Canadian cultural Essay Example for Free

Canadian cultural Essay In her article â€Å"I Am Half-Canadian,† Pamela Swanigan seeks to define Canadian cultural identity by comparing and contrasting it to the often highly regarded identity attributed to Americans. Born in the USA to parents of mixed racial origin and later immigrating to Canada, Swanigan offers a unique view on many of the common fallacies that come up when one envisions the culture of the United States. Contrary to the popular view, that depicts the United States as an all-welcoming â€Å"melting pot† of cultures and races, Swanigan contests instead that American culture is one of constricting self-definition and pigeonholing. She argues that American culture is neither open nor accepting of diversity, instead forcing people to strictly classify themselves into certain racial and linguistic categories- â€Å"everyone’s forced to pick one definition and stick to it. † Having personally experienced this phenomenon, as a woman of mixed race working in a traditionally male field (sports writing), Swanigan is extremely influential in presenting her case, offering a number of examples as to how Americans are boxed in to certain classifications and social expectations. She further goes on to remark on the close-minded nature of such a view, which leads many Americans to be suspicious and vaguely threatening- a stance that directly contradicts the traditional view of the United States as an open and accepting country. Swanigan contrasts this with the relatively fluid and undistinguishable collective culture of Canada, where a lack of strict individual definition leads to the misconception that Canadians have no culture at all. Instead the author seeks to dispel this myth by suggesting that this lack of identification is in fact the ideal that America claims to promote, which its neighbor to the north that has achieved.

Metamorphosis Essay -- English Literature

Metamorphosis In the short story, Metamorphosis, the narrator describes Gregor’s new life as an insect. He then goes on to describe Gregor’s sister, Grete, with a reflection of Gregor’s opinion in the description. Kafka employs a number of stylistic devices including descriptive imagery, metaphors, and symbolism in the passage to describe the situation. While these devices on their own just provide a more complex method of painting the situation, the way they are assembled in the passage serves to depict a comparison of power between Gregor and Grete. The creation of such a multifaceted evaluation further increases the reader’s sympathy towards Gregor’s situation. Firstly, Gregor is characterized with many literary descriptors. â€Å"Sense of freedom† is the first occurrence of relevant descriptive imagery. The freedom is what he used to posses before the metamorphosis, however he no longer has liberty outside his room. That is where the second image of â€Å"looking out† the window comes into play. The looking out symbolizes Gregor’s reflection on the liberties he used to posses when he could leave his room, and of the outdoors, there by limiting his experiences. This is supported with the imagery of his vision weakening. The imagery reflects a tone of pessimism, in that Gregor is loosing hope for a recovery. All the imagery serves to sympathies with Gregor because his situation is depicted as bleak. The symbol of Gregor’s knowledge is his vision, which is the primary medium for humans gain knowledge. With his sight diminishing, he is no longer able to discover as much as would be able to normally and even starting to disbelieve his previous knowledge. This is mentioned when he said that if he had not known ... ...nd blended indistinguishably into each other. His quick witted sister only needed to observe twice that the armchair stood by the window; after that, whenever she had tidied the room, she always pushed the chair back to the same place at the window and even left the inner casements open. If he could have spoken to her and thanked her for all she had to do for him, he could have more her ministrations better; as it was, they oppressed him. She certainly tried to make light as possible of whatever was disagreeable in her task, and as time went on he succeeded, of course, more and more, but time bought more enlightenment to Gregor too. The very way she came in distressed him. Hardly was she in the room when she rushed to the window, without even taking time to shut the door, carefully as she was usually to shield the sight of Gregor’s room from the others.

The Battle of Cajamarca: an End to an Empire in South America

The Battle of Cajamarca: an end to an Empire in South America New World: Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro (c. 1475 – June 26, 1541) seized Incan emperor Atahualpa (pictured; c. 1502 – August 29, 1533) after victory at Cajamarca, Peru. Pizarro had just 168 men and Atahualpa had 80,000 battle-hardened soldiers who had recently defeated an indigenous enemy. However, the Spaniards had iron swords, guns, horses and armour, which the Incas did not. The result: one of history's most incredible battles, and it was all over in one afternoon. Atahualpa (or Atahuallpa; Atabalipa) (ah'-ta-oo-al'-pa), was the13th and final emperor of the Incan Empire. He was a younger son of the Incan ruler Huayna Capac and an Ecuadorian princess of the Quito; although not the legitimate heir, he seems to have been the favourite. When Huayna Capac died (c. 1527), the kingdom was divided between Atahualpa, who ruled the northern part of the empire from Quito, and his half-brother Huascar, the legitimate heir, who ruled from Cuzco, the traditional Inca capital. Contemporary chroniclers depicted Atahualpa as courageous, ambitious, and very popular with the army. In 1532 he was celebrating his victory in a devastating war of accession with his elder half-brother. He had been embroiled in war with Huascar for control of the whole Incan Empire. The war ravaged Inca cities, wreaked havoc on the economy, and decimated the population. Early in 1532, near Cuzco, while Pizarro was making his way to Atahualpa's heartland, the army of the Incan lord had defeated Huascar's army in what was probably the greatest of any Incan military engagement to date. Atahualpa treacherously captured his half-brother and his family and later had them executed, while Atahualpa was himself a prisoner – of Pizarro. (As Huascar had been something of an ally to the Spanish, his half-brother's actions were later cited as a cause of the treatment Pizarro meted out to Atahualpa. ) In November, while the newly victorious Atahualpa and his battle-hardened army of 80,000 were relaxing with the hot springs in the town of Cajamarca, before their planned triumphal entry into Cuzco, Francisco Pizarro entered the city with a force of 168. Atahualpa got wind of the incursion. History was about to change in a most dramatic way. On November 15, as the Spanish band moved close to Cajamarca, they tortured a few natives and discovered that Atahualpa was waiting for them at Cajamarca. Bravely, ‘Governor' Pizarro’s ‘army' moved towards the Incan town, and saw a beautiful place filled with so many tents that the soldiers were filled with fear. Hernando Pizarro, the leader’s brother, estimated the number of Incan soldiers at 40,000, but an eyewitness wrote that he gave this estimate in order to calm his comrades: there were in fact more than 80,000. Meanwhile, most of Pizarro’s men were hidden around the main courtyard of Cajamarca. Atahualpa ambushed Invited by the Spaniard to attend a feast in his honour, the Inca chief accepted. The next day, he arrived at the appointed meeting place with several thousand unarmed retainers; Pizarro, prompted by the example of Hernan Cortes and Moctezuma in Mexico, had prepared an ambush. The next day at around noon, Atahualpa appeared in the town centre, carried on a litter, or palanquin, borne by 80 Incan noblemen in rich blue livery, and with a retinue of 2,000 Indians sweeping the road before him. An eyewitness wrote â€Å"Then came a number of men with armour, large metal plates, and crowns of gold and silver which they bore, that it was a marvel to observe how the sun glinted on it. † Atahualpa was also surrounded by his warriors, many thousands of them. One of the Spaniards who was present wrote: â€Å"Atahualpa himself was very richly dressed, with his crown on his head and a collar of large emeralds around his neck. He sat on a small stool with a rich saddle cushion resting on his litter. The litter was lined with parrot feathers of many colours and decorated with plates of gold and silver †¦ Governor Pizarro now sent Friar Vicente de Valverde to go to speak to Atahualpa, and to require Atahualpa in the name of God and of the King of Spain that Atahualpa subject himself to the law of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the service of His Majesty the King of Spain. [The priest advanced] with a cross in one hand and the Bible in the other hand, and going among the Ind ian troops up to the place where Atahualpa was †¦ â€Å"Atahualpa asked for the Book, that he might look at it, and the Friar gave it to him closed. Atahualpa did not know how to open the Book, and the Friar was extending his arm to do so, when Atahualpa, in great anger, gave him a blow on the arm, not wishing that the Book should be opened. Then he opened it himself, and, without any astonishment at the letters and paper he threw it away from him five or six paces, his face a deep crimson. â€Å"The Friar returned to Pizarro, shouting, ‘Come out! Come out, Christians! Come at these enemy dogs who reject the things of God †¦. Why remain polite and servile towards this over-proud dog when the plains are full of Indians? March out against him, for I absolve you! ’† It has been reported that Atahualpa asked Friar Vicente on what authority he acted, and the friar told him it derived from the book he was holding. The Incan emperor then commanded: â€Å"Give me the book so that it can speak to me. † Atahualpa, holding the book next to his ear, tried to listen to its pages. Finally he asked: â€Å"Why doesn't the book say anything to me? † and defiantly and disdainfully threw it to the ground. On the friar's command (rather than Pizarro's), the Spanish soldiers emerged from the porticoes around the square and fired into the crowds of unarmed warriors and citizens. Seven thousand slain Just several hours of bloody battle ensued, with the conquistadors having the technological advantage. By evening, Pizarro and his men had killed 7,000 Indians yet lost not one of their own merry men. Later, Pizarro said to Atahualpa through an interpreter: â€Å"When you have seen the errors in which you live, you will understand the good that we have done you by coming to your land †¦ Our Lord permitted that your pride should be brought low and that no Indian should be able to offend a Christian. † During the melee, Pizarro had personally grabbed Atahualpa from his litter, calling out the Spanish war cry (â€Å"Santiago! , or â€Å"St James! †) as he did so, and took Atahualpa prisoner. Soon, Atahualpa recognised that a huge ransom was his only chance of freedom, so he promised a huge hoard of gold to the Spaniards, which the Incan king’s subjects duly paid. The ransom, the largest ever made, was staggering – when melted down, it consisted of suffi cient gold to fill a room 22 feet long by 17 feet wide to a height of more than 8 feet! What artistic treasures were lost, we shall never know. We note here that the Incas made even the soldiers rich, not just Pizarro and the King of Spain (who took 20 per cent of the booty). The conquistadors each received a share appropriate to his rank: horseman received 40 kilograms of gold and 81 kg of silver, while foot-soldiers received half that amount. After the full amount had been delivered, Pizarro reneged on his promise and on August 29, 1533, the conquistador ordered Atahualpa burned to death. However, when Atahualpa was brought to the stake, Father de Valverde offered him the choice of being burned alive or being killed by the more merciful garrot if he would convert to Christianity. Although throughout his captivity Atahualpa had resisted conversion, he agreed to it and so died that day by strangulation. Cajamarca was not the only occasion in 1532 on which Western technology was able to trounce Incan technology – for technology such as guns and steel swords, rather than fighting skills and valour were what won the day. Jared Diamond, from whose excellent, Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Guns, Germs and Steel, (Vintage, 1998), the above quotations come, writes: â€Å"During Pizarro’s march from Cajamarca to the Inca capital of Cuzco after Atahualpa’s death, there were four such battles: at Jauja, Vilcashuaman, Vilcaconga, and Cuzco. Those four battles involved a mere 80, 30, 110, and 40 Spanish horsemen, respectively, in each case ranged against thousands or tens of thousands of Indians. † Footnote On January 18, 1535, as Pizarro thought the Inca capital of Cuzco was too far up in the mountains and far from the sea to serve as the Spanish capital of Peru, he founded the city of Lima, still the capital of that nation.

Argument for Human Cloning Essay - 1886 Words

Introduction Cloning is the process of manipulating DNA and embryonic stem cells to create an identical living organism. The purpose of cloning is to find medical treatments and to reduce human suffering (Rosalyn). Is it wrong? Is it disrespectful toward nature itself? According to Sir John Gordon, cloning is not as playing God it is simply copying â€Å"what nature has already produced† (Gordon). This new development established a series of debates because if there are technologies that enable humans to artificially create mammal, sooner or later the same process will be performed on human. This points to the question, should human cloning be banned? (Cloning: An Overview). Even though there are numerous critics who believe human cloning†¦show more content†¦Overtime the fusions between cells occur and form an embryo. This could lead to the transfer of healthy cell in an unborn child who contains diseases due to genetics from the parents. Unfortunately the research w as banned. There are a lot of obstacles standing between the researches of human cloning that could possibly save many lives. Diseases such as Alzheimer and cardiovascular diseases can be cured by the process of cloning. Scientists have discovered a method of creating stem cells (an unspecialized cell that has the ability to become any various differentiated cell) from an embryo. Genetic copies of DNA from a living healthy person are inserted into an egg which divides in the process of cell division or meiosis, and grows into an embryo. If the process is successful, stem cells are then extracted, with the healthy gene placed in the DNA, the cells can divides and produce a healthful system. This whole procedure is for the purpose of improving treatment. However, this action puts fear into a lot of people’s minds of using stem cells for other purposes (Healy). Stem cells can be produced for the desire of new treatments has the potential to fight viruses in the human system and the prosperity will soon outweighed the terror of human cloning. Therapeutic cloning has the potential use stem cells to cure diseases. Although there are many benefits the process of obtaining stem cells depends upon the massacre of the embryo. Nonetheless the benefitsShow MoreRelatedHuman Cloning : An Argument Against Human Reproductive Cloning2226 Words   |  9 PagesExplain in full the ‘life in the shadow’ argument against human reproductive cloning. How might the argument be objected to? Do you regard the argument to be morally decisive, in the sense that it establishes that human cloning for purely reproductive purposes must never be permitted? Explain and defend your answer. Introduction: As the advancement of time, the concept of human cloning can become a reality as with the breakthrough of biotechnology. Human cloning can be defined in terms of formationRead MoreArguments Against Human Cloning1986 Words   |  8 Pages According to Judith A. Boss, author of Analyzing Moral Issues, cloning is an asexual reproduction process in which genetically identical individuals are produced (Boss 126). Two authors, specifically, Julian Savulescu and Leon Kass have very distinct and different points of view on cloning and genetic enhancement. Human cloning has become a significant argument that most people have a stance either for or against it. Cloning is allowed and occurs in our society today, but whether one finds it acceptableRead MoreEssay about Argument Against Human Cloning1902 Words   |  8 Pagesapplied to humans, this percentage may decrease and become lower and more unpredictable. With lives at stake, is it worth the risk of the embryos involved in the unstable pr ocess? 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This essay explores the various ethical issues related to the cloning debate, and seeks answers to this deep philosophical question at the heart of bioethics. As a student of genetic biology and future biologist, this question also has personal relevance. Our science is evolving at a rapid pace. As human cloning becomes increasingly possible, itRead MoreThe Ethics of Cloning Essay1504 Words   |  7 PagesAccording to Richard Dawkins â€Å"Cloning may be good and it may be bad. Probably its a bit of both. The question must not be greeted with reflex hysteria but decided quietly, soberly and on its own merits. We need less emotion and more thought† (Dawkins, 2011). Cloning is a general term used to describe the replication of biological material (Cloning Fact Sheet, 2009). Throughout this paper the reasoning behind why cloning is an acceptable and potentially life changing science will be examinedRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Cloning872 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many arguments against cloning. Leon R. Kass bases his argument on repugnance in his article The Wisdom of Repugnance. He is a well-known physician, educator and scientist. Kass perceives cloning as offensive, grotesque revolting, repulsive and wrong. To establish his argument he states, â€Å"Most people recoil from the prospect of mass production or human being, with large clones of look-alikes, compromised in their individuality.†1 His rationale is cloning is unnatural, because it is asexualRead MoreEvaluation Of A Good Argument1394 Words   |  6 Pagesviolated the sufficiency criterion of a good argument. The author has violates the sufficiency criteria by committing the fallacy of false analogy. In paragraph 4 the author states, â€Å"In the mid 1940s – before publicly funded healthcare – my grand parents sold their car to pay the hospital bill related to my father’s birth, so â€Å"purchasing† the birth of a child is nothing new.† This is a wrong analogy. Just because you pay for hospital bill and cloning, does not make them the same. In one situationRead MoreThe Ethical Implications Of Science And Technology1147 Words   |  5 Pagesmight come next: human cloning. As reported in the article, â€Å"Clinton Bars Federal Funds for Human Cloning Research† by CNN, in 1997, President Clinton stopped all federal funding for cloning. â€Å"Clinton also called on privately funded researchers to voluntarily implement a temporary moratorium on human cloning research ‘until our bioethics advisory committee and our entire nation has had time to... debate the ethical implications’† (CNN). With scientific discoveries such as cloning many people rely