The Postbellum Southern Disillusionment In Wash Analysis

The Postbellum Southern Disillusionment in â€Å"Wash† According to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, exercising and expanding one’s personal power is â€Å"all that one wants† (Nietzsche 36). He argues that â€Å"we hurt those to whom we need to make our power perceptible, [and] we benefit and show benevolence toward those who already depend on us in some way† (36). Per this logic, individuals who exhibit generosity feel content with their current influence on the world while those who act injuriously yearn for more control over their peers. It is not surprising, then, that the Poor White sociocultural caste of the Antebellum and particularly the Postbellum South exhibited extreme malice towards blacks, in attempts to elevate themselves due to†¦show more content†¦Critic Franà §oise Buisson observes that â€Å"Wash’s idealized vision of his master present[s] the reader with the baroque drama of Southern illusion† (Buisson 2), and Wash’s outlook embodies the general Southern attitude perpetuating inequality. He believes wholly in his master, and remarks â€Å"‘Well Kernel †¦ they kilt us but they ain’t whupped us yit, air they?’† (Faulkner 132). Wash alters his own self-perception in a desperate attempt of self-elevation, convincing himself that the â€Å"world in which he sensed always about him mocking echoes of black laughter was but a dream and an illusion, and that the actual world was this one across which his own lonely apotheosis seemed to gallop on the black thoroughbred† (132). Wash’s Platonic conception of himself is merely a plebian emulation of the man he reveres most: Thomas Sutpen. He imagines himself in a position of power atop Sutpen’s black stallion, with all of the marks of representative power. When subjected to the verbal degradation that he experiences at the tongues of the slaves â€Å"calling him white trash† (Faul kner 130), Wash attempts to escape the reality of his dismal situation by fabricating a fictitious existence with limited verisimilitude. Wash’s puerile dismissal of his forlorn situation reflects many white Southerners’ general denial of the upshot of the Civil War—while in fact they are defeated, they refuse to accept this adverse reality. In addition to using examples of Wash’s

Analysis Of The Article Sign Here If You Exist By Jill...

Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once said, â€Å"The real question of life after death isn t whether or not it exists, but even if it does what problem this really solves.† The idea that death is inevitable is well known by everyone, yet no one is certain as to what happens afterwards. Even though the subject of life after death has been argued for centuries by many philosophers and theologians. In the article Sign Here If You Exist, Jill Sisson Quinn adequately employs figurative language, rhetoric questionings, and personal anecdotes to demonstrate a controversial argument on the topic of life after death. In her article, Quinn uses multiple figurative languages to strengthen her claim that life after death does not exist. This is a very opinionated piece therefore using figurative language such as metaphors, simile, diction and symbols help enhance the validity of the author’s argument, while effectively giving her opinion to the readers in a subdu ed manner. Quinn’s use of the Ichneumon wasp as a symbol for the process of human life is a subtle way of writing it. Her article starts off with a detailed description of the physical features of a Female Giant Ichneumon Wasp, which then proceeds to a biology based background explanation on the specie. During her descriptions, Quinn uses carefully chosen words that is meant to let the reader go beyond imagining the wasp and to think of it as something more. She explains â€Å"Her overall appearance of fragility - the

Quranic and Biblical Literature in the Bahai Faith free essay sample

This paper explores how the Bible and the Quran contribute to the ideology of the Bahai faith. This paper explores Quranic and Biblical contributions to Bahai independently, and then investigates the interplay between the two to gain understanding as to how Bahai represents a working culmination of Islamic and Christian dispensations. The paper considers Islam and Christianity as dispensations that are losing momentum and highlights the influence of each on Bahai. In looking at Quranic contributions, it is helpful to consider three broad categories of how the Quran informs Bahai faith. Primarily, the Quran acts to affirm the position of Bahaullah. Secondarily, the Quran provides a firm backdrop for social themes that are ideologically prevalent in Bahai. Finally, the Quran is repeatedly asserted as an important tool for discovering truth among Bahai practitioners. The Quran makes reference to a clear messenger that will bring truth to Muslims who are willing to hear his word. We will write a custom essay sample on Quranic and Biblical Literature in the Bahai Faith or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This prophecy, albeit somewhat removed from contemporary religious movements, seems to endorse the messianic position of Bahaullah. Also, the Sufi neoplatonist readings of the Quran, including the notion of the perfect man, are especially relevant to Bahai understanding. From these readings comes the idea of a readily available possibility of return to the ultimate, which is married to Bahai practice and philosophy. Although itself an interpretation of the Quran, Shiite millenarianism likewise seem to endorse the position of Bahaullah, as the twelfth hidden Imam.