History Of The Film Amazing Grace Theology Religion Essay

History Of The Film Amazing Grace Theology Religion Essay The movie Amazing Grace is all about an extraordinary man named William Wilberforce. In 1784 when he was twenty-one years old, Wilberforce was elected into the British House of Common where he became a politician. A few years later, William Pitt, a close friend of Wilberforces, became prime minister. Together these two came together and introduced a bill banning slavery. Although Wilberforce has the help of anti-slavery activists, there were many people that supported slavery and as a result the bill was not passed. Unfortunately in 1797 Wilberforce was forced to leave his career in politics due to his poor health so he moved into a country home of one of his friends. Here he then meets a woman named Barbara Spooner. Spooner encourages Wilberforce to not give up his goals so he then launches a second campaign to convince Englands lawmakers to end slave trade. William Wilberforce was a very strong Christian and he put all of his faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Wilberforce had very strong foundational values as can be seen throughout the movie through his actions and choices. Wilberforces faith changed him from being a careless wealthy politician into a public servant that was compassionate and caring towards everyone. He used his gifts and skills in order to help create a better society. Wilberforce was very strong in character as he had very strong morals and always knew the right thing to do. While most of society at that time accepted slavery as being a necessity, Wilberforce did not conform. Most people back then has been brainwashed into believing that slavery was okay, but thats not how Wilberforce thought. He saw that slavery was a cruel and evil thing. He knew that it was against Gods will so he did his best in order to end slavery in England. Unfortunately his bill was struck down, but even this did not stop him. He later came ba ck with another attempt at banning slave trade. Wilberforce obviously had very strong faith and character, and as suspected he was very much a servant and did all that he could in order to abolish slavery. Wilberforce literally did everything that he could do in order to end slavery in England. This introduces another question: why would Wilberforce go into so much trouble for something that didnt affect him? This is because he was an excellent servant. Although Wilberforce himself was not a slave he still saw the harm it was causing and he knew the suffering many people were going through because of it. He saw this and knew that he needed to do all that he could in order to help. Although he may have not reached the desired outcome at first, he did everything that he could and worked extremely hard and in the end he was able to abolish slavery. William Wilberforce was uniquely designed by God and therefore has both numerous strengths and weaknesses. One of Wilberforces strengths was that he was a very strong faith. Although there were many difficulties and struggles that Wilberforce was forced to encounter, he always put his trust and faith in God. This ultimately led to his success in abolishing slavery. Although things got difficult for William he never lost his faith in God and because of this incredible faith and persistence he was then able to abolish slavery in England for good. Wilberforce was very passionate about two main things in his first: God and abolishing slavery. Both of these passions were very closely connected together and they both had major impacts on his life. William believed in God and wanted to do everything that he could for Him, and that is where slavery became involved. William knew that slavery was contrary to Gods will and as a result he dedicated his life to abolishing it, but he knew that he couldnt do it all by himself. Wilberforce had a few friends to help him, but God is where most of the help came from. One major experience that had an impact of Wilberforces life purpose was when his bill was declined the first time. Wilberforce was obviously devastated and didnt know exactly what to do. He then moved out to the country where he was then convinced by Barbara Spooner that he had been fighting for a very noble cause and never should have given up in the first place. In my opinion, this is when Wilberforce truly understood his life calling. Up until this point he had been very passionate about the cause, but now his passion has been restored and is even stronger than it had been before. He then realizes that it is his duty to end slavery and as a result he starts up a second campaign. This campaign is much more successful than his previous one and he ends up abolishing slave trade in England. Overall, William Wilberforce was uniquely designed by Jesus Christ and this c an be seen all throughout his life. Wilberforce was able to do incredible things because of Gods help and these experiences that helped strengthen his faith and trust in God. Because William Wilberforce was uniquely designed, he was different than everyone else. This means that he had his very own unique personal mission or life calling. Wilberforces life calling was to make the world a better place. This included getting rid of slavery in England. God opened his eyes in such a way that Wilberforce was able to see the horror of slavery and all of the tragedies it was causing. Wilberforce then realized that slavery was against Gods will and he did the best that he could to get it abolished. He worked restlessly trying to abolish slavery even though he faced many hardships. When his first bill was not passed Wilberforce was crushed, but that did not stop him. William kept on going even after his bill was struck down. He was definitely discouraged at this point but he didnt give up all hope. He persisted and kept on going with his attempts to abolish slavery. In the end, all of these attempts were successful and slavery was then abolished. William Wilberforc e had finally fulfilled his life calling. Wilberforce was drawn to helping those in need and those who were treated unfairly which is why he was so passionate about making slavery illegal. He knew it was bad and he wanted to make the world a better place. Wilberforces vision of a better world was not only one without slavery, but also one where people had freedoms and liberties. He was a very strong Christian and as a result he wanted the world to reflect Gods desires for mankind. He wanted everyone to serve God and each other so that the world would be a less sinful place. Wilberforces main strategy for accomplishing these goals was by putting all of his faith and trust in God. William knew that he couldnt accomplish anything by himself and the he needed help. This help came from God and from numerous other individuals that helped him. He put all of his trust in God even when it seemed like there was nothing that could be done. Because William was able to completely rely on God, Go d was able to work through him and accomplish what needed to be done. William, with Gods help, was able to then abolish slavery and make the world a better place. One very obvious roadblock that William Wilberforce had to overcome was when his first bill was rejected. Wilberforce was very frustrated at this point and he started to lose all hope. Wilberforce became sick and as a result he moved into one of his friends country house. He lived her a while as he was recovering, but then he met someone very special. This need friend of his was Barbara Spooner, and they shared very similar views. Spooner also believed that slavery was a bad thing and that it needed to go. She then encouraged Wilberforce to try again and she told him he should have never given up such a noble cause. Finally, Wilberforce started to overcome this gigantic roadblock in his life. It took much encouragement from Barbara as well as a large amount of faith in God. Wilberforce was already discouraged so he ended up relying on God more than ever and as a result God let his will be done and Wilberforce was successful in the end. Wilberforce put all of his trust and faith in God, and the way that he lived out his life and trusted in God is a great example for the rest of the world. William worked tirelessly and devoted his life to a cause because he knew that it was wrong and contrary to Gods will. As a result he did everything that he could in order to abolish slavery. He went through many struggles and difficulties, but never gave up. This is a great example of how we should be leading out lives. Although times may get tough in our lives, we need to realize what Gods will is a fight through it. Life will throw many roadblocks in our way and sometimes they will seem impossible to overcome. However, if we put all of our faith in God we will then be able to overcome even the most impossible struggles and make the world a better place. William Wilberforce went through many difficulties and struggles in his life, but he never managed to lose sight of what he was doing it for. He was not only doing it to help tho se that were enslaved, but also to make the world a godlier place. He saw that the world was a very sinful place and he sought to change that. This is how we all need to live our lives. We should see the sinfulness in the world and despise it. We should then do everything that we can to destroy evil and make the world a better place so that through everything we do we serve God and do His will.

How Conan Doyle Conveys an Impression of Suspense and Mystery Essay

How Conan Doyle Conveys an Impression of Suspense and Mystery Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses many literary devices to convey an impression of suspense and mystery. They are placed throughout the story to ensure that the reader is always guessing as to what happens next. The primary device that Doyle uses is a combination of melodrama and academic writing. The latter is used in abundance with touches of the former to ensure that the reader is not put off at any point. Furthermore, it ensures a sense of realism which makes the mystery much more intense. Doyle's academic style can be seen from the very first sentence of the story when he states: "Of all the problems, which have been to my friend Mr Sherlock Holmes for solution" Coupled with academic writing is understatement when he writes, "At the time the circumstances made a deep impression upon me, and the lapse of two years has hardly served to weaken the effect." Melodrama can be observed from the statement, "[it] was so strange in its inception and so dramatic in its details" Throughout the beginning of the story the credibility of the narrator, Dr Watson, is built up to ensure a relationship of trust between him and the reader. This means that everything he says is instantly believable and this amplifies the mystery and suspense. An example of this is: "My practice had steadily increased, and as I happened to live at no very great distance from Paddington Station, I got a few patients from among the officials." Here you can see that Doyle is emphasising Watson's profession. The reader is given the impression that because Watson is a doctor he can be trusted. Furthermore, the reader knows that he's not going to dramatise the events. To ensure ... ...le size but of an exceeding thinness. I do not think that I have ever seen so thin a man. His whole face sharpened away into nose and chin, and the skin of his cheeks was drawn quite tense over his outstanding bones. Yet this emaciation seemed to be his natural habit, and due to no disease, for his eye was bright, his step brisk, and his bearing assured." In conclusion, I will say that using all these devices, Doyle successfully builds up curiosity and hence mystery and intrigue. Using little but heavy description, he is able to build up a powerful image that has the ability to shock the reader into submission. It is, for the most part, instantly believable and this serves the purpose of lulling the reader into a false sense of security. When the whole truth is finally revealed it is ever more vivid and much more successful in entertaining the reader.

Ivan Ilyitch and Wasted Lives Essay

The stories dealt with in this paper seek happiness in the wrong places. They stress the failures of modern life, the falsity of success and the elusiveness of happiness when it is not grounded in virtue. Virtuous and simple living are the last things to be discussed in these stories, but happiness is searched for according to the easiest and most sensual manners possible. Modern society has failed to bring happiness and fulfillment, and these stories speak as to why. What is terrible about modern life is the definitions of happiness and fulfillment based on money and social standing. It is roundly condemned by journalists and moralists, but remains as powerful as ever as motivating factors in behavior. In Tolstoy’s famous Death of Ivan Ilyitch, the film’s hero, Ivan, is a lawyer, a member of the prestigious judicial council (127) who has recently taken ill, as lies in his last few hours considering his life. His main concern throughout his life is what Tolstoy calls comme il faut, that is, the maintaining of appearances regardless of circumstances. Even his marriage was based on social standing and on the opinions of high society, rather than love (130). In â€Å"The Necklace,† the young woman wants the necklace that nearly destroys their life solely so that she will look like a successful person at the party given by the Ministry of Education. It ends in disaster as the necklace is lost. After being passed over for several promotions, Ivan was sent to a remote outpost in â€Å"the country,† where he quickly fell into boredom and ennui. He then left his family to go back to his Petrograd post, because high society is the only place he felt comfortable. His social cues came from that society. After falling while decorating his house–decorating solely for the approbation of the same society–he developed what appears to be cancer, and quickly died, mirroring the life and death of Aurora in Terms. The will cannot bring happiness and human life often has a rhythm of its own that cannot be controlled by the state, social institutions or an overprotective mother. It is in this interval that he meets Gerasim, a simple peasant without pretense or guile, the opposite of Ivan (148). Gerasim was Ivan’s assistant when he was ill. Gerasim cared not for society, but for the simple hard work that typified the peasant. He was a â€Å"natural† man rather than Ivan, the â€Å"artificial† one. But in Chapter IX is where a â€Å"voice† begins to speak to Ivan, speaking to him about life. Happiness is based on simplicity, not on the worship of the status quo and the domination of social norms. The artificial world of high society was not joyous, but merely a set of obligations. â€Å"And that deadly official life, and anxiety about money and so for one year, and two, and ten, and twenty, always the same thing† (157). But this was the life of success, of high society, of the elite: and it failed to make Ivan happy. The move from childhood, with its simple joys, to that artificial world of elite adulthood was correlated with the falsity of his happiness and the deadening of joy. This is also to be seen in â€Å"Araby,† where children are the only ones left with imagination as they come of age. The complex and hypocritical world of high society deadened him and his life. This story about a dying man looking at his life seems to be well read, but never heeded. Ivan is all of us who equate success with money and social standing, who view childhood as â€Å"trivial† and the approbation of institutions as central. Ivan conformed his entire life, from his marriage to political views, around what was dominant in high society. In this process, he was successful, but not happy. If anything, the two concepts exist in an inverse relation. Success in modern life is not a happy life. It is unhappy because ultimately, it is one set of obligations after another. Money is always a problem–investments, the market, inflation, taxes, economic cycles all contribute to the anxiety of all but the most wealthy of moderns. Social life, as in Ivan, is a bore, with a set round of obligatory social relations and gatherings, all of which seem to set the â€Å"success† class apart from the commoners. But Ivan, through the example of Gerasim, sees that the simple peasant, the agriculturalist, without the social obligations of the Petrograd lawyer, is happy, joyful and finds a great deal of satisfaction in labor and its invigorating aspects so common in farm work. But labor, in modern life, is something to be avoided rather than embraced and farm work is seen as â€Å"backward† in the prejudice of moderns. In the film Terms of Endearment, the parallels are subtle, but present. Aurora is the protective mother, always concerned for the ultimate happiness of her daughter, Emma. Once’s Emma’s first romance fails, and Aurora seems pushed out of her life, the latter finds romantic comfort with a married, â€Å"successful† man, a banker, Sam Burns. At the same time, Aurora, after remaining sexless for many years, has a whirlwind relationship with an ex-astronaut, Garrett Breedlove. It is hard to see the placement of the false society here, as is the case with The Necklace and A Good Man. Both Emma and her mother live within the false society of modern life, believing that sex and finding the â€Å"right† man will bring happiness. Virtue is not mentioned, nor the life of the mind, but happiness is defined solely in respect of an other, a romantic, sexual relationship that is supposed to make people happy. Both characters, Aurora and Emma, are trapped and the free sex that exists throughout the movie is a conformist device, not a rebellious one. If anything, the fact that Aurora dies of cancer tells her that happiness cannot be found in this life, for even if Aurora was right all along, and Emma was her best friend, she still would have died a miserable death. Having sex with the drunken Breedlove has changed nothing. This film seems to be a set of negative examples: overprotection does not lead to protected children, and sex does not lead to happiness, nor does romance. If anything, it is a veiled attack on the modern obsession with the sexually carnal, that promises pleasure and happiness but usually ends with emptiness. Such is also the final scene in â€Å"Araby,† where the fair itself, symbolizing all sexual and sensual, is a disappointment. The build up the young boy has created in himself was far too high for actual reality. Sex is modern life is often considered this Holy Grail of acceptance that often leads to disappointment. The Necklace, a short story by Guy de Maupassant, has far more parallels with Tolstoy than Terms. The single reality is that the necklace is part of the world of falsity within which Ivan and his ilk live. The very fact that the necklace itself is a cheap fake is part of the scheme–it matters not if the object is genuine, it does its job of making the world think that you belong and that you’re part of the â€Å"successful† club. The obligation that Ivan finds in his life is mirrored in the couple’s having to work for a decade to repay the alleged price of the genuine necklace, which never even existed. The necklace is the ultimate attack on the falsity of â€Å"successful† life–the necklace exists solely to convince others of something, but it is not even real. At the same time, the labor that has gone into paying for the non-existent real necklace speaks of the waste and profligacy of the wealthy, who normally pay huge sums for such trinkets, and call it happiness or success. The young boy in â€Å"Araby† though that his love interest and the fair at Araby would provide this. All these sorts of things provide is emptiness. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is a far more subtle work, centering around a self-centered grandmother that speaks of The Misfit, a killer who is allegedly making his way though to Florida, where her family wants to go on vacation. The family eventually makes their way to Tennessee where, in an accident caused by a hidden cat, the disabled car is sat upon by the Misfit and his group, who eventually murders the entire family when the grandmother yells out that the Misfit is here, hence, necessitating the Misfit’s murder of his identifiers. There is a hint that the Misfit is in fact the grandmother’s son, and the grandmother, possibly attempting to save her own life, attempts to calm of Misfit by touching him, which leads to a scene where the murderer hesitates, but soon steps back to shoot her. It seems that Terms and Good man are highly parallel, showing an overprotective parent seeking happiness in all the wrong places. Where The Necklace and Ivan are centered around the concept of falsity and the lies and hypocracy of modern life and its arbitrary definition of â€Å"success. † All four are concerned with happiness broadly speaking, but only Tolstoy holds out the hope for any real happiness, a happiness that can only be gained by simplicity and a return to the land. Modern behaviors cannot understand this.

The Achievement Struggle of U.S. Schools - 748 Words

Over the past decade American schools have been struggling to achieve the success rate of other countries. In the past 15 years the United States has stayed stagnant while other countries pass the U.S. in math, reading, and science. (SOURCE) Stagnant test scores and poor performance globally have educators, politicians and businessperson concerned about the future of education. Diane Ravitch is a highly educated author and a graduate of Wellesley College and received her Ph.D in history from Columbia University. After receiving her various degrees she became the assistant secretary of education and counselor of education from 1991 to 1993. (CITE) She now resides as a research professor of education at New York University. She has also written several books about school reform, national standards, adolescent education, controversial topics of school reform, and student rights. Overall, Diane Ravitch does a remarkable job stating the obvious issues that led to this modern day fiasco in education. I support and agree with Diane Ravitch. She strongly believes that education should not be rushed and mass-produced. In the book she states five major points about education: 1) Standardized Testing 2) No Child Left Behind and other education reforms 3) Business Model Approach 4) Privatization of schools 5) Accountability and change. In Diane Ravitch’s book a bout The Death and Life of the Great American School System shows the history and approach to school reform. She begins thisShow MoreRelatedThe Achievement Gap Between Minority And Nonminority Children974 Words   |  4 PagesIn school there are always those students who exceed, but there are also individuals who struggle significantly. However, minority students tend to struggle more than nonminority students. According to an article called â€Å"Addressing the Achievement Gap Between Minority and Nonminority Children by Increasing Access to Gifted Programs,† by Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, Seon-young Lee, and Mephie Ngoi, â€Å"The most significant educational problem in the U.S. is the fact that the achievement of minority childrenRead MoreRacial Inequality And Its Effects On A Student s Development850 Words   |  4 Pagesequity within our schools. People of color are less likely to receive diplomas at all levels of education. Race is not just an issue for K-12 education. Students of color are more compressed into schools with fewer resources, are more likely to be disciplined, have less access to higher quality curriculum, and are taught by lower qualified and lower paid teaching staff (Museus, Ledesma, Parker, 2015). In fact, when taking race as an independent variable, and resources and achievements as dependentRead MoreShould Children Have A Special Need?1676 Words   |  7 PagesShould children in today’s world who have a special need or don’t have a special need be held back in school? Should they be the one’s who are responsible for not reaching academic proficiency due to having a disability or unable to reach grade level standards? The No Child Left Behind Act gives all children a fair, equal chance to reach the minimum proficiency on standard academic assessments that they are expected to t ake whether they have a disability or not. The current talk among professionalsRead MoreEducation Is A Central Need Of All People Around Over The World1543 Words   |  7 Pagesstudents’ social levels, race, and religions. Therefore, early reformers attempted and worked hard to improve the education system by some processes such as training the educators, or combine some schools for better productivity (The U.S. Department of State, 2008). Moreover, the development of schools began from the nineteenth century (Pulliam and Van Patten, 1999). In addition, if we look at education policy timeline in the United State, we will find some development projects. However, some ofRead MoreEducation Is A Central Need Of All People Around Over The World1543 Words   |  7 Pagesstudents’ social levels, race, and religions. Therefore, early reformers attempted and worked hard to improve the education system by some processes such as training the educators, or combine some schools for better productivity (The U.S. Department of State, 2008). Moreover, the development of schools began from the nineteenth century (Pulliam and Van Patten, 1999). In addition, if we look at education policy timeline in the United State, we will find some development projects. However, some ofRead MoreRelationship Between Parenting And Student Academic Achievement Essay1403 Words   |  6 Pagesbetween parenting styles, parenting involvement and student academic achievement. For example, the author explained that parents who volunteered the most in their child’s school had children who on average scored the worse in reading (Ripley, 2013, p.107. In addition, the chapter shows how the views on education has an impact on student academic achievement. Specifically, the views of education in South Korea, Finland and the U.S were examined. Chapter 7 described the metamorphosis of the educationRead MoreAchievement Gaps1012 Words   |  5 PagesAchievement Gaps Reading, writing and the ability to solve simple mathematical problems are a part of the necessary tools needed to survive in America. Consequently, such learning tools are used numerous times throughout the day without recognition. However, reading, writing and basic knowledge of mathematical problems are not equally achieved by all social groups. It is clear that education plays a major role in the future of an individual, yet there are achievement gaps between Black, WhiteRead MoreEssay on Oprah Winfrey 1026 Words   |  5 PagesThe great American Dream, sought out by millions around the world, is a constant goal for people that live in America. For every individual living in the U.S. the American Dream has a different meaning. For some it might mean having 2 cars, a house, a picture perfect wife or husband, equally beautiful children; preferably twins, a sustaining job and a four to five bedroom suburban home. To others, the American Dream is having a job that can simply suppor t a family or achieving some fame. Many AmericansRead MoreBlack Male Underachievement : African American Males910 Words   |  4 PagesThe lives of young African American males is under constant threat in the United States. â€Å"Only 41% of African American males graduate from high school in the U.S., leaving more than half of African American males between the ages of 16 and 19 unemployed† (McGee, 2013). According to McGee (2013), fifty percent of African American males in grades 6–12 have been suspended compared to 21 % of White males. Seventeen percent of African American males have been expelled, compared to 1 % of White males andRead MoreShould Year Round School Be A Positive Impact On The Lives Of Students?997 Words   |  4 PagesDoes year round school truly have a positive impact in the lives of students? Various studies do suggest that year round school is helpful. There are some disadvantages to this type of schooling that are preventing all schools from switching to this type of scheduling. In earlier times schools were only teaching throughout half of the year so that school would be out of session when it was time to work in the fields. This type of scheduling is still common today even though only a small portion