Themes of Identity and Heritage in White Teeth - 1152 Words

Themes of Identity and Heritage in White Teeth A suicidal man with no place in the world, an African American woman who wants to get away from her own mother, and a Bengali man who is conflicted with himself and his culture; these characters make the basis for almost all events in Zadie Smith’s novel, White Teeth. The story of White Teeth takes place in a diverse London between the periods of 1974 and 1992, beginning with Archie Jones attempt at suicide. Archie and his long time friend Samad and their families must cope with their internal struggles and solve their external conflicts with each other throughout the novel. Through this process roots and relationships are discovered. In White Teeth, Smith includes a variety of themes, revealed using a wide range of different literary devices. One of the most crucial themes in the book is the repetition of the theme, identity and heritage. Identity and heritage are a crucial part of how the book’s story unravels. Smith reveals this theme using a multitude of literary el ements, which include the use of setting, imagery, characterization, and more. Some devices are used more than others, and others even barely. The most essential ways Smith uses these devices to convey the theme of identity and heritage is through the use of allegory, symbolism, and characterization. With allegory, we will first start with Samad. Samad plays an important role in conveying allegory, and a mixture of hidden themes, just based on how his thoughtsShow MoreRelatedWhen The Emperor Was Divine Leads The Reader Through The Journey Of One Family1678 Words   |  7 PagesOtsuka brings to light the persecution of Japanese-Americans through her use of symbols prominent throughout the book. Some of the most important being the symbol of stains, their family dog, and horses. Each has a double-meaning pointing towards the theme of widespread racism. Racism that led many Japanese-Americans into believing that they were guilty. Stains are the predominant symbol in the very beginning of the novel. By definition, stains are things that are not removed easily. Early in the novelRead MoreLiterary Analysis of â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge†800 Words   |  4 Pagesstory is how the white middle class viewed and treated people from different races in the 1960s. The story is an example of irony, redemption as well as a struggle of identity among the characters. The main characters in OConnors story are Julian an aspiring writer, who works as a typewriter salesmen, and his mother who is a low-middle class racist white woman who has strong views about thvxe African-American race. Both Julian and his mother are great depictions of the white mindsets of racialRead More The Oppression of Colonized India Illustrated in Arundhati Roy’s Novel The God of Small Things1505 Words   |  7 Pagestheir own cultural traditions that lead to much of the tragedy; however it can be argued that the underly ing theme within the novel is one of a people oppressed by the colonization of India by England, and how a society already consumed with prejudices based on class (or caste, as the Indian would refer to it) and colour begins to turn on itself, and devalues its own people, culture and heritage. The Kochamma family lives, works and plays together. They do not however communicate with each otherRead More The Influence of Religion in Phillis Wheatleys Life Essay1458 Words   |  6 Pagesthe auction searching for younger, more capable slaves (Weidt 9). Among those chosen, they picked a cheaply priced girl, estimated by her missing front teeth to be about seven or eight years old (Weidt 7). She was also chosen because Susanna felt sorry for her, probably because she was so emaciated (Weidt 9). Because the little girl had no identity, as it was left behind in West Africa, the Wheatleys needed to name her. Like all slave owners, they gave the young girl their last name (Weidt 10). HerRead MoreJames Weldon Johnson s The Autobiography Of An Former Colored Man And Nella Larsen s Passing3489 Words   |  14 PagesThe Theme of Passing, Racial Prejudice and Internalized Racism in James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Nella Larsen’s Passin g The concept of racial passing refers to the occurrence in which an individual is able to transcend racial boundaries. During the Harlem Renaissance, the term â€Å"passing† meant to signify mixed race individuals who were light skinned enough to pass as white and mingle freely within white society, almost completely undetected. This was significantRead MoreBlack Naturalism and Toni Morrison: the Journey Away from Self-Love in the Bluest Eye8144 Words   |  33 Pagesnot. In The Street Lutie Johnson fights the ghetto with a determination that can only be called heroic; her tragedy is that she loses her battle against her surroundings, but her triumph consists of her willingness to break the boundaries that both white and black society had created for African American women in the 1940s. In Toni Cade Bambara s The Lesson, though Silvia is deeply affected by Miss Moore s lesson of where we are is who we are, she remains undaunted and vows ain t nobody gonnaRead MoreEssay on Hon g Kong Post-colonial Cinema4693 Words   |  19 Pagesextent its Chinese identity and its connection to its Motherland, while at the same time, has frequent contact with the Western world, politically, economically, and culturally. Hong Kong’s unique position has made the city a vibrant international metropolis that acts as a bridge between East and West. Yet after it was returned to China in 1997, this former British colony has been constantly reassessing its British past, struggling to find its new position and redefining its identity. The quest forRead MoreGender And Gender Roles : The Black Boys2966 Words   |  12 PagesEach texts depict gender and identity as an outcome of hierarchy, patriarchy and sexuality, readers are able to associate one’s identity as a social construct. Nurse Ratched’s aids the ‘Black Boys’ portray the negative perception that blacks are inferior to white people in society. This delineates American society at which the novel was written due to ongoing racism despite the American Civil Rights Movement. The Black boys carry out her requests by arranging sadistic beatings on the inmates, theyRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesLiterary Analysis ï â„¢ Literary Themes Coming Of Age ïÅ'‡ August 19, 2012 ïÅ'„ lite_admin Coming Of Age https://literacle.com/literary-themes-coming-of-age/ Most scholars agree on a standard definition of the coming-of-age narrative: the coming-of-age narrative: Simply put, it follows the development of a child or adolescent into adulthood. The roots of this narrative theme can be traced back to the bildungsroman, or â€Å"formation novel.† Late 18th-centuryRead MoreDescriptive Analysis6093 Words   |  25 Pageshe did. Alice Adams’s story â€Å"Truth or Consequences† presents the essence of narration and description—an adult recounting a specific yet universal childhood experience. A frame story that mixes details of the past and present, it subtly embodies themes opposing stereotyping that are common among all of the readings in this section of the text. THE WRITING The writing assignments that conclude this section ask students to experiment with these strategies in their own essays. As students plan their

Old Buildings Free Essays

Many old buildings are protected by law because they are part of a nation’s history. However, some people think they should be knocked down to make way for new ones because people need houses and offices. How important is it to maintain old buildings? Should history stand in the way of progress? In the contemporary age, the contradiction between preserving history and progress becomes increasingly serious, which has disturbed and alarmed many people. We will write a custom essay sample on Old Buildings or any similar topic only for you Order Now In terms of the old buildings, many people assert that old buildings should be protected while others contend they should be knocked down for constructing the new ones. It is widely acknowledged that old buildings play the crucial role in our society. First of all, old buildings are the indispensable parts of the history, which could reveal the historical mysterious and witness the development of history. Meanwhile, many old buildings are the icons or landmarks of the nation. To illustrate, the Forbidden City symbolizes the Chinese time-honored history and becomes the important tourist spot. The existences of old buildings tend to maintain the distinct features of the cities as well as avoid those cosmopolitan cities are awash by the skyscrapers. More specifically, the old buildings reflect the national unique culture lasting hundred and thousand years. However, due to the widespread of demolishing the old buildings, the extinction of culture identity will ensue. Overall, in nowadays, there is unanimous consensus on maintaining old buildings which is the effective method to preserving history. There is no denying that the history gives us overall experience of the nation’s past. Comparing with history, we could draw a host of lessons, thereby avoiding mistakes for current progress. Nevertheless, people empower to pursue blindly the maximum profit for enhancing the level of our daily lives and progress of human society, from the long-term point of view, sacrificing the history to meet our current need would hinder the development. In my view, there is definite link between preserving history and progress but the fundamental contradiction. History is conductive to our progress and we should take it seriously forever. How to cite Old Buildings, Papers

Economics Book Capitalism

Question: Discuss about theEconomicsfor Book Capitalism. Answer: Introduction Paul Bowles is a professor and founding chair in Economics in University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). He is a graduate from London School of Economics and did his Masters from Sussex. He taught at Bristol, Southampton and Sussex before moving to Canada. He is also associated with universities in China and Mexico apart from Canada. His research interests lies in globalization, capitalism and development; especially in the political development of economy in China, global monetary system and development of regional Asia. Paul published his book Capitalism for the first time in 2007. He again introduced another edition of this book in 2012. The name of the book itself throws light on the issue that has been discussed in the book. The essence of the book is a take on the idea and history of capitalism since the time Columbus discovered America. It is an unparalleled concept that is tangled with the economic systems of the world since the beginning of time. Capitalism refers to the state of the economy where the trade, industry and other economic factors are controlled by private owners of capitals, called capitalists, for their own profit, rather than by the state. Paul says in his book that, since fall of the Soviet Union, the world economy has become dominated by capitalists but till today the concept is not widely understood (Bowles). The book focuses on the concept of capitalism, both as economic system and ideology. It addresses the issues, such as, the fundamental, static features of capitalism, the reasons for variations of the idea in different places and different times; whether it improves peoples lives; global capitalism, and whether it is a natural and free system or it is unfair and unbalanced. The author also uses the insights of great thinkers and economists, such as, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, John Maynard Kynes, Milton Friedman, John Locke, James Tobin and Francis Fukuyama. The author concludes with arguments that the concepts of global capitalism have stumbled and it is leading to a recession in the economy. The book is divided into two parts; first is Analysis and Assessment and second is documents. The author has given a basic outline of the book. He has mentioned it as an historical abstract system and it has requirements and dynamics. He also mentions the ways to look at capitalism and those are: Abstractly to recognize defining features Normatively to judge strengths and weaknesses Historically to observe the variations over time and place. The author first discusses, as per several economists, various characteristics of capitalism, as a system where production takes place with the help of private property and ownership, markets exist and the profit generated is private and primary driving force of the economy (Hawken, Amory B. Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins). However, he also mentions that fascist countries are not always capitalist; and private property is a necessary but not a sufficient condition to be classified as a capitalist country. The author also says that market is an important part of the economy and it is a historical process. In the capitalist system, the labour market was a very essential part. The concept of labour class in a capitalist system was created at that time. The profit motive was legal and it explains the dynamism of the system (Esping-Andersen). Bowles captures the evolution of capitalist system overtime by the following ways: Dominant activity: merchant to industrial to financial capitalism. Markets nature: competitive to monopoly capitalism Ownership of firms: owner to managerial Social and technological regulation: mass to flexible production Culture and technology: mass production to consumerist late capitalism. Next, Paul Bowles analyzes the normative arguments for and against the idea of capitalism. He mentions the theories of Karl Marx and Adam Smith. He has found that their theories differ in a significant way due to the gap of the time-period when those were written (Berlin). In chapter 2, Bowles writes about the arguments of the supporters of capitalism, who thinks it is a natural and free system. In chapter 3, he writes the arguments against capitalism, which say it is unjust and unstable (Schumpeter). In the rest of the chapters, his takes on capitalism was historical. He analyzes how features and impacts of capitalism changed over time and how the meaning was different in different places and societies (Prasch). He shows that the growth and recession of capitalism was different in eighteenth century than in nineteenth century. Even the effects were significantly different in Europe and USA (Jones). He cites examples from the neoliberalism theories of Francis Fukuyama, Milton Friedman, Keynes to establish his analysis. Lastly, the author focuses on the term global capitalism. In the era of liberalization and globalization, nations got integrated. Trade and capital mobility increased. Globalization is often referred to as global capitalism. Now in every country, production takes place to earn revenue and incur profit; there are markets for each type of goods and services and those are populated by private firms; labour markets are populated by workers; and in most countries, maximum share of capital is privately owned. A country may not be capitalist itself, but when it is taking part in the global economy, then, it also acts as a capitalist (Bakker and Rachel). Finally, the author compares globalization with regionalism. In the modern century, globalization is capitalism. According to the critics, global capitalism deepens the idea of injustice and instability and that holds true for particular regions too (Piketty and L. J.). Author identified major regional blocks in Europe, United States and East Asia. After the formation of EU, the trade had increased for Europe. USA is fundamentally capitalist country. East Asia consists mainly China, who is the global leader of manufacturing. From various other sources, author cited that these regions are also following the capitalist characteristics. The capital is private, markets for goods and services and labor, profit-making motive, all indicates capitalism (Schneider). Hence, it can be said that, Paul Bowles gave a thorough discussion on the features of capitalism over time and space and its validity in the modern economy. References: Bakker, Isabella, and Rachel Silvey, eds.Beyond states and markets: The challenges of social reproduction. Routledge, 2012. Berlin, Isaiah.Karl Marx. Princeton University Press, 2013. Bowles, Paul.Capitalism. Routledge, 2014. Esping-Andersen, Gosta.The three worlds of welfare capitalism. John Wiley Sons, 2013. Hawken, Paul, Amory B. Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins.Natural capitalism: The next industrial revolution. Routledge, 2013. Jones, Daniel Stedman.Masters of the universe: Hayek, Friedman, and the birth of neoliberal politics. Princeton University Press, 2014. Piketty, Thomas, and L. J. Ganser. "Capital in the twenty-first century." (2014). Prasch, Robert E. "Aristotle, Adam Smith and Karl Marx: On some fundamental issues in 21st century political economy." (2013): 679-682. Schneider, Gerald. "Peace through globalization and capitalism? Prospects of two liberal propositions."Journal of Peace Research51.2 (2014): 173-183. Schumpeter, Joseph A.Capitalism, socialism and democracy. Routledge, 2013.