Pearl Harbor Essay Example for Free

Pearl Harbor Essay â€Å"Injustice any where is a threat everywhere,† as Martin Luther King stated. It varies from bullying to unjust workers. The Holocaust is a great example of injustice. Innocent Jewish people were killed for just being of their faith. Racial Discrimination and bullying are a few other examples of injustice that are prevented. This could have been prevented, granted people did not act as fast as they did to follow Hitler. Such injustice should keep from happening in the future. Injustice comes in many ways and forms. From bullying to unfair judging of others. The Holocaust was a great example of injustice. The Jewish community did not deserve such torment for being Jewish. In World War 2 Adolph Hitler wanted to clear Germany of all Jews and turn Germany into a communist country. The injustice that was happening in Germany was spreading across Europe. Eventually other countries like Italy and Russia were under the influence of communism. This injustice was spreading across Europe . The United States found this to be unjust and had to interfere because they found this to be a threat to them. War crimes such as this are perfect examples of injustice. Another example is the racism of the 60’s. There was so much fighting towards the Black population and it was unfair. The African-American population had been seeking freedom and equal rights since slaves were freed. Dr. Martin Luther King tried to make equal rights true for all. He did such and succeeded, which led to equal rights and no more racial discrimination. There are many more ways that injustice shows up in history but these are some main examples. Even from a simple shove to a kid you do not like to something as upscale as the Holocaust, injustice should be prevented. Injustice may be widespread, but it can be stopped. The Holocaust and Racial Discrimination were unjust, but they were stopped, which proves that any injustice can be stopped. You could do something as little to tell a bully to stop. Whenever given the chance stop injustice, take it. It can be prevented in large organizations also. Such groups come together to talk about and help others experiencing injustice in their lives. People can do much more to prevent injustice than they think. Always speak out against injustice because you could save a life. Those who dared to speak out in the Holocaust were killed, but their death was not in vain. These people led to the freedom of the Jews. This proves that speaking out against injustice can save people. In conclusion, injustice can be prevented in many different ways. You can do anything from stopping a bully to starting an organization. Injustice comes in many ways and forms. No matter what way injustice is seen, you should do what you can to prevent it.

Progress of Displacement in Mad Dog, Black Boy, and Seventeen Syllables

Progress of Displacement in Mad Dog, Black Boy, and Seventeen Syllables Heinrich Bà ¶ll’s â€Å"The Mad Dog† seems to stress that emotional attachments to human beings can prevent an individual’s separation from society’s orders and execution of possibly violent desires. With the Second World War as its backdrop, the tale realistically depicts the hardship of the time period in which Bà ¶ll has lived. Two other authors who have subtly woven their personal and cultural backgrounds into their fiction are Richard Wright in Black Boy and Hisaye Yamamoto in â€Å"Seventeen Syllables.† Raised in the South or a Japanese-American community on the West Coast, the protagonists in both works experience similar progressions of disconnection from home or society as the Mad Dog does. The narrator in Bà ¶ll’s story is a physician examining the cadaver of the Mad Dog, Theodor Herold. He is accompanied by a chaplain who was with the Mad Dog during the last few hours of his life. The chaplain, who has become emotionally attached to the cadaver, repeats Herold’s life story to the physician. Raised in a hostile environment, â€Å"he never knew† (73) his mother who was a constantly â€Å"abused woman† (73) or his father who was brutal and â€Å"perpetually†(73) intoxicated. An abusive childhood was the first step toward his inevitable negligence of the natural order. In addition, his unusual intelligence and superb achievement in school created excessive arrogance and self-confidence which further led to his â€Å"contempt for all† his patrons]† (74). Then Herold has his first and only taste of love when he meets Becker, a fellow classmate, who supports him financially as they attend university together. This friendship is the only true emotional connection that exists betwee... ...uctive rage, Rosie also experiences this feeling with the Mexican worker, Jesus, as he kisses her for the first time. Although her vulnerability is caused by joy instead of despair, the lack of emotional stability could lead to further mental breakdowns. By and large, Herod, Dick, and Rosie are a trio of exiles, feeling dislocated in what supposedly to be their home or community or country. Works Cited Bà ¶ll, Heinrich. â€Å"Mad Dog.† Mad Dog: Stories. Trans. Breon Mitchell. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997. 67-85. Wright, Richard. â€Å"Looking for a Job.† Black Boy. The HarperCollins World Reader: The Modern World. Ed. Mary Ann Caws. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1994. 2438-2444. Yamamoto, Hisaye. â€Å"Seventeen Syllables.† The HarperCollins World Reader: The Modern World. Ed. Mary Ann Caws. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1994. 2456-2465.

Philippine Poetry Essay

Even before the foreign invaders came to the Philippines, the Filipinos already had their own cultural traditions, folklore, mythologies and epics. There were substantial writings by early natives that Jesuit historian Fr. Pedro Chirino noted: â€Å"All of the islanders are much given to reading and writing. And there is hardly a man, much less a woman who did not read and write. † Epics are stories that are written in poetic form. They are usually described to display such tremendous vitality, color and imagination. Epic stories are tales about love and adventures of native heroes. The heroes’ adventures are usually about how they become endowed with powers from the gods, battle monsters, triumph over formidable armies, ride the wind, travel on flying shields and protect the earliest communities of the islands. Through the years, epic poems have grown and matured. Early historians like Padre Colin, Joaquin Martinez de Zuniga and Antonio Pigafetta have all attested to the existence of these epics. At the arrival of Don Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1565, it was reported, the natives presented him with a dramatic play. During festivities and special occasions, epic poems and songs area performed. Most often, these epic poems (folk epics or ethno-epics) were titled after the names of the hero involved, except for some which carry traditional titles like the Kalinga Ulalim; the Sulod Hinilawod; the Maranao Darangan; or the Bicol Ibalon. Old Time History, as stories about folk heroes of long ago are referred to, is used to study the lifestyle and beliefs of the people of that time. They were also referred to as lost, because they were soon forgotten by natives influenced heavily by Spanish and â€Å"western† colonization. It has been said that during the early days of the Spanish intrusions, the priests destroyed all existing records of paganism, as well as all forms of writing and art work regarding the ancient Philippine folk heroes. This has been proven to be false due to the fact that the early epic poetry is still known and used at present as reference in studies of the past especially the lifestyle, love and aspirations of the early Filipinos. This valuable inheritance from the past must be preserved for this can be used as a proof for national identity. It is from these that a Filipino can feel heroic, truly pulsating with splendor of a magnificent and authentic cultural force. Being composed of thousands of islands, it is no wonder that the country is rich in culture and tradition with various influences in different parts of the nation. As a result, the Philippines has become a melting pot of nations and is a source of a rich variety of culture and stories. The following are some examples of the epic poetry found in the country.

Subtle Racism and the Problems It Poses

When some people hear the word racism, the subtle forms of bigotry known as racial microaggressions dont come to mind. Instead, they imagine a man in a white hood or a burning cross on a lawn. In reality, most people of color will never encounter a Klansman or be casualties of a lynch mob. They wont even be killed by police, although blacks and Latinos are frequent targets of police violence. Members of racial minority groups are much more likely to be the victims of subtle racism, also known as everyday racism, covert racism or racial microaggressions. This sort of racism has a damaging effect on its targets, many of whom struggle to see it for what it is. So just what is subtle racism? Defining Everyday Racism A study conducted by San Francisco State Universitys (SFSU) Professor Alvin Alvarez identified everyday racism as subtle, commonplace forms of discrimination, such as being ignored, ridiculed or treated differently. Explains Alvarez, a counseling professor, These are incidents that may seem innocent and small, but cumulatively they can have a powerful impact on an individuals mental health. Annie Barnes further illuminates the matter in her book Everyday Racism: A Book for All Americans. She identifies such racism as a virus of sorts exhibited in the body language, speech and isolating attitude of racists, among other behaviors. Due to the covertness of such behaviors, victims of this form of racism may struggle to determine for certain if bigotry is at play. Examples of Racial Microaggressions In Everyday Racism, Barnes tells the story of Daniel, a black college student whose apartment building manager asked him not to listen to music on his earphones while strolling the premises. Supposedly other residents found it distracting. The problem? Daniel observed that a white youth in his complex had a similar radio with earphones and that the supervisor never complained about him. Based on their fears or stereotypes of black men, Daniels neighbors found the image of him listening to earphones off-putting but made no objections to his white counterpart doing the same thing. This gave Daniel the message that someone with his skin color must adhere to a different set of standards, a revelation that made him uneasy. While Daniel acknowledged that racial discrimination was to blame for why the manager treated him differently, some victims of everyday racism fail to make this connection. These people only invoke the word racism when someone blatantly commits a racist act such as using a slur. But they may want to rethink their reluctance to identify something as racist. Although the notion that talking about racism too much makes matters worse is widespread, the SFSU study found the opposite to be true. Trying to ignore these insidious incidents could become taxing and debilitating over time, chipping away at a persons spirit, Alvarez explained. Ignoring Certain Racial Groups Ignoring people of certain races is another example of subtle racism. Say a Mexican American woman enters a store waiting to be served, but the employees behave as if shes not there, continuing to rifle through store shelves or sorting through papers. Soon afterward, a white woman enters the store, and the employees immediately wait on her. They help the Mexican American woman only after they wait on her white counterpart. The covert message sent to the Mexican-American customer? Youre not as worthy of attention and customer service as a white person is. Sometimes people of color are ignored in a strictly social sense. Say a Chinese American man visits a mostly white church for a few weeks but each Sunday no one talks to him. Moreover, few people even bother to greet him. Meanwhile, a white visitor to the church is invited out to lunch during his very first visit. Churchgoers not only talk to him but supply him with their phone numbers and email addresses. In a matter of weeks, hes thoroughly enmeshed in the churchs social network. The church members may be surprised to learn that the Chinese American man believes he was the victim of racial exclusion. After all, they just felt a connection with the white visitor that they lacked with the Chinese American man. Later, when the topic of increasing diversity at the church comes up, everyone shrugs when asked how to attract more parishioners of color. They fail to connect how their coldness to the people of color who do occasionally visit makes their religious institution unwelcoming to them. Ridiculing Based on Race Subtle racism not only takes the form of ignoring people of color or treating them differently but of ridiculing them. But how can ridicule from race be covert? Gossip writer  Kitty Kelleys unauthorized biography  Oprah  is a case in point. In the book, the talk show queens  looks  are excoriated—but in a particularly racialized way. Kelley quotes a source who says: Oprah without hair and makeup is a pretty scary sight. But once her prep people do their magic, she becomes super glam. They narrow her nose and thin her lips with three different liners†¦and her hair. Well, I cant even begin to describe the wonders they perform with her hair. Why does this description reek of  subtle racism? Well, the source isnt just saying she finds Oprah unattractive without the help of a hair and makeup team but criticizing the blackness of Oprahs features. Her nose is too wide, her lips are too big, and her hair is unmanageable, the source asserts. Such features are all commonly associated with  African Americans. In short, the source suggests that Oprah is mainly unattractive because shes black. How else are people subtly ridiculed based on race or national origin? Say an immigrant speaks English fluently but has a slight accent. The immigrant may encounter Americans who always ask that he repeat himself, talk to him loudly or interrupt him when he tries to engage them in a discussion. These are racial microaggressions that send a message to the immigrant that hes unworthy of their conversation. Before long, the immigrant may develop a complex about his accent, even though he speaks fluent English, and withdraw from conversations before hes rejected. How to Cope With Subtle Racism If you have proof or a strong hunch that youre being treated differently, ignored or ridiculed based on race, make it an issue. According to Alvarez study, which appears in the April 2010 issue of the  Journal of Counseling Psychology, men who reported incidents of subtle racism or confronted those responsible, lowered amounts of personal distress while boosting self-esteem. On the other hand, the study found that women who disregarded incidents of subtle racism developed increased levels of stress. In short, speak out about racism in all its forms for your mental health. The Cost of Disregarding Everyday Racism When we think of racism only in extremes, we allow subtle racism to continue wreaking havoc in peoples lives. In an  essay  called Everyday Racism, White Liberals and the Limits of Tolerance, anti-racist activist Tim Wise explains: Since hardly anyone will admit to  racial prejudice  of any type, focusing on bigotry, hatred, and acts of intolerance only solidifies the belief that racism is something out there, a problem for others, but not me, or anyone I know.   Wise argues that because everyday racism is much more prevalent than extreme racism, the former reaches more peoples lives and does more lasting damage. Thats why its important to make an issue out of racial microaggressions. More than racial extremists, Im more concerned about the 44 percent (of Americans) who still believe its all right for white homeowners to discriminate against black renters or buyers, or the fact that less than half of all whites think the government should have any laws to ensure equal opportunity in employment, than I am about guys running around in the woods with guns, or lighting birthday cakes to Hitler every April 20th, Wise says. While racial extremists are no doubt dangerous, they are largely isolated from most of society. Why not focus on tackling the pernicious forms of racism that affect Americans regularly? If awareness about subtle racism is raised, more people will recognize how they contribute to the problem and work to change. The result? Race relations will improve for the better.