A Soldier’s Embrace by Nadine Gordimer :: Nadine Gordimer A Soldier’s Embrace

A Soldier’s Embrace by Nadine Gordimer Nadine Gordimer is a white author who lives in the country of South Africa. She is known for her excellent characters and the vivid details of her books. Her stories are written in the context of her South African experiences. She also writes about the previous challenges of South Africa under apartheid, at a time when society was split by race.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  South Africa’s racial problems began when the white people came and discovered South Africa with its black population. The white people wanted power because there were many fewer whites than blacks. The only way to achieve that was to change the government around so that only white people had political power. The three terms that were used to describe racial groups under the system of apartheid were European, Native and Coloured.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gordimer explains the many aspects of this problem in South Africa with her stories in A Soldier’s Embrace. In her last short story, simply titled, â€Å"Oral History†, she writes about the Europeans finding out that there were Native rebels in a village. The chief of the town wanted to get rid of them, so he asked the white army to do it. The white army bombed the village and killed everyone who was in it, too. When the chief came back and found out what had happened, he hanged himself from a tree.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gordimer’s message in this story is that the people who split themselves by race (or by anything else for that matter) will eventually destroy everything for different reasons. One cannot label someone by their race because it can be hard to draw the line in some situations. It is also impossible to make laws about love. In one of Gordimer’s short stories, â€Å"Town and County Lovers†, she wrote about a white man and a black woman in love and the consequences of that relationship for them. European South Africans were selfish, and made the people of other cultures separate from them. The Europeans were also the ones who made the Coloureds and Natives do menial work.

Philippines Annexation Essay

Although controversial to some, the Americans made the right decision to annex the Philippines after successfully freeing them from Spanish tyranny and rule. Without American rule and support, the Philippines would have been an easy target to be taken over by Germany, England or Japan who all would have savaged the land and further suppressed the people. The Filipinos were weak, inexperienced and not ready to establish their own government and self rule themselves. During the time of the annexation, the Americans needed a strategic place in that part of the world to protect their interests, expand their trading partners and show the world they were a power to be reckoned with in spreading democracy. So even though the annexation of the Philippines was views by some as doing the same things as some of the other major countries, the Americans always viewed it as a short term solution to educate the people, help them establish themselves to self rule and to allow them time to prepare to protect themselves from other enemies. At the time the decision to annex the Philippines was made, there were other countries waiting and ready to attack and takeover the control that Spain had lost to the Americans. American rule allowed human rights, freedoms and quality of life that would not have been possible had America walked away and allowed the fledgling country try and rule itself. Germany, England, Japan and even Spain would have jumped at the opportunity to take over control of the Philippines and its many resources. Many important and profitable trade routes utilized the Philippines as a gateway to trade their goods and wares. Although it was profitable for the Americans to control this area and have access to the trade routes and resources, they were helping prepare the Filipinos to one day self rule and govern themselves as a free and independent country. Definitely not an opportunity they would have gained under rule of one of the other dominant and brutal governments. As Albert Beveridge so eloquently stated in â€Å"The March of the Flag† speech, â€Å"We can not retreat from any soil where Providence has unfurled our banner, it is ours to save†¦ for liberty and civilization. Having been brutalized  and controlled for so many years under the tyranny control of Spain and its leaders, the Filipinos were ill prepared and ready to set up their own government and rule for themselves. There would not have been any experienced and supported leader that would have gained the support of most Filipinos. This would have led to fractions fighting, internal battles and weakness within the country. These conditions would have made the Philippines an easy target to be retaken and lose their path to independence they had by being annexed by the Americans. The Americans trained their leaders, helped establish an internal military as well as set up a military base that helped to protect their people from outside attacks and takeovers from other coun tries. Even though others like Abraham Lincoln stated â€Å"that no man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent,† leaving the Philippines to be savaged by others would have been much worse for the Filipinos than the temporary annexation by the Americans. During the time the Americans defeated the Spaniards and gained control over Cuba and the Philippines, the world was in constant battle. Many of the powerful countries were trying to expand, conquer and takeover weaker countries and lands. The Americans who believe in democracy and freedom for people knew that they had to show their strength and protect others in the process. The part of the world where the Philippines lies was one of the most volatile and dangerous in the world. That being said, it also had some of the most profitable trade routes, richest resources and was a vital part of the world to have a stronghold. By following through with the annexation of the Philippines, the Americans were able to gain a stronghold on the other side of the world, enrich themselves by gaining access to the valuable resources that were so plentiful and to take the time to help spread freedom and democracy. William McKinley clearly believed and stated that â€Å" we could not turn them over to France and Germany – our commercial rivals in the Orient – that would be bad business and discreditable.† There were many arguments as to the merits of annexing the Philippines or to walk away and grant them their immediate freedom. The Filipinos had been tormented, had their land savaged and destroyed by Spain for so long, there was truly only one humane and correct decision and that was to annex the Philippines. The Americans although financially gained from the decision, never waivered from their long-term commitment to help to train, educate and prepare the Filipinos to  self-rule and govern. Establishing a stronghold in that part of the world helped the Americans establish themselves as a world power and leader in personal freedoms and spreading of democratic governments. With America and its military located on the Philippines they were able to protect the Filipinos from attacks from others with bad intentions such as Germany, England, Japan and Spain. During the time of American annexation, the Filipinos united together, learned the skills necessary to survive and protect themselves from others and over time gained the long-term independence and freedom they never would have secured if not for the annexation of the Americans.

Analysis of The Meeting of Bodhisattvas Essay - 638 Words

Tianna Ferroni! Art 102! Amiko Matsuo! Museum Paper! Meeting of the Bodhisattvas Manjusri and Samantabhadra! ! Bodhisattvas in Buddhist culture are deemed enlightened and are worshiped as deities. Therefore it is logical for one of the biggest Buddhist cultures to have constructed a sculpture in their honor. Created during the Tang Dynasty in 742 by an unknown artist in China, the sculpture â€Å"Meeting of the Bodhisattvas Manjusri and Samantabhadra† pays homage to the bodhisattvas Wenshu and Puxian. This sculpture made of limestone is roughly a foot and a half tall, nearly two feet long, and ten inches in depth. Used for spiritual practice, this piece was meant to offer viewers a means of being closer to their bodhisattvas. ! ! This piece†¦show more content†¦The elephant can also correspond to earthiness by the human figures that stand by them, allowing an earth dweller to be so close to a deity. The human to the left is looking up to Wenshu, with an admiring look upon their face. On the back of the elephant to the right is what appears to be a lion. In Chinese culture, lions are a symbol of strength and power and are known guardians to the elite. ! ! At the head of each deity is a very prominent halo. These halos show how each is an enlightened being, elevating their divinity. This can reinforce the idea that viewers would pray to this sculpture to feel more connected to their enlightened bodhisattvas. Between Wenshu and Puxian are seven small figures. They are set in three rows, with two rows of three and a solitary figure atop. Each figure is sitting cross-legged with their arms folded in their laps. The top, individual figure is slightly larger than it’s counterparts. The face has been eroded but viewers can still make out the general shape. It is possible that these seven figures stand for the seven factors of enlightenment. ! ! This image of Wenshu and Puxian sitting in a fearless manner, upon ! elephants is one not likely to be forgotten. Boddisattvas were revered during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) as Buddhism was now dominant and prosperous. This dedicated sculpture does more than just depict Wenshu and Puxian meeting, it allows religious followers to feel moreShow MoreRelatedEnlightening Kibyoshi, Not Just for Children2388 Words   |  10 Pagesmany of the sects differed in some practices and beliefs, the core principles of Buddhism often remained prominent. One core principle from Mahayana Buddhism, one of the main two branches of Buddhism, was the pursuit of becoming a bodhisattva (Andreasen, 4). Bodhisattva was literally a â€Å"Being of Wisdom†, which meant one who is close to achieving enlightenment, or Nirvana, but delays enlightenment in order to help others achieve enlightenment (Wangu, 52). Another core principle of Buddhism was theRead MoreConfucianism in Journey to the West31834 Words   |  128 PagesUniversity of Leiden 14 June 2012 Department: Language and Culture of China Course: Visual Political Communication (BA3) Semester: Summer Semester 2011/2012 Lecturer: Florian Schneider Journey to the West A Textual-Visual Discourse Analysis Name: Stefan Ruijsch (Student No. 0620203) Major: Chinese Studies, BA 3 E-mail: s.ruijsch@umail.leidenuniv.nl Phone: 06-48369645 Address: Vrijheidslaan 256, 2321 DP Leiden Word Count: 9,387 Table of Contents pageRead More The Carnal Prayer Mat by Yu Li3331 Words   |  14 Pageslifestyles that they must reject in order attain enlightenment. While The Carnal Prayer Mat is laced with Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist doctrine, this paper aims to understand Buddhist concepts of destiny, karma, and enlightenment through an analysis of representations of masculine ideal beauty in late Imperial China. Vesperus’ and Siddhartha’s parallel life journeys, particularly with respect to experiences in the sexually lascivious, inner feminine spheres, are important in distinguishing theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Film My Neighbor Totoro 2176 Words   |  9 Pagesselected scene of the girls meeting Susuwatari, a black creature in the old empty house, I want to illustrate that Miyazaki’s use of a familiar fear from many people’s childhood introduces the audience to a magical and unknown world, but also makes the audience feel the world is familiar and acceptable. The sacredness of nature is presented through a comparison between Japanese religions and ritual practices and the symbols in the film. This section fo cuses first on the analysis of selected scenes thatRead MoreCountry Notebook for South Korea7606 Words   |  31 PagesCountry Notebook for South Korea James Jones Dallas Baptist University Table of Contents Executive Summary 5 Culture Analysis 7 Introduction 7 Brief discussion of the country’s relevant history 7 Geography setting 8 Area Comparative: 9 Land boundaries: 9 Coastline: 9 Climate: 9 Elevation Extremes: 9 Natural Resources: 9 Natural Hazards: 9 Social Institutions 9 Family: 9 Education 10 Literacy Rates 11 Political System 11 Legal System 12 Six Basic Codes