Reflection of a Homily by Gregory the Great :: essays research papers

REFLECTION ON A HOMILY BY GREGORY THE GREAT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Gregory’s homily it seems the congregation has trouble understanding the command of our Lord to love as He has. This entails loving even our enemies as Christ has. Yet, how do we love those who harm us? To often we believe that any harm to us demands a distorted form of justice. In other words, to give to them as we got. However, this is not the love of Christ, this is not justice, this is vengeance. So how do we love our enemies as He does? First, we must learn to seriously understand what it is to love those in family and community. If we love them seriously and fully, then we will learn to love our enemies, because loving truly has become a habit within us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is it to love our family and friends seriously? As Gregory states, â€Å"cultivate the virtue of love in tranquil times by showing mercy.† We are to extend mercy to them so that mercy maybe shown to our enemies. To extend mercy toward family and friends is to forgive the irritations they create, provide for their needs when they ask for what they want, and above all learn to give without fear and merciless condition. In doing this daily and making it a habit, then we find that our enemies are in the same needs as our friends and we can give to them as well. As we say in the Marine Corps, â€Å"The more we sweat in practice, the less we bleed in battle.† This in turn will halt our false sense of duty, which turns our love into servile obligation and therefore never to be given as the Lord has. Charity in its most ordinary form would not be so if performed perfunctorily, it would be a tit for tat and we would all become useless servants only doing what we are supposed to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yet, to prevent a false and fearful love from being given, we must learn what it is to love the Lord. How we love Him is how we would love our family, friends, and enemies. For our love to live after death and to even bring life to others, it must have the life of God within it first. This is Gregory’s thought as he interprets the scripture passage I have chosen you and appointed you to go and bring forth fruit into I have appointed you for grace.

Huckelberry Finn Essay

I have decided to analyze three different journal articles related to the novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, written by Mark Twain in 1884. I chose this topic because the novel is widely considered a masterpiece. In fact, Ernest Hemingway described its importance with the following sentence: â€Å"All modern American literature comes from a book by Mark Twain called ‘Huckleberry Finn’. In addition, the topic has a great interest because the novel has always been a subject of controversy due to racial issues and the alleged praise of juvenile delinquency that it portrays. The three articles that and I am going to comment on are the following: 1) Huckleberry Finn and America (Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2002) 2) Huck Finn, Censorship and the N-word Controversy, by Delia Lloyd (www. politicsdaily. com, January 6, 2011) 3) Light out, Huck, They Still Want to ‘Sivilize’ You, by Michiko Kakutani (The New York Times, January 6, 2011). Look more:  satirical play essay In order to compare and analyse these three articles, I am going to focus on two main points: the overall opinion that the authors of the different articles have about the book (which is usually very good) and what they comment on the controversial matters that  novel deals with. First of all, I will concentrate on the overall opinion that the authors express regarding ‘Huckleberry Finn’. On article 1, the author (whose name is not revealed) defines the novel in the following terms: ‘Few books in the U. S history have been as influential—or as controversial—as â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Furthermore, he added: ‘ â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† not only has survived the efforts to bury it, it has thrived and it has grown as a teaching tool’. As we could see, the author praises the novel strongly. In addition, he rejects the most critical opinions and defends Twain’s intentions (†¦Twain was  skewering hatred and racism, intolerance and religious bigotry, royalty and imperialism’). In the case of article 2, the author, Delia Lloyd, does not express a clear opinion about the novel itself. However, she declares herself as â€Å"a devotee of Mark Twain’, so it is likely to think that he has quite a positive opinion about the novel. Regarding article 3, its author, Michiko Kakutani, quotes Hemingway’s famous sentence about Twain at the beginning of the article. Apart from that, there are not any more explicit opinions about the novel itself. However, a thorough reading of the article evidences a strong defence of it, and the author shows a very defiant attitude with those who criticize it. In terms of controversy, the articles express different opinions and ideas, and the authors make clear what they think about the nature and the novel and the convenience of altering it. For instance, it is important to point out the different dates in which the articles were written. Whereas article 1 was written in 2002, articles 2 & 3 were written the very same day (January 6, 2011) and were triggered by the same cause (a university  professor, Alan Gribben, had written a new version of ‘Huckleberry Finn’ replacing controversial words such as ‘nigger’ or ‘injun’ for more neutral, inoffensive terms). The author of article 1 is very critical with those who aim to disapprove the novel. In fact, he stated: ‘Twain wrote satire, and there are glorious lessons in his books even if they ruffle readers or appear, simply in the telling of the unvarnished truth, to somehow glorify injustice and racism’. In addition, he ends the article with a sentence that leaves no doubt about his opinion regarding racial and social controversy arisen by the novel. (‘Huckleberry Finn is a glorious celebration of friendship and tolerance triumphing over the racism and hypocrisy of the day. That is why it’s a hard book to read—and why it is one of the greatest works of American Literature’). Delia Lloyd express a somehow ambiguous opinion about whether is convenient or not to introduce changes in the novel. On the one hand, she says to be ‘sympathetic’ with several authors quoted in her article, who are in clear contrast with Gribben’s version of the novel (for instance, Matt Blum is quoted as saying ‘How can we expect children to learn real history if we sanitize it for them? ’, whereas Elon James White argues that ‘the only way to get Americans to deal openly and honestly with prejudice is to force students to be uncomfortable with terms that—unpleasant though they may be—are part and parcel of our country’s blatantly racist past’). On the other hand, Delia Lloyd also makes some positive remarks about Gribben’s ideas later on in the article, probably based upon her experience as a mother (‘As a parent, however, I’m less sympathetic to Gribben’s critics’, or ‘†¦there are more practical reasons to think that having a cleaned-up version of â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† isn’t, as Salon’s. Mary Elizabeth Williams’ puts it, â€Å"the worst thing in the world† ‘). Finally, article 3 is opposed to change the original version of the novel. This could already be implied from the title, which misspells the word ‘civilize’. This is a clear reference to the tendency of some characters of the book to pronounce words wrongly. Michiko Kakutani develops this idea throughout the article, refuting Grribben with subtleness and irony. As a result, he sometimes describes Grubbin labour with adjectives in inverted commas (‘improved’) or using aggressive ones to refer to him and his work. (‘Being an iconic classic, however, hasn’t protected the novel from being banned, bowdlerized and bleeped’). To conclude, I must say that, after reading the novel and several articles related to it, I think that the novel should be preserved in its original state. As far as I’m concerned, such a masterpiece deserves to be respected and remain unaltered. In addition, teachers should be very careful when explaining it to children, and try to transmit them the real (and benevolent) intentions of Mark Twain. Bibliography -Huckleberry Finn and America (Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2002). An article  written in the scope of the PBS series directed by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, which appeared shortly after the article. -Huck Finn, Censorship and the N-word Controversy, by Delia Lloyd (www. politicsdaily. com, January 6, 2011). It is an ambiguous article about the necessity of changing ‘Huckleberry Finn’’s most controversial parts. -Light out, Huck, They Still Want to ‘Sivilize’ You, by Michiko Kakutani (The New York Times, January 6, 2011). A strong defence of the novel and fierce critic of those who intend to change it. -Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination (Toni Morrison, 1992).

Marc Chagall essays

Marc Chagall essays I chose Marc Chagall because I liked the colors that he used in his paintings. I liked the way his painting technique looked on the canvas. His short brush strokes made it appear as if one color was blending into another. There are areas in some of his paintings where there are numerous colors, all made to look as if there was only one color. I also like the way that his pictures seem to tell a story. When I first looked at Chagalls work, I thought he just randomly threw ideas onto a canvas, but as I got to reading about him, I found he put much more thought into his pictures than I had imagined. His use of color vary from dark and dreary to bright and bold, and put forth feelings of terror and excitement, depending on the colors which he chose to use. Another reason that I chose to use Chagall as my artist would probably be because I didnt find that he painted a lot of human heads, rather, he used animal heads. Seeing as how Im not very skilled when it comes to drawing the human face, I thought it would be a good idea to choose Marc Marc Chagall was born in 1887 in Vitebsk, Russia. He was born to a family that was deeply rooted in Jewish religion and tradition. The Jewish and Russian folklore he had learned of as a child influenced him deeply and provided the basis for much of his artwork. It was this sense of fantasy that made Chagall famous, and because of it, he remains famous. Chagall was considered a painter-poet of the twentieth century. He transformed both the visible world and human emotions into visual poetry. Rather than earning praise for this, Chagall heard criticism. The criticism he received for his work included accusations that he was infatuated with literary, symbolic, and religious ideas. Chagall moved to Paris in 1910 at the age of 23 and entered the arena of European painting. His work from 1911 and 1912 are considered to ...

Edgar Degas essays

Edgar Degas essays Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas was born on July 19, 1834, at 8 rue Saint-George's in Paris. His father, Auguste, a banker, was French, and his mother, Clestine, an American from New Orleans. The family name "Degas" had been changed to "De Gas" by some family members in Naples and France in order to sound more aristocratic; the preposition indicated a name derived from land holdings. Degas went back to using the original spelling sometime after 1870, and that is how we spell his name today. He was destined for a law career, but instead entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he studies with Louis Lamothe. There he became a painter and sculptor. Degas was associated with the Impressionists, taking an active part in there firsts exhibitions, but his individual choice of subject matter, handling of composition, and emphasis of drawing distinguished his works from theirs. He worked with a number of media: oil, pastel, lithography, engraving, and sculpture. From the mid-1850s through the mid-1870s Degas explored many types of subject matter. He copied works by earlier artists and executed his own history paintings, portraits, and scenes of daily life. Degas eventually ended his efforts at history painting and devoted more attention to portraiture, turning images of relatives and friends into complex psychological studies. His oils and pastels depict the inhabitants of the world of sports, business, ballet, and the cafes in their self-conscious posturing and characteristic gestures. He has numerous paintings of jockeys, dancers, laundresses and prostitutes. Another favorite subject was a model at her bath. Degas' observation of movement resulted in the radical compositions that preserved the character of his subjects. As Degas' subject matter became more contemporary, so did his artistic style. Early on, Degas presents people as individuals, whereas works from the mid-1870s on categorize women in particular ...

Question 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Question 1 - Essay Example The electrocution was caused by faulty wiring. Edward, also a guest at the party, thought it would be amusing to dance on the garage roof. As he could not reach the roof unaided, he decided to use a radiator under the window as a step. For some time, Alice had known that the radiator was loose. The radiator collapsed under Edward’s weight and he broke his leg in the fall. Question Advice Alice and Bert, who are both, being threatened with legal claims by Delia and Edward. A Glance at the Circumstance Based on the given situation, one could say that both, Bert (the landlord) and Alice (the tenant) had committed mistakes resulting to the injuries suffered by Delia and Edward. With regard to Bert, he was the one who hired Charlie’s Electrics which presumably did not fix well the broken light switch in Alice’s kitchen as Delia was electrocuted due to faulty wiring. Alice on the other hand, is somehow guilty of what happened to Edward. Edward actually suffered a broke n leg after he tried to go to the garage roof using the radiator under a window which Alice knew to be loose. If only Alice reported the loose radiator to Bert for him to fix it, the incident could have been avoided. As far as the circumstance is concerned, it seems that Bert and Alice have failed to perform their respective obligations as the owner and tenant of the place. Analysis According to Markesinis and Deakin (1999, p.69), the element of duty is associated to the following query: â€Å"does the law recognize liability in the cited situation?† The essence of this question is related to the duty attached to a landlord as far as the given situation is concerned. Under section 4 of the Defective Premises Act 1972, the landlord is obliged to maintain or repair the premises under tenancy. He or she owes a duty to take reasonable care in all circumstances to all persons who can be affected by the defects of the premises (Defective Premises Act 1972). This is to say then that Bert, as the owner of the first floor flat which Alice rented, has the obligation to make sure that nothing in the premises is defective that might cause any harm to any tenants. To take reasonable care would mean that Bert should have conducted an inspection in Alice’s area to check if there is something defective and to fix it immediately. Since Bert did not know about the loose radiator, it can be presumed that he did not exercise reasonable care to maintain the place. To note, it is not actually essential for the tenant to notify â€Å"the landlord of the want of repair† (Clements & Fairest, 1996, p.85). Nonetheless, Bert could not be made liable to Edward’s injury because the ultimate fault is attached to Alice. As the occupier of the place, Alice has the responsibility to take care of the premises. Taking care of the premises would mean that she should not do anything that could damage the property and if she does, she will be held liable to it. Section 1 of the Occupier’s Liability Act 1984 states that the occupier of a certain premises is obliged to take good care of the people who are in his or her premises especially if he or she knows of the possible danger his or her area might have. He or she has reasonable ground to believe that a person may go to the vicinity the danger and that the corresponding risk is one which necessitates some form of protection from the occupier. To note, Alice had known of the fact that

Reaction to The Moral Instinct by Steven Pinker Essay

Reaction to The Moral Instinct by Steven Pinker - Essay Example This is what Steven Pinker tries to stress in his write-up in the New York Times(January 13, 2008) titled â€Å"The Moral Instinct† with more examples and theories. He in fact favors Borlaug and Bill Gates over Mother Teresa in the choice of admiration and philanthropy. Borlough brought about the Green Revolution which still feeds millions of hungry mouths and Bill Gates aids missions to fight fatal diseases of the developed world. Pinker also contends that while Mother Teresa was backed by hefty donations from all quarters the other two were self motivated individuals expending their own time and effort in the up-liftment of humanity. Pinter is critical of the entire question of morality and claims it to be passed on from one generation to the next and accepted without question because we were taught that way! He cites three predicaments where the choice is between morality and discretion. We discussed the first one at the beginning of this essay. The second example is about the American flag being cut and used to clean the bathroom. No individual with moralistic mindset would ever think of doing such a thing but come to think of from a rational point of view.

Strong and weak states Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strong and weak states - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the presentation and the explanation of the differences between strong and weak states – as these differences are highlighted in the relevant literature. Emphasis is given on both the characteristics of strong and weak states and the reasons for the existing differences between the above types of states. The understanding of the criteria and the reasons for the categorization of states to strong and weak could help to explain the format of relationships among states in the context of international community. More specifically, strong states are most likely to show their power in influencing key international policies by intervening in the political, social and economic decisions of the weak states (Nelson et al. 2002). Moreover, the presentation of the causes for the differences between strong and weak states would help to identify the strategies that would help inequality in the global politics to be effectively controlled. 2. Strong and weak states à ¢â‚¬â€œ characteristics and differences In the context of the international community, two different major types of states can be identified: a) the states which are strongly centralized and where the social needs are effectively addressed using appropriate economic (for instance, the industrialization) and political schemes; these states can be characterized as strong (Migdal 2001), b) on the other hand, there are those states where the government is not able to monitor the social and the economic changes developed across the national territory; these are the weak states where changes in society and economy are inevitable under the pressure of ‘uncontrollable forces coming from large powers and the world economy’ (Migdal 2001, p.58). In practice, a series of different criteria can be used in order to decide whether a particular state should be characterized as a strong or weak. For instance, in the study of Kopstein et al (2005) it is noted that the autonomy of a state in developing its own decisions on issues that are key for its existence and development should be considered as the key criterion for characterizing the specific state as strong. In other words, strong states are characterized by the ability of their leaders to make clear their preferences on the state’s priorities and initiatives – both in the short and the long term (Kopstein et al 2005). Moreover, capacity should be regarded as another key criterion for characterizing a state as strong; capacity in this case, as the term is used in the study of Kopstein et al (2005), is related to the existence of adequate resources for the development of the various plans of the state. Reference is made not just to financial resources, i.e. the funds available for the realization of the governmental plans, but also to the social resources, i.e. the people who are willing and capable of supporting the relevant initiatives (Kopstein et al. 2005). As for the weak states, it can be c oncluded – referring to the issues highlighted in the study of Kopstein et al. (2005) – that these states are expected to have limited autonomy and capacity, as these two terms were explained above. However, at this point, the following issue should be highlighted: the level of autonomy and capacity of a state cannot be always clearly identified. Even if many indications exist that show a high