On Prejudice Essay Example for Free

On Prejudice Essay The word bigot is a powerful word. It is a word that many feel to be of the utmost offense, and yet, by definition, it is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices. With this in mind, and human natures impeccable ability to draw stereotypes for every type of person, cant we all be considered bigots? In Bill Cosbys short satire, On Prejudice, this issue is concisely addressed and brought to its knees through his use of sarcasm, and an ability to corner any stereotype by just simply bringing it to a clear, succinct truth. While many balked at the idea of racial prejudice and stereotypes during the 1970s, Cosby approached it with honesty and candor. His use of vulgar words, diffident body language, belittling tone, and biting disparagement allowed Cosby to effectively show societys lack of understanding and appreciation for the worlds racial diversity. In a time when prejudice was beginning to cower in the shadows as a product of the civil rights movement, Cosby recognized that while law had forbid discrimination, it still very much existed in our culture and society. On Prejudice was his way of addressing this delicate issue. The 1970s followed a decade of success among the civil rights movement; however, this success caused many to withdraw from still recognizing it as a problem. While discrimination was pronounced unlawful, Cosby addressed a different kind of prejudice; A prejudice that was subconscious and mendacious. On Prejudice opens with a wide shot of Cosby sitting on a stool beneath a single spotlight. The music is a single violin, playing a single chord. Cosby is smoking a cigar and slouched over the stool. The use of lighting and music is very effective in that it truly adds to the solitude of Cosbys ridicule. It is a keen way that he uses to single out prejudice, and it is very effective in that it gives a sense that bigotry is a lonely place to be. His body language and subtle movements give the audience a sense of distance and that the person they are watching is very closed off. Cosby then begins to speak. At first notice he employs a feeling of simple impersonation and innocent humor. However, after listening, one begins to realize that his impersonation goes much deeper. Secondary thoughts begin to surface and innocent humor turns into harsh ridicule and mockery. He speaks on old people, children, Jews, Irish, African Americans (which he refers to as niggers), and Italians. Each group is addressed as the scum of the earth. He takes stereotypes and prejudices and gives them a voice. His phrases and word usage have a bold honesty to them. He consistently speaks of making groups just go away. But he abstains from his harsh comments by repeating that they would not have to leave by blood shed. This effectively adds to the arrogance of his character and truly reveals the power of satire. Another action he consistently refers to is spitting on certain groups. He sets up why he dislikes each group. Then, whether it is the drunken Irish, Italian criminals, or slow old people, he then follows with stating that if he were to see these groups he would just spit on them. This is reintroduced over and over again to remind the audience that they are dealing with an obnoxious person. This technique also reinforces the arrogance of his character in that it shows that he lacks the will to come up with intelligent solutions or justification for his actions. With these in mind, Cosbys most effective technique is his ability to grab the audiences attention through satirical disdain. Cosby makes it incredibly easy to fall into a trap where one can be lured into relating to his judgments and stereotypes. He makes his audience laugh and connect with his opinions. But just when the audience begins to feel comfortable, Cosby reveals that he is a bigot. This sense of comfort and correlation quickly turns to scorn. He reveals how shameful it is to stereotype. All while staying in character and reinforcing the arrogance of society. He makes his audience feel as if they were no better than the man whose solution is to just get rid of ? em. He makes his audience feel that they are no better than a man whos so hateful that he would spit on other people. It is an ultimate sense of embarrassment. Putting these techniques to use gives one a sense of truth and yet shame at the same time. By addressing the most common forms of stereotypes and racial discrimination, He allows his audience to stop and not only reflect on how wrong it is to racially profile, but to also allow his audience to consider the judgments they themselves may have passed on certain groups prior. Cosbys impersonation ultimately embodies that of social unjust as a whole. Because of his honest and impudent characterization, he allows for no gray areas of discussion. His parody of a bigot properly makes each and every person feel like a bigot.

Representation of Society in Euripides Medea Essay -- Euripides Medea

Representation of Society in Euripides' Medea During the time of Euripides, approximately the second half of the fifth century B.C., it was a period of immense cultural crisis and political convulsion (Arrowsmith 350). Euripides, like many other of his contemporaries, used the whole machinery of the theater as a way of thinking about their world (Arrowsmith 349). His interest in particular was the analysis of culture and relationship between culture and the individual. Euripides used his characters as a function to shape the ideas of the play (Arrowsmith 359). In Medea, there was not a "traditional" hero, but a fragmentation between the two paired major characters, which is characteristic of Euripides' work (Arrowsmith 356). Jason and Medea, the initial lovers of the play, were antagonists by the play's end. Euripides sought to take the wholeness of the old "hero" and represent him divisively, thus diffused over several characters. Since Euripides chooses that his characters represent ideas, the paired antagonist Jason and Medea both represent the warlike modes of a divided c... Representation of Society in Euripides' Medea Essay -- Euripides Medea Representation of Society in Euripides' Medea During the time of Euripides, approximately the second half of the fifth century B.C., it was a period of immense cultural crisis and political convulsion (Arrowsmith 350). Euripides, like many other of his contemporaries, used the whole machinery of the theater as a way of thinking about their world (Arrowsmith 349). His interest in particular was the analysis of culture and relationship between culture and the individual. Euripides used his characters as a function to shape the ideas of the play (Arrowsmith 359). In Medea, there was not a "traditional" hero, but a fragmentation between the two paired major characters, which is characteristic of Euripides' work (Arrowsmith 356). Jason and Medea, the initial lovers of the play, were antagonists by the play's end. Euripides sought to take the wholeness of the old "hero" and represent him divisively, thus diffused over several characters. Since Euripides chooses that his characters represent ideas, the paired antagonist Jason and Medea both represent the warlike modes of a divided c...

Are Our Lives Governed by Fate or Free Will Essay

Our lives are governed by free will. In the books Chinese Cinderella and Twisted the main characters use their free will to make choices that have consequences on their lives. Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah Chinese Cinderella is a story of a Chinese girl growing up Shanghai and Hong Kong in the 1940’s. Adeline was made to feel that her birth was the reason her mother died. Her siblings blamed her and her father and stepmother had no interest in her. She spent most her childhood at boarding schools. Although Adeline was sent to boarding school she still used her own free will to chose to study hard and excel in school. Adeline chose to continue to do well in school with the hope of gaining her parent’s attention. Despite all of the bad things that happened to Adeline she continued to strive to be the best in school. She chose to spend her time reading and doing homework. She received many awards. She used her free will to enter an international playwriting contest and she won. The result was that her name was published in the newspaper and this got her father’s attention. Adeline used this as an opportunity to ask to go to college. Her father agreed. Although her father selected her career as a doctor she was so happy to have the opportunity. Twisted, by Laurie Halse Anderson Tyler used his free will to spray paint on the school property. There were consequences for his actions. He had to do community service to pay for the damage, he got a probation officer and got his license taken away. Tyler spent alot of time being the victim. His father blamed him for most of the bad things that happened. He let things happen to him until one day he realized he could take control of his life. Tyler used his free will when he dropped out of the AP classes, started attending all of his classes, returned the stolen keys to the custodian and apologized for stealing them, stood up to Chip, spoke with his probation officer about the consequences of attending the party when he was on probation and stood up to father when he blamed Tyler for getting fired. The result of Tyler’s action to take control of these aspects of his life is it provides him with self-esteem. This new confidence gets rid of the bad thoughts he had (like killing himself). Tyler chose to spend his time playing a video game Tophet. The point of the game was to make his demon (Gormley) powerful enough to make it thru 66 levels of torment. In the end he succeeds and is given a choice to become the new lord of darkness or be reincarnated. He realizes the importance of choosing wisely.

All About Nebulas Clouds of Gas and Dust in Space

A nebula (the Latin word for cloud) is a cloud of gas and dust in space and many can be found in our galaxy as well as in galaxies across the universe. Because nebulas are involved in the birth and death of stars, these regions of space are important to astronomers seeking to understand how stars form and expire. Key Takeaways: Nebulas Nebula refers to clouds of gas and dust in space.The most familiar nebulas are the Orion Nebula, the Ring Nebula, and the Carina Nebula.Astronomers have found nebulas in other galaxies in addition to the ones in the Milky Way.Some nebulas are involved in star formation while others are the result of star death. Not only are nebulas a crucial part of astronomy for astronomers, but they make interesting targets for backyard observers. Theyre not as bright as stars or planets, but they are incredibly beautiful and are a favorite subject of astrophotographers.  Some of the most intricate and detailed images of these regions come from orbiting observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope. A star-forming region called Mystic Mountain in the Carina Nebula. Its many peaks and fingers hide newly forming stars. NASA/ESA/STScI Types of Nebulas Astronomers divide nebulas into several major groups. One of these is the H II regions, also known as large diffuse nebulas. H II refers to their most common element, hydrogen, the main component of stars. The term diffuse is used to describe the large and irregular shapes associated with such nebulas. Nebulas and the Births of Stars H II regions are star-forming regions, places where stars are being born. It is very common to see such a nebula with flocks of hot, young stars within it. Those nebulas may be referred to as reflection nebulas since their clouds of gas and dust are illuminated by—or reflect—the light given off by these bright stars. These clouds of gas and dust may also absorb radiation from stars and emit it as heat. When that happens, they can be referred to as absorption nebulas and emission nebulas.   The Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region in the constellation Sagittarius, is shown here in full glorious color provided by the European Southern Observatory. Smaller telescopes will not show these colors, but a long-exposure photograph will.   European Southern Observatory There are also cold, dark nebulas that may or may not have starbirth occurring inside them. These clouds of gas and dust contain hydrogen and dust. So-called dark nebulas are sometimes referred to as Bok globules, after the astronomer Bart Bok who first observed them in the early 1940s. They are so dense that astronomers need specialized instruments to detect any heat coming from them that may indicate the births of stars.   The Horsehead Nebula is part of a dense cloud of gas in front of an active star-forming nebula known as IC434. The nebulosity of the Horsehead is believed to be excited by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. The streaks in the nebulosity that extend above the Horsehead are likely due to magnetic fields within the nebula. National Optical Astronomy Observatories/Travis Rector. Used by permission. Nebulas and the Death of Stars Depending on the size of the star, two classes of nebulas are created as stars die. The first includes supernova remnants, the most famous of which is the Crab Nebula remnant in the direction of the constellation Taurus. Thousands of years ago, a giant, high-mass star exploded in a catastrophic event called a supernova. It died when it began to fuse iron in its core, which stopped the stars nuclear furnace from working. In a short time, the core collapsed, as did all the layers above it. When the outer layers reached the core they rebounded (that is, bounced) back and that blew the star apart. The outer layers rushed out to space, creating a crab-shaped nebula that is still speeding outward. Whats left behind is a rapidly spinning neutron star, created from the remains of the core.   Hubble Space Telescopes view of the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. NASA/ESA/STScI Stars smaller than the Crab Nebulas progenitor star (that is, the star that blew up), dont die quite the same way. They do, however, send masses of material into space in the millennia before their final death throes. That material forms a shell of gas and dust around the star. After it gently blows its outer layers to space, whats left shrinks down to become a hot, white dwarf. The light and heat from that white dwarf illuminate the cloud of gas and dust, causing it to glow. Such a nebula is called a planetary nebula, so named because early observers like William Herschel thought they resembled planets.   The planetary nebula NGC 6781 as photographed through one of the telescopes of the European Southern Observatory in Chile. This nebula lies in Aquila and can be spotted with a good backyard-type telescope. ESO   How Are Nebulas Detected? Nebulas of all kinds are best detected using telescopes. The best-known exception to this is the Orion Nebula, which is barely visible to the naked eye. Its much easier to observe a nebula using magnification, which also helps the observer see more of the light coming from the object. Planetary nebulas are among the dimmest ones, and theyre also the shortest-lived. Astronomers suspect they only last perhaps only ten thousand years or so after they form. H II regions last as long as theres enough material to continue forming stars. Theyre easier to see because of the bright starlight that causes them to glow.   The star Eta Carinae is a hypergiant in the southern hemisphere skies. Its the bright star (left), embedded in the Carina Nebula, which is a star-forming region in the southern hemisphere sky. European Southern Observatory Best-known Nebulas As well as the Orion Nebula and the Crab Nebula, skygazers keep to observe these clouds of gas and dust should get to know the Carina Nebula (in the Southern Hemisphere Sky), Horsehead Nebula, and the Ring Nebula in Lyra (which is a planetary nebula). The Messier list of objects also contains many nebulas for stargazers to search out.   Sources NASA, NASA, spaceplace.nasa.gov/nebula/en/.â€Å"Nebulae - The Dust of Stars.† Windows to the Universe, www.windows2universe.org/the_universe/Nebula.html.â€Å"Planetary Nebulae.† The Hubble Constant, 3 Dec. 2013, www.cfa.harvard.edu/research/oir/planetary-nebulae.http://skyserver.sdss.org/dr1/en/astro/stars/stars.asp