Inklings

This self-reflection paper will examine my personal responses to the recording I made May 28, 2015, in which I answered questions regarding my understanding of my own racial identity, my experiences and images of specific racial groups, my attitudes about contemporary racial issues, and my hope for future social change. First, I will first consider my initial responses to the recording, then track my changes in understanding of my racial identity based on Sue’s White Racial Identity Development…

George Orwell was a man of great experience and knowledge. His famous writings spoke of the unknown future and remain renowned today. Orwell brought a new, uncharted perspective to the world when he began writing. Throughout 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell offers a glance at the egregious government and a diminishing society. As a result of his hatred for other types of government, George Orwell espouses socialism. Socialism brings forth many ideals that Orwell believes in and negates…

From humble beginnings to an oppressive doctrine, the Holy Catholic Church truly underwent change throughout the course of Medieval history. Seen in these two letters, Clericis Laicos and Unam Sanctam, are what would seem to be the culmination of all this history: the responses of Pope Boniface VIII to the continued pressures of secular rule and its jurisdiction in relation to the Church and its functioning. With the Church’s rapid increase in size and influence over the past several centuries,…

We are born into this world without any prior knowledge of who we are. We grow up around the surroundings our parents or guardians choose to put us in, and it is then, all the assigned aspects of who we are and what we are supposed to be are established. From gender, sex, to religion and race; the possibilities are endless. These assigned attributes of what our identity is assumed to be can take a hindering toll on an individual. Within the meaning of identity, one is categorizing themselves to…

Literature is impacted by history. History, in turn, is impacted by people who are influenced by the conformities of society. Writers are affected by the environment around them. As a result, 3 totally different periods are formed: The Puritan Era, The Age of Reason, and The Romantic Period. The Puritan Era caused a psychological wave of oddness over the people. They believed that they should blame those unwilling to fit society’s requirements. It was created as a result of the Salem Witch…

After the Bolsheviks overthrew the Romanoff dynasty in 1917, they instituted communism as the national ideology. Communism is a political theory that advances a classless society where, where property is owned by the government with each person being employed by and paid by the government according to their abilities and need, as deemed necessary by the government (Source). A heightened awareness and concern of communism began to evolve that was legitimate in theory but paranoid in practice.…

Chimamanda Adichie’s Ted Talk entitled “The Danger of a Single Story” could be a second name for the class African Women Writers. Adichie discusses growing up in post-colonial Africa and how there were still a lot of colonial influencers, especially on her education. She read and subsequently wrote books about little blonde girls with blue eyes, who ate apples and played in the snow. She then goes on to talk about how she personally could relate with none of these experiences, she ate mangos,…

Traditional films have always followed a certain formula that of the Hollywood cinema style, one that audiences are familiar with. Along with this structured technique, great narratives can be produced while providing insightful views and commentary upon the world, whether they are subtle or not depends on the film. Not every film produced is meant to follow this familiar structure and some have broken away from the normal to make a film that is close to those who create it. Directors that have…

Chomsky’s propaganda model highlights the inherent conflict of interest between the powerful - namely government and major financial institutions - and the general population with corporately structured news media. His theory frames private media not as a reputable outlet of quality information, but rather as a conglomeration of profit-seeking organizations that align their story production with the interests of the political and economic elites; this occurs at the expense of the regular public,…

Prologue Gasps of terror echoed throughout the room as the gruesome spectacle was brought in. Pope Stephen VI grinned, triumphantly, as his will was worked. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. The basilica was filled with exclamations as the object was seated on the chair, and members of the jury covered their eyes. Even before the rich linen veil was lifted, the audience knew what was being covered. They had heard about Pope Stephen VI’s insane requests, and his eerie ideas. The…