Life of Pi and Religion Essay Example for Free

Life of Pi and Religion Essay The Grapes of Wrath has many Religious parallels to the bible. The characters are paralleled with people from the bible, some easily recognizable. Also the Grapes of Wrath is during the Great Depression which can be an allusion to the horrible treatments and suffering times the Israelist people had to deal with reflects to this time period. The plot of John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, can easily be related to many biblical references as well as it could be applied to the daily struggles of the lives of Christians. Two particular portions of this novel stick out more than any other. Those are the characters of Jim Casey and Pa Joad. Jim Casey reminds me of Moses from the bible because in the bible Moses lead thousands of people out of harsh treatments and slavery and led them to the promises land Canon. Where Steinbeck could be referring the Joad family as the people who followed Moses and Jim is viewed as Moses who tries and lead them to a safe place where they won’t suffer anymore. Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, religious symbols crop up, explaining the significance of the section. One use of symbolism is that when on the road to California, Tom runs in to a snake. Already used in the novel is the fact that to the Joads, California represents a place of great wealth, freedom, and prosperity. It is a Garden of Eden, so to speak. The Garden of Eden had a serpent who brought the Wrath of God upon Adam and Eve. The serpent gave them with the forbidden fruit. California is forbidden to outsiders and migrants. No Okies allowed. The snake represents the Eden Serpent and its betrayal to Adam and Eve. California will betray the Joads.

my life ant its ways :: essays research papers

My Thinking and its Ways   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A utopia is a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions. When I sit to think I think of my own utopia. I dream of things that I could not do the normal world but in my own utopia. In my utopia a key phrase and motto is â€Å"don’t worry†. I want to have no worries in what I do, think, feel, and every other aspect that would worry about. In my utopia, I am the utopia. I am the one and only in my world. Temptation to do things and the will to not do things is what separate the strong and the weak. I feel and many others may disagree when I say that everyone will fall to temptation. I am not a perfect individual and many others are not either and if you think your perfect certainly you are to bigheaded to be perfect. So in my world I like to be by myself. How can one be tempted if there is no one to tempt him? A main reason for me to be by myself is so I can live in a world without temptation. I know I am not a weak person but I am not the strongest and I fall to temptation. I think that I could do everything by myself. I think that I can depend on myself and no one else. I know in a real world this could not happen that you cannot make it by yourself, but in mine you can make it by yourself because you are the one that makes it. No one can challenge you and it is not necessary to not challenge anyone else. Life is hard and harsh place to be so to be somewhere else would be a dream. Being alone would not bother me; I would be able to do it. Sometimes I love being myself just thinking about this little world that I could live in and do things my way. You may think being by yourself would be dull because there is no impact, but when your alone you can think of the most imaginative places and scenarios. From reading this you might think that I am an anti-social person, but I am not one. I love the people around me but when you dream and think you can do things you cant do on earth or in reality.

Reflections on the Black Race Essay

That the issue of Obama’s racial background is much talked about in terms of his fitness for the US presidency only proves this: that we Americans have a long way to go in our pursuit of adherence to the ideals of our declaration of independence. After all the document held the fundamental equality of people, and everyman’s inalienable rights, to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The declaration did not favor any race in the universality of its coverage. So how come some people have raised the specter of doom for America once the black mestizo Obama wins the US presidency? How come a Democrat lawyer is doggedly pursuing, ostensibly as a matter of principle—that Barack Obma is not a â€Å"natural born American† and is therefore unqualified to run for the presidency of the United States. The Democrat lawyer claimed his motivation was his loyalty to the US constitution. (Refer to the You Tube citation in the reference below for this item). But Surname 2 one can sense a certain ferocity in his campaign that didn’t seem to jibe with his claimed adherence. The dramatic performance of this Democrat lawyer complete with reciting his monologue with the Philadelphia edifice in his background is obviously a public relations stunt of a deeply rooted racist. This theatrics however considerably lost its mantle after a considered US statesman and former Secretary of State—the full-blooded Republican Mr. Powell— endorsed Mr. Obama, making sure he stood for principle in supporting Mr. Obama. Mr. Powell was also bothered by the way his own Republican camp was hitting the dirt in their campaign of hatred against the black American Democratic candidate. (Refer again to the You Tube citation in the reference. ) Mr. Powell finally called for â€Å"a generational change†, and coming as it did from a senior Republican – for a long time, an unprecedented bipartisanship– Mr Powell raised a very important gesture of statesmanship and concern for American welfare. (You Tube). . In his book Dreams from my Father, Obama in the first 20 pages described a life that started as a young mind, clueless on the lifetime struggle that was to be on his shoulders as a black mestizo. He described Kansas, as â€Å"the dab-smack, landlocked center of the country, a place where decency and endurance and the pioneer spirit were joined at the hip with conformity and suspicion and the potential for unblinking cruelty. † (p. 13). Take note of his analogy of the metaphorical duality of his environment when he described Kansas as a place of decency, endurance, and (pioneering) spirit on the upper side, joined in the hip with such negative traits as conformity, suspicion, and the potential for Surname 3 unblinking cruelty†¦ This fairly balanced assessment of his origins recognized the fundamental decency of the American people , but also noted the attitudinal duality to racial origins in his country of birth. In this book Obama explored the pervasive racial issues that he encountered in life, from childhood, to college, — and by now he must have realized—to the present, when as the Democrat candidates, he stood on the threshold of American presidency. Despite this stature, he was still grappling with the race issue. As a young man, Obama was unmindful of the thought â€Å"(that )my father looked nothing like the people around me — that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk. † (p. 16) It was an infinitely harder life for the common blacks. In Obama’s case he only started to become aware of the weight of his racial identity as he grew up. Obama as a black did not come from the underprivileged, but from a relatively middle class environment. Compared to what Obama went through, Brent Staples now tells us that ordinary blacks suffered even harsher environments. Consoling blacks, he reminded them of the historical movement toward their freedom. They came from a country that barely a few decades ago was absolutely racist, a virtual apartheid which situation started to collapse only after World War II. Staples said that only after the collapse did blacks start to move out of their sequestered world and into colleges, jobs, and walks of life that had been closed to them until then. Surname 4 Still, black Americans who came from successful, suburban and upwardly mobile families were regularly dismissed as white or inauthentic . In other words, Brent Staples also blamed blacks for wanting to further marginalize themselves and to inflict on themselves a marginalized status. â€Å"The authentic black experience, it was said at the time, was limited to the hard-core, impoverished upbringing that black people often chose to brag about, even when they had actually grown up with private prep schools in the lap of luxury,† was Brent’s assessment of the black mentality of the 60s. In other words, even Obama was unacceptable to these blacks because he was not authentically â€Å"black† in the poverty side of the issue. But another Republican Alan Keyes dished out another execrable crap when he opposed Mr. Obama in the Illinois Senate race back in 2004 saying Mr. Obama was not black because â€Å"he was not descended from slaves. † Clearly both black and whites think of blacks as having to be miserable in order to qualify for this racial group. The self-image of this group seems to be one that perpetually deprecates itself as always coming from the bottom. Mr. Obama himself, a would-be president of the United States has experienced the existential problem of how it is to be black in the world’s most prosperous country. In his book Obama disclosed how he coped with life as a black in a society dominated by whites. As Staples explains it: â€Å"He stumbled onto the mysteries of race in his own good time and pursued them in his own way. His quest took him to an impoverished community on the South Surname 5 Side of Chicago, where he worked as an organizer in an infamous public housing project before discovering his vocation as a politician. † And Staples sees hope that this division would soon be resolved with a greater understanding of the multiplicity of experiences among marginalized peoples in any society. Said he: â€Å"†¦ The hue and cry over Barack Obama’s identity stems from a failure by black traditionalists to recognize multiracial versions of themselves. Soon enough, perhaps by year’s end, however, the Obama story, which seems so exotic to so many people now, will have found its place among all the other stories of the sprawling black diaspora. † Surname 6 Works Cited Obama, Barack. Dreams of My Father. US: Three River Press, 1995,pp. 1-20. Staples, Brent. Decoding the Debate Over the Blackness of Barack Obama. (2007) The Editorial Observer. Retrieved October 19. 2008 from: http://files. meetup. com/427541/Blackness%20of%20Barack%20Obama%20. doc You Tube campaign against Obama . Retrieved Oct. 21, 2008. http://sayanythingblog. com/entry/a_video_that_could_change_the_election/

Boat Slip Terminology and Use

There are many terms for parts of a boat, the way a boat is operated, and the facilities used to store and service a boat. Wow, it’s a lot to learn and many of the people you encounter expect you to know all of these things. If you want to get a good start in the marine industry, a recreational facility is a great place to start. For the best chance of getting one of these jobs, you should know something about boat slips and dockage. An administrative person can fill a couple of sentences with enough terminology to confuse anyone who is more familiar with dry land than open waters. This can happen when you first start out your marine career adventure. It will also occur when you venture out to neighboring ports as you become more versatile. Of course, you know your own home base marina and slip configuration, but can you understand questions marina staff might ask while traveling? Is the slip appropriate for your needs? On which side will you tie up? What tying fixtures are present? What kind of improvements need to be made? Don’t worry it’s all fairly easy to understand. Dock Structure Large dock facilities are made up of one or more main docks connected to a face wall on shore. They come in two types, fixed and floating. Floating docks are usually connected to shore with hinged ramps which allow the docks to rise and fall with tides or changing water levels. Fixed docks are firmly attached to the shore and to support structures that are anchored underwater. The main docks project out from the face wall and each main dock hosts many smaller and narrower docks called finger piers. These finger piers divide the slip areas and provide a way to walk from the boat to the main dock. At the end of each finger pier and along the main dock are tall posts called piles. One or two extra piles also divide the area between two finger piers. These piles are only for tying, they dont carry a finger pier. Rarely, a slip will have a finger pier on each side of the slip space, but most facilities use the more efficient single side variety. Tying up the Boat Those two middle piles and the finger piers, with their piles, form a rectangle. This is the space where your boat should remain under all conditions. To assure it stays in position, it needs to be tied properly. There will be a few different places to tie the four standard dock lines, plus some tying fixtures for extra lines needed in windy or stormy conditions. A boat is very secure when all eight lines are properly rigged and tied. The names of the lines describe their position and function. The port and starboard bowlines connect to large loose rings at the front corners of the rectangle. The port and starboard stern lines connect to the outer pile and the pile at the end of the finger pier. This is secure, but the boat will still twist side to side and could strike the stern against the pier of pile in strong winds. To eliminate the twist, spring lines are attached to the stern cleats and either run forward and tied to the cleat in the middle of the finger pier, or all the way forward to the rings where the bowlines are tied. This process can be repeated with spring lines from the bow in the most extreme weather. Bumpers and other padding can customize a dock to protect a specific boat. Sometimes large rollers are added to guide boats into slips where space is tight. The classic mariners book The Ashley Book of Knots is still in print and makes a great addition to any bookshelf for the history lessons alone, and you will learn many knots and splices as well. Away From Home Port If you are traveling and visit a marina, you can rent a transient slip. A transient slip is one that is rented regularly or it may be a slip which is vacant for a week because the regular tenant is also out traveling. Most marinas have a provision which allows them to rent any slip which is going to be vacant for more than a couple of days. If you find yourself putting another boater in someone’s regular slip be sure and leave it as it was found. Once a boater requests a slip to fit the length and beam of the boat, as well as the amount of time needed, you should record the information. Then let the boater know the number and location of the slip and whether it is a port or starboard side tie up. This means that the finger pier will either be located on the port or starboard side. This is where someone can secure the boat while setting up other temporary lines. The finger pier will have cleats which are shaped like a short and wide capital letter T. There are usually three or four with one on each end of the pier and at least one in the middle. On fixed construction docks it’s okay to just tie up to the finger pier unless the weather is very bad. If bad weather strikes you will need to move the boat away from the pier to avoid damage from rubbing. Temporary dock lines are just like your permanent lines on a sailors home dock but the lengths will be different so four lines half the length of your boat, and four lines the length of your boat should be in every boat inventory. Having a few extras around is a good idea in case one is lost, damaged, or left behind by the visitor. Shore Power Ratings Shore power comes in two sizes, one for regular boats and one for very large boats with lots of power requirements. A twenty-amp connection is equivalent to one standard 120-volt household outlet.  For boats with full-size galleys or combination heating and air conditioning units, you will need a 240 volt, fifty amp connection, and appropriate power cord. Not all slips have both options so be sure to find out what power option is needed. Its also a good idea to know how someone might describe the plug configuration if they dont know the rating. Source Ashley, Clifford W. The Ashley Book of Knots. 1st edition, Doubleday Company, 1993.