“As Americans, we want peace -- we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the will and whims of a ruthless and aggressive dictator. I'm not willing to stake one American life on trusting Saddam Hussein.” -George W. Bush. President Bush promised America that he would bring down Saddam Hussein no matter what it took. But why? Why would the president make such an imposing promise? In order to ensure the safety of his people (the Americans) such terrorists must be brought down. President Bush was willing to sacrifice the lives of many heroic soldiers to halt terrorism from afflicting this country. Are the lives of these young brave soldiers worth the sacrifice that is needed to bring change into the corrupt government of Iraq? Sacrifice becomes necessary to achieve social change when there is loss of personal freedoms, abuse of power, and physical abuse. This is demonstrated by the revolutions in Nicaragua and Haiti as well as the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez.
When people are being severely oppressed and they no longer have any freedom, they are likely to sacrifice themselves in the hope of achieving justice. In most nations, people have the freedom to act in their own will. For example, in the United States people are protected by the constitution, which lists the many fair rights of the people. In it, includes freedom of speech, the freedom to press, the freedom to action, freedom of privacy, and almost the freedom to do anything. If these rights are taken away, people will become irate, and eventually they will do anything to get their rights back. In the novel In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez tells the story of Dominican Republicans who have lost their freedoms. Rafael Trujillo, dictator of the country creates a secret police called the SIM, which he uses to protect the government. These secret police go undercover during their job of bringing in any information to the government about people who rebel, or are against Trujillo. Those who are reported will be punished. “ ‘People who opened their big mouths didn’t live very long.’ Sinita said. ‘Like my uncles I told you about. Then two more uncles, and then my father.’ Sinita began crying again. ‘This summer, they killed my brother.’ ” (Pg 18) Sinita, a friend of Minerva’s from Inmaculada Concepcion loses almost all the mal...
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... body jumped with exquisite pain.” (Pg 255) Because Leandro cannot stand seeing Maria Teresa go through so much suffering, he gives them the information they need. The way Trujillo treats those who are against him is cruel and low. How can someone electrocute a woman who does nothing wrong except speaking for what she believes in? There are many others who suffer physical abuse from Trujillo and the government throughout the novel. This cruel leader’s brutal actions lead the Mirabal sisters to join the revolution. The people of Dominican Republic want to end the tyranny they suffer from Trujillo, and live under a free nation.
Sacrifice becomes necessary to achieve social change when there is loss of personal freedoms, abuse of power, and physical abuse. Even though, the four Maribal sisters were all part of the revolution, Dede was the only one who survived. Dede’s survival symbolizes that the sacrifices they made, were worth it. As President George Bush promised, Saddam Hussein was brought down even though many lives of American soldiers were sacrificed. In order to get what you want or what you believe in, you must fight for it, and sometimes that even means making sacrifices.
A sacrifice is a strong action in which one is willing to put a priority before oneself. “Proofs” is an essay written by Richard Rodriguez about a Mexican adolescent teen who narrates the harsh reality of his family members going through immigration. The essay focuses on the differences between the American lifestyle versus immigrant lifestyle. “The Apology: Letters from a Terrorist” is an essay written by Laura Blumenfeld. It’s about how her father was shot by a terrorist. Thirteen years later, she decided to visit the gunman’s country to get an apology to her father, to find out how he feels about the situation, and what happened in his perspective. In both pieces of writing, family is a strong theme that is shown in multiple ways.
By examining the narrative voice as well as the cultural restraints placed on them, readers can see the sexist culture in the novel and that the novel itself does not necessarily advocate this misogyny. Yunior, a Dominican man, is the overall narrator of the novel, so readers essentially see everything through his masculine eye. When discussing a brief fling with Lola, Oscar’s sister, Yunior says, “Even those nights after I got jumped she wouldn’t let me steal on her ass for nothing. So you can sleep in my bed but you can’t sleep with me?” (Diaz 169) His question suggests that it is his right to sleep with her, and his discussion of Lola herself objectifies her by noting only her body and her refusal to use it. This objectification is clearly sexist, but it is a reflection of the narrative voice, Yunior, not of Lola. Yunior will casually refer to a woman as “a bitch” (Diaz 183), which is clearly demeaning, but it is a man’s view and does not reflect on the substance of the women. It shows readers the culture he was raised in, not an actual portrayal of the women, illustrating a misogynist society but not a misogynistic novel. In the Dominican Republic, gender-based violence is the fourth leading cause of death, hinting at the overall problems caused by the hyper-sexualized nature of the country. Sociologist Denise Paiewonsky
“Jaimito think its suicide. He told me that he will leave me if I get mixed up in those things”. Here is where Dede confesses the truth about her participation with the Mariposas. Although later on she claims to be leaving Jaimito. Dede knew that she needed to join her sisters this was the only way she was going to show her loyalty to the “Mariposas”. Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa husbands were all involved with the “Mariposas” movement. Could this be the reason why they were so committed and involved with the “Mariposas” movement? The support that all their husbands gave them through the journey guided them to influent the change, and to them it was very important. We all ask ourselves could this be another reason why Dede felt so strong about getting people to hear he story, to find the interest in it. Dede made her family home into a museum, this way people can see how they lived when it all began. There is also a monument that tourist or native Dominican that would like to know the story of the Mirabal Sisters. Why is this so important? Its known that a lot of Dominican or people all around the world do not know the story of the Mirabal sisters and what they died for; the truth behind the lies and the unrealistic story telling. Dede’s accomplishment was to let everyone now what happened to her sisters to her father and how Trujillo dictated
Life is game of tradeoffs in which every action has a distinct cost. Cost, in the context of the previous sentence and the rest of this essay, is the price or expenditure that must be paid in order to obtain a particular object or goal. The most basic cost associated with all things is time. In order to attain all the material and immaterial things that we currently possess we had to use up a respectable amount of our time here on earth. Thus, it stands to reason that time defines who we are. If someone were to strip away a human being’s time on earth, they would be ultimately stripping away his or her identity. Unfortunately, in every society there are one or more groups of people that have to face some sort of social injustice, which leads to a painstakingly difficult life. The victims of the social injustice are deprived of their time on earth, as they have to constantly deal with the inequality or discrimination issues that abound. To fight any sort of rooted social injustice in a society to benefit the common good is never an easy task. It is, however, a necessary task that must be undertaken. In order to make any sort of lasting progress in the fight for social justice and the common good revolutionaries have to change the way in which they view themselves and be prepared to spill their own blood. An analysis of Melissa Lane's lecture on "sustainable citizenship," Antigone, and "How a Single Match Can Ignite a Revolution" will demonstrate how rebellious people act in the face of social injustice.
Child abuse is a serious issue in today's society. Many people have been victims of child abuse. There are three forms of child abuse: physical, emotional, and sexual. Many researchers believe that sexual abuse is the most detremental of the three. A middle-aged adult who is feeling depressed will probably not relate it back to his childhood, but maybe he should. The short-term effects of childhood sexual abuse have been proven valid, but now the question is, do the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse affect middle-aged adults? Many contradicting views arise from the subject of childhood sexual abuse. Researchers and psychologists argue on this issue. Childhood sexual abuse has the potential to damage a child physically, emotionally, and behaviorally for the rest of his or her childhood, and the effects have been connected to lasting into middle-aged adulthood.
Brian Caswell’s book a cage of butterflies develops the idea of fear within society today, the social pressure of it all and the abusive nature of those who rule in it. These points are really driven home through the teenagers of the ‘think tank’ and especially through Greg. Greg is a teenage boy who is hyper intelligent but has a physical disability, having both his legs inactive he is teased and bullied. Although this isn’t directly stated in the book it is inferred many times. The other teenagers were faced with similar issues as being intelligent in the modern society is not cool. This fear and pressure of normal society can develop many issues, a few of which are feeling like you don’t fit in, feeling unloved and feeling like you are being
The period from 1800 to 1865 marked a time of immerse sectionalism in American history. Sectionalism grew more intense due to the added conflict of how to embrace new territories gained during Western Expansion. Westward Expansion began with the Louisiana Purchase made by President Thomas Jefferson. The Louisiana Purchase stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico (Give Me Liberty! 304). The most controversial issue was whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories acquired by the United States. As the philosophy of Manifest Destiny spread among the whole country, the South wanted new slave territories while the North wanted to stop the spread of slavery. According to John O’Sullivan,
The influence of the people around you has a great impact on your life. In In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez and in Journey to Jihad by Ben Taub, radicalization is due to the influences of others. Minerva’s rebellion was caused by both Sinita and Trujillo. Patria’s rebellion was caused by the influences of Minerva and the Church. Jeojen’s radical actions were due to his girlfriend, as well as his neighbor. Minerva, Patria, and Jeojen all epitomize the significance of influential people within one’s life.
It has often been said that what we value is determined only by what we sacrifice. The novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, includes one specific character who makes a sacrifice that demonstrates what she truly values in life. Mariam, a major character in the book, sacrifices her life in order to save Laila and her children. This sacrifice allows the reader to view what Mariam truly cares about: the survival of Laila, her happiness, and her children. Mariam’s sacrifice highlights her willingness to do whatever it takes to save the ones she loves, allowing for a deeper understanding of Mariam and how sacrifice is a major theme in the novel.
Child abuse goes way back in history starting from the time when a little 10 year old girl got removed from her parents home in 1874. The case is connected to the founding of the New York Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which gave rise to the founding of similar societies (National Association of Counsel for Children). Most children under the age of 3 tended to have a higher rate of victimization and girls had a higher risk than boys. Sexual abuse was frequently associated with family problems such as parental alcholism, parental rejection, and parental marital conflict (Bright Futures 4 Kids). Throughtout history, child abuse seems to be less crucial and likely than it was before because back then there was a lower rate of child care. Man...
Childhood sexual abuse, as defined by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA, 1996), includes using persuasion, enticement, and other inducements to coerce a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct or simulation of sexual acts. Survivors of sexual abuse frequently have a legacy of both psychological and physical problem throughout life. There has been considerable literature published in the past 20 years focusing on the long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse.
Diaz describes Trujillo by writing, “You might roll your eyes at the comparison, but, friends: it would be hard to exaggerate the shadow of fear he cast over the Dominican people and the shadow of fear he cast throughout the region” (224). Trujillo put so much fear into the people of the Dominican Republic that Beli did not know it would ever affect her. In a world where no one gives her such feelings, the Gangster makes Beli feel beautiful. But, the Gangster is a pimp and exploits women, which shows the degradation of women such as Beli.
A lack of child development can be caused through physical abuse which can include severe harm to an adolescent through violence involving kicking, hitting, burning, cutting or any other act that may leave a visible mark on a child’s body. Emotional abuse is trauma to a child in which they are open to a world of shame and humiliation instead of their parents of legal guardian loving, supporting, encouraging, and caring for them they are humiliated with excessively severe criticism, unnecessary isolation, causing severe guilt and causing fear or terror. Also Sexual abuse can often fall under both physical and emotional abuse due to the experience of multiple traumas. Furthermore all of the abuse leads to a lack of child development, and child development is a major and critical step needed to become an adult which for most children in the United States is eighteen and that age is for teenagers whom are believed to be capable of supporting themselves in this world ,but the chi...
This paper outlines the consequences of child sexual abuse (CSA) based on the examination of results from multiple researches previously fulfilled concerning the psychological and physical impact of this crime, information of statistics, warning signs detected, victims’ performances, and emotional state. Sexual abuse causes severe trauma on child victims that will last for the course of their lives, therefore it is critical to identify and improve the therapeutic methods utilized to treat CSA survivors.
Insects are the most diverse group of organisms on the planet. They occupy most of the habitat in the world. Insects have served as a model group of organisms for tackling many biological queries. Butterflies (Class: Insecta; Order: Lepidoptera) have been used as a model for studies on ecology, development and population dynamics. Most of the species are highly seasonal and some have very restricted habitats. Butterflies are good indicators of climate and help us understand fluctuations in seasonal changes. They require specific ecological conditions for their growth and development. Monitoring butterflies helps us understand the overall diversity of a habitat as they are directly dependent on other factors such as availability of host plants and nectar plants. They also play a very significant role in