Amistad Essay example -- essays research papers

The touchiest subject that a person could bring up in the early 19th century was slavery. Many in the north were wholly against it while many in the south could not live properly without it. The Amistad case intensifies the already bitter feelings between these two parts of the country, and it shows how sectionalist our country had become. On one hand there were the northerners who couldn’t believe that these people were being held for freeing themselves, and on the other hand there were the southerners who said that the Negro’s were animals and should be sent back to Cuba to be hung. There were not only two different attitudes on what should happen to the Africans, but each group also had different opinions on how to handle the story. â€Å"The northern press made much of the story, while the southern press avoided it because they didn’t want to give the slave populations any ideas.† (8)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the Amistad landed in 1839, most people opposed slavery in the north, but many of them weren’t abolitionists, and others didn’t want to think about the subject at all. The wanted to just save the union, because if that had dispersed, all of the founding fathers work would have gone for none. â€Å"The Abolitionists seized upon the Amistad case as heavensent to abet their cause.† This was what they needed to get more support behind their cause, and to get the people who didn’t want to talk about the subject out and gossiping. On the Spaniards side there was William S. Holabird the District Attorney at that time who thought that it was an â€Å"open and shut case of murder and mutiny, and that Gedney saved the Spaniards from the blacks, and not the blacks from the Spaniards.† (19) The Africans do have many intelligent abolitionists on their side, and Lewis Tappan was one of them. The Africans attorney Roger Baldwin accompanied him, along with an abolitionist named Robert Madden. Madden was a heartfelt abolitionist whose attitude is displayed in this verse: â€Å"We are not always scourging - by the way, Tuesday in common is our flogging day. At other times we only use the whip To stir the drones and make the young ones skip. Then as to food, you may be sure we give Enough to let the wretched creatures live. The diet’s somewhat slender, there’s no doubt It would not do let them grow out.† (60) Tappan was one of the most hated men in the south, and he was the f... ...ery†¦You are great in everything else†¦Your name will descend to the latest posterity with this blot on it: Mr. Adams loves to Negroes too much unconstitutionally.† This was a nicely put hate mail, but it showed the attitude of many. Another thing that he received in the mail from a person in North Carolina was an engraved portrait of himself with a bullet hole through the forehead and the inscription â€Å"to stop the music of John Quincy Adams.† (65) Yet even with all of these dangers lurking around him, he pushed on with much determination to give the Africans their freedom. All of these events and people involved, show what the question of slavery meant to all of them. The Amistad case was a huge event in the 19th century. The verdict not nearly as important as the implications of whom was involved, and how it was taken care of. This case was about the mistreatment of a people who had no right to be looked down upon. This case was about the people who fought for it, and the passions that they shared, and the one passion they didn’t. The men involved in the Amistad case represented to sides to a case, and two philosophy’s of a country separating at a rate too fast for anyone to stop. Amistad Essay example -- essays research papers The touchiest subject that a person could bring up in the early 19th century was slavery. Many in the north were wholly against it while many in the south could not live properly without it. The Amistad case intensifies the already bitter feelings between these two parts of the country, and it shows how sectionalist our country had become. On one hand there were the northerners who couldn’t believe that these people were being held for freeing themselves, and on the other hand there were the southerners who said that the Negro’s were animals and should be sent back to Cuba to be hung. There were not only two different attitudes on what should happen to the Africans, but each group also had different opinions on how to handle the story. â€Å"The northern press made much of the story, while the southern press avoided it because they didn’t want to give the slave populations any ideas.† (8)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the Amistad landed in 1839, most people opposed slavery in the north, but many of them weren’t abolitionists, and others didn’t want to think about the subject at all. The wanted to just save the union, because if that had dispersed, all of the founding fathers work would have gone for none. â€Å"The Abolitionists seized upon the Amistad case as heavensent to abet their cause.† This was what they needed to get more support behind their cause, and to get the people who didn’t want to talk about the subject out and gossiping. On the Spaniards side there was William S. Holabird the District Attorney at that time who thought that it was an â€Å"open and shut case of murder and mutiny, and that Gedney saved the Spaniards from the blacks, and not the blacks from the Spaniards.† (19) The Africans do have many intelligent abolitionists on their side, and Lewis Tappan was one of them. The Africans attorney Roger Baldwin accompanied him, along with an abolitionist named Robert Madden. Madden was a heartfelt abolitionist whose attitude is displayed in this verse: â€Å"We are not always scourging - by the way, Tuesday in common is our flogging day. At other times we only use the whip To stir the drones and make the young ones skip. Then as to food, you may be sure we give Enough to let the wretched creatures live. The diet’s somewhat slender, there’s no doubt It would not do let them grow out.† (60) Tappan was one of the most hated men in the south, and he was the f... ...ery†¦You are great in everything else†¦Your name will descend to the latest posterity with this blot on it: Mr. Adams loves to Negroes too much unconstitutionally.† This was a nicely put hate mail, but it showed the attitude of many. Another thing that he received in the mail from a person in North Carolina was an engraved portrait of himself with a bullet hole through the forehead and the inscription â€Å"to stop the music of John Quincy Adams.† (65) Yet even with all of these dangers lurking around him, he pushed on with much determination to give the Africans their freedom. All of these events and people involved, show what the question of slavery meant to all of them. The Amistad case was a huge event in the 19th century. The verdict not nearly as important as the implications of whom was involved, and how it was taken care of. This case was about the mistreatment of a people who had no right to be looked down upon. This case was about the people who fought for it, and the passions that they shared, and the one passion they didn’t. The men involved in the Amistad case represented to sides to a case, and two philosophy’s of a country separating at a rate too fast for anyone to stop.

Baz Luhrman: Romeo and Juliet Transformation

Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet Transformation A hugely successful transformation of the complex written version to the action packed film took place when accredited writer Baz Luhrmann redefined the classic tale of Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet. Luhrmann and co-writer Craig Pearce were tenacious in deciding â€Å"to stick absolutely to the Shakespearean text, to keep as many of the Elizabethan customs as possible, such as a highly evolved code of etiquette and honor, even in the use of violence† in the context of a created world, based on twentieth century icon.They discovered that one of this century's most powerful and effective icons, the movies, best exemplify the notion. â€Å"There are textual facts in Romeo and Juliet, having to do with Elizabethan society, which exist in Mexico,† Luhrmann explains. â€Å"For instance, during Shakespeare's time religion was very involved in politics; there was a very small percentage of great wealth and a large p opulation of poor; it was violent; and people were openly armed. We've interpreted all of these Elizabethan things in the context of the modern, created world.In fact, much of this occurs in modern-day Mexico, in varying degrees. You could actually set the piece in Mexico City itself and just play it. It has mysticism about it and, for me it's exotic. It has a music and magic to it. It's not Verona Beach, but it certainly had a lot of the elements to it. † The costume party was a fabulous pretext for the romantic quality of the film; Romeo being the knight in shining armour, Juliet the angel that comes into his life, completely absorbing him like some fantastical being, driving his obsession with love.There were also a few clever imageries Luhrmann used to further show exactly what the situation was-which, to be honest is challenging for many younger readers of the Shakespeare novel, both in terms of the language used and the fact that it somewhat lacks in the nature of popula r entertainment). These were: the fish tank which was the barrier between the two lovers- just like the water and the beautiful little fish, so exciting, but there was the glass ( the family rivalry) that wouldn’t budge and to break it (defy the rules) would only mean death.What was so clever was that one imagery summarized the main fact of the story of Romeo and Juliet- they are only truly free from their parents when they’ve taken the poison. Imageries are only a part of the beauty of this transformation – as Luhrmann relates, the way it sounds also has a huge effect on audiences. â€Å"To me, the language in Leonardo's mouth is a wonderful thing to hear because the words have resonance. He speaks them as if they really are his words, and that's something you don't always get in a Shakespearean performance. And it’s certainly something you don’t get in his written plays! For enhanced comprehension of Shakespeare's language, Luhrmann set the film in what he calls â€Å"a created world,† a collage of modern and classic images, portraying aspects of religion, theater, myths, technology and of course, pop culture. â€Å"Basically, the created world is a universe that is recognizably modern but has a little distance,† Pearce reveals. â€Å"It's like a fairy tale world, a world of stories which really parallels the movies.The reality' we see in the movies is always a bit magnified, even when it is supposedly realistic. † Luhrmann’s main focus was in getting the youth to appreciate as well as enjoy the purity and brilliance of Shakespearean literature, by appealing to their general love for all things action and romance. Perhaps also, to some extent, even connect with some of the incidents and characters, which is always a factor in movies.This is shown in one way by the characters: The Lady Capulet, for instance, who is so incredibly self-absorbed that she doesn’t see the emotional gulf between herself and daughter Juliet. Everything about the transformation was trying to simplify the understanding of this, and give connections to contemporary society; â€Å"Lady† was dropped to be replaced with the highly religious, uncommon (but well-known) name Gloria, which is a perfect choice.The simple but effective use of over-applied make-up and magnificent clothes illustrates the matter further, and anyone can relate to an egotistic peer. Furthermore, Juliet's father, the imposing and unpredictable drunken monarch is portrayed using a bloated, somewhat hideous actor, which doubtless, reminds many youngsters of the Julius Caesar’s senate as well depicted in the popular Asterix comics.There is also the obvious approach of beginning the film with an attention- grabbing opening of headline articles thrown in a very in-your-face manner, followed by an loud (though not obnoxious) fast action scene, including the ever popular use of guns and impressive somersaulting, only to end in a very cliche CSI like discovery, where the whole affair, complete with police choppers, ends up on the news.Another obvious symbol was the huge statue of Christ which seemed to tower of everything, like some silent guardian watching over all the tragedies, doing nothing for the sufferers. Luhrmann envisions Fulgencio Capulet as â€Å"†¦ the classic Godfather patriarch. â€Å", which shows quite clearly As for Romeo, â€Å"†¦ in a way, he was the original rebel without a cause, the first James Dean. His is a non-politicized rebellion. He is a Byronesque rebel in love with the idea of love itself. â€Å"

Essay on The Role of Religion in Society - 1005 Words

The Role of Religion in Society The role of religion in society is definately a dynamic one. The relationship between both religion and society is always changing. Religion effects different societies in different ways and different forms, causing the forms of society to change according to a change in religion. Religion can be a driving force in society, but as a reactionary rather than in a radical way. Functionalism Functionalists believe that religion maintains social solidarity and value consensus amongst a societys population and this helps maintain the well-being of society. In his Elementory Forms Of Religious Life, Durkheim argues that social life could only exist if values were†¦show more content†¦When religion fails to perform this action, new religions form. Durkheim claimed Nationalism and Communism were the new religions of the industrial society. They took over from Christianity but performed the same functions. Functionalists do not say that Religion doesnt change. its form certainly does. Parsons believed that religion was in differentiation, but what does not change is the function of religion in society and therefore supports the status quo. The culture of a particular political movement is parralelled with the collectivity of religious movements, ie, rituals like flag waving and protest are a collective sign of respect for their sacred symbol (weather it be religious or political). Consequently, religion is in any form, is a neccessary and essential feature of society. Criticisms of the Functionalist view on the Role of Religion Firstly, Elementory Forms of Religious Life was based on bad and second-hand anthropology. Durkheim seemed to misunderstand both Totenism and the Aboriginal tribes on which his study was based. Durkheims analysis was not applicable to societies of cultural diversity. 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