Discussing The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay

Frederick Douglass In the preface of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by himself, William Lloyd Garrison, Abolitionist and member of the Anti-Slavery Society, said of Frederick Douglass, after hearing him speak, â€Å"Patrick Henry, of revolutionary fame, never made a speech more eloquent in the cause of liberty than the one I had just listened to from the lips of that hunted fugitive.† Garrison and other abolitionist convinced Fredrick Douglass to continue to tell his story of slavery, but Douglass was not a free man and warily told, â€Å"only fragments of his life story, guarding always the details of names, places and means of escape which might have identified him to his master and exposed friends and accomplices who had helped him in his way.† The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was Douglass’ first autobiography. In it he revealed all the details of his childhood that he could remember, which he had never spoken to anyone prior to writing the narrative because a slave with any knowledge of anything besides obeying his master was often punished by death. From listening intently to conversations of both his negro family and his white masters, he knew he was born in Tuckahoe, near Easton, in Talbot country, Maryland. Years later, when he thought he was about seventeen years old, he heard his master say it was 1835, so he at that time, set a near estimate of his own birth to be around 1818. Frederick was raised until the age of seven by his grandmother, Harriet Bailey, in a cabin with many of his other cousins, who were taken from their parents. It was the white master’s intent to separate slave families so the slaves would remain ignorant of who they were. Frederick knew his mother, Betsey B... ... Frederick change his last name from â€Å"Bailey† to â€Å"Douglass† to protect him from being identified. Frederick said in his narrative, â€Å"From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me within its foul embrace, and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angles to cheer me through the gloom. This good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving and praise.† Frederick Douglass became a vital aspect of the anti-slavery movement from 1841 until his death in 1895. Freedom for Frederick was bittersweet in that his freedom was precious to him, yet illusive in the bondage that he carried in his heart and mind for the daily terrors that continued to be suffered by his fellow slaves.

A Brief Guide to Byzantine Icons

Eikona is a Greek term for Icons. The four subjects shown in Byzantine Icons are God, Jesus Christ, Virgin Mother, and the Saints and Martyrs. Byzantine refers to the Byzantine Empire where representations became an essential element of the Orthodox Faith.They are illustrated in vibrant colors and frequently gold tinted backgrounds. The intention of Byzantine art was the veneration of God, and Jesus. Icon creates an admiration in worship and serves as an existential link to God.The Second Commandment relates to what God is not an idol and about idolatry. It teaches us about worshipping things that are not God. Idolatry is something that takes the place of God as the center of our lives. Anything that is greater than God in our precedence can be considered as an idol.The Second Commandment says that we are not to make idols for ourselves, not to put anything other than God in the center of our lives. It situates that we should not build or adore any idols. The consequences are not goo d because the punishment for disregarding this Commandment is retribution for generations. But to those who comply with the Commandment is rewarded for a thousand generations.Byzantine Icons exemplify an exceptional cultural victory. It uses Greek philosophical class and thoughts. European religious art generally represent a specific person or religious occasion. Each piece presents symbolism local to that religious party.They attempt to revolutionize the ancient legacy from within and in radiance of the Gospel, bringing about the missionary mission of Christianizing their direct cultural background. The synthesis of Christianity within the Byzantine tradition has become a classic and significant for the whole history of the Church.As justification that Byzantine Icons or art is not an idol, they are regarded as wonders functioning to present spiritual and secular blessings. They are respected as instruments of phenomenal intervention. They give courage and strength in a world full of misfortune and suffering. They grant joy because Icons remind us that we are sincerely loved by God.ReferencePW de Ruyter. (2007 May 12). What are Byzantine Icons? The Visual and Spiritual Treasures of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Retrieved November 22, 2008, form http://www.iconsexplained.com/iec/byz_about_byzantine_icons.htmByzantine Sacred Art. (2008). Byzantine Icons. Retrieved November 22, 2008, from http://www.byzantinesacredart.com/byzantine-icons.html

Depiction Of The Nacirema Culture - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 710 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/08/02 Category Sociology Essay Level High school Tags: Nacirema Essay Did you like this example? The Nacirema are are a North American group of whom little is known. Their culture, as well as their origin, is poorly understood. Pursuant to the Nacirema people, their nation was originated by Notgnihsaw, a cultural hero. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Depiction Of The Nacirema Culture" essay for you Create order The Nacirema spend most of their time on economical pursuits but still devote a great amount of their time to ritual practices. The focus of this practice is the human body where they believe that the human body is ugly and weak. Each household contains a shrine that is nicer than the rest of the home. The purpose of these shrines is to help men avert their weaknesses through powerful rituals. These rituals are private for each person and the focal point of the shrine is a chest build into the wall. The natives believe that they cannot live without the contents of these chests: magical potions and charms. Medicine men create the recipes for the curative potions and write it in a secret language only understood by them and the herbalists who prepare the charm.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Nacirema have a fascination with the mouth. They believed that without the rituals of the mouth they would be rejected by lovers, their teeth would fall out, and more. They also thought there was a strong connection between moral and oral aspects. With their daily ritual, they perform a mouth-rite which seems revolting to us. They would insert things such as hog hairs into their mouths and move them in a series of gestures. They also participate in and exorcism of evils of the mouth using augers, awls, probes, and prods that is quite torturous to the client.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It seems that a certain amount of sadism is involved in the rituals of the Nacirema. Some examples would be gleam in the eyes of the holy-mouth-man as he performs the tortures exorcisms on his people and women baking their heads in the oven for an hour. Each community has a lalipso where very sick patients are treated by the medicine men. The actions that are performed on these people are so harsh that few will recover. The last type of practitioner is the listener who has power to exorcise devils in the heads of cursed people. Reaction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As could be expected, I thought that the ways of the Nacirema where rather strange, however, they would probably say the same about our ways. At the end of the story, I thought it was very interesting that they try not to conceive and it is infrequent that they do. In our culture, most people try to have babies and it is not avoided by most people. I also though it was fascinating that they try to hide the fact they are pregnant and give birth in secret. Our culture almost glamorizes pregnancy and families are usually involved in the birthing process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The harshness of the rituals of these people is the hardest thing for me to understand. Their customs are very exotic and far from anything that I have been exposed to. The practitioners are given gifts for most of their services. A person must give a rich gift to be admitted to the lalipso, as well as to leave if they survive. We do not give gifts for things like this but it is comparable to everything costing money. It seems that they offer gifts as their source of payment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The entire culture was very sadistic, in my opinion. In many of their rituals, pain was inflicted upon the people. This is very different from my culture because we try to avoid pain if we can. The ritual performed by the holy-mouth-man seemed especially painful to me. It is like when we go to the dentist but even if they do not have any cavities or tooth decay, they dig out parts of their teeth to place the magical substances. It also seems that they get pleasure from the pain of others. The author specifically mentions the gleam in the eyes of the holy-mouth-men. The practitioners of the Nacirema people, to me, are more interested in inflicting pain upon the people than anything. However, they believe that they are doing the right thing to be rid of the ugly tendencies of the human body that they are taught.