert. Learning Curve. The National Archives. 8 Dec. 2003 . Pinto, Jason. The Crucible Project. 2003. 6 Dec. 2003 . Reuben, Paul P. â€Å"Chapter 1: Puritanism & Colonial Period: to 1700.† PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. URL: http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap1/chap1.html Sakurai, Gail. Japanese American Internment Camps. New York: Childrens P, 2002. 1-48. Schrecker, Ellen. Impact Of McCarthyism. 1995. 10 Dec. 2003 . Schrecker, Ellen. Many Are The Crimes: McCarthyism In America. Boston: Little, Brown, And Company, 1998. 1-550.

Essay Tragic Hero - 643 Words

Research Paper Instructions In Module/Week 8, you will write a 1500-words (about 5–7-pages) essay that addresses one of the plays from the Drama Unit. A minimum of six citations, including the primary source and at least five secondary scholarly sources, is required for this assignment. Before you begin writing the essay, carefully read the guidelines for developing your paper topic that are given below. Review the research paper Grading Rubric to see how your submission will be graded. Gather all of your information, plan the direction of your essay, and organize your ideas by developing a one-page thesis statement, outline, draft, and bibliography for your research paper. Format the thesis statement and the outline in a single†¦show more content†¦Review Chapter 34 of your textbook for the background and overview of Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice, and drama. This chapter also contains critical information on Shakespeare and the play Othello, the Moor of Venice. Also, s ee pp. 855–858 and pp. 1022–1025, which address Aristotle’s concept of tragedy and the tragic hero. You may use any of the critical material as a secondary source, but remember to cite it correctly. 3. Use evidence from Sophocles’ Oedipus, from Shakespeare’s Othello, Moor of Venice, and from secondary sources to explain why you agree or disagree with this statement: â€Å"The downfall of Oedipus is the work of the gods; the downfall of Othello is self-inflicted.† (Should you choose this option, you need to read both Oedipus and Othello in full.) 4. Discuss the author’s perception of death and the treatment of death in Everyman. Finding Scholarly Sources For your papers, you are only permitted to use academic sources. Resources such as 123Essays, Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, and Masterplots (or similar resources) are not scholarly and will not be permitted in your papers. 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