the progress of man

663 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Role of religion in english literature

Religion has been around since the invention of the written text. The first written texts that have been found date back to over two thousand years ago. They happen to be religious in nature, and to some these texts are believed to have caused many wars and cultural clashes all throughout history. It is a popular belief that religion was and is a tool used by many dictators, kings and politicians. A tool designed to manipulate the masses and keep kingdoms under control. Yehuda Amichai is a poet who experienced firsthand what war really looks like. Upon closely reading several of Yehuda Amichai’s poems a set of motifs develop motifs that paint vivid pictures of human suffering caused by war; motifs that develop into themes of religion and God’s mercy towards the malevolent nature of man.
Religion is a big part of Amichai’s poetry it is almost always present in his poems in one form or another. In “God Takes Pity on Kindergarten Children” he writes “Maybe He Will take pity and cast His shadow/ on those who truly love” (9-10) this is a clear and obvious example of religion. It focuses on the rewards of living a holy life. However, it also depicts humans as tiny and insignificant because a man can lead a holy life and be as good as he can be, but he will never be a God. Ultimately only God decides who receives pity and in what way. Amichai also portrays religion as a point of view “As a tree on someone sleeping on a bench/ on a boulevard” (11-12). He suggests that the rewards religion offers are opinions, whether it’s real or not, the rewards are infinite and they are only limited by one’s own imagination. The shadow of the tree could be the reward of a faithful and deserving follower or maybe the ability to sleep on a bench on a h...

... middle of paper ...

...mankind free will. God only deals out consequences like a card shark in a casino where the house always wins. Mankind is predetermined to be evil and Amichai’s tone suggest rancor towards god because of it, for example “He leaves them alone./ Sometime they have to crawl on all fours/ in the blazing sand”. These lines suggest that mankind is left alone in the evil world God created; a world where religion rules by clouding critical thinking causing wars and genocide.
Amichai’s poetry is not only about war and religion, he also writes many love poems, but I felt that the majority of his work related war and the evil nature of man. His poems speak of religion in a way that shows resentment maybe he felt abandoned by god. He participated in five wars and that kind of trauma changes a man. Maybe he feels that there is no God or at the very least not a good God.

Show More
Related

  • Culture And Religion In Bruce Lincoln's Holy Terrors

    2438 Words  | 5 Pages

    Religion is a part of society that is so closely bound to the rest of one’s life it becomes hard to distinguish what part of religion is actually being portrayed through themselves, or what is being portrayed through their culture and the rest of their society. In Holy Terrors, Bruce Lincoln states that religion is used as a justifiable mean of supporting violence and war throughout time (Lincoln 2). This becomes truly visible in times such as the practice of Jihad, the Reformation, and 9/11. The purpose of this essay is to show that as long as religion is bound to a political and cultural aspect of a community, religious war and destruction will always occur throughout the world. A historical methodology will be deployed in order to gain

    Read More

  • Rationalism, By Titus Lucretius Carus

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    Religion gives rise to and is born with the unreasonable and uninviting desire to make man at home in what seems to be very close to an uncaring world. With this being

    Read More

  • Progress in American History

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    The word progress has several different meanings. These definitions played a vital role in American thought. From the initial immigrants to the first government, progress was always on the American mind. Wars were fought on the grounds on progress. The first United States president represented progress. Everything America stands for is based on the progression of its people.

    Read More

  • rs

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    “history is written by the victors”(Winston Churchill). Conflict has been deeply engrained into the history of mankind. For thousands of years all across the globe the prevalent aspect in which mass conflict has surrounded was that of differing religious practices. With all that is good that comes from religion, much evil is directly following. This conflict over religious views has caused hundreds of years of war in some parts of the world as well as problems that can range from day to day in your home. In the book Lame Deer, Seeker of visions religion can be seen at the base of all the struggle between the Native American people and the European Colonist that moved in to take over their land. Religion has been used for centuries to explain the surrounding world, but it only seems to pertain to the people practicing these beliefs. People through history have used their religions to justify their own personal desires even if they were not always the ideas of the religious institution.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down

    1772 Words  | 4 Pages

    Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply

    Read More

  • Judaism

    519 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion has existed since the dawn of civilization and over time has evolved into the religions we have today. Today the most prominent religions are monotheistic, having one omnipotent god, and despite having many differences they share basic tenets of respect and kindness. Religions, such as Judaism, give explanations for the unknown, provide hope, and bring about a sense of community.

    Read More

  • Imagery And Metaphors In Zamyatin's We

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    He declares that the “ancestors, the Christians, worshipped entropy as they worshipped God” (159). The ancestors, the savages, worshipped the tendency towards a chaotic world. They were drawn to the gradual decline into disorder and the fact everything will eventually fall apart, which would ultimately bring their world’s demise. What does this then say about the God the Christians followed with such fervor? Zamyatin attempts to persuade the readers that a God worthy of such followers is not interested in a thriving society, but rather only in His own amusement at the cost of humanity. Yet, “this is still the God who has been worshipped for centuries as the God of love” (206). In a climatic conversation with the protagonist, the Benefactor justifies the cruelties of OneState by comparing Himself to the Christian God. The Benefactor argues that His unexplainable actions are for the good of mankind, just as the ancestors would argue that “God works in mysterious ways,” even when those actions are not immediately beneficial towards its citizens. The “Christian, all merciful God—the one who slowly roasts in the fires of Hell all those who rebel against him—is he not called the executioner” (206)? The Benefactor compares Himself to the old God, claiming that He too uses his power to punish all those who sin against OneState. The text reveals that He is proud to be the supreme leader of OneState, and to be the execution of the state. Zamyatin uses direct metaphors to show that just as OneState follows a totalitarian regime controlled by a power mad ruler, Christianity has also deteriorated into a totalitarian

    Read More

  • A Short History of Progress

    2389 Words  | 5 Pages

    The term, progress, is synonymous with phrases that denote moving forward, growth, and advancement. It seems unorthodox then that Ronald Wright asserts the world has fallen into a progress trap, a paradox to how progress is typically portrayed as it contradicts the conventional way life is viewed: as being a natural progression from the outdated and tried towards the new and improved. Wright posits that it is the world’s relentless creation of innovative methods that ironically contributes to the progress trap rather than to progress itself, the intended objective. Wright’s coinage of the term “progress trap” refers to the phenomenon of innovations that create new complications that are typically left without resolve which exacerbate current conditions; unwittingly then, matters would have been much better if the innovation had never been implemented. In his book, “A Short History of Progress,” he alludes to history by citing examples of past civilizations that collapsed after prospering, and ones that had longevity because they avoided the perilous progress trap. Wright recommends that societies of today should use indispensable resources, such as history, to learn and apply the reasons as to why certain societies succeeded, while also avoiding falling into the pitfalls of those that failed, the ones that experienced the progress trap. This can easily be interrelated with Godrej’s concept of “the overheated engine of human progress,” since humans for centuries have been risking environmental degradation for progress through ceaseless industrialization and manufacturing. This exchange is doomed to prevent improved progress and will lead to society’s inevitable decline since it is unquestionable that in the unforeseeable future, cl...

    Read More

  • Christian Faith And Ethos Reflection Paper

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though there are many religions that are still practiced in the world, it is important to see what role they play in culture and thinking. When religion is taken in healthy amounts with a strong mind, religion can be a blessing and a gift to people everywhere. It can provide hope to people who need it the most, while inspiring others to take action and make positive changes. However, overdosing on religion can cause equal amounts of pain and anger.

    Read More

  • How Humans Developed: The Homo Sapiens

    1823 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The scientific study of how humans developed did not begin until the 1800s in Europe. Until that time, people relied on religious explanations of how humans came into existence. Starting in the 1500s a scientific revolution began to sweep Europe. Thinkers started using scientific methods and experiments to try to better understand the world and the creatures living in it. Eventually these methods were turned to the question of human origins” (The Nature Of Human Origins, 1). Earth made it possible for species to change over time because Ancient Earth provides ability to plenty of time.The Homo Sapien a is very complex creature. The species started off very simple by living in caves and surviving with little food and then later evolved into a species that were able to do many more complex things. The first species was Sahelanthropus tchadensis They were one of the most simple humans in that time period and on. They had very small skulls compared to Homo Sapiens today and their motor skills were just the same. We have evolved and changed for the better both mentally and physically. The Evolution of Homo Sapiens started off simple, such as the Neanderthals, and now we are the most advanced species to ever walk the planet so far.

    Read More

  • Religions of the Ancient World

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion is an ever-growing idea that has no set date of origin. Throughout history religion has served as an answer to the questions that man could not resolve. The word religion is derived from the Latin word “religio” meaning restraint in collaboration with the Greek word “relegere” which means to repeat or to read again. Religion is currently defined as an organized system of beliefs and practices revolving around, or leading to, a transcendent spiritual experience. Throughout time, there has yet to be a culture that lacks a religion of some form, whether it is a branch of paganism, a mythological based religion or mono/polytheistic religion. Many religions have been forgotten due to the fact that they were ethnic religions and globalizing religions were fighting to be recognized, annihilating these ancient and ethnic religions. Some of these faiths include: Finnish Paganism, Atenism, Minoan Religion, Mithraism, Manichaeism, Vedism, Zoroastrianism, Asatru, and the Olmec Religion. Religion is an imperative part of our contemporary world but mod...

    Read More

  • The Rise of Civilization

    447 Words  | 1 Pages

    A civilization is the starting point of a society. Civilizations have existed for millions of years and are the basic unit of structure for a society. Civilizations were the base of great societies such as Egypt and Rome. If not for civilizations these societies would not have flourished or even existed.

    Read More

  • Religion : Religion And Religion

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    For thousands of years, religion has exerted a great influence over economic and political life. Even today religion is called upon to support rulers, contacts and other legal procedures.

    Read More

  • Progress and the Total Destruction of the Earth

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Progress and the Total Destruction of the Earth Throughout all of history, humans have evolved not only genetically, but also culturally. Of the two evolutionary processes, cultural evolution happens more quickly, and has had a more noticeable effect on the environment compared to genetic evolution. Early hunter/gatherer societies evolved to agrarian society, which then had technological changes that affected the culture of the society. Unfortunately, while humans have been culturally evolving towards what is perceived to be progress, the environment has been compromised, marginalized, and degraded as it is continually exploited for human benefit and consumption. The culture of hunter/gatherer society was the least damaging to the environment in the long term before humans developed agriculture.

    Read More

  • Religion and Civilization

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    Religion helps establish mankind’s place in the order of the universe. As civilization began to be established through the domestication of animals, the irrigation and cultivation of agricultural crops, and life became more complex (moving from mainly a hunter/gather existence to one that could settle down and have more time to consider advanced ideas) people began to consider questions such as, where life comes from, is there a creator or creators who helped make the world, and what happens after we die. Religion helped answer some of these questions. It gave people purpose, meaning, and perspective. Religion helped establish nations in the case of religious theocratic governments. In many of the ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, the Mayans, and even Mesopotamia, the priests and other religious leaders played prominent roles in help shaping the laws and government of these civilizations. As his...

    Read More

More about the progress of man

Open Document