The Vision of The Anointed
When we think what the definition of Vision is we might think that vision is the ability to see the features of objects we look at, such as color, shape, size, details, depth, and contrast, and that vision is achieved when the eyes and brain work together to form pictures of the world around us. But when reading Thomas Sowell’s book, The Vision of The Anointed, one might have a different perspective. Thomas Sowell wrote this book to contest the vision of those who are the artistic activist of modern society.
In chapter two that is titled, The Pattern, Sowell what is interesting about visions, what are their assumptions and their reasoning. He then discusses the various characteristics of patterns that have evolved among the anointed. The pattern of failure is then listed into four stages: The “Crisis”, the “Solution”, the “Results”, and finally the “Response”.
During the chapter he talks about certain topics, such as the war on poverty and sex education, and broke each one down with the four stages. I had a particular interest on the topic of sex education. I agreed with Sowell about the “Crisis” with the sex education within schools. He mentioned hoe pregnancy and disease was done in the 60’s than it had been in the fifties. Usually when society makes a fuss, it could do the opposite affect than help the situation. It seems when sex education was permitted into schools, which more sex started to happen. Although that may have not been the intent, but unfortunately it did not help the problem, that was never a real problem.
In chapter three which is titled by the numbers, Sowell discusses scientific evidence through data. He enlightens us on how to take facts and create them into valid theories. One fascinating subtopic was the “AHA” Statistics, where he describes how people find some numbers that fit their insights. In this chapter he focuses on how people get paid differently according to race, and gender. I do find this to be true. I agree that somewhere statistics by the anointed has proven that those tiny details (race and gender) have an affect on the way someone is paid doing the same work. I agree that facts and numbers are not entirely correct, but they are shaped and formed to me the anointed needs, and desires.
In chapter four he discusses the irrelevance of evidence.
...us how society was changing and how the members were reacting to such changes and to the breaking down of society. The alienation of the laborer was taking place and the goal of self reliance was being pushed further away from those very people. Humanity was replaced by competition and greed. Society was not where people lived, but became a ladder that needed to be climbed.
English novelist and essayist, George Orwell, in his essay, “Such, Such Were The Joys” describes his youth at St. Cyprian’s, a private school. Orwell’s purpose is to share his experiences at the school and tell how it shaped his life, “At eight years old you were suddenly taken out of this warm nest and flung into a world of force and fraud and secrecy, like a gold-fish into a tank full of pike”(Orwell 14). He focuses on the many negative experiences of his schooling. His use of rhetorical devices throughout the essay explains his struggles at St. Cyprian’s and paint the picture of his life.
To me the most important sentence in the book comes from page 1. The sentence in itself shocks
Traditions pertaining to gender and class greatly affect the the characters in Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Kite Runner; both Janie and Amir better themselves by rebelling against traditional roles in their cultures. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a book which follows Janie Starks through three marriages. Their Eyes Were Watching God examines how African-American women were greatly oppressed during the early twentieth century. The story is set in Florida during the early 1900s. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini follows an Afghan man named Amir from childhood to adulthood. The book deals with many dark subjects such as rape and terrorism. The Kite Runner allows the reader to see how Amir’s living in war-torn
Topic 1: What warning does the novel carry for readers at this point in time about where their society is heading?
When looking at a piece of art a sense of wonder and beauty bewitches the beholder.
This is a remarkable book of objective description as well as of rhetoric. While he does have a bias, he is still able to recognize points on either side. Orwell had the rare courage to overcome centuries of class prejudice to live among and respect the people his peers could casually dismiss. He shows us the role that the middle class play in creating these deplorable conditions. He shows us that every privilege, and attitude that the middle class have, is a direct result, of the exploitation of the working class; and their deplorable
By not cherishing the gift of sight and using it properly, many discoveries are left unfound. In the writing piece, Seeing, Annie Dillard speaks of nature and the small things that we all are unconsciously blind to and not appreciative of. Seeing explores the idea of what it means to truly see things in this world. Annie Dillard’s main point is that we should view the world with less of a meddling eye, so that we are able to capture things that would otherwise go unnoticed. There’s a science to how we view things in nature.
Roy Mottahedeh is a professor of Islamic history at Harvard University. He has written widely in the history of Islam and religion. The Mantle of the Prophet is one of the books that Mottahedeh wrote. In this book, Mottahedeh covers different aspects that include Islamic faith, Iranian city of Qom, traditions derived from the history of Iran, political change in Iran and secular Islamic learning among other issues. Ali Hashemi and Parviz studied together in the same elementary school courtyard. However, each of them took different turns. This paper is a review of The Mantle of the Prophet by Roy Mottahedeh. It will discuss the similarities and differences of the ideologies of Hashemi and Parviz and their oppositions to the Shah. It will also discuss their social backgrounds and cultural influences on their outlook of the world.
The prophets forthtold the message of God and foretold the future judgment and restoration He will bring. Israel and Judah were turned against God and living in their sin. Therefore, God sent prophets to both regions. The prophet’s job was to warn the people of the upcoming judgment and to repent of their sins. The prophets condemned several sins that were committed including idolatry, social injustice, and religious ritualism.
One way is by training our sight. As theologian Stanley Hauerwas reminds us, "We do not see reality by just opening our eyes." Our sight is broken and therefore requires training to see God's world rightly. As an act of the imagination, the visual arts can enable us to see the world, for example, not as opaque to God's presence but as charged with it. C. S. Lewis writes, "My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others." All of us need this help. The visual arts, by fixing our sight on concrete objects—canvases, sculptures, installations, architecture—invite us to look at the world as it is or maybe as it shouldn't be. At times they urge us to see it as it might
In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” a major theme is the distinction between looking and seeing. Merriam-Webster defines looking as “directing your eyes in a particular direction” (m-w.com). It is passively taking in a sight without truly understanding it. In contrast, seeing is understanding and appreciating the value of something, whether or not we have the privilege to physically see the object. In “Cathedral,” the narrator struggles with seeing until an unlikely character helps him to find his sight and appreciate the gift of seeing in both a literal and figurative sense. This unlikely character, a blind man named Robert, demonstrates to the narrator that seeing is a multifaceted and active action. Carver uses the metaphor of sight in “Cathedral” to exemplify the importance of understanding other people, our lives, and the world around us by gaining a deeper appreciation through seeing.
Kahlil, the author of the Prophet, uses figurative language to make the story easier to comprehend because it gives the reader a nice sense of imagery. Creating an image in a reader’s mind creates a personal connection with the reader and novel, and the overall message of the work is felt more deeply. It makes it easier to convey its message with the story because it’s able to relate to the readers more effectively. When the reader can relate to the story it creates an emotional appeal through past occurrences which holds the reader’s attention. For instance, smelling salt could lead to a deep memory that could relate to the sea where an amazing event had occurred. This maintains the interest throughout the story by making an event in the book more relatable and more understandable.
To conclude, the book titled as “way of sight” has a great influence on the society. It has all the aspects of seeing in this book. Today we see the art of the past as no one has ever seen him. We even perceive it differently. This difference can be illustrated by the example of how in different times understood perspective. Perspective is conditionality inherent only art and first appeared in the early Renaissance - all centres in the view of the viewer. It's like a lighthouse beam, only the place of the light coming out, take the images coming inside. These images are to be called reality. Perspective makes eye centre of the visible world
1. In your own words what are the main points and ideas of the material in the chapter?