The Islamic Faith

Maile Danilchik

3/13/17

10th Grade World Literature

Islamic Religion

The Islamic faith is a branch among three main religions that compose the Abrahamic faiths. The other two belief systems are Christianity and Judaism. Before I learned more about the origins and core doctrines, I knew that Islam was an Abrahamic religion, but I did not know how similar the perceived origins were to Christianity. I did not know that Adam and Prophet Noah were common themes in both religions. I was interested to see that Eve is not mentioned as an important aspect of Islamic faith, which I also did not know. I previously knew that Prophet Muhammad was very central to the Islamic faith, but I learned that he was the progeny of Prophet Abraham, whose name I assume inspired the title of Abrahamic Faiths. I did not know that the name “Islam” is derived from “Salam” which means peace in Arabic. Therefore Islam is considered the religion of piece. I feel that there is a negative connotation related to the Islamic faith that can be applied by present-day media in our area of the world. I think it is important to understand the history and origins of the Islamic faith before choosing to think of it a certain way. I do not practice the Islamic religion or have much experience with the religion, but after learning more about it I believe it is a fascinating belief system, and I am interested in learning more about it.

Cry, the Beloved Country Observations #4

Maile Danilchik

2/9/17

World Literature 10th

Cry, the Beloved Country Paragraph Assignment #4

Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country. New York, Scribner, 2003.

   It was believed throughout the native African community in Ndotsheni that “the white man” has broken the tribe. Many think that a broken tribal system contributed to native crime rates to spike and racial injustice. In Cry, the Beloved Country, the prosperous, busy city of Johannesburg serves as the white man’s town, and Ndotsheni in the poor countryside is the place of the tribe. Apartheid kept the two communities apart legally, but there was a political dynamic between the two locations. For instance, the crimes Absalom Kumalo committed in Johannesburg were said to be “the disastrous effect of a great and wicked city on the character of a simple tribal boy.” (Paton, 233). Johannesburg was the location of where many African youths wanted to go, but instead of gaining prosperity they get either are corrupted by the city or led down a path of crime.

In Ndotsheni, the black community seems to be reliant on white men to survive, Kumalo is aware of the dependency Ndotsheni has on white people, “Where would we be without all that this white man has done for us?” (Paton, 301). In many instances, favors done by a white person for a black person was seen as a rare miracle, and white reformers were idolized. However, the young demonstrator who comes to aid the African people of Ndotsheni explains that “it was the white man who gave [Africans] so little land, it was the white man who took us away from the land to go to work...Therefore what this good white man does is only a repayment.” (Paton, 302). The white man was said to destroy the tribe and cause racial divides; therefore the demonstrator believed that every good deed a white man did for the African community should not be viewed as a random act of kindness but something that is necessary to justify the past.

Cry, the Beloved Country Observations #3

Maile Danilchik

2/3/17

World Literature 10th

Cry, the Beloved Country Paragraph Assignment #3

Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country. New York, Scribner, 2003.

     The two most significant communities that were engaged in the racial tensions were the African natives, referred to as “the tribal system” and white people, or Afrikaners. Arthur Jarvis, a white reformer for the black community, wrote about the politics of the issue before his murder. Many at the time thought that natives were inherently criminalistic, but Jarvis argues that “The old tribal system was, for all its violence and savagery, for all its superstition and witchcraft, a moral system. [The] natives today produce criminals and prostitutes and drunkards, not because it is their nature to do so, but because their simple system...has been destroyed.” (Paton, 179). This was a common belief expressed by Msimangu and Jarvis that it was not the tribe’s fault that Native adolescents were getting into trouble, but because the white men had ruined the tribal system and caused “the disintegration of native community.” (Paton, 178). Jarvis had also supported apartheid to “preserve the tribal system by a policy of segregation…” (Paton, 179) but was dismayed at the inequality of segregation when “[South Africa] set aside one-tenth of the land for four-fifths of the people.” (Paton, 179).

    The politics of South Africa was closely tied to the church, and many equated the word of God with the law. Many believe that South Africa was a Christian society due to its close connections to faith. However, Jarvis wonders how God was connected to racial circumstances in South Africa. To him, it seems that “[God] gives the Divine Approval to any human action that is designed to keep black men from advancement…[and] He blesses any action that is designed to prevent black men from the full employment of the gifts He gave them.” (Paton, 187). Jarvis is confused why “God becomes [an] inconsistent creature, giving gifts [to blacks] and denying them employment.” (Paton, 187). This is most likely a reference to the politics of segregation and the motto of “separate but equal”, yet the irony is in the fact that whites and blacks were separated but not treated equally. Jarvis concludes that “[South Africa] is not Christian; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of high assurance and desperate anxiety, of loving charity and fearful clutching of possessions...” (Paton, 188) and that such injustice of racism would not exist in a Christian society that followed the covenants of God.

Cry, the Beloved Country Observation #2

Maile Danilchik

1/28/17

World Literature 10th Grade

Cry, The Beloved Country Paragraph Assignment #2

Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country. New York, Scribner, 2003.

 

    Before apartheid was officially enforced in South Africa (1948), there was still a psychological and socio-economic barrier between black Africans and white Afrikaners living there. Job, housing, and economic discrimination led to a growing gap between white people who could afford to live and prosper in cities such as Johannesburg and black people who were denied an equal chance at successful jobs had to establish shanty towns and other low-income housing. Some Africans were desperate enough to look towards theft to support their families and themselves. Therefore, the stereotype put on shanty towns and African communities of crime was created, resembling that of ghettos and crime in the United States. The connection that some white Afrikaners failed to make was that crime was not in the DNA of the black Africans, it was a condition imposed by their environment and financial disadvantages due to an unfair economy.

   In Cry, the Beloved Country, the politics of this socio-economic imbalance and the perspectives of white South Africans who did not make the key connection between economic inequality and crime is portrayed through a council meeting. Council members agree that “[they] shall always have native crime to fear until the native people of [South Africa] have worthy purposes…” (Paton, 107), illustrating the assumption made about the African native demographic that many white Afrikaners made, believing that the native black people did not have a purpose in their town. Essentially, some white Afrikaners thought that the black Africans were an inconvenience or an obstacle, not a group of people. The council also mentions how African natives could not afford the proper education for their children, leading to one council member to question whether “more schooling simply means cleverer [native] criminals.” (Paton, 107). I think that this question brought up by the council shows the mindset and belief that black Africans showed inherently criminal tendencies, once again not making the connection as mentioned earlier. These political differences and socio-economic divides were the roots of apartheid since the population was already split by race and economic separation.

Cry, the Beloved Country Observations

Maile Danilchik

1/22/17

10th Grade World Literature

Cry, The Beloved Country Paragraph Assignment #1

Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country. New York, Scribner, 2003.

   Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton is a novel placed in South Africa during the time of apartheid, meaning segregation. South Africa’s long history of being occupied by different European settlers had created a racially diverse population and many racial controversies to unfold in following years. The domestic disputes between white Afrikaners and black Africans were similar to white Americans and Native Americans in the United States, with a foreign group placing power over the existing people. The politics of those events were illustrated in Alan Paton’s novel through the eyes of the protagonist Reverend Stephen Kumalo. Kumalo is an older Zulu man whose family has been abandoning the countryside where he resides for the nearest westernized city of Johannesburg for the promise of prosperity in its gold mines. He receives a letter from his friend asking Kumalo to come quickly to Johannesburg because his sister is sick. Once he arrives in Johannesburg, he has a dinner with fellow religious leaders and their dinner discussion narrated the how the racial divisions of South Africa affected everyday life.

At the table “they talked of young criminal children, and older more dangerous criminals, of how white Johannesburg was afraid of black crime.” (Paton, 52)  Newspaper headlines had announced black on white crimes in Johannesburg that were spreading fear of black people through white communities. Kumalo questioned why it seemed African youths were committing crimes against white people, and his friend explained “White man has broken the tribe...But the house that is broken, and the man that falls apart when the house is broken, these are tragic things. That is why children break the law, and old white people are robbed and beaten.” (Paton, 56) Kumalo’s friend is referencing the Boer-Zulu War in which Europeans took over native Zulu tribes in South Africa, and that perhaps the African descendants of these people were trying to create justice. I think that the crime depicted in Cry, the Beloved Country is a significant aspect of the politics in South Africa, showing how apartheid had negatively impacted domestic race relations.

Essay Question Examples for Macbeth - 10th Grade World Literature

Maile Danilchik

10th Grade World Literature

10/31/14

Essay Questions

1. Ambition is defined as “a strong desire for power and honor”, how is ambition a positive theme in Macbeth and when can it be negative?

2. How does fear connect to conscience in Macbeth

3. Appearance v. Reality is a factor in Duncan’s murder, can you think of any smaller scale examples of this theme in real life? Ex. After receiving an unwanted gift, you act polite but later you give it to someone else.

4. How can the theme of betrayal connect to Appearance v. Reality?

Blog Post #2 - Antigone in St. Louis, Missouri

Prompt:

Write about Antigone being produced and performed in St Louis Missouri  

I think that there is a rough parallel between the grief of Antigone and the Black Lives Matter movement. Antigone’s effort to have her brother honored properly and buried can be compared to the Black Lives Matter movement’s mission to show that the numerous shootings of blacks by white policemen should not be ignored. Both Antigone and Black Lives Matter have faced oppression in their effort to voice their opinions and express their strong emotions. Perhaps the play will not directly address the discussion of race or police statistics, but it will emotionally strike a chord with a community who has lost members to unnecessary police shootings of young African Americans.

Blog Post #1 - Mythological Background of Oedipus the King

The Background Story of Oedipus shows how Greek mythology was intertwined into the story, such as the myth of the Sphinx and her infamous riddle. The audience of these plays were educated in the myths of their society and were able to apply their "inside" perspective on the story.

Q: What is the most important fact about the Mythological Backstory of Oedipus the King that the audience would need to know in order to fully appreciate the play?

A:  A very important plot point that the audience should be cognizant of is that Oedipus did not know his mother, Queen Jocasta or his father, King Laius who ruled over Thebes. This fact is crucial to the play's plot of a "big misunderstanding" because it revolves around information that Oedipus does not have.