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Literary Analysis Of Pilate In Toni Morrisons Song Of Solomon
Literary Analysis Of Pilate In Toni Morrison’s “Song Of Solomon”
Introduction
Issues toughing on racial discrimination have always drawn considerable controversy. This is especially considering that the history of the United States is rooted in racial discrimination especially against the black people. The fundamental nature of this aspect is evidenced by the fact that a considerable volume of literature has been done on it, trying to explain its various aspects. On the same note, the theme of racial discrimination has inspired and been incorporated in various fictional works. This is the case for Toni Morrison’s book, Song of Solomon.
Song of Solomon is a story that is set in Michigan. It traces the life of Milkman, since his birth to the age of 32, while focusing on his aimless and spiritually empty life as a young man trapped in the materialistic lifestyle of his dad and the traditional values that Pilate upholds. This book explores the pursuit for cultural identity. The story, based on African American folktale pertaining to enslaved Africans who escape from slavery by finding their way back to Africa, tells of Milkman’s story of alienation from his people, estrangement from family, community, as well as cultural and historical roots. The young man is spiritually dead and mentally enslaved, but he embarks on a spiritual, as well as physical journey that enhances his capacity to realize his self-worth and reconnect with the past with Pilate’s help and assistance of Guitar Bains. One of the most crucial characters in the story is Pilate Dead, who is Milkman’s auntie. This lady has been sufficiently used in the exploration of the theme of flight as a means for escaping slavery. It is evident that Pilate’s character places her as an embodiment of courage, strength, as well as love with Mother Nature and love for one’s cultural roots.
Pilate is the key, female protagonist in the story. She is closely linked with the family history and is rich in connotations. Her mother had died while giving birth to her, or rather before giving birth to her but she was sufficiently strong as to fight her way out of the womb. This is the strength that was to characterize her life even as an adult. Nevertheless, Pilate did not have a navel, a handicap that resulted in her isolation from the ordinary people of this country and even had a bearing on the independent and autonomous way of life. Her mystical qualities of half witch and half human gave her the ability to communicate with the dead father. It is stated that “Pilate was believed to have the power to step out of her skin, set a bush afire from fifty yards, and turn a man into a ripe rutabaga- all on account of the fact that she had no navel (Morrison 94).
On various occasions, Morrison uses symbolism to underline the nature of Pilate. One of the symbols that she uses is the perfect, soft-boiled egg. Pilate makes the eggs and shells off of them, after which she opens them up thereby revealing their soft insides. This is when she starts outlining the captivating stories pertaining to seeing her father’s ghost and watching a man die. The act of splitting up the egg gives the readers the impression that her capacity to get open is up is tantamount to having the capacity to deal with matters in a conclusive manner.
Despite the misfortunes that she has undergone, Pilate remains selfless and loving with her only regret at her time of death being that she could not extend her love to more people. It is noteworthy that her loving nature is nor a weakness rather it is her strength. This is especially seen when Reba, her daughter is beaten by a man. Pilate is seen pushing a knife within an inch of the man’s heart and warns him against touching Reba every again. While Pilate is well in her sixties, she prevails against Reba’s abuser, who is a strong young man.
Pilate is a representation of the close link to the people’s ancestry and Mother Nature. She is the crucial life force that strives to maintain the pedigree of the family above all other means. At the same time, Pilate’s complexion is extremely black, in which case it comes as a reminder of the African roots of the family. The deliberate choice of the Pilate (the blackest female) as the most powerful character for the novel underlines the ideology pertaining to the “Beauty of being a Negro”, a notion that was a fundamental pillar in the Harlem Renaissance.
One of the fundamental aspects of the story is the incorporation of folk songs, which also cement the nature of Pilate (Morrison, 22). Singing folk songs, pertaining to the Sugarman’s flight, reaffirm her stand against oppression through recreation of a past where her ancestors were expunged from the jaws of oppression. It is worth noting that the recreation of her past sustains the various characters living in the present. Milkman and Macon Jr. need Pilate so as to ensure that they retain the last vestiges pertaining to their humanity. As milkman comes to realize at the end of the journey, Pilate remains the only human being that has the capacity to fly without touching the ground. This implies that she is sufficiently liberated, in which case she does not have to run away so as to regain her freedom. In the end, Pilate becomes the model character of the story and novel. She shows the fact that strength does not necessarily have to be incorporated at the expense of humanity or gentleness. In addition, she exemplifies the fact that freedom never has to be compromised by the compassion of other people.
The existence of Pilate in the story is fundamental as it keeps matrilineal line alive especially considering her opposing values to the obsession with materialism. She attracts Milkman to her by the forbidden fruit pertaining to her knowledge (Morrison 24), which urges the young man to find out the truth about his ancestors. Pilate becomes the surrogate mother and spiritual guide to Milkman, thanks to her role in the creation and preservation of life. She inspires Macon because of her capacity to fly without detaching her feet from the ground (Morrison 25).
Names have also been seen as incredibly significant for the entire Dead Family thanks to their practice of choosing names in a random manner from the bible. Power is associated with the power to define and name perception and reality, especially in the case of Pilate’s attachment or connection to her name. She has even wired the name through her earlobe. Her acknowledgement of the crucial nature of a name, as well as the utilization of Sing’s box, underlines the fact that she connects the past and present using the unshakeable love necessary for creating the likelihood of a real future. It is only when she understands her past that she can establish a future worth admiring.
In conclusion, Toni Morrison has used Pilate as an embodiment of courage, strength, as well as love with Mother Nature and love for one’s cultural roots. The incorporation of folk songs reaffirms her stand against oppression through recreation of a past where her ancestors were expunged from the jaws of oppression. Toni incorporates various symbolic elements in the story, one of which is the perfectly, soft-boiled egg. Pilate, by splitting it up and giving riveting stories, is seen as someone who would strive to deal with any matter in a conclusive manner. The deliberate choice of the Pilate as the most powerful character for the novel, despite her extremely black complexion, underlines the ideology pertaining to the “Beauty of being a Negro”, a notion that was a fundamental pillar in the Harlem Renaissance.
Works cited
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. London: Vintage, 1998, print
A look into Indian-Pakistan Conflict over the Kashmir Territory
Kashmir Issue:
A look into Indian-Pakistan Conflict over the Kashmir Territory
Kashmir Issue
Introduction: overview of Kashmir Conflict
Prehistory of the conflict: preview of historical developments on Kashmir conflict
Causes of the Conflict
India-Pakistan Conflict and Partition from British Indian Empire
Current State of Affairs
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Kashmir Issue:
Introduction
The Kashmir issue is a conflict of territory between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir region. The Kashmir region is located in the northwest part of South Asia. The Kashmir issue is unresolved to date. The two countries; India and Pakistan, have gone to war in 1947, 1965 and 1999 over control of the Kashmir region. The conflict in Kashmir has come to symbolize a long-standing difference that exist in the founding of the two nations, one Hindu and another Muslim; India and Pakistan.
Pre-history of the conflict
Conflict of interest arose between militant groups of Kashmir, Indian Armed Forces and separatist movements on who should control Kashmir. India believed the militants involved in the conflict on control of Kashmir received support from Pakistan. Recent years have seen the Kashmir conflict fading away. Although India claims ownership of the entire Kashmir and Jammu state from year 2010, it only controlled about 43% of that region including most of Jammu while Pakistan controlled 37% of Kashmir. China controlled 20% of Kashmir it occupied after going to war with India in 1962 (Sino-Indian War) and claims the Aksai Chin and part of the 20% of Kashmir ownership belongs to China and doesn’t recognize its addition to Kashmir territory. Pakistan said the Kashmir people must determine Kashmir ownership. Some independent parties wanted Kashmir to be free of both India and Pakistan. India administered Kashmir was actively conflicted between the Indian military and Kashmir people or inhabitants who are Muslim majority. In 2008, elections were held in Kashmir which led to the formation of pro-India government in Kashmir state. In 2001, an American think tank by the name RAND Corporation believed Pakistan was fuelling the conflict in Kashmir by sponsoring Islamic militants with the help of its Intelligence agencies with the aim of gaining more stakes in Kashmir region. It is the believe of the Indians that Kashmir is part of their territory, but some occurring unrest have caused India to lessen this stance. Pakistan believes Kashmir should be part of its territory because the majority of its inhabitants are Muslims just like Pakistanis, a Muslim nation. (Reynolds, “Jammu-Kashmir Conflict”).
Causes of the conflict
In Ancient times before the Kashmir issue began, people of religious diversity including Islam, Hindu, Sikhs and Buddhist who lived together in an environment of tolerance for one another inhabited the beautiful valley. But in modern geopolitical era, things changed, to an era of warfare mainly between the Hindu and Muslims. The conflict took centre stage in the late 1980’s when insurgency broke out in Kashmir. The once beautiful valley was in the verge of being torn apart, even bringing the rest of the world to war because of Kashmir Issue. Kashmir state was formed in the year 1846 as Jammu and Kashmir. Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu bought Kashmir for Rs. 75000000 from East India Company and added it to his rule that included Jammu and Ladakh. (Raman, “Understanding Kashmir: A chronology of the conflict). The majority of people in Kashmir are Muslims. In 1947 when India Subcontinent became free, it was a requirement that princely states cede power to either India or Pakistan based on factors that included the people’s wish, and geographical continuity. Kashmir rulers signed a standstill agreement with Pakistan, a majority Muslim nation. The aim of signing the Standstill agreement was to delay the ceding of power to either India or Pakistan with the intention of finally Kashmir remaining independent. (Raman, “Understanding Kashmir: A chronology of the conflict”). Kashmir was expected to cede power to Pakistan because it was contiguous to Pakistan and inhabited by majority Muslim population. Contrary to expectations, the Hindu ruler ceded power to India, and that is how Kashmir issue started (Raman, “Understanding Kashmir: A chronology of the conflict”). A Hindu leader ruled over the majority Muslims in Kashmir and imposed oppressive taxation schemes. When Muslims in Kashmir started protesting, they were fired upon by Hindu forces resulting to the death of innocent Muslim people. An organized rebellion by Muslims against Hindu in Kashmir started over in August of 1948 where Hindus and Sikhs were killed. Armed groups of Hindus and Sikhs with the aid of state authorities retaliated the attack by massacring Muslims in September the same year.
India-Pakistan Conflict and Partition from British Indian Empire
The Kashmir issue that exists to date between India and Pakistan is a religious inspired political rivalry between these two countries. The Kashmir issue is believed to have started in the beginning of year 1900 when Indian Hindus were seen not to represent interests of Indian Muslims. The conflict put a wide rift between the two communities. Independence from the British Empire was approaching and it seemed not possible for the two communities to form a single nation. Muslims feared being ruled by the majority Hindu thus the partition of colonial India into India and Pakistan. The two countries are still in conflict, the focal issue being the territory of Kashmir. (Nosotro, “Hindu-Muslim Conflict and the Partition of India”).
Current State of Affairs
India has lessened its stance on the Kashmir issue on what began as a high profile national interest on the issue it had long been attached. The factors that explain the change of tone of India about Kashmir include its Partial success of economic liberation during the 1990s, the significant success India has made towards the position of world power and India sees the Kashmir issue as partially settled. The pursuit against armed militancy of Muslims in Kashmir by India is something India is accustomed to and the majority of Muslim population sees as oppression. (Reynolds, “Jammu-Kashmir Conflict”).
Works Cited
AkhilaRaman. “Understanding Kashmir: A chronology of the conflict”. June 2002. India Together. Web. 17 June. 2011.
Nathalene Reynolds. “Jammu-Kashmir Conflict”. August 2009. Exploring Geopolitics. Web. 18 June. 2011
Rit Nosotro. “Hindu-Muslim Conflict and the Partition of India”. 2000. Hyper History. Web. 20 June. 2011.
Being a mental patient whose problem started at about 30 days
Nursing
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Scenario #1
Being a mental patient whose problem started at about 30 days, it would be easy for the local county social manager to solve the case. The reason behind is that the patient is not pronounced to be mentally sick and the problem is temporal. The facility is the hospital to where the patient has been admitted, and the treatment is ongoing. The staff, in this case, is the local county social manager and the staff in the hospital where the 30-year-old individual was taken for treatment.
For this case, there are ethical as well as legal measures to be taken to avoid compromising with the law. As the individual has regained his consciousness, the social manager should get permission from the staff to whom already has the patient. By talking to them and telling them his intention, it will be more ethical as the case will already be known to a third party taking into consideration that the patient has no known relative. Also, since the patient can speak the social manager should seek consent from the victim such that he should not get sued for doing things without informing the victim.
To begin with, the story in the newspaper was a hint to the social manger on an effective method of the treatment of mental conditions through psychotherapy that involves the use of psychological means rather than using medic methods. According to the paper, the method has been approved, and so it’s not the first time that it will be put on trial. Ethically, the use of psychological methods of mental treatment may be emphasized rather than the use of medicine. The reason is due to the side effects that are caused by the drugs. The patient may have suffered such conditions such as depression and therefore word of mouth could be more touching rather than subjecting the person to more medicine. The plan here would be to secure a private room between the two and a place to which both the patient and the social manager are convenient, creating a conducive environment for discussions. Then counseling should not be done for long hours as the patient might get bored and unwilling to provide the details that are required. Furthermore, so much personal questions should not be asked so that the patient is not pissed off and refuse to cooperate.
The cultural issues present in the scenario are also seen as being the ethical considerations. The local social manager should follow the required steps before taking full control of the patient, and that is talking with the staffs so that treatment is done on both sides alongside the psychotherapy. There are no budgetary concerns in this case, as the service being provided is counseling and the social manager can as well do it effectively as long as he is capable of doing the outselling. If the social manager is unable to provide the counseling as well as the staff in the hospital, a professional counselor may be hired.
Scenario #3
In this scenario, three main factors are calling for action, and they include patient safety, use of unqualified personnel and the third problem is erroneous lab reports. Having been provided with a budget worth $ 25,000 and 4 weeks to address the situation, a quick decision has to be reached and implemented as fast as possible.
There are so many ethical issues that are arising out of the three problems highlighted, and some of the ethical issues include professionalism, as well as patient safety. Using restraints undermines the patient’s safety due to the limitation in the number of resources to which a specific patient is using. In the event in which the patients happen to share the same bed, the safety of the patient’s health wise is not guaranteed as the patients do not suffer the same type of diseases and also the issue of contracting your neighbor’s disease arises.
The use of the unqualified personnel in the treatment of the patients arises another big question on the effectiveness of the treatment carried out and as to whether the patients are under another risk of having their diseases become worse. To make it worse, the reports from the laboratory are also full of errors, and this adds more problem the unqualified personnel, and the whole process is questionable as in how could a patient be treated if the diagnostic results are not right.
In the plan, the priorities would be directed much on the laboratory and the staffs and then increase the number of instruments being used in the hospital. In my budget, half of the money would be directed to the hiring of new professionals as well as training them for the necessary skills that are needed in the facility. The rest of the money would be divided again into two, such that one of the halves will be directed to the purchase of new laboratory items such as modern microscopes and other essentials so that good results are produced.
It will be noticeable if the bad results were being produced due to the incompetent staff, then the issue has been solved by the recruitment of new professionals and topping up with new machines to boost diagnosis. The rest of the money will be directed to the purchase of other essentials that are shared such as the beds to reduce constraints on the available resources. All these changes will be effected before the fourth week, with the hiring of the professionals and lab equipment being completed by the second week.
Scenario #7
1. In this case, Randal should replace patient A, the 59-year-old female, comatose, stroke victim who has been in the ICU for 33 days, having an uncertain prognosis, is retired and has no family.
The reason as to why I could consider my answer as the best is because the woman is past menopause. And she cannot get a child of her own and the worst of all she has no family, and this means that even after making all the efforts to save her life she will be of no value to the community to which she will go back. Furthermore, the woman is retired, is in a coma, a victim of stroke and to make it worse she has an uncertain prognosis, and this makes it difficult for her to survive.
On the other side, the new patient is just 24 years old, has just completed college and won a scholarship, and furthermore, she is pregnant. The new patient is a girl with a promising future as she is still young and again she is pregnant which brings the issue of saving two lives in one. In my own opinion and regarding the ethical issues as well as the acceptable norms, I would sacrifice the life of the old woman in favor of the new patient. The reason is due to: one is that the new patient is a beginner in life while the old woman has accomplished her dreams already and she has retired. The old woman is past menopause and therefore she can’t have any baby and to sum it all, she might not even come out alive as even the prognosis is uncertain. It would be thus advisable to put the old woman into a merciful death and assist the new patient who can easily be treated, and two lives get saved.
2. The steps that could be followed to reach the conclusions is to analyze the probability of getting out of the ICU alive, the importance of the person to the society, age as well as the fertility status of the individual. According to age, all the other patients are young and therefore have a higher probability of reproduction. The importance of the person in the society also can contribute to the conclusions. With the old woman having no relative to claim and no children to comfort her, the new patient is engaged and expectant as well, the 13-year-old has her family in the city, the 35-year-old has an aged mother and the two weeks premature male has his family while the old woman has none.
3. To efficiently deal with such cases, it is mandatory that all the ICU facilities have extra life-supporting equipment’s that are essential to the maintenance of a person’s life. For this case, if the facility had more of the ICU equipment, then the doctors and nurses could not be having a hectic time in trying to eliminate one life while the ultimate goal is to save lives.