Deep River Shusaku Endo English Literature Essay

Deep River Shusaku Endo English Literature Essay Shusaku Endo has had a long career in literary works. He has written some very compelling novels that dive deep down into the journey of spiritual learning. He has fixated most of his writings on two main crossing issues such as eastern and western cultures specifically between Japanese culture and Christianity. His novels have sited a wide range of issues of cultural and spiritual identity, alienation, and personal pledge to faith. The story he wrote Deep River is a fascinating journey of revelation for the characters involved, especially the relationship between Mitsuko has with Otsu. Otsu and Mitsuko first meet in college, Otsu is an awkward religious student and Mitsuko is a woman who has no real passion for life. She decides she wants to steal Otsu away from the god he believes in. She invites Otsu to a party to ask him about his beliefs, to my surprise he comes clean saying he is unsure of what he believes in. Mitsuko forces Otsu to drink and wont stop forcing him until he forsakes god, but he drinks till he throws up, never giving up on god. No it sounds like these two would never see each other again after something like that. To your dismay Mitsuko cant leave Otsu be, she says he must falsify his belief in god. She then gives him the opportunity to be her boyfriend if he gives up his faith. I honestly cant believe anyone would force that upon someone. To my dismay they end up having sex and dating for several months until she breaks his heart. Otsu now depressed, leaves and doesnt return, although they do of course, meet again. Mitsuko has a problem because she feels no passion in life; she goes through her life and this story with a horrible feeling of emptiness in herself On Mitsukos Honeymoon instead of spending time with her new husband she hears Otsu is in France and searches him out. They meet up and come up with a new word for god onion because to Mitsuko the term god means nothing. Otsu is on the complete opposite page, saying god is everything everywhere. The French actually say he is a heretic for his beliefs that other religions are also true and that god uses both sin and suffering for the greater good. Otsu is opposed by his teachers because of this statement he gives evil lurks within good, and good thingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦good things can lie within evil as well (65). I believe what Endo is trying to express be that god has the power to convert every sin into some kind of good. Later in the story another quote comes up, god has many faces. I dont think god exists exclusively in the churches and chapels of Europe. I think he is also among the Jews and the Buddhists and the Hindus (121). Otsu wants to live a life of selfless sacrifice for all p eople, which at the time Mitsuko finds to be a waste of time. I believe the reason she seeks out Otsu so many times in the story even though she doesnt really know what it she is searching for she is searching for god which in the end brings love. Otsu signifies a belief in unity of all. He believes in combining all faiths and caring for all mankind, generating an enormous social assembly of love. Even with being called a heretic, Otsu never revokes his beliefs and maintains a strong faith and trust in Jesus. While talking to Mitsuko he decides to tell her he has dedicated his existence to chasing only one thing: the love of that onion, Love is all the onion has imparted to us. The thing we are most lacking in our modern world is love; love is the thing no one believes in anymore; love is what everyone mockingly laughs at, and that is why someone like me wants to follow my onion with dumb sincerity (119). Otsu follows his beliefs to India at the river Ganges. This is a place that is very sacred to the Hindus, they travel here when they are dying with the hope to have their bodies cremated and their ashes spread into the holy river. Otsu goes here to sacrifice himself so he can help these people make the dying journey. He literally carries the people to the river who can barely walk. Sacrifice is the focus of Otsus faith. Jesus is the number one symbol of sacrifice. He gave up his life for mankinds sins. Jesus symbolically lugs all of the anguishes of mankind on his shoulders when he is made to carry his own cross to death. Otsu imitates the carrying of suffering by plainly transporting the deceased and dying on his back to the River Ganges. Otsu sees more than just the task he is doing, he feels something pure and necessary in putting the suffering of others on his shoulders, by sacrificing himself. Mitsuko sees what Otsu is doing as a waste of his own life, because he is getting nothing out of it in her eyes. Otsu knows he will not change the world or cure suffering, he is doing this act of sacrifice for the good of the people, if there is a benefit that comes from it then Otsu knows the act will not be the true good act of sacrifice. By the end of the story you start to get the feeling that Mitsuko finally understands the belief of sacrifice and love for others. She decides to bathe in the holy river joining the Hindus with her own prayer, which she still believes is a lie, she still has that emptiness until she sees the ultimate sacrifice. Sacrifice is to give and receive nothing in return except for happiness in you. To love is to sacrifice; Otsu makes sacrifices for people trying to turn their sorrow into love. The end of the story brings the biggest sacrifice, when Otsu becomes mortally wounded, while saving Sanjo, who is a person who most wouldnt sacrifice for because of his cultural insensitiveness. But because Otsu and his beliefs he saves the man and in the end giving his life. This act makes his sacrifice even greater, he is not sacrificing for a loved one or a family member but for a stranger who does not know or appreciate what Otsu does for him. Otsu has Christ-like, selfless love that rises above all cultural, racial, and religious prejudices to embrace all of humanity, just like the river Ganges, which he saw as a deep and flowing river of love accepting all, rejecting neither the ugliest of men nor the filthiest (185). This is when we finally understand what lies at the heart of Christianity; Love and sa crifice for others. Otsus sacrifice is one of pure love for mankind, deaf, blind and dumb to how pointless it may be.

Why did Michael Henchard fail? Essay -- English Literature

Why did Michael Henchard fail? The Mayor of Casterbridge is a novel about the rise and fall of a mercurial man called Michael Henchard. The book takes us through his life when he is twenty-one and outlines his ascent and descent in society. Michael Henchard is a man of many characteristics. Amongst his characteristics he has a kind, honest and determined personality along with a cold, ruthless, and stubborn personality. Henchard's impulsiveness, aggressive attitude, self-centredness made failure inevitable in his life. We first meet Henchard a disconsolate twenty-one year old hay-trusser, he is married with a young daughter. We see Henchard sell his wife and daughter in a drunken rage in furmity tent at a county fair. At first it was a bit of a joke, a friendly banter but then it turned nasty. The two main reasons for Henchard not backing down from his offer of a wife and daughter this was alcohol and his pride. Alcohol played a big part in Henchard's mistakes in life. He often regrets things after he does them, and suffers the consequences like the fact that he sold his wife and daughter to a sailor whom he had not known, a complete stranger for five guineas. It stays on his conscience and haunts him. Henchard was young and naive and felt that his wife and daughter were a burden upon him, and he felt he needed a new start. The sale of his wife and daughter suggests Henchard is childish and stubborn. It is almost as if when Henchard is under the influence of alcohol he turns into a aggressive child saying ''No I said I will sell my wife and daughter, I don't care what happens I said i will and I will!'' The next morning Henchard knows that he has committed a terrible sin, but the fact that Hencha... ...hard is now declared bankrupt and in front of the creditors throws down his gold watch rather childishly. He would do this because he is a very proud man and he wants nothing. ''He had used his one talent of energy to create a position of affluence out of absolutely nothing.'' One thing about Michael Henchard is that you have to admire him for what he has achieved in his life, his energy, aspirations and determination allowed him to do this. But the only problem is that Henchard is too impulsive and acts n emotions, and does not think before he acts. That is why he failed in life. I also believe that fate played a big part in his failure. For example the weather forecast, he acted on impulsion and he did not think about the accuracy of the reading. So overall I think that Michael Henchard's character contributed to his failure along with pure fate.

Biocentric Ethics Essay

Biocentric Ethics Analysis There have been debates about GMO’s for decades. While farmers fight for their land and the continuance to produce, farmers were given the option to plant seeds that are genetically modified. The seeds in turn would grow more crops and last longer. The compulsion on the farmers to make ample crops and try to help world hunger would not just cost more for them, but it can also cause lack of trust between the suppliers and the consumers that in turn can lead to law suits, as well. Genetically engineered tomatoes helped reduce the standard methods used to prep, make, and grow crops in 1986. The method made the tomatoes resilient to various herbicides. Farmers started to use bacillus thuringiensis which is an insect killer, in the plants. This did not seem to concern the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Department of Agriculture (DOA) about the new technology. In 1990 when â€Å"Forbes article â€Å"The Lesser of Two Weevils† was released stating â€Å"that co tton farmers in the United States had put 100 million pounds of agricultural chemicals on their crop each year for the last several years† (Newton, Dillingham, Choly, 2006) the media went bonkers over this information. This caused controversy with the growers, distributors, and the media, arguing whether the altered crops will pose a threat to humans and the ecosystem. Countries we not happy with the carelessness and handling of the crops from the United States. Particularly, Germany did not agree with the United States methods. Other countries that did not use the genetically altered method reported traces of the chemicals in their crops. This transfer usually happens by the weather conditions. Changing of the seasons has many scientists believe the chemical transfer through rain and snow, possibly through insects, wildlife, and plants. When man interferes we must take into consideration of how the altered chemicals may travel and how it could be consumed by humans. Also, the ecosystem that includes the consumers, the sun, and the decomposers becomes fragile. When man changes  the DNA of plants it alters Mother Nature work and the ramifications can be irreversible, but can take many years to dis cover. Furthermore, there has been an increase of obesity that is said to be due to the modifications and hormones in the food. People become perplexed when there is a discussion of GMO’s and non-GMO’s trying to understand the difference and what can be patented. â€Å"The preferred approach of the industry has been to use compositional comparisons between GMO and non-GMO crops. When they are not significantly different the two are regarded as â€Å"substantially equivalent,† and, therefore, the GMO food crop is regarded as safe as its conventional counterpart (Arpad, 2001).† When genetically engineered bacteria was thought to enhance the hormones in cows and provide increased milk was claimed by Monsanto, the United Nations did not agree and people began to wonder if the genetically modified foods was a good thing after all. People pay attention to how much money they will make, and will try any new technology, rather than think or care about the dangers these things may pose. Stories showed on TV and aired on the radio on how many farmers lost their farms due to lack of crops from droughts, insects, and no rain, destroying crops. Many people showed empathy for these farmers knowing how tough they have it. There are songs that were made e.g., Rain on a scarecrow, for these historical moments and what our forefathers did in order to survive. There are some advantages to point out that the third world countries have with the use of genetically modified foods, such as the rice it could have more minerals and vitamins, which helps alleviate nutrient deficiencies. E.g., lack of vitamin A can cause blindness. â€Å"Golden† rice containing an unusually high content of beta-carotene (vitamin A) (Whitman, 2000)† was created by some researchers at an institute Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (SFIT) for plant sciences. The disadvantages of GMO’s are that there is no regulation to distribution. It is not a requirement to label the foods, so how do we know what we are eating? Without labeling or regulations how do we know if the food is safe for us to eat? This is when we have to think of health concerns like allergies because genetically modified foods potentially can cause allergic reactions in most people. Out of all the disputes on what may be right or wrong, or what should be used on the crops and or s eeds, there is still a question, can the insects land the on chemically altered plants, then travel to other plants dropping any  substances that would interfere with the other plants that are not genetically modified? References Newton, Dillingham, Choly, Lisa H, Catherine K, Joanne (2006). Watersheds 4. Thompson Wadsworth. Whitman, Deborah B (2000). Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?. Retrieved from http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php Pusztai, Arpad (2001). Scarcity of Safety tests. Retrieved from Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health? Retrieved from http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/pusztai.html

Lab Report on Respiratory Physiology Essays

Lab Report on Respiratory Physiology Essays Lab Report on Respiratory Physiology Paper Lab Report on Respiratory Physiology Paper Timer (with a second hand) Glass Urinary and Salivary pH (litmus) paper Drinking straw Procedures: 1. Measure 2 ounces of water in a glass. Obtain the pH of the water in the glass. Record the water pH prior to experiment. Have the subject blow air through the straw into the water and keep blowing into the water for 2 minutes inhaling between exhalations. The subject should be breath as normal as possible while doing this activity. Measure and record the pH of the water in the glass. 3. Empty the water from the glass and refill it with fresh water. Have the subject do vigorous exercise for 5 minutes. 4. Immediately after exercise have the subject blow into the water for 2 minutes (inhaling between exhalations). Measure and record the pH of the water in the glass. 5. Empty the water from the glass and refill it with fresh water. Have the subject rest for 5 minutes. 6. Have the subject blow in the water for 2 minutes (inhaling between exhalations). Measure and record the pH of the water in the glass. Analysis and Data: 1. The pH of the water measured is close to a 7 on the pH scale. 2. After the subject blew air into the straw, the pH of the water was about 5 on the pH scale at first, but then turned neutral again. The subject did vigorous exercise for 5 minutes. 4. The pH of the water after the subject was exercising was about 6-7. 5. After refilling a new glass of water, the pH of the fresh water was about 6.

Samurai battle scenes (artwork) essays

Samurai battle scenes (artwork) essays The artwork,  ¡Ã‚ °Samurai battle scenes ¡ painted in the 19th century is a Japanese style artwork painted on a single four-fold screen in colour and gold leaf on paper. In the painting we get an overhead, almost a birds eye view of a samurai battle. Warriors are riding into battle on horseback, wearing armour and bearing weapons. The landscape is strewn with many bodies and horses and with the combination of diagonal parallel lines on the landscape creates the feeling of coordinated movement from the armies. Another factor of the painting, which catches the viewer ¡Ã‚ ¯s eye, are the clouds or fog overlaying the battle. The curves in the cloud also relay a feeling of smoothness and calm or even tranquillity, which is directly contrasted and even juxtaposed with the battle scene. This fog or cloud creates the simulation of a  ¡Ã‚ °birds eye ¡ view and another popular saying, the  ¡Ã‚ °fog of war. ¡ The cloud as previously mentioned contains a variety of possible different meanings. One such meaning suitable for the scene is the saying referred to as  ¡Ã‚ °the fog of war ¡. The painting conveys the much confusion in a battle with certain parts and sections of the painting covered by fog, and the interruption to tranquillity it can impose. The clouds in the painting are balanced and strewn apart so that the viewer has an even view of the battle. The horseman and warriors are also evenly scattered and balance the painting. It is hard to determine which facto dominates the painting, the calm tranquil clouds or the haphazard confused battle scene. Perhaps it is fair to say both dominate equally. It is also arguable that the battle scene is in dominance as battle and the way of the  ¡Ã‚ °samurai ¡ was a large concept in Japan those centuries ago. The aim of the painting seems to convey the concept of  ¡Ã‚ °heroes and victims ¡ in Japan ¡Ã‚ ¯s floating world. For centuries ma ...

Analizes of a case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analizes of a - Case Study Example The company always used outside the box thinking in its business strategies such as buying idle production time from manufacturers in other industries. One of the reasons for the success of the firm in the furniture business was its introduction of self-assembled furniture. This concept help the firm reduce its prices because it eliminated two of the highest cost drivers in the industry which are assembly and delivery. The company’s managerial philosophy is to have an open system in which nobody is superior to others. Input from the employees is always welcomed at IKEA. The management process stressed simplicity and attention to detail. Being cost conscious was also a part of the business culture of the firm. IKEA penetrated the United States marketplace in 1985. In the 1990’s the company was exposed to bad media when a revelation was made to the public that IKEA was dealing with suppliers in Asia that used child labor. Stakeholders Ingvar Kamprad – Founder of th e firm. His values and beliefs are embedded in IKEA’s culture. Using child labor goes against everything he stands for. He does not want to hurt the reputation of the company through a child labor scandal. Marianne Barner – IKEA business area manager for carpets division. She is responsible for finding a solution to the problem. Shareholders – The shareholders of the firm are worried about the problem of child labor because its occurrence will hurt the image and reputation of the company which will negatively impact the price of the common stocks of the company. Asian children – The children population in Asia are at risk due to employment exploitation by IKEA suppliers. The children are the biggest victims in this scandal. Issues By the mid 1990’s the company had grown tremendously. IKEA had 98 stores across 17 countries worldwide. Its supply chain had become extremely complex since the firm had almost 2,300 suppliers. It had become extremely diff icult to monitor the actions of its suppliers. To make things worse those 2,300 suppliers were scattered across 70 countries. The firm was sourcing around 11,200 products. During the 1980’s environmental problems occurred with some of the products IKEA sold. In the 1990’s a new and extremely serious issue occurred as the company was accused of doing business with suppliers that used child labor. Child labor is a growing problem in our society with over 250 million children working in the labor market (Humanium, 2010). IKEA in the 1980’s faced new regulations from the Denmark government that redefine the limits of formaldehyde emissions permissible in product building. At concentration above 0.1 mg/kg in air this material caused watery eyes, headaches, burning sensation in throat, and difficult breathing. The company was fined by the government of Denmark and it was heavily criticized by the media. IKEA sales in the aftermath of this scandal drop by 20% in Denmar k. The company reacted quickly to the problem by establishing stringent requirement regarding formaldehyde levels. At first the problem was not simply to attend since suppliers bought from sub-suppliers that were exposed to formaldehyde. The firm resolved the problem by dealing directly with glue producing chemical companies. A decade later the firm was once again facing issues with formaldehyde in Germany. Its best selling bookcase series had high levels of

James Irwin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

James Irwin - Essay Example Irwin started showing signs of a heart condition during this time. The physiological signs of the astronauts were monitored back on earth and by the flight surgeons. Irwin's heart had irregular rhythms and developed a condition termed as bigamy. The heart condition was a serious condition that needed intensive care. Irwin often got tired but after some minutes, his heart went back to normal. Irwin's condition was not discussed in the debriefing sessions after their return to earth, as the condition did not appear when they returned to earth. Irwin, however, had heart attack months later after their return.  Ã‚  The crew's return to Earth was successful. However, NASA discovered the collection of unauthorized stamps by the crewmembers that were to be exchanged for money from a private collector from Germany. The scandal, however, had the administration make a decision to reassign the crewmembers of Apollo 15 to non-flight roles.   Irwin took a different direction with his life and founded the high flight foundation. Irwin used his experience in space to inspire people. He became the goodwill ambassador of peace in his last years. Irwin quoted that "Jesus walking on water is more important than man walking on the moon" (Irwin, 75). He led in Christianity activities through his foundation.   The activities of the foundation included an expedition to Turkey in a mission to find the remains of the Noah's Ark. Several of Irwin's family members to date are still on the board of the foundation that based in Colorado.