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Contrast and Comparison Between the Sumerian, Homeric and Hindu Religions (3)
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Contrast and Comparison Between the Sumerian, Homeric and Hindu Religions
The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Mahabharata are great epics that represent the Sumerian, Greek, and Hindu cultures and provide a look into the religious practices of these people. The Mahabharata includes useful information on the development of the Hindu religion from 400 BCE to 200 BCE and discusses the influence on Hindu moral law. The Epic of Gilgamesh, on its part, provides an account of superhumans in Enkidu and Gilgamesh who interact with the gods painting a picture of the Sumerian religion in the mind of the reader. The Iliad and The Odyssey, although the former more than the latter, the ritualistic aspects of the Homeric religion are found. In comparing and contrasting these cultures, this paper looks at the ritual practices and other characteristics of the deities in question.
The one common thing between these religions is animal sacrifices. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the two characters Enkidu and Gilgamesh at one point offer the sun god a sacrifice in the form of the heart they have slaughtered from the Bull of Heaven (George). In The Iliad, in an attempt to appease the goddess Artemis, Agamemnon offers his daughter Iphigenia as a sacrifice. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, offers several animal sacrifices, including sheep, during his time in Hades. The Hindu people also did offer animal sacrifices as indicated by Emperor Bharata horse sacrifice in a ritual referred to as Ashvamedha that was reserved for nobles (Narayan).
There were, however, numerous contracting features and practices between these three religions. The Hindu religion is the only one practiced to date among the three. The Sumerian and Greek religions have, for a long time, been extinct. The former especially eroded with the extinction of the Mesopotamian culture and way of life. Hinduism, which is considered the oldest religion by many scholars, is still a dominant world faith with several divisions. The most of the Hindu branches still worship Brahman as the single deity, although they still pay homage to other gods and goddesses.
Another contrasting aspect of these religions is the role of the supernatural in the lives of the people. In The Odyssey, the people did not rely on the gods for provision or help but rather had the primary purpose of appeasing them and showing respect to avoid attracting their rage (Ready). In the Hindu religion, the various deities have roles beyond protecting the people. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and purity who has the ability to bless with material possession. The Sumerians believed that Enlil, the chief of the gods, looked after the wellbeing of the people.
It is essential to mention that all these religions did not believe in a single deity as it is in most modern religions but rather had triages of heaven. In ancient Mesopotamia, various deities acted as patrons for multiple cities. For example, Uruk had a patron deity in the name of Ishtar, who resided in the city walls and was fed through offerings from the residents (Sazonov). The Greeks had the twelve Olympians who demigods who took care of human affairs, particularly for exceptional people. The Greek gods, similar to Hindu gods, had different roles, and each dealt with a different aspect of the world and society. For the Greeks, especially, no single god was all-powerful.
In conclusion, ancient religions, as depicted in the various respective epics, had quite a lot in common. They did not rely on a single deity and spread their needs across different gods. They had standard practices such as animal sacrifices but differed in the animals they offered, which may be influenced by the animals available to each. Although these they had many gods, they each relied on them for a specific reason and had distinct roles. The Sumerian and Homeric religions now remain as myths, while Hinduism remains widespread in certain parts of the world.
Works Cited
George, Andrew. “The epic of Gilgamesh. A new translation.” (1999).
Narayan, Rasipuram Krishnaswami. The Mahabharata: A shortened modern prose version of the Indian epic. University of Chicago Press, 2016.
Ready, Jonathan L. “Omens and Messages in the Iliad and Odyssey: a Study in Transmission.” Between Orality and Literacy: Communication and Adaptation in Antiquity. BRILL, 2014. 29-55.
Sazonov, Vladimir. “On the Epic of Gilgamesh in Estonian.” Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore 53 (2013): 193-197.
Debate on Contraceptions being given to under age minors regardless of consent or notification
Debate on Contraception being given to under age minors.
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Debate on Contraception being given to under age minors regardless of consent or notification.
Abstract
The idea that minors should have the right to make decisions about health care is well established in federal and state policy. They specifically authorize the minors to consent to testing HIV and other STI diseases, contraceptive services, prenatal care as well as delivery services. Other than abortion, the lawmakers have resisted the attempts to impose parent consent on the minor’s access to the reproductive health care and sensitive services. However the movement to return the issue of parental rights an to legislate the parental control over the minor’s reproductive health care and also the decisions towards it remain active.
Similar debates have occurred at state level for example in Texas, the legislature in 1997 voted for prohibiting use of state family planning funds to provide drugs like birth control pills and those to treat STIs to the minors without the parents consent. The law was to be effected on 1998 after Supreme Court in Texas concluded that removing the provision without evidence of any harm done would be premature. From that time, the law is not involved or does not interfere with the minor’s getting confidential services from the Title X supported clinics and also other providers who serve them with federal funds (Boonstra et al, 2000).
The debate on the contraceptions to the minors is however a hot one and this paper tries to look at the Pros and Cons of this matter.
Pro:
Young people cannot be prevented from experimenting with sex by simply denying them the contraceptives. It is noted that in the United States, each year about 400,000 teenagers give birth (Gavin, 2012). Most of the teenage girls will have sexual intercourse at the age of sixteen. The rate of pregnancies by teenagers is highest in Europe and therefore reducing the access to contraceptives will only make the problem worse.
CON:
We understand that it is illegal for under age teens to practice sex. It is therefore illegal to contribute to this activity by providing the teens with contraceptives as this will only lead to encouraging the behavior as the girls will be safe from getting pregnant.
PRO:
If the teens are denied the birth controls, this will only lead to pregnancy complications to the teen, low birth weights and other health problems. All these health risks to the teen mother and the infant are a burden to the state and federal aid as well as the taxpayers. This is because the teens do not have health insurance.
CON:
To reduce the problem of the teens having pregnancies, the states should use the funds in educating the teens on the dangers of having pre marital sex. They should be encouraged to wait until they get married and concentrate on their education first.
PRO:
A survey conducted by National Campaign to Prevent Pregnancy showed that 83% adults and 86% teens agreed that reducing teen pregnancy would decrease the rate of dropouts in high schools hence increase the academic achievements of the teens.(With one voice,2012). This also increase chances of employment, reduce children born out of marriage hence eradicate poverty. This can only be achieved through teens accessing birth control.
CON:
Contraception will not prevent this problem of teenage pregnancy it may even add problems such as STIs. This is because of the low sex maturity of the teens and also because there is less sex education given to the teens. Young girls are likely to go for condoms and preventive methods of contraception than seeking the contraceptive pills that must be prescribed by a doctor.
PRO:
Having parent contact discourages the teens from obtaining the contraception (Parental,2006). 70% of sexually active teens confessed that they would not go for birth control if it required consent from the parent ( Vesely, 2005). Teens who do not use contraception have 90% chance of being pregnant (Real,2012). It is better therefore to allow teens to go for contraception without the parent consent.
CON:
The role of sex education and moral framework is and has always been the work of the parents. It must not be said that the teens will fail to get contraception with parents consent rather they should know it is not the work of the stare or the laws. Children get a lot of assess to sexual images in the media and therefore have problems in making the right decisions when it comes to relationships and sexual matters.
PRO:
Without contraception, teens are at a threat of contracting STIs and this is a major threat to their lives. About three million teens in the US acquire STIs in a year (Parental, 2006). These infections are highly communicable and without adequate care, and protection, the teens are at a high risk of advanced diseases such as cancer and STIs.
CON:
Encouraging young teens to have sex at early age will expose them to risks of infections of HIV aids and sexually transmitted diseases. This is because contraception is not 100% effective and can therefore lead to the STIs and unwanted pregnancies.
PRO:
Contraception is one of the parts of the wider sex education which is taught in schools and therefore this is an opportunity to educate young teens about sexual health. It comes at a time when the girl is considering the issues at personal level.
CON:
Allowing the prescription of contraception does not prevent teenage pregnancy. Young teenagers have inadequate sex education and they also have low maturity. They therefore would go for condoms instead of contraceptive pills prescribed by the doctor or physician.
PRO:
Teenagers should not be expected to change their attitudes abruptly. They should be given enough time to make informed decisions. Young people will mature at different ages and will also have different experiences and preventing them from access to safer sex is not productive.
CON:
The health of teenagers should be considered as important. The harmful effects of contraceptive pills are still not known. It is therefore irresponsible to prescribe them to young teenagers who are still in their puberty before we are fully aware of the dangers.
PRO:
The role of doctors involves being responsible to their patients. Even though the British Medical Association allows doctors to work at certain criteria, the doctor can still be sued in a court of law by the parents of a teenager if anything goes wrong. It contradicts when the doctor is given the right to judge their patient’s interests and yet deny them a right to prescribe a precautionary safe measure of their health.
CON:
Sexual education and moral support should be the responsibility of the parent and not any other person. Teenagers have been spoilt by the media and therefore have difficulties in making right choices in life concerning matters of sexuality. Hence the need for guidance before exposing them to contraception.
References.
Heather Boonstra, Elizabeth. (2000). Minors and the Right to Consent to Health Care. The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy.Volume 3, Number 4
With one Voice Reduce Abortion Rates. (2012) sponsored by The National Campaingto Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy. Retrieved on 3rd Dec 2012 from.
http.//blogs.babycenter.com/mom-stories/0922012-NYC-kids-get-morning-after-pills-without-parents-concent/catch
Claire Brindis, Laura Davis. (1998). Improving contraceptive access for teens a series from Advocates for Youth. Washington,DC. Retrieved on 3rd Dec 2012 from
www.advocatesforyouth.org/storage/advfy/documents/communitiesresponding4.pdfGuttmacher.(2000). The Real Deal from National Campaing to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved on 3rd Dec 2012 from.http://www.itsyoursexlife.com/preventing-pregnancy/the-real-deal/
Rebecca Vesely, (2000).Teens Opt for Unsafe Sex, not Parents’ Consent. Wonensnews. Retrieved on 3rd Dec 2012 from. http://womensenews.org/story/health/050120/teens-opt-unsafe-sex-not-parents-consent.
Science Daily(Nov29, 2011). Abstinence-Only Education Does Not Lead to Abstinent Behavior, Researchers Find. University of Georgia. Retrieved on 3rd Dec 2012 from.
Htpp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129185925.htm
Contrast and Comparison Between the Sumerian, Homeric and Hindu Religions (2)
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The Flowers by Alice Walker Analysis.
The use of imagery is very important to attract readers to a story. However, the first technique used in this story is the narrative form. The narrative makes the reader want to know what will happen with the character in the story. There and then, the reader is attached to the story. Then, Alice Walker uses words to paint pictures in a very effective way. The reader can see this young girl, with dark brown hands, curious, innocent, and unaware of the evils of the world. Myop is adorable, and her innocence makes her so loveable, and this is where the emotions creep in. When things start getting bad like her wandering away from home and the suggestion that she may be lost, then the reader becomes nervous. She has wandered off too far beyond the usual place she goes, does that mean she is lost? What will happen? Will she find her way back? The reader gets scared with her and wants to know if she will be okay.
The author, Alice Walker, uses the name Myop figuratively to portray her innocence, her short-sightedness. There is a high possibility that the name Myop is a shortened form of the word myopathy or myopic, which comes from Myopia, a Latin word for short-sightedness. Myop is not “nearsighted” at the end, but at the beginning, she is that way. She is just ten years old, carefree, and innocent in a world filled with violence and one that African Americans had a difficult time sharecropping, were struggling with racism and poverty.
The flowers is a short story, but the descriptions and details used by the author make the message of lost innocence so profound. The author uses contrast to emphasize the themes of the story. In the beginning, Myop is happy, and the author uses flowery sentences with exciting details of the little girl and the beautiful environment. The narrative is full of happy descriptions all through, and the contrast appears in the last sentence, “And the summer was over” (Arikan) The author also uses symbolism. The word summer used in the end symbolizes the little girl’s innocence. The flowers she gathered all through the story were beautiful, as was her innocence and happiness.
My journey as a Literacy Mentor
Today I am a literacy activist, and I enjoy it a lot; it is what I have become. I have not always been a literacy activist at heart. At one point, I did not know what I wanted to become, at least while I was in college. When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor, and then after a while, I wanted to be a pilot, then a musician until fellow students at my high school made fun of me when I was on stage doing a solo performance for art class. I really struggled with what I wanted to become because I had the idea that not having clear career goals in life would mean failure. I feared failure. Then I met Seaman, my college professor, who later became my mentor. I explained my confusion to her, and we ended up having this amazing talk discussing all the options I had. What I had not thought was the importance of having an emotional connection with what I wanted to do, something that would emotionally satisfy me, she suggested. I never thought about my career choices like that, I always thought about the glam and the respect the various titles generated. I wanted to be a doctor because my uncle Jake was always the hero at thanksgiving, I wanted to be a pilot because I saw this documentary of a colored woman that bet all odds to become a pilot in a field that was dominated by men, I wanted to be a musician for the popularity, I had no interest in the money then and only concentrated on being liked considering I was rather introverted in high school and craved acceptance. Professor Seaman urged me to find something that would emotionally satisfying me.
Beside teaching gender studies, Professor Seaman was a literacy mentor. I was not sure what that meant at first but she invited me to several of her activities and I quite enjoyed them. We attended these events where young people were using drama and literature, to give narrations and tell stories. My interest grew so fast, and I was looking forward to the next time she would invite me to her next mentoring activity. She was adored and appeared to know and enjoy what she did. I enjoyed it so much but was not ready to let her know because I thought she would think I was going against “thinking on my own, reflecting on myself and not following people.” I also thought this would be one of those cases where I followed something because it looked good on other people. But as I am writing this as a literacy mentor, it means I was right, and this was my path.
One thing I did not know was that I was a good storyteller. I had never explored this part of me until I met professor Seaman and got literacy mentoring myself. I composed a few stories that I could share at her events after I started frequenting. And before I knew I had become a literacy mentor myself.
I had this friend Jason who was a volunteer for this program that taught disadvantaged children part-time at some local church facilities. I became very keen on what they were doing, and the underprivileged children touched my heart. They also had this program where they got to showcase their talents, and I was offered the opportunity to introduce my activities as well. And that is how I started as a literacy mentor. Storytelling a feature that had disappeared from this modern society for a while now became the most interesting activity surpassing all the others, and the children were so eager for it. Older people stopped telling stories decades ago, and this looked like something new to these children apart from the bedtime stories that some of the parents told these kids when they were less than five years and now they were at an average age of ten. Also, these children were not that privileged enough to have parents who cared or had the time to read them bedside stories.
Ours was not a literacy program that just delivered books to the institution. If we were dealing with books, then each child would have the time to read and would have the chance to share their thoughts on the book with the rest of us, something like a book club. Various institutions started realizing what we were doing and approached me, asking if I would do the same for their institutions. These included mostly public schools with teachers that were concerned about the reading culture in their schools. Today I have 13 institutions that I visit several days in a week and make sure the programs are running okay. These programs include the various forms of literature, including storytelling, poetry, singing, and various forms of art in addition to reading.
The program has attracted 45 literacy mentors, including teachers of the various schools that volunteer for the roles. These mentors are responsible for over 200 children across the 13 institutions. We are working with children aged 12 and below and trying to grow this culture with the children as they become older. Although I enjoy visiting the mentors, the best part is working with the children one on one as the mentors do, I do not want to let the administrative role deny me what I actually love. The investment and relationship of volunteers and mentors have been amazing. They have taken the initiative to provide resources themselves or spread the word around and source for well-wishers. It is so fulfilling to find something that I find absolute happiness doing eventually.
Works Cited
Arıkan, Arda. “An ecocritical reading of flowers in Alice Walker’s ‘The Color Purple.'” International Journal of Human Sciences, 07/08/2015, Vol.12(2), p.1