Wednesday, January 29, 2020
The Experiences of women in Veronica, Looking for a Rain God and Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free
The Experiences of women in Veronica, Looking for a Rain God and Of Mice and Men Essay The pieces Veronica by Adewale Maja-Pearce, Looking for a Rain God by Bessie Head and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck all involve cultural views based on women. The feelings of the women based within each of the three pieces are very varied and are conveyed in different ways. The short story Veronica is based on a woman who is very limited and has restrictions based around her. After looking into the piece in detail my opinion is that Veronica does not lead a good life. She achieves a standard five from her education but nothing more. Although it becomes obvious to me that her life is poignantly dull and boring, Veronica appears to be fulfilled within herself. She leads a stereotypical life of women for the time and meagre environment. She completes her personal expectations of her life by becoming a part of a family, including a husband and children. After doing this she has led a life in which she has in the past aspired to. An expression made by Veronica which indicates to me that she is fulfilled is; There is nothing left for me in this world As well as showing her feelings this phrase shows that she has completed everything possible to her, this also emphasises the fact that her life is in many ways very formulaic. Looking for a Rain God is another short piece expressing cultural expectations of women. In this piece it becomes obvious to me that women have a very limited role in life. The piece is based on a small tribe of people, which are desperate for water, as they are facing a situation involving drought. Whilst the men of the families are fighting for their familys survival the women sit and wail in an act of desperation within their shambolic lives. The women of the families are usually the last to receive any necessary resources, although without their husbands they would in most cases be unable to survive. Unlike Veronica the women based within this piece are in many ways unhappy and do not feel fulfilled. Set aside from this point they do still follow the basic outline of culturally stereotypical women at this time, which in this case is to stay at home in aid of caring for their families. The roles of women in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck are expressed by the portrayal of one character named as Curleys wife One main factor which firstly expresses a limited role in life for Curleys wife is based within the fact that she hasnt received a name, she is known as a possession to her egocentric and obdurate husband Curley. Curleys wife lives an isolated, lonely, poignant and low-key life in which she is treated as one of Curleys achievements which he can be proud of. Her overall role within the novel is to look after Curley and to uphold his pride. As a result of her isolation she acts as a floozy, either manipulating people of behaving flirtatiously. Curleys wife also follows the broad outline of stereotypical women, as her role is low-key and to act as a possession. In Curleys views she is an achievement which he can be dominant towards, which has not real importance in life. Although Curleys wifes appearance and attitude appears to be a floozy and emphasises that she is manipulative and selfish, this is due to her restrictions in life. The overall outcome of her life is very poignant although her destitute lifestyle expresses the mitigating reason for this. The cultural expectations of women have been expressed through a combination of salient factors within each of the pieces summarised. The stereotypical role involving the caring of families and the pride of husbands is in many ways very poignant, As shown above consequences can involve women being fulfilled as it Veronica or unhappy to involve a decrease in character as in Of Mice and Men Overall after exploring cultural roles of women within Veronica by Adewale Maja-Pearce, Looking for a Rain God by Bessie Head and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck I can see that there is an overall stereotypical role of women throughout. This role gives women limited opportunities in life and causes them to be isolated. Results of this isolation are varied between cultures. Some of the women within the investigated pieces appear to be fulfilled whereas others appear to be very unhappy leading a dull and poignant life. In conclusion this stereotypical role of women is extremely unfair and should be overruled completely to provide all women with equal opportunities.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Snow Falling On Cedars Essay -- essays research papers
Racism is the notion that oneââ¬â¢s own ethnic stock is superior to that of someone elseââ¬â¢s. Most all racism is as result of ignorance. Racism can range from a simple comment to make another human being feel inferior, to complex actions that make others feel unwelcome in society because of who they are. The theme of racism can be seen throughout literature. In the murder mystery novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, many examples of wartime racism are evident. The novel is set on San Piedro Island off the coast of Washington in the year 1954. It is a place of ââ¬Å"five thousand damp soulsâ⬠(5). Kabuo Miyamoto, a member of the island's Japanese-American community, is on trial for the murder of Carl Heine, a fellow fisherman. Heine's boat was found drifting one morning, with his body entangled in a net. While the death initially appeared accidental, bits of circumstantial evidence that seemed to implicate Kabuo Miyamoto accumulated. Etta Heine, Carlââ¬â¢s mother, unjustly cheated Kabuoââ¬â¢s family out of some land during the war while the Miyamotos were incarcerated in a "relocation camp" in California. This provided motive for the apparent murder. Also, Carlââ¬â¢s traumatic head wound appeared suggestive of a Japanese kendo blow. Furthermore, Carl Heine's blood type was found on a wooden gaff on Kabuo Miyamoto's boat. As the trial proceeded, the story of Carl, Kabuo, and what happened that night gradually evolved, as did the tale of Ishmael Chambers, the local newspaper reporter. Ishmael had a love affair with Kabuo's wife when they were both adolescents, just before the Japanese families were sent away in 1942. It was clear, however, that this was more than just a story of one man's guilt or innocence; it is a story of a community's fear and prejudice against the Japanese-Americans in the midst of a war. In fact, Guterson even tells the reader that Japanese people who were not American citizens were not even allowed to own property. ââ¬Å"We gotta take thisâ⬠¦ All this stuffâ⬠¦ Thereââ¬â¢s a war on and thatââ¬â¢s the way it isâ⬠¦ Any old country stuff we have to takeâ⬠(196). Many of the things that the Japanese people were subjected to during the war were as result of ignorance. Ignorance seems to be the clue to almost all of the occurrences of racism in the novel. During Kabuoââ¬â¢s trial, he chose to keep quiet instead of sticking up for himself because in his religion, ... ...veryone who lives in it. At the end of the book, Hatsue tells Ishmael that she does not love him, compared to her husband, whom she met and married in the course of a few short months. The reader is left wondering at this point if Hatsue is really being truthful or if she is merely saying that to honor her motherââ¬â¢s wishes to ââ¬Å"marry a boy of her own kindâ⬠. Mrs. Shigemura believed that ââ¬Å"white men carry in their hearts a secret lust for pure young Japanese girlsâ⬠(84). This effectively shows the stereotype the Japanese had of white people. However, there is one key difference, and that is throughout the novel, no matter how they are treated, the Japanese people are always respectful towards everybody. In the novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, the exotic sensuality of a Japanese woman, and the frustration of a white man in being prohibited from partaking of her by both his and her societies, are clearly illustrated. The story of a struggle against racism, and an imprisoned culture whose only crime was their face is retold. Yet in the end, one is left to contemplate, ââ¬Å"Why do people who have lived together in a community for years suddenly turn against one anotherâ⬠?
Sunday, January 12, 2020
How Does Emily Dickinson Try to Describe a Psychological State in Her Poem “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain”
How does Emily Dickinson try to describe a psychological state in her poem ââ¬Å"I felt a Funeral in my Brain? â⬠Emily Dickson was born in 1830, in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. She grew up in a prominent and prosperous household in which she was raised as a cultured Christian woman. The sixteenth centaury was a very historical period in America. During this time slavery had been abolished, women were campaigning for rights, gold was discovered and America was going through a depression. Transcendentalism was one of the most important movements of the time. Rad alsoà We grow accustomed to the darkThe poem ââ¬Å"I felt a Funeral in my Brainâ⬠appears to convey the experience of a mind facing its own collapse. ââ¬Å"Funeral in my Brainâ⬠is a metaphor for the death of the mind. Throughout the poem Dickinson expresses the idea of a breakdown which is both psychological and physical. The opening stanza presents the metaphor of a funeral that is used throughout the poem to convey the sense of a breakdown. ââ¬Å"Brainâ⬠à refers to both the concrete physical organ and to the abstract idea of the speakerââ¬â¢s mind; such dual meanings are used throughout the poem to convey the physical and mental effects of the breakdown.The noun ââ¬Å"Funeralâ⬠refers to the speakers psychological mind in which she feels like is slowly dying. The speaker is experiencing synaesthesia as well as feeling detached from her body and her thoughts, she is also having difficulty organising her thoughts. Both ââ¬Å"Funeralâ⬠and â⠬Å"Brainâ⬠have capital letters which emphasise the importance of their impact and the theme throughout the poem. Both words are polar opposites as you wouldnââ¬â¢t relate your brain which is the most powerful and most important organ to that of a funeral which is related to death, sadness and sorrow.This therefore implies that the speaker is experiencing a depression of the mind. The fact that the speaker ââ¬Å"feltâ⬠a funeral in her brain suggests that the funeral is psychological instead of a physical event. The speaker expresses her feelings instead of delineating them. A funeral is also a religious event which is held in a place of worship. This illustrates the importance of religion during the 16th century and the impact it had on the lives of people during that period.The second line of the stanza ââ¬Å"And Mourners to and froâ⬠is a metaphorical way of explaining her state of mind and expressing the pain in her mind it also suggests that the mourners co uld possibly be one of the reasons why the speaker is in a depression. ââ¬Å"To and froâ⬠means to move back and forth; the mourners may be stuck in her head as she is thinking about them, they are not leaving her mind, they continue to confuse her and disconnect her with her thoughts. Another interpretation could be that the mourners are trying to tell her something or try and make her aware. Mournersâ⬠refers to a group of people, this suggests that society may be against her and her beliefs; they are not allowing her to have a thought process but are trying to confuse her. A ââ¬Å"mournerâ⬠is a person or persons in this case who expresse grief and sorrow while attending a funeral; which is in the speakerââ¬â¢s brain. In addition this links to the funeral in her brain it implies that she may have a headache from the ââ¬Å"mournersâ⬠confusing her or by staying in her mind, they may be depressing her even more.The speaker creates imagery by trying to expr ess the funeral in her brain as a physical event instead of a psychological one. The speaker implies that she is actually attending a funeral, to her it seems real but to others it may suggest a sense of madness and loss of reality. In the third and fourth line of the first stanza Dickson uses a metaphor to describe and create imagery of the speakers mind. ââ¬Å"Kept treading-treading- till it seemed that sense was breaking throughâ⬠she uses a verb ââ¬Å"treadingâ⬠to emphasis the effect of the mourners.The verb ââ¬Å"treading ââ¬Å"implies that the mourners are walking on, over or along her. They are trying to trample or crush her both physically and mentally. ââ¬Å"Treadingâ⬠is repeated through repetition to exaggerate what the mourners are doing to her. It indicates a pressure that is pushing her down. Treading is a harsh word, the fact that itââ¬â¢s repeated suggests that itââ¬â¢s ongoing; they are not stopping. The mourners may be treading so that th e speaker begins to understand, they may be treading to bring out a sense of reality back in to her, they are trying to wake her up.This links to the idea of sleep paralysis; she may be dreaming and not aware. Dickinson also uses alliteration to emphasis and enhances the word ââ¬Å"treadingâ⬠. ââ¬Å"That sense was breaking throughâ⬠this implies that the speaker is understanding what is going on , things are starting to make sense to her as the mourners were treading which sparked something in her brain to understand. On the other hand there are many different things which could be breaking through to her.It may be that the mourners are pushing her to make sense or that she finally understood herself and her own sense and beliefs were sinking in. Her ââ¬Å"senseâ⬠(or knowledge) of what is occurring begins ââ¬Å"breaking throughâ⬠to climax in some kind of understanding about her impending devastation. Like the word brain, which has two meanings, the word sen se can also refer to the speakerââ¬â¢s physical senses, which are likewise affected by the mourners plaguing her mind. In addition I felt a cleaving in my mind compares to I felt a funeral in my brain in many ways.The poet has been in a depression and unhealthy mental state. In the first stanza she feels like her brain is splitting and she is trying to gather herself but could not succeed. In comparison to the speaker in Dickinson poem ââ¬Å"that sense was breaking throughâ⬠She described her condition in simple clear words such as ââ¬Å"cleaving, brain, seam by seamâ⬠just like Dickinson has delineated the speakers condition in words that everyone can relate to and understand such as ââ¬Å"funeral, brain â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ the poem is also similar to that of Dickinsonââ¬â¢s because the speakers both experience a depression of the mind. I felt a funeral in my brainâ⬠and ââ¬Å"I felt a cleaving in my mindâ⬠however the speaker feels a funeral in her brain a nd the other in her mind. Even though both are similar your brain is an organ whereas your mind is originated in your brain but is manifested in thought and emotion. On the other hand a psychological depression is possible in both your mind and brain. In the second stanza of Dickinsonââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å" I felt a funeral in my brainâ⬠The mourners are all seated, representing a quiet moment, perhaps marking the end of the speakerââ¬â¢s initial panic or mental chaos.However, the respite is short-lived, and the ââ¬Å"Service, like a Drumâ⬠begins a fresh assault on both her physical senses and mind. The sound of the drum, like the treading of the mourners, is another attack on her sanity, an attack so fierce that she feels her mind ââ¬Å"going numb. â⬠Numbness is a physical sensation that stands as another example of the speakerââ¬â¢s struggle to convey her experience in understandable physical terms. ââ¬Å"A Service like a Drumâ⬠is a metaphor giving refere nce to the normalcy of everyday life that people went on living while she was falling apart and breaking down.This line implies that her ââ¬Å"funeralâ⬠is more like a performance rather than a religious gathering as a ââ¬Å"drumâ⬠is not the usual instrument which is played at a funeral or a service. A drum is however an upbeat and continuous musical instrument. This may suggest that her headache is still there. ââ¬Å"A service like a drumâ⬠also conveys military imagery since the mourners are all seated, no one is standing and a drum is on beat. This implies the idea of conformity during the sixteenth centaury. It also uggests that her ââ¬Å"funeral serviceâ⬠was like any other, it was normal, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. This may also imply that the speaker feels tense as a drum makes a pressuring beat which is never ending. This refers to the first line ââ¬Å"And they all were seatedâ⬠. ââ¬Å"Theyâ⬠conveys the idea that society was t ogether and she was alone. This therefore gives reference to isolation. The speaker could have said ââ¬Å"weâ⬠instead of ââ¬Å"theyâ⬠which portrays that the speaker was not part of their group and didnââ¬â¢t conform.This implies that she had different views and beliefs to that of society which led to her being an outcast. Dickinson uses repetition when delineating the sound of the drum and her psychological state. ââ¬Å"Kept beating-beating-till I thought my mind was going numbâ⬠This chips away at her mind until she canââ¬â¢t endure anymore so it goes numb. The word beating is also used as a homonym, being used as the verb beating in that it is not only the sound of the beating of the drum, but the beating down of a person. The ââ¬Å"beatingâ⬠goes on until she can endure no more until she ââ¬Å"goes numbâ⬠.It implies the psychological torture of her interaction with people and how it lost any meaning and just droned on an on in her mind, torme nting her in its absence of actual meaning. It was the psychological beating and the metaphor of beating like a drum, as well as the abuse that it felt like. The repetition of the verb ââ¬Å"beatingâ⬠emphasises the fact that the drum or in fact society wonââ¬â¢t stop pressurising her and continues to feed information to her even though she doesnââ¬â¢t want to hear it. It also suggests that the service was very long as it kept ââ¬Å"beating beating ââ¬Å".The speaker is affected by the beating of the drum as her mind goes ââ¬Å"numbâ⬠which suggests that her condition is deteriorating and the drum beat is fading into her mind. The beliefs of Society are starting to sink in to her head. The words ââ¬Å"Drumâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Numbâ⬠rhyme in the stanza which correlates the difference between them and implies that the drum makes her mind go numb. This second stanza is similar to that of I felt a cleaving in my mind, as in this stanza she tried to follow her th oughts and the thoughts before however it was out of sequence.They were like ââ¬Å"balls on the floorâ⬠slipping away, discrete, and incoherent and out of reach. This compares to that of her mind going ââ¬Å"numbâ⬠because of the beating of the drum. In the third stanza of Dickinsonââ¬â¢s poem the speaker implies that the ââ¬Å"funeralâ⬠has to come to an end as ââ¬Å"And then I heard them lift a boxâ⬠suggests that her casket is being carried out to be put into her grave. This creates imagery as it leads to delineate her physiological state. ââ¬Å"And creak across my soulâ⬠the word ââ¬Å"soulâ⬠refers to a spiritual and religious state of mind. ââ¬Å"Creakâ⬠leads us to think that the soul must be made of wood.When the mourners lifted the coffin they tore at her soul as if the death of her mind was still not the end. The fact that they creaked across her soul suggests that they wanted there to be nothing left of her, implying that all t hat they had already done to her was not the end, but there was more suffering left even though she thought it was over. Dickinson uses a metaphor ââ¬Å"creak across my soulâ⬠to portray the speaker as suffering even at her funeral. If you creak it implies that you are hiding something as you walk carefully. This links to ââ¬Å"with those same boats of lead, againâ⬠.Lead is a very heavy metal so the fact that the mourners are wearing boots of lead at her funeral and ââ¬Å"creakingâ⬠across her soul suggest how un thoughtful they are and how much hate they have towards her as if you creak across someone soul with boots of lead you intend to crush them. The speaker implies that she has seen those boots of lead before ââ¬Å"sameâ⬠and ââ¬Å"againâ⬠implies that the person who is wearing the boots was the one who caused her the pain and suffering that she experienced and has now come back at her ââ¬Å"funeralâ⬠wearing the boots to remind her of every thing that happened; like a flashback.The fact that the person creaked across her soul in boots of lead is peculiar as when you creak you walk slowly, trying not to get caught. But if you creak while wearing boots of lead which is a heavy metal itââ¬â¢s like you know what youââ¬â¢re doing , the person may have wanted to slowly creak across her soul to remind of her of her past. The last line of the stanza ââ¬Å"Then space-began to tollâ⬠implies that after they have walked across the speaker's soul, ââ¬Å"Spaceâ⬠begins to ââ¬Å"tollâ⬠like a bell. Church bells often toll at the end of a service, so we're in religious territory.She imagines that her mind or soul is like an entire universe containing a vast empty space. With their departure, the world around her rings out with sound, almost chaotically, with no sense or reason, as there is no longer a functioning mind to make sense of all the noise. The speaker begins to understand that this is really it for h er. The fourth stanza continues the ending of the third stanza. All existence has been transformed to an ââ¬Å"ear,â⬠The ringing bell of heaven both symbolizes church bells ringing for the death of her sanity and the random noises and sounds f the world around her. She can no longer make sense of reality; it exists completely in the forms of sensations, intense sounds, without a mind to bring order to it all. Although the poem is surreal throughout, it grows more and more surreal as it progresses echoing the loss of her sanity. While she is left alone with the silence inside her mind because at this point her mind is for the most part gone, with only a little bit left; she no longer has racing thoughts because her brain has separated from the world. The ââ¬Å"Spaceâ⬠from line 12 turns into the ââ¬Å"Heavensâ⬠that ring like a bell.Dickinson has zoomed out from the funeral scene. ââ¬Å"Beingâ⬠is a generic term for existence. We say ââ¬Å"human beings,â⬠for example, to refer to human existence. If being is an ear, that makes us into passive receivers of the noise of the universe. We can't control what we hear. The tolling of the bell is a repetitive sound that reminds us of the ââ¬Å"treadingââ¬âtreadingâ⬠of the first stanza or the ââ¬Å"beatingââ¬âbeatingâ⬠of the second. Dickinson refers to ââ¬Å"if all the heavens were a bellâ⬠which suggests that the speaker thinks that heaven is calling out for her to come, ringing for her through the sound of a bell. And being but an earâ⬠implies that she can only hear but cannot respond, so the heavens are ringing for her and she can hear them only. The speaker may feel as if the church bells are ringing inside her head. This creates religious imagery as ââ¬Å"Heavenâ⬠relates to religion. ââ¬Å"And I and silence, some strange race, wrecked solitary hereâ⬠the speaker suggests that all she has is silence and herself which implies that she feels isolated. She feels as if ââ¬Å"silenceâ⬠is her only companion and she feels united with silence.The speaker emphasises her isolation by describing herself and the other race as ââ¬Å"wrecked solitary, hereâ⬠telling us that there is no hope for her or others like her, that are broken or alone. The ââ¬Å"Silenceâ⬠can also be another reference to her isolation with its implication of separation from the rest of the world. While they are described as an ââ¬Å"earâ⬠she is trapped alone in silence. This would make her (the silent one) useless to everyone else (the ear). Further, the implication is that she does not need communication with others; with the ââ¬Å"earâ⬠seem to rely on, it is something that they share from which she is excluded.The speaker thinks that she and Silence belong to the same ââ¬Å"Race,â⬠or type of individual. We don't know why Silence would be in a world filled with the sound of a bell, but Silence is the negative side o f sound. Both the speaker and Silence are passive and empty. In the last stanza it turns out she did have a little bit of reason left. The plank of reason breaks like rotting wood and she plunges deeper and deeper into insanity, allowing her toà viewà the world multiple times through the eyes of madness her insanity allows her to see multiple worlds, not visible to the sane.Dickinson twists our notions about insanity with her last line. Only through madness can we truly know the world as it is. However, since youââ¬â¢re mad there is no way you can communicate this knowledge to others, hence the ambiguity of the last line; she knows all about the world, thanks to her madness she is able to see it from new perspectives, but since she is mad there is no way to communicate this information intelligibly to others who arenââ¬â¢t mad. ââ¬Å"And then a plank in reason brokeâ⬠this implies that she may have fallen through the cracks of religion, standing on a plank that is ro oting.This suggests the hypocracy behind religion as religion is seen as pure and the answer to everything especially during the sixteenth centaury. This can also be interpreted as her logic or common sense disintegrated; she lost touch with reality and her own sense of reason. Dickinson uses a metaphor to portray her loss with reality ââ¬Å"and then a plank in reason brokeâ⬠. ââ¬Å"And I dropped down, and down, And hit a world at every plungeâ⬠à She falls past ââ¬Å"worlds,â⬠which may stand for her past; in any case, she is losing her connections to reality.Her descent is described as ââ¬Å"plunges,â⬠suggesting the speed and force of her fall into psychological chaos. She hit a ââ¬Å"worldâ⬠the speaker doesnââ¬â¢t specifically say what world she hit but it does suggest her psychological state deteriorating. The word ââ¬Å"Andâ⬠is used at the beginning of every line in this final stanza, giving further rhythm to the descent. The fact tha t she hit a world at every plunge also suggests the speed and force of her fall into psychological chaos and the fact that her life flashes before her life. At the end of her fall, or at least the end of the poem, she ââ¬Å"Finished knowing. It makes sense for someone who has lost their power of reason or intelligence to not be able to know things anymore.The last word of the poem, ââ¬Å"thenââ¬â,â⬠does not finish or end her experience but leaves open the door for the nightmare-horror of madness. The meter of the poem is in the classical ballad meter style of Dickinson, and gives the poem a sombre tone. The ABDB rhyme scheme carries us through the poem until the use of slant rhyme wakes us up in the last stanza. The poem is structured with 4 lines for every stanza. The themes of the poem are in capitals in every line of every stanza. I, Funeral, Brain, Mourners, Kept, Senseâ⬠etc. Dickinson uses many dashes and comas in this poem. In conclusion, Dickinson tries to d escribe a psychological state in her poem ââ¬Å"I felt a funeral in my Brian ââ¬Å"through the language she uses such as metaphors and the structure of her stanzas which include punctuation. The funeral in her brain symbolizesà the end of one state of conscious and way of thinking about the world to be replaced by a newer state of being which is impacted through the period of time and the way religion influenced her.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Religious Experiences are in the Mind of the Believer Essays
Religious Experiences are in the Mind of the Believer ââ¬Å"A religious experience is a spontaneous or induced mental event over which the recipient has relatively little control. It is often accompanied with the gaining of certain knowledge and the experience is always unique.â⬠[1] Elton Truebloodââ¬â¢s definition of a religious experience is very broad, including any experience of feelings of ââ¬Ëlove, power, glory or strength from God.ââ¬â¢ This differs from a simple experience which can be defined as ââ¬Å"an event or series of events participated in or lived through, especially one that makes a powerful impression on the mind and sense.â⬠[2] It is obvious that religious experiencesâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦When people try to describe an experience of God they tend to make comparisons which raises problems philosophically, and many argue that the analogies have weaknesses. The definitions of mystical experience used by researchers and clinicians vary considerably, ranging from Neumannââ¬â¢s (1964) ââ¬Å"upheaval of the total personalityâ⬠to Greesleyââ¬â¢s (1974) ââ¬Å"spiritual force that seems to lift you out of yourselfâ⬠to Scharfsteinââ¬â¢s (1973) ââ¬Å"everyday mysticism.â⬠William James created four characteristics which he believed will enable people to identify mystical experiences, a term that is used in a vast variety of contexts. These include ineffability, noetic quality, transciency and passivity. From Jamesââ¬â¢ four characteristics, mystical experiences are concerned with noetic quality and transciency. Noetic quality refers to knowledge that is gained through intuition and perception however not in the conventional manner, whilst transciency refers to the duration of the experience; it appears that most religious experiences last between a few minutes and two hours. However the effect and the significance are out of proportion to its physical duration. The fact they can last up to severalShow MoreRelatedThe Argument From Religious Experience1460 Words à |à 6 PagesThe Argument from Religious Experience The argument for God, based on personal Religious experiences, is an argument that cannot be refuted by others. While others may not have the ability to prove the existence of God, through anotherââ¬â¢s experiences, they also cannot disprove this existence. A personââ¬â¢s personal experiences are something that no other person can determine, nor argue. My experiences are my interpretations for the occurrences within my life, therefore, another person cannot determineRead More What is Religion Essay1321 Words à |à 6 Pagesinterpretations by people from all cultures. There is no single path to follow in order to lead an ideal life, only personal beliefs and experiences. Religion is non-finite so there is no way of determining a boundary (Smart, 5). 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But rather, Ephesus was an extremely diverse culture in its religious practices throughout the city. As a result of this cultural norm, seemingly anything and everything was deemed acceptable, and any attempt of creating a moral compass was met with vast opposition by theRead MoreExperiencial Apologetics ââ¬â a Summary, Critque, and Supporters1548 Words à |à 7 Pagesâ⬠Caner considers experiential apologetics one of the five traditional forms of apologetics, alongside classical, evidential, historica l, and presuppositional apologetics. Experiential apologetics are based on personal testimony of a transformed believer, generally considered one of the most personal and intimate approaches to apologetics. Utilizing this approach, a person usually provides an account of their life prior to becoming saved by Jesus Christ, and the resulting change that occurs afterRead MoreSummary Of Man Is A Social Animal 1275 Words à |à 6 Pagespresent the ideas of these two master minds regarding their working towards the story of Man. I shall use ethnographic data to analyze their work. E. E. Evans-Pritchard E. E Evan-Pritchard was an anthropologist. Evan was of the view that once human being has an ability to understand and interpret something he can come up with logical reasons to defend them. Talking about the religions and the beliefs of the early man Evan stated that believers and non believers had different approach on studying religionRead MoreVarieties Of Religious Experience By John Updike1474 Words à |à 6 Pages Religious Variety In John Updikeââ¬â¢s short story ââ¬Å"Varieties of Religious Experienceâ⬠, he illustrates four different perspectives on the day of the 9/11 attacks and allows for the readers to understand the minds of multiple people on a day that will forever be remembered in American history. Updike seizes the opportunity to see through various vantage points and it also allows for the readers to have wider sense of faith in the short story. The opportunity of multiple perspectives suggests that thereRead MoreSigmund Freud And Emile Durkheim On Religion1587 Words à |à 7 Pagespaper examines the works of Sigmund Freud and Emile Durkheim on religion, looking at how both theorists essentially viewed religion as serving an integral role in human culture. In particular, this essay considers how both theorists consider religious believers to be mistaken in their ontological beliefs, and the rational causes for this. While both Sigmund Freud and Emile Durkheim are concerned with the study of human behaviour as it relates to culture, each does so from within distinct traditionsRead MoreEssay Christians And Non-christian Culture917 Words à |à 4 Pages In the world today there are believers and non-believers. There are those who devote themselves whole-heartedly to God and those who choose the lukewarm approach to Christianity. Regardless, humans are all from God and God is in all of them. It is the duty of the human race to unite as one under God and rise up against the evil forces of the world. In order to do this everyone, both religious and the not religious, need to be aware of and recognize the lifestyles of each other. Non Christians should
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