The Caste system Essay Example for Free

The Caste system Essay In order to answer this question it is necessary to address the issues raised from the caste system and the importance it has for society and the Hindus. The main issue that has emerged from the caste system is the treatment of the untouchables or Dalits. The Dalits exist outside the caste system, there are literally outcastes, and because of this status thrust upon them they are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. This status has dire consequences for the dalits. In village life they are expected to dwell outside the confines of the village, as they are considered to be polluting for the higher castes. Because they are considered to be polluting they are expected to have certain occupations that caste Hindus would consider polluting, such occupations include pig tending and assisting to cremate the dead, occupations that are not particularly appealing. They are the subject of crime and discrimination, for example K Danalaxmi, a Dalit, in Tamil Nadu and 57 other dalits have had been raided by higher caste Hindus and their huts the subject to arson attacks: she tells a BBC correspondent: the parents of children that go to the same school as my daughter did this they hate us and may come back again. 5 Politically speaking the dalits are legally equal to any other higher caste Hindu, indeed in the village Tamil Nadu high caste Hindus go to school with dalit children, so efforts have been made to reconcile the social rift between castes. However, such action has resulted in the assaults and violent actions committed against the dalits similar to that of the dalits in the village of Tamil Nadu. Indeed throughout history there have been many attempts to affiliate the higher castes with the untouchables. In the middle ages the Bhatki movement, meaning to love, encouraged the worship of God through adoration and devotion. More importantly in terms of caste, it attracted Hindus of all castes and presented a greater representation in Hindu society for those of the lower castes. In the 12th century, founder of the new philosophic movement, Shankaracharya preached that the two ways to salvation, dhyan and karma, was being monopolised by the Brahmin caste. Devotion was considered by the Bhatki movement as an equal path towards salvation. Another historical example of criticism of the caste system came much later in the 18th and 19th centuries, during the days of the British Empire. Missionaries were sent out to civilise the native pagans to the light of Christianity. Missionaries were successful at converting the dalits and the lower castes; for these subsections of society Christianity presented an attractive alternate life style. More recently another critic of the Caste system had an enormous impact on Indian society, indeed on the world. Mahatma Ghandi, who was a Vaisya, campaigned against the unjust social and economic aspects of the caste system, and did much work to improve the status of the untouchables, which he called the children of God or Harijans (a term much resented by the untouchables who preferred the term Dalits. ) The caste system is a highly controversial aspect of Hinduism, originating from Vedic times and lasting to the present day. It affects every aspect of Indian society, from marriages to government. It is has been heavily criticised since its creation, and constantly reformed. Indeed in the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna invented the concept of Dharma, which offered reassurance to low caste Hindus for a chance for salvation. Albeit the caste systems origins may have been secular, it has become so embodied with the religion of Hinduism that to criticise the caste system is to criticise Hinduism. Thus it remains the foundation of modern Indian society. Has the caste system outlived its relevance to modern life? From a western perspective it has, westerners see it as inequitable and morally wrong. But in order to understand the true flaws of the caste system it is necessary to view the caste system from a Hindu perspective, only then can a scholar see if the caste system should still exist and the importance it has to Hindu life. Bibliography Introduction to Hinduism-Kim Knott www. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/south_asia/459591. stm http://artworld. uea. ac. uk/teaching_modules/india/historical_background/the_hindu_caste_system/welcome. html http://www. themystica. com/mystica/articles/b/bhakti. html 1 Introduction to Hinduism-K. K. Klostermaier. 2 At the core of most religions is the idea of attempting to join a supreme being. 3 The term cycle is perhaps misleading as it is more linear than a cycle. (perhaps) 4 Arvind Shama in Hinduism by Kim Knott. 5 www. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/459591. stm Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Agard: Half-Caste section.

Route March Rest by Vernon Scannell, Night Raid by Desmond Hawkins, :: English Literature

Route March Rest by Vernon Scannell, Night Raid by Desmond Hawkins, The Battle by Louis Simpson - How do the poets communicate emotional or moving responses to war? What do these poems tell us about wartime life and the thoughts and feelings of civilians and soldiers? How do the poets communicate emotional or moving responses to war? The following essay will try to answer the question above. Using references and quotes from three wartime poems I will explain what they tell us about wartime life and the thoughts and feelings of civilians and soldiers. I will also clarify how the poets communicate emotional and moving responses to the disturbing war. The three poems that will be analysed are: Â · Route March Rest - by Vernon Scannell, Â · Night Raid - by Desmond Hawkins, Â · The Battle - by Louis Simpson. I have selected these poems because they contain both similarity and contrast. These aspects are important in order to produce a high-quality essay as they provide a more balanced view of the poems. Both the contrasts and similarities will be shown to give the reader a clearer overview of the poems. The three poems, as mentioned above, have all been written during wartime and therefore display hatred towards the fighting. However, they demonstrate this dislike using different methods. Vernon Scannell's technique in Route March Rest is important as he uses contrasting images and descriptions to create an overall picture of death and dismay. Scannell does this by initially introducing a scene of harshness using such tough words as "skulls", "thumping", "crunched" and "clanked". He then smoothes the picture out by creating a more calmed and restful atmosphere using such soft words as "silent, cool" and "bright as buttercups". But this is short lived as the marching image is reintroduced and the word "die" is placed at the end. Desmond Hawkins technique in Night Raid is very unique as it is done using completely free verses. At the start, strange characters are introduced which immediately creates anxiety. Harsh sentences such as "If there's a bomb made for YOU, You're going to get it" highlight the feelings of distress and misery present in all of the various people. War is also displayed negatively using this sentence: "She was shivering and laughing and throwing her head back". People would not normally be doing this and so it makes the reader link disease-like behaviour with war. Louis Simpson's technique in The Battle is fascinating as he uses repetition, onomatopoeia, tempo and colours to produce an "anti-war" description. The three poems are similar as they are all about the negative aspects of war, but they differ in terms of

For the Love of the Game Essay

The poem, â€Å"Black Hair by Gary Soto describes a boy who had and probably still has a love and passion for baseball. Many images throughout this poem support this fact. For example, â€Å"In the bleachers I was brilliant with my body, waving players in and stomping my feet,† â€Å"His crouch the one I assumed before an alter of worn baseball cards in my room,† and â€Å"Â…in my mind I rounded the bases with him, my face flared, my hair lifting/Beautifully,† show how much he loves the game of baseball by putting himself, through imagination, into the game as if he was a player or coach himself. The first image, â€Å"In the bleachers I was brilliant with my body, waving players in and stomping my feet† shows how the boy tries to put himself right there in the game with the players. It makes me believe he is a true fan who really gets into the game. He was probably one of those annoying fans who jump up right in front of you just as someone is running for home plate and you miss it because they block your view through all their excitement. During those moments he probably forgets about everyone around him and feels at that moment he is the only one there. The second image, â€Å"His crouch the one I assumed before an alter of worn baseball cards in my room† to me shows he has been a collector for a while. Some of his baseball cards could have also been his Father’s that may have been handed down to him, which in that case are also old and worn. It makes me think he frequently thumbs through them. I am imagining them to be kept in an old shoebox not really in any type of order. After a game he probably gets them out and pulls out the best players from that game. The third image, â€Å"Â…in my mind I rounded the bases with him, my face flared, my hair lifting/Beautifully† again as in the first image shows me how he really puts himself in the game. He feels like a team player and maybe dreams of one day being a professional himself like Hector Moreno. The way he describes himself by the face flaring and hair lifting makes me believe he can see himself in slow motion heading for home plate and everyone watching and cheering him on as he approaches each base. Each image I have described supports my theory about his love of baseball and his dream of one day being a professional player himself. I think with the loss of his Father, baseball has taken up a big part of his life to maybe fill the void of his loss. He has definitely picked Hector out as a big role model for him and wants to one day be as successful as Hector. He wants to big an important person that people will look up to.

The Justice System Of Criminal Justice Essay - 1354 Words

Introduction One of the pivotal questions being deliberated amongst those within the criminal justice system, society and amongst biblical scholars is that of how do we deal with offenders, there have been copious debates and sentiments on the matter and one, in particular, has been around Restorative and Retributive Justice . Marshall suggests when we are faced with crimes of murder, home invasion, and rape; familiar inanities about hating the sin yet loving the sinner seem inadequate. Anger, resentment, and loathing rise up, and, whatever we believe about love and forgiveness, what we really want is swift retribution.p2 A number of criminal justice experts advocate restorative justice as a possible alternative to the western system of criminal justice which many feels is inadequate, which is largely based on the concept of retribution. Unlike retributive justice that centers on the concept of law breaking guilt, and punishment, restorative justice emphases are on the relationship, reconciliation, and reparation of harm done. It understands crime less as a matter of law breaking than as the infliction of injury or loss on another person â€Å"restorative justice is a peace-making response to crime, Restorative justice, according to, Daniel Van Ness, it brings â€Å"victims, offenders and the community together with government in repairing injuries caused by crime† Justice Justice and love are often seen as opposites or even opposing values and aims. On the one hand,Show MoreRelatedJustice Systems And The Criminal Justice System Essay1248 Words   |  5 PagesThe criminal justice system is a complex and often uncoordinated system that operates by enforcing the law and seeking justice across countless jurisdictions. It is comprised of many separate agencies including agencies at the federal, state, and local level. 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