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Discussion of the Book Zealot by Reza Aslan
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Discussion of the Book Zealot by Reza Aslan
The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan’s Zealot rejuvenates the theory that the death and ministry of Christ Jesus are better explained on the backdrop of the Jewish zealot uprisings at the turn of the era. Jewish zealotry is described by Reza Aslan in terms of their zeal for the Mosaic laws and the temple. Between the old and new testaments he makes efforts to survey Israel’s territories. By reviewing attempts by some dissatisfied elements who wanted to overthrow King Herod and make Israel free he places Christ Jesus squarely in the center of this social and historical setting. In this perspective he makes the reader understand that the proclamation by Christ Jesus of the coming of God’s kingdom was essentially a call for regime change to end the Roman monopoly over Israel which would in the end terminate the reign of an aristocratic and corrupt regime “The war with Rome begins not with a clang of swords but with the lick of a dagger from an assassin’s cloak” (Reza 3).
However his efforts are not effective since he keeps on coming up with wild allegations that questions his master of the subject he is writing. For instance on he poses that the spirit of God flowed from Palestine to the rest of the world when the scriptures state it originated from Israel “For what must not be forgotten when speaking of first century Palestine is that this land this hallowed land from which the spirit of God flowed to the rest of the world was occupied territory” (Reza 10).
The weakness of the book is the fact that Reza Aslan’s perceived regime change never took place instead Christ Jesus the supposed finisher of this struggle was arrested and killed alongside two rebels. He also introduces several of his own implausibility and oddity for instance his earliest references on Christ Jesus are from Paul. If he contends that the gospels were impacted by both the cult of Christ Jesus and Pauline theology then it is difficult for even his own understanding to authenticate that they are right. Apart from that the fact that he alleges that behind the gospels of Luke, Mathew and Mark lucks an unassailable factual document portrays how farfetched he is. He is not in touch with theology because if his assertions were true then the “wicked” Paul would not have left evidence indicating how he undermined a authentic document. Consequently the main narrators of the book Christ Jesus and Paul who are sympathetic and effective do not support the authors’ purpose. His lack of facts is seen in his misrepresentation of Jerusalem’s population during festive seasons.”On such days the city can swell to a million people” (Reza 3)
However, his strengths stems from the fact that not long after the death of Christ Jesus some of his followers realized that Christ was not dead but was in the real sense resurrected meaning his vision was not dead. The other strength that Reza Aslan gains in his characterization of Christ as the leader of a zealot movement is the fact that in comparison to other zealot movements that came to a halt upon the death of their leaders the one led by Christ Jesus never died rather it not only flourish in the face of brutal opposition but even attracted non Jews. “The cycle of life and death that the lord in his omnificence has decreed is wholly dependent upon your sacrifice” (Reza 5).
The main narrator of this story is Christ Jesus and he is believable. This is because he is a stark contrast of previous zealot movement leaders. He is not only patient but also the least violent of all the zealot leaders. In comparison to the Sicarii and the Maccabees he is the only one not willing to shed blood he for example stops Simon Peter from killing the people send to arrest him. Thus forms a very empathetic misunderstanding in the book. However the comparative strategy employed by Aslan overlooks critical inconsistencies while favoring wide ranging correlations. For instance he asserts “The money changers are happy to offer the credit you need to enhance your sacrifice” (Reza 4).
Having been born and brought up in Iran Reza Aslan who now lives in New York with his family has vast experience in writing since his days as a university student where he horned his creative writing skills. A holder of a PhD in Religion Sociology he has no training whatsoever or displayed expertise in Roman history, ancient Judaism, early Christianity or any other subject that is deemed relevant to the story he has written. Probably this is the reason why he drives in sensational assertions that Christ Jesus was in the real sense a political revolutionary that called for an uprising against the occupation by the Roman Empire of his country. “… and it is easy to see why so many Jews view the entire priestly nobility and the high priest in particular as nothing but a band of avaricious lovers of luxury to quote Josephus” (Reza 8)
Zealot has numerous gaps amongst these is the facts that it relies on discredited and an outdated thesis. Even though Aslan may have canvassed some of the authentic scholarship in the field he does not prudently choose his options. More often than not he opines for breathtaking assertions which bring to light extreme views that puts to question his master of the subject he is writing about. It is possible that his inclination to creative writing in the university may have a great influence in his farfetched allegations in Zealot. Consequently Zealot to an ordinary reader looks more of a novel than a historical evaluation work.
Works Cited
Reza Aslan, The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. Random House Incorporated: New York (2013: 3-8.Print.
Discussion of romance as a genre
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Introduction
Romance has been one of the most explored subjects in the history of humanity both in literature and the movie industry. It is the fundamental theme in Nicholas Sparks’ book, “The notebook” and the subsequent movie that goes by the same title. One of the fundamental strengths of the book is the skillful manner in which Sparks outlines the story using flashback techniques. It is worth noting that the notebook serves as a conduit that connects the past and present.
In addition, any reader would appreciate the simplicity of the language used in the story, which enhances the ease with which the reader follows the story. The book is also full of compelling and cordial love letters, as well as passionate affections, all of which are bound to illuminate the emotions of the reader (Sparks, 13). The simplicity of romantic language, as well as the intensely heartrending portrait come as the greatest strengths of the book. However, there are numerous differences between the book version and the movie. First, the movie seems to concentrate more on younger characters of Noah and Allie and their relationship. This is different from the book which seemed to generalize all the characters and failed to byplay their relationship. This seems to eliminate depth from the book.
Nevertheless, the story sticks out especially when compared to other love stories. For example, when compared to “Fifty Shades of Grey”, by E. L James, The Notebook seems to present the theme of love in a more realistic light. In any case, “Fifty Shades of Grey” presents an excessively erotic picture of the characters, which makes it less appealing to me. As for “The Notebook”, it manages to explore the theme of romance through the use of Letters and flashbacks, thereby creating a vivid and inoffensive picture.
Works cited
Sparks, Nicholas. The Notebook. New York: Warner Books, 1996
Research Concepts Matrix
Research Concepts Matrix
Please note that the first row of data is meant as an example. Please read the example article (Garriott, Hudyma, Keene, & Santiago, 2015) as a guide for how to dissect each article assigned.
Reference Purpose of the study Statement of the Problem Limitations/Implications Ethical Conduct in the Study Future Research Possibilities (e.g., How could a researcher extend the research detailed in the study?)
Garriott, P. O., Hudyma, A., Keene, C., & Santiago, D. (2015). Social cognitive predictors of first and non-first-generation college students’ academic and life satisfaction. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(2), 253-263. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000066 The purpose of the study was to extend the literature on the utility of Lent’s (2004) normative model of well-being in predicting the academic and life satisfaction of college students and to test the full model replicate past findings with previous samples. Many first-generation college students experience higher education differently than their non-first-generation peers They may have different qualities than fellow students who aren’t first generation including being enrolled in college part-time, lower-income, less active in extracurricular activities, and less academically prepared. The sample was not very diverse—it was predominantly white students, which didn’t represent the typical first-generation students limiting generalizability and females were over-represented. Because of the study sites being oriented toward first-generation students, the participants may have reported more support than if there were in other university settings. Researchers gained IRB approval, site permission from university administration and offered an incentive of entry into a raffle to win one of 10 $25 gift cards. Participants could choose not to answer questions about gender. Future studies could examine actual support rather than just perceived support. A longitudinal study could see long term effects of support. Research on actual interventions might be useful as well.
Adams, T. L., & McBrayer, J. S. (2020). “The lived experiences of first-generation college students of color integrating into the institutional culture of a predominantly white institution.”
http://library.capella.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Flived-experiences-first-generation-college%2Fdocview%2F2394539724%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D27965The purpose of study was to gain an understanding of firstgeneration college students of color as they integrate into the institutional culture of a PWI Students report feelings of straddling between the home culture in which they grew up and are familiar and the culture of their college campus. The two cultures do not align, causing some firstgeneration college students to experience a cultural mismatch between the norms of colleges and universities and the norms of their home culture.
However, limited research focuses on the role integration into the institutional culture plays in the college experience and persistence of first-generation college students, specifically students of color on predominantly White college campuses. Additionally, limited research discusses the intersectionality of being both a student of color and being a first-generation college student regarding the student experience integrating into the The first limitation was the use of student volunteers to participate in the study as this may have resulted in first-generation college students who were more motivated and engaged and not characteristic of the typical first-generation student.
A second limitation of the study was that the researchers chose only to interview first-generation students of color. Therefore, the story of students in the majority racial group was not explored or conveyed.
Thirdly, the study was limited to only one site, and the researchers selected that site due to accessibility. Therefore, the findings from this research study may not be generalizable to other institutions.
Lastly, a vital responsibility of the researchers is to consider ethical considerations and the researchers were aware of potential ethical issues and attempted to avoid them during all stages of this research. Permission to conduct the research was obtained from both the research and the teaching institutions’ Institutional Review Board (IRB) and a letter of cooperation was obtained from the research university administration.
Each participant was asked to sign an informed consent form acknowledging their willingness to participate in the study, options for opting out if needed, assurance of confidentiality, and permission for the researchers to audio-record their conversations.
To protect the confidentiality and anonymity of research participants, pseudonyms were selected by the participants. (1) Future research should extend this research by including first-generation college students of color from various PWIs that vary in size and geographical locations;
(2) Future research should examine the intersectionality of first-generation status with race and ethnicity and socioeconomic status;
(3) A future study should conduct a follow-up longitudinal study to follow a select group of first-generation college students’ experiences from completing the college application, to enrollment, through matriculation at their institution;
(4) Future researchers should consider telling the stories of those first-generation college students of color who have prematurely departed prior to degree completion.
Deng X. &, Yang Z. (2021). “Digital proficiency and psychological well-being in online learning: Experiences of first-generation college students and their peers.”
http://library.capella.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Fdigital-proficiency-psychological-well-being%2Fdocview%2F2544936308%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D27965This study examines the relationship between digital proficiency and psychological well-being and compares the experiences of FGS and those of their peers, CGS. First-generation college students mostly come from African American and Hispanic/Latino communities. Thus, on top of the economic, cultural, and social barriers that they had already encountered prior to COVID-19, FGS found themselves subject to new risks as their college education was disrupted by the unprecedented pandemic. Understanding the role of information technology proficiency on the psychological well-being of FGS is helpful for educational institutions to better support FGS not only academically but also mentally during the crisis. First, the findings of this study are potentially limited by the location of the research site and by the sample size.
Second, as our data is cross-sectional, future research with a more rigorous design should further examine the causality between digital proficiency and psychological well-being by using longitudinal data.
Finally, how non-traditional, adult students employ their agency and determination to persist in their online learning is worth further investigation The survey invitation was sent to student participants during the first week after campus alternative instruction started. Six professors from four departments of the Business College voluntarily distributed the survey invitation and link to their students through class announcements, followed by one reminder email. Future studies in a remote work context will offer further insights into empowering individuals from diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds in times of crisis.
Duran et al. (2020). “A critical quantitative analysis of students’ sense of belonging: Perspectives on race, generation status, and collegiate environments.”
http://library.capella.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Fcritical-quantitative-analysis-students-sense%2Fdocview%2F2396274639%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D27965 The purpose of the study is to examine how college environment tends to affect the students’ belongingness. Researchers have highlighted how collegians from marginalized backgrounds experience belongingness differently. Notable studies have revealed the variations in belongingness that exist across racial groups (Hausmann et al., 2007; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Johnson et al., 2007; Museus & Maramba, 2011) and college generation statuses (first-generation versus continuinggeneration; Soria & Stebleton, 2012; Stebleton, Soria, & Huesman, 2014). Specifically, this research underscores how colleges fail to create environments that honor some students’ cultural backgrounds, which impacts their belonging in the process. First, although the sample consists of multiple institutions in several geographic locations, it is not nationally representative
The data used in this analysis is cross-sectional, which limits the ability to make claims about student growth and change
Finally, another limitation concerns the Native American students because of small subsample sizes, the study aggregated these collegians with those who identified with “another race,” affecting the ability to create targeted interventions for Native American, but we did not want to exclude these students entirely in our analyses Data for the study were drawn from the Assessment of Collegiate Residential Environments and Outcomes, a survey designed to assess the relationship between on-campus experiences and student outcomes. Participating colleges were invited to participate in the study on a voluntary basis. An important consideration for practice as well as further research is the negative relationship between discussing sociocultural issues with peers and students’ sense of belonging
Ellis et al. (2019). “Examining first-generation college student lived experiences with microaggressions and microaffirmations at a predominately white public research university.”
http://library.capella.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=2018-28120-001&site=ehost-live&scope=siteThe purpose of the phenomenological study is to describe how microaggressions shape the lived undergraduate experience of FGCS at a predominately White public research university.
The second study purpose is to introduce a concept and theoretical framework for microaffirmations to understand how communications and exchanges may empower and support the identities and experiences of undergraduate students who identify as an FGCS. The effects of microaggressions on racial-ethnic minority college students’ psychological and academic outcomes are well understood However, microaggressions experienced by individuals whose identity is informed by their socioeconomic background, such as first-generation college students (FGCS), has been not explored in the research literature. Without a family history of postsecondary education, FGCS face unique challenges in their college transition, retention, and graduation compared with their non-FGCS counterparts. These difficulties include academic preparation, knowledge about college life, lower financial support, and balancing academic and family responsibilities and expectations. The study assessed FGCS microaggression experiences at a single PWI; thus, limiting our ability to understand these experiences at other PWIs.
Another area for improvement is triangulating different sources of information such as interviews, focus groups, observations, and other PWIs to describe FGCS microaggression and microaffirmation experiences on campus
Finally, the coding approach imposed first-generation status was a central aspect of the identities of study participants and their microaggression and microaffirmation experiences at a PWI. Students were recruited by e-mail and consented to participate in the study online. Of the 3,453 FGCS recruited, 524 students provided study consent and completed survey items asking them about their encounters with microaggressions and microaffirmations as an undergraduate FGCS. Future studies should incorporate peer debriefing procedures, or the process of identifying a person who reviews and ask questions about the study to assess whether FGCS accounts of microaggressions and microaffirmations resonate with persons who serve this student population at other colleges and universities.
Future research should investigate how students consider and perceive different aspects of their identity and its salience with the type of microaggression they experience in college