Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay Example for Free

Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay Letter from Birmingham Jail Allusions in Section 3 Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most well known documents in American history. King’s profound ability to articulate important ideas, values, concepts and Biblical perspectives made for some of the most powerful and inspirational pieces of American literature ever produced. One technique that King used in his public speeches and letters was his allusions to historical figures, the Bible and opposing congressmen. During the 60’s when cultural prejudice still held strong roots in Congress, it was King’s talent to inspire the public that revolutionized America’s racial injustices. King’s frequent use of allusions in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail proved his intelligence and greatly attributed to his success and popularity during the 1960’s. His allusions demonstrated his referential capabilities while also making his messages readily relatable to the public. It was often said that it was not King’s intelligence that made him seem so acumen, but that he was â€Å"well read†(knew much from reading). His frequent allusions to major documents and famous statements in contest to his adversaries ultimately lead to his dominance in public speech. In the paragraphs 12 through 14 when king references the election of mayor Albert Boutwell, he states, â€Å"We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham† in paragraph twelve. The millennium is an allusion to a specific verse from the Bible’s book of Revelation interpreted as the 1,000 years in which Jesus comes back to earth to restore peace. He made many correlations to the Bible and major public documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to make his arguments accurate and mainly understandable by restating vital rules and quotes that even the illiterate could comprehend. In these paragraphs he quoted the Bible by using phrases like â€Å"moral light, â€Å"abyss of despair† and â€Å" unjust posture. † King used the word â€Å"wait† in this section of the letter multiple times as a allusion to the current denial of rights to African Americans that had been going on for the last 340 years. He also stated that â€Å"justice too long delayed is justice denied† in correlation to the current racial dilemma in America at the time. All of these direct references made for some of the most significant and powerful American literature ever created and made Martin Luther King one of the most successful authors in this period of civil revolution. By reinforcing his argument with allusions that the public could relate to, King was able to greatly impact the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and ultimately bring around the social turning point of the century that provided racial equality to all and smother prejudice in America thereafter.

The Meaning Of Life Quotes

The Meaning Of Life Quotes As you all know we all are here in this planet for a while only and our life or being born as a human is a gift irrespective of which race,creed and place you belong to.I believe that being born as a human one has to go through a mother of all possibilities of creation criterion,so I strongly believe that there is one unimaginable intelligent mind behind this creation.We are here to understand his purpose and his views.So lets make this world better like a heaven or at least we can put our best effort to do so in our small span of life,so as our future generation can see what we have once conceived and believed in. The Meaning Of Life If you try to find the meaning of life into the process of evolution, you will see that everything is in fact the fruit of evolution-not necessarily Darwinian evolution process. Evolution can be in our thinking, in our social life, in our economical life, in religious life and many more. Though we do not have any hard evidence that if the physical evolution is going on slowly or it has just stopped forever, but one thing is sure that mentally we are evolving everyday when we experience new ideas in our daily life. Perhaps evolution is the only process that we depend on for our survival; we simply cannot survive without going through some kind of evolution. We all love history. if you look back to our ancestors history you will easily notice that they used to be afraid of natural phenomena and calamities. The used to consider Mother Nature as our creator, and thought that god lives somewhere up on the sky. Many of us, still, when think about god, look at the sky, thinking that god is somewhere up in space. Perhaps, the majority of the people think God knows everything, believe that surely He can answer what is in his mind and what he only knows the true meaning of life. Actually, we need to find and make our own meaning of life, exactly the way we find peace living in a safe place, with trusted people. Life means go on, it never stops unless your life end. We humans are just walking the walk of life, where someone try to explore their life in their own way, while the others follow the path of great leaders or religious path to find meaning in life. Whatever is the meaning of life is, one thing is sure that we have human values and we al l like to live peaceful life, regardless of our genetically identity. Meaning of Life Quotes * Life is such a kind of game where there is no wining or no losing, every one just play his part and the most important is how well a person can adapt his role in this game. * We cannot blame the ONE for our fate , because in some way we are responsible for our own fate or maybe we just failed to adapt the way we have been gifted with life. * Life cannot be better than the way it is , can you imagine a better way than this * If I had given the power then I would try to see if the ONE is planning for any other from of life which is better than this .how better it can be. * Try to be a true friend of your fiancee or wife If you get married to your loved one and desire a long term faithful relationship, then imagine your wife as your best friend and give enough space to her to develop trust and faith in you. Whenever you bring up the so spouses commitment things to your relationships it becomes fragile. Try to think how come people remain friends till the end of their life and why there is breakup even within a few weeks of marriage. * Never think of marriage if your mind is unsure of a long term relationship with the one you are in love with. Try to find out if you are infatuated with some one or in real love with someone and the best way to find it by living together with her. When we grow up we find less time for parents and even someone do not want to meet time. But when you come to the end time of your life, you will ultimately feel the need and place of a child in your life. So, please keep a few minutes at least in a week for your parents and let them feel that you are their greatest pride and strength. * Death is the mother of all pleasure, if there were no option of death life would be meaningless to us-CYRUS * Mind is the workshop where you create thoughts which drive you to imagine or conceive a plan , and in real life we are just the reflection of our imaginations which we never can exceed, we are always remain equal to or less than our imagination.-CYRUS * If you have a fragile relationship with your wife and really wanna fix it or wanna sustain you marriage, then just live a month both of you separate and keep cherishing the wonderful memories you both shared together and the moments when both used to admire each other. I am sure after a month you dont have to worry about break-up.In fact it works all type of relationships. * Have you ever thought how many times a day you really compliment to your wife, fiancee or family members or even to your colleagues? If you really wanna invest for your future then start complementing to your fellows, no matter it is for how small things. In time of need it will pay you back and strengthen you courage to confront any difficulties of life. The Meaning of Life: Growth and Learning Still, I am looking for a true convincing meaning of life, perhaps our effort of finding the real meaning is the key of our living, which truly has no limit, no ending, no horizon. Sometimes, I find trying to find the purpose of life is as just as meaningless of beating the bush-so, better keep learning and enjoy the the full with lots of confidence, honor and honesty as long as possible. In the journey of life we never forget the true virtue we inherit from our ancestors-those teachings are invaluable and help us always to take our step beyond our present status as human. We, all know death is running behind us and gradually we all are falling behind the trap of time.Lets live a peaceful life from every aspect of our point of view. Thank you all:)

Is Social Security Reform Really Necessary? Essay -- Argumentative Per

Is Social Security Reform Really Necessary? For many years the social security program has been operating successfully. In recent times however, it is becoming apparent to some that social security is in need of reform. Their argument is that with the amount of people getting older in the next couple of decades, there will not be enough money left in the social security reserves to pay for everyone who needs it. That is why the idea of separating social security up into private funds has been brought to the attention of the American citizens. This idea of reform has been around for quite a long time; however it has been pushed on by pro reform supporters more in recent times because they think it is necessary for the future of the social security program. The idea of reforming the way that social security functions is a bad idea because the way it is set up right now will work in the future regardless of population changes. It also won’t be worth the time and money to reform something that is already working very well, which social security is. Furthermore, the current president’s plan of privatizing social security had many problems and will not work very well during future years. These problems will not only affect the way our seniors live their lives, but also it will put our country deeper and deeper into debt. Many things would change as a result of social security reform, not one of which is better. Most Americans do not enjoy unnecessary taxes and costs, and the privatizing of social security is one thing that is preventable and would not even save the American citizens money in the long run. This idea is very poor, and there are many reasons why it should be stopped. To understand what is wrong with privatizing social security, it is very important to first know how social security works in its current form. What social security is exactly is a way for older Americans and retired American citizens to have financial benefits after they become too old to be working. This includes money for prescription drugs, food, and other common living costs. It comes to the beneficiaries in the form of a check routinely. This money comes from a vast social security reserve that is paid for by the common American taxpayer. The idea behind this is that when you are making money and have a steady job, you will pay money toward social security so t... ...say I encountered many small problems. One of the major ones was finding the resources to write an 8-10 page paper. I have little experience with papers that are this length, so I had to work it out as I went along. In the end it was alright though because I got a chance to really reflect and expend on my ideas, which is something that I never got a chance to do before. Some of the strengths of this paper are the arguments that I presented about this topic. There were a few problems that I ran into along the way. One was trying to make sure I didn’t accidentally state the same idea twice. As unrealistic as it sounds, it can be a reality if the paper is a real long one. If I had more time in the working of this paper, I would probably add more hard facts from my sources, so that my arguments would become more concrete. I would have to say that I was fairly well prepared for this paper and I thought that I did a pretty good job on it. The only improvements that I could see a re if I were to add more citations and edit my arguments to be stronger. I would have to say that I had a fun time working on this paper and learned a whole lot about a subject that I knew nothing about before.

A Bottle of Tyme Essay -- UEC Economics Essays

A Bottle of Tyme The United European Countries was formed just before the collapse of the United States of America. The Survivors of the Clones’ â€Å"true human† purge sought refuge in the UEC, specifically England, where they were welcomed with open arms, as much of their work force had been destroyed by the Arab invaders. The UEC is lead by President Hartford, who was elected to her second term just before the conflict first began between the United States and the Arab Empire. She heads the executive branch of the UEC, while the Senate embodies the Legislative branch. The Upper Senate is comprised of 4 Senators from each representative country, regardless of size or population. The Lower Senate has membership based on population, and so, each country receives one Lower Senator for every three million people. Each European country is treated as a semi-independent state, much as the states of the United States were. Each country’s national language is maintained, as are their customs and lifestyles. The only real difference is that their governments are now working together under a solidified government, not the easily sidestepped UN, which failed to halt the Arab uprising in the first place. As it is a fairly new governmental body, the UEC doesn’t suffer from the internal sabotage most modern governments are faced with, although the individual governments of each representative country are still ripe with corruption, as they needn’t change much to be accepted into the UEC. As such, the various countries in the UEC get along extraordinarily well with each other, but enter the country, and one can easily see that society on its most basic levels has begun to break ... ...n of untied countries. Their conquered lands were then given to the peasants who suffered so horribly at their hands. Although the Empire has been crushed to a mere  ¼ of its original power, it still controls the oil fields of Saudi-Arabia and has many sleeper cells across the globe. Perhaps one day it will strike out again at all who would oppose them. Back in North America, Canada and Mexico were in the clutch of fear, fear of invasion by the clones running rampant across the former United States. Although they were assured by the clone leaders that no harm would come to them, they remain wary of the clones’ every move. As for the Clone Nation itself, through what surveillance is available, it seems that a form of forced socialism exists, with complete breakdown of social class structure and religious ideologies.

Comparing Confucianism and Christianity Essay -- Christianity Confuciu

Comparing Confucianism and Christianity The premise of Confucian teachings are centered around the idea of Jen or the  ³virtue of humanity (Ching 68). ² To accomplish this divinity, five relationships must be honored: ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, and friend and friend (Hopfe). These relationships led a push for a revolution of the political system to adopt the methods of Jen. Confucius sought to revive the ancient Chinese culture by redefining the importance of society and government. He described a society governed by  ³reasonable, humane, and just sensibilities, not by the passions of individuals arbitrarily empowered by hereditary status ² (Clearly). He felt that this could be achieved through education and the unification of cultural beliefs. He believed that a nation would be benefited by citizens that were  ³ cultivated people whose intellects and emotions had been developed and matured by conscious people ² (Clearly). He felt that those born into the feudal system were had a personal duty to excel socially by means of power. Those who were of lesser class should also seek out education to better themselves. All purposes for betterment of man and society as one whole is known as Li. Li means  ³the rationalized social order ² (Yutang). Confucius felt that love and respect for authority was a key to a perfect society; this strict respect was practiced through rituals and magic (Smith). The Confucius traditions have caused a tradition to set within its institution and is extremely active. It has, unfortunately, allowed the political institution to manipulate the Confucius system. As with Christianity. Christianity also preaches a divine, brotherly love. Modern Christianity seeks to discover a  ³rational understanding of the person ² as did Confucius (Ess ed. 381); yet, Christianity feels that faith in the Jesus Christ as a personal savior is essential to this enlightenment. It was also under the guise of Christianity that it had to confront totalitarian systems  ³[dehumanize] uses of power in its sphere of influence (state and church, and [these] systems triumphed under the banner of de-Christianization (Ess ed. 384). Unlike Confucius reformers of their corrupt state pushed the beliefs of the true ideals of Confucius, Christians believed in an  ³Absolute against all absolvi... ...942. Hughes, E. R. and K. Religion in China. Hutchinson's University Library, London; 1950. Kelen, Betty. Confucius: In Life and Legend. Thomas Nelson INC., New York; 1971. King. Hans and ed. Christianity and the World Religions. Doubleday, New York; 1986 McCuen., Gary E. The Religious Right. Hudson, Wisconsin; 1989. O'Briare, S. J. Fifty Years of Chinese Garment. Lutterworth Press, London; 1951. Siu, R. G. H. The Man of Many Qualities: A Legacy of the I Ching. Smith, Huston. The Religions of Man. Harper & Row, New York; 1958 Smith, Howard. Confucius. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York; 1973 Soper, Edmund Davison. The Religions of Mankind. Abingdon Press, New York; 1966. Toynbee, Arnold. Christianity Among the Religions of the World. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York; 1957 Weber, Max. The Religion of China. The Free Press, New York; 1951. Wieger, L. History of Religious Belief and Philosophical Opinions in China. Catholic Mission, Hsein-sein, China; 1927. Yang, C. K. Religion in Chinese Society. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles; 1961. Yutang, Lin. The Wisdom of Confucius. The Modern library, New York; 1938.

Helping Others Essay

One day on the way home from work, I was driving on the freeway. I passed a car that had broken down and was sitting on the side of the road. There was a lady and her two littlechildren that were stranded. It was hot outside and I stopped to see if I could help. I gave them a ride to their house, made sure that they would be ok and then I left. I never saw them again. I didn’t know this family; I didn’t stop because I thought that I may win an award or get famous because of it. I stopped because I have been in that position before and know how it feels to be stranded with your children. Why would someone help another person whom they don’t even know? There have been some controversial theories on the helping of others. One theory is from the egoists. A major believer in the egoism theory is the famous author, Ayn Rand. She believes that a person should only help another person if they hold value to them, or if in helping them they will receive something in return , which is all supposed to relate to one’s own happiness. Egoism claims that each person has but one ultimate goal: his or her own welfare. This theory also implies that not everyone can be an egoist. It relies on other people being altruistic. Most altruists believe that each person has an obligation to give pleasure and take away the pains of other people. Altruism involves the unselfish concern for others. It entails doing things only out of a desire to help, not because one feels obligated to do so because of loyalty, duty, or religious reasons. Altruism involves true selflessness. The sacrifice of one’s own welfare for the welfare of another is what this theory is about. Rand believes, as do most egoists, that an altruistic person has low self-esteem and a lack of respect for other people. I can’t see how this could be true. I think that one would need to have some self-esteem in order to risk their lives for others. And in reference to the lack of respect for others, I think that is exactly the opposite of the reality: respect for others would seem to be a driving force behind altruism. I do not agree with Rand and the egoism point of view. I wonder what the world would be like if there were more people who follow egoism. Would the heroes of the world not exist? What would happen to us  all? If every person were out for themselves and didn’t care about others, except for what they would get out of being nice, what a mean and selfish world this would be. Would there have to be more altruistic people in order for our world to survive? I h ope not. I truly would hate to live in a world like that, mainly because a person, me included, would either have to be the egoist or the altruistic and I don’t want to be either one of those. There have been many stories about the brave people who helped to rescue wounded and trapped victims under the ruins of the twin towers, September 11, 2001, after the terrorist attack. I believe that these heroes did this because of their concern for others. I don’t believe that the rescuers would have time to stop and figure out their priorities and possible gains from helping the victims. They acted immediately and ran in there regardless of the danger to themselves. Most of the rescuers had no idea who they were rescuing, nor what would happen to themselves once they got into the rubble. If there were egoism principles applied to this rescue, would anyone have been saved? I believe that unless there was some kind of reward offered, not as many people would have been rescued. I don’t know how an egoist could have friendships or ever find real love. What kind of parent would an egoism enthusiast make? I believe that the child would definitely suffer and ultimately end up being altruistic. Living under a dominating and controlling person would be horrible, and it would cause low self-esteem and lack of respect for others outside of the relationship. I think that the less respect you show another person, the less respect that person has for others. On the other hand, I think the altruistic person is the one who gets walked on all of the time and used. This would not be good either. What kind of real relationship can one have if they are never concerned for their own welfare? I would think that it would be a very one-sided relationship. Personally, I believe that there has to be some balance between the two theories. I think that egoists are selfish, and I would not fit into that category. I do not believe that I would fit fully into the altruistic category either. It would be really difficult to be fully one way or another. The theories of egoism and altruism are contradictory to each other. I don’t believe that being fully one way or the other could provide true happiness. If there could be a society that is fully altruistic or fully egoistic, then I think our ethical system would not work. I believe  that my life shows a mix of the two theories. I look out for myself, while at the same time I look out for my children and animals. My family knows that they are most important to me, but they also know that I am important to myself. I don’t think that I could take care of my family if I did not take care of myself at the same time. Self-respect and healthy self-esteem are important to me.

Prejudice in the Merchant of Venice Essay

Prejudice is a significant theme in The Merchant of Venice. This is expresses at various occasions throughout the novel. One of the most significant examples of prejudice in this novel is the Anti-Semitic views of the Christian citizens in Venice. A second act of prejudice in The Merchant of Venice occurs when the Prince of Morocco arrives in Venice. The third example, though more subtle, is the prejudice towards the Prince of Arragon. These three examples fall in to two major categories, racial prejudice and religious prejudice. The Anti-Semitic views in The Merchant of Venice play an important part in the novel. Without the Anti-Semitic views, the elopement plot and the bond plot would not be in existence. If Jessica were Christian, Shylock would have embraced the marriage of Lorenzo and Jessica. Religion, however, intervenes and causes Shylock’s anger at his daughter. The bond plot simply is based on religious tension. Shylock the Jew would not have been so hostile towards Antonio and Bassanio had they all been Jewish or Christian. The behavior in the court room also made a heavy contribution to the Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice .The punishments for Jews were far worse than those given to Christians. Jews had seriously harsh restrictions allowing them to only be money-lenders. The second example of prejudice occurs between Portia and the Prince of Morocco. This prejudice, however, is not religious like the prejudice between Shylock and Antonio, but is more of a form of racial prejudice. As the second act begins, Morocco states, â€Å"Mislike me not for my complexion, the shadowed livery of the burnished sun.† (2.1.1-2). This was said to Portia to ask her not to judge the prince on his complexion, but rather that he be judged on what is inside of him. Portia, however, had decided that she would not enjoy marrying the prince. She expresses her prejudice by saying, â€Å"If I could bid the fifth welcome with so good heart as I can bid the other four farewell, I should be glad of his approach. If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather heshrive me than wive me.† (Shakespeare 127-131) Her decision was clearly made and despite the Prince’s efforts to help her understand that he was just like any man she remained adamant about her agreement. The third example of prejudice, also racial, is towards the Prince of Arragon. The Prince of Arragon is mocked in various manners throughout the scene in which he chooses the casket. The Prince’s name added a form of comedy to the story. His name, Arragon, similar to Arragon, told the reader about his attitude and personality in general. The Prince of Arragon also stated, â€Å"What’s here? The portrait of a blinking idiot presenting me a schedule!† (2.9.58-60). This statement is also insulting towards the prince due to the fact that he can’t even recognize his own self. Secondly, he referred to the image in the mirror as a blinking idiot. The prejudice here is given my Shakespeare and added instead of being given on from another character, it is expressed as a trait of the Prince of Arragon himself. Shakespeare, in this case, shows prejudice, not a character. The role of prejudice plays an important role in The Merchant of Venice. This prejudice, however insulting and mean it seems now was not as badly viewed in the Elizabethan era. In fact, this prejudice was completely normal. The persecution and prejudice towards Jews, colored people, and people from certain nations was a regular part of daily live. Without the prejudice in The Merchant of Venice, the novels plot would be meaningless.