Analysis Of Graduation By Maya Angelou - 766 Words

The Prevalence of Gender Discrimination Life is not always easy as we think, each and every one had a bad experience in your life that teaches you a lesson for us in order to win the journey of our life. In the essay, Graduation, Maya Angelou states about the unfair treatment of whites against the African Americans during the graduation. There are situations in life where we feel discriminated but no matter what we have to gain the strength to prosper. In this article, Angelou talks about her eight-grade graduation experience. Angelou mainly focused about the unfair treatment of African Americans during that time because they were not values on their educational intelligence. Also, the white people were in charge of the African†¦show more content†¦I was raised in India, where parents considered their son to be more superior than their daughter. Even in my family, sometimes I feel that my parents like my brother more than me. They usually allow him to hang out with his friends during night but I was restricted to go out with my friends just because I am a girl. When I got restricted many times for the things that I liked to do, many times I got offended and felt inferior to my brother just like Angelou felt when she got insulted. Gender discrimination is not something that we can see in our home but also when we look into our society, we can see many types of discrimination. It can be in school, workplace, bus or even in train. The main problem with our society is that people consider women as powerless or someone to be in home to look after the kids. People think that some works can be done by only men so they just hire male workers by thinking that female workers cant do heavy works. Also, there will be unequal wages between male and female workers by just looking into their gender. Sometimes men get higher wages because the boss think that males are the one who take care of the family. In some cases, if woman is pregnant, some employers do not even like to interview or hire them just because they are pregnant. So, in most cases, women have to hide their pregnancy because of the fire they get fired. These kinds of gender discriminationShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Graduation By Maya Angelou960 Words   |   4 PagesEssay on â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou Racial segregation was very dominant in the United States in the mid nineteen hundreds. This is the time that Maya Angelou was graduating from the eighth grade in Stamps Arkansas. The theme of racial segregation is well shown by the how different the schools of the African-Americans was compared to that of whites in the essay â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou. In the essay the Angelou points out that Lafayette County Training School didn’t have a lawn, hedges, tennisRead MoreAnalysis Of Graduation Day By Maya Angelou728 Words   |  3 PagesAre encouraging words the uniting force when fighting injustice? In â€Å"Graduation Day,† Maya Angelou addresses how encouraging words affected the injustice she faced as a child. Angelou informs her audience about the influence encouraging words had on her and the people in her community. These uplifting words united her community in a time of overwhelming bias. Encouraging words unite oppressed people to fight injustice. Spiritual words unite communities to fight injustice and practice in good worksRead MoreThe Rhetorical Analysis Of Mary Crow Dog And Graduation By Maya Angelou1640 Words   |  7 Pageswriting to be effective or not. Mary Crow Dog and Maya Angelou are both effective rhetors because their rhetorical situations work together to make their essays compelling. â€Å"Civilize Them with a Stick† by Mary Crow Dog and â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou each introduce effective rhetorical situations as they establish their individual identity through their educational experiences. â€Å"Civilize Them with a Stick† by Mary Crow Dog and â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou are each experts of autobiographies writtenRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 1036 Words   |  5 PagesFily Thiam English 002 Mrs. Vilato 9 April 2015 Rhetorical Analysis on â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou In Graduation, a chapter in her autobiography â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, Maya Angelou talks vividly about her middle school graduation in the segregated South. Graduation is an important milestone in most people’s life, as they get a degree and move on to their next level, something better and more important, with the hope that they can use their new knowledge to achieve their life goals andRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings1482 Words   |  6 Pages Maya Angelou tells of her life experiences and struggles in her book â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings† that gives us insight about Maya’s life as a young black girl growing up in a time of racism. The novel discusses various forms of oppression that she had to face as well cope with them. Robert A. Gross wrote an analysis for Newsweek about the book and claimed that Angelou’s book is not only an interesting story of her own experience, but also a portrayal of a Southe rn black communityRead MoreUxt Task 1945 Words   |  4 PagesRunning head: Analysis of â€Å"Still I Rise† 1 Analysis of â€Å"Still I Rise† When reading, â€Å"Still I Rise†, by Maya Angelou, I immediately get a sense of perseverance and pride. The author seems to be addressing her adversaries directly through her words. I love the imagery used in this poem. I can almost see the dust rising and can feel the swelling of the black ocean that the author mentions. â€Å"Cause I walk like I got oil wells pumping in my living room†(Angelou, 1978), and, â€Å"Laugh like I’veRead MoreMaya Angelou Response Essay717 Words   |  3 Pageshistory since colonial times. In her essay â€Å"Graduation,† Maya Angelou recollects the experience of her eighth grade graduation in the 1930s to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination. Through narrative structure, selection of detail, and use of imagery, Angelou encourages young blacks to follow their ambitions with pride, despite what the â€Å"white man† thinks of them. Through her narrative structure, Angelou aspires for young black students to maintainRead MoreMaya Angelou: A Model Woman Through Influential Literature Essay1708 Words   |  7 Pagesinfluence on society itself. Maya Angelou is a great example of the model woman. She has beaten the odds and has become one of the most well known African American women of today. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. Her most influential work comes from her extraordinary books and poems. Her literature has influenced the young and old with their contents. Maya Angelous literary significanceRead MoreMaya Angelou : An Influential Voices Of Modern Society Essay1386 Words   |  6 PagesMaya Angelou, born Marguerite Ann Johnson on the 4th of April 1928, was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Stamps, Arkansas. Maya Angelou is regarded as one of the most noteworthy, influential voices of modern society with over 50 doctorate degrees. She became a distinguished poet, educator, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, memoirist, and civil rights activist throughout her life. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, Stamps, Arkansas was the embodiment of brutality and racial discriminationRead MoreI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou6502 Words   |  27 PagesAnalysis: Chapters 1–5 The lines from the poem Maya cannot finish, â€Å"What are you looking at me for? I didn’t come to stay . . .† capture two of the most significant issues she struggles with in her childhood and young adulthood: feeling ugly and awkward and never feeling attached to one place. First, Maya imagines that though people judge her unfairly by her awkward looks, they will be surprised one day when her true self emerges. At the time, she hopes that she will emerge as if in a fairy-tale

Why Study Religion - 1537 Words

It seems as if there has never been a time known to man when there has not been a religion in some shape or form. Nor has there been a race of people who have never tried to practice it in some form or another. The study of religion should not be regarded as a new venture for mankind or a new idea that man is trying to grasp. Also, it could be argued that by researching such a topic as religion, it does not look like man will come to any unified agreement in the near future - especially if it all comes down to what religion means to you, and whether you believe in such a thing or not. So what is religion? Can it be a way of life? Does there have to be the existence of a supernatural? Furthermore, what are the consequences if we†¦show more content†¦This way everyone can have access to the â€Å"truth.† This does not necessarily mean that everybody can have conflicting truths while at the same time agree with the â€Å"Ultimate Truth.† Rather it is to say that one can have a â€Å"truth† that agrees with ones conscience and beliefs, as well as ones understanding of something as important as religion. Modern human beings need a reference point for all the problems that we are facing in the world today. It is easy to see the impact that religion can have on social behavior. Examples of this would be the roles of the religious movements in the struggle for civil rights in the United States, or the way it was involved in the former apartheid system in South Africa. Many times religion lies at the central point of conflict, whether it is Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, or Islam. It can also lead to increasing hostility between religious groups within society. The study of religion can help us find out why these conflicts exist, especially when they all share the same basic concept of peace to all. Many people have the misconceptions that there would be fewer wars if there were no religions. This may be because many wars throughout history have been fought in the name of religion or another. If we study the teachings of the religion that people have supposedly been fighting for, we may come to the conclusion that the bloodshed around the world is not so much due to religion, but rather the reign ofShow MoreRelatedWhy Study World Religions1431 Words   |  6 PagesPHL230 Religions of the World I think that it is important to study world religions because it can help people to become more tolerant of other’s beliefs and more compassionate to other people’s causes. With so much war and misunderstanding in the world based on religious viewpoints, it is important to take the time to find out where and why people believe the way that they do. While I find that most people in the world follow a religion based on their geographical location, this is not the caseRead MoreThe Between Mccutcheon, Marx, And Nietzsche s Theories On Religion921 Words   |  4 PagesRussell McCutcheon urges terms like â€Å"religion† and â€Å"religious† should not be used by scholars when referring to the study of religion. McCutcheon even suggests these words should be abandoned and removed from our vocabulary all together. He claims studying social sciences like anthropology, sociology, and psychology and using appropriate terminology will lead to a more accurate underst anding of why we as humans are religious and how our religion ultimately affects our behaviors. Feuerbach, Marx,Read MoreThe Categories Of Religious Studies1124 Words   |  5 PagesReligious Studies When most religious studies students think of religion they think of people that are very passionate about their particular god, but most people do not understand why people act the way they do in religions. In religious studies they examine how different categories of religion help people of that religion conduct a structured way of life. There are many categories, that once are utilized, will help religious studies students obtain a deeper understanding of people in religions. TheRead MoreMarx, Weber, And Social Distress972 Words   |  4 Pagesincrease on the foundations of rationalism. Many people of the day questioned religion and had no need for a God. Marx was born in 1818 and was the earliest of the other thinkers. The crazy thing is that he wrote very little as it is about religion. According to Marx, he sees religion as an ideology. Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and also the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, justRead MoreA Study of Religion Converts among Muslim Malaysian1298 Words   |  5 PagesTitle: A study of religion converts among Muslim Malaysian. INTRODUCTION Nowadays, the issue of apostate again had given attention by the mass media, recently. Due to the fact, apostasy among Muslims in the country has reached a critical level. The number of people born Malay-Muslims who seek to change the original name and the new converts who do not practice the Islamic way of life or want to return to the religion are increasing year by year. According to Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani ZakariaRead MoreReligion Toolkit Response By John Morreall And Tamara Sonn1616 Words   |  7 PagesReligion Toolkit Response p. 1-14 The introduction to The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Religious Studies by John Morreall and Tamara Sonn establishes the basic purposes behind studying religion. It tries to show its readers that religion may be a much broader and undefined topic than they might be expecting. The Religion Toolkit discusses how the academic study of religion differs from the normative study of religion, how religion is not clearly described, and how Religious Studies comparesRead MoreReligion And Its Effect On Society1649 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Religion is a practice for people to believe in a higher deity—a superior to the mortal world in which we, humans, live in.† At the beginning of this semester, this was the definition I composed when I was asked to define religion. While this initial answer has some relevance to what religion is overall, it is still over-simplistic because it does not address all the various components that religion incorporates. During the course of this semester, I have learned how to more accurately define religionRead MoreDefining Religion Essay1687 Words   |  7 PagesDefining Religion The most fundamental question when examining a religion is what is religion? That is a distinctly hard question to answer considering that what is ordinarily considered to be religion is not all it is, and what many consider not to be religion may be near religious (i.e. sports). The truth is that there are no genuine answers to the question of what is religion. Definitions of religion tend to suffer from one of two problems: they are eitherRead MoreA Sociological Study Of Religion1159 Words   |  5 PagesReligion is one of the most difficult topics in life, not to mention the oldest. People look for the ultimate truth to religion, which in my opinion leads to misguidance and a slant of science. I think this helps true believers find their way to a faith; it certainly helped me. Science does get carried away at times; however, it is good that people are questioning stories from the bible because then we can see how corrupt the world is. Why can t faith exist? Why does everything have to be blackRead MoreEssay on Religious Relativity1017 Words   |  5 Pagespracticing, preaching, and learning religion. We find people everyday that recognize their own beliefs to be beliefs and nothing more but we also see people who consider their beliefs to be the truth and hold that truth to be the highest. I believe it is entirely possible for us to step outside of our own belief system and to tolera te and understand other people’s religious beliefs. I believe religion teachers exemplify the theory of religious relativism the best. Religion teachers can very well believe

Representation of Women in Action Movies free essay sample

If a man can fight, he’s a hero. If a woman can fight, she’s a b**ch! Representation of women in action films The film industry never seems to lack action films and there always plenty for the market to choose from however how many of those have women in a leading role? A handful. There aren’t that many films that feature women in lead roles within action films. But the question is why? Why haven’t a majority of these women been given a chance? Are actresses like Uma Thurman and Angelina Jolie one-woman-wonders or have they just been given a lucky break? I’ll be exploring the representation of women in action films through a semiotic analysis. David Gauntlett argues that â€Å"in contemporary society, gender roles are more complex and the media reflects this. The female roles today are often glamorous as well as successful in a way that they were previously not. Much of this is due to the rise of ‘girl power’ in the media, through identities constructed by music artists and contemporary actresses, for example, who are demanding less passive roles† which explains how films like Charlie’s Angels have made it to the forefront. Unfortunately, women have repeatedly suffered from a narrow set of representations in the media. They are regularly linked to the domestic situation i. e. housewives, or as sexual objects represented to entertain men. Furthermore, â€Å"the number of roles for leading women is far below that of men. † Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is the film I’ve chosen explore and there several reasons behind this. I’ve chosen this text because it portrays women within dominant roles. Furthermore, the concept behind it breaks the pre-existing norm of women being the sexual object that entertains the male hero/spy. This isn’t the case in this film, they’re heroes fighting crime and saving the day. Not only are they stunning and beautiful but they also possess skills that crush and challenge existing stereotypes about women which is exactly why I chose this film. Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is an action comedy film that was released on the 27 June 2003. The film was directed by McG and produced on a budget of $120 million. It was the sequel to the 2000’s Charlie’s Angels and it was number one at the box office for its opening weekend and produced a worldwide gross of $259. 2 million. The film was a success. It stars an ensemble cast including Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. It also features notable actors and actresses such as Demi Moore, Shia LaBeouf and Matt LeBlanc. Diaz, Barrymore and Liu or the â€Å"Angels†, are three extremely talented, strong, sexy women who work as private investigators for unseen millionaire named Charlie. Prior to this film, they had starred in more passive roles in the romantic comedy genre. In most action films, men were more likely to be adventurous, active and vicarious, whereas women were more frequently shown as weak, ineffectual, victimised, supportive, laughable or merely token females† (Gunter, 1995). A film such as this allowed their fans to view them in a more dominant, powerful light. This immediately challenges the pre-existing stereotype of women because they are illustrated as superior to their male counterpart. The angels are independent women who aren’t tied down or held back by men. On-the-other-hand, the fact that they work for a male, wealthy character who controls their every move is ironic because in reality, many women are in similar situations and living in a patriarchal society. The opening scene of the film is a brilliant example of the female representation shown throughout the plot. It’s set in a filthy, hostile bar in the Himalayas in Mongolia. The bar is packed with lots of men drinking and jeering. The use of an establishing long shot works well to familiarise the audience with the initial setting and atmosphere. I believe the director did this in order to show the contrast between all of the men and the Angels. A dolly shot is used to track two men carrying a box so the audience become intrigued to learn the contents as they descend into the basement. To the surprise of the audience, Alex Munday (Lucy Liu) was inside the box; contortioned and tucked away. A high angle shot is used and the camera tilts in order to display the actresses’ flexibility. As she rises out of the box the camera zooms into a close up of Liu as she does a symbolic swipe of her long, dark hair; an iconic move for any female superpower. She’s dressed in a black leather ensemble which connotes mystery and obscurity. Perhaps out of the three angels, Liu is the dark horse. As she stands against the wall, a medium shot is used cleverly because not only can we see Liu against the wall but we can also see the hostage and his capturers in the room behind the actress. The connotation is accurate as she then saves the hostage by taking out the guards with some impressive combat. Her character is almost portrayed to be a female equivalent to Jet Li; she appears to be unstoppable and fierce. As she drags the hostage up the stairs, the lighting changes dramatically. The basement was very dark and low-key lighting was used which made the action stealthy and hostile. Whereas, the lighting used in the bar is high-key; very bright and there are few shadows. This is symbolic because it’s as if Alex has taken the hostage from hell (dark, unpleasant) and to heaven (bright, hope) which is essentially the purpose of an angel both contexts. Meanwhile upstairs, the atmosphere is volatile as a new character emerges dressed in a red, sleek kimono. Her costume connotes love, passion and warmth however in this scenario it connotes danger, sin and aggression. This is the 2nd angel; Dylan Saunders. The camera tilts over her shoulder and shows the male opponent smirking at her and then it pans around the table to eventually show her face. As she throws back a shot of alcohol, she comes across as the bad angel, the bad girl of the trio. The use of red with Dylan in this scene is symbolic because it displays a wide contrast between her and Alex. She’s more masculine in her body language but the director has tried to mask this behind the sexy outfit and red lipstick. As she walks away she clasps one of the guards by the waist, grabs his keys and tucks them away subtly. The focus then turns to the doors of the bar and the audience anticipates the worst. As the doors fling open, a medium shot shows a tanned, petite and blonde angelic woman. This is the third and final angel, Natalie Cook. She’s dressed in a white, fluffy coat and a revealing white mini skirt. This connotes purity, happiness and honesty which would be fitting for a normal angel. However, Natalie is no ordinary angel. As she stands at the door, she looks lost and dazed and a close-up of her face supports this further. As the men stare at her beauty in awe, she jeers at them and they erupt with excitement. The men are so amazed they form a guard of honour for Natalie as she walks over to the mechanical bull. Whereas, when Dylan wanted to move through the men they simply didn’t move and didn’t even know she was there. The use of white dumbs the men and amplifies Natalie’s angelic nature. Furthermore, her body language also plays a part in stunning the men. She giggles excessively and winks at a few of the men. Also, Diaz flicks her pigtails every two seconds and is also chewing gum. She hardly challenges the existing stereotype of blonde women but adds fuel to the fire. This is supported further by the fact that her skirt is so short, the audience can see clearly underneath it. Perhaps Natalie is the ‘bimbo’ of the group. The director has clearly added to the stereotype of blonde’s being stupid through Natalie’s character however this could be challenged throughout the plot. I believe this opening scene and in fact the entire plot supports Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory. It states that â€Å"media texts are created through the eyes of a heterosexual male and that women are viewed for the pleasure of men. † (Smith, 2009) She also claimed that â€Å"women are turned into sex objects through how they are shot in the media (Cinematography). (Smith, 2009) Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle demonstrates this. The plot should challenge the norm and allow women to break free however the body language and costumes used throughout diverges the male audience from the plot and to the women being sexualised. In a review by the BBC, Nev Pierce argued â€Å"some call it girl power, others demeaning. † Furthermore, â€Å"Whe n female protagonists, for example, have to function as law enforcers and confront criminal behaviour – both associated with male authority and action – gendered conflict inevitably follows. † (Hall, 1997, p. 364) However, this film could mislead women into thinking they have to become successful and independent by wearing tight, revealing clothes and caking up their faces with make-up but of course this isn’t true. â€Å"It really makes me more and more angry. The aim is to rake in money, loads of money and people try to do that by all means of all these things – sex, beautiful people, wealth and you always have people who fall for it. † (Ang, 1997, p. 347) This opening scene shows three very different women with different talents however what they all have in common is their characters have been onstructed to appeal to different types of men but collectively appeal to all men. Although this action film had 3 women in lead roles, it failed to truly challenge the existing stereotypes of women having to be objects and requiring sex appeal to become successful. In reality, â€Å"a woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine s ociety, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view. † References Websites Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle blog (non-official) http://c-angels. blogspot. co. uk/ Pierce, Nev. (2003). BBC film review. http://www. bbc. co. uk/films/2003/06/27/charlies_angels_full_throttle_2003_review. shtml Smith, Mr (2009). Representation Theory http://www. slideshare. net/fleckneymike/representation-theory-2458490 Smcmediastudies, (2011). The Representation of Women in the Media http://www. slideshare. net/smcmediastudies/the-representation-of-women-in-the-media Books Ang, Ien. (2006). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, in association with Sage. Ang, I. (1985) Watching Dallas: soap opera and the melodramatic imagination, New York, Methuen. Ibsen, Henrik (1917). Ibsen’s Workshop.