Fate and Destiny Essay Example for Free

Fate and Destiny Essay The Epic of Sundiata is meaningless without the concepts of fate and destiny. When the Mandinka king receives the divine hunter at the royal court, and the hunter predicts that the king’s marriage to an ugly woman would grant him a mighty king for a son; the Mandinka king must honor the prophecy. It is for this reason that the king, before his death, gives to Sundiata – his son born of an ugly woman – a griot. When Sundiata is older, he too believes in the importance of harnessing powers of a supernatural nature (Niane). Prophecies are, of course, made through supernatural powers. Seeing that the kings of the Mandinka people believe in supernatural powers, their subjects must also be believers in the same. Moreover, fate and destiny appear real to the Mandinka people, which is the reason why the prophecy is honored by the king. But, even if most of the Mandinka people do not believe in supernatural powers, the belief system of the king is expected to be superior to that of his people. Belief in prophecy entails that one’s fate is determined, and there is nothing that one can do to change his or her destiny. Prophets are believed because they know the fate and destiny of others. By informing people about their respective fates and destinies, they save their people from being misled. At the same time, however, the concepts of fate and destiny entail that the Mandinka king would have married an ugly woman, with or without the prophecy of the hunter. The king would have had Sundiata, too, regardless of the prophecy. The only useful part about the prophecy was that the king gifted Sundiata with a griot because he knew that Sundiata would be a mighty king in the future. Just as the Epic of Sundiata cannot be understood without reference to fate or destiny, Things Fall Apart focuses on a hero and his community, unable to change circumstances in the face of destiny. Things Fall Apart makes repeated references to chi, a concept that refers to a personal deity that is available to all people to guide them to fulfill their individual destinies. It is impossible for a human being to struggle against the chi, or his or her spirit force. This is the reason why Okonkwo, a courageous and intelligent individual, cannot change his circumstances or that of his community even as things fall apart for everybody except the colonialists (Achebe). In other words, the human being is powerless against the decisions of the chi or his or her personal deity who establishes the fate and destiny of every soul. The personal deity of all people has determined that Okonkwo and his people would suffer, and there is nothing they can do about it (Achebe). Okonkwo is a distinguished leader of a village in Nigeria. He is rich, powerful, brave as well as wise. He has worked hard to achieve his high status in his village. Thus, the village elders choose him to be the guardian of a boy named Ikemefuna, who has been made prisoner by Achebe’s tribe. Okonkwo must keep the boy with him until the Oracle decides otherwise (Achebe). This shows that man has no free will, and that, in fact, fate and destiny are determined by another. Human beings are not even allowed to make decisions by themselves. If they attempt to make decisions by themselves, they must be severely punished, as Okonkwo was. When the village elders decided that Ikemefuna must be killed, Okonkwo went against the advice of the oldest man of the village by killing the boy himself. Subsequently, things started to fall apart for Okonkwo. He accidentally killed another individual at a funeral ceremony. For this act he had to be sent into exile with his family for a period of seven years. After all, he had offended the deities by committing the murder (Achebe). When Okonkwo returned to his village, he struggled for his people against the colonialists. In the end, however, he had to kill himself (Achebe). The forces of change were too strong for him to resist. This reveals that man’s determination, intelligence, and courage have no power over destiny and fate. Even though I believe in fate and destiny, I do not agree with this grim vision of the same. Neither do I trust the fact that man has been rendered powerless by fate and destiny. In my understanding of these concepts, God, who is all-knowing, has written the fate and destiny of all people. His knowledge of all people’s past, present and future is their fate and destiny, in fact. At the same time, He has given unto human beings the power to make decisions for themselves. The Bible confirms this view. Although there is nothing that a human being can do to fight destiny and fate, individuals are free to use their intelligence in the best possible ways. Our use of intelligence – in my belief – is also determined by God. He allows some people to prosper at the expense of others. All the same, in the Biblical sense, such circumstances are a trial from God. He cannot be blamed for giving one man a life of riches, happiness and peace while his brother is poor and living in a violent neighborhood. In the Biblical view, both men are loved by God. However, by severely testing the homeless man, He would like the man to turn to Him in prayer. The rich man, on the other hand, is required to be of help to the poor man. If he does not help his brother, however, God would continue giving him opportunities to do so in future. In this view of fate and destiny, God also knows the people who would go to Heaven as opposed to those who would enter Hellfire for eternity. Even so, I know that people have free will to choose what they would like to do with themselves and where they would like to go. God does not stop us from using our minds to do as we please. But, as I have already mentioned, it is He who ultimately decides what we would think. So, while one man concentrates on spirituality, another spends his entire lifetime thinking about the theory of relativity. It is our personal destiny to think, do, and wish as God pleases. Of course, my understanding of fate and destiny is not the same as that of the Mandinka king or the people of Okonkwo. I do not visit soothsayers, and neither would I believe in all of them. Furthermore, even if it is unfashionable in our times to believe in God and supernatural powers, I continue to believe in fate and destiny. Works Cited Achebe, C. Things Fall Apart. New York: Doubleday Co. , Inc. , 1994. Niane, D. T. (trans. ). Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. Harlow: Longman, 2006.

Of Mice and Men and Steinbeck’s Life Essay -- Biography Biographies Es

Of Mice and Men and Steinbeck’s Life      Ã‚   "If an author does not have at least one great popular success, he or she may well be ignored by the media, but if he or she is constantly popular, then the critics become suspicious of the writer's serious intentions" (Benson Introduction). What do critics from the literary world have to say about Steinbeck's writings? Critics have much to say, both positive and negative. What link exists between Steinbeck and his writings? Perhaps the most noteworthy biographical link between Steinbeck and his writings is that he was born and came to maturity in the Salinas Valley. In this area of California, bounded on the north and south by the Pajaro and Jolon valleys on the west and east by the Pacific Ocean and the Gabilan Mountains, Steinbeck found the materials for his fiction (Tedlock 3). John Steinbeck's agricultural upbringing in the California area vibrantly shines through in the settings and story lines of the majority of his works.    John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. His father's family, originally called Grossteinbeck, had come from Wuppertal, about twenty miles east of the German city of Dà ¼sseldorf. During summers he worked as a hired hand on nearby ranches, "nourishing" his impression of the California countryside and its people (Lisca 32). He made occasional exciting trips to San Francisco with his family and more frequent trips to the Monterey peninsula (Fontenrose 2). In 1918, he became ill with pneumonia and almost died, but he was able to recover. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, Steinbeck enrolled at Stanford University, taking courses in English and Marine Science (Bloom 11). He was always an excellent stude... ...he knowledge he gained and the images he conceived of California in his writings.    Works Cited Benson, Jackson J. The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1990. Bloom, Harold. John Steinbeck. Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. Davis, Robert Murray. Steinbeck: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1972. Fontenrose, Joseph. John Steinbeck: An Introduction and Interpretation. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1964. French, Warren. John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994. Lisca, Peter. The Wide World of John Steinbeck. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1958. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books USA Incorporated, 1978. Tedlock, E.W. Steinbeck and His Critics. Albuquerque: The University of New Mexico Press, 1957.   

Inflated Language

Inflation, It’s now Effecting our Words Inflation is a word that is often referred to when talking about economies. When talking about the economy inflation is when there is too much currency so its value is lowered. The more rare something is the more it is worth. That is a very simple concept that can apply to so much more than economy. Inflation has infiltrated school, society, and even language. Ever since I was a little child, I have been showered with words like terrific, fantastic, and incredible, and I bet I am not the only kid who can say that.Everyone is treated like the best because when we are kids and our being raised by are parents they see us as the best in the world no matter what we do. The people who raise us have this view of us that we are better than everyone else. This showering of compliments starts very early and continues into school. School is a place of extremities. Everything is a great success or a work in progress. Words like terrific or excellent have not become standardized but have become relative to everyone. What is â€Å"terrific† for one person could be someone else’s â€Å"horrible†.The student is compared to him or herself instead of everyone in a school. Language is unique because of its flexibility, but this very same flexibility causes words to lose their meaning because they become over used. I know that this happens in school because I have seen it happen while I have gone through our education system. I was in a class where just turning in papers got you a one hundred percent and a comment saying great job. The distributions of these words have led everyone to think that they can do no wrong.People think that no matter what they do they should get an award and a pat on the back. All these ideas come from society. Everyone always talk about where the bar is set for things. This is an ongoing metaphor used to show what people will accept as good. This â€Å"bar† is set by society as a whole and society is accepting less and less. This acceptance of less means the distribution of successful words like fantastic, which is the formula for inflation. Too much of a product means it’s worth less, and that is what is happening to our language.

I Am Not A Huge Believer On Conspiracy Theories, But There...

I am not a huge believer on conspiracy theories, but there’s something odd about Sandy Hook. The amount of un-answered question, break-ups in the media, and flaws in the timeline. Nothing seemed to add up about this particular â€Å"tragedy†. The farther I dug into the story, the longer I sat there in disbelief. I was scared, confused, and most of all, angry! I couldn’t believe the government I live under, the one that is supposed to keep my family safe from certain situations is staging horrific tragedies to veer the country’s attention away from other issues. The first part of the timeline is what throws everything off. At 10:14am the first gun shots were reported. An hour and one minute later, a code 403 (all EMS personnel) was broadcasted. Let me stop right there. If shots were fired at an elementary school, why did it take an hour for EMS to arrive? Reportedly, the 26 victims were all killed within the first 11 minutes. In my opinion, why would it take the chief of police so long to send all units when reports stated there were several dead with many wounded? Next, the way the media went about broadcasting the report. At 12:39pm, NBC news was the first to arrive. Upon their arrival, the world got the first look of the children exiting the building running to cover as if the shooting was still taking place. Two hours goes by, the children are allowed the exit the building at the exact time the first new chopped shows up. As the media reported, they got mixed reports of what