The Role of Edward Prendrick in the Island of Doctor Moreau

The island of Dr. Moreau describes the startling events surrounding the voyage of Edward Prendick. He is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. Prendrick was a well-off voyager who found himself unaccompanied on a stricken vessel. He was rescued by Montgomery who was shipping animals to certain island in the ocean. Prendrick is the character that has been designed for readers to connect with throughout the story. He is a man whose fortune appears to be dreadful but he remains strong and determined. Prendick is a hero and he exemplifies his heroism when he manages to stop an ensuing fight between Montgomery and the captain of the ship following a lengthy altercations “Shut up!’ I said, turning on him sharply, for I had seen danger in Montgomery’s white face” (Wells, 2010, p. 17).Regardless of what he was going through, Prendick is not afraid because he has idiosyncratic personality traits of heroism. He presents himself as a role model to the audience by passing out the message that they should be strong and intervene in some situations that require them to with great strength.

Prendrick is has an enlightened mindset and does not want to fight with others; this makes him to become a model in odd situations. He remains calm as Montgomery and captain almost pulls a fight. This affirms his strength and belief in the rules of civilization. Readers are able to connect with him and through this, he teaches them to remain firm with rules of civilization in the society. Prendick finds out that his new home in the Island is full of horrors but he does not scare him from staying there. When he was barred by Moreau from entering certain parts of the island, Prendick becomes increasingly inquisitive and one day he manages to go into the nearby jungle. He is courageous and he does not fear what he sees there.

The jungle is a home to small collection of monstrous people emerging half-animals and half-humans. Prendick is assaulted by one of the creatures as he returns to Moreaus’ camp. He is not afraid to ask Montgomery about what he saw although Montgomery is not ready to reveal anything to him. It is not normal to see people in a new and challenging environment to do what Prendick did. Through his heroic acts, readers are in a position to understand the dark side of animal testing and the senselessness of man’s fight against nature.

Prendrick is able to see and hear what is not exposed to the public upon in the island. Through Prendrick inquisition, it becomes apparent that Moreau was forced to relocate his barbaric laboratory to the island after he was exposed by journalist. Prendrick experiences enables readers to build up a controlling objection against the self-proclaimed right of science to try out animals. His experience further dramatizes what is likely to happen when science irresponsibly interferes with evolution and genetics. Everything that Prendrick is doing is controlled by his arousing response to the astounding unearthing that he makes. When Prendrick runs away from the lab to find out what was in the island, Montgomery uses his discretion to coax him from going to the lab again.

Montgomery says, “For God’s sake,” cried Montgomery, “stop that, Prendick…You’re a silly ass. Come out of the water and take these revolvers, and talk. We can’t do anything more than that could we now?” (Wells, 2010, p. 92).
Prendrick do not have any other option other than to stay in the island. He begins to reduce himself to the monstrous of the human animals to enhance his survival. Readers are in a position to know that no matter how Moreau or other scientists will try to make animals to become human beings, they cannot succeed. The superiority of human beings exits outside their bodies.

Prendrick is capable of differentiating men from beast men. This is a not the case for Montgomery who has been so much closer to the beast men to an extent that he could not make clear distinction between real men and beast men. Prendrick has developed an exciting connection with beast folks. This is seen when one examines his relationship with the leopard man. Such relationships help the readers to understand how courageous Prendrick is and his determination to appreciate what is happening inside the island. At the begging, Prendrick finds leopard man very interesting but after he chases him through the forest with the aim of killing him, he becomes peeved at him. He makes the readers to realize that the beast folks can falter in the shackles of humankind when they are at their one without laws created by human beings.

The restrictions and embargoes that Moreau embeds in the minds of animals are recognized as laws. The animals lack the memory of their past lives prior to being operated by Moreau. This means that they believed in the laws set to them by Moreau. Prendrick sets the compound on fire accidentally. It becomes the turning point of animals in the island. Suffering ends and they begin to turn around to bestial natures. Prendrick’s relationship with human animals helps to build the main theme in the novel. Through such relationships, readers capable of understanding that human beings cannot be separated their humanity. Following the death of Montgomery and Moreau, Prendrick remains in the island with the beast men. He is courageous enough to befriend the dog man. For almost eleven months, the island is his home. The laws that governed human animals were no longer there. The beasts began to revert to their original forms and habits. Prendrick woke up one day and he was surprised to find that his best friend, dog man was killed by Hyaena Swine. He was carried by anger and he kills the Hyaena Swine. Few days later, a boat came on the shore and he boarded to sail back to England.

Prendrick experience in the island was scaring but throughout his stay, he remained strong and courageous. He believes that once he narrates the experience, it will not be easy for people to believe in him. He was able to reveal the efforts of scientists in trying to be like God by creating humans from animals. Although he accidentally sets fire on the compound of Moreau, it sounds a mere coincidence. Prendrick put to an end animals suffering. There is no further humanization of animals and already animals were able to revert to their original forms. For many readers who connect with Prendrick, he will remain a hero. His character throughout the story exemplifies heroism.

Reference
Wells, G. H. (2010). The Island of Dr. Moreau. Madison, WI: Cricket House Books LLC.

THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU 4

Running Head: THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU 1

Book Review: Prisoner of Tehran

Bibliographic Citation
Marina, N. (2008). Prisoner of Tehran. Toronto: Penguin Group (Canada).
Introduction
The Prisoner of Tehran is a book that was published in 2007 about the author’s life in prison after the Iranian revolution. The author, Marina Nemat was among the victims of the revolution that took place while she was living in the country. She was a teenager, aged 13 years old when the Islamic revolution overthrew the monarch that reined in the country and established the Islamism principles to govern the country led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. People started protesting and most of them were taken to the Evin prison where they were tortured and some executed. Marina was among the victims who were captured and was listed for execution but was rescued by one of the guards, Ali, who fell in love with her.

She was forced to marry Ali who was later assassinated in her presence triggering her miscarriage of their unborn child. Later, Ali’s family saved her from prison and sent her back to Canada where she remarried Andre and decided to write her experience in Iran, in this book, Prisoner of Tehran. She told the story while in Canada shedding some light on what people were going through in Evin prison.

About the author
Marina Nemat was born in Tehran, April 22, 1965. She is the author of the Prison of Tehran, where she has explored her life growing up in Iran and serving in the Evin Prison, where she escaped death penalty, got married to Ali who rescued her and how she fled and started a new life in Canada. Both of Marina grandmothers had emigrated from Russia on escape of Russian Revolution, to Iran, where Marina was brought up. Her parents worked as -father a teacher and mother a hairdresser (Marina 2010).

The government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his government by Ayatollah Khomeini, who launched the Islamic Revolution, took place while she was a high school student at the age of thirteen. She was arrested in 1982 January, 15 and imprisoned in Evin Prison for her opposition views against Ayatollah Khomeini revolution. In prison, she was set for execution but was rescued by Ali Moosavi who had fallen in love with her and later married her against her will to save her family that was threatened. She stayed in prison for two years, two months and two days, and then Moosavi family managed to secure her release after Ali Moosavi her husband had been assassinated. She then married her teenage lover, Andre Nemat and they relocated to Canada in 1991. Today, she lives with her husband and their two sons in Canada. While working in Swiss Chalet restaurant in Aurora franchise, Marina wrote her story (Michelle, 2007).

The Prison of Tehran became published in 2007 and has been translated in thirteen languages. Last year, she wrote her second book, dabbed “After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed”. She wrote her first book after her father informed her that before her mother’s death, she had forgiven her. She has received an award “Human Dignity Prize” that she received in 2007 for her outstanding character, despite her experiences.

Summary
The book Prison of Tehran is an autobiography of Marina Nemat during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. During this revolution, there were enormous oppositions against Reza Shah Mohammed, who struggled in an endeavor to modernize Iran receiving help from United States. Shah used a team of secret law enforcers known as SAVAK in ruling the country. This law enforcing squad was the most feared institution within the country and it was used to assassinate many of the enemies of Shah. Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of Islamic Republic led the opposition. During these oppositions, hundreds of Shah’s supporters were executed even as many demonstrators became held for protesting against the tyrannical rules. Among those who were arrested and imprisoned in the Evin Prison was the author of the Prison of Tehran, Marina Nemat.

Marian autobiography is relates to issues of political oppression, which the victims of the revolution went through. All Americans and their supporters as well as any enemy of Islam were the target for Ayatollah Khomeini revolutionists. Any person who belonged to the category of Anti-Revolutionaries was targeted, either for imprisonment or assassination.
Upon assuming the leadership of the nation, Ayatollah established Islamic principles to govern the country. For example, in March 1979, he announced that all women living in the country had to wear hejab and must cover their heads. He also banned gambling and alcohol manufacturing, distribution and consumption across the country at the same time requiring men and women to have different sitting compartments in public transport such as buses. Ayatollah banned all music on radio and television and also crossed all news paper production institutions and banned the distribution of such literature such as magazines and news papers. The text of Marina has dealt with the details of all these new laws.

Living within the society encompassed being surrounded by threat of potential death such that one was not sure whether the next minute he/she would be a victim of the tyrannical leadership of Ayatollah. Some of the most common sights were marching freedom fighters and Ayatollah soldiers doing what they were best suited to do: Assassinate all anti-revolutionists. Any attempt to protest against the established laws of Ayatollah was equal to signing a penalty warrant. She perceived that the novel regime brought the Iranians and the foreigners in the country nothing but violence and destruction. Bloodshed and death became part and parcel of the Iranian’s lives. Muslims in the country were oriented into the fight and were convinced that they were fighting for the course of God. She has cited an example of a boy, Arash, whom at the age of eighteen had been introduced to fighting for the revolution. Arash was such as a strong Islam such that he believed only Islam was the true religion and thus he gave up his life at such a tender age during one of the political rallies.

Marina has explored the events of the day when she got arrested at the age of sixteen. She was taken to Evin political prison for having participated in what was termed as unlawful demonstration. Marina was set for execution among some other girls but she was saved by Ali who later married her.
When the opposition became so pronounced after the establishment of Islamic principles in governing the country, the author together with a number of her friends decided to join the demonstrations. Some of Ayatollah soldiers were set on rooftops and they opened fire upon the demonstrators, killing and injuring a number of them. Marina run home, where she started contemplating suicide but stopped when she wondered what would happen if all good people who felt threatened were to decide to commit suicide. It is at this point that she made up her mind to fight for the course of justice.

In the school that the author was, together with her friends, they was implored by the concerned teachers to leave the country before the authorities caught up with them and imprisoned them in the Evin political prison. However, the author was experiencing two profound challenges that hindered her from heading to the teachers’ piece of advice: She had no money to relocate and she did not want to fret her parents for her whereabouts. Thus, she stayed on, and unfortunately, she became a victim of the revolution: Together with some of her friends, she was caught and taken to the prison.

Life was quite challenging for her in prison. She was among the girls who were scheduled to be executed and thus together with the other girls, they were taken to the venue where they were to be executed. However, Ali had already fallen in love with her and thus implored Ayatollah Khomeini to pardon her, and with the influence of his family, he was able to win a pardon for her, from death penalty to life sentence. Marina was required to marry Ali and because her family was threatened by Ali, she had to concede to save her family. She had to convert to a Muslim from Christianity for the marriage to take place.

Ali took Marina outside the prison of Evin and eventually, she developed friendship with the sister to Ali, Akram. When she was bold enough to face Ali, she confronted him about the people who were suffering and being executed at the prison of Evin, and in retaliation, Ali raped her. She decided to gain some good out of the pain of being raped and thus implored Ali to help Sarah and Mina both of whom were young girls recovering from the prison’s torture.
In the following chapter, Marina, Ali and Akram held an honest conversation about the situation at Evin and his job within the prison, and at this point, he confesses to her that he was a captive as she was. Marina discovered that she was pregnant by her husband; she decided to change her perception and her feelings towards her husband. However, Ali was murdered in her presence because of resigning from his job within Evin prison, an action which caused Marina to miscarry. After this episode, she grieved both her husband and her unborn child. Ali’s family that had showed her a lot of affection and love than she had even experienced within her own family organized for release from prison and got reunited with Andre and her family.

When she was released from prison, she came to realize that Ali was very much correct when he told her that no one really wanted to know. She also realized that her home as well as she was no longer the same: Many changes and transformations had taken place through the years. She observed She observed that her comfortable and safe innocent of her childhood were forever lost. After this, Andre and Marina prepared to marry but she could not bring herself to telling Andre about her life with Ali and everything else that had taken place. Soon after the marriage, Marina and her husband Andre relocated to Canada to start their life afresh there.

Critique of Prisoner of Tehran
Any reader who goes through the book Prison of Tehran cannot help but notice the anguish and the sadness of the author as she expresses her experiences the Iranian prison. The author has tabled the details of the sufferings and the pains she went through under the guards who were less of human. Marina woke up from her sleep upon experiencing sharp pain upon her shoulder. She continued to suffer under Hamehd who stood over her, kicking her all over the body. Hamehd gave her directives of what he was to do, which was to hang upon the chador of a girl who stood in her neighborhood. She started to walk even as her feet burned in pain as if she was walking upon broken glasses. Any reader can almost feel the pain that she experienced as she has not minced her words in expressing her experiences.

The author has noted that every extra step that she took was more painful compared to the previous step, thus indicating the intensity of the suffering, thus a sense of sadness over life in Evin prison. When a person gets to the position of licking snow in a desperate endeavor to relive herself the bitter-tasting dryness she had in her mouth was a clear enough indication of what it really meant to be a prisoner under Hemehd.

Marina Andrei has noted that at a certain point, she would have preferred to die than to continue in the kind of suffering she was going through at Evin Prison. The question of whether she knew her rights could be answered yes, but it seems she acknowledged that she was not in a position to demand for those rights. When she was about to be executed and saved by Ali, she tried to escape because she was longing for death more than anything else after what she had gone through. At this point, she would have chosen to take the opportunity to her advantage and try to use Ali in bringing about a transformation but it is evident that she did not do that, rather, knowing her rights, she continued to accept and live within her predicaments.

Out of desperation, Marina decided to use her predicaments to her advantage. When Ali raped her because of confronting him and blaming him for the deaths and tortures in Evin prison, Marina, instead of fighting for her rights, which would have involved prosecuting Ali for rape or seeking opportunities for vengeance against him, she decided to use the situation to her advantage, thus requested Ali to save Sarah and Mina from the torture and the sufferings of Evin Prison. This is an indicator that irrespective of whether she knew her rights or not, she preferred overlooking their essence within the prevalent situation.

What I like most about this book is the intensity and detailing of the author on events that took place within the prison of Evin. As noted earlier on, the author did not mince on her words; she ensured that any detail necessary to make the reader feel the extent of her suffering in the prison are well communicated. At one point when giving the details during the execution, she has noted that one of the girls who were set for execution decided to run. Someone yelled at her to stop but she decided to pay a deaf year, thus she kept on running. A gunshot was heard, tearing through the dark night and the image of the girl falling was observable from a distance. The girl beseeched the guards to spare her life but one of the guards pointed a gun on her head, even as she covered her head with her arms and she was shot dead by the merciless guard.

With such a detailed explanation, the reader can almost figure out how the real thing happened as if he/she were a witness together with the author. The author would have decide to simply note that during the execution, one of the girls attempted to escape but she was short dead, without necessarily giving the details of every single episode that took place including the wailing of the girl. It is obvious to any reader that once somebody is short, they are likely to shout, but the author was detailed even what the actual words of the dying girl were, thus engaging the reader into every single step and experience in the prison.

Another incidence that the author went through and thus gave the details of the experiences, which makes me really like the book is when Ali was short. The author has noted that on September 26, 1983, together with her husband Ali they decided to join Ali’s parents for dinner and latter, about 11 o’clock, they parted ways headed to their home. She even gives the reason as to why Ali’s parents did not see them off; it was quite a cold night. She continued to give details of where they were headed (towards the car) when a motorcycle emerged came towards their direction. She also narrates how he was shot, the number of shots and where exactly Ali fell. She also reckons the final words of Ali before he died how the parents came out, and what she was going through then. In other words, any reader of this book does not require to visit her or to have a sitting with her to get the further information; she has written all that would interest any reader. Her accounting of events is exhaustive as opposed to many writers who prefer leaving readers in suspense, trying to speculate how it happened or what happened after that.

One thing that I really dislike about the book is some sense of dishonesty in the book. The author presented a number of episodes that one is left wondering whether for real these things are real. For an author who claims to tell her true experience in Evin prison, a reader cannot help but notice some sense of insincerity. For example, Marian has failed to accept her role of being a trader. She has discussed politics with Ali whom she used to unwillingly share a bed with. She also used to talk about Christianity within an environment of Islam.

She criticized the role of Ali and takes the side of the prisoners, arguing about the executions of the other prisoners, the torture and all the bad things that used to happen in the Evin prison. The other prisoners started giving away information within the interrogation room, except Marina who resisted and refused to speak. One is left to wonder, what is that that the interrogator was doing to the other prisoners to make them speak that he could not do to Marina?

Based on the information she has given in the book about how the interrogator had received her in the prison, beating her until she collapsed, it raises a query whether the interrogator would show sympathy to her upon refusal to speak. Marina has tried to present herself to the reader as a heroine. Within such an environment, it is doubtable whether she would be allowed to openly speak about her beliefs as she purports.
It is quite surprising to the reader that Marina was not only being pardoned and not punished for being forward but also it raises immense doubt as to how the interrogator would take her side. Ali has praised the braveness of Marina. It is only Lajaverdi and the silly interrogator, Hamed, who cannot stand her sight.

Any keen reader of the book can tell that there are a number of things that the author has left out. It is evident from the story that the author was purposely avoiding factual information. Within the book Prisoner of Tehran, there are many things that took place, within the prison walls and outside, especially in relation to Marina. Many big wishes have been penned down, though it is evident that the author was cunningly avoiding any type of information that would validate her claims as factual.
For instance, the dates when Marina was taken for execution has been intentionally left out, thus one cannot visit Evin prison records and determine whether indeed the execution took place and if yes, whether she was in the list of those who were to be executed. One might argue that it is possible for her to forget the date based on the fact that she was greatly traumatized, which could be credited for blocking her memory. Even if the argument was acceptable, one could still ask, how come that the date of the night that was most horrible for Marina, with horribleness that could not be compared for anything and the scene when her name was written in her forehead becomes forgotten.

In real life, as opposed to the ideal life that the author has created, one does not just forget the date of the most memorable day of one’s life. Most people can almost tell the second, the minute, the hour, the day, the month, and the year that some life-transforming event happened in their lives.
The response to the question of whether the book has satisfied me as a reader no: As much as I would want to give credit to the author for the great work creating an image of a prison within literature, which is usually a very challenging task, there are a number of gaps that the author left out, whether intentionally or unintentionally that leads to lack of a 100 percent satisfaction. The author has not been very successful in convincing me that these things in reality took place, but she was quite creative. If these things never happened, and this is creativity work, really do admire Marina for her creativity, all that is needed is to tie the loose ends and the story could be convincing enough as the true story of her life.

Though not a hundred percent, I am really pleased with Marina’s works. This task of creating a prison for somebody with no prior experience in a prison calls for immense creativity and some background knowledge of how prisons within the region of concern functions. The prison experiences are not the kind of experiences, which people acquire in their day-to-day life as a person. However, failure to pinpoint some of the significant dates such as the day of the execution leaves loose ends, which provide loopholes for contradiction or confusion.

I am still curious of the step she took immediately she left Iran. The books indicates how she was concerned about the suffering of the others within the Evin political prison, thus I would expect her to immediately after leaving prison attempt to pass information for rescue purposes, but the fact that she wrote this book 20 years later raises a concern, and thus another loose end.
The author of Prison of Tehran is a feminist, either by nature, or after the experiences in Evin prison. The author has explored many issues, but it is evident that most of the victims in her works are women. She has not identified a scenario where a woman was involved in pioneering the sufferings of the victims. Most of the cases she has cited are women who were victims of men.

This book has really touched me. I could not bring myself to an imagination of somebody being so ruthless to the point of shooting a young girl who is pleading for mercy. The kind of suffering that the Evin prisoners were going through can make even iron-hearted person to desire to see change. The story is quite moving and anyone who reads this book might have fear of visiting Iran, leave alone the Evin prison, in fear that similar thing would happen to you.

Conclusion
The book Prisoner of Tehran is among the most well written books with a very moving story of how the author, Marina Andrei suffered in Evin political prison in Iran. The government was overthrown while Marina was living in Iran and the new leader enforced Islamic principles in governing the nation. Within no time, people started demonstrating and most of them were caught and taken to Evin political prison based in Tehran. It is about the experiences in this prison that the author has written the book. The author went through tough experiences, even to a point of almost being executed and rescued by Ali who later married her. Ali was later assassinated for resigning from his role in the prison and Marina was taken back to Canada, from where she wrote the book, Prisoner of Tehran.

Autobiographies are more appealing than biographies in telling one’s life experiences because, the author is able to use the right words to send the intended message as opposed for the biography where an author might not succeed in creating the exact picture of the subject’s life.
The prison of Tehran is among the most outstanding books that I would recommend any person who is interested in becoming a great writer to read. Among other aspects, the author has used grammar that is easy to comprehend and there is a lot of suspense in the book that encourages the reader to continue reading on. The story is so touching, and any reader cannot help but feel with the author on her predicaments and experiences in Evin Prison. The author has been successful in creating an image about the activities during the revolution and Evin prison, such that one can almost tell how the prison is and how it operates.

References
Marina, N. (2010). Marina Nemat biography. Retrieved on December 12, 2011 from http://marinanemat.com/biography.html
Marina, N. (2008). Prisoner of Tehran. Toronto: Penguin Group (Canada).
Shephard, M. (2007). My home, my horror: An Aurora mother’s book details her prison ordeal in Iran. Toronto Star. Retrieved on December 12, 2011 from http://www.thestar.com/article/205888

Prisoner of Tehran 1

Heart of Darkness: Anti-Imperialism, Racism, or Impressionism? By Patrick Brantlinger
In the novel Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses Marlow, the principle narrator to reflect on human suffering as he experienced in Africa. Marlow is an meditative sailor who begins his journey along Congo River to meet Kurtz. He is a riverboat captain with a Belgian company which takes ivory from Africa. Marlow encounters a lot of brutality and inefficiencies as he travels in the company stations. The company agents are mistreating the inhabitants of the region by overworking them.

Furthermore, they do not give them food. They die because of cannot access medical care. Marlow continues with his journey until he reaches central station that is run by the general manager who was repugnant conspirational character. When he finally meets Kurtz, he realizes that he was such a brutal man who made the inhabitants suffer severely. Kurtz is sick, the condition is worsening and he eventually dies. It is expected that his death brings relief to the suffering Africans. In essence, the novel is about suffering in Africa at the hands of Europeans (Conrad 1).

Patrick Brantlinger has clearly identified the thesis of the article. He has investigated issues that surround imperialism and racism in various ways. Marlow encounters scenes of torture and cruelty as travels from Europe to Africa through the sea. The article offers a harsh picture of colonial enterprise. Kurtz is the chief tormentor of Africans. He not only mistreats and overworks, he also forces them give out their ivory for free. Unlike in Europe where everything is in order, Kurtz rules through extermination and suppression. He depicts European evil practices towards Africans inn their own land. The author has presented a set of issues that surrounds race which are bringing human suffering (Brantlinger 279).

The author has presented theoretical approaches in the article that makes readers understand how the novel is all about. From a psychological perspective, the article focuses on the complicated psychologies of Marlow and Kurtz. The author has explored their exclusive psychological incentive and the manner in which they live in the Congo River. Marlow is disconcerted by the kind of living that he witnesses there. Having come from a country with great civilization where people are treated well and have access to food, he is surprised to see that people are dying of hunger and diseases.

Kurtz seems not to be concerned by what he is sees because it is all because of his actions. The suffering of fellow human beings (Africans) is distressing. It can be concluded that Kurtz is psychological strong; his basic characters of violence and voracity are exposed in an environment that is free from social restraints. This brings out a negative take of his unconscious mind. Kurtz’s inner conscious overpowers him. This led to madness and eventually death. Before he died, he uttered the word horror. This means that despite torturing, he also suffered psychologically (Brantlinger 280).

The novel can be approached from a feministic perspective. Three female characters are mentioned a number of times in the novel. They are Kurtz’s fiancée in Europe, Kurtz’s native lover, and Marlow’s aunt. A feminist reading in the novel points that there were no authority and power given to women in the novel. It is a reflection of women in the 19th century. Women did not contribute in the patriarchal action of colonization. In addition, the article can be approached from a historicist approach. Theorists may consider how Brantlinger critiques imperialism and racism. In the same way, they can consider how the article functions as something of counter-historical account, which documents the depredations and horrors of European brutality in the Congo River. New historicists may question how the story of Marlow’s search for Kurtz and their encounter can be applied in various historical contexts. Marxists reading the novel might point to the ways in which the story portrays the cultural oppression and violence that surrounds capitalistic ventures. A queer theorist reading the article would consider the complicated relationship between Kurtz and Marlow as a social desire for homosocial bonding (Brantlinger 280).

The author claims that heart of darkness is a revelation of atrocities that began in Europe as early as 1888 and reached climax twenty years later. He has supported his position with other readings. He has presented the view of Chinua Achebe, Benita Parry, and Arendt Hannah. According to Brantlinger, Achebe is totally against Conrad’s view of Africa as a place where the intellect of man is ridiculed by exultant bestiality. Conrad himself is a racist who uses spurious words to describe how Africans looked like in those days. The liberalism advocated by Conrad through his chief narrator Marlow touches all people in civilized world. Most of the story takes place in Congo River. It has been depicted as a place where when people travel upwards, they are likely to go back to the earliest beginning of the world. This sounds as an insult to Africans. It also breeds racism (Achebe 985).

Brantlinger supports his position of imperialism and racism by reinforcing Benita Parry account. Parry asserts that Europeans divided the world into warring moral forces of West versus East, light versus darkness, good versus evil, and civilization versus savagery. The massive evidence of torture and slaughter under the direction of Leopold’s white agents suggests that there were numerous Kurtzes in the heart of darkness who elongated the suffering of Africans (Parry 10).
Brantlinger believes that Arendt Hannah was right in view of imperialism as brought out in the novel. The author has painted a picture to colonial mission as not the period that brought light to the benighted savages but a process that darkened everything that was coming to light in Africa. Hannah believes that Conrad was wrong to perceive imperialism as something of the past. It was more than gluttonous scramble for wealth in Africa. It was a progressive disclosure of the essential material of under international capitalist imperialism (Arendt 139).

Throughout the article, Brantlinger have described his arguments well. He claims that there is need to transform savagery to civilization. Europeans have tried to do so but in a cruel way. The manner in which he describes how Africans suffered in the hands of Europeans makes his audience get the concepts clearly. Whoever has not read the novel does not need to panic because everything has been described in an organized manner.
The arguments are presented in a logical manner. Brantlinger has used the first page of the article to provide readers with a glimpse of what the article is all about. Each chapter has been analyzed differently starting with chapter one all the way to the last chapter. Readers will be able to follow well as they transit from one chapter to the other. The article has the necessary background information regarding the novel. Even without reading the novel, one can understand what is happening. There is a clear account of Marlow’s journey to Africa to look for Kurtz. He has put the suffering and mistreatment that Africans went through in way that it connects the reader with those who suffered.

Brantlinger stated the thesis of the article clearly and has re-affirmed it in the conclusion. In the first pages of the article, Brantlinger claims that the novel was aimed at justifying the atrocities that happened in Africa under the hands of European explorers who were scrambling for resources. As much as there were several ivory in Africa, the Europeans used force to obtain them from the natives. They did everything possible that could enable them enrich their companies without showing any respect to the inhabitants.

Europeans and other countries in the West were somehow civilized at the time. It was expected that they could come to Africa to enlighten them. The contrary was true because people were made to suffer because of resources. The author has gone further to include some studies to back up his position regarding imperialism and racism in Africa. Brantlinger has adequately explained theoretical orientations in the article. From a psychological perspective, he wonders why Kurtz could treat Africans they he way he did any yet he comes from a civilized nation. He concludes the article by asserting that Marxists could be compelled to believe that the exploration was a scramble to partition Africa.

References
Achebe, Chinua. An image of Africa. Massachusetts review 18 (1977): 782-94.
Arendt, Hannah. Imperialism. New York: Harcourt, 1986. Print.
Brantlinger, Patrick. “Heart of Darkness: Anti-Imperialism, Racism, or Impressionism?” Web 03 Feb. 204. < http://ieas.unideb.hu/admin/file_663.pdf >
Conrad, Joseph. “The heart of Darkness.” Web 03 Feb. 204. < http://foa.sourceforge.net/examples/darkness/Darkness.pdf>
Parry, Benita. Conrad and Imperialism: Ideological Boundaries and Visionary Frontiers. London: Macmillan Press, 1983. Print.

Insert Surname 6

Female Relationships in Jane Austen’s Emma and Sense and Sensibility

Introduction
Emma, an infamous comic novel authored by Jane Austen talks about youthful hubris as well as the risks of misconstrued romance. The author has explored the genteel women’s difficulties and concerns. In addition, she creates her characters with a vivacious comedy of manners. She actually stated, “I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like” (Austeen (a) 1). Jane Austeen has also authored Sense and Sensibility, which is also a romance-based novel as it revolves around family life (Austeen (b) 1). The purpose of this paper is to analyse these two books by conducting a survey of different author’s works. The aim is to show that female relationships have the potential of displacing male/female relationships since female/female relationships are considered legitimate and imperative just like the male/female relationships.

Annotated Bibliographies
Baumeister and Twenge:
These authors examine as well as evaluate four models of cultural suppression about the sexuality of women. The study lacked enough evidence to support the perception that men, in most cases, suppress female sexuality. Some findings even contradicted the perception. However, the study illustrated that women should take credit of working towards stifling the sexuality of each other since sex is a restricted resource, which women employ in negotiating with their male counterparts, with scarcity of the same giving women an advantage.
Buss and Schmitt:
Buss and Schmitt’s article proposes a model of contextual-evolution concerning the mating strategies among human beings. The scholars hypothesized both males and females as having evolved some unique psychological mechanisms, which underlie the long-term and short-term strategies.

Flood:
The article argues that social bonds between males have a very powerful impact upon some young heterosexual males’ sexual relations. Flood’s qualitative analysis among the young Canberra, Australia males aged between eighteen and twenty-six documents heterosexual relations of men’s homosocial organization. The study has organized such homosocial relations in a minimum of four ways, which has been discussed comprehensively in the article.
Pappas and Catlett:
Pappas and Catlett argue that since the male athletes have portrayed some aggressive tendencies in diverse settings, they are at more risk of resulting into violence within as well as beyond their sports participation. Consequently, such males tend to perceive violence as the most effective means of solving conflicts between them and the others, including their female counterparts.

Carson:
The author argues that quantitative evidence supports the notion that the students of higher education could portray some gender bias against the women in the process of evaluating male and female teaching faculty. The study suggested that no literature body about the male lecturers’ sexism views exists, thus contrasting markedly with the literature about their female colleagues.
Buss and Dedden:
The authors claim that verbal signs could be used in manipulation of the impression formed by people about themselves or others. Consequently, people can manipulate different impressions in order to achieve self-enhancement either by derogating others or else by elevating oneself in many cases. These deductions were reached after a comprehensive survey covered in the author’s work.
Ntampaka:
The scholars argue that the law of the family has come under immense influence in numerous respects of the Belgian law as well as the canon law, which specifically advocates for monogamy. The difficulty of applying such rules and regulations, adopted from other external bodies and cultures is basically from the conflict existing between traditional and imported law.

Fayemi:
Fayemi attempts to explore as well as defend the African ethico-feminism claiming it is a sufficient complementary ideology effective in curbing of the prostitution challenges as well as the 21st century’s cases of female trafficking in Africa. As such, the article claims that the African ethico-feminism remains a new feminism concept, which is necessarily pertinent towards African predicament on female trafficking and prostitution.

Appelbaum:
The author warns against speaking about masculinity in rather general terms. Masculinity has been portrayed as a means of prefixing gender and sexuality rules. These prefixed rules and regulations leads to conflicts, which force females to seek alternative means of freeing themselves from the yoke of such men.

Razavi:
The article looks at the broad globalization’s facts, with globalization meaning greater economies’ openness towards international trade as well as capital mobility. The article is interested in examine the way in which globalization has impacted upon real economies’ growth as well as their capacity of creating employment. Precisely, the paper has tried to trace the way in which such policies influence the access to employment by women as well as their social rights’ enjoyment.
Smuts Barbara:
In primates, including among human beings, male aggression directed against females is regularly functional towards controlling of the sexuality of female towards the reproductive advantage of males. The author uses a comparative, evolutionary model for generation of a number of essential hypotheses aimed at assisting in explaining the cross-cultural differences in male aggression frequency against their female counterparts.

Steffensmeier and Allan:
According to the authors, criminologists agree that gender gap is universal in crime with women being always as well as everywhere less probable to commit criminal offences compared to their male counterparts. The authors examine the female offending patterns and gender gap as well as gender equality hypothesis and a number of contemporary developments in the theories of gender variations in crime. Finally, they examine and expand gendered paradigm in which they explain female crimes prior to concluding their paper with viable recommendations for future research.
Conclusion
Relationships can be affected from perspectives and by different parameters. As such, female relationships through empowerment and education can displace male/female relationships. In the contemporary world, female/female relationships are increased and thus are legitimate and important. This is just like the other male/female or male/male relationships.

Works Cited
Appelbaum, Robert. Standing to the Wall: The Pressures of Masculinity in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare Quarterly, 48.3, 251-272, 1997.
Austen (a), Jane. Emma. London: Forgotten Books, 2011. Print.
Top of Form
Austen (b), Jane. Sense & Sensibility. Rockville, MD: TARK Classic Fiction, an imprint of Arc Manor, 2008. Print.
Bottom of Form
Baumeister, Roy F and Twenge, Jean M. Cultural Suppression of Female Sexuality. Review of General Psychology, 6.2, 166-203, 2002.
Buss, David M. and Dedden, Lisa A. Derogation of Competitors. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7, 395-422, 1990.
Buss, David, M and Schmitt, David P. Sexual Strategies Theory: An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Mating. Psychological Review, 100.2, 204-232, 1993.
Carson, Lloyd. Gender Relations in Higher Education: Exploring Lecturers’ Perceptions of Student Evaluations of Teaching. Research Papers in Education, 16.4, 337-358, 2001.
Fayemi, Ademola Kazeem. The Challenges of Prostitution and Female Trafficking in Africa: An African Ethico-Feminist Perspective. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 3.1, 200-213, 2009.
Flood, Michael. Men, Sex, and Homosociality: How Bonds between Men Shape their Sexual Relations with Women. Men and Masculinities, 10.3, 339-359, 2008.
Ntampaka, Charles. Family Law in Rwanda. The International Survey of Family Law, 415-433, 1995.
Pappas, Nick T and Catlett, Beth Skilken. Athlete Aggression on the Rink and off the Ice: Athlete Violence and Aggression in Hockey and Interpersonal Relationships. Men and Masculinities, 6.3, 291-312, 2004.
Razavi, Shahra. Globalization, Employment and Women’s Empowerment. Background paper prepared for the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), Expert Group Meeting, 26-29 November 2001, New Delhi, India.
Smuts, Barbara. Male Aggression against Women: an Evolutionary Perspective. Human Nature, 3.1, 1-44, 1992.
Steffensmeier, Darrell and Allan, Emilie. Gender and Crime: Toward a Gendered Theory of Female Offending. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 459-487, 1996.

Insert Surname Here 3

Reflection on Biblical Justice-Old Testament

Micah was one of the Major Prophets in Israel whose course was to woe the children of Israel back to holiness. His mission was to draw people back to the covenant of the Almighty God because the people often needed to be reminded. He served his purpose well and in chapter six, verse six to eight, Micah was reminding the Israelites about the faithfulness and just nature of God. This paper provides a reflection of how the book of Micah 6:6-8 relates to justice.

Meaning of the Passage
Some Bible versions have a sub-title, what does the Lord require? This means that God had set requirements to those who are His and Micah was trying to remind us of the Lord’s obligation to humanity. The main target of the entire prophetic book was the people of Judah at the time. The text in chapter six and verses six to seven was Micah’s expectation of the reaction that was likely to come from the children of Israel. He acknowledged that the children of Israel needed quality sacrifice to avert the upcoming wrath from God because of their rebellious nature. This means that Judah was making it known to the people of the predicaments of the sins of the Children of Judah and specifically the sin of injustice. In verses six to seven, Judah remarks, “with what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high …with burnt offerings, with calves a year old…shall I give my firstborn for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my body?” (English Standard Version, 2011). In verse eight, the text simply meant that Micah was giving the Israelites the yardstick for receiving Yahweh’s forgiveness. This meant that the Israelites were to be just in the sight of the Lord.

In response to the mandate given in this passage, I can be more effective at doing justice in several ways. The initial way of being just is purposing to be a just steward and treating others with the impartiality they deserve. This includes justly and righteously loving God because that is His desire from me. Another method is to be devoted to have compassion for others. Without being merciful, we cannot adequately claim to know Christ. Justice goes hand in hand with being merciful and forgiving, kind, and in acts of charity. Without being merciful, it is equally intricate for one to be just too others. Walking in humility is another virtue that I desire to develop through first acknowledging my sinful nature. This can go ahead to being insightful to what God originally did to me through His son Jesus Christ. It requires a high sense of humility for a Christian to be just to others and this begins by acknowledging that God was humble enough to give His only son to die for our sins.

As a leader, it is necessary for me to be just not only to others but also to myself. This can be achieved trough not harming my body or exposing it to dangers. It is possible for one to do justice to others and forget to be just to his or her own body. Justice cannot also be complete without love and as a leader, it is imperative for leaders to love their subjects. Without love, it is equally hard for a Christian to be just because acts of justice can easily become possible when people love each other. Leaders are mostly feared, and in most cases, people do not think their masters love them not to mention being just.

Ultimately, in the book of Micah 6:6-8, the Lord requires of us to be just and kind to others. The text is relevant in ensuring that people willingly practice justice to others. In the contemporary society, justice has been averted in numerous ways and there is need for Christian leaders to lead by example.

Reference
The English Standard Version (2011). The Holy bible: containing the old and New Testament. Wheaton, Illinois. GoodNews Publishers. Retrieved on 8th June 2013 from: http://biblia.com/books/esv/Ge30.

BIBLICAL JUSTICE 3

Running head: BIBLICAL JUSTICE 1

Book review for W.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography by David Lewis

Bibliographic Citation
Lewis, David L. W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography. New York: Holt and Co, 2008. Print.
Introduction
The book I am reviewing for the assignment is entitled by L. W. E. B. Du Bois author David Lewis (2008). In this book, David Lewis has caved one volume from his outstanding two volume biography of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was the leading draftsman of the civil rights movement in America; he put the standards for history scholars on this epoch. Du Bois was considered by many as a person with divisive and immense personality. Du Bois was a self-righteous personality blessed with a language of poet that was coupled with edginess of the agitator. In this book, the author records Du Bois’s elongated and storied carter by giving details of the earth-shattering contributions that still echo today. Lewis is brilliantly evoking the environment which fashioned Du Bois. The author narrates how Du Bois became a walking tradition and how he was motivated by communism. Lewis has also written about Du Bois personal life.

Summary
The book is about the biography of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, it talks about his life from 1868 all the way through to the year 1919 with the forewarning of his death in 1963. The book is a precious history lesson that gives details on how modern social movements can exist. The book further narrates how William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’s father abandoned his mother when Willie was just three years old. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was raised by his mother in Great Barrington where there were numerous African American free farming families mingling with whites. Du Bois went through his primary school studies while living with his handicapped mother in underprivileged circumstances. His helpful high school principal encouraged him to get a college and he began writing for local magazines (Lewis 39).

The book discusses the progress of Du Bois; we can see Du Bois resign from his job at Atlanta University so that he could take the role of a Director in the publicity and research for the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) (Lewis 216). This association was established by the whites to help African Americans push for their civil rights. The author of the book, Lewis has produced comprehensive information to provide evidence of black people opposing with white people in the south as far as matters of econo9my are concerned. The book discloses that Du Bois has spent his entire life to fight for the quality education for the blacks. The author of the book has spent more than hundred pages to the school causes suitable for the Africans.

The glimmer that conveys the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) together was in 1908 when there was Springfield race uprisings that turned out to cause eighty injuries compounded by six deadly shootings as well as two lynching. The racist newspapers together with government statements regarding the riots angered the ardent reformer, he therefore wrote in the article The Independent to ask for support from large organization by requesting them to come together to aid the blacks. . He was an illustrious and founding editor of the immeasurably powerful journal of opinion. The predicament that David Lewis reminds us is that Du Bois made his name to be recognizable in approximately every black household in the United States. The book further shows how people believed that Du Bois was the NAACP. Just like the earlier clashes with Booker T. Washington over their diverse philosophies on the black progression, Du Bois stood in divergence with Marcus Garvey who was his fellow Africa advocate (Lewis 359).

In chapter sixteen of the book, the author is talking about connection at home and abroad. Du Bois and Nina have grown separately and his daughter tries to get his thoughts imagining illness recurrently. Nina started house hunting in New York and she gets difficulties in obtaining a tolerable place but its ironical because National Association of Colored People (NAACP) was struggling against house discrimination. (Lewis 442).

Critique
David Lewis articulates from just about all-powerful stand view at the same time as describing what is going through the minds of various people while trying to make known the central ideas contained in the book. Lewis does not worry in providing his proof right away when it comes to describing his facts but more often than not he adds a cross-reference that supports his substantiation.

The crisis
This carries the editorials by Du Bois which backs up the principles of unionized labor. What is more, he supports the philosophy of the socialist party because they pledged to support black causes. In the biography, Lewis amalgamates the most imperative information available in previous studies of Du Bois. He uses the data he got from Du Bois diary as well as other unpublished sources (Lewis 807).

Racial inequality
Du Bois advocated to all blacks to take out their support from the Republican Party because the Republicans did not support the blacks. David Lewis makes detailed notes that prove his case that the real reason that makes the black fight and white people clash in the south as well as Africa is the economic in the nature. Du Bois believes that greed is the reason as to why slaves are taken in the first place. Furthermore, it is clearly depicted in the book that riots are caused by money that is becoming tight (Lewis 807).

Importance of formal education
It is clear evident that Du Bois spends significant part of his life to fight for quality education for the blacks. Lewis has used hundreds of pages in trying to explain the exact schools that Du Bois has taken and the specific courses that he taught and the books he read.
The souls of black folk
Du Bois published this book in his effort to depict humanity and the genius of the black race. In this book, Lewis Narrates how Du Bois remarks that African American feels the twice over realization of an African and an American. It is the Du Bois struggle to bring together some of his contrasting selves pre-occupies Lewis and it doles out as the coalescing theme of the study. Lewis is carefully constructing the historical context whereby Du Bois actions as well as writings occur. It the leading segment of books that contain the exhaustive accounts of experience of African American protracted expedition for racial justice (Lewis 272).

Recommendation
I have to say that, in the end I would recommend this book to anybody who wants to learn more about civil rights movement in America. Du Bois is a first-rate study in historiography. This book is a state-of-the-art biography of the African- American biographer and scholar records of the life of Du Bois as of his influential years. It summarizes his role as the founder of the NAACP to his self imposed exile in the republic of Ghana. The overall strength of the book is Du Bois reputation as one of the American history most brilliant, dedicated, and courageous civil rights activists.

Work cited
Lewis, David L. W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography. New York: Holt and Co, 2008. Print.

Insert surname 6

When is a Slave Not a Slave?

Kevin Bales book on slavery entitled Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy (1999), remains to be one of the works that vividly paint the picture of the modern day slavery in the world. According to his research, slavery is present generating large amounts of revenue at the expense of the poor. In Pakistan, the situation is the same as seen in the brick industry that makes one of the backbones of the economy. This country has almost 7,000 kilns that produce to 2 million bricks every year employing 750,000 people. Those workers are paid less wages with the families working in the kilns constantly under debt after borrowing from the kiln owners to meet their daily needs. Such debts have typically made the families slaves to the kiln owners who control everything them.

The author brings certain critical issues in this book in terms of the slavery that still thrives in the modern society long after the slavery was banned. He advances the fact that the majority of the country’s population is poor, something that leaves with no option but to give in to the demands of the wealthy owners. He therefore points to the fact that poverty now makes the Pakistanis to willingly give in to work slavery as the only way to earn a living. This is different from the former type of slavery that was because of force and threats from the owners. The new slavery in Pakistan is because of willingness as there is no alternative to make a living.

There are certain similarities of this book with other books that have been written on slavery in the present time; however, Kevin Bales goes deeper in his research to present the actual happenings in the brick industry. His work stands above the rest as seen in the personal statements that he gives to explain his points, statements that are emotional. He work is a true depiction of what happens in most of the poor countries across the world where legal systems are weak. In these countries, the poor are exploited and even physically abused, as there is no legal framework to protect them.

Therefore, the major issue that Bales does not talk about is how to institute appropriate measures to keep such slavery in check. For instance, a proper legal system would ensure that laws are in place to protect the workers in these brick kilns from financial exploitation. The legal framework should be further investigated to find a real solution. This shows that modern slavery is because of lack of appropriate laws that protects the citizens of the country. He points to the fact that the government had banned the peshgi system in 1992 but the poor had no alternative and means to get any credit leading to the emergence of the same, later leading to the current millions bound into such slavery.

The work should have also expounded on the role of Islam in the present slavery. It is undoubted that Islam as a religion may have played a major role in the propagation and protection of the present slavery in Pakistan. A look into this should give the direction in to the appropriate laws that can help in reversing the situation. The bottom line of the problem in Pakistan is poverty and future publications should give ways to help empower the individuals in the country. This can only be achieved when appropriate system is in place to check the excesses of the employers. The law should ensure that no exploitation is allowed and legal actions are taken against employers who break it. This would ensure that the hard work by the poor families earn them enough for their survival and development.

References
Bales, K. (1999). Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy, Chapter Five:
Pakistan: When is a Slave Not a Slave? California: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520217-97-7.

Surname 1

Red: The Heroic Rescue

This is a novel by Ted Dekker which revolves around life of the main character Thomas among others as revealed in the story. This paper reflects a prose diary of Thomas in relation to events or scenes, and presented in first person perspective.
The narration “Red: The Heroic Rescue” begins after I spent fifteen years in the world of dreams. In this situation, my wife Rachelle persuades me to eat the “Rhambutan” fruit to stop dreaming. It’s after I spent eight hours on earth when the release of plague affects various cities. This moment creates worries in me in a way that I become torn in a world of conflict.

The incident that follows involves the Elyon followers who stay in the nearby seven forests, and known to abide by the rules of bathing on a daily basis. The outer part of the forests consists of deserts, which are habitats to the Horde because; the forest capacity cannot accommodate them. According to the story, the Horde happens to have a degenerative disease, which affects the skin. During this moment, they are attempting to conquer constantly and demolish the forest inhabitants (Dekker 56).

It reaches a time when the Horde commences to worship the Teeleh, which is clear when the carry banners portraying Shataiki images. At this juncture, they refer to me as Thomas the general hunter, and a forest guard commander. In addition, they perceive me to resemble the Horde and also as a legendary figure who dwells in the forest.
Horde meets legendary Martyn who embraces bolder and clever strategies to show off to the forest guard. At the forests, individuals stick to the seven rules by Elyon, which makes it hard for them to violate the laws. At this point, I see individuals proceed to commemorate themes concerning their lives in the forest environment, which is colored before the immense deception. It is during this time, when people permit Horde members to join them, bathe and be a section of forest dwellers.

However, Ciphus actively discourage this step claiming that there is insufficient water in lakes to cater for a huge population. At this stage, I notice that Jeremiah is a wise character, and also a village elder who washes Horde members. As the main actor, I also observe that forest habitats who overstay without taking a bath in Elyon’s water contract a skin disease. Eventually, they face side effects such as inability to reason rationally, and also miss the chance of joining the Horde (Dekker 112).

It occurs that the forest guard implemented extensive system, which enabled them to carry bathing water while on patrol to avoid this situation. The other new actor Justin is a under my command, and also a former forest guard member. I meet Justin and decide to offer him a second command rank, but he denies and leaves the entire forest guard. This paves way for Mikil a young woman actor who occupies the position as my second in command. On the other hand, Justin develops anger and attitude towards the forest dwellers leadership. I also observe how he actively seeks peaceful reunion with the Horde.

The narration progresses, I figure out that Justin cannot contract the disease even if he fails to take a bath. At some point, Ciphus leadership betrays Justin, and subjects him to a death sentence. Initially, his leadership forces Justin to engage in a fight with me and convinces the crowd that this battle would be victorious. My observation is that Justin maintains superior skills while using swords, but he did not hurt me, instead he takes it as comic. At the end, Justin amazes me when he becomes the victor, and am forced to confront him as he goes to greet Martyn. Eventually, I draw my sword on Martyn, and am shocked to find out that he is Johan my brother in law.

Earlier, Johan worked as my guard under my command and I had an assumption that he was dead in a war. Later, it astounds me to find out that Justin represented Elyon as revealed from his outward appearance. However, as the main actor in the story, am still unaware of this and strikes an agreement with Johan in pretence that Justin betrayed Horde, and the forest. The main agenda behind this plan is to ensure that they murder Justin. This results to the arrival of a powerful army which represents Horde by the forest, and demands to execute Justin for his betrayal (Dekker 116).
Justin faces a death sentence from Horde, and it becomes real when I watch him drown in water. The Horde army hangs him by the lake, and beats him severely to the point that leaves him disfigured.

Suddenly, a mysterious event occurs when Justin is drowning, I see the deadly Horde skin epidemic covering his body. As he dies, Johan attacks Justin by thrusting his abdomen using his sword. The next action I note is that Justin’s blood spreads in the lake an act that violates the prohibition by Elyon of blood coming into contact with water.
The day that follows, water becomes red reflecting blood and made all habitants in the forest to acquire the skin infection. In this scene, it is astonishing that the body of Justin is nowhere to be found despite searching the deepest parts of the lake (Dekker 178). As a result of this circumstance, my wife Rachelle figure out that Justine once commanded her to follow him. Johan, Rachelle and I in company of the Horde members and forest dwellers surrenders our lives by diving inside the red water. From my observation, this act cleansed completely the skin disease from our bodies, and enabled us to return to life. This implies that there is no need of cleansing to Elyon’s new followers who portrayed themselves via Justin to show that they were immune to the skin illness.

Meanwhile, the initial forest dwellers leadership appears be corrupt due to the religions merge, and the disease outbreak. The denominations consist of Elyon and Teeleh who convinces Horde to stay in the forest. I note that the sacrifice to drown in red water is unrealistic especially to people who contact the disease. The two religions perceive the cleansed individuals as albinos or persons who are defective. These defective people decide to flee to the desert in order to rescue their lives (Dekker 202).
The events in this scene involve shooting of my wife Rachelle on the way using three arrows, which leaves her dead. This incident overwhelms Justin and from this turn of events, I realize that the story title “red” attributes to his bloodshed which saved followers from collapsing.

Work Cited
Dekker, Ted, and Matt Hansen. Red: the heroic rescue. Brentwood, TN: Circle Media Pub., 2007. Print.

Surname 1

Book Review – American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings

“If this is Paganism, then at present, at least, I am a Pagan” is a phrase that Zitkala-Sa uses in her Indian stories giving the situation that confronts the native Indians against the white culture in the North America (12). The phrase shows authoritativeness and openness that she presents her work. Her book remains to be an important piece that elaborates some of the American Indian Stories, legends, and other stories elaborating the process of “Americanizing” the natives. The first section of the book on the Native Indian Legends where humanity tries to do all it takes to survive on earth. Iktomi, a character in the legend comes out as a trickster who wants to does everything to gain from the changes that occur. It is interesting to note that the stories by Zitkala-Sa give an illustration of the changes that occur because of civilization.

The major problem brought about by this book is the unethical methods that certain characters like Iktomi and Coyote use to advance changes in the world mostly to benefit them. Regrettably, the influence by such characters leads to a number of the misfortunes like diseases and segregation that occur to the society. The whites are depicted as advancing towards the native territories with the intention of wiping out their paganism.

This book clearly supports James Fennimore Cooper’s sentiments that the native culture could not have been totally wiped out (Cooper 54). On the same note, Zitkala-Sa also echoes Charles Brockden Brown’s natural seclusion brought about by the destruction of what is termed as wilderness to achieve other benefits (Clark 34). This book is important in the understanding of the suffering that native Indians went through in the name of American civilization.

Works Cited
Cooper, James, Lives of distinguished American naval officers. Carey and Hart, Philadelphia,
1846. Web. July 22, 2013 <http://books.google.com/books/about/Lives_of_Distinguished_American_Naval_Of.html?id=K_nNlzPZlbUC>
Clark, Lee, Charles Brockden Brown: Pioneer Voice of America, Duke University Press, 1952.
Print.
Zitkala-Sa, Cathy, American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings, Penguin Classics,
2003. ISBN 978-0-14-243709-4

Surname 1

IT Leader Chapter 1

The book, An Adventure of an IT Leader, brings forth the new CIO of IVK, Jim Barton, who is IT illiterate. Through hard work and commitment in managerial issues of IVK, in his search for the meaning of the statement, IT management, Barton realizes that people misunderstood the meaning of the statement as many took it to mean understanding the business end-to-end and across departmental boundaries, which was not the case. IT management simply meant, seeing better into more corners of the company and gaining a deeper understanding of the business, its operations and the relationships that exist between employees and their performance levels. Though Barton is IT illiterate, he is able to make greater steps and create an environment that attracts investors to the company. In essence, he applies very little IT knowledge in his managerial decisions. This actually shows that one can gain and use managerial skills not necessarily learnt based on IT.
IT forms the link between departments within any organization or business just as presented in the book, An Adventure of an IT Leader. The statement, no other department interacts with as many different parts of the business as IT is convincingly true since IT management is at the peak of understanding the business from department to department and creating a formal kind of link that oversees the high performance of the business. In his search for the meaning of IT management, Barton realizes that, the responsibility of an IT manager would be to work towards creating a link within overlapping departments so that the business can obtain additional value in output. This shows that proper engagement of IT in managerial issues of a business is bound to create value addition in output levels.
In analyzing the situation and the problems businesses face, the primary contributors to capability gap are educating, employing, training, and retaining employees, with much concern and weight given to communication issues within an organization, which are implicitly defined. If business people and technology shared more knowledge, more understanding and work as a team, the result would be an improved ability to communicate with each other, which then, would result into more work done smoothly and the result exhibited through value creation for the business. The ability of an IT manager to acquire technical knowledge is explicit and learnable whereas a lot of understanding of the knowledge relating to IT management is tacit. Managers must have mastery of relationships, understanding of political factors and engaging departments in production processes effectively. These give the basic relationship between tacit and explicit knowledge as realized by Barton in his adventure towards becoming an effective and efficient IT manager.
Basing our argument on operations of IVK and the areas of performance weaknesses as presented by the book, the only department that has experienced much downfall is the IT management under the former CIO, Bill Davies. This comes clear through the discussions that arise between Carl Williams and Jim Barton. Because of these downfalls within the IT department, an immediate action is taken to replace Bill Davies by Jim Barton who is currently the head of the loan operations department. Therefore, it is clear that transferring Barton to the IT department would leave his current position vacant and would call for new adjustments. Thus, another managerial position that would experience much dynamism would be Loan Operations Department.
IVK Corporation has experienced series of challenges under the leadership of its former CIO Bill Davies. Lack of proper coordination of departmental issues, misunderstanding of the knowledge that revolves around IT management, inability to create a production overlap within operations of different departments of the business have resulted into poor production capacities within the corporation. This has led to dismissal of Bill Davies whose position is taken by Barton as the new CIO. In order to improve performance within IVK Corporation, the new CIO, Barton needs to involve both tacit and explicit knowledge in his IT management. The idea is to involve a different approach that will help create a production overlap within the various departments through, employing, training and retaining employees. Barton realizes that, as an IT manager, he is at the peak of IVK operations, and would either make the corporation perform or fail depending on his IT management tactics.

Surname 1