Developing ethnicity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Developing ethnicity - Assignment Example Ethnicity is an important mean through which people can identify themselves. For example, it is easy for a Chinese citizen to identify another one even in countries other than China. The appearance, language, behavior, culture etc can help a person in identifying another one. â€Å"No two individuals are alike†. Same way no two ethnic groups are alike. All the ethnic groups have their own peculiarities and characteristics which segregate them from other ethnic communities. Ethnic identity can be changed even from the early childhood. Changes in ethnic identity can take place through life experiences and social interactions. Knowledge of other cultures and traits can influence a person a lot. The attitude towards other cultures is important in shaping the personality of a person. Adamant in attitudes and beliefs, would never a help a person to accept the goods from other ethnic communities. Autocratic attitudes or dictatorship is not a good character for shaping one’s personality. We must seek lessons from every experience we face in our life During my early childhood, I lived in China and was in constant touch with the Chinese community. As everybody knows, China is a country which is ruled by a socialist regime which allows only restricted freedom for religious activities. I belong to the Buddhist community and my parents were keen in brought me up by teaching me the lessons of Buddhist’s doctrines. Our religion says that â€Å"Desire is the cause of mystery† and my parents were keen in teaching this great principle to us. My father was a liberal person and he kept an open mind towards all the goods from other ethnic groups. He has kept a positive attitude towards other languages and often used some words from English language at my home. Thus I have developed a strong curiosity even from my early childhood to learn English. During my childhood I got the opportunity to play with an American boy who was staying near to my home

Secularism In India | An Analysis

Secularism In India | An Analysis Secularism in India as Gandhi and Nehru saw it is distinctly different from the Western view of secularism. The Gandhi-Nehru secularism places the importance of the states neutrality between Indias many faiths. Indias independence eventually came as a result of Congress success in 1946 elections,  [1]  and as a result the emergent India embodied an idea of a political community that was brought together by modern notions such as individual rights, democracy, and citizenship irrespective of religious or other markers of ethnic identity.  [2]  The Congress party embraced a version of nationalism that promoted an inclusive and plural vision of the Indian state irrespective of religious or other identities. According to Amartya Sen, the roots of Indian secularism can be traced back to its long and diverse multi-faith history.  [3]  Indias constitution grants its citizens, individual as well as group rights.  [4]  As such, Indias secularism tends to emphasize the neutrality of the state in religious affairs as opposed to a strict separation of the state from religion. According to Sen, the first view requires the state to be equidistant with respect to all religions meaning that the state treatment of different religions and religious communities will be symmetrical. The second view requires that the state has absolutely no relationship with any religion.  [5]   For the purpose of this essay first we will look if as per the Constitution India is secular State and second how Hindu nationalism affects Indias secularism. Evolution of constitution Nehru initiated the process of constitution making with the eight point resolution for Independent India on December 13th, 1946. According to the resolution India was to be a union of the provinces and the princely states. The constitution guaranteed the upholding of equality, justice, and freedom to the people of India. Along with these the constitution had special provisions for the people from the scheduled class, backward and under-developed areas. The constitution of Independent India had many things in common with the Government of India Act 1935 except the incorporation of Universal Adult Franchise as article 326 in June 1949 which marked its major differentiation with the Government of India Act.  [6]   The Constitution did not contain the word secular till the 42nd Amendment in 1976, in Article 25(2)(b). Prof. K.T. Shah was the only member who made an effort to get a provision regarding the secular character of India included in the Constitution. The following amendment, moved as Amendment No.366, was defeated on 3rd December 1948.  [7]   The State in India being secular shall have no concern with any religion, creed or profession of faith; and shall observe an attitude of absolute neutrality in all matters relating to the religion of any class of its citizens or other persons in the Union. The following extract from the speech of Pandit Laxmi Kanth Maitra on 6th December 1948 quoted by Justice R. A. Jahagirdar can be said to reflect the consensus of the members: By (a) secular State, as I understand it, is meant that the State is not going to make any discrimination whatsoever on the ground of religion or community against any person professing any particular form of religious faith. This means in essence that no particular religion in the State will receive any State patronage whatsoever.  [8]   As the BJP Home Minister L.K. Advani is quoted by James Chiriyakandath to have said: The Constituent Assembly drew up a secular Constitution essentially because theocracy is alien to Indias history, tradition and culture. The concept of Sarva Panth Sammabhav (equal respect for all faiths) has always been regarded as an essential attribute of the state and statecraft of our country.  [9]   The non-discriminatory character of a secular State is undoubtedly imprinted on the Constitution. There is individual and collective freedom of religion the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. Every religious denomination has been given the fundamental right to establish and maintain its own institutions and to manage its own affairs in matters of religion (Art.25).  [10]   While Article 25 gives individuals complete autonomy with regard to practice and performance of religious rituals, Article 26 allows every religious group an equal opportunity to operate within the prescribed domain, which is defined by the law.  [11]   Equal treatment of all religious denominations requires that the state does not associate itself with a particular religion or recognise a particular religion as the majoritys religion which in Indias case is Hinduism, the constitution rather disassociates itself from it. Article 27 stipulates that no person shall be compelled to pay any taxes, the proceeds of which are specifically appropriated in payment of expenses for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion. Article 28(1) says: No religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of State funds.  [12]   These articles indicate separation of state and religion. Moreover, the silence of Indian constitution over the provision of an official religion speaks the most about separation of state and religion. As Smith says, What the constitution does not say is just as important as what it does say. On citizenship, the Indian constitution recognises the people of India as the citizens where the state has nothing to do with their religion, faith, belief or caste and acclaims to treat all citizens equally. Article 15(1) ensures religion as not being a cause of discrimination. It states: The state shall not discriminate any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, and place of birth or any of them. Article 16(1) and (2) states: There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the state.  [13]   No citizen shall, on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of, any employment or appointment under the state. The employment of the three clauses, individual and collective freedom of religion, separation of state and religion and citizenship in the Indian constitution excludes the role of religion in defining the relationship between the union and its citizens. Emergence of Hindu nationalism and role of Hindutva in Indian politics The Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) and the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha had been in the Indian political arena since 1951 and 1915 respectively. It was the political and institutional context of Indian politics in the 1980s, and not Hindu nationalist ideology per se, that facilitated the emergence of the BJP.  [14]  For BJP Hindu nationalism equates Indian-ness with Hindutva (Hindu-ness)  [15]  as the threat that nationality is based on territory and not religion.. For this essay the impact of Hindu nationalism on Indias secularism is explained by assessing a) the Uniform Civil Code, b) the Ayodhya controversy and c) Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which gives Kashmir special status within the Indian union. We also look at d) the saffronization of education in India through a reinterpretation of Indian history by Hindu nationalists. According to Savarkar a true citizen of India is one for whom India is not just the matribhoomi (motherland) but also the punyabhoomi (sacred land).  [16]  These two notions are congruent for Hindus Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs whom they regard as the true citizens of India. According to this argument, Christians and Muslims pose a cultural threat to Indian (Hindu) culture since their punyabhoomi does not coincide with the territory of India. They can live in India so long as they do not assert their identities and conform to the larger Indian (Hindu) culture.  [17]   The Hindu nationalist agenda operates at multiple levels within Indian society. The BJP (and its predecessor, the BJS) serve as the political arm of Hindu nationalism. The RSS fulfils a militant and ideological role; the Bajrang Dal is an organization aimed at radicalizing Indias Hindu youth; the Vishwa Hindu Parishad works as a social and cultural body espousing Hindu nationalism (and even works with the radical elements within the Hindu diaspora); and the Vidya Bharti works as the educational arm of the RSS. Together, these and numerous similar organizations form what is known as the Sangh Parivar built around the RSS that aims to promote Hindu nationalism. In 1948 RSS was temporarily declared to be an unlawful organization and its activities were proscribed as a result of Mahatma Gandhis assassination by Nathuram Vinayak Godse, an RSS devotee. The Hindu Mahasabha, another political group of HIndutva escaped ban at this time but their activities were forbidden these groups were forced to maintain a lower profile. Since independence, Congress party dominated the Indian political scene until 1989. Congress partys hegemony began to gradually decrease after Nehrus death in 1964. Indira Gandhis imposition of emercy between 1975 and 1977 caused mass disillusionment with the Congress party across India. This ultimately led to the election of the first non-Congress party government in 1977, led by the Janata Party, a coalition of parties that included the BJS. Within this political context BJP formed in 1980 entered national politics in India. BJP tried an attempt to appear as a more moderate party and capture wider popular appeal which alienated the RSS, which in turn supported Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress party in the 1984 elections to demonstrate its displeasure.  [18]  As a result, the BJP returned to its Hindu nationalist ideological core. Use of religion by Indira Gandi in the state of Punjab to challenge the appeal of its regional rival, the Akali Dal, a Sikh religious party and later Raj iv Gandhis reversion of Supreme Court judgment that had granted alimony to Shah Bano  [19]  further assisted BJPs Hindutva cause rise. BJP used Congress partys decision to pacify the Muslim orthodoxy to argue that this step was contrary to the spirit and practice of Indian secularism as it privileged the sectarian interests of a particular religious community. In 1989 Rajiv Gandhi began his electoral campaign in Faizabad district, where the town of Ayodhya is located. There he promised to create a Ram Rajya (rule of Ram), again playing majoritarian politics. BJP started to openly criticise the Congress partys manipulation of religious symbols as pseudo-secularism. However, the Congress party lost the 1989 elections and the era of coalition and minority-led government of V. P. Singh which was supported by the BJP from the outside. In order to secure the support of the now mobilized lower castes, V. P. Singhs government put forth an affirmative action program the Mandal Commission that promised 27 percent of all government jobs and places in institutions of higher education.  [20]  In order to offset political split within the Hindu community, L. K. Advani launched a 10,000 kilometer-long rath yatra in 1990. He expected the twin pillars of Mandal and Masjid would ensure the rise of hindu nationalism rise in Indian politics. While the BJP was only able to win 7.4 percent of the popular vote in the 1984 general elections, its vote share increased to 21 percent in 1991.35 In 1996 the BJP formed a coalition government that only lasted 13 days, while the 1998 BJP-led coalition government, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), survived for a year. Finally, in 1999 the BJP-led NDA government formed the first non-Congress government that survived the full five-year term with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its prime minister. Jaffrelot has shown that the Hindu nationalist movements strategies include both radical and moderate elements.  [21]  The BJPs radicalized, militant nature is demonstrated by the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 and the Gujarat violence a decade later ensured the support of its core constituency and the RSS. In spite of their coalition with ideologically different parties, the BJP succeeded in promoting a Hindu nationalist version of Indian history by implementing changes to the National Curriculum Framework.  [22]  The specific policy issues that were crucial to the Hindu nationalist agenda were; Uniform Civil Code: In the late 1980s the controversy created by the Shah Bano case gave the BJP the ammunition to criticize the policies of the Congress party as catering to minority-ism and being pseudo-secular. This case is an example of this tension between individual and group/religious rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.  [23]  The Indian state did not show the same zeal for reform in Muslim laws as it did while enacting the Hindu laws in 1955 and 1956. According to Articles 37 and 44 of the Indian Constitution, the establishment of a uniform civil code is a directive principle for the Indian state in making laws, even as it is not enforceable by any court.  [24]   BJP still remains committed to the implementation of a uniform (Hinduized) civil code. The Ayodhya Controversy: The destruction of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in 1992 and controversies surrounding this mosque had been around since the nineteenth century, this issue had remained dormant since Indias independence.  [25]  In the 1980s, the BJP used this issue as a political rallying point to unite the Hindu electorate irrespective of caste or language in an attempt to construct a Hindu vote.  [26]  As an electoral strategy the Ayodhya issue paid off. The BJP increased its vote share from 11.4 percent in 1989 to 21 percent in the 1991 general elections.  [27]  The construction of a Ram temple at the site of the destroyed mosque remains on the agenda of the Hindu nationalists. The Ayodhya controversy erupted again in February 2002. This attack had all the signs of a systematic and pre-meditated political violence on minority Muslims in which the state government was an active party. This led to the rise of Hindu nationalism supporters so much so that Narendra Mo di even campaigned on the Hindutva platform in the state elections in 2002 and won. The Hindu nationalists further threatened that Gujarat experience would serve as a laboratory to be replicated elsewhere in India.  [28]   According to Nussbaum, Hindu nationalism in general, and the Gujarat incident in particular, poses a serious threat to the survival of democracy in India.  [29]  However, the general outrage amongst the Indian public in other states led BJP to drop this issue from their 1999 NDA election manifesto try to replicate it in other Indian states. Article 370 and Kashmir: Article 370 of the Indian Constitution grants Kashmir special status within the Indian union. Kashmir is Indias only Muslim-majority state but enjoys special provisions such as restrictive land-ownership. Article 371 of the Indian Constitution allows the governments of certain states such as Nagaland and Mizoram in northeast India to legislate on the ownership and transfer of land in these regions, thereby restricting migrations of Indians from elsewhere in the country.  [30]  Indias Lakshadweep islands also enjoy a similar status as even Indian citizens require special permission to enter this restricted region.  [31]  However, it is only the Kashmir issue that is important to the Hindu nationalists given the complex history of its accession to the Indian union after independence.  [32]   Reinterpretation of History and Changes in the Educational Curriculum: In an attempt to show that India is the matribhoomi of all Hindus, the Hindu nationalist historians claim that the Vedic Sanskrit-speaking Indo-Aryan peoples were indigenous to India, thereby implying that no Indo-Aryan migration into the subcontinent ever occurred.  [33]  to show that all of Indias Hindus are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the subcontinent.  [34]  Islamic political dominance in the subcontinent has been reinterpreted by the Hindu nationalists to emphasize the more militant aspect of the rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and the exploitation of their Hindu subjects. Periods of Hindu-Muslim cultural syncretism and good governance of Akbar is absent from the Hindu nationalist narrative of this period of Indias history.  [35]  Furthermore, these revised textbooks have deleted references to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 by a member of the Hindu Mahasabha. T he textbooks blame Muslims for the partition of India.  [36]  Since the BJP has a long-term agenda to redefine Indian identity, they were not hesitant to use their power while in government to redefine Indias past with the intention to mould the future generations understanding of Indias history along their ideological lines. According to the twin tolerations argument, a broad range of religious-state relations are possible in a democracy.  [37]  BJPs single major success has been the communalization of Indian politics by changing the discourse on secularism. It has affected in two ways. First, in spite of the rise of Hindu nationalism, a standardization of Hinduism appears to be occurring for the first time in the religions history. Second, Indias lower castes are increasingly conforming to the religious and social norms of the upper castes as they climb the socio-economic ladder. This is resulting in further homogenization within Hindu society.  [38]   Is India a secular state? What is India and who is an Indian are simple questions that are extremely difficult to answer.  [39]  One should note that the territorial idea inevitably becomes part of all nation-states, but territory does not have to be the defining principle of national identity.  [40]  The constitution makers without mentioning the word secular wrote a secular constitution. Though the constitution does not define who or what is a Hindu, but it defines followers of Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism as Hindus for purposes of Hindu temple entry. Article 25 (2) (b) (Explanation II) states: the reference to Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Would this be to prevent the conversion of Dalits to Christianity or Islam, to reform Hinduism to make it palatable to the former untouchables? The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 applies to (a) any person who is a Hindu by religion in any of its forms and developments, including a Virashaiva, a Lingayat or follower of the Brahmo, Prarthana or Arya Samaj; (b) to any person who is a Buddhist, Jain or Sikh by religion, and (c) to any person domiciled in the territories who is not a Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew by religion.  [41]   In other words, legally there is no such thing as a Buddhist, Jain, or Sikh marriage, is this another attempt to deny other religions a distinctive identity and absorb them in the Hindu fold? Although freedom of religion is granted under the constitutions Article 25 (1), in 1982, when a few hundred Dalits embraced Islam in Meenakshipuram, Indira Gandhi characterized conversions as a threat to national security and the central government took measures to curb conversions. Is it not ironic that the Indian state is ready to deploy army to cleanse out Sikh insurgents from Golden Temple and Muslim rebels from Charar-i Sharif, but not protect Babri Mosque from the Hindu activists? Article 16 (2) of the constitution prohibits discrimination in public employment on religious grounds. Per Presidential orders of 1950 and 1956 the beneficiaries of Scheduled Castes reservation can only be Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists but not Christians and Muslims. Predominantly Hindu army of Kashmir was absorbed in the national army in 1947; whereas Hyderabads largely Muslim army was disbanded, rendering nearly 20,000 jobless. Are Indian armys infantry regiments not still based on religion (Sikh regiments), or ethnicity (Gorkha) or caste (Rajput) or region (Garhwal) in which members of other faiths, ethnicities, and regions are barred? Are government school texts in Hindi and regional languages not saturated with signs, symbols idioms, phrases, and icons of Hinduism? Have the textbooks of history and social studies not been filled with gross distortions of Indian history of all eras, ancient, medieval and modern portraying Muslims and Christians to be the villains, traitors and foreigners? Based on the constitution and political practice including congress partys can we not say India is as secular as India can be No Less, No More.

Animal Testing and Researching Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical Ani

Animal Testing and Researching Animal testing is supported by some, but opposed to others. The growing number of animals used in research differs among the different countries. The fruit fly and nematode are the most used animal in testing. However, the most common mammals used in animal research are mice and rats. Shaved albino rabbits and guinea pigs suffer severe testing for skin irritancy and eye irritancy. Though the usage of non-human primates are outlawed in some countries, the U.S. still finds the need to use them. The U.S. government uses tax dollars for testing pesticides and flourine products on animals. Animal testing has been a subject of controversy throughout the years. Though it may seem like a ?cruel and unusual punishment? to some, others see it as an opportunity to expand the knowledge of our constantly changing society. These experiments are the beginning of a new perspective in scientific evolution, but an end for others. Some examples of animal researching and testing would be mutagenesis, evolution, genetics, product safety, and so forth. According to the Laboratory Primate Advocacy Group, it is estimated that one hundred million animals are experimented on around the world and twenty-three to twenty-five million belong to the United States. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that in 2004, 26,573 rabbits, 105,678 farm animals, 64,932 dogs, 23,640 cats, 54,998 non-human primates, 244,104 guinea pigs, 175,721 hamsters and 171,321 other mammals--excluding mice and rats which make up over 80% of the number of animals tested on. The number of mice and rats are not recorded, but it is estimated that a plethora of these animals are utilized, ranging from fifteen million to twenty million. (Wikipedia... ...wn life. People?s beliefs differ with their background, whether animal testing is a pro or con. Nowadays, animals are tested a lot more humanely than the past. Fortunately, researchers are finding more alternatives to testing animals and the numbers of unnecessary deaths are decreasing. Bibliography Bennie I. Osburn, DVM, PhD, Dean. "The Mouse in Science: Why Mice? ." . 1996. UC Davis. 22 July 2006 . Best, Steven; Bentham, Jeremy; Francione, Gary; Langley, Gill . "Wikipedia." . 23 July 2006. . 23 July 2006 . "U.S. Government Testing Programs." . . . 23 July 2006 . "World Animal Net: Cosmetics Testing - Background." . . British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection. .

Discuss the role of Inspector Goole in ‘An Inspector Calls’ Essay

1. Introduction In this essay I will be discuss the role of the inspector in An Inspector Calls and evaluating his important to the play. An Inspector Calls was written by J.B Priestly in 1945 but was set in Capitalist England during 1912 during this time Socialism was beginning to catch onto society. The play depicts the story of the Birling family and how each member discovers his or her involvement with the death of a girl called Eva Smith (who also called herself Daisy Renton). An Inspector visits them while the family are having dinner, celebrating the engagement of Sheila and Gerald, Sheila being the daughter of the wealthy, prosperous and capitalist businessman Burling. His wife, Sybil is a cold woman and her husband’s social superior. Their children are Eric; a shy but assertive young man, and Sheila; a pretty young woman who is pleased with life. Gerald Croft, her new fiancà ©, is an attractive, easygoing man who is excited about his new engagement. Their celebration is interrupted by Inspector Goole, a man who creates an â€Å"impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness†. Soon, the story unravels and we discover how each member of the household is responsible for the suicide of Eva Smith. Between 1912 and 1945, many important events occurred, including; both World Wars, the Holocaust, the sink of the Titanic and the Wall Street Crash (resulting in hyperinflation and the great depression). The overall message of the play is to be more socially responsible by taking care of your community as a whole body of people, and to accept that there are other people who are different, or are of a lower class. 2. Context Priestly wrote the play in 1945, it was set in 1912 however, as a way to reflect on how capitalists neglected their responsibilities as members of a society to care for others. Between the setting of the play and the time it was written, three major world events occurred; the sinking of the Titanic and both World Wars. Priestly set the play in 1912 to enable him to speak out as a socialist about how the capitalists should have changed their ways, almost warning them that if they did not, such events like war would occur. I know this because the inspector says â€Å"if men will not learn that lesson, they will be taught in blood, and fire, and anguish†. Priestly makes Arthur Birling’s views seem foolish, and writes him to be an ignorant and stupid character that is clueless about society and how the community can work together. Birling says â€Å"†¦the Titanic†¦unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable† and by this, I can recognise how commanding Birling is. I can also identify by how he speaks that he thinks his word is final, and that his decision means everything, even about the sinking of the Titanic. We know that the Titanic did sink, therefore making Birling seem foolish and arrogant. It is a brilliant example of dramatic irony, because the audience know that everything that Birling said would not happen, eventually did happen, and even causes a stir of inner hate at his socialist arrogance and his lack of care for society. This would have been important when this play was written, because England at this time was a Socialist country. 3. We can tell from the stage directions on page eleven that the inspector gives an â€Å"impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness†. By directing the Inspector to seem purposeful, the audience begin questioning his true role in the play – is he more important than just a police inspector? What exactly does he represent? We question this because of his behaviour towards the family; any traditional or ‘normal’ inspector of the time would’ve been empathetic towards the Birling’s situation and may have been capitalist too. When addressing people, the inspector stares them down and they begin explaining their encounter with Eva Smith. He has a â€Å"disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking†. This could scare or worry the family members into unfolding the story of how they all played a part in Eva Smith’s death. Either that or maybe his purposefulness may exist only in his gaze, which he uses to unravel the story to the family. The stage directions show the inspector’s authority with simple phrases like â€Å"cuting in, with authority†. This implies his voice is the most important, he is speaking out for the dead girl and needs to be heard above the family. This also has a political context; the socialists, who at the time the play was set, were only just getting any kind of authority. Also, as this play represents, socialists grew a voice and soon were beginning to be heard above the capitalists. 4. Birling makes a strongly capitalist speech about how people should look after themselves and that society doesn’t matter. He says â€Å"community†¦and all that nonsense.† This is a perfect example of how Birling views the community as unnecessary and stupid. He deeply believes that a man should look after himself and his own, and he shows no empathy for the dead girl. Also, Birling’s focus in life is his money and class, which relates to capitalism. Birling’s speech is interrupted by the family’s maid, Edna, who introduces the Inspector. Birling welcomes him but immediately becomes defensive and boastful. The Inspector, however, is not phased. The emphasis on the Inspector’s determination and confidence shows how in control he is. He hushes the family so he can speak by â€Å"cutting in massively†, another portrayal of how commanding he is and his authority over the family. This is also represented by his knowledge, and the way he unnerves Sheila and Eric with his understanding of the whole situation. After leaving the room during Sheila and Gerald’s talk, the Inspector asks â€Å"Well?, showing the audience he already knows about Gerald’s affair to Daisy Renton. During his enquiries, the Inspector remains entirely in control; at times, he is able to â€Å"massively take charge†. Sheila regards him â€Å"wonderingly and dubiously†, later she realises no-one told him anything that he didn’t already know. Through his creation of the powerful, all-knowing nature of the character of the Inspector, and through the revelation of the incredible but very real chain of events in which every character is involved, Priestly successfully moves his audience beyond the bounds of naturalism. It is the unreal quality of the Inspector and his final prophecy of â€Å"fire and blood and anguish† – referring to World War One which would start only two years after this play was set – that successfully imbues the Inspector with an almost supernatural intelligence. To the Inspector, Eva Smith represents all the ‘lower class’ socialists of the time. The surname ‘Smith’ was very common at this time, again representing a vast quantity of people who were finding working life difficult. It is this that again makes us question the Inspector’s existence – was he simply a voice for the lower, working class citizens of England? He says â€Å"there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us†¦intertwines with our lives†. He is explaining that by the family realising the consequences of their actions towards Eva Smith, they should reform themselves and treat everyone with respect. The Inspector’s timing is almost perfect, both upon arrival and when leaving. He arrives during Birling’s capitalist speech, representing how socialism would soon overpower capitalism. Also, the lighting changes, emphasising the Inspector’s important and authority in the play. The Inspector leaves at the end of his speech, which of course completely contrasts with what Birling was talking about in the beginning. The Inspector leaves just before Gerald’s return, who explains t the family that Inspector Goole is not a real inspector. This magnifies the Inspector’s mysterious character and leaves the family and the audience questioning his existence and purpose in the play.

Memoirs of a Geisha Book and Movie Analysis Essay

I. Introduction Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men’s solicitude and the money that goes with it. In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl’s virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction—at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and completely unforgettable. II. Comparison and Contrast After reading a lot of positive critique about the novel, I bought a copy and read it eagerly the moment I took hold of it. I’ve seen the movie long before I read the book. It was the movie that captured my interest and based on my experience, the books are always better than the movie, except for The DaVinci Code which I think, doesn’t have any difference with the book, that’s why I decided that it is a must to read the novel. The characters were vividly described. I was carried away by the emotions of the characters especially Nitta Sayuri, who was at the beginning, known as Chiyo, the girl from a poor coastal town who was sold to an okiya to be trained to become a geisha. It was focused on how a geisha is trained, about the life of a geisha. I always felt myself controlling my emotions especially on trying sequences in the novel. I was controlling my emotions just how Sayuri did, the way a geisha should. The character of Hatsumomo, on the other hand, made me feel mixed emotions. I was angry because of her cruelty to a helpless child but I also pity her because she knows that this very young helpless girl can eat her alive if she will get proper training as a geisha. The first real kindness that she experienced from the â€Å"Chairman† touched her deeply and gave her hope, a sense of purpose which vanished totally after she failed to meet her older sister when they planned to runaway and go back to their home. The book showed me that geishas are not prostitutes. They are well-trained, professional entertainers and although they, most of the time, manipulate men’s emotion for their own welfare, they know where their stand and that those men’s money were reciprocated by services enough that they don’t mind spending them. Communities depended greatly on Geishas, not directly but through the income they get from how the Geisha’s business operates. The book made me understand how hard it is to be a Geisha, how a woman gives her virginity to the highest bidder and how loving does not have a space in a woman’s life if she really want to succeed in her career. The movie did not do much explaining as the book but it was good. It did not show how meticulous it is to tie an obi. I did not feel overwhelmed by the dance scene as I felt reading how it was described in the book. They also changed how Hatsumomo left. In the book, she got so angry on a client that she bit him and after that, she was kicked out of the okiya but in the movie, she burned their okiya. I think it was a major turning point and should not be changed. It was also mentioned in the book how it felt strange when Hatsumomo was not living there in their okiya anymore. It was a good chance to play at the emotions of the viewers. But there were good things about the movie such as perfect soundtrack which carried on the mood and emphasized the emotions felt in different scenes, the casting was perfect although I would have chosen a prettier Mameha, and the colors were vivid, and some scenes made me go through the same emotions again as when I read it in the book such as the distant romance between the Chairman and Sayuri. I would also like it better if it was shown in the movie how the Chairman became Sayuri’s danna and that the two of them moved to NYC and Sayuri decided to put up her own teahouse there. III. Reaction The movie is a great supplement for the book. It was good by itself but reading the book will make you understand more, not only about being a Geisha but the culture in China, the complexity of the difference in economic status, the traditions that remained well-kept, and the depth of the kind of relationship that Sayuri and the Chairman had. The characters were well presented in the books as well as the settings and scenes. I love reading and I don’t get easily bored with books but it is also rare that I feel heavy in the chest to just put a book down. â€Å"Memoirs of a Geisha† is one of my favorite novels and although the movie did not make it to my list, it is a must-see if you read the novel. It would be much better if you read the book first because the movie will just help you visualize although that would not be needed because everything was vividly described by Arthur Golden in the novel the same way Rob Marshall precisely recreated the scenes that preserved the novel’s beautiful tragedy.