Every Deal Comes With a Price

In multiple cultures, Faustian bargains exist in legends in varying degrees. Basically, a Faustian bargain consists of a naive person craving power, knowledge, love, etc and a demon or supernatural higher power. The person sells their soul away to acquire what they most greatly crave. These legends derive from Dr. Faustus, a play written by Christopher Marlowe. In this play Dr. Faustus wishes for knowledge, so he summons a demon and ends up selling his soul to Lucifer. On his final day, before he is taken to Hell, he attempts to repent, regretting his decision. It was too late for Dr. Faustus though. The lesson here is that selling your soul, whether it be your legitimate soul or figurative soul, comes with a price and typically ends with regret. If you have to sell your soul, it most likely is not worth it.

In our society today, people do not sell their legitimate souls, but figuratively they do often. Our whole society and economy is based on a Faustian bargain. We take finite resources from the environment daily. On the one side, the economy expands and we have resources that allow our population to expand. On the other side though, our industries have signed their souls away in the sense that eventually, the human race will ruin this world and use up all of these resources. These bargains also occur in relationships and the business world. Some people will give up anything for someone they love, but end up hurt in the end. In the business world, some people are ruthless and will do anything to get to the top. They do things that end friendships and soil their reputation. People do not ever think of the consequences. They have their eye on the prize and that's all that matters to them. People in today's society should learn from Dr. Faustus; every deal they make comes with a price.

Feminism And Oppression

    Feminism exists today and has existed in reality and literature throughout our history as humans. Feminism is the belief and fight for women's rights and gender equality. On the other hand, oppression is the prolonged, unjust control and silence of someone or something. Sexism counters the ideology of feminism and exists today in the work place, the media, and in everyday life. In the work place, women are often paid less and not trusted with higher ranked jobs. Women are oppressed and ignored because of their gender. In the media, women are often dehumanized and airbrushed to perfection. Their real beauty is not accepted in the media. In everyday life, women deal with double-standards and thought of as weak. Even in most fairy tales, women are the princesses searching for that prince that will save them from their despair instead of saving themselves.  
In literature, many novels and short stories target feminism. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator is ill and to heal her, her husband isolates her in a room with captivating yellow wallpaper. Her disease worsens and she breaks, becoming unstable. Her husband refuses to listen to her because he is the doctor and he knows what is best. In The Awakening, Edna is unhappy with her life and breaks away from her husband. She tries to change her life to achieve happiness, but she is unsuccessful. The only way she can free herself is through suicide. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam and Laila are forced to marry Rasheed and have his children. He will not allow them to leave the house without permission and he beats them. This is accepted in their culture. In Afghanistan, the women are oppressed and viewed as possessions. Mariam has to murder Rasheed to save Laila and escape. She does not free herself until she signs her death contract, accepting her fate. These stories capture true ideologies that have occurred throughout history and people are fighting back.

Then and Now: Gender Equality

         A Thousand Splendid Suns begins with the life of a young girl named Mariam living with her mother, Nana. They reside in a kolba on the outskirts after they are cast out from Mariam's father, Jalil's, home. Nana refuses to allow Mariam attend school and tells her that the only thing she needs to learn is how to endure life. When Mariam wishes to spend time with her father, Nana hangs herself. Thus, resulting in Mariam moving in with Jalil where she is treated as illegitimate and is married off to Rasheed. Mariam is forced into marriage, forced into pregnancy, and forced to be an obeying wife. Rasheed also forces her to wear a burqa, a garment that covers her face. He says that only he should be allowed to view her face. Mariam is treated as a possession. She is then forced to chew on rocks when Rasheed criticizes her food, claiming that bad food is the only thing she gives to him in the marriage. The story then switches to focus on Laila's life. While her brother's are praised and loved, Laila is pushed to the side. She is overlooked and neglected. Her school teacher supports gender equality and communism, but this doesn't reach the home life. Her mother then claims she wishes to stay alive for her boys, leaving out Laila. The women in this novel are suppressed and kept from breaking away and creating their own life. 

            Currently in Afghanistan, the country has a fourteen percent literacy rate for females. The Karzai government had also passed a law in 2009, legalizing rape in marriage and forbidding women from working without their husband's permission. This keeps women from rising socially and economically. Their society and government suppresses them. This also occurs in the United States under different circumstances. Typically, women are expected to cook, clean, and stay at home with the kids instead of following their own career path. This is portrayed in literature and other sources of entertainment. According to Dr. Pat Heim, gender roles are defined in childhood. From birth, boys and girls are treated different; boys receive blue blankets while girls receive pink blankets. During childhood, boys are taught the hierarchy through rougher play. They are taught to listen to the coach or superior, to man-up, and to get to the goal line, as well as how to handle losses. On the other end of the bell curve, girls are taught to play nice with others and that there is no top doll player. Women are treated separately and play different games even at a young age.  In the business world, women also often receive a lesser salary than a male coworker in the same position. This gender inequality is still occurring today in Afghanistan and our own country in various settings.

Cultural Relativism: Insightful or Misleading?

This article lays out the truth and the misleading concepts in the theory of cultural relativism. This theory focuses on the belief that there is not a universal truth in ethics and that the society decides what is morally right and what is morally wrong. One thing I strongly agree with in this theory is that we should tolerate the practices of other cultures and not judge the conduct of other people. In Things Fall Apart, this is shown throughout the novel. The Umuofia clan, caught in their cultural ways, attempted to resist the influence of the Christians, defining them as evil for believing in something different. On the other side, the Christians were not willing to work with the Umuofia clan and coexist. To the  This also applies in today's society. We as humans judge one another and label people of other cultures. Those who follow their own traditions are often outcasts in different societies, which leads to racism of varying degrees.
While the theory holds truth, it is also misleading. The theory implies that we should not say that certain customs in other societies are morally wrong. One example given in the article is a society waging war on its neighbors to gain slaves. This is morally wrong and harming others, but since it is in their culture, other societies should not step in to stop the harm.In Things Fall Apart, the Christians are destroying villages and forcing people to convert to their "superior" religion and culture. Since this is part of their culture's religion and they view it as right, it must not be wrong. Ignoring the theory, it is obvious what they are doing is wrong and harmful to others. Today, in society, there are still murders done by cults and in different societies, making it acceptable in their eyes. Since it is okay in their culture, should the law dismiss it? In some perspectives, that is what the theory implies.
All in all, there are multiple ways to interpret this theory. Some interpretations are positive while others are negative. In the end, the theory just teaches us that there is no rational standard and that we should keep an open mind. If the many villages had an open-mind to Christianity, they could have avoided a lot of the suffering they experienced. If the Christians had an open-mind, they could have worked with the various villages and still expanded their religion. Understanding this theory can lead to a more peaceful existence.

Revenge and Literature

  Revenge is the need to make another suffer to regain pride or recover from embarrassment. Anybody can be the victim of revenge and anyone can be the person committing the act of revenge. It is shown throughout everyday life in school settings, work settings, and public settings. Kids can spread rumors about other kids as a form of revenge in school. Kids can also bully others to heal their pride and get revenge. Coworkers can sabotage their bosses or other coworkers to get revenge. People can steal or commit more serious acts to get revenge as well. Revenge can change a good person into a monster, it is in human nature. The need for revenge can lead to madness and can ruin a person's life.

   In literature, revenge and the negative side effects of revenge are themes of various novels and plays. For example, Wuthering Heights focuses on Heathcliff, a young man wishing to get revenge on Hindley, who neglected him as a child. He treats Hareton with neglect and keeps him from life experiences and education when Hareton did nothing wrong. He then wishes to get revenge on the Linton family for Edgar stealing Catherine. He becomes obsessed with revenge and craves Catherine's attention. This ultimately drives Catherine away and leads to Heathcliff's illness and death. Another example is in Hamlet. Hamlet, the main character, becomes obsessed with the idea of avenging his father's murder by his uncle. He procrastinates often and pretends to be overtaken by madness. He neglects Ophelia who ends up alone. He also drives himself mad; kills Polonius by accident when he struck a curtain, thinking it was his uncle; and he ended up dying in a sword fight after causing the death of his mother and his supposed friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Revenge can affect others as well as the victim and the committer of revenge.

What Makes a Hero

   What do you think of when you hear the words “hero” and “villain”? Do you think of Thor and Loki? What about Batman and the Joker? Or, do you think about policemen and everyday criminals? Everyone defines what heroes and villains are in their own way. Today, some people view heroes as super humans, like Superman. Superheroes have special abilities that set him or her above society and the hero has a super villain fighting against him/her and the society. They are honored by the cities they defend and they always come out on top. Other people view policemen, firefighters, and soldiers as heroes. These people defend our country, they defend our society, and they are inspiring and real people. These men and women are people that the younger generations can aspire to be. Another form of a hero could be an everyday person on the street, like someone's parent, friend, or celebrity. Many people describe a hero as someone they can look up to. If a person is struggling in school, their tutor could be their hero. If someone overcomes poverty, that person could potentially be someone else's hero. A celebrity who donates money to charity or who simply acts or sings well could be a person's hero. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. They all have various character traits and don't need a super power to be honored. 

    In Beowulf, a hero was one who defeated monsters and was brave, honorable, and loyal. To be considered a hero, Beowulf needed to slay not only Grendel and Grendel's mother, but the dragon as well. He was brave and loyal, but he did express hubris and boasted of his greatness. Heroes during this time had tragic flaws. Tragic flaws include hubris, indecisiveness, and narcissism. This flaw usually led to their downfall. For Beowulf, it was hubris. He wanted to fight the dragon on his own and the only warrior to stay by his side was Wiglaf. During Beowulf's time, an honorable death and a large funeral were necessary for heroes and every warrior wanted to die honorably. Beowulf received a large, glorious funeral, for he died honorably and saved the kingdom from the fearsome dragon. 

    Today, we also give our heroes funerals and honor them after their passing. Most soldiers have special funerals. An everyday person has a funeral as well with family and friends honoring the life they led. We, as humans, continue to honor those who have past on when we visit their graves and place flowers down for them. Anyone can be a hero and today's definition is more realistic and tangible. Yes, it is good for people to dream big and enjoy reading about and watching their favorite super heroes, but it is better for a child or adult to look up to a hero in their community. It allows them to have reachable dreams instead of dreaming of super powers. Anyone can be a hero and we should always keep that in the back of our minds. Beowulf is a hero, but so are everyday people.  

The Treatment of Prisoners in Various Settings

 The Power of One, through the eyes of the young protagonist named Peekay, exemplifies the treatment of prisoners at the Barberton prison. When Doc is taken to the prison, Peekay visits him and begins to learn the methods of boxing from a boxing squad at the prison. The prisoners at Barberton are South Africans under the control of white prison guards. They are treated poorly, discriminated against, beaten, and forced to wear tattered clothing. When inspectors come, the prison forces the inmates to wear neat uniforms. As soon as the inspectors leave, the tattered and dirty clothing is forced upon the inmates once again. Borman, a violent warder, murders Geel Piet, a good friend and trainer of Peekay, in the gym of the prison. In a way, this gives Peekay strength and another person in his life to fight for and keep in the back of his mind while boxing. Also in prison, there are groups of people separated by their tribes and views. They do not get along well.  The experiences in the prison makes Peekay stronger and a better person. It is where he shows his intelligence and creativity to bring the prisoners together for outdoor piano concerts on Sunday nights. This is when he becomes known as the "Tadpole Angel" and is a major developmental step in his life. The horrid treatment of prisoners does not just happen in literature though.                                                                     Prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison were sexually and physically abused, tortured, and killed by American soldiers during the war in Iraq. This shocked many Americans, but the hard truth is that prisoner abuse happens across the United States in various prisons. Inmates are beaten with batons, fists, and feet; shot; stunned with electronic devices; doused with chemical sprays; choked; slammed onto concrete floors and into concrete walls; burned; and sexually abused by prison guards. Inmates are emotionally scarred, physically harmed, and some end up dying. Most officers are professional and do their job, but the few that act out and harm inmates are usually overlooked. Even youth in juvenile detention centers are abused. In Arizona, disturbing sexual abuse and violent punishments were reported. The Maryland State Police had to file charges against staff and a youth facility for restraining a juvenile while three others kicked and abused the youth.
 I feel that prison guards commit these acts because they know that they can get away with it because of the position they hold. They feel as if they hold the power over the lives of the inmates and take out their anger on the prisoners. It is disturbing and wrong how anyone can torture, abuse, and harm a person. No matter what the prisoner has done to earn their stay at the prison, it doesn't change the fact that they are a human being and should be treated as such. Their punishment by law was being sent to prison and no prison guard has the authority to take matters into their own hands and harm an inmate who is just trying to make it by in the already stressful and harsh setting. Other inmates also make life on certain prisoners extra difficult. They may take their anger of being caught and punished out on other inmates. Some prisoners refuse to leave their cells in fear of being beaten while others fear returning to their cells if their cellmates are abusive. I understand that prisons are not suppose to have perfect conditions with opportunities for easy life, but prison guards and certain inmates have taken it too far. These horrifying acts need to be put to an end with abusive inmates being moved to restricted areas and abusive guards being fired and charged for their actions.