Catholic Teachings on Racism and Stealing free essay sample

Humans, by their very nature, are social animals and it is how society deals with these interpersonal interactions that makes the fabric of any given society or culture. There are many issues in today’s society which were paramount in society through the ages, through our modern and ancient history and as far back as biblical times. Institutions such as the Church provide some teachings as to how society should be expected to behave on various issues. For instance, the Catholic Church’s position on both racism and stealing are stances which could be adopted world-wide to help aim towards world peace, equality and justness for all. The concepts of having respect for each other as people and for individual property are as much an issue today as yesteryear and will continue to be in the future. The Church’s guidelines remain relevant now and can help mankind in the future. It is all about the moral choices that people make. Exactly what is â€Å"moral† or â€Å"immoral† may be interpreted by different people and cultures differently. Morality is â€Å"a code of conduct put forward by society, or some other group such as religion, or accepted by an individual for his/her own behaviour† (Sirswal, 2010, p. ). Catholics have teachings laid down in the narratives of the Bible which help them to make moral choices in their lives. The Ten Commandments are a guideline to morality set down by God himself and give Catholics a guideline for their living. The pace of change in today’s world is fast and the Church also, through the Vatican, endeavours to keep pace with these changes and to inform its followers of the Catholic moral stance on various social issues through encyclicals and the catechism. The basic Catholic law of love , loving your God and your neighbour are the linchpin of Catholic morality and seeing racism as immoral is directly linked to the concept of loving thy neighbour. Racism can be defined as â€Å"a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others† (Random House, 2013). Racism is seen by Catholics as a sin as it goes directly against God’s teachings that we should all treat others the way we would like to be treated. The Bible says that we were all formed in the image and likeness of God and that we are all one in Jesus Christ. This does not gel at all with any form of racism; we are all equal and no one (race or otherwise) is superior to another. The Bible tells us â€Å"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment† (John 7:24) and Romans 10:12 tells us that â€Å"there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is the Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him†. It is about respect for ourselves and our fellow human beings. Another issue similar to this is stealing, which involves people having respect for other’s property. Stealing is a complex issue but basically revolves around the issue of theft, â€Å"the secret taking of another’s property against the reasonable will of that other† (New Advent, 2013). It is essentially depriving an individual or group of their possessions. Not only is it seen by the Catholic Church as a sin, in most cultures around the world it is also an illegal act which is legislated against. The Seventh Commandment states that â€Å"Though shall not steal† and is repeated many times in the Bible (Matthew 19:18,Exodus 20:15). This appears to be a clear teaching and also ties in with the Catholic doctrine that all people must respect the property rights of others. However the Church’s stance on the issue is not cut and dried. There are so many levels of stealing, in terms of the material value of what has been stolen, the intent to which the stolen item was to be put, the intent the person had when they deprived the other of that property and whether restitution will be made for the property taken. The Catholic Church does make exception in circumstances such as where someone does not have the basic necessities of life (food, water and shelter) and the theft of such things may be condoned if they are necessary for life to continue and are taken from another’s excess. Proverbs 6:30-31 states that â€Å"Men do not despise a theft if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving. Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold; though it costs him all the wealth of his house†. It is all about compassion for fellow man. The Catholic lore on stealing can also be difficult to interpret in modern times when not only material property can be stolen, but also intellectual property such as copyright and internet/web rights. Appendix 1 is an article regarding some American teens who, following Obama’s re-election, tweeted racist comments, including calling President Obama a â€Å"nigger† and making monkey jibes. This article highlights that despite the Bible’s teaching and the country’s moral codes, there are still some people who have racist attitudes. Catholics should have zero tolerance f racism and it is right that many people went to the teenagers’ schools to make them aware of the comments made. It should not matter whether the teenagers meant no malice in their comments or not, perhaps they just thought they were being â€Å"funny men† or were succumbing to peer pressure and following the lead of others. In modern society, where countries are increasingly mu lti-cultural it is important that society promotes the concept of different races and cultures living together in harmony. The Catholic teachings are a good basis for society as far as racism not being tolerated and that no race is superior to another. It is particularly important in modern society as the world-wide web and social media means that actions and comments are shared throughout the world in an instant. Whereas years ago, a high-schooler making some comment like this amongst friends would not have spread any further, the mere typing of the words on to a tweet mean they were beamed around the world in a flash. It is great that many people complained and got up in arms about the comments. The other danger today is that such comments broadcast to millions around the world, may incite others to behave in a similar manner. The Catholic teachings are still as relevant in these sorts of circumstances as they always have been. People do need to treat others fairly and justly and all are equal in God’s eyes. The article in Appendix 2 refers to a gang of teenagers, led by three girls, using a gun and hammers in a robbery of a takeaway store in New Zealand in 2010. They unsuccessfully tried to steal money and ended up taking backpacks full of ice creams. The whole act of violence and robbery is against the Church’s teachings. Given that the perpetrators were after money at first, it does not seem that they committed the crime out of desperation or hunger. They have breached another person’s right to their property and their right to earn a living from their labours, The store owner also had their personal rights of safety and security breached having a gun brandished in his face. Apart from the fact that such stealing is illegal in terms of New Zealand law, the Catholic Church’s teaching would also apply here. Modern day society is becoming more and more materialistic and more than ever people need to abide by the Church’s teaching of Thou shall not steal†. Social issues such as drugs and alcohol abuse may also make some people more prone to resort to stealing to feed their habits and practices. Despite all of this everyone needs to get back to the basics of the Church’s teaching and to respect other people and their property. The concept of Love Thy Neighbour should be more applicable than ever. What does the future hold for both these issues and the Catholic viewpoint on them? We do not and never have, lived in a perfect society and Catholics cannot lay claim to their teachings giving rise to a perfect society. However, if more people embraced some of the Catholic teachings in relation to the issues of racism and stealing, it would be a big step in the right direction. Our society today is more nomadic than ever, with people regularly travelling to other countries around the world and experiencing more and more cultures. People settle in new countries and Australia is a good example of a multicultural society. The key to all these races and ethnicities living as one has to be the same as the key to Catholic teachings, the love of one’s God and one’s neighbour. There has to be racial equality and justice for all around the globe. The golden rule of do unto others what you would want done to you still applies today, even with all the mod-cons and technology at our disposal. The days of social media mean our actions and words as an individual can be viewed and judged by others all around the world in a split second. Catholics and indeed all people need to respect the rights, individualities and property of all others. The whole concept of â€Å"property† itself needs to be reconsidered as it does not necessarily mean only material things can be stolen, but also intellectual property, thoughts and ideas of others are to be respected as belonging to them. In its simplest form this means â€Å"Thou shall not steal†, however it is also important to have compassion and to follow our duty to help those less fortunate than ourselves. A person’s understanding of morality may stem from a code of conduct set down by any number of institutions, such as government in the form of laws and religion. It is about how one grows into adulthood and forms their own set of personal and faith based guides to living life, in the bounds of the law of that society. The teachings of the Catholic Church, via the Bible, its beatitudes, encyclicals and the catechism all still have relevance in today’s society. The rapid and ever-changing face of modern society could lead some people to question the relevance of the long-standing Catholic Church and it’s moral code in light of how the world has changed. On the contrary though, the basic moral concepts upon which the teachings are based remain as relevant as ever. In terms of racism and stealing, the Catholic Church’s stance of loving one another, treating everyone as equals, having respect for one another’s property and the Ten Commandments could be adopted all over the world in an effort to somehow work towards the attainment of world peace, equality and justice for all. There is something to be said for the moral doctrines of the church and Christianity in general and in the end, no matter what one’s religion, boils down to following the moral codes set down by whatever faith and whatever society we live in, coupled with an individual’s use of common-sense, practical judgment and compassion for all. REFERENCES About. com, 2013, What is Racism, viewed 3/3/13, http://racerelations. about. com/od/understandingrac1/a/WhatIsRacism. htm Archdiocese of Chicago, 2000, Moving Beyond Racism: Learning to See with the Eyes of Christ Brothers and Sisters in Christ, viewed 3/3/13, http://www. rchchicago. org/catholic_values/catholic_teaching/moving_beyond _racism. html Bible. org, 2013, The Sin of Stealing, viewed 8/3/13, http://bible. org/print/book/export/html/155 Clarke. edu, 2013, Definitions of Racism, viewed 3/3/13, http://www. clarke. edu/media/files/multicultural_student_services/defintiionsof racism. pdf Dictionary. com, 2013, Racism Defini tion, viewed 3/3/13, http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/racism eHow. com, 2013, Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and Bible Stories, viewed 8/3/13, http://www. ehow. com/print/info_8236130_principles-social-teaching-bible-stories. tml Jezebel. com, 2012, Racist Teens Forced to Answer for Tweets Abut the ‘Nigger’ President, viewed 3/3/13, http://jezebel. com/5958993/racist-teens-forced-to-answer-for-tweets-aboutt-the-niggerpresident. html New Advet. org, 2013, Theft, viewed 8/3/13, http://www. newadvent. org/cathen/14564b. htm Random House Dictionary, 2013, Racism, viewed 3/3/13, http://dictionary. reference. com/brose/racism Sirswal, DR, 2010, Professional Ethics and Morality, PG College for Girls, viewed 3/3/13, http://drsirswal. webs. com/documents/Professional%20Ethics. pdf

The Immortal Speaker free essay sample

Martin Luther King is considered a genius in public speaking by many. When he lived, he possessed the incredible ability to capture and convince a crowd with only his words. Students today analyze the techniques used in his works in order to obtain a similar effect when they write essays or deliver speeches. Three of his most effective techniques are his biblical references and allusions, his use of appeals, and his use of opposites. These techniques are used widely in persuasive writing because they all fall under the umbrella term, â€Å"pathos,† but King was able to use them in ways that changed America forever. King was a reverend, so it is natural for his works to be filled with biblical references and allusions. For example, even though A Letter From Birmingham Jail is dripping with sarcasm, King takes time to be serious and include biblical support for his belief that extremism can have a positive connotation. We will write a custom essay sample on The Immortal Speaker or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In â€Å"I Have a Dream,† Martin Luther King mentions time and time again that all people are Gods children, and that with faith his dream can become reality. In finding intelligent ways to use his knowledge of the Bible, King bends peoples emotions and sways their opinions of the way things should be. He was able to do this partly because the Bible was a common interest to whites and blacks of all ages, allowing his words to resonate within a wide spectrum of people. Another reason his references and allusions were so effective is because he knew his religion so well that he could pick out exactly the support he needed to make his point. Kings use of the biblical history is undeniably effective in a logical sense, but it is even more so because of the emotional effects the uses have on the audience. Kings works are peppered with appeals to sympathy, patriotism, faith, justice, and numerous other kinds of pathos. He justified his appearance in Birmingham because â€Å"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,† and justice was something much of his audience desperately wanted. Kings periodic sentence in A Letter From Birmingham Jail is coated in appeals, pulling at the readers sympathy with every mention of violence to the undeserving and injustice to children. â€Å"I Have a Dream† is filled with appeals to hope and faith from promising to â€Å"cash a checkto which every American [has fallen] heir† to when he openly states â€Å"With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.† With his carefully chosen words, the emotions of Kings audience are like putty in his hands. Listeners and readers feel obligated in a sense to join King in his campaign for equality. Using opposites in his speeches and essays allows King to touch people from remarkably different backgrounds all at once. In â€Å"I Have a Dream,† King calls out to people from eight different states and links them with their mountains. By creating this unity between apparent opposites, King makes all of America burn with the desire to â€Å"let freedom ring.† In the final paragraph of â€Å"I Have a Dream,† King describes a day when â€Å"black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics† will all be united in freedom. He makes it a point to connect opposites here in order to highlight the idea of equality despite differences. For a similar reason, King writes in A Letter From Birmingham Jail â€Å"Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.† This statement resonates with any reader who has felt like an outsider and sparks sympathy in those who have not. The three stylistic devices are all connected to pathos, one of the pillars of public speaking. Pathos is particularly effective in Kings works because of their persuasive nature. His ability to influence the emotions of his audience is a large part of the reason why his campaign for equality proved to be such a success. His mastery of biblical allusions and references, appeals, and opposites allow him to persuade effectively, and change the course of American history in the process.

Understanding Quantum Optics

Understanding Quantum Optics Quantum optics is a field of quantum physics that deals specifically with the interaction of photons with matter. The study of individual photons is crucial to understanding the behavior of electromagnetic waves as a whole. To clarify exactly what this means, the word quantum refers to the smallest amount of any physical entity that can interact with another entity. Quantum physics, therefore, deals with the smallest particles; these are incredibly tiny sub-atomic particles which behave in unique ways. The word optics, in physics, refers to the study of light. Photons are the smallest particles of light (though it is important to know that photons can behave as both particles and waves). Development of Quantum Optics and the Photon Theory of Light The theory that light moved in discrete bundles (i.e. photons) was presented in Max Plancks 1900 paper on the ultraviolet catastrophe in black body radiation. In 1905, Einstein expanded on these principles in his explanation of the photoelectric effect to define the photon theory of light. Quantum physics developed through the first half of the twentieth century largely through work on our understanding of how photons and matter interact and inter-relate. This was viewed, however, as a study of the matter involved more than the light involved. In 1953, the maser was developed (which emitted coherent microwaves) and in 1960 the laser (which emitted coherent light). As the property of the light involved in these devices became more important, quantum optics began being used as the term for this specialized field of study. Findings Quantum optics (and quantum physics as a whole) views electromagnetic radiation as traveling in the form of both a wave and a particle at the same time. This phenomenon is called wave-particle duality. The most common explanation of how this works is that the photons move in a stream of particles, but the overall behavior of those particles is determined by a quantum wave function that determines the probability of the particles being in a given location at a given time. Taking findings from quantum electrodynamics (QED), it is also possible to interpret quantum optics in the form of the creation and annihilation of photons, described by field operators. This approach allows the use of certain statistical approaches that are useful in analyzing the behavior of light, although whether it represents what is physically taking place is a matter of some debate (although most people view it as just a useful mathematical model). Applications Lasers (and masers) are the most obvious application of quantum optics. Light emitted from these devices is in a coherent state, which means the light closely resembles a classical sinusoidal wave. In this coherent state, the quantum mechanical wave function (and thus the quantum mechanical uncertainty) is distributed equally. The light emitted from a laser is, therefore, highly ordered, and generally limited to essentially the same energy state (and thus the same frequency wavelength).

Biography of James Monroe, Fifth U.S. President

Biography of James Monroe, Fifth U.S. President James Monroe (April 28, 1758–July 4, 1831) was the fifth president of the United States. He fought with distinction in the American Revolution and served in the cabinets of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison before winning the presidency. He is best remembered for creating the Monroe Doctrine, a key tenet of United States foreign policy, which warned European nations against intervening in the Western Hemisphere.  He was a staunch anti-Federalist. Fast Facts: James Monroe Known For:  Statesman, diplomat, founding father, the fifth president of the United StatesBorn:  April 28, 1758 in Westmoreland County, VirginiaParents: Spence Monroe and Elizabeth JonesDied:  July 4, 1831 in New York, New YorkEducation: Campbelltown Academy, the College of William and MaryPublished Works:  The Writings of James MonroeOffices Held: Member of the Virginia House of Delegates, member of the Continental Congress, U.S. senator, minister to France, governor of Virginia, minister to Britain, secretary of state, secretary of war, president of the United StatesSpouse: Elizabeth KortrightChildren: Eliza and Maria HesterNotable Quote: Never did a government commence under auspices so favorable, nor ever was success so complete. If we look to the history of other nations, ancient or modern, we find no example of a growth so rapid, so gigantic, of a people so prosperous and happy.   Early Life and Education James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758, and grew up in Virginia. He was the son of Spence Monroe, a  well-off planter and carpenter, and Elizabeth Jones, who was well educated for her time. His mother died before 1774, and his father died soon after when James was 16. Monroe inherited his fathers estate. He studied at Campbelltown Academy and then went to the College of William and Mary. He dropped out to join the Continental Army and fight in the American Revolution. Military Service Monroe served in the Continental Army from 1776–1778 and rose to the rank of major. He was aide-de-camp to Lord Stirling during the winter at Valley Forge. After an attack by enemy fire, Monroe suffered a severed artery and lived the rest of his life with a musket ball ​lodged beneath his skin. Monroe also acted as a scout during the Battle of Monmouth. He resigned in 1778 and returned to Virginia, where Governor Thomas Jefferson made him Military Commissioner of Virginia.   Political Career Before the Presidency From 1780–1783, Monroe studied law under Thomas Jefferson. Their friendship was the springboard for Monroes swiftly rising political career. From 1782–1783, he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He then became a delegate to the Continental Congress (1783–1786). In 1786, Monroe married  Elizabeth Kortright. They had two daughters together,  Eliza and Maria Hester, and a son who died in infancy. Monroe left politics briefly to practice law, but he returned to become a U.S. senator and served from 1790–1794. He had a short tenure in France as a minister (1794–1796) and then was recalled by Washington. He was elected Virginia governor (1799–1800; 1811). President Jefferson sent him to France in 1803 to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, a key achievement of his life. He then became minister to Britain (1803–1807). In President Madisons cabinet, Monroe served as secretary of state (1811–1817) while concurrently holding the post of secretary of war from 1814–1815, the only person in U.S. history to have served both offices at the same time. Election of 1816 Monroe was the presidential choice of both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. His vice president was Daniel D. Tompkins. The Federalists ran Rufus King. There was very little support for the Federalists, and Monroe won 183 out of 217 electoral votes. His victory marked the death knell for the Federalist Party. First Term of Presidency James Monroes administration was known as the Era of Good Feelings. The economy was booming and the War of 1812 had been declared a victory. The Federalists posed little opposition in the first election and none in the second, so no real partisan politics existed. During his time in office, Monroe had to contend with the First Seminole War (1817–1818), when Seminole Indians and escaped slaves raided Georgia from Spanish Florida. Monroe sent  Andrew Jackson  to rectify the situation. Despite being told not to invade Spanish-held Florida, Jackson did and deposed the military governor. This eventually led to the Adams-Onis Treaty (1819) where Spain ceded Florida to the United States. It also left all of Texas under Spanish control. In 1819, America entered its first economic depression (at that time called a Panic). This lasted until 1821. Monroe made some moves to try and alleviate the effects of the depression. In 1820, The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri into the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It also provided that the rest of the  Louisiana Purchase  above latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes was to be free. Re-Election in 1820 and Second Term Despite the depression, Monroe ran unopposed in 1820 when he ran for re-election. Therefore, there was no real campaign. He received all electoral votes save one, which was cast by William Plumer for John Quincy Adams. Perhaps the crowning achievements of Monroes presidency occurred in his second term: the Monroe  Doctrine, issued in 1823. This became a central part of American foreign policy throughout the 19th century and to the current day. In a speech before Congress, Monroe warned European powers against expansion and colonial intervention in the Western Hemisphere. At the time, it was necessary for the British to help enforce the doctrine. Along with  Theodore Roosevelt’s  Roosevelt Corollary and  Franklin D. Roosevelt’s  Good Neighbor policy, the Monroe Doctrine is still an important part of American foreign policy. Post Presidential Period Monroe retired to Oak Hill in Virginia. In 1829, he was sent to and named the president of the Virginia Constitutional Convention. After his wifes death, he moved to New York City to live with his daughter. Death Monroes health had been declining throughout the 1820s. He died of tuberculosis and heart failure on July 4, 1831 in New York, New York. Legacy Monroes time in office was known as the Era of Good Feelings due to the lack of partisan politics. This was the calm before the storm that would lead to the Civil War. The completion of the Adams-Onis Treaty ended tensions with Spain with their cession of Florida. Two of the most important events during Monroes presidency were the Missouri Compromise, which attempted to solve a potential conflict over free and slave states, and his greatest legacy the Monroe Doctrine, which continues to influence American foreign policy. Sources Ammon, Harry. James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity. Mcgraw-Hill, 1971.Unger, Harlow G. The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nations Call to Greatness. Da Capo Press, 2009.

AMERICAN HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AMERICAN HISTORY - Essay Example For them Africans and Indian tribes were of low grade as these people were darker in complexion. Indians were distinct in the way they lived, their cultural habits and customs. Indian was thought to be Barbarians by Europeans. Indians used to perform human sacrifice and hunt and lead a primitive life. For these reasoned, they were considered less human and many Europeans countries tried to invade them and destroy their empire. However, Indians were rich in terms of gold and silver acquisition and also had a classic architectural towns and cities. The Europeans also had an eye on their wealth which led to the invasion. The Europeans brought lot of diseases to Native America which has killed many of the native men. The greed for land and wealth has led to the encroachment of Europeans into the land of Native tribes. According to (Colonies, commerce and the Empire Ch- 3, pg 60) â€Å"For some Englishmen, colonization was one way to remove what they considered an extremely large and inc reasingly dangerous population†. Speaking on the basis of our value, the natives had every right to live freely as it was the land where there were born and raised. Everybody has the right to live on earth as all belong to this planet and no one is superior or inferior according to nature’s law. The depredation of Europeans on Native people was a cruel some act. They attacked the men and raped the women for no reason. The Native Americans had wealth which was plundered by the Europeans. This is against human rights and freedom of people to live. Morally it is wrong to attack people, kill them, torture or steal from them. So the acts done by Europeans were heinous. We can give our moral judgments of this shameful act as we are socially reacting creatures and has right to give our opinion. Every person has reasoning and ability to conduct normal livelihood. A person need to share and live and if one need assistance, one can ask or request from a person. But acquisition of land and wealth by force is condemnable act. On moral grounds, it is no way acceptable as we are all human beings and if the same situation doom upon us we may despise that situation. Native Americans have been living in American since time unknown. They have built their empire and were living peacefully in their territory which was disturbed by the Europeans. Morally, it is inhumane to steal their wealth and torture their women and children. Today our values have changed and if compared to the atrocities of Europeans on Native people then we would be ashamed of European civilization. The white men used to capture the native people and used their women physically and men were utilized as slaves. They were treated as animals and given less priorities. We have every right to judge the atrocities of Whites on moral grounds. Since so many centuries, it is obvious the human rights and freedom rules have changed. However, the basic humanity and ethical values has been same since many cen turies. People have the core values embedded in them which cannot be taken by any force. Based upon them there is a basic standard with which people are supposed to interact with each other. The colonization and invasion by the Europeans were resisted by the Native people on a large scale. According to ( Chapter 3,Colonies, Commerce and Empire, pg.62) â€Å"By 1616 colony’s population hovered at only 380, and a well –

Compare and contrast these speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare and contrast these speech - Essay Example Both the speakers know what points of the other they can counter and take those up first. They want to make an impression on the listeners to gain votes but their content is up-to-date and thorough. The style is simple, but the pauses between speeches make the speech more effective. The tone of voice varies in accordance to the importance of the point and the importance that the speaker wants to give the point. Nixon last few sentences literally rattle the people because it makes them fell that it is eventually up to them to help the country. Those last words leave a lasting impression on the people who have heard the speech. This speech is more ethical because they do not interrupt each other and do not make personal attacks. In the debate between Edwards, Obama and Clinton, speech ethics are lacking. They both are trying to make personal attacks and interrupted each other. Although, it is not their turn to speak in the debate, they interrupt the speaker just to justify themselves. Content is not focused towards the issue of helping the American people and what they would do to make further amendments. The debate is over things that have already happened and who has raised how much money for their campaign. They are, as I said earlier making personal attacks rather than just political ones. Competence of speech is not lacking in both speeches. All these five people are very good speakers and can have the effect that they want on people. Style is aggressive for Obama while defensive for Hilary. They stress upon the right words to get the effect they want and their nonverbal cues are in accordance with their verbal cues. In my opinion these debates have moved away from the people of America to the personal issues of the candidates who are standing up for the elections. The way the Nixon and Kennedy debate took place, with poise from both candidates and their

History of Mexican Revolution Essay Example for Free

History of Mexican Revolution Essay The novel transports readers to a ghost town on the desert plains in Mexico, and there it weaves together tales of passion, loss, and revenge. The village of Comala is populated by the wandering souls of former inhabitants, individuals not yet pure enough to enter heaven. Like the character Juan Preciado, who travels to Comala and suddenly finds himself confused, as readers we are not sure about what we see, hear, or understand. But the novel is enigmatic for other reasons. Since publication in 1955, the novel has come to define a style of writing in Mexico. Sparse language, echoes of orality, details heavy with meaning, and a fragmentary structure transformed the literary representation of rural life; instead of the social realism that had dominated in earlier decades, Rulfo created a quintessentially Mexican, modernist gothic.. The haunting effect of Pedro Paramo derives from the fitful story of Mexican modernity, a story that the novel tells in a way that more objective historical and sociological analyses cannot. As an aesthetic expression characterized by imaginative understanding, the novel explores Mexican social history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The decadent remnants of a quasi-feudal social order, violent revolutions, and a dramatic exodus from the countryside to the city all gave rise to ghost towns across Mexico. Pedro Paramo tells the stories of three main characters: Juan Preciado, Pedro Paramo, and Susana San Juan. From the point of view of Juan Preciado, the novel is the story of a sons search for identity and retribution. Juans mother, Dolores Preciado, was Pedro Paramos wife. Although he does not bear his fathers name, Juan is Pedros only legitimate son. Juan has returned to Comala to claim [j]ust whats ours, as he had earlier promised his dying mother. Juan Preciado guides readers into the ghost story as he encounters the lost souls of Comala, sees apparitions, hears voices, and eventually suspects that he too is dead. We see through Juans eyes and hear with his ears the voices of those buried in the cemetery, a reading experience that evokes the poetic obituaries of Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology (1915). Along with Juan Preciado, readers piece together these fragments of lives to construct an image of Comala and its demise. Interspersed among the fragments recounting Juans story are flashbacks to the biography of Pedro Paramo. Pedro is the son of landowners who have seen better days. He also loves a young girl, Susana San Juan, with a desire that consumes his life into adulthood. I came to Comala because I had been told that my father, a man named Pedro Paramo, lived there. —page 3 Although the story line in these biographical fragments follows a generally chronological order, the duration of time is strangely distorted; brief textual passages that may read like conversational exchanges sometimes condense large historical periods. Moreover, the third-person narrative voice oscillates between two discursive registers. On the one hand, poetic passages of interior monologue capture Pedros love for Susana and his sensuality; on the other, more exterior descriptions and dialogues represent a domineering rancher determined to amass wealth and possessions. Within this alternation between the first- and third-person narrative voices, readers must listen for another voice and reconstruct a third story, that of Susana San Juan. We overhear bits of her tale through the ears of Juan Preciado, listening with him to the complaints that Susana—in her restless death—gives forth in the cemetery of Comala. I was thinking of you, Susana. Of the green hills. Of when we used to fly kits in the windy season. We could hear the sounds of life from the town below; we were high above on the hill, playing out string to the wind. Help me Susana. And soft hands would tighten on mine. Let out more string. —page 12 Poetic sections evoke her passion for another man, Florencio, and Pedro never becomes the object of Susanas affection. Juan Preciado, Pedro Paramo, and Susana San Juan are all haunted by ghosts; in turn, they become ghosts who haunt the realities of others. They say that when people from there die and go to hell, they come back for a blanket. —page 6 Although as readers we have the sense of lives once lived by these characters, they emerge for us as phantasms, as partially known presences who are not immediately intelligible and who linger with inexplicable tenacity. Reading Pedro Paramo creates a transformative recognition of Mexicos move toward modernity in the early twentieth century; more than the objective lessons learned from social and cultural history, as a novel, Pedro Paramo produces a structure of feeling for readers that immerses us through the experience of haunting. As ghosts, Pedro, Susana, and Juan point outward to the social context of Mexico in the difficult movement toward modernization, toward social arrangements that never completely die as a newer social order is established. Pedros accumulation of land as a rancher harks back to the trends of capital accumulation during the benign dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911). The Porfiriato strove to modernize the nation through the development of infrastructure and investment; it allowed for anomalies such as the creation of the Media Luna ranch and strong local power brokers such as Pedro Paramo who shared the interests of the elite and helped maintain a thinly veiled feudal social order. Within this context, Susana San Juan and other individuals murmur their complaints in ghostly whispers. Indeed, at one point, Rulfo planned to call the novel Los murmullos—the murmurs. Speaking in the streets of Comala, overheard in dreams, and groaning in the cemetery, these spectral murmurs bespeak a reality hidden beneath the facade of Porfirian progress. The Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 gave expression to repressed peasants—the campesinos of rural Mexico—and put an end to the Porfiriato. Susana San Juan, in turn, reveals the repressed role of women in a patriarchal order. In this world women are chattel and ranch-owners can forcibly populate the countryside with bastard children by asserting feudal rights to the bodies of peasant women living on their lands. Peasant revolutionaries and Susana San Juan as well are all manipulated by Pedro Paramo. He can force events to keep them all in the places where he would have them, but he cannot control their desires and their pleasures. The peasants celebrate festivals, and after the revolution they eventually rebel again by participating in the Cristero Revolt of 1926-1929. Susana suffers guilt and remembers pleasure in evocative passages that underscore her erotic ties to Florencio, a man unknown to others in the novel, perhaps a dead soldier from the revolution, the man Pedro would have had to be in order to have Susanas love. The sky was crowded with fat, swollen stars. The moon had come out for a little while and then vanished. It was one of those sad moons that nobody looks at or even notices. It hung there for a little while, pale and disfigured, and then hid itself behind the mountains. -Juan Rulfo References Carol Clark DLugo, The Fragmented Novel in Mexico: The Politics of Form (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997), 70-81. Patrick Dove, Exigele lo nuestro: Deconstruction, Restitution and the Demand of Speech in Pedro Paramo, Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies 10. 1 (2001): 25-44,