National policy on education free essay sample

As a democratic society with a diverse population of different cultures, languages and religions we are duty bound to ensure that through our diversity we develop a unity of purpose and spirit that recognises and celebrates our diversity. This should be particularly evident in our public schools where no particular religious ethos should be dominant over and suppress others. Just as we must ensure and protect the equal rights of all students to be at school, we must also appreciate their right to have their religious views recognised and respected. We do not have a state religion. But our country is not a secular state where there is a very strict separation between religion and the state. The Policy recognises the rich and diverse religious heritage of our country and adopts a cooperative model that accepts our rich heritage and the possibility of creative inter-action between schools and faith whilst, protecting our young people from religious discrimination or coercion. We will write a custom essay sample on National policy on education or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What we are doing through this Policy is to extend the concept of equity to  the relationship between religion and education, in a way that recognises the rich religious diversity of our land. In the Policy, we do not impose any narrow prescriptions or ideological views regarding the relationship between religion and education. Following the lead of the Constitution and the South African Schools Act, we provide a broad framework within which people of goodwill will work out their own approaches. The Policy is neither negative nor hostile towards any religion or faith and does not discriminate against anyone. Rather it displays a profound respect towards religious faith and affirms the importance of the study of religion and religious observances. Professor Kader Asmal Minister of Education STAATSKOERANT, 12 SEPTEMBER 2003 No. 25459 Introduction to the Policy on Religion and Education 1. In this document we set out the policy on the relationship between religion and education that we believe will best serve the interests of our democratic society. The objective is to influence and shape this relationship, in a manner that is in accordance with the values of our South African Constitution1. In recognising the particular value of the rich and diverse religious heritage of our country, we identify the distinctive contribution that religion can make to education, and that education can make to teaching and learning about religion, and we therefore promote the role of religion in education. In doing so we work from the premise that the public school has an educational responsibility for teaching and learning about religion and religions, and for promoting these, but that it should do so in ways that are different from the religious instruction and religiousnurture provided by the home, family, and religious community. 2. We do so also in the recognition that there have been instances in which public education institutions have discriminated on the grounds of religious belief, such that greater definition is required. In many cases pupils of one religion are subjected to religious observances in another, without any real choice in the matter. The policy is not prescriptive, but provides a framework for schools to determine policies, and for parents and communities to be better informed of their rights and responsibilities in regard to religion and education. The policy genuinely advances the interests of religion, by advocating a broad based range of religious activities in the school. 3. In clarifying the relationship between religion and education, we might consider four possible models for structuring the relationship between religion and the state: A theocratic model identifies the state with one particular religion or religious grouping. In some cases, this model has resulted in a situation in which the state and religion become indistinguishable. In a religiously diverse society such as South Africa, this model clearly would be inappropriate. At the other extreme, a repressionist model is based on the premise that the state should act to suppress religion. In such a model, the state would operate to 1 The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) No. 25459 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 12 SEPTEMBER 2003 marginalise or eliminate religion from public life. In a religiously active society such as South Africa, any constitutional model based on state hostility towards religion would be unthinkable. We reject both the theocratic model of the religious state, such as the Christian-National state in our own history that tried to impose religion in public institutions, as well as any repressionist model that would adopt a hostile stance towards religion. A modern secular state, which is neither religious nor anti -religious, in principle adopts a position of impartiality towards all religions and other woridviews. A separationist model for the secular state represents an attempt to completely divorce the religious and secular spheres of a society, such as in France or the United States. Drawing strict separation between religion and the secular state is extremely difficult to implement in practice, since there is considerable interchange between religion and public life. Furthermore, a strict separation between the two spheres of religion and state is not desirable, since without the commitment and engagement of religious bodies it is difficult to see us improving the quality of life of all our people. In a co-operative model, both the principle of legal separation and the possibility of creative interaction are affirmed. Separate spheres for religion and the state are established by the Constitution, but there is scope for interaction between the two. While ensuring the protection of citizens from religious discrimination or coercion, this model encourages an ongoing dialogue between religious groups and the state in areas of common interest and concern. Even in such exchanges, however, religious individuals and groups must be assured of their freedom from any state interference with regard to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief, and opinion. In regard to the relationship between religion and public education, we propose that the cooperative model which combines constitutional separation and mutual recognition, provides a framework that is best for religion and best for education in a democratic South Africa. STAATSKOERANT 12 SEPTEMBER 2003 5. No. 25459 Under the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion, the state, neither advancing nor inhibiting religion, must assume a position of fairness, informed by a parity of esteem for all religions, and worldviews. This positive impartiality carries a profound appreciation of spirituality and religion in its many manifestations, as reflected by the deference to God in the preamble to our Constitution, but does not impose these. . Background to the policy on Religion and Education 6. This Policy for Religion and Education is the result of many years of research and consultation. This commenced with the National Education Policy Investigation of the early 1990s, was taken further in the National Education and Training Forum during the transitional period of 1993-1994, and in the extensive consultations around the South African Schools Act, prior to 1996. It was further developed by the Ministerial Committee on Religious Education in 1999, and the Standing Advisory Committee on Religion and Education, established for this purpose in 2002. Reviewing the progress made in all of this work, we see an emerging consensus about the relationship between religion and education. 7. This policy links religion and education with new initiatives in cultural rebirth (the African Renaissance), moral regeneration, and the promotion of values in our schools. Religion can play a significant role in preserving our heritage, respecting our diversity, and building a future based on progressive values. 8. To achieve these goals, the relationship between religion and education must be guided by the following principles: In all aspects of the relationship between religion and education, the practice must flow directly from the constitutional values of citizenship, human rights, equality, freedom from discrimination, and freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief, and opinion. Public institutions have a responsibility to teach about religion and religions in ways that reflect a profound appreciation of the spiritual, non -material aspects of life, but which are different from the religious education, religious instruction, or religious nurture provided by the home, family, and religious community. Religion Education should contribute to creating an integrated and informed No. 25459 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 12 SEPTEMBER 2003 community that affirms unity in diversity. Teaching about religion, religions, and religious diversity needs to be facilitated by trained professionals, and programmes in Religion Educationmust be supported by appropriate and credible teaching and learning materials, and objective assessment criteria. The Context 9. South Africa is a multi-religious country. Over 60 per cent of our people claim allegiance to Christianity, but South Africa is home to a wide variety of religious traditions. With a deep and enduring indigenous religious heritag e, South Africa is a country that also embraces the major religions of the world. Each of these religions is itself a diverse category, encompassing many different understandings and practices. At the same time, many South Africans draw their understanding of the world, ethical principles, and human values from sources independent of religious institutions. In the most profound matters of life orientation, therefore, diversity is a fact of our national life. 10. Our diversity of language, culture and religion is a wonderful national asset. We therefore celebrate diversity as a unifying national resource, as captured in our Coat of Arms: ! Ke E:/Xarra //ke (Unity in Diversity). This policy for the role of religion in education is driven by the dual mandate of celebrating diversity and building national unity. Values 11. This policy for the role of religion in education flows directly from the Constitutional values of citizenship, human rights, equality, freedom from discrimination, and freedom for conscience, religion, thought, belief, and opinion. By enshrining these basic values, the Constitution provides the framework for determining the relationship between religion and education in a democratic society 12. Our Constitution has worked out a careful balance between freedom for religious belief and expression and freedom from religious coercion and discrimination. On the one hand, by ensuring that Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, STAATSKOERANT, 12 SEPTEMBER 2003 No. 25459 thought, belief, and opinion, the Constitution2 guarantees freedom of and for religion, and citizens are free to exercise their basic right to religious conviction, expression, and association. On the other hand, by ensuring equality in the enjoyment of all the rights, privileges, and benefits of citizenship, the Constitution explicitly prohibits unfair discrimination on grounds that include religion, belief, and conscience. Protected from any discriminatory practices based on religion, citizens are thereby also free from any religious coercion that might be implied by the state. The South African Schools Act (Act 94 of 1996) upholds the constitutional rights of all citizens to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion, and freedom from unfair discrimination on any grounds whatsoever, including religion, in public education institutions. 14. Within this constitutional framework, public schools have a calling to promote the core values of a democratic society, through the curriculum, through extra -curricular activities, and in the way that they approach religious festivals, school uniforms and even diets. As identified in the report of the ministerial committee on values in education, these core values include equity, tolerance, multilingual ism, openness, accountability, and social honour. Our policy on religion in education must be consistent with these values, and the practices of schools may be tested against the following national priorities: Equity: The education process in general, and this policy, must aim at the development of a national democratic culture with respect for the value of all of our peoples diverse cultural, religious and linguistic traditions. Tolerance: Religion in education must contribute to the advancement of inter- religious toleration and interpersonal respect among adherents of different religious or secular worldviews in a shared civil society. Diversity: In the interest of advancing informed respect for diversity, educational institutions have a responsibility for promoting multi-religious knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of religions in South Africa and the world. Openness: Schools, together with the broader society, play a role in culturalformation and transmission, and educational institutions must promote a spirit of openness in which there shall be no overt or covert attempt to indoctrinate pupils 2 Sections 15(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 11 No. 25469 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 12 SEPTEMBER 2003 into any particular belief or religion. Accountability : As systems of human accountability, religions cultivate moral values and ethical commitments that can be recognised as res ources for learning and as vital contributions to nation building. Social Honour: While honouring the linguistic, cultural, religious or secular backgrounds of all pupils, educational institutions cannot allow the overt or covert denigration of any religion or secular world-view. THE POLICY Application 15. The policy covers the different aspects of Religion Education, Religious Instruction and Religious Observances, and is applicable in all public schools. The spirit of the policy, which is to embrace the religious diversity of South Africa, must also be applied at other levels of the education system, including District, Provincial and National level gatherings.

Understanding Arrays in PHP

Understanding Arrays in PHP An array is a systemic arrangement of objects. Hum, what does this mean? Well in programming an array is a type of data structure. Each array can hold several pieces of information. It’s sort of like a variable in that it stores data, but not at all like a variable in that instead of storing one bit of information it can store many pieces of information. Let’s start with an example. Let’s say that you are storing information about people. You could have a variable that stored my name â€Å"Angela†. But in an array, you could store my name, my age, my height, my In this sample code, we will look at storing two bits of information at a time, the first being somebody’s name and the second being their favorite color. ?php $friend[0] Kevin; $friend[1] Bradley†; $friend[2] Alexa; $friend[3] Devin; $color[Kevin] â€Å"Teal†; $color[Bradley] â€Å"Red†; $color[Alexa] â€Å"Pink†; $color[Devin] â€Å"Red†; print My friends names are . $friend[0] . , . $friend[1] . , . $friend[2] . , and . $friend[3]; print p; print Alexa ‘s favorite color is . $color[Alexa] . .; ? In this example code, you can see that the friend array is sorted by number, and contains a list of friends. In the second array, color, instead of using numbers it uses strings to identify the different bits of information. The identifier used to retrieve data from the array is called it’s key. In our first example, the keys were integers 0, 1, 2, and 3. In our second example, the keys were strings. In both cases, we are able to access the data held in the array by using both the array’s name, and the key. Like variables, arrays always start with a dollar sign ($array) and they are case sensitive. They can not start with an underscore or a number, you must start them with a letter. So, to put it simply, an array is kind of like a variable with lots of little variables inside of it. But what exactly do you do with an array? And how is it useful to you as a PHP programmer? In practice, you will probably never create an array like the one in the example above. The most useful thing you can do with an array in PHP is to use it to hold information you get form somewhere else. Having your websites information stored in an MySQL database is not uncommon. When your website needs certain information it simply accesses your database, and wha-laa, on demand data. Let’s say you have a database of people who live in your city. You now want to search that database and print out records for anyone named â€Å"Tom†. How would you go about doing this? You would read through the database for people named Tom, and then pull their name and all the other information about them from the database, and place it in an array inside of your program. You are then able to cycle through this array, and print out the information or store it to use elsewhere in your program. On the surface, an array might not look that interesting to you, but when you do more programming and start storing more complex data structures you will find you are often writing them to arrays when they need to be used.

Operations management unit 9 project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operations management unit 9 project - Essay Example The companys employee base, including those that work for the companys franchises has reached 130,000 by 1998. In 1998, Radissons president Brian Stage, and executive vice president Maureen OHanion, has been contemplating major change in the companys operations in order to gain competitive edge. The two executives think of adopting a different brand strategy which promises higher quality of service across all Radisson hotels. Commitment to improving the service quality and achieving higher customer satisfaction is something that the two executives see that Radisson needs in order to secure its position in the industry. The companys service guarantee should be defined in the following manner: â€Å"let us know if there is a problem and well have it fixed; otherwise, your accommodation is free.† This shows the companys strong commitment to provide excellent service that if the customer is not satisfied, then the service becomes free. This guarantee does not serve to reward picky and troublesome customers, but to convince the customers about the message the company is trying to convey with regard to its commitment to improving service quality, similar to the following manner: â€Å"the company will try to do its best to please you, and if you are not pleased then well shoulder the fees, as part of the cost of your dissatisfaction.† In order to implement this, the company has to gain the support of the different stakeholders such as owners, managers and front-line employees. By knowing that a dissatisfied customer costs a lot to the company and may affect their interests being stakeholders of the company, commitment to customer satisfaction can be strengthened. Improving the companys service quality cannot be cost-effective without information technology. As stated in the case (Schroeder 458), the two information systems are key to

Physics in The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Research Paper

Physics in The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment - Research Paper Example This paper discusses the physics involved in the experiment and how it is used to understand the effect of changes in the atmospheric layers on the ozone layer over the Arctic pole. Various parameters like temperature, pressure, etc. have been measured by custom made apparatus like the interferometers, spectrometers, spectrophotometers, etc. Launch- ACE used two major instruments in the mission. While the first instrument was a Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS), the other instrument was a dual optical spectrometer (Bernath, na). It was launched by NASA on August 12, 2003 using a Pegasus XL rocket at 650km above the Earth. The satellite was launched at an angle of 740 and orbited the Earth to cover tropical, mid-latitude and the Polar regions. The satellite operated in the UV-Visible-NIR region of the spectrum with the ACE-FTS being used in the NIR region while the MAESTRO Spectrophotometer was being used over the UV-VIS-NIR region (ACE, 2009). FTS operated in the range of 2-13 microns with a high resolution of 0.02cm-1 and a vertical resolution of 4km to up to 150km. the MAESTRO spectrophotometer operated in the UV-VIS-NIR spectral region of 285-1030nm with a vertical resolution of 1-2 km. ... Apart from this information, the satellite was also used to provide vertical profile information for temperature, pressure and the various molecules and their mixing ratios present in the atmospheric layers (ACE, 2009). Constituents- The primary instruments in the satellite are the FTS and the MAESTRO. The ACE-FTS is a Michelson interferometer with two corner cubes for producing the path difference with an end mirror which increases the path difference. The interference fringes are produced with a diode laser operating at 1500nm which are further Fourier Transformed to give the spectra. It has two detectors operating below 100K. Two imagers, one a Visible imager and other a near-IR imager at 0.525 and 1.02 microns are used to study the atmospheric absorption of aerosols and the clouds in the region. These two wavelengths are used for study as they are free of any absorption by the molecules present in the two layers, particularly the stratosphere (Bernath, 2005, pp25-26). The altitude profile information is sun tracked by detectors with 256x256 pixel sensors and a field view of 30mrad and a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 1000. The MAESTRO uses two spectrographs in the two overlapping windows which are 280-550nm and 500-1030nm with a resolution of 2nm. It is noted that the use of two spectrographs enhances the stray-light performance and enables the simultaneous measurement of two spectral bands at a narrow resolution. It also consists of photodiode detectors and a concave grating with an entrance slit always held horizontal to the sunset and sunrise. It also has a vertical resolution of 1-2km and a signal-to-noise

I Love Lucy: The Popular TV Show

I Love Lucy: The Popular TV Show The baby blue, mascara spiked eyes widens, the head tilts, the electric orange curls bob, and the wide, lipsticked mouth takes another teaspoon full of Vitameatavegamin syrup. The ever popular TV show, I Love Lucy, is back on the air with a new season of drama packed episodes. Ready to record the commercial that will propel her into show business, Lucy Ricardo downs the nutritional syrup, unaware that the product contains twenty-four percent alcohol. As she advertises the virtues of the product, her awareness slowly drifts away, and her face slips into a stupefied straight stare. The innocent, child-like Lucy is thoroughly drunk and very funny. One of the most beloved housewives in media history manages to make a complete fool of herself once again and successfully enrages her husband. Lucille Ball was a comedienne, film, television, and radio actress, and the star of I Love Lucy. In 1951, the first episode of I Love Lucy, Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Do Away with Her aired on public television; it became an instant favorite for viewers around the nation. What Lucille Ball achieved, however, had much more lasting impact. On top of being the first woman in television to be head of a production company, Lucille Ball became a pioneer that brought about the Golden Age of Television. Due to the success of I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball managed to establish television as a viable medium of entertainment in an era where media is dominated by filming industries; before I Love Lucy came about, television was mostly used as a means of keeping in touch. Not only did Ball change the face of television, she paved the path for future female actresses. Lucille Balls unique sense of humor, acquired through her own experiences, shaped the modern world of entertainment and left an irre placeable mark on society. Unlike her famous situation comedy alter ego Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball was not at all naive and clumsy. By the time I Love Lucy went on air in 1951, Ball was over forty and had been in show business, playing mostly glamour roles, for twenty years. Lucille Ball was born on August 6th, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She lost her father, who was a mining engineer, at the age of four. Her mother, who was a concert pianist, encouraged her into the field of entertainment. At the age of 15, Lucille Ball pursued her dreams of becoming a part of vaudeville in John Murray Anderson Dramatic School. But unfortunately for her, by the time she hit New York City the era of vaudeville was over or as Ball said it Vaudeville was dead, but I didnt know it! Forced to live on doughnuts and coffee, Ball managed to make ends meet as a model and showgirl. Unsatisfied with her current living style, Ball managed to pull some string with an old friend and hooked up with an agent looking for support actresses in comedy routines and plays. Over the course of the next few years, Ball worked on many productions such as Room Service with the Marx Brothers. She was willing to work all sorts of parts that other female actresses did not want to take. They knew Id run, Id scream, Id fall Id do what I was asked to do. () Because of her willingness to learn how to act, she landed parts in The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and most male comics. Some of the unconventional parts that Ball took caused her to have a much more unconventional sense of humor in her later works. This marked a period of tremendous growth in Balls comedic style and image. She was becoming someone recognizable and likeable a personality type. Lucille Balls first major recognized work came in 1947. She was chosen as the lead actress for a radio show called My Favorite Husband, which was sponsored by CBS. Her experiences on My Favorite Husband contributed greatly to Balls style of humor and I Love Lucy. Through the radio show, Ball learned the basic elements of timing her lines to laughs coming from a live audience. She also developed a combination of slapstick with both sexuality and domesticity. () This set Ball apart from most previous American women film comedians; it was common for women in slapstick to be a support prop, victims of male-initiated comedy, or star grotesques who had neither conventional sexual allure nor the prospect of social normalization through marriage. () Lucille Ball became one of the first female comedians to have connections with the domestic Ball gave off the similar feeling of being a part of the family. In 1940, Lucille Ball fell in love and eloped with touring Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz. They moved in together, married, and began a sequence of events that led to I Love Lucy. Because of the couples busy careers, they were frequently separated month at a time. Their marriage slowly fell apart. At that time Lucille Ball was offered by CBS to transfer her radio show My Favorite Husband to television. Ball, seeing this as an opportunity to patch up her marriage, brought her husband into the television show as the male lead. Thus I Love Lucy debuted on CBS in October 1951 and became an instant sensation. Eisenhowers presidential inauguration in January 1953 drew twenty-nine million viewers, but when Lucy gave birth to Little Ricky in an episode broadcast the next day forty-four million viewers (72% of all U.S. homes with TV) tuned in to I Love Lucy. I Love Lucy is arguably the TV show that had most influence on modern television media culture. Television in the 1950s was purely a domestic medium always showing images of marriage and family. The story of I Love Lucy reflected the couples own family life in the funhouse mirror of a sitcom premise. Lucy, played by Lucille Ball, is a frustrate housewife who longs to escape the confinement of her domestic role and participate in a larger public world, especially that of her husband Ricky, the leader of the Tropicana nightclub. Conflicts arise when Lucys desire to go beyond the roles of a housewife clash with Rickys equally passionate belief of a traditional housewife. This dynamic is established in the very first episode when Lucy disguises herself as a clown and sneaks into Rickys nightclub act. In all the consequent episodes following, Lucy rebels against the restrictions placed on the lives of domestic women, the boring routines of cooking and housework, taking care of the child ren, and the financial dependence upon the husband. Each episode centers upon Lucys acts of rebellion taking jobs, performing at clubs, making money-making schemes, or trying to fool Ricky are all in attempts to expose the absurd restrictions placed on women in a male-dominated society. Sadly, because of the era, her attempts are forever thwarted in every episode. By entering the public domain, Lucy inevitably makes a mess of things and is forced to retreat and return to the status quo of domestic life that is picked up in the next episode. However the message left by Lucy remains in the consciousness of viewers for the times to come. Balls style of comedy played a great role in conveying this message to the general audience. As a mere comedian from the perspective of an outsider such a message would probably not get much consideration. However, Balls type of domestic comedy allowed to her to much more than an outsider; in fact, the character Lucy is considered by many people as part of the family. Ball was able to get past the emotional barrier that many other comedians could not. Lucille Balls use of quick witted situational ironies combined with her position as an insider allows the much male-dominated audience to slowly accept the idea of women playing a more active role and having more power in society. On top of fighting for women rights, Lucille Balls I Love Lucy reached many milestones that became pivotal in shaping modern television. Programs before I Love Lucy were aired live from New York City studios to Eastern and Central time zone audiences. It was captured by kinescope for the viewers in the West Coast. Kinescope pictures quality was dramatically less than films. However, Ball and Arnaz took advantage of the movie industry filming techniques and captured their series on film. CBS allowed the couple to go through with their idea; in exchange for a cut in their salary, Ball and Arnaz gained one hundred percent ownership to the series. The idea of reruns had not been established or tested during her time, but Ball bet on the inevitable growth of television and ended up with huge returns an investment that quickly turned Ball and Arnaz into the first millionaire television stars. Lucille Ball has certainly left her mark on our society. Not only is she a pioneer in the struggle for equality amongst men and women, she shaped modern television into what we know today. Her title Queen of Comedy is well deemed. Along with her Living Legend Award and Legacy of Laughter Award, Lucille Ball paved the path for future female comedians to take stage. Anyone who has ever seen I Love Lucy will forever remember Balls signature laugh and her clumsiness which often times lead her into silly situations. Lucille Ball will forever be glorified in the hearts of Americans.

Essay on the Vengeful and the Virtuous in William Shakespeare :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Vengeful and the Virtuous in Shakespeare Whether you hate your King, your Christian rival or a neighboring foe, if you're in a Shakespeare play then you will be punished.   In the first act of each play Shakespeare shows a conflict between two groups of people, one is vengeful the other virtuous.   After the conflict is introduced, the malignant characters have important parts of their lives taken away and in the end the ultimate penalties of each are inflicted.   All of the antagonists are left desolate in the end of the plays by either lost fortunes or their lives.   Shakespeare takes good care to give the protagonists of the plays much reward for being on the right side of the spectrum.   As the characters hate increases throughout the play they begin to loose what is precious to them, first in small amounts, but in the end, they are stripped of all they love and value.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The basis for the hate is introduced to the audience very early on in all three plays.   The Capulets and the Montagues were neighboring feuding families.   Shakespeare never states the reason for the dispute between the two but he does clearly show the hatred from the beginning.   "Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean" (I i 1-4).   These first few lines of the play clearly describe the hatred between the two families and at the same time foreshadow an unpleasant end.   In "The Merchant of Venice", Shylock more boldly states, "I hate him for he is a Christian" (I iii 39).   This cry of hate is also early on in the play, which clearly helps show the reader that he is the antagonist of the play.   In "Henry IV" it is revealed in the first scene that a young Hotspur has kept prisoners of war away from th e King.   He calls the King Bolingbroke behind his back out of disrespect.   "All studies here I solemnly defy, save how to gall and pinch this Bolingbroke.   And that same sword and buckler Prince of Wales (I iii 227-229).   In Shakespearean plays, a character who hates or plots against the King is automatically the villain of the play.   The first act in all three plays revealed the characters for the audience to root against throughout the play.

Babel’s Internal Conflicts Essay

Babel’s collection of short stories Red Cavalry was one of the first books that exposed the Russian people to the harsh realities of the Polish-Soviet war. At first the stories seem to be historical fiction meant to entertain; however, upon closer reading these stories become pieces that convey strong moral, religious, political and emotional sentiment. Each short story represents a certain theme, but it is My First Goose that encompasses very well Babel’s feelings towards his own identity. The story illuminates the dynamic relationship between the insider and the outsider through careful use of imagery, tone, and imagery. More specifically, My First Goose addresses Babel’s conflicted sense of identity and self as a Jewish man. In My First Goose, as well as in many of Babel’s other works, the narrator is an ambiguous character that resembles the author (in what way? How do you we know this? ). Although very little information is given about the narrator, by the end of the story readers understand the narrator’s conflict with his identity (this sentence doesn’t really fit here; it is a bit off topic from the rest of the paragraph). The narrator is introduced as an outsider, one who is neither racially (is he a different race? ) nor physically equal to the men of the 6th Division. Savitsky, the first â€Å"insider† that is introduced (phrasing is stylistically awkward), is depicted as a extremely masculine figure whose â€Å"long legs looked like two girls were wedged to their shoulders in riding boots† and whose built body â€Å"split the hut like a banner splitting the sky†. The erotic (perhaps â€Å"erotically despicted/described/portrayed†) , masculine Cossack stands in stark contrast to the envious, feeble, timid, glasses wearing â€Å"powder puff†. Babel chooses to depict the ethnic other as virile and powerful while painting the narrator, a man whom he closely resembles, as a weak, almost effeminate, creature. The choice to do so indicates that the author cannot come to terms with his identity; rather he longs to be as strong and macho as the Cossacks. From the narrators exchange with Savitsky, â€Å"Ha, you lousy fellow, you! They send you to us, no one even asks us if we want you here! † it is suggested that the narrator is an outsider, an intellectual with traits associated with Jews. And even when verbally assaulted the narrator still â€Å"envied the flower and iron of Savitsky’s [that] youth†. Moreover, it is the portrayals of the obvious difference in strength, sexuality, and confidence between the narrator and Savitsky that suggests that Babel viewed his Jewishness as a source of shame. Instead of respecting the fact that the narrator can read and write, skills that were very rare, the Cossack leader mocks the narrator telling him that he would â€Å"get hacked to pieces just for wearing glasses†. And even when shown an obscene gesture by a young peasant the narrator still admires the face of the boy, futher emphasizing how unacceptable he is as a Jew. By accepting his inferiority the narrator further emphasizes his distain for identity. The obvious difference between the narrator and the commander that the author chooses to convey shows how the narrator, and to a certain extent the author, feels his â€Å"Jewishness† makes him inadequate compared to the Cossack soldiers. This paragraph seems a bit unfocused; see if you can pull out the two (? ) main threads and build separate paragraphs around each of them, with a clear, unifying topic sentence for each one) The narrator’s conflict with himself reaches a tipping point when he meets the old woman, and at this point he must make a choice to be an insider or outsider. This crucial decision characterized the reason for Babel’s short story, and he consciously choose to allow the narrator make the choice he did (sentence is awkwardly phrased). After settling down, the narrator begins to read, showing that he is still in touch with his intellectual and Jewish nature; however, he decides to stop reading when he encounters a old woman with glasses (this seems more summary than argument). The bespectacled old woman recognizes him as a Jewish â€Å"comrade† and seeks sympathy from her fellow Jew commenting that â€Å"this business makes me want to hang myself†. At this point the narrator and the author is (subject verb agreement; but also, is the author faced with a choice? faced with a choice: he could acknowledge the old woman as kin and defend his Jewish identity, or he could heed the advice of the quartermaster and â€Å"mess up a lady†. The narrator, and more importantly the author (why â€Å"more importantly the author†? ), decides to violate the only thing the old woman has left. This violation is symbolic: the narrator pushes the white neck of the goose into excrement and pierces the neck of the goose with the sword of another Cossack then forces the woman to cook the goose. With this act the narrator discards his Jewish identity, crushing it in dung, killing it with a borrowed sword. (Here, for example, is a possible place for a paragraph break; then start with a new topic sentence)And only after he has proven his masculinity is he accepted to eat with his new â€Å"brothers†. The narrators is offered a seat at the dinner table and given pork to eat, which he eats without question, with this communion his conversion by the â€Å"heathen priests† is complete. By having the narrator make this choice, Babel not only implies that he may have made the same decision, but also condones the idea of discarding the weakness and intellectualism associated with Jews in favor of violence and ignorance of the Cossacks (that’s a big claim to make—be careful about trying to read the author’s mind! ). At this point it seems that the narrator has completely discarded his Jewishness and embraces his new identity. After his communion with the Cossacks it seems (the repetition of â€Å"it seems† is wishy-washy and non-committal) that the narrator has completely left his identity behind, but it is soon evident that parts of him (wording) remain Jewish, remnants of his Jewishness that cannot be erased (awkward phrasing). Upon completing his violent and brutal killing, the narrator returns to his role as an intellectual and reads a speech given by Lenin to his new comrades. This shows that no matter how hard the narrator tries to escape his identity, he is still the feeble intellectual who has to borrow the sword of a Cossack to kill. The narrator is allowed to sleep with the Cossacks, (that citation doesn’t really add anything here) but even the warmth and camaraderie the narrator receives does not allow him to escape his actions. The last line reveals that a part of him will never be able to accept what he did to gain acceptance from the Cossacks. His heart â€Å"screeched and bled† from his denial of his Jewish identity. Killing the goose and eating pork directly violated his Jewish morals and although superficially he expressed no remorse, subconsciously he cannot accept the Cossack ways. This ambivalent attitude towards one’s identity characterizes Babel’s feelings towards his own attitude. In this story we see a narrator who struggles with the definition of self, and this struggle directly reflects Babel’s own struggles. (again, this paragraph seems to jump from point to point to much; make sure each paragraph is built around a unifying topic sentence; see if you can pull out two point from this one paragraph and bring them out more clearly by creating a separate paragraph for each one) In not only My First Goose, but in most of the short stories of Red Calvary the narrator struggles with his identity as a Jew. Although one cannot be sure what Babel attempts to convey in his pieces, it is clear that the narrators of Babel’s stories undergo the same mental turmoil Babel went through during his service in the Polish Soviet war (this last sentence doesn’t really work as a conclusion).