Reflective Journal Essay Example for Free

Reflective Journal Essay The fighting spirit. What a catchy name for a title of an article that touched my heart deeply and had stirred emotions of mine. I have known this humble gentleman since the day I stepped my foot on Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Shah Alam. We were introduced to this awe-inspiring person named Prof Datuk Seri Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar during our orientation week. I have grown my fondness towards this man on the exact moment he started to give speech upon hundreds of fresh newbies in our great hall, Dewan Seri Budiman. But I never thought in my slightest mind on how his previous life story would give me this impact. One would never know, behind those smiles he put on his face, there were hardships, long ago before he made it to be a successful, acknowledged person now. I can finally understand what life is. God put us in a difficult situation just to make us stronger and to teach us how to cope with troubles when there are obstacles come between in the middle of journey. I really look up on Datuk Sahol Hamid as he was very determined to achieve his dream. How he keeps the humbleness in his daily routines although he is now an engineer in profession, really made me realize that I have to keep in my mind, I should never forget where I came from if one day, God’s willing; I managed to grab my dream in the future. Just like Datok Sahol himself, he always reminds the UiTMs’ students to never forget our duty to Allah S.W.T in spite of the busy and hectic schedule of a student. Above all, I must thank my parents for bringing me up to who I am today. For being patient with my attitudes all these while as I consider myself was not very matured during those days. After all, God’s plan is like a movie, all the good and bad things are arranged together for the good ending.

The Coyotes Weren’t Kosher: Women’s Role in Preservation of Dietary Tradition in Pioneering Southwest :: Essays Papers

The Coyotes Weren’t Kosher: Women’s Role in Preservation of Dietary Tradition in Pioneering Southwest Women have always played a major role in the practice of Judaism. They have many responsibilities and obligations to fulfill due to of their faith. Yet, they also must raise their families and often work to provide for their family. Overtime, Jewish women have become an example of women’s ability to live very demanding lives and still sustain her religious devotion. Jewish women have had to overcome numerous obstacles in incorporating the changes inherent with ever-evolving life with their static religious duties. Thus was the case for any Jew who chose to move away from their community and start a new life. Many pioneers found it hard to remain practicing Jews when there were no other Jewish people around them. Some observances became difficult to exercise given the surrounding and Jews would sometimes have to compromise their traditions with physical practicality. This led to great personal struggle for women who had always felt that the family’s religious san ctity was her responsibility. But these fascinatingly resourceful and dedicated women found ways to overcome the hindrances that their new home provided and still plant the seeds that would grow into a rich and strong Jewish community regardless of where they lived. There were many problems that these pioneering Jews experienced when they tried to adhere to Jewish custom in places where keeping kosher was a unpracticed tradition. This was especially true in the founding of the southwest. It became apparent to Jewish mothers that there would be many difficulties ahead of them. In particular, the Jewish religion calls for its member to follow a strict collection of dietary laws. These laws mandated the separation of meat and milk products and the cleansing of all utensils that came into contact with these foods (Siegel 1959). The women were required to follow certain rules in food preparation. It was important that these rules to preparing the food, especially meat, were followed by any devote Jews. These dietary laws are followed not healthiness, but out of holiness. Judaism teaches that man must give reverence for the things that he has, and those that he takes (Stiengroot 1995). This explains the principal of hollowing one’s natu ral actions to make them holy and is directly illustrated by the way in which a Jewish woman runs her kitchen.

Darkness from Within: Analyzing Hawthorne’s Essay

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a chilling exploration of how a man could project upon others his own darkness. Through a pact with the Devil, Goodman Brown becomes obsessed with the supposed sins of the townspeople. Hawthorne utilized many symbolisms to depict how Goodman Brown transformed into â€Å"a stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man did he become† (91). To use a word descriptive of many people today, Goodman Brown became a cynic. So when he died, the townspeople â€Å"carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom† (92). At the start of the story, Goodman Brown was a naive young man who has just been married. He has a dream in which he sees all the best people in the village, including his wife. Presumably, in his experience with sex in his newly-married state, the sexuality — the human quality — of everyone, including his wife, his parents, his minister, and his teachers, dawns on him in a traumatic way in that he has always been taught by his Puritan teachers that the flesh is sinful. However, Goodman Brown had seen both the best and the worst in human nature. In this process, Goodman loses his â€Å"faith† and his love and chooses to believe the worst. The story did not tell everything as easy because readers are enjoined to assume that Goodman Brown’s former innocence had been derived from ignorance, as knowledge comes to him with so much intensity that he is not able to excuse himself for the ignorance that he had. And he blames everyone else because none of them told him these things before. In short, he wants to have had divine knowledge, and he thus challenges the way of things in every respect. Just by being human, people he sees through his loveless eyes transform into witches. Those who have this loveless view of others have already, ironically, partaken of the devil’s baptism. Like Brown, they forever after will be â€Å"more conscious of the secret guilt of others, both in deed and thought, than they could now be of their own† (91). Reading â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a good motivation for examining point of view — the way we see other people. The result is a reversal of roles between good and evil, which is like the reversal that occurred after the hysteria of 1692 whereby the â€Å"witches† were perceived as martyrs and the accusers and condemners were seen as persecutors. Hawthorne is interested in what people’s points of view and judgment tell us about them, so the focus in the discussion of witchcraft is primarily on those who see witchcraft in others. The story is rich in symbolisms thst make up what it lacks in physical descriptions, which contributes to its reader’s puzzlement that more often becomes fear. In the story, we only know that Faith has a â€Å"pretty head† (83); that Goodman Brown is young; that Goody Cloyse is â€Å"a female figure† (85) who cackles; that Martha Carrier is â€Å"a rampant hag† (90); that the crowd in the forest is â€Å"a grave and dark-clad company† (89). The reason why Hawthorne avoids particulars in this story is because the unreality and vagueness increase the nightmarish atmosphere of the story. For instance, why is Faith’s â€Å"pink ribbons† is mentioned five times in all? What is the meaning of the appearance of the ribbons in the woods? It would seem to be a concrete evidence that something bad occurred to her. Fogle (1964, p. 18) suggested otherwise: â€Å"If Goodman Brown is dreaming the ribbon may be taken as part and parcel of his dream. . . This pink ribbon appears in his wife’s hair once more as she meets his on his return to Salem the next morning†. For me, what’s more frightening in Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is not the devil, the witchcraft or even Brown’s solitary walk through the forest at dusk, but it is the contrast between Brown’s innocence and the evil that he comes to learn is hidden in his very own community. Works Cited Fogle, Robert Harter. Hawthorne’s Fiction: The Light and Dark (Norman: Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1964). Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†

Lord of the Flies, Alternative Ending Essay

Away watching as Jack and Roger walked into the clearing where he sat, â€Å"Where could he have gone? There is no where to hide? † Roger groaned poking the end of his spear into the ground. Ralph felt a urge to stand up and finally give up, but his father had taught him better, his father was a fighter shouldn’t he be too? He glanced around his shoulder noticing the twins break into the trees behind him. They made eye contact and looked away hurrying off towards Roger and Jack. Ralph sighed crawling deeper into the burned trees, he looked ahead noticing the burned stick and around it the pieces of bone from the broken pig head. He shuttered standing and holding his spear tightly in his hands. Jack looked over noticing the twins walking slowly towards him he stood straighter, â€Å"What? † The twins jumped before pointing to where Ralph had gone, â€Å"He, he went out there. † Jack grinned pushing the twins aside and walking out into the meadow. â€Å"Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here. He pushed his tangled hair behind his shoulder. Ralph sighed, â€Å"Get it over with Jack. † Roger giggled running out into the meadow, before Ralph could react he was surrounded, hunted down like some kind of animal, the kids looked barbaric, they had all gone mad with their war paint and blood covered spears. Ralph held the spear up in defense. The hunters jumped at him tightening their circle poking him with their spears grabbing at his. Ralph yelled poking his spear forwards he felt the tip dig into something, someone yelling. Before he could pull it out, they were on him shoving him to the ground, Ralph dropped his spear trying to fight back, trying to escape the hunters, somehow. Jack laughed stabbing his spear down hitting flesh. Ralph screamed out, begging them to stop. The hunters continued in a clockwise dance, stabbing, poking and kicking. Jack laughed the circle becoming wide once again, Ralph lay in a mess, a puddle of blood appearing around him, he took a shallow breath Jack pushed him with his foot onto his back. Ralph opened his eyes his swollen bloody face making it almost impossible. He looked up into the sky watching as two birds circling above. He smiled closing his eyes his chest rising and falling ever so slowly until finally for what seemed a lifetime it stopped. Jack laughed taking his knife and kneeling down. A few weeks later a large vessel anchored, two rowboats neared the island, coming onto the beach. The navy officers in their blue uniforms looked down at the rotting flesh of the small children some looking as if they had their limbs cut off with a badly sharpened knife. The officers held their guns close walking around the island. They finally made their way towards the meadow stopping in their tracks at the sight of a head planted firmly onto a stick, his fair hair falling over his rotted flesh, some Navy men turned at the sight. A few yards from the head sat a boy his orange hair falling over his eyes in a shaggy mess. The officers walked closer pushing the boy with their guns. He was mumbling to himself, slowly fading away. Around the boy lay masses of bones. He looked up making the officers gasp his dead blue eyes shaking them to the core. He raised his hand showing them the small broken down knife. He chuckled smiling wide showing a mouthful of rotten and fallen out teeth, â€Å"The Lord of the Flies welcomes you. † He laughed; some of the officers turned away, others loading their guns. â€Å"Who? † Their captain asked. â€Å"The Lord of the Flies welcomes you. † he repeated laughing hysterically, â€Å"The Lord of the Flies welcomes you. †

Free Essays on Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is a very controversial topic with many diverse definitions and opinions. Stanton Peele discusses the numerous sections of drug addiction in â€Å"Addiction Is Not a Disease.† Peele strongly argues the fact that drug addiction is not a disease and that the prevalent drug problem transpires in the ghetto. Peele also states that celebrities are not real addicts in the fact that they can and do get treatment by attending rehabilitation. Peele also discusses the importance of psychological movies of drug addiction, stating what addicts think and how they feel. However, Peele incessantly reminds the reader that drug addicts suffer from a self-inflicted compulsion. Drug addiction is not a disease; rather, it derives not only from the individual addict’s need to feel euphoric or to cope with a sense of helplessness, but also from the pressures of socioeconomic group disadvantage. Stanton Peele reasons that addiction is not a disease in the most comprehensible sense of the word: a disease has a biological cause and often a cure, while an addiction has neither. Peele explains that â€Å"Addiction is not, however, something people are born with. Nor is it a biological imperative, one that means the addicted individual is not able to consider or choose alternatives† (Elements of Argument 127). Generally, people are not â€Å"born with† addiction in the same way that babies are born with hereditary diabetes. A child who suffers from diabetes has not dileberately encouraged the disease, while a drug addict makes the choice to disrupt his or her own body by altering the central nervous system through drugs. While addiction can be as caustic as a lethal ailment, it is important to discern that no individual can contract drug addiction analogous to the way one can hereditary diabetes. The psychological motives for addicts comprise of the need to cope with a sense of defenselessness and the need to feel happy and satisfied. Stanton P... Free Essays on Drug Addiction Free Essays on Drug Addiction Drug addiction is a very controversial topic with many diverse definitions and opinions. Stanton Peele discusses the numerous sections of drug addiction in â€Å"Addiction Is Not a Disease.† Peele strongly argues the fact that drug addiction is not a disease and that the prevalent drug problem transpires in the ghetto. Peele also states that celebrities are not real addicts in the fact that they can and do get treatment by attending rehabilitation. Peele also discusses the importance of psychological movies of drug addiction, stating what addicts think and how they feel. However, Peele incessantly reminds the reader that drug addicts suffer from a self-inflicted compulsion. Drug addiction is not a disease; rather, it derives not only from the individual addict’s need to feel euphoric or to cope with a sense of helplessness, but also from the pressures of socioeconomic group disadvantage. Stanton Peele reasons that addiction is not a disease in the most comprehensible sense of the word: a disease has a biological cause and often a cure, while an addiction has neither. Peele explains that â€Å"Addiction is not, however, something people are born with. Nor is it a biological imperative, one that means the addicted individual is not able to consider or choose alternatives† (Elements of Argument 127). Generally, people are not â€Å"born with† addiction in the same way that babies are born with hereditary diabetes. A child who suffers from diabetes has not dileberately encouraged the disease, while a drug addict makes the choice to disrupt his or her own body by altering the central nervous system through drugs. While addiction can be as caustic as a lethal ailment, it is important to discern that no individual can contract drug addiction analogous to the way one can hereditary diabetes. The psychological motives for addicts comprise of the need to cope with a sense of defenselessness and the need to feel happy and satisfied. Stanton P...

Education Term Paper

Education Term Paper Education Term Paper Education Term Paper: Pedagogy Devise. With money in your pocket you are wise, handsome and sing well too, - said one well-known celebrity. Really, everyone could be educated (get higher education), but not well-breaded. You could get a diploma but not knowledge. Think about it... Your education term paper is your face, your thoughts and your intelligence. They should be individual, unique, and also match your inner world. Education Term Paper: The Point. Education may contain a lot of aspects. It includes learning a great number of disciplines, different kinds of applied and humanistic science. During the academic year you should pass your education term papers. Education is directly connected with knowledge handover and bringing up a new generation. In different educational institutions educators direct the education process of students; also they may manage a variety of subjects, for example reading, physics, writing, philosophy, science and history. After you gad reach to the end of the course you should be checked by writing education term papers. Education Term Paper: Education For Children (Students) Today when you have already left school, you are not a pupil anymore, you are an applicant. So, you have a splendid opportunity to choose and enter any college you like. Youth is a discovery time. You should think over and make your decision. If you keen on technique you may continue your studying in Technique College. However, if you do not interested in machines and engineering, moreover you belong to the people who prefer live communication, which directly connected with finding yourself among people, you should choose institute specializing in philology and pedagogy In that case passing a education term papers would be a pleasure for you. Education Term Paper: Education For Adults (Teachers) For a long time teachers have been educated and respectable people. Teachers were given the knowledge and educate children. They take a great effort to the activity they do. Teaching is the style of life. Teacher gives a lot and gets a lot. They give knowledge and upbringing positive qualities, and in the same way they get a pleasant communication among children and a lot of work to do, in particular checking education term papers.

People and Church of Nicaragua Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

People and Church of Nicaragua - Case Study Example People and Church of Nicaragua had huge expectations from Pope Paul II’s visit to the state in 1983. When the people led regime became autocratic and denied the common man its right to survive and prosper, the Marxist revolutionaries started fighting for the welfare of the people. The Church of the ‘poor’ also aligned with the Marxist revolutionaries and proactively supported their cause (Gutià ©rrez, 1973; Belli, 1988). The Pope’s visit was therefore highly significant for the Nicaragua Church as well as for the people because they saw it as intangible support and a means to convince the government for social reforms that would benefit the common man (Foroohar, 1989; Williams, 1985). But unfortunately, Pope’s visit was a huge let down for Nicaragua’s people and the Church. The major objective of the visit of Pope John Paul II was to proclaim that Catholic Church did not support communists. The huge congregation assembled at the Plaza was hop eful that Pope would lend support to the people’s revolution and decry the mass carnage by government led death squad. But Pope’s silence on the issue was a big disillusion for the priests and public but later wrote a letter ‘denouncing Popular Church’(Dew, 1983:632). He neither condoled the deaths of priests, nuns and innocent people nor made any effort to talk with Nicarguan priests so that could put their case personally. Despite people’s incessant chant, ‘Holy Father, we beg you for a prayer for our loved ones who have been murdered’, Pope was unmoved (Boyt, 1983). Pope’s agenda to his Nicaragua visit was politically inclined and defied wider human welfare. The priests’ fears came true and they along with people of Nicaragua became the innocent victims of oppressive regime that got the approval from the highest authority of Catholic Church, when Pope remained silent on the issue in his visit.