Thomas Day :: essays research papers fc

Life and Times of Thomas Day   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas Day was born in Dinwidee, Virginia in 1801 to a free slave mother. With the law that allowed children to be born free if their parents were free, Day was born free and did not have to be a slave. His family had been free since the early 18th century. He and his brother were educated by private tutors and they were trained by their father in cabinetry and carpentry. Thomas’ brother eventually began to study theology and he emigrated to Liberia in 1930 and was a Baptist missionary, eventually became one of the signers of the Liberian Declaration of Independence and a prominent statesman there. He’s known as one of the founding fathers of that nation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas moved to Milton, NC in 1823 and started a furniture business where he became one of the best furniture makers of that time. He received notice from two of North Carolina’s governors and his furniture is inside of University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill’s original buildings. He eventually began to train free blacks and enslaved blacks to do the carpentry work that he was doing. By the mid 1800s his work was in demand from Virginia to Georgia. He then had to begin purchasing slaves to help him to the work. His furniture shop became the biggest shop in the state because he used steam powered machines and using mass production techniques to build his furniture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1827 Thomas married a free woman from North Carolina. But the law was that free slaves could only marry people from their own state. So Thomas threatened to move his furniture shop outside of North Carolina and to move it to Virginia where that law did not exist. So the North Carolina Legislature made special arrangements to the law so that Thomas would stay in North Carolina and he and his wife could still be married. Thomas had three children and they were educated in an abolitionist-sympathizing school in Massachusetts called Wesleyan Academy. He also constructed some pews for The Presbyterian Church in Milton provided that his family would be allowed to sit up front in the white section. He was an active member of the community of Milton. In 1848 he purchased the Union Tavern where he resided until he died in 1861. It is now a landmark but part of it was destroyed by a fire in 1989.

“Little Buddha” †A Summary and Review Essay

Little Buddha starts with a Buddhist monk, Lama Norbu, going to Seattle in search of Jesse Conrad, a boy who Lama Norbu believes may be the reincarnation of Lama Norbus old teacher, Lama Dorje. Lama Norbu and his fellow monks find Jesse and his family, and after an awkward first meeting gives Jesse a book called Little Buddha, which is read to him over the course of the movie to teach him the history and basic points of Buddhism. We get to watch what is being read to Jesse, so there is a movie of Buddha inside a movie of Buddhism. Jesse starts making trips to the Monastery to learn more about the monks and their practice. During his time in the monastery, Lama Norbu reads parts of the book to Jesse. We learn about the birth of Siddhartha Gautama as a prince who was destined by the stars to be great. We learn how his father sheltered him from everything that had the potential to disturb him, and how he finally, when he was a teenager, discovered suffering, poverty, old age, and death. We learn about how he left the palace with a goal to end suffering, and how he became an ascetic. Finally, after hearing a man telling his music pupil about how the string of an instrument has to be in the middle ground between being to tight and snapping and being too loose to play, Siddhartha realizes that the path to enlightenment lies in the Middle Way, or whatever the middle ground is between any two extremes. Jesse is very interested in Buddhism, and Lama Norbu convinces Jesses dad, Dean Conrad, to let Jesse make a trip to meet the other candidates for being the reincarnation of Lama Dorje, and then go to Bhutan for the decision of who it actually is. Jesses mother objects, but gives in after a very emotional scene and Dean, Jesse and Lama Norbu all fly together to Katmandu, where Jesse finds Raju, an awesome little guy who happens to be the second candidate for being the reincarnation of Lama Dorje. Raju asks to play Jesses gameboy, and after Rajus brother steals the gameboy and Raju gets it back, he and Jesse get along very well. The monks think that it is remarkable that the two candidates somehow managed to find each other without knowing who the other one was. After this they fly to India to meet Gita, an upper-class Indian girl. The third candidate comes off a bit conceited and boastful and the beginning, but they all seem to get along afterwards. It is at Gitas place where they find a tree much like the one Siddhartha Gautama meditated under to reach his enlightenment. Here Lama Norbu tells them the story of Siddharthas meditation, and how Mara, an evil  being of temptation and malice (much like Satan) tried to stop Siddhartha from reaching enlightenment. This is where all the good special effects come in. After all of his distractions fail, Siddhartha Gautama reaches enlightenment and becomes The Buddha. After this scene, we emerge from the Buddha tale and Lama Norbu and the rest fly to Bhutan, where Lama Norbu informs them that they are all partly the reincarnation of Lama Dorje. Lama Norbu, finally having completed his task, reveals that he is unhealthy, and he soon, after meditating for a very long time, passes away. Analysis:Little Buddha begins with Lama Norbu telling the apprentice monks at the monastery a story. The story teaches of the cycle of reincarnation, and the ultimate goal of being relieved from this cycle. The story also states that No human being needs ever to sacrifice another animal. This exhibits one of the main principles of Buddhism. Buddhists are generally vegetarian, and dont believe in killing other animals. The movie also teaches of the practice of meditation. Lama Norbu describes it to Jesse on the plane to Katmandu: It is being totally quiet and relaxed, separating yourself from everything around you, setting your mind free like a bird, and you can then see your thoughts as if they were passing clouds. Buddhists are also supposed to detach themselves from worldly connections, which is why they destroy the intricate sand murals that they create as soon as they are completed. Lama Norbu also tells Jesses father at the end that he is not a good example of Buddhist detachment because of his dedicated search for the reincarnation(s) of his teacher (obviously because of his love for Lama Dorje). The primary character who most exemplifies Buddhist philosophies is, despite the fact that he is not good at detachment, Lama Norbu. He is the old, wise one in the movie, and, not having any background on any of the young monks depicted in the movie, the obvious choice for best Buddhist. Lama Norbu is exceptionally good at meditating, too. When he was dying, he meditated for many days on end. I would definitely recommend Little Buddha to anyone interested in learning more about religion, or Buddhism in particular. Although the movie covers  most of Buddhas life and most of the main characteristic of Buddhism, is manages to avoid seeming educational. I would not recommend Little Buddha to anyone addicted to constant action, suspense, or romance, because this movie contains very little of any of them. This movie is all about the emotion the interactions, the learning, and the maturing of every character. Every one in the story gets introduced to a culture not familiar to them during the course of the film, and some characters, like Jesse, get absorbed into entirely new lifestyles. The movie is artwork at a very fine level much attention to detail is present, and the entertainment is all in the details. Little Buddha is the perfect nightmare movie for all people too shallow to comprehend it, all people so shallow as to think it slow, and all people too imperceptive or unfo cused to catch the subtle nuances of its characters interactions. I was very interested in the very prominent cinematic techniques used in Little Buddha. Usually, when one is watching a movie, one can forget that it is a movie because the cinematic techniques are planned to be subtle, as to not be noticed. Only film making aficionados usually pay special attention to cinematics. I could not help but notice though, that all of the sad scenes of the movie were displayed with a very blue tint, and the scene in the hot, eastern desert was displayed with a red tint. The directors of this movie were obviously not trying to make your average, run of the mill movie. They were trying to create a cinematic masterpiece. By using these prominent cinematic techniques, they were daring to make a controversial film. Every time an artist steps out of the lines, it is considered controversial. Controversial pieces of art always seem to follow one of four paths: 1: They are argued about, then forgotten; 2: They are argued about, then rejected; 3: They are argued about forever; and 4: They are argued about, and then become famous masterpieces. If you want to create a famous work of art, you have to step outside of the lines, you have to be creative, you have to dare to be controversial, and then you have to hope that people will appreciate what youve done. That is what I believe the makers of Little Buddha were trying to do. Little Buddha was an educational film that displayed thought and emotion  throughout, and gave the viewer a look at the inside of Buddhism. It was displayed in a way that taught more than a textbook paragraph ever could, with likeable characters, (for the most part) realistic character interaction, and the intention of spreading knowledge of Buddhism and possible Buddhism itself to anyone who is willing to spend two hours of their time on something well worth their while. Bibliography: Little Buddha, (Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci) 2004

Essay about Social Class - 1016 Words

SOCIAL CLASS Social class refers to the system of stratification of the different groups of people in a society. These different forms of classification are, in most instances, based on gender ethnicity and age. Social class makes everyone’s lives extremely different. For example: How long one can expect to live. In a wide range of ways, from success, to one’s health class, social class influences people’s lives (Grusky,2003). Among the life chances affected as result of social class involve factors such as: How long people live (life expectancy), how healthy people are, how much and what they eat, the kind of housing they live in, the level of education they reach and the qualifications they achieve, how likely they are to be unemployed†¦show more content†¦The upper middle class consists of managers and professionals, while the lower middle class is made up of clerks, office workers, telephone sales and shop workers. These jobs are usually not very well paying and do not require very high qualifications. The petty bourgeoisie on the other hand are small business owners. This group may consist of people who may own a workshop or shop and may be employing a small number of people. The Working Class This class, like the middle class, consists of sub-groups of people. These include the skilled, the semi-skilled and unskilled workers. Social mobility has, however, affected the number of people in this class. Many people born in this class have been able to rise to the middle class, and as a result, there exists a case of embourgeoisement. According to the Marxist view, this is the class of people who are detrimental to the fate of the entire class system. He stated that these people were supposed to unite and overthrow capitalism. However, this is not what has occurred. The Underclass This is the lowest class in the social class stratification. While the majority of the working class now live reasonably healthy and prosperous lives, a low minority do not. These people cannot work. They include the long-term unemployed and the disabled and chronically ill. They are in effect, shut out of much of what most people can attain. This group ofShow MoreRelatedSocial Class And Social Work Essay1367 Words   |  6 Pagesof this assignment is to Examine the extent to which social class determines life chances in contemporary Britain, and explore the relevance of the issue for students on a social work degree. Within this document I will identify and explore key concepts and approaches in the sociological analysis of social differentiation in modern society. I will then use these concepts and apply them to contemporary britain in order to explain how social class influences an individual s life chances. I will alsoRead MoreSocial Class Vs. 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And as the tile shows, there are even disagreements over its very existence. Before we get into the details, at least, let us look at one definition. â€Å"Social class â€Å"is a set of concepts in the social sciences and political theory centered on models of social stratification in which people are groupedRead MoreA Social Class System1116 Words   |  5 PagesThere is no way to deny that a social class system exists that divides people by general popularity. Once children begin school, they begin to separate into these divisions. The top of the social ladder, often considered to be people who are cool, are stereotyped to be beautiful and happy. Although in some cases this may be true, it is not always that way. 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Social mobility can be seen when an individual or group of people change their economic status in a way that changes their social class. This change in social class can be either a positive change or be a negative change. There are many factors that affect what works for, and against, social mobility, such as class, race, gender, and age. An individual’s class can have both aRead MoreA Social Perspective On Class Society1081 Words   |  5 Pagesinterpretations on specific areas of class and its meaning are in some ways entwined together ultimately resulting in a societal action. In a class society, the underlying social issues in regards to members of a specific class; the concealed feelings of the lower class in relation to their social standing within society, consequently forms a class consciousness therefore determining a social revolution. Marxism being a conflict theory primarily focuses on class and its meaning within society. HavingRead MoreSocial Stratification and Class Essay1531 Words   |  7 Pagesbacks of the middle class. To people in the lower class, the promise is held that in a capitalist society, by working hard you can lift yourself out of the lower income bracket to join the middle class. Entrepreneurs who can find a need and fill it can make it into the upper class. The point is t hat this kind of thinking, a product of social stratification theory, is ingrained upon our minds. As a society, we accept it as a fact that we live in a multi-tiered class system, and that