Does Octavia Butlers Wild Seed accurately describe life in real plantations as documented by historian Lerone Bennett Essay Example

Does Octavia Butlers Wild Seed accurately describe life in real plantations as documented by historian Lerone Bennett? Essay Octavia Butler sets her novel, Wild Seed in the context of the transatlantic slave trade and US slavery. In the story, Doro gathers â€Å"his people† on farms and plantations along the eastern seaboard. In what ways are Doro’s fictional communities similar to the real plantations described by historian Lerone Bennett (chapter 4 of Before the Mayflower â€Å"Behind the Cotton Curtain†) and the ones Frederick Douglass discusses in his autobiography? The novel Wild Seed written by Octavia Butler is set at a period when the peoples of the world are not yet completely civilized and people strongly believed in mysticism and magic. One of the protagonists of the story, Doro; has telepathic and special powers that starts him off in a path of adventure and leads him to the old lady Anyanwu, whose age is stupendous by modern standards. One could see such primitivism in the lives of black slaves in America as documented by Lerone Bennett and Frederick Douglass. In the case of Wild Seed, beyond the science fiction genre being adopted by the author, there are strong allusions to real and present problems created by the colonization of the Americas. The genocidal elimination of a majority of Native Americans is one such issue and the importation of black slaves from Africa is another example. She describes life in the plantations as full of idiocy and rurality, similar to Bennett’s description of slave life. Without being a direct condemnation of the atrocities meted out to these groups, Octavia Butler indirectly alludes to these historical injustices through the characters and situations we find in the book. This sense of outrage and indignation can also be seen in Lerone Bennett’s book titled Before the Mayflower, in which he notes that â€Å"Behind the Cotton Curtains, four million human beings were systematically deprived of every right of personality. Vice, immorality and brutality were institutionalized.† (Bennet t, chapter 4 , p.70) We will write a custom essay sample on Does Octavia Butlers Wild Seed accurately describe life in real plantations as documented by historian Lerone Bennett? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Does Octavia Butlers Wild Seed accurately describe life in real plantations as documented by historian Lerone Bennett? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Does Octavia Butlers Wild Seed accurately describe life in real plantations as documented by historian Lerone Bennett? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Through the characters of Doro and Anyanwu, Butler plays out other moral conundrums facing modern societies. For example, at certain passages in the book, Butler likens the dangers posed by unfettered capitalism to that of Doro and Anyanwu’s greedy behavior. This greed can also be seen in the economic exploitation perpetrated by the system of chattel slavery. Hence there are many similarities between the real and fictional accounts of slavery and plantation life depicted in these three books. All the authors in the title have made key contributions to American literature, culture and politics. They used their literary talent as a means to not only create art but also to transform society. The 19th century was a period of great upheavals in American history. The nation was still young and uncertain of its own identity. It is quite natural that this milieu gave rise to several undercurrents of unrest. On the political front was class struggle between the propertied and un-propertied whites. In terms of social equations, the blacks were hoping for the abolishment of slavery. Women were still thought of as ‘property’ of their fathers or husbands or sons, let alone having the right to vote. In terms of general culture, the population was highly illiterate. It is these pressing issues that writers such as Melville, Douglass and Fuller sought to address through their work. It can be claimed that their efforts were not in vain, given how much the country has progress ed in .

Cacinda King Essay

Cacinda King Essay Cacinda King Essay Cacinda King Aharen Richardson English 1113 March 23, 2015 Essay II According to www.stjude.org, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has been dedicated to finding cures for children with catastrophic diseases and treating children with no payment expected. All donations that are given go to research and treatment for the children with diseases not only in the U.S. but across the world. The late Danny Thomas, a Lebanese immigrant, was the founder of the hospital. One night at mass he had given his last seven dollars to the church and knelt down to pray in front of a St. Jude statue, asking for an answer to whether he should pursue entertainment as means of supporting his new child and his wife. He promised to erect a shrine of the statue if he got an answer. He got a moderate job within two hours of prayer. He opened the hospital in 1962 with the mission statement, â€Å"to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic disease through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder, Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family’s ability not to pay†.(about st.jude). There has been five CEO’s of the company each serving 10 years. The CEO now is Dr. William Evans, who has authored more than 300 publications (About St.Jude). This company has been around for 53 years and has made miracles happen for children with no hope. St. Jude is the global leader in research and treatment for pediatric catastrophic disease. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has many partners in its efforts to raise money, it has a code of ethics to protect its patients and employees, and the hospital has received many awards, all for which reasons people trust them or the ethos. The hospital has over nine million active donors, and is partnered 288 fortune1, 000 companies (annual report). Some of their partners are well known such as Jared Jewelers, Anne Klein, Coca-Cola , Chili’s, The Today Show, CVS and many more just to name a few. They have a code ethics that is followed and audited by a committee called the formal compliance which is overseen by the CEO. The code ethics discusses the commitment to their donors that every dollar will be wisely spent to achieve their mission, also to be committed to give patients the highest quality of medical and supportive care. The code ethics also sates their commitment to develop their employees. In the code of ethics it also state that their research is not done for a profitable motive, but that sometime the research does conclude into patentable inventions, which they do make money from. No family is ever billed for the services they receive at St. Jude. They patients are also offered after care services. Every employee must pass a federal and state background check and database for working in a federal healthcare or research facility. The hospital has received many awards. Just in 2014 they received the award for Top Workplace , 2014 Direction award and 2014 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. They were the number one children’s cancer hospital in the U.S. form 2010-2011. Greg Hale was named a top physician in America. The CEO, Dr, Evans has three cancer institute merit award for his research in anti-leukemic agents in children (about St,Jude). And of course, the founder, Danny Thomas, was given the Congressional Gold Medal in 1985 during Ronald Reagan’s presidency and in 2004 he received the Bob Hope humanitarian Award. In the annual report it gives data and facts, or logos. St. Jude doesn’t just help in the U.S. but all over the world. They share their success with other doctors. There are 20 sites in 14 countries that are a part of St. Jude Children’s Research hospital. They offer 37,000 healthcare professionals free to pediatrics for more than 157 countries. They have more than 2,200 seminars available and seven million items viewed or downloaded. St, Jude does at least 31, 00 fundraisers a year. St. Jude is the 2nd

De young museum ( San Francisco ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

De young museum ( San Francisco ) - Essay Example When the building was initially constructed, there were lacking tools and equipment that could be used for construction. The museum is an amalgamation of past and present designs and architectural excellence. This paper contains description of the museum’s construction and relevant details. De Young Museum (San Francisco) The M.H De Young memorial museum is the complete name of a fine arts museum situated in San Francisco but it is commonly known and called â€Å"De Young Museum†. This museum is located in the famous golden gate park of San Francisco. Initially the museum was housed in a fine arts building having the Egyptian style structure. The old museum occupied the area of approximately 1, 40000 square feet where as the new building occupies the area of about 292,000 square feet. De young museum was founded in 1895 and since then it is the hub of the cultural fabric of the city of San Francisco. Fine arts museum was an outgrowth of an exposition that took place in San Francisco in 1894. Different sorts of construction material were used to construct a splendid building of all times. Copper, wood, steel and glass were so beautifully used to merge the outlook of museum with surroundings of golden Green Park. Effort was made to complement the old hazardous building of the museum. Italian porphyry stone is used on the lobby floor of the museum. Fabric ceilings and wood flooring were used for designing the interior. The building was decorated with the images of hathor, commonly known as cow goddess. Museum was badly damaged by the earthquake in 1906 and it was closed for public. Concrete ornaments and large quantity of steel was used in museum’s construction (M.H. De Young Memorial Museum, et al. 184). De young memorial museum is great specimen of construction, engineering and architecture. Construction of such a building in those times without use of modern machinery was only possible by labor force and use of skills by the construction co mpanies. M. H. de Young Memorial Museum (Old Building) The M.H De Young memorial museum is the complete name of a fine arts museum situated in San Francisco but it is commonly known and called â€Å"De Young Museum†. The museum is the result of California midwinter international exhibition held in 1894. After the exhibition the museum was first opened for the public in 1895. The midwinter fair used to operate from January to July during that era. The exhibition of 1894 was held in the same golden gate park where the museum is situated now. De young was editor and proprietor of the San Francisco chronicle. The San Francisco exhibition was the idea of De young that resulted in the construction of great fine arts museum at golden gate park (M.H. De Young Memorial Museum 64). The M. H. De Young Memorial Museum in 1895 Since then the museum faced natural disinters and renovation of the museum is still a continuous process. The earthquake of 1906 badly damaged the fine arts buildin g and after words the building was demolished and reopened in 1929 in a Spanish style structure. The building was again declared a hazard as the ornaments decorated in the building began to fall in 1949. In 1972, De young fine arts museum was created as a separate entity. The museum aging faced a devastating earthquake in 1989 and building was again demolished and once again constructed at the same place in 2005. Since then