Importance in the Handmaid’s tale Essay

Explore the ways in which religion is presented and its importance in the Handmaid’s tale. Religion is presented in a numerous amount of ways in the Handmaid’s tale. Christianity or Puritanism is the leading faith in Gilead and is portrayed as a controlling mechanism, which not only controls people’s bodies but strives to control their minds. Inside Gilead biblical and religious references act as fundamental laws and polices towards the controlling regime of Gilead. The people within the regime of Gilead are subjected to harsh and rigid lifestyles. This is justified by the leaders of Gilead by the use of the bible. From Offred’s perspective we can see the strictness of the regime that she lives in. For example â€Å"They can hit us there is scriptural precedent†. Atwood clearly displays the theme of fundamentalism to demonstrate the ideologies of those that impose the rules Gilead. Offred’s perspective often gives the reader an insight into how one would feel if put in the situation of having the regime of Gilead imposed on them. Offred describes some of her actions when she is alone in her room, â€Å"I can spend minutes, tens of minutes running my eyes over the print FAITH†. This emphases to the reader the notion of hope and that if Offred is going to escape or survive the regime with her sanity intact she needs to have â€Å"faith†. Weather that is religious faith in the religion she has come to hate or alternatively it may be faith in herself that she can survive even in this time of dyer. Handmaids wear the colour red which signifies life, lust and love. However in this colour Offred sees herself as a â€Å"sister dipped in blood† this is ironic as â€Å"sister† is referring to a nun. Handmaids share many aspects of their lifestyles with living in a nunnery. For example the solitude and the excessive covering up of body parts. However there is one lifestyle trade that handmaids and nuns do not share. While nuns take a vow of celibacy, the sole purpose of Handmaid’s is to have sexual intercourse. This view of Offred presents irony. In addition to this the use of â€Å"blood† may give the reader connotations of sin and misconduct. This reveals that Offred believes what she is doing is wrong and sinful. In addition to Offred’s perspective, religion as a theme is introduce in the society of Gilead. While religion may be introduced through a controlling means to justify the polices of the regime. But in Gilead it is not so much seen as practical part of life. For example many parts of religion that one would associate with the modern day do not exist in the world of Gilead. For example in Gilead â€Å"the church is a small one†¦ It isn’t used any more, except as a museum. † This demonstrates that Gilead is only theoretically religious and doesn’t practice many practical elements of religion like going to church as they are not used in the world of Gilead. In addition to this Offred also shows that nunneries do not exist in the regime of Gilead. â€Å"time is measured in bells, as once in nunneries†. By saying â€Å"as once in nunneries† it reveals that they are not around anymore. This shows another practical element of religion that has been abolished. Not only have the leaders of Gilead used the bible as political justification to their regime they have also invented new parts of the bible to further control people. â€Å"Blessed are the silent. I knew they made that up, I knew it was wrong, and they left things out too, but there was no way of checking. † The fact that Gilead has made up new parts of the bible shows the leader have used fundamentalism as an excuse for the creation of the regime. In addition to this the fact that women had no way of checking shows they have no access to bibles therefore another practical part of religion is not in practise. Religion is presents the main strengths that Gilead uses to control the different positions and is used as a justification method. However religion is also what defeats Gilead as this is what gives Offred hope and faith.

Genocide in Bosnia Essay

The Bosnian genocide is often referred to as the hidden genocide, yet it had catastrophic effects on humanity. Over 100,000 people were killed and it displaced millions of people. The genocide occurred between 1992 and 1995. The Social Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was made up of six nations under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito. Once Tito passed away in 1990, there was a power vacuum, and politicians began a nationalistic campaign pitting Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks against each other. Hence, the beginning of an â€Å"ethnic cleansing† war (Campbell, 2003 p.511). Once Milosevic was the President of Republic of Serbia, he encouraged formation of violent uprisings by Serb nationals. Milosevic was interested in creating an ethnically pure Serb nation. Milosevic’s ambition worried the nations in the federal government; hence Croatia and Slovenia declared themselves independent from the republic. However, Croatia was not allowed to leave because it had 12% of the Serbian population. Hence Croatia became a battlefield between 1991- 1996. Bosnia-Herzegovina watched the horrors in Croatia as they worried about themselves being the next victim. Bosnia-Herzegovina held a referendum in 1992 and declared itself free from the republic. The Serbs in Bosnia were not happy about it, and they began fighting with the support of the Yugoslavian National Army. Bosnia and Croatia lacked weapons to defend themselves because the UN had enacted an embargo, thus they were victims of an endless cycle of violence, displacement and death (Schott, 2011 p.19). Serbian plan of attack entailed the following steps; concentration, decapitation, separation, evacuation ad liquidation. During concentration stage, Serbian soldiers would warn Serbians to leave the town they were about to attack and surround the city with artillery fire. The second stage involved execution of the town’s leaders, military and intelligence. On the third stage, Serbian soldiers would separate women, children and old people from â€Å"fighting group†. Women, children and old people would be taken to concentration camps, while the young people were executed. This brings me to the subject of this essay. Women were targeted in specific ways when compa red to men. Unlike, the young male soldiers who were executed, women lived longer to and experience  untold suffering under the Serb soldiers. Women were interchangeably used by soldiers as sexual trophies (Lentin, 1997). This essay analyses the genocide on a gendered frame, so as to shine light on the awful atrocities women faced in the hands of Serbian militia. From a gender frame, sexual violence in war cannot be reduced to psychological attributes of the perpetrators. Genocidal rape has to be analyzed in terms of social structures. Rape in Bosnia was systematic, since it was planned. Bosnian genocide is the only genocide that women bodies were used as a battlefield. This genocide trampled upon all women rights. The Serbian militants lacked respect and sympathy for women. The Yugoslav army, Bosnian Serb forces and Chetniks came up with a sexual violence campaign against Croats and Muslim women. They killed, imprisoned, terrorized and raped women in the hope that they would leave and never come back. The attack on women was not an accident. It was premeditated as a lot of soldiers took part in sexual violence campaign. Th eir commanders were aware of what was going on, and they turned a blind eye. The attackers used the Ram & Brana plan of attack (1991). The plan said that successful attacks should be the one carried out on the enemy’s weakest point. The weakest point during wars is usually women and children. By attacking the weakest point, they were able to spread panic and fear in the population hence Croats and Bosnians could only run away for safety (Abreu, 2005 p.5). Since this was an â€Å"ethnic cleansing war†, the Serbian armed forces believed that sexual violence against women was an act of tainting the bloods of the Croats and Bosnians (Allen, 1996 p. 23). Culture and religion played a big part in this war; hence the attackers believed that they were annihilating their culture through sexual violence. The Serbians waged a psychological warfare on their enemies, such that they believed that by raping women, impregnating them and forcefully aborting their fetuses they were cleansing them. The Serbian armed forces also carried out sexual assaults against men. Serbia, Bosnia and almost all Balkan nations are lawfully heterosexual nations. Hence by raping men, they were degrading them or feminizing them and making them powerless. By raping their victims, the victims were gendered as feminine or attached with feminine qualities of vulnerability. Apart from the psychological effects of sexual violence on women, women faced a lot of physical suffering in the â€Å"rape camps†. The Serbian forces had created rape camps as a substitute for  concentration camps, so that they would use them to sexually violate women. In fact the Serbian forces had a modus operandi for sexually assaulting women (Abreu, 2005 p.11). The modus operandi was characterized by three patterns; public rape of children and women in their villages, sporadic rape of women and children in concentration camps and lastly rape in death/ rape camps. During the three stages women were subjected to all kinds of violence. Women went through gang rapes, sexual mutilations, forced impregnation and childbirth, sexual abuse with foreign objects and family me mbers were forced to rape their women. The extreme sexual violence was meant to defile, destroy the community and to make them leave. It is obvious that the war was motivated by nationalistic intentions, but the way the war was carried out, misogyny is another probable cause of the war. Most atrocities that took place in Bosnia genocide have been termed as â€Å"femicidal† (Turpin 1998 p. 67). Bosnians and Croats have traditional cultures. Women are supposed to be pure, and when they are not pure they are ostracized from the society. After the genocide, women who were victim of sexual violence were avoided. The tainted women were no longer acceptable by their friends and families, and this was the goal of the Serbian perpetrators. This justifies the fact that misogyny could have been another reason for the war. In a gendered frame analysis, it is clear that there was feminization of the genocide (MacKinnon, 2006 p.18). In genocide, women are usually seen as universal victims. Sexual violence against women is seen as a mortal sin against motherhood. The notion of ‘combat’ and battlefields are constructs of masculinity. The Serbian armed forces believed that through sexual violence campaign, they would turn their victims powerless (Femininity) analysis of war is often carried out from a masculine point of view. However, Bosnia genocide is gendered, as it represents women as victims, sexual objects, symbolic of their nation and repositories of their families. The Serbs militia believed that by defiling the women, they would be defiling the nations (Bosnia and Croatia) Collins (1996) attempts to explain genocidal rape from a feminist perspective, he says that women are the ones who hold families and the community. Their physical and emotional destruction through rape is a symbol of destruction of the social and cultural stability of a nation. The sexual violence involved heightened sadism, for instance forceful rape with family members. The sexual violence  aimed at destroying the victims emotionally, destroying the community and imposing restrictions on women so as to control births. The sexual genocide did not only target the individual victim, but it targeted the group too. Rape as a genocide strategy destroys women’s role as mothers and caregivers, hence the pivotal source of the life to the community is destroyed. According to Mc Kinnon (2006, 187), sexual campaign was used by the Serbian military as a tool for political campaign, soldiers were to rape under orders. The sexual violence campaign was characterized by forced rape and forced impregnation. After the Croatian and muslim women were sexually abuse, they were denied abortions so that they would give birth to â€Å"Serb† babies. Forced impregnation was seen as a way of destroying the maternal community as they gave birth to the child of the enemy ( Allen, 1996 p.76). The rapists violated the rights of women through forceful procreation, which is a deliberate and a sadist act. The children of the rapists often stigmatized or abandoned as they brought negative memories to their mothers. The forced pregnancies on rape victims were seen as a way of preventing births among the Croats and Muslims. The perpetrators of rape believed that they were producing â€Å"Little Chetniks†. From a feminist perspective, the act of forced imp regnation is like imposing a social death on the victims. The women were tortured, and they did not want those children. It turned Croatian and Muslim women as gestating beings for the enemy. Stories from the war show a lot of women who recounted how they were raped repeatedly until they were pregnant, and the women wanted nothing to do with the children. Another explanation of forced rape is the fact that rape was used as a tool of biological warfare. Forced rape and impregnation meets the requirement of biological warfare according to international law (Seifet, 1996 p.42). MacKinnon also analyzes Bosnian rape by comparing it with pornography. In the 1990s, pornography was very common in Yugoslavia. When porn is common in a society, the whole population learns to dehumanize women and inflict sexual assault. Pornographic materials provided the need motivation and materials for Serbian forces. In the rape camps, women were ordered to perform for men; in fact some rapes were filmed and sold as pornographic products since they could not be differentiated from actual pornography. The films were even released in the media so as to amass popularity for Bosnian war. The dialogue s in the pornography were used to  implicate Croatian soldiers. According to MacKinnon (2006), sexual violence was used so consciously and cynically in a way that destroyed people. Once pornography was released, more Serbian forces were encouraged to continually assault women. Genocidal rape in Bosnia was seen as an ethno marker. Ethnic markers are things such as dressing, lifestyle and language. The Serbians, Croats and Bosnians had almost similar ethnic markers. Since they were a part of Yugoslavia republic, the ethnic lines had been blurred. Rape was used by the Serbs to act as a moral ethno marker, as it separated them from the Croats and Muslims. They felt that it created cultural superiority of the Serbians. In fact Serbian law was amended to include ethnic rape, and they believed that the differences in ethnicity aggravated the crime. The mass rapes occurred in places where Serbs were a minority when compared to the size of Croats and Muslims (Allen, 1996 p.19). This was a way of asserting their superiority in the region. Sexual violence was also used to socialize new military recruits. Rape isolated the new recruits from the community and prepared them for battlefield. In Bosnia, sexual violence perpetrated by new recruits occurred in front of other soldiers and the victims even know their perpetrators. The Bosnian war was used by the Serbs to renegotiate their relationship with the other Balkan nations. Rape was seen as a way of establishing new boundaries, as they felt that they were the superior ethnic group. From a gender based analysis it is evident that the legal framework did not address the sexual violence against women in Bosnia well (MacKinnon, 2006 p.89). The law blamed the genocide on ethnicity, and disregarded the fact that it was sex based. The Serb military attack on women was premeditated and executed in three stages. The creation of rape camps shows that the intent was sexually based, in as much as it was ethnically motivated. Failure by the law to acknowledge this is a huge set back on women rights. The law perpetuates patriarchy in legal constructs in violation of women rights. Failure to acknowledge it also prevents the law from addressing the genocidal rape adequately. The law is ignoring the existence and horrifying effects of genocidal sexual terrorism to women (Abreu, 2005 p. 16). This is quite cowardly as the law uses ethnicity to cover the severe harm that women suffered in the hands of Serbian militants. The law enables the perpetrators to hide under ethnic crimes, yet they committed more inhumane atrocities. The law usually acknowledges sexual  crimes, but sexual crimes during genocides were only termed as other inhumane acts. This is blatant sex discrimination propagated by the law. In conclusion, analyzing genocide on a gender framed perspective gives various explanations and perspectives on the violence against women in Bosnia. The sexual violence against women in Bosnia genocide is distinct. Many women can recount the horror they went through in the hands of the Serbian perpetrators. The violence against women was planned as a war strategy. International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) should recognize genocidal sex terrorism, rather than hiding it under ethnic-based persecutions (Campbell, 2003 p.509). Serbian militants reduced women as a means of achieving their goals for the genocide. Addressing this problem will help the victim feel like they have achieved some semblance of justice, though nothing can compare to what they went through. Genocide sexual terrorism should be acknowledged by the law, and the legal elements regarding it should be outlined. Using a gender frame to analyze genocide helps us learn about the psychological and soc ial reasons for rape during genocides, rather than just saying that they were raped because they belonged to the enemy’s side. References Abreu, Veronica. (2005) Women’s Bodies as Battlefields In The Former Yugoslavia: An Argument For The Prosecution Of Sexual Terrorism As Genocide And For The Recognition of Genocidal Sexual Terrorism As A Violation Of Jusc Cogens Under International Law. The Georgetown Journal of Gender and Law, Vol. V1:1 Allen, B (1996) Rape Warfare: The Hidden Genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Campbell, K., 2003, â€Å"Rape as a ‘Crime Against Humanity’: Trauma, Law and Justice in the ICTY†, Journal of Human Rights, 2(4): 507–515. Caringella, S., (2008) Addressing Rape Reform in Law and Practice, New York: Columbia University Press. Jones, Adam (2006) Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction. New York City: Routledge, 2006. MacKinnon, C., (2006) Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues, Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. Ringelheim, J.M. (1997) ‘Genocide and gender: a split memory’ in R. Lentin (editor) Gender and Catastrophe. London: Zed Books. Schott, R. (2011), â€Å"War Rape, Natality and Genocide†, Journal of Genocide Research, 13(1/2): 5-21. Seifert, R., (1996), â€Å"The Second Front: The Logic of Sexual Violence in Wars†, Women’s Studies International Forum, 19(1/2): 35–43. Turpin, J. (1998) ‘Many faces: women confronting war’ in L.A. Lorentzen and J. Turpin (editors) The Women and War Reader. New York: New York University Press.

The Merneptah Stele and Early ‘Israel’

The mention of ‘Israel’ as a people rather than a region in the Merneptah Stele identifies them as an important socioeconomic entity and therefore a political threat to a hegemonic Egypt. The resilience of the people ‘Israel’ was established through a segmented tribal coalition, formed as a religious and social identity that attributed to their survival in the turbulent times of the early 12th century . The inclusion of ‘Israel’ in the Merneptah Stele demonstrates the importance of these people. It was not in the traditions of the Egyptian scribes to mention an entity that was considered socially inferior or of little importance in the political environment of the era. Poetic licence and propaganda was employed to ensure the Egyptian people regarded the Pharaoh with illustrious fervour. Only events of ‘political significance’ were narrated and only in the context of the will of the Pharaoh not as miscalculated occurrences . Although it is recognised the scribes employed propaganda, this does not take away from the historical reliability of the narration. The traditions of the ‘New- Kingdom Pharaohs’ included daily journals being kept on papyrus, which subsequently were transcribed on to stone for the ‘public record’. Once the rhetoric was completed the plain text of the conquest of the Pharaoh was there and basically reliable . The literary interpretation of ‘Israel’ as a people in the inscription is supported by the determinative used by the scribe and the Egyptian word prt as ‘seed’ correlates with the assumption of Israel existing as a ‘†¦. rural sedentary group of agriculturalists’ . Ahlstrom and Edelman propose the people determinative could be attributed to scribal carelessness or a lack of knowledge of the area but this is contradicted by Kitchen who maintains ‘†¦. the writing and engraving of the ‘Israel Stela’ was executed extremely accurately†¦. ’ . In separating ‘Israel’ by the use of the people determinative from the city-states Ashkelon, Gezer, and Yanoam, the scribe is identifying the differences of the socio-political structures and allowing us a brief glimpse of a specifically defined group of people. Hjelm and Thompson suggest that ‘seed’ is understood to mean descendants or offspring and arguments to support this theory are referenced to Bible traditions and Egyptian texts , however in the context of ‘Israel’ the people being farmers, it would be feasible that the inference would mean their grain was decimated rather than the population being slaughtered in battle. The implication of prt, understood as ‘seed’ is very important in so much that it identifies the people from an occupational and economical perspective. In the context of the inscription the scribe portrays the message of taking away the core of the people’s existence, their sustenance, culture and framework of the agricultural society identifiable as the people ‘Israel’ . If we are to assume the people ‘Israel’ were a sedentary group of agriculturist strong enough to be a threat to Egypt we must also make the assumption the group were firmly established and had been for some time. The Egyptian scribe must have already been aware of the existence of ‘Israel’ as mentioned above and this would imply some former experience with this group that obviously made an impact on Egyptian society . The most noteworthy event would have to be the Exodus. Brown argues the Exodus took place in the time of Merneptah as the result of his father Rameses II being referred to as ‘the persecutor of the Jews’ . Support is given by Brown on the content of a document held in the British Museum known as the papyrus Anastasi VI. Briefly this states that the tribes of Shasu have been given permission to graze their cattle in the Crown lands of Goshen where it is assumed the tribes of Israel previously inhabited, therefore confirming the Israelites had left the domains of Egypt sometime within the first seven years of Merneptah’s reign, loosely around the time of the inscription. Within Brown’s argument lies his acceptance of the literary translation of ‘seed’ meaning children or offspring therefore relying on the premise of the Bible as denoting the Israelites as ‘the children of Israel’ and the orrelation with the inscription to mean that the expulsion from Egypt was the true interpretation of the text . This view contradicts the theory of ‘seed’ meaning grain so although appearing to be a sound hypothesis relies too heavily on hyperbole and does not fit with ‘Israel’ as an established socioeconomic entity that posed a threat to Egypt. We may ask the question of why a group of people that were perceived as a hill dwelling rural sedentary group of agriculturalists threatened the power of hegemonic Egypt. From a geopolitical perspective Egypt’s agenda was to control the coastal highway that included Ashkelon, Gezer and Yanoam to fortify military strongholds and control the trade route. ‘Israel’ situated in the hill country posed an autonomous threat, as had the other city-states so it stands to reason it needed to be conquered to fulfil the Merneptah’s campaign goals. It must also be pointed out that it was not unusual for unrest and rebellion to occur when a new ruler came to the throne. Vassals would have used this opportunity to test the governing body and try to extricate themselves from the yoke of the oppressor. The ‘†¦. sly rhetorical device’ used by the scribe in the inscription and the literary translation ‘Israel is laid waste, his seed is not’ encourages investigation into the transparency of the language used. The scribe infers that the success of Merneptah’s campaign was complete but a closer analysis may indicate otherwise. Leuchter posits a strong argument based on the tool of warfare that was favoured by the Pharaohs, namely the chariot. To clarify, a hill dwelling community would be hard to conquer with chariots as the dominant weapon of conquest. This may also explain why the Israelites had chosen to inhabit the hills, obviously a calculated strategy to provide a safe refuge for the tribal coalition and a stronghold that served them well in the unsettled times of the early Canaan region. Different interpretations of the line mentioning ‘Israel’ also support Leuchter’s claim a full victory may not have been achieved. Egyptologist Joseph Davidovits refutes the accepted translation of ‘Israel is laid waste, his seed is not’ and proposes a new translation on the basis of the hieroglyphs being read incorrectly (the owl being read as a vulture in line 27), therefore the new translation is ‘existing is Israel the people’. If the Israelites were not conquered and their ‘seed’ was not laid waste then this would also allow for a solid framework for the establishment of the Hebrew monarchy and much to the consternation of minimalist scholars, a loose confirmation of the biblical traditions . The location of ‘Israel’ in the central highlands, protected them from conquering factions and larger armies, and also set them apart from the people of the Canaan lowlands . The other factor that constituted a strong coalition of the people was the common identity shared by the Israelite entity. The unrest in the lowlands ‘forged alliances’ between the highland people for the obvious reasons of survival. The only way to prosper in an area that would have involved a sustainable existence of a rural nature would be to co-operate and maintain a certain amount of egalitarianism . Another element that set ‘Israel’ apart was in the simplest of forms to identify one self and that was by their name. The name is West Semitic and can be translated to mean ‘El persists’ or ‘El rules’ when placed in ‘the divine element’. Sparks posits the common element of El in the name denoted a sense of common religious identity which would set them apart from others and one that would afford a cohesive front to would be conquerors and oppressors . This would also explain why the scribe recognised ‘Israel’ as a people rather than a region and was very precise in his usage of the determinative for such. The one line in the inscription is so brief that theories about coalitions and tribes existing in the hill country can only be speculations formed from placing pieces of the puzzle together at this early stage of ancient Israel, and the recognition of them in the context of the Merneptah Stele as evidence of Israel outside the biblical texts. We can assume that this league of people were resilient and were held together by more than just the will to survive. Religious faith would have played a very real role in their survival. K. Sparkes disagrees with K. van der Toorn’s assertion that there is no evidence of a common ethnic identity in regards to a common religious faith by the simple premise of the name ‘Israel’ meaning a shared devotion of the god ‘El’ . A suggestion on the premise of a group of people living in a segmented community and accepting to be known as the one name, may also point to the social structure of tribes that existed autonomously but came together for a common purpose such as the threat of conquest. This as mentioned above suggests a pre-monarchic foundation for the early ‘Israel’ entity and the monotheist culture followed by ‘Israel’. The worship of Yahweh was a collective faith and a strength drawn on through adversity giving the people a meaning for their existence and an explanation for hardships encountered or successes granted. In conclusion the mention of ‘Israel’ in the Merneptah Stele in one line suggests a strength and resilience of a people that identified themselves by their name and their faith. This inclusion also reflects the importance of this tribal coalition to the hegemonic Egypt and Merneptah’s campaign to extend Egypt’s territory through Canaan and the highlands. We should take note about the importance of faith and the willingness to lead an egalitarian existence if it means the survival of the greater community when faced with adversity and oppression.

Problematizing Feminsim: An Article Critique Essay

A thorough examination of Shefali Desai’s article clearly shows the major issues that are confronted by the feminist movement. Desai carefully examined the underlying ideological tenets, as well as the corresponding political, social and cultural differences that seem to create a wide gap among many feminist activists. This is most especially true in cases that specifically focus on the recognition of women’s rights and at the same time, taking into full consideration the respective cultural and social arenas in which oppression and repression take place. Clearly, under this context, Desai attempts to formulate a concrete and feasible solution on how to resolve the tensions and disparities, which are often experienced and reflected in feminism’s multicultural approach. To further illustrate the author’s contentions and arguments, Desai offered a substantial distinction about the glaring differences between the methods and approaches that are deployed by universalists and cultural relativists (5). As universalism implies, Desai expounded that this particular approach upholds the belief that the idea of human rights can be understood within a single vantage point (5). Consequently, cultural relativism espouses that human rights should be contextualized from different angles that subsequently acknowledge a range of external factors (Desai 5). The political, social and more importantly, cultural factors, thus affect the individual’s scope of reality. In this aspect, arguing for a universal approach is no less than a subtle assertion of power legitimacy and to a certain extent, subordination. Desai, then linked these scenarios to the recognition of women’s rights in non-Western setting, such as the Taliban society (7). Via exerting a conscious effort to trace the historical narrative of the Taliban government, Desai narrated how a series of wars and intercultural differences have affected the women of Afghanistan (7). But with Taliban’s rise and its strict imposition of Islamic Law, is perceived by many as far more repressive, patriarchal and detrimental to Afghan women (Desai 7). This is despite of the fact that several members of the community have seen the Taliban approach as yet another way of safeguarding not only their women, but also their cultural practices (Desai 11). This particular situation has led Desai to question the seemingly monolithic and (apathetic) contentions of both universalists and cultural relativists women advocates. Critically speaking, far more than acknowledging human rights, it can be argued that Desai was also concerned on a pragmatic application of â€Å"multicultural feminism (Worell 432)†. The Taliban case, far more than anything else raises the question of whose feminism is involved, most especially in scenarios that revolved around women oppression and identity construction. For those who do not have a direct experience of oppression, universalism and feminism can be easily combined. However, it cannot be denied that individual differences and cultural and individualistic considerations may divide feminist movements from across the globe. Thus, via providing clear definitions and comprehensive distinctions of how womanhood is experienced and understood in various social settings, Desai’s work remarkably eliminates the possibility of Western feminist hegemony. Consequently, by being open to the respective cultural constraints of women in highly marginalized regions, the article remains free from the biases of relativism and still offers a highly pragmatic approach. The example that Desai used added to the author’s credibility since it successfully illustrated the concrete shortcomings of two divergent perspectives that exceed the theoretical or hypothetical assumptions. Evidently, the remaining parts of Desai’s discussion presented different way of )dealing with feminism and human rights recognition. Desai called for a much more holistic and collective approach via formulating legal protocols that duly recognize human rights with great sensitivity. Yes, Desai’s work calls for sensitivity, in the sense that feminists must also pay attention to the individualistic needs of many women. In this manner, highly customized and appropriate solutions can be enacted. Oftentimes, women-related problems become worse, not only because of the lack of direct action, but also due to the excessive politics that exist among feminists and even legal experts. As Desai stressed, feminism cannot possible produce good results if the idea of â€Å"multiplicity† is taken for granted (17). Here, it can be seen that Desai actually looks for parallelism rather than an abrupt intersection of opposing views and ideologies. The strengths of universalism and cultural relativism are combined to overcome its respective weaknesses. In this aspect, biases and politicking shall be lessened and feminism now transforms into an efficient and pragmatic solution. Works Cited Desai, Shefali. â€Å"Hearing Afghan’s Women’s Voices: Feminist Theory’s Re- Conceptualization of Women’s Human Rights. † Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law. 16. 805 (1999): 1-17 Worell, Judith. Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and the Impact of Society on Gender. California: Academic Press

Music and Color which ones positively affect men and women, which ones Essay

Music and Color which ones positively affect men and women, which ones negatively affect them - Essay Example However, there are currently no books on this topic, and educators and parents are often forced to rely on news reports and websites that sometimes present the information in a biased and sketchy fashion. As a result, there is a great deal of confusion about the benefits of music listening and instruction. Music has been touted to cure backache, asthma, obesity, writer’s block, alcoholism, schizophrenia, prejudice, heart disease, drug addiction, headaches, and AIDS. Claims have been made that music makes bread rise better and improves the taste of beer. In Florida it’s now the law that all childcare facilities receiving state aid include at least half an hour of music exposure every day. The governors of both Tennessee and Georgia give newborns in their states classical music CDs. An Indiana obstetrician even markets a device that administers music in-utero. Clearly, most of these claims are unsubstantiated, despite the (usually) good intentions of their supporters. Unf ortunately, the exaggerated claims that have often accompanied the research have caused some academicians to be skeptical of any research suggesting the benefits of music. Although music is important in its own right, a book that systematically reviews what is known about the power of music to influence non-musical domains is necessary for scientists and laypeople alike’.(Sabattical , 2 ) ‘Color conveys meanings in two primary ways - natural associations and psychological symbolism. No, it’s not mind control. The truth of the matter is that people are comfortable when colors remind them of similar things. For example, a soft shade of blue triggers associations with the sky and a psychological sense of calm. Successful design requires an awareness of how and why colors communicate meaning. The source of these meanings can be quite conspicuous, such as those found in nature — red is the color of blazing fire

Hydrogels Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hydrogels - Term Paper Example A hydrogel construction can be described as a three-dimensional jetty is made up of linear polymer chains with covalent connections, which are in turn connected together by further cross-connections. These cross-connections could be covalent, ionic grafts or crystal sections [2]. Hydrogels form due to polarity and hydrophilic nature of polar groups existing between the polymer chains cross-connections that render it insoluble. There are several known methods of synthesizing hydrogels, some of which are explained below. A simple method of constructing hydrogels is by crosslinking water-soluble polymers (with functional groups like -OH, -COOH, -NH2) in solution. In solution co-polymerization reactions, ionic or neutral monomers are mixed with a multi-functional crosslinking agent. The reaction is initiated thermally using UV-light, or by a redox initiator system. The solvent serves as heat sink and minimizes temperature control problems. The reaction is carried out in an organic solvent to prevent water from reacting with the crosslinking agent. Once crosslinked, the resultant hydrogels are washed with distilled water to remove any unreacted monomers, crosslinking agent, and the initiator. Equation 1 shows one such solution polymerization reaction conducted on 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate monomers to form a hydrogel. This solution crosslinking method is often advantageous since the starting material used can be a well-characterized, purified polymer, and the crosslinking conditions required are mild enough to be carried out in the presence of an active agent. For example, poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels are prepared from hydroxyethyl methacrylate by this method, using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinking agent [3]. The hydrogels synthesized can be made pH- sensitive or temperature-sensitive as required by incorporating methacrylic acid or N-isopropylacrylamide [4] as monomers. Ionizing radiation, such as Co-ÃŽ ³ or

Notion of Disciplinary Societies and Societies of Control Essay

Notion of Disciplinary Societies and Societies of Control - Essay Example Various ways of control are done as laws are not the only means of it but also through rewards and punishment (Deleuze 1995, p. 5). People who show exemplary values to the society by following the laws and doing their duties for the society are rewarded. On the other hand, violators face the consequence of their actions as they receive the punishment. Punishments are then penalized in various ways and in different degrees. Bribes and stealing may be penalized by lighter sanctions like less than a year of spending time inside the jail or by fines. Higher degrees of crimes are punishable by the law via life sentence and even death penalty (Foucault 1977, p. 130). Another way of prevention of those crimes is through discipline. It is primarily taught at school as the learners must learn the value of self-control. Other programs are even conducted by the government to ensure the proliferation of discipline among the people in the society. It is a good way of preventing crimes from becomi ng widespread. It also serves as a way of control though it may not be a direct approach. The time nowadays seems to pass by quickly as changes happen almost everyday. The technology advancement accelerates at the speed of information that leads to the creation of the digital age. Information is primarily an important entity for that age as geographical boundaries have been overcome by the geniuses of the people. Networks and computers are now used for education, business and collaboration across fields of interests as people have seen the vast potential of the technology (Best, 2010, p. 6). Internet has proven to be a cost-effective way of advertising and conducting businesses as companies both big and small are able to reach out to a wider range of audience and potential market as they do not need to physically go to other faraway locations just to conduct their businesses. Education also benefits from the technology of the worldwide web as students are able to study anytime and a nywhere. It serves as a good form of education especially for the working class. Through online classrooms, multimedia supported web pages and online forums, students are able to study in a flexible manner. Despite of those advantages, the growing popularity and use of internet has posed various risks especially to the security of people. Their identities are transmitted through the interconnected wires and sensitive data are shared. Sometimes it may become the source for frauds, scams and even national threats (Agre, 1994, p. 102). It may pose a big risk to the liberties of the individuals and nations alike. In particular, two concepts will be discussed deeply in the paper based upon the notions of the two authors namely Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze. Foucault wrote about the discipline in the society through his work Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison while Deleuze wrote about the societal control through his work Postscript on the Society of Control. Both concept s will be compared and contrast and analyzed regarding their implications to the current state of the society where mobile phones, computers and internet are widely-used. The concept of discipline in the society as depicted by Foucault showed the starting point of control and how the society deals with crimes. The society was once