inof on Joan Makes History :: essays research papers

What we’re after, of course, is stories, and we know that history is bulging with beauties. Having found them, we then proceed to fiddle with them to make them the way we want them to be, rather than the way they really were. We get it wrong, willfully and knowingly. But perhaps you could say that the very flagrency of our "getting it wrong" points to the fact that all stories even the history "story" are made. They have an agenda, even if it’s an unconscious one. Perhaps there are many ways to get it right. The interesting parts of history are probably always what’s not there. My own special area of interest about what’s not in history is the women. As you would all know, by and large they’re sadly absent from the historical record. However, I’m lucky to be the recipient—custodian, even, if that doesn’t sound too grandiose—of a rich oral history handed down from my mother, who got it from her mother and so on back down the line. She’s told me family stories from every generation since our family first came to Australia—in the form of our wicked convict ancestor Solomon Wiseman, in 1806. Sol is supposed to have murdered his wife, and turned his daughter—pregnant to the riding-master—out of the house to starve. (But perhaps, the novelist in me thinks, she didn’t starve , but went on to have, well, a story†¦) There was "Uncle Willie with the red hair" who was "killed [by falling] off a horse when he was eighteen and broke his mother’s heart." There was her own mother, in love with a Catholic boy—a love as unthinkable as between a Montagu and a Capulet and was forced to marry a good Protestant boy. You should see th e look on her face in the wedding photos. This oral history, handed down in a series of formalised anecdotes from mother to daughter, leaving rich areas for speculation in between is, I suspect, one of the things that’s made me a novelist. http://www.nla.gov.au/events/history/papers/Kate_Grenville%20.html SOUL-SEARCHING about our past is the new literary fashion. It is the period in which the breast-beaters, the moral Pharisees, are driven to tell us how, unlike their predecessors, they have political and moral virtue. The Aborigines, women and ordinary people have become the 'goodies', and all those who ignored them in their books or their teaching have become the 'baddies'. The winds of change are blowing over the ancient continent.

Abortion Restrictions And Abortion Rates: Has State Abortion Policy Been Successful? Essay

Termination of a pregnancy before its due date, by use of medical methods is referred to as abortion. The aim of abortion is to prevent the baby from being born. There are various reasons that might trigger a person to terminate a pregnancy. First, the health of the mother may be at risk as a result of the pregnancy. Secondly, the mother may not be in a position to take care of the unborn child due to various reasons such as economic situation, security or other person reasons. Over the years, abortion has been tagged illegal and immoral especially by contemporary religions. Abortion is not wrong provided the person doing it has enough reasons to warrant that course of action. First, the liberation of women from gender bondage allows them to enjoy autonomous capability to make decisions concerning their lives. In the past male dominated era, women were not allowed to make vital decisions such as end pregnancies. However, women should now be allowed to carry out abortion because they possess the reproductive control over their wombs (Berlatsky 45). A woman has a right to determine her own future and decide whether it is safe to have children or not. Furthermore, women can now contribute to the economic, political and social life of a nation, making them also capable of controlling their own choices reproductive wise. The notion of determining the outcome of a woman’s fate in regard to either having a baby or not, is mandatory to gender discrimination (Berlatsky 30). Women now have the right to choose the course of their lives and consequently, have the right to choose whether to have children or not. Secondly, abortions prevent fatalities that could occur in case of complication with the pregnancy, illness of the mother or infants with noticeable abnormalities. Technology now can determine the health of the baby before he or she is born. In addition, some women may develop complications that may risk the life of either the mother or the child during the pregnancy period, or at birth. Since these problems are determined early, abortions can be the safest solution to avoid either risking the lives of the child and mother, or delivering a baby with visible abnormalities. According to Pritchard, some disorders are fatal enough to end the life of the baby shortly after birth (43). Once determined, it is imperative to end the pregnancy in order to avoid further suffering of both the child and the mother. Also, ending the pregnancy of such a child helps the family to save of medical expenses and avoid emotions trauma that could have affected them if the child would have been born. Some of the disorders that can be determined early are Down syndrome and anencephaly. Third, modern abortion techniques and equipment prevent complications and deaths that may occur during illegal abortions. Oakley noted that preventing abortion from taking place does not actually work (473). Illegalizing abortion encourages illegal and unsafe abortion practices that may cause unimaginable damage both physically and emotionally. According to Pritchard (43), desperate women induce abortions remotely without the help of professional practitioners. According to the study by Oakley, illegal abortions cause more than 70000 deaths globally annually. In another study, Oakley found out that use of modern equipment to carry out abortions reduces the risk of mortality (475). In addition, he found out that women are more at risk while giving birth than while carrying out an abortion. Moreover, Berlatsky (49) noted that pregnant related complications are higher during child birth than they are during abortion. In this, it is evident that abortion deaths occur only when the people in question do not perform the procedure using modern equipments. So, allowing abortion to be practiced legally will enable women to avoid side effects of abortion related complications such as cancer, mental health issues and infertility. In conclusion, it is imperative to note that there are various reasons that might trigger a person to terminate a pregnancy. A person can terminate their pregnancy due to personal reasons, or the health of the mother may be at risk as a result of the pregnancy. First, women should now be allowed to carry out abortion because they possess the reproductive control over their wombs. A woman has a right to determine her own future and decide whether it is safe to have children or not. Moreover, women can now contribute to the economic, political and social life of a nation, making them also capable of controlling their own choices. Secondly, technology now can determine the health of the baby before he or she is born. Additionally, some women may develop complications that may risk the life of either the mother or the child during the pregnancy period, or at birth. However, abortions prevent fatalities that could occur in case of complication with the pregnancy, illness of the mother or infants with noticeable abnormalities. Finally, modern abortion techniques and equipment prevent complications and deaths that may occur during illegal abortions. References Berlatsky, Noah. Abortion. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Oakley, Maureen Rand. â€Å"Abortion Restrictions And Abortion Rates: Has State Abortion Policy Been Successful?† Politics & Policy: 472-87. Pritchard, A., and S. K. Parsons. â€Å"The Effects of State Abortion Policies on States’ Abortion Rates.† State and Local Government Review: 43-52. Source document

Literary Criticism Of Literature And Literature - 873 Words

Literature has no set definition, mainly because throughout history writers, as well as literary historians have failed to construct an agreeable definition (Bressler 12). When one thinks of literature, he or she should think of literary criticism—different critical perspectives. Literary criticism requires readers to analyze literary texts with knowledge of theories. Thus, the next time one reads a text, he or she should first identify the theory that he or she plans to use. The theories represent a set of critical lens that one will use to analyze the text critically. For instance, this paper will focus on the New Criticism theory; it is a theory that requires readers to focus entirely on the text itself. Readers do not need to focus on†¦show more content†¦From a New Critic perspective, when analyzing a poem, it is pivotal for readers to pay close attention to the poem’s structure and form, especially since it can help him or her understand the poem’s overall meaning. In life, human beings will encounter many challenging obstacles throughout his or her long and stressful journey here on earth, especially since success is the ultimate goal that he or she wishes to achieve. In the first quatrain of Angelou’s poem, a simile is depicted: â€Å"You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I’ll rise† (3-4). Here, it is evident that Angelou wants readers to realize that life will step on he or she as if him or her is a pile of dirt; however, if he or she is determined to overcome his or her challenges, he or she will rise—just like dust. The simile depicted in quatrain one, forces readers, from a New Critic viewpoint, to realize that the essential meaning of Angelou’s poem lies within each line of the poem—objective meaning. Furthermore, in life, human beings will encounter different individuals—exposure to diversity. Human beings learn from one another; however, certain people tend to encounter human beings who are miserable with his or her life. In fact, people who feel dejected tend to not motivate others to achieve his or her lifelong goals—this is portrayed in quatrain six of Angelou’s poem: â€Å"You may kill me with your hatefulness, / But still, like air, I’ll rise† (23-24). Here, Angelou uses aShow MoreRelated Anatomy of Criticism Essay example1249 Words   |  5 PagesAnatomy of Criticism  Ã‚   Introduction In his Anatomy of Criticism, Northrop Frye offers a complex theory that aspires to describe a unifying system for literary criticism. It can be argued, however, that in attempting to delineate such an all-inclusive structure, Fryes system eliminates identity in literature. The present essay takes up this argument and offers examples of how identity is precluded by Fryes system as outlined in Anatomy of Criticism. Structure Vs. 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