Political socialization

The initial setting in this parable is rather nondescript. Jesus, the author, mentions a king (Matt 22:2), which evokes images of a palace and/or a throne room. As the author does not offer much more information beyond this, it is best not to read too much into this setting, but we can make a few observations. In the Old Testament, there are a number of stories wherein a king gives orders to his servants from his throne room. Pharaoh gives Joseph charge of his kingdom in his throne room (Gen…

fighting an uphill battle against corruption. From colonization, to authoritarian systems, and then further to democratization, corruption has plagued and dominated Latin American societies. One may assume that corruption is mainly found within the political systems of Latin America, but rather, corruption besets the personal lives of its citizens as well. One instance of many corrupt scandals is the Petrobras Scandal. The scandal now involving Brazil’s president involves thirty four sitting…

Conflict in “Ashes for the Wind” The purpose of a government is to protect their people, not tell them how to run their lives. But this isn’t always the case. In the short story, “Ashes for the Wind” by Hernando Tellez, a corrupt dictatorship-like government tries to force their will upon a man named Juan Matinez, the protagonist. This is the major source of conflict; it is external (man versus society). “The son of Simon Arevalo and his wife, Laura,” “ a man [who] had a cordially sinister…

1. Thoreau is characterized as "The Now Thoreau" because of the cultural context in which the play was written. One of the fundamental driving forces of the drama is how Thoreau believes that the Mexican- American War is wrong and while he cannot stop governmental policy about it, he can voice his own dissent against that which he considers to be morally wrong. The play's historical context of the Vietnam War is not accidental. Lawrence and Lee believe that "the Now Thoreau" can speak to a…

based on the actions that unify a person's soul. This makes a city appear to be an agent, "it is not just a place to live, but rather a kind of agent which performs actions and so has a life and a history. And we can see the same three parts in a political decision" (Korsgaard 105). Plato believes that reason is used so people can be well-functioning agents. He says that when people have decisions to make, reason has to come in and choose which desire or appetite is best to act on. Then, the…

Jean Jacque Rousseau, one of the great philosophers of the French enlightenment, was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and raised by an aunt and uncle, after his mother died days after his birth. At the age of thirteen he was apprenticed to an engraver, but ran away three years later, eventually becoming the secretary for Madame Louise de Warens, who influenced his life and writings. In 1742, Rousseau went to Paris, where he became a friend of Denis Diderot, a French philosopher and the writer of…

Dustin Wonch P.4 Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Notes from Underground is one of the most influential pieces of fiction in Western European history. In Notes from Underground, there is a Underground Man that mentions a fake place called the Crystal Palace where “every possible question will vanish in the twinkling of an eye, simply because every…

The Road to Equality “There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity” (The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014). This quote sums it all. We are turning into violent creatures fighting each other for wealth and power. But did humans forget that they are born special, they are distinguished by their intelligence, their feelings, and their sense of solidarity. The human race is failing to remember that all the 7.2 billion people living on…

1.) Thoreau’s journals, within “American Earth” by Al Gore, consolidates numerous themes and materials revolving around environmental writings. Sequentially he starts out contemplating that even after one dies they will live on through nature. He then continues to elaborate on the beauty of nature and how humans take it for granted. This is evident when he’s describing men that have grown ignorant to sounds of nature, “silence audible,” as he calls it. Why? The modernization of society, causing…

Prompt: Do you agree or disagree with the following: “Evil means justify honorable ends.” Using your knowledge of the text, write a well thought out analysis relating to the quote. In Catch-22, the definition of terms such as ‘evil’ and ‘honorable’ are as warped and contorted as possible. As a result, there is an unethical solace found in the ruling of the bureaucracy, who, as stated in the journal prior, are the clear antagonists. Lead by Colonel Cathcart, the sinister ruling states that…