Cultural Diversity 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Cultural Diversity 2 - Essay Example (Gay, 2003). There is no one single definition of labeling. It is a form of differentiation through which people try to identify and group people with any similarity they may have. (Diller, 2004). However, labeling never leaves a positive impact on the person being labeled since it a one of the major forms of prejudice and discrimination. (Hudak, Kihn, 2001). Moreover, labeling is judgmental. (Gallozzi, 2009). The people being labeled are judged and evaluated in relation to the specific stigma attached to them and become stereotyped. Labeling usually starts with a description and then turns into a stigma later on. (Gallozzi, 2009). For example, Harry always scores good at his tests so based on this fact, it can be said that Harry is intelligent. Here, â€Å"intelligent† is a description. However, if he keeps on scoring good, many people at his school would start calling him a â€Å"nerd† and would start associating everything with him that are thought to be associated with a nerd. Eventually, even the people who don’t know him and haven’t even talked to him once would start judging him based on other peoples’ judgments and harry would be socially known as a â€Å"nerd† even if he is not. This is a label. (Diller, 2004). The most common way of labeling people is through their personal attributes and habits, nationality, religion, culture, ethnicity, etc. (Hudak, Kihn, 2001). People tend to label those who are different from them. (Gay, 2003). It is a part of human psyche to group things and people together and then regard them as the same in order to prevent mental clutter. (Gallozzi, 2009). They prefer to attach similar characteristics and attributes to the entire group of people and things that they have created in their minds so that they do not have to think about every single member of the group individually. In this act of grouping, people often engage in stereotyping and discrimination and most of all, labeling. (All

Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Scholarship - Essay Example My mother was a nurse and the sole earning member in our family when one day she finally had an abnormal growth on her spine because of which she was disabled. These hardships have worked towards strengthening my aims in life as I have learned a lot through experiences. My aim in life is to become a civil engineer so I can make a difference in the society. Experiences can either be bad or good and we should learn from these experiences. It is through many experiences that I have undergone in my life, I was able to understand the importance of education in life. My interest in the field of civil engineering developed through these experiences. When I was in my school I learnt about a terrible incident in which many people were killed because of the fault committed by an engineer. On that day I made up my mind that I had to become a civil engineer. Civil engineering has been my goal since I was studying in school and I think that I can bring a difference in this world with the right skills and ability. I believe that I have a talent which I can apply to my field and bring good in the society. It has been my goal to achieve expertise in the field of civil engineering and I have devoted much of my time researching on different topics about civil engineering. I have worked hard in my life to achieve knowledge and I believe that I will work harder in the future to gain relevant knowledge and expertise. I want to pursue a degree in the field of civil engineering and that is why I have chosen the best institute for civil engineering. I see myself in a career of civil engineering in the next ten years through which I can make a difference in the society. I believe that with this career I can also get over my financial disturbances and can have a better future. Gaining knowledge will be my most important aim when studying civil engineering. I always believe that one is never too old for studying and hence I would devote all my life to the field of education. If I

Egyptians and Olmec Civilizations

Egyptians and Olmec Civilizations Egypt civilization will be the old world that I would be talking about. The Egyptian civilization had many ages which are early Bronze Age, middle bronze age, and late Bronze Age. The Egyptian civilization dates from the 4th millennium BC. It has a lot of arts and monuments that makes Egypt a unique place to visit. Many achievements were made by the Egyptians like the pyramids, temples, and obelisks. In the predynastic period Egyptian climate was much less dry than it is today. Most regions of Egypt were covered by savanna trees. In the early dynastic period the Egyptians had a long line of pharaohs from Menes. It has been said that the Egyptians had two kingdoms of upper and Lower Egypt. The first dynastic pharaohs solidified their control over Lower Egypt by making a capital at Memphis. Old kingdom and new kingdom will be talked about also. The Olmec civilization was started between 1200 and 400 b.c. The Olmec civilization was developed at San Lorenzo and the Olmec power moved to la venta. The Olmec was Mesoamerica`s first complex culture. The Olmec used the sacred 260 day calendar and a form of kingship that were later Mesoamerican cultures. The Olmec dated from 1400 BCE to about 400 BCE. The first major civilization in Mexico is the Olmec and they were known for the artwork. Monuments were also an important characteristic of Olmec centers. The culture of the Olmec was best known for sharing customs, history, beliefs, and other traits. Egypt Old World Civilization The Egypt civilization is known for the beautiful pyramids. Most people who think of Egypt think of the impressive Great Pyramids, Sphinx, Temples and ancient sites, but Egypt offers much more. It is romantic cruises down the Nile, the culture of Cairo, a night at the grand opera, a trek up Mt Sinai, the ancient monastery at St. Catherines, the popular diving and scuba diving Red Sea resorts, Alexandria and its surrounding beautiful beaches and Mediterranean resorts. Egypt also offers nature and desert treks, great scuba diving, fishing, golf, and birding expeditions. It is part of the Holy Land, and tours to Christian and other religious monuments are popular. Egypt is a land bustling with life, sound, visual beauty and excitement. For thousands of years, it has been the playground of emperors and kings, and now from tradition to modernity, Egypt is a country which has succeeded in creating a present that is as fascinating as its past. Egypt was one of the greatest civilizations tha t have ever existed with memorable monuments (Allen, 2009). Ancient Egyptian had a well-defined, deeply conservative ideology which was firmly based on doctrines of conformity, continuity, and precedent. Each pharaoh ruled not according to written law, but on the basis of precedents set by the gods and by earlier rulers. Egyptian ideology fitted the kings of the past and their great monuments into a majestic, linear scene. The early Egypt civilization developed a formalized style of painting and sculpture and was very spiritual and believed in life after death (Sayyid-Marsot, 2007). Early Egyptians participated in war dancing, gymnastic games, swimming and even wrestling. Children had toys which were dolls, tops, hoops, jumping jacks, skin or leather balls, marbles, and dice, the balls were mainly for ball games which were used by tossing and juggling. Religion The Egyptians as a race were profoundly religious. They recognized divinity in everything around them; the whole universe breathed of God. Birds reptiles, animals and trees were permeated with the divine essence; they saw God as a plurality in unity. The spirit of God was infused into everything, so the powers of Nature, the elements, were also divine, and was personified as the Elementals of earth, sky, air and water. Attributes and functions were also personified, sometimes in human, sometimes in animal form, which became, for the time being, the manifestation of a special attribute of deity, the abode of the God, the symbol of a power divine. Thus a multiplicity of gods is presented, which is at first confusing (britannica, unknown).To understand the subject, comparison must be made with the beliefs and religions of other lands, not only of the past but of the present Man of the inferior gods are seen to be parallel to angels and archangels, to spirits that assist mankind in his p rogress through this world and through the next, and are by no means to be confused with the great gods. Many of the deities are only aspects, forms, of God. The official religion of Egypt is Islam and most of the Egyptians adhere to its Sunni branch (britannica, unknown). Gods were worshiped in temples that were brought by priests that act on the king`s behalf. Also, Priests had a system of oracles to communicate the will of god to the people. The Egyptians did have a somewhat currency. There was a system that was used as a currency which was weights of gold, silver and copper. However, around 500BC there were coins as a currency (Sayyid-Marsot, 2007). Hedj which means money was close to what is called to be a currency that was used for exchange of money. The writing of the Egyptians was composed of many symbols which same symbols can serve different purposes. The Hieroglyphic writing was a formal script used on stone monuments and in tombs. The Olmec New World Civilization The Olmec is considered to be one of the greatest civilizations in Mesoamerica. The Olmec was traced to the area of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan city. The first city for San Lorenzo was The Olmecs and it was an important civilization for around 500 years (Encyclopedia).Prior to the Olmecs, the Indians of Mexico were hunters and gathers. They were nomadic, spending very little time in one location. As soon as the animals they hunted became scarce in one area, they gathered the few belongings they had and moved to a new location with the hope of more plentiful game. When the Olmecs settled in southeastern Mexico, they established agricultural staples such as corn, squash and beans. They also constructed large cities, religious centers, and trade routes. They developed a distinct culture, characterized by highly developed art and religion (Rosenswig, 2010). The Olmec had a great run in history between 1200 B.C. and 400 B.C. Back in those days, they were the record setters in this part of the world. For example, they were the first in the Americas to develop a written language. And they were the first in the Americas to build pyramids. But sadly, many of their accomplishments have disappeared over time. Today, we know almost nothing about the Olmec and their amazing culture. As a matter of fact, we do not even know what they called themselves! The Aztec Indians gave the tribe the name Olmec. It means rubber people. The Aztecs called them this because the Olmec supplied them with sap from rubber trees. Apart from being known as the rubber people, the Olmec were equally famous for their colossal heads. Each colossal head was a sculpture carved out of a single block of stone. The stone was quarried in the Tuxtla Mountains. To date, we do not know for sure how the Olmec transported the stone and who the colossal heads were supposed to repres ent. Many researchers believe that the Olmec used rafts to carry the stone. And they made the colossal heads to portray their famous rulers. Thus far, scientists have unearthed more than a dozen colossal heads. They all had slanted eyes and large lips. The biggest one is about 3.4 meters tall. It weighs over 20 tons. The Olmec created several monuments which are colossal heads, Small Feline, Feline-Jaguar, cross legged pose, and many more. One of the similarities of the Egyptians and the Olmec is the monuments. The Olmec Center at San Lorenzo, Honduras, contains several huge carved heads. Some of them are 9 feet high and weigh about 40 tons. The heads may be portraits of Olmec leaders or of players in a sacred ball game. The stone used for the sculptures came from a site more than 250 miles away. The Olmec transported this stone over mountain ranges, rivers, and swamps. The Olmec altar has a carved figure at the base situated at the mouth of a cave. This figures elaborate headdress shows that he is a ruler. The ruler holds a rope that winds around the base of the altar and binds a carved figure at the back. Scholars believe that the altar was used as a throne (Encyclopedia). Differences between Egypt and Olmec The belief systems of the Egyptians and Olmec civilizations also had similarities and differences. Most of the people of Egypt practiced polytheism. Although this religion had many gods, it recognized one supreme god or life force. Like polytheism, the Olmec religion also had several gods. A rain god shown as half-human and half-jaguar dominated their religion. But unlike the Egyptians, the Olmec probably did not view this rain god as a supreme god. Both the Egyptians and Olmec built great temples for worship. Egyptian builders constructed many types of temples. One type had a square shape with a pillared front porch and a flat roof. The other type also had a square structure, but its roof had a pyramid shape. The Olmec constructed entire buildings that were pyramids and probably used them as temples. So two civilizations, thousands of miles apart with no direct connection, both used the pyramid shape for their houses of worship (Olmec Meso).

I Am an American NOT of Caucasian Descent :: Personal Narrative Writing

I Am an American NOT of Caucasian Descent What does it mean to be American? What does the word â€Å"American† mean? If I say I am American, does that mean I am obligated to fight for America in a war? Does that mean I would not do anything against this country? How permanent is my status of being an American? When asked, I always say I am American, based on the fact that I was born here and that is what my birth certificate is supposed to prove. But then why don’t I also say that I am also Mexican and Indian, as my upbringings and family have been more of these cultures than of American culture? Until college, I had lived in Michigan all my life. Visiting Canadian friends the twenty-minute drive away was a regular family outing. My mother usually had the task of driving through Customs, as she, though the child of Mexican immigrants, spoke without an accent. â€Å"Citizenship?† The customs official would ask. â€Å"U.S.† My mother would reply. â€Å"All four of you?† Was the typical response, as the official would look directly at my dad, whose physical features do not hide the fact that he was born in India. â€Å"Yes,† My mother would reply, as she handed over the proper paperwork. It was not until the age of eight that I wondered enough to ask my mom why she did not reply â€Å"American† to the customs official’s question. She responded that the term â€Å"American† is vague. A person from Canada has an equal right to identify himself or herself with the term that reflects the name of our shared continent. Using the term â€Å"U.S.† is both true and specific. My mother’s opinion is just one of the many views that exist on the term. As I grew up, I began with a very chauvinistic pride in my birth country.

The Disobedient Angel Gabriel

Angels throughout history have been shown to have vital roles in the relationship between humans and God. In different religions such as Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, angels are shown to be the attendants and/or guardians of man and heralds of God. The Bible illustrates that angels appear most of the time as ministers of God will, though they make seldom appearances, angels' usually appear to reveal a forthcoming event (Briggs). One good example on this is when an angel is used to deliver the good news to Mary about the birth of Jesus Christ.Through a message of an angel, Mary was able to know that she will be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the son of God. Though angels and demons are mainly in perceivable to human vision, artists often depict them as human beings with wings. Angels are argued to have no gender, therefore, most aesthetic interpretations, particularly on film, depict angels as androgynous beings. Theologians conversely argue that angel s do not have any physical form and only manifest their presence by taking human appearance.Angels are also said to believe like cherubim who only comes in head forms and has no body at all (Kreeft 23). Aesthetic interpretations with religious themes have varied over time. The product of human imagination has branched out to a more surrealistic state. From novels demoralizing the foundations of the Catholic Church to motion pictures concerning angels disobeying God, and devils aiding humans, these interpretations appear to have tendencies close to being blasphemic, if not, satanic. Nonetheless, it is important to scrutinize if such interpretations are reflections of personal belief or exercise of artistic license.The Bible in many accounts suggest angels are messengers of God, their prominence are evidently read on the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible also mentions of there is a certain angelic division: for the good and the bad angels. The good angels frequently me ntioned are Michael and Gabriel; evil angels meanwhile include Apollyon, Satan, and in some account Lucifer, who is believed to have once started an unsuccessful rebellion against God (Bamberger 23). In consideration to the aforementioned accounts, it is inevitable to ask, can angels disobey God?Interpretations of a rebellious Gabriel have been portrayed in motion pictures such as Constantine and The Prophecy. Though the two are different in the manner of how the archangel is presented, both films show Gabriel’s angst over humanity. The two films show different expression of hatred but are similar in motive that is anger over God's love toward humans. There are certain reasons why it has come to rebellion and disobedience of God’s will. In the motion picture Constantine, the protagonist speaks to a woman who goes by the name Gabriel (who happens to be the archangel) who rejects Constantine’s attempts to reconcile the angel with God.Gabriel in the motion picture refuses to go back to God's grace for the reason that she believes God's innate goodness has some selfish undertones. Gabriel is also driven to rebel because of apparent envy over humans, that God gives them salvation with ease. In her anger, Gabriel pledges to infect humanity with hell’s corruption stating that salvation should only be given to the noble and heroic, and that only happens in the time of disaster and terror. The Prophecy meanwhile revolves around Gabriel doing every means necessary to end the angelic standoff war in heaven.Gabriel's anger in the movie concerns the fact that humans have souls and angels do not, as such, humans can easily escape damnation. Gabriel in turn rages out on humanity by going down to earth and attempting to capture a dark soul. Simon, one of the good angels is however a few steps ahead of Gabriel as Simon captures the soul first and hides it in the body of innocent little Mary. Gabrielle then confronts Simon regarding the dark soul's w hereabouts, but the latter only answered that he hid it somewhere.Finally, Gabriel kills Simon by setting him on fire and ripping his heart out. This is one great sin against the will of God because taking away life from someone is indeed punishable and a clear manifestation of disobedience. The Prophecy and Constantine both disrupt the balance between heaven and hell or good and evil since primarily, angels and demons can wreak havoc without command from their respective superiors. In another note, the Bible and Christianity is focused on human obedience to the will of God and not on any unholy affairs.The films also defeat the purpose of harmony between God and Man, in such a way that God's entrusted attendants on earthly affairs become the very evil that they are fighting against. Angel Gabriel on both films appears as a very unsympathetic being, as if he is or was never a herald of God to begin with. Though the two depictions of Gabriel vary, in Constantine, Gabriel is androgyno us while in The Prophecy, Gabriel is a male. The film has implications of blasphemy given the extra-biblical ideas applied in the motion picture.In Constantine, the angel takes a human form; this however does not comply to any theological aspect since Gabriel in the film is genderless. In this regard, how can an angel assuming the figure of a woman be androgynous? Gabriel in Constantine and The Prophecy is also corrupted by envy and arrogance, primarily on her refusal to come back to God's grace. Apart from the obvious, Gabriel also shows despise for humans due to the gift of salvation. Humanity is made by God to be imperfect beings; hence, it is natural for man to sin because of such imperfection.Angels are supposed to be God's messengers or man's guide. In the Old Testament the expression â€Å"sons of God† always refers to angels (Job 1:6, 2:1; 38:7). However, the film Constantine suggests that Angels can simply go down from heaven and simply burst out their flaming emotio ns on the imperfect humans. Regardless if the movies' versions of Gabriel are fictitious or products of wild imagination it clearly defies biblical regard of angels. It is true that the bible indicates the existence of dark angels but why would filmmakers depict one of God's messengers in such a vile manner.In the two films, the depiction of Gabriel is a good symptom that human imagination has crossed its limit. Furthermore, Gabriel, and angels generally serve as guardians, if they are to be portrayed in such an account, then there would no longer be a need for the term demons. Since angels can turn bad willingly, and raise hell on earth, the concept of angels is surpassed by depictions such as the ones in Constantine and the Prophecy. The depiction of Gabriel in Constantine and the Prophecy defies the very foundation that defines the scriptural concept of angels (Donner). Constantine and The prophecy are also satanic to some extent.Primarily due to the films' portrayal of Satan in Constantine, Satan is set apart from the conventional depiction of the devil, though his act in the motion picture is still motivated by his corruption. Constantine imparts Satan as a helper, instead of a doom bringer as he helps Constantine hinder his son Mammon from conquering and bringing hell on earth. The reason of Satan's aid is based upon his greed of losing his power as the ruler and perpetrator of all evil. Upon learning of his son's (Mammon) plot, Satan immediately sets aside all personal grudge and conflicts with Constantine to stop Mammon.In spite of Satan's motive, the motion picture ultimately illustrates Satan as a helper, thereby giving him an element where he could be praised. It is considerably confusing for a demon to do such way of helping others. Since the first thing to enter in our mind when we hear the word is Satan is that there is no capacity for him to do any good at all. More Satanism implications and provocations are in the film Constantine particularly in the scene when time stopped upon Constantine's second commission of suicide, Constantine would have failed in his act of redemption without the help of Satan.It seems the motion picture is explicating that Satan has a similar power to that of God. He can also make things possible according to his own power. The Prophecy also represents Satan in an unconventional manner, but Satan's adversary in the film is through Gabriel. The motion picture illustrates Satan exerting efforts to save the world as the protagonist Thomas tries to stop Gabriel from bursting out his hatred of human beings thereby unleashing hell on the human realm. Satan also gives his ideas on how to defeat Gabriel in his devious plot of destruction.In The Prophecy, though Satan is driven by a threat, he still helps Thomas. Satan helps Thomas to prevent Lucifer from employing his plan because another angelic revolution will unleash another hell, and that makes two hells. The concept of two hells will disrupt the bal ance of good and evil. More importantly, Gabriel’s plans will destroy all creation; his presence on earth is already trespassing on the human realm, since he has no message to deliver. Then he plans to create a path of destruction? Why not simply create a character based on the natural order?It is clear that the makers of both films thrive for ingenuity by thinking of a concept that they think is original. However, they have failed to do so since they destroyed the true nature of an angel's purpose. They also ruined the true nature of Satan by giving him a different tendency and making the latter choose a lesser evil. The devil in the Prophecy persuades Thomas to use Gabriel’s lack of faith against him. The reason given by Gabriel in starting a war is that God no longer speaks to him, while in Constantine, Gabriel refuses to reconcile with God because pride and envy.The two conflict on their reasons but they still turned their backs on God. The Prophecy and Constantine is about a war concerning supernatural elements, in this case it is notable to feel the absence of God in both motion piheraldctures. The prophecy though has its implication on faith, specifically on the strategy the devil taught to the main character Thomas, it does not emphasize on God Himself. Constantine conversely insinuates God's intervention, particularly on the scene where Constantine is saved by a light upon his second commission of suicide.Constantine also gives reference to God as he is shown praying in one scene, though God's name is never mentioned in the prayer. In The Prophecy meanwhile has no particular mention of God's intervention on the angelic wars. The only remark on God in the Prophecy is on Gabriel's explanation that God does not speak to him anymore. The film in this case is biased since it has its emphasis on the archangel Gabriel and Satan, but does not have any representation of God, even any account of God's involvement in the motion picture's plot.In th e motion pictures' disregard for God, the film has managed to misunderstand God's will. Mammon's birth in the human realm requires to be willed by God, in this particular scenario, it appears that the film is insinuating that it is God's will for Mammon to be born on this earth to start creating a hellish kingdom. It is furthered by the fact that Gabriel prevented such horror from not happening since he murdered Constantine's assistant (Kramer) who is trying to stop Mammon's earthly cross over from happening.In Kramer's act, it is confusing if it is a dilemma whether is a good deed to stop Mammon from crossing over or defiance to the arguable will of God. The two motion pictures gave out manifestations of Angel Gabriel in a different perspective. The stereotypical notion about him as an angel who always does good deeds and is ever faithful to God is changed by the films. Gabriel’s image form the bible is one who always helps in delivering the good news.He is the angel entrust ed to reveal to the Jewish Pharisee and Priest Zechariah that he will have a son (John the Baptist), He was also responsible for â€Å"The Annunciation† revealing the birth of Jesus to Mary and according to later legend, he is also the unidentified angel in the book of Revelation who blows out the horn to announce the Judgment day. However, The Prophecy and Constantine gave out a different version of Gabriel who counterattacks God for his own sets of reasons. This is done through the intercession of the devil. In the prophecy Gabriel looses his faith on Thomas and he also stated the reason for starting the war.He felt useless because God no longer speaks to him. In Constantine, Gabriel’s pride and envy made it hard for him to have reconciliation with God. In any case, Constantine and the Prophecy have failed to acknowledge God by destroying the balance of good and evil, defeating the purpose of angels and demons, and giving a positive treatment of Satan. The films' gap s on the true sense of angels and God's will do not even concur to any perspective or belief that involves the two important elements. Moreover, the ambitious imaginative intents of the film only showed that human imagination have underlying satanic and tendencies of blasphemy.

Health or wealth, which is better ? Essay

God, and value it next to a good conscience: for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of. a blessing that money cannot buy†. – Izaak Walton These are words of wisdom and none would question their validity. But there are times when people do value money over health. When a person has been deprived of a thing for too long, he longs for it: and as money is the commodity most in demand people want money to fulfill their eeds. It can help rent or build a house. It can buy medicines, clothes, fruit and food: it can pay for the small pleasures of life as well as the big ones – from a cup of tea to a holiday abroad. Aesthetic and cultural enjoyment – tickets for the latest play, an evening at the opera, an expensive book, the latest L. P. – all these money alone can buy. There are far too many things which are out of the reach of the middle and the working classes. A good education, expensive sports and games like skating and golf, raveling in comfort, owning the gadgets which add comfort to life – these are things which people with limited incomes cannot buy. The unprecedented unemployment of the thirties was responsible for a great deal of human misery and resulted in the loss of self-respect and dignity. It also forced people to recognize the worth of money and resulted in a disproportionate attachment to the material world. There is no denying the value of money and the pleasure of enjoying it: but there are basic issues involved. If money can be got only after a huge amount of sacrifice, is it worth t? Is it really necessary for human beings to go on increasing their needs and temporary pleasures? Or would it be wiser to impose a self-restraint on one’s needs? People get so busy in getting money that they forget how to enjoy it. Engaged in getting money, man has no time for his family or his friends and at times no time even for his health. On the other hand, the pursuit of money may adversely affect both his physical and spiritual health. He may overcome his initial scruples in his desire for power and money. The question then is how much evil is Justified to get to he good. If one has to choose and even if there is no choice, health is better than wealth. A healthy person can look after not only himself but also others. He can be a useful member of society and of a family. He can be generous and sympathetic and be constructive in his thinking. An ailing person whether man or woman is a drain on others. And money can buy medicines, pay for a visit to a health resort or long hospitalization but it can neither buy health nor happiness. It is immaterial that a man can buy an expensive pair of shoes, if he has no shoes. Ultimately it is equally irrelevant whether a man is dressed up in the most expensive clothes, or drives the latest model of an expensive car. What is important is how good a human being he is. And for this he needs health. If he is healthy, his whole approach to life will be governed by this factor. Ask a man who has been through a long illness and an equally long spell of poverty and he will chose health. Money is the value of the man- made world – not of the world God created. Health is a god-given grace and let us be grateful for it.