Theme of outsiders Essay Example for Free

Theme of outsiders Essay Probably the first indication of the theme of outsiders is the arrival of heathcliff to Wuthering heights as a child. Old Mr. Earnshaw returns to his family from a trip to Liverpool with the child as a gift from god but the more liked observation is the childrens remark of him as a gipsy brat and a dirty ragged black-haired child. Catherine and Hindley immediately dislike the outsider mainly because the presents which their father had promised had been either crushed or lost on the way home . Mrs. earshaw too is appalled at the idea of having to feed him and clothe him as well. He is considered an outsider more than any other character in the novel because, well because he is! , metaphorically and literally. He is then reduced to the status of a servant or in other words he has been turned into a pariah-an outcast, when Earnshaw died and passed Wuthering heights to Hindley. He drove him from their company to the servants, depriving him of the instructions of the curate, and insisted that he should labour out of doors instead. When heathcliff and Cathy were caught at Thrushcross Grange , laughing at the lintons they were both considered social outsiders to Thrushcross Grange, even though Cathy isnt, they two together were because they were foreigners. The residents launched a bull dog at the pair which is the ultimate sign of unwelcomeness and inhospitability. Heathcliff was accused of being a theif almost instantaneously for the way he looks, which was an out-and-outer. The role of the outsider should not be overlooked because the setting of Wuthering Heights is one of complete isolation. The moors connecting Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange serve a double purpose linking the two households while still separating them from the village and all others. This isolated setting is important for Brontes combination of realism and gothic symbolism. Living beyond the bounds of society means that the outsider, whoever it may be is seen as a suspicious and threatening entity, someone who has to be excluded or isolated for the good of the society at . this is an example of how the outsider has now become the enemy and a threat to society and yet still occupies a position of vulnerability. Isolation is a concept of utter importance in all gothic novels and is closely linked to the idea of the outsider. This is very easy to see in novels such as Dracula with the secluded castle on the mountain tops or Frankenstein in the far end of the arctic. And so Bronte is actually forced to use this symbolism and create a desolate world for her characters . This is also an indication of how Bronte was brought up, in Emilys whole life the only places she favoured to go to were her the moors and her home, Emilys isolation and unsociability also affected her story. The setting of the novel is only limited to two dwellings Wuthering heights and Thrushcross grange and moors around them and the only nearby village is gimmerton which is rather far from both dwellings. Lockwoods first impression of the place is in all England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society this indicates the extent to which Wuthering heights stands alone and isolated this is somewhat symbolic for it distances the cruel, barbarous and bizarrely excessive events from everyday life. It also shows the helplessness of the victims of these events and their defenselessness since it is very difficult to get help. One of the most outspoken and clearly proving-its-existence quotes is we dont in general take to foreigners here, Mr. Lockwood, unless they take to us first this shows that outsiders are definitely unwelcomed guests and are only to be approved of after they can be trusted and even after they have been taken into guardianship (for example young Heathcliff, Hareton and Linton) they can still be prejudiced and treated infernally. The second example of an outsider in Wuthering heights (after Heathcliff) is of course Isabella linton she has been taken out of her home at thrushcross grange and moved to the outsider status in Wuthering heights she writes (to nelly dean) youll not be surprised ,Ellen, at my feeling particularly cheerless, seated in worse than solitude, on that inhospitable hearth . Isabella also becomes an outsider to her own brother, Edgar as soon as she elopes with Heathcliff and bears his child. She is left homeless since the residents of her new home treat her as an unwelcomed guest and her brother wont take to her either Hereafter she is only my sister in name; not because I disown her, but because she has disowned me. . This can be seen from another point of view, Isabella has become an outsider simpy because she has married one. The third and final example is of course, Hareton linton he has been born into a house lacking of love or any feeling to nurture him into growing up into a healthy young man, but he is then introduced to Catherine who rather tames him in a way and bringing his illiterate, ignorant self to an end. He is turned into an outsider ever since he was taken under Heathcliffs care, or in this case lack of it. Heathcliff degrades hareton and puts him into the same treatment he has been through (which led him to become an outsider in the past). Hareton lacked education and gentleness and in one instance Heathcliff had to remind him how to act when catherine first visited Dont use any bad words; and dont stare, when the young lady is not looking at you, and be ready to turn your face when she is. The theme of outsiders is also existant in the color purple in many characters. First and foremost Celie she is an outsider in every aspect. When she is at home with her pa being raped and enslaved into working hard and still keeping quite and not fight back whatever happens to her. She is also an outsider to her own self she does not know who she is (I am) and does not understand her body, she becomes an outsider to her 2 children and does not get to know them and hence they become outsiders. Mr____ tries to define her being you black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, you nothing at all but fails since his description is merely superficial but still has a big affect on celies development. Another social outsider in the color purple is of course Shug Avery, in the beginning of the novel she was discriminated against for being well, a slut, hussy, heifer and street cleaner of course people did not consider that as a life choice because of the platitude people at that time had for the role of women especially black women. When Shug Avery became sick nobody in this town wants to take the Queen Honeybee in. Everyone is afraid of her because they believe that Shug has the nasty woman disease. The olinka people are made to be outsiders to the whites that own the land, but have very different lifestyle which cause them to be unwanted. Tashi did not want to marry Adam because she feared she would be discriminated against in America because of the different way she looks and because she is an outsider again both metaphorically and literally.

A Suffering God :: Essays Papers

A Suffering God Most people in this world have an idea of who or what God is. Whether they believe in God or not, they have certain conceptions that they use to define God. Traditionally, due in large part to classical theism, people define God mostly by His omnipotence. A lot of people have an image of God being an all-powerful ruler over the entire universe. These ideas come out of a mindset that affirms the greatest being must be the one with all the power. They imagine a being that is so far above the world, that He cannot be affected by what humans do. They want to continually affirm that He is completely unchanged, unmoving, and compassionless. To uphold this belief denies a good portion of Scripture as well as liturgical tradition within the church. For example, Hosea 11 describes God’s compassion and concern growing for the Israelites in a way that assumes God’s changing emotions (Inbody 145). This power-based concept of God essentially leads to some of the biggest problems in accepting faith. For example, if God is all-powerful, why does he allow evil to exist in the world? Furthermore, if God is all-powerful, then how can humans or any creatures have real freedom (Placher xiii)? It seems impossible to answer these questions by denying that evil and freedom exist. It can be clearly seen and argued that bad things occur in this world, just as every person can understand they have freedom when they act. Classical theism puts an extreme emphasis on God’s omnipotence and seems to make God responsible for the pain and suffering in the world. As a result, God ends up getting the blame for the mistakes found in His creation. It becomes necessary, then, to propose a scheme in which God is not so powerful that He is incapable of relating and in which He also remains God. The best way to do this is to change the way one perceives God. This does not mean people are forced to abandon the biblical witness of God, but instead to come up with a better way to understand the Bible’s language concerning God. Too often people, especially Christians, jump to conclusions in defining God in terms of power. They overlook one of the main themes of the Bible that is summed up in 1 John 4:8: God is love. Once people understand that love is the key characteristic of God’s nature, it becomes much easier to produce meaningful conceptions of God.

Legal Rational Authority Essay

Rational-legal authority (also known as rational authority, legal authority, rational domination, legal domination, or bureaucratic authority) is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a ruling regime is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy and bureaucracy. The majority of the modern states of the twentieth century are rational-legal authorities, according to those who use this form of classification Authority Types Traditional authority is legitimated by the sanctity of tradition. The ability and right to rule is passed down, often through heredity. It does not change overtime, does not facilitate social change, tends to be irrational and inconsistent, and perpetuates the status quo. In fact, Weber states: â€Å"The creation of new law opposite traditional norms is deemed impossible in principle.† Traditional authority is typically embodied in feudalism or patrimonialism. In a purely patriarchal structure, â€Å"the servants are completely and personally dependent upon the lord†, while in an estate system (i.e. feudalism), â€Å"the servants are not personal servants of the lord but independent men† (Weber 1958, 4). But, in both cases the system of authority does not change or evolve. Charismatic authority is found in a leader whose mission and vision inspire others. It is based upon the perceived extraordinary characteristics of an individual. Weber saw a charismatic leader as the head of a new social movement, and one instilled with divine or supernatural powers, such as a religious prophet. Weber seemed to favor charismatic authority, and spent a good deal of time discussing it. In a study of charisma and religion, Riesebrodt argues that Weber also thought charisma played a strong – if not integral – role in traditional authority systems. Thus, Weber’s favor for charismatic authority was particularly strong, especially in focusing on what happened to it with the death or decliAne of a charismatic leader. Charismatic authority is â€Å"routinized† in a number of ways according to Weber: orders are traditionalized, the staff or followers change into legal or â€Å"estate-like† (traditional) staff, or the meaning of charisma itself may undergo change. Legal-rational authority is empowered by a formalistic belief in the content of the law (legal) or natural law (rationality). Obedience is not given to a  specific individual leader – whether traditional or charismatic – but a set of uniform principles. Weber thought the best example of legal-rational authority was a bureaucracy (political or economic). This form of authority is frequently found in the modern state, city governments, private and public corporations, and various voluntary associations. In fact, Weber stated that the â€Å"development of the modern state is identical indeed with that of modern officialdom and bureaucratic organizations just as the development of modern capitalism is identical with the increasing bureaucratization of economic enterprise. Inter-relationships Weber’s theory of authority is very rich and intricate. Weber and others have detailed many interesting relationships and processes occurring between the types. Blau’s â€Å"Critical Remarks on Weber’s Theory of Authority† explains two of these in particular, components that either strengthen or weaken an authority type in regards to another. The three authority types may be re-enforced by traits that differentiate them from other types. Traditional authority is impersonal (unlike charisma) and non-rational (unlike legal-rational). Charismatic authority is dynamic (unlike tradition) and non-rational (again, unlike legal-rational). Finally, legal-rational authority is dynamic (unlike tradition) and impersonal (unlike charisma). Conversely, Blau means to say that traditional is un-dynamic, charisma is personal, and legal-rational is rational. The likelihood of retaining a particular type of authority may depend on the ability of that authority system to retain the traits that make it unique and reject the traits that make it more conducive to another authority type. LEGAL-RATIONAL AUTHORITY IS RATIONAL In charismatic authority Weber considers charisma to be a driving and creative force which surges through traditional authority and established rules. The sole basis of charismatic authority is the recognition or acceptance of the claims of the leader by the followers. While it is irrational, in that it is not calculable or systematic, it can be revolutionary, breaking traditional rule and can even challenge legal authority. Weber notes that traditional authority is irrational. It blocks the development of rational or legal forms of authority or acts as a barrier to the development of more rational or legal forms of authority characteristic of western societies. traditional authority a means by which inequality is created and preserved. Where no challenge to the authority of the traditional leader or group is made, then the leader is likely to remain dominant. Legal-rational authority is a particular system containing humans, like e.g. organizations, there is some authority acting as a stabilizing factor making e.g. employees follow the directions of the leaders. Authority helps to prevent anarchy, and help to define a clear hierarchy of decision-making. A clear hierarchy will potentially lead to an effective organization, consisting of strong and legitimate authority relations between leaders and followers. This authority is only granted leaders if followers find his or her authority legitimate. This illustrates the fictitious believe that leaders automatically posses authority. Instead, leaders are given authority by their followers to e.g. inspire, control and command. If authority is to be seen legitimate, the relation between authority and followers must be balanced, so that the authority relation is accepted by the followers. Legal-Rational authority rests on the belief in the â€Å"legality† of formal rules and hierarchies, and in the right of those elevated in the hierarchy to posses authority and issue commands. This type of authority is often seen as legitimate in bureaucratic systems, which enables impersonal, specific and formal structures of modern companies. People will hence find this type of authority legitimate, if the authority is distributed to leaders based on e.g. rationality and capability. Particular authority types can lose their power to – and thus transition into – other types by some of the following ways. Revolutionary ideals can be advocated by a charismatic leader or the rational pursuit of ends via abstract formal principles can both weaken traditional authority. Revolutionary charismatic movements can be crystallized into a traditional order or bureaucratized into a rational formal organization. Finally, the irrational forces and powers of tradition In traditional authority, the  legitimacy of the authority comes from tradition. Charismatic authority is legitimized by the personality and leadership qualities of the ruling individual. Finally, rational-legal authority derives its powers from the system of bureaucracy and legality. Legal rationality and legitimacy Under rational-legal authority, legitimacy is seen as coming from a legal order and the laws that have been enacted in it. Weber defined legal order as a system where the rules are enacted and obeyed as legitimate because they are in line with other laws on how they can be enacted and how they should be obeyed. Further, they are enforced by a government that monopolizes their enactment and the legitimate use of physical force. The Legal Mode of Authority (Legitimate Domination) This is Weber’s typology of the modes of legitimate domination. The actors can ascribe legitimate validity to an order in a variety of ways. The order can be recognized as legitimate, first, by virtue of tradition, valid is that which has always been. Second, the order may be treated as legitimate by virtue of affectual,especially emotional, faith; this situation occurs especially in the case of the newly revealed or the exemplary. Third, the order may be treated as legitimate by virtue of value rational faith: valid is that which has been deduced as absolutely demanded. Fourth, legitimacy can be ascribed to an order by virtue of positive enactment of recognized legality. Such legality can be recognized as legitimate either because the enactment has been agreed upon by all those who are concerned; or by virtue of imposition by a domination of human beings over human beings which is treated as legitimate and meets with acquiescence. Orders based on tradition, affect, and value rationality can be reinforced by enacted law. Weber states from another source that what distinguishes legal rational authority, from charismatic authority and traditional authority on the one hand and leadership, persuasion and influence on the other hand, is legitimacy. Superiors feel that they have a right to issue commands; subordinates perceive an obligation to obey. Social scientist agree that authority is but one of several resources available to incumbents in formal positions For example, a Head of State is dependent upon a similar nesting  of authority. His legitimacy must be acknowledged, not just by citizens, but by those who control other valued resources: his immediate staff, his cabinet, military leaders and in the long run, the administration and political apparatus of the entire society. Emergence of the modern state Rational-legal authority is rational among the three types of authority in the sense that it brought about the Emergence of the modern state. Weber wrote that the modern state based on rational-legal authority emerged from the patrimonial and feudal struggle for power .The prerequisites for the modern Western state are: 1.monopolization by central authority of the means of administration and control based on a centralized and stable system of taxation and use of physical force 2.monopolization of legislative 3.organization of an officialdom, dependent upon the central authority Weber argued that some of those attributes have existed in various time or places, but together they existed only in Occidental civilization. The conditions that favored this were emergence of rational-legal rationality (various status groups in the Occident promoted that emergence) emergence of modern officialdom (bureaucracy), which required 1.development of the money economy, where officials are compensated in money instead of kind (usually land grants) 2.quantitative and qualitative expansion of administrative tasks 3.centralisation and increased efficiency of administration. Modern state According to Max Weber, a modern state exists where a political community has: * an administrative and legal order that has been created and can be changed by legislation that also determines its role * binding authority over citizens and actions in its jurisdiction * the right to legitimately use the physical force in its jurisdiction An important attribute of Weber’s definition of a modern state was that it is a bureaucracy. The vast majority of the modern states from the 20th century onward fall under the rational-legal authority category Bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is â€Å"the existence of a specialized administrative staff†.  According to Weber, beaucracy is a particular type of administrative structure developed through rational-legal authority. Weber noted that bureaucracy resolves some of the shortcomings of the traditional system. His view view of bureaucracy was a system of power where leaders exercise control over others — a system based on discipline. Weber stressed that the rational-legal form was the most stable of systems for both superiors and subordinates — it’s more reliable and clear, yet allows the subordinate more independence and discretion. Subordinates ideally can challenge the decisions of their leaders by referring to the stated rules — charisma becomes less important. As a result, bureaucratic systems can handle more complex operations than traditional system. RATIONAL LEGAL SYSTEM Another source reveals that legal-rational authority brings about the development of a rational legal system, there is likely to be a political system which becomes rationalized in a similar way. Associated with this are constitutions, written documents, established offices, regularized modes of representation, regular elections and political procedures. These are developed in opposition to earlier systems such as monarchies or other traditional forms, where there are no well developed set of rules. As a political or legal system develops in this rational manner, authority takes on a legal form. Those who govern or rule either have, or appear to have, a legitimate legal right to do so. Those who are subordinate within this system accept the legality of the rulers, believing they have the legitimate right to exercise power. Those with power then exercise power based on this right of legitimacy. REFERENCES * Max Weber’s Sociology in the Genealogy of the Contemporary Mode of Western Legal Thought- Duncan Kennedy * Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia- Rational-legal authority * Ashley, David and David Michael Orenstein, Sociological Theory: Classical Statements, third edition, Boston, Allyn and Bacon, 1995. * Cohen, Ira J., â€Å"Theories of Action and Praxis,† in Bryan S. Turner, editor, The Blackwell Companion to Social Theory, Oxford, Blackwell, 1996.. * Hadden, Richard W., Sociological Theory: An Introduction to the Classical Tradition, Peterborough, Broadview Press, 1997. * Ritzer, George, Sociological Theory, third edition, New York, McGraw-Hill.. * Blau, P. M. (1963). â€Å"Critical remarks on Weber’s theory of authority†. The American Political Science Review, * Crass, C. (2003). Collective liberation on my mind. Montrà ©al: Kersplebedeb. * Max Weber-Traditional, Rational –Legal and Charismatic Authority –By Dana Williams

Booker T Washington Vs Dubois Analysis - 930 Words

Near the close of the nineteenth century, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois both strived for change in ending racism each in their own way. There are some people that believed the peaceful way that Washington went about achieving change to end racism was the best way, and there are others that believed that DuBois’ idea to agitate to achieve the end of racism was a better plan. Washington was very non-confrontational in his stance of how African-American people should ultimately achieve this goal. DuBois tried to achieve the goal in a very aggressive way compared to his contemporaries, including Washington. Washington, in his â€Å"Atlanta Exposition Address†, called for the appeasement of the people in the North and the South, and in†¦show more content†¦DuBois also had distinct theories of what he thought African-Americans needed to put into practice, so that they would not be oppressed any longer. DuBois definitely saw the value and worth of African-American people getting both industrial and traditional education. DuBois envisioned all African-Americans being well educated, in the industrial arts and the classics, which would lead to being able to rise up in the world as leaders and teachers. DuBois explained Washington’s mindset as â€Å"And so thoroughly did he learn the speech and thought of triumphant commercialism, and the ideals of material prosperity, that the picture of a lone black boy poring over a French grammar amid the weeds and dirt of a neglected home soon seemed to him the acme of absurdities.† (DuBois, 2). Washington recommended that African-Americans should start by being in the workforce first, and then after they get wealthy, gaining power through other means and equality would come. Washington thought that his way, his process of easing into society and ending racism, was better than trying to make several demands all at once. DuBois didn’t seem to be as patient with how slowly things were progressing along with the end of racism. So much so, that DuBois believed that African-Americans should fight for their rights as humans to be immediately integrated completely into society.