Ideas of Progress in Naipaul's A Bend in the River
In his novel A Bend in the River, V. S. Naipaul paints a picture of Salim, an Indian man living in an isolated African town at the beginning of independence. Salim, as an Indian, has something of a unique perspective on the events of the time - in some ways, he lives between two worlds. Having experienced the "civilizing" influence of British colonial rule, he comes from a culture that is more "advanced" than that of Africa but less so than that of the West. This hierarchy of progress is seen throughout the book, and the theme of progress is best illustrated in this passage from the opening of Part Four, just after Salim's return from London:
So at last I had come to the capital. It was a strange way to come to it, after such a roundabout journey. If I had come to it fresh from my upriver town it would have seemed immense, rich, a capital. But after Europe, and with London still close to me, it seemed flimsy in spite of its size, an echo of Europe, and like make-believe, at the end of all that forest. (247)
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To some this story might seem like a tragedy, but to Christians this is a beautiful story. Although young Harry dies at the end, he is accepted into the kingdom of God, which is far superior to anything on Earth. A non-religious family raises him and the first taste of Christianity he gets makes him want to pursue God. In Flannery O’Conner’s short story, The River, the allure of Gods grace and the repelling of sinful ways are shown heavily through Harry.
"The Crystal Palace is a partial picture of the age; an exposition of the comforts and luxuries, the manners and attainments which belong to our civilization."
"The structures were austere and simple, until one looked at them and realized what work, what complexity of method, what tension of thought had achieved the simplicity. No laws had dictated a single detail. The buildings were not Classical, they were not Gothic, they were not Renaissance. They were only Howard Roark."
It is the undertaking of a journey by one man alone, Qindil Muhammad al-Innabi, to find a society with absolute perfection. Qindil travels through the fictitious lands of “the homeland”, Al Mashriq, Halba, Haira, and Aman— each land with its own unique concept of social structure behind the way the people live, religion, and government systems. Qindil observes and notes the stark differences between each country toward his own perceptions of the perfect society. It is also apparent that beliefs such as simplicity, justice, or freedom match how the society develops in contrast to one another. Naguib Mahfouz writes the novel to comment on the varying outcomes of society based on the inhabitant 's values and traditions. Other prominent African literatures also give way to substantial insights of their very own social organizations via culture as well, particularly seen in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiong 'O. It is without doubt that culture serves as the fundamental driver behind the development of a
When I found myself on my Feet, I looked about me, and must confess I never beheld a more entertaining Prospect. The Country round appeared like a continued Garden, and the inclosed Fields, which were generally Forty Foot square, resembled so many Beds of flowers. These Fields were intermingled with Woods of half a Stang, and the tallest Trees, as I could judge, appeared to be seven Foot high. I viewed the Town on my left Hand, which looked like the painted Scene of a City in a Theatre.
One of Bryson’s most effective rhetorical devices used is imagery. He uses imagery to describe Luxembourg and he does an exceptional job. The use of imagery allows the reader to be placed in Bryson’s shoes, venturing through the city. Is Luxembourg modernistic? Luxurious? Imagery tells you. In fact, it’s stated in the first three sentences, “ancient streets”. It immediately sets the mood, the vivid details that make Luxembourg, Luxembourg. “Feathered pheasant and unskinned rabbits hanging in the butcher’s window.” This screams archaic, antique, old-fashioned settings. “Pig heads smiling on a platter.” These are just a few examples, even so, the reader can immediately determine the mood and picture the historical city.
One of her points is how the media negatively affects many women’s self esteem. She talks about how in “Fashion, magazines, talk shows, ‘lite and fat free food in stores and restaurants, and diet centers and all daily reminders of these expectations [of women to have a slim body.]” She explains how fashion is moving to be more revealing, which is only flattering on the
Society is beginning to live in a world where parents can decide the future of their children from their intelligence level to immunity towards illnesses. Science is now capable of selecting a desirable offspring that meets a parent's needs. The idea of a designer baby is a relatively new concept in science that increases the ability to control and manipulate a child before birth. This presents many possibilities for improving the health of children through prenatal diagnosis, but these possibilities are connected with potential social repercussions that could have negative consequences in the future.
Imagine what life would be like if we could find a cure to cancer in babies, or toddlers. With “Designer Babies”, doctors have found a way to do just that. Doctors do not have the technology yet, but they know how to edit genes in a newborn or unborn baby. In the near future, there’s a possibility the baby’s intelligence could be raised, along with the lifespan of the designer baby. Designer babies should be put out to public because it could reduce genetic disorders, increase the baby’s life span, and prevent diseases.
The setting is London in 1854, which is very different to anything we know today. Johnson’s description of this time and place makes it seem like a whole other world from the here and now....
The scientists at the ISHGE decided designer babies needed more research because the arguments against designer babies. Designer babies can help to cure a family member with a certain disease, but this designer baby would have to undergo many medical procedures to help this family member. From a scientist point of view, consent from the child has created an ethical concern. The production of designer babies have been considered “a violation of the rights of the donor child who cannot give its consent for this action.” (Aznar
Since 1990, scientists have been able to use preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). This technique has allowed for the genetic analysis and modification to occur to embryos before the transfer into the uterus (Cohen, 2016). With this advancement, scientists are able to use the CRISPR-CAS9 protein to splice out certain genetic sequences and enhance a baby’s genes before they are born (Sas and Lawrenz, 2017). Scientists have been using the name “designer baby” for this procedure. However, there has been a growing debate put on the subject of designer babies and genetic engineering. As technology becomes a stronger aspect in our society, we are able to manipulate genes for favorable conditions. This aspect of science is ground-breaking and extremely intriguing. However, there is always the moral question whether or not that genetically selecting qualities for your child is ethical. Parents have the choice whether or not to enhance their children to become more athletic, smarter or even prettier. One could essentially genetically modify the perfect human. However, most parents these days are not genetically modifying their
As I was searching for different issues that I could address, I found a very interesting article titled, The parental investment factor and the child's right to an open future which reminded me of the movie Gattaca. After reading these articles I started imagining a world of designer babies and how things would change dramatically for a child whose parents decided to design their children the way they wanted them to be which is an issue
No one could have expected that the battles would reach so far, so soon. Once rich with culture, the old city no longer showed any signs of the proud beacon it had once been. This was all that his hometown had been reduced to — a handful of damaged buildings scattered among the rubble and ash. It was hard to believe that all this had happened in a few short weeks; not when the place couldn’t even be called a city anymore.
What would this student need to make a good transition to life after school? To make a good transition an annual IEP meeting will focus on more specific planning and goal setting for the necessary transition services. Factors to be included are: academic preparation, community experience, development of vocational and independent living objectives, and, if applicable, a functional vocational evaluation (2010).