Gender Role in Afghanistan

Gender Role in Afghanistan Introduction Culture entails defined norms and values of a particular community and serves as the foundation of many issues that constitute the structure of society. Different studies have been conducted by scholars with aim of identifying more variables that are related to culture. Ethnographers learn other people’s cultures by accurate identification of knowledge, behavior and artifacts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gender Role in Afghanistan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The paper will discuss three aspects that are necessary in learning different cultures. Role of men and women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule will be well outlined in relation to Omidian’s ethnology. Omidian is an anthropologist who was hired to work in Afghanistan as a social worker and trainer. On the other hand, Spradley argues that anthropologists should not be community trainers but instead should learn from the people. Case Study The title ‘When Bamboo Bloom’ is symbolic as Taliban rule in Afghanistan oppressed the society as reported by Omidian who worked there from 1997 to 2007. Despite the oppression, citizens hoped that one day they would be liberated. 19th century was characterized by efforts to ensure gender equity, but were halted in 1994 when Taliban annexed Kabul. Women were not supposed to work away from home or wear white clothes. The Islamic law on Hijab ensured that women covered all parts of their bodies. Later there were increased cases of kidnaps, forced marriages that involved women. Women were supposed to be accompanied when leaving their houses and were not to interact freely with men. Health access was limited and poverty stroke households that lost their breadwinner who was supposed to be a man (Omidian 117). Notably, the role of women in Afghanistan is derived from the interpretation of Sharia in the Quran that forbids women from working away from home. According to Taliban, Sharia bans women from free interaction with men and are to be accompanied by male relatives any time they are not at home. Men were expected to work and provide for their women and children. The role of men rendered them prone to maltreatment in many ways. Many men were detained, tortured and killed in prisons under Taliban rule in Afghanistan (Omidian 120).Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Men were ordered to wear beards of certain length and severely punished if they did not. Punishments like stoning and amputation were employed when torturing prisoners so as to get them to confess. The idea of Omidian was to empower citizens with knowledge that would help them overcome the cruelty of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Culture knowledge For ethnographers to be able to understand culture and norms of a given community, they must first identify what the people kn ow. According to Spradley people can only share common culture if they share similar knowledge. For example, there is a scenario of people in a train who were engaged in a common behavior of reading. Reading was a behavior that was common to all people in the train. For behavior to be shared all people had to be aware of what was involved in reading. People knew how to act when reading jokes, tickets and schoolbooks. For example, there was a man who underlined important points when reading a lecture book. A man reading a newspaper knew how to flap pages so as to get more information. A lady reading a paperback knew how to move her eyes so as to read. The only reason why a man reading a newspaper would understand the message by the author is if he knew the language used (Spradley and Mccurdy 9). In the case study, both men and women knew what was expected of them by the Taliban rule. Whether they felt oppressed or not, they obeyed the instructions given because they were aware of pun ishments for non compliance. For example, women did not go to work outside home because they knew they would be punished if they did. Consequently, the women could not go to work because they knew it was wrong according to Taliban rule. Taliban rule was aware of the Islamic law in regard to modest dressing and ordered all women to cover their body parts (Omidian 121). Culture behavior Spradley further postulates that for ethnographers to be able to learn different cultures, they must identify what people do. Cultures do not dictate but rather influence behavior. Activities are not dependent on culture but are influenced by its interpretation. Absolute learning of culture behavior can only occur if interpretation is similar. Spradley gives an example of a scenario involving police, crowd and a woman who had a heart attack.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gender Role in Afghanistan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sin ce the police were aware of first aid that should be given to the condition, they started performing heart massage to the woman so as to save her life. However, a crowd nearby mistook the actions by policemen and thought they were killing the woman so they attacked them. The woman died before she was taken to the hospital. Notably, both the crowd and police had a common mission which failed due to misinterpretation of the activities (Spradley and Mccurdy 11). In the case study, Omidian argues that Taliban rule in Afghanistan is oppressive as both genders are maltreated. Ethnographers should be neutral but in the case of Omidian she sides with the society and is against Taliban rule. The situation is similar to that of the crowd that interpreted the activities of the police to be cruel to the woman. Cultural behavior in Afghanistan is manifested by what people do and how they react to activities by Taliban rule. For example, severe punishments like amputation of men who were seen as criminals were conducted publicly. Women and children cried and pleaded with Taliban officials because they were not happy with such actions. There are postulations that Omidian tries to liberate people of Afghanistan by ensuring that they are empowered and influenced by the western culture. According to other scholars all the efforts by humanitarian action and foreign policy have hidden agenda of replacing Afghanistan culture with western culture (Lassiter, 296). Culture artifacts Ethnography entails identifying what people use so as to be able to know and behave in a certain way. Spradley argues that for the ethnographers to be able to learn culture they must know what is involved in cognitive and behavioral development of the people involved (Kottak and Conrad 33). For example, a person reading a newspaper must be aware of grammar and style used so as to be able to understand the message. Further, police used oxygen mask and called on ambulance in attempt to save life of the woma n who had heart attack.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the case study, Taliban used Quran statements and Sharia to set and define behavior of the two genders. Stones and other tools used in punishing people who defied the set laws are culture artifacts. Painted windows that were used in the women apartments are also culture artifacts. Artifacts, knowledge and behavior are cultural aspects that are essential in the learning process of norms of a certain community. Further, culture can be defined by symbolism theory under three components in relation to explicit and tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge is commonly known by people with common culture while tacit refers to unknown aspects. The first component postulates that cultural behavior is influenced by the meaning attached to the activities involved. For example, the pain expressed by the prisoners who were being stoned or amputated in Afghanistan made women and children cry. The second component postulates that behavior is dependent on the social interaction. Omidian’s idea of empowering citizens of Afghanistan by encouraging them to overcome intimidation by Taliban rule was based on the interaction with men and women. Thirdly, cultural symbols provide ethnographers with hints that are supposed to be modified in different ways before actions (Erickson and Liam 21). Conclusion Culture is an integrated topic that involves intensive scrutiny of various issues for learning process to be effective. Ethnographers aim at learning from the community and not educating them. Empowering the Afghanistan citizens will be a way of changing their cultural perspective and not learning from them. Culture behavior is essential in learning process as ethnographers get to know what people do in different situations. Ethnographers go an extra mile by trying to understand the reason behind any behavior. Culture artifacts are also important as ethnographers learn what is used in acquiring knowledge and behavior. Culture knowledge is broader than both artifacts and behavior as it defines all aspects known to the people. Consequently, culture knowledge influences the behavior and things that will be involved in maintenance of cultural identity. Erickson, Paul, and Murphy Liam. A History of Anthropological Theory, Toronto: Broadview Press, 2008. Print. Kottak, Peter and Philip Conrad. Window on Humanity: A Concise Introduction to General Anthropology, New York: McGraw Hill press, 2005. Print. Lassiter, Luke. â€Å"Toward a Collaborative and Reciprocal Ethnography.† Journal of Anthropological Research 5.2 (2001): 137-149. Print. Omidian, Patricia. When Bamboo Bloom, An anthropologist in Talibans Afghanistan, Sydney: Academy of Sciences publishers, 2011. Print. Spradley, James, and David Mccurdy. Conformity and Conflict: Readings In Cultural Anthropology, New York: Pearson Education press, 2009. Print.

The Use of Mideast Oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Use of Mideast Oil - Essay Example The possession of oil production facilities and fields for future development determine the relationship that the developing nations form with the oil rich nations. Without oil, Iraq would have been one more unfortunate dictatorship in a world where oppression and exploitation is commonplace. However, the United States has taken a keen interest in seeing that Iraq is a democracy in an effort to keep the oil flowing. American taxpayers have been willing to funnel billions of dollars in aid and infrastructure into this Middle Eastern country. The potential oil that they can produce has formed the basis of our foreign policy in relation to Iraq. Even more astounding is the propensity that the US has for arming an oil rich nation with the latest high tech weaponry available. Saudi Arabia, which produces over 12 percent of the world's oil, can demand and receive huge allotments of fighter aircraft, missiles, and JDAMS, which are some of the world's most advanced 'smart bombs' (Strobel, 2007). The United Arab Emirates, a top ten producer of oil, has been supplied with similar weapons. These military aid packages are in return for the steady supply of crude oil. Because the State Department knows that these are politically risky and volatile nations, the US offers Israel upgraded military equipment to maintain a balance of power. By co

Why do firms exist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Why do firms exist - Essay Example A simple, yet, complete definition of firms may help in starting the debate about why they actually exist. Fisher, Prentice & Waschik (2010), define firm as â€Å"a group of workers and managers, collectively called labor, and a group of physical assets, like machinery in a manufacturing operation or computers in a service sector firm, collectively called capital, which produce goods and/or services (p. 14). This definition provides three major areas where people are involved with the firms. People, firstly, work for or manage the firms as labor, secondly they invest in businesses and firms to earn profits and giving firms the strength of progress in the form of capital, and lastly people use the products or services offered by the firms. Hence, our life is, in one way or the other, dependent on firms. It is a way of earning for one group and a way of gathering necessities of life for the other like food stuff, clothing, and professional services like legal, educational or healthcar e services and so on. Owing to the importance of firms in our regular activities and modern life, this paper aims to answer the question: why do firms exist? In doing so, this paper will provide perspectives of different researchers and their theories to justify the claims made. Theory of Firm Theory of firm necessitates by trying to predict how the business would carry out their prescribed strategies to achieve their ultimate goal and that is profit maximization. The theory of firm helps predict and explain other alternatives and decision made by the company. Traditionally it was based on having sole goal of profit maximization. But most recent analysis, theories and researches suggest that sales maximization or market share that is satisfying the needs of the customers along with satisfying its legitimate stake holders, combined with satisfactory profits may be the main purpose of businesses in short term as well as in long term to survive. Traditionally companies’ were fol lowing stock holder theory that is managers had one objective of maximizing share holder value. For example a company would not mind shutting down a branch in a region or country and resulting in thousands of people being unemployed and affecting the whole economy of that region or country. Despite these factors, the managers would have let the factory moved to another region or country because labor is cheap and plentiful there. Traditional theory suggested companies to disregard safety practices or other practices to preserve social responsibilities, according to theory, as they would have to spend money over it which reduces profit. However, if such avoidance of such actions charges the companies with substantial penalty or case file or dereputation resulting in more expenses (fines) than the companies were encouraged to provide equipment and running the safety policy. The risks of fewer sales by customer boycotting the company’s products are also avoided by adopting such practices in the modern business arena and companies would fall into instrumental form of skate holder theory (Schroeder, Clark, and Cathey 2010, pp. 124-128). Stake holder theory is referred as 21st century theory where the organizations are so large that they can affect the whole society significantly. This broader impact of organizational procedures and processes suggest that they cannot just be responsible to share holders i.e. obeying stock holder t

Stakeholders and Organizations Essay Example for Free

Stakeholders and Organizations Essay Stakeholders are persons or groups that affect or are affected by an organization. They fulfill many roles within organizations. What is the most significant role stakeholders play in an organization? Why? How do stakeholders acting in this role influence the organizations mission, vision, and strategy? The answer to this question depends to a large degree who the stakeholder is and whether it is a market or nonmarket stakeholder (Lawrence Weber, 2011). However, in general, it seems that power and influence go hand-in-hand in terms of the most significant role(s) a stakeholder may potentially play in an organization. These two dynamics form the basis for the level of interest a stakeholder has when seeking to affect the organization. Based on the power, influence, and interest of a stakeholder, Boutelle (2004) went so far as to state that, â€Å"Projects will succeed or fail primarily based on the actions of people who care enough to defend or oppose them† (para. 19). This statement centers on this theme of power, influence, and interest. Thus, if there is enough generated interest in organizational issues which can exert a strong fervor of power and influence amongst diverse stakeholders, the organizational leaders will take notice and respond accordingly. This is known as the salience of a stakeholder and is a critical component of how they are viewed and defined by an organization (Mitchell, Agle, Wood). A stakeholder who is able to effectively parlay their power and influence can have a profound impact in how that particular organization conducts business on many levels which, in turn, may create some rethinking and reposturing of the mission, vision, and strategy of an organization. It is certainly in the best interest of the organization to build strong relationships with their many stakeholders so as to add value to their overall brand and image (Lawrence Weber, 2011). References Boutelle, J. (2004). Understanding stakeholders for design success. Boxes and Arrows. Retrieved from http://boxesandarrows.com/understanding-organizational-stakeholders-for-design-success/ Lawrence, A. T., Weber, J. (2011). Business and society:

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men Essays -- Fitzgerald Sad Y

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men F. Scott Fitzgerald’s All the Sad Young Men was his sixth book. The work was composed of nine short stories that had been published in magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post over the course of the previous year. The work was Fitzgerald’s third short story collection and followed the Great Gatsby in publication on the 26th of February 1926. To most, this book signaled Fitzgerald’s staying power as many of his seniors had believed that his initial success as a writer was lucky. They did not take Fitzgerald seriously as an author. On the whole, critics valued the work and praised some of the stories as the best Fitzgerald had written to date. The collection of short stories in All the Sad Young Men included: â€Å"The Rich Boy,† â€Å"Winter Dreams,† â€Å"The Baby Party,† â€Å"Absolution,† â€Å"Rags Martin-Jones and the Pr-nce of W-les,† â€Å"The Adjuster,† â€Å"Hot and Cold Blood,† â€Å"The Sensible Thing,† â€Å"Gretchen's Forty Winks.† Of these, â€Å"Absolution† was widely considered to be the best as it was an artistic piece as opposed to the ones that the critics claimed Fitzgerald wrote to sell. â€Å"Absolution† is a story about an eleven year old boy and a priest; even those who did not like this collection wrote favorably about this story. One critic said of â€Å"Absolution,† â€Å"Yet, it must be said, immediately, that ‘Absolution’ is a penetrating and profound effort to articulate life in primal and dark conflict. It is simple and stripped of all artifice. The poet and humanist in Fit zgerald is in this counting of the search of a boy and an elderly priest for absolute truth, in the conflicting presence of the demands of daily life with its common everydayness of people and trivial affairs.†[1] ... ...cal jazz age mold and reached new audiences. Fitzgerald also received the common criticism that he was writing to sell; many critics felt that â€Å"Absolution† and â€Å"The Rich Boy† with a few others from the selection were the only works of merit. Bibliography ed. Bryer, Jackson R. F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Critical Reception. Burt Franklin & Co., Inc. 1978. http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bmangum/asymcr.html. (This site is not very informative.) http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/collection/dustjackets/sadmen.html. (Dust jacket) [1] Bryer, Jackson R. Pg. 258. [2] IBID. Pg. 259. [3] IBID. Pg. 253 [4] IBID. [5] http://www.georgetown.edu/tamlit/collections/fitzwrks.html#dreams [6] IBID. Pg. 260. [7] IBID. Pg. 258. [8] IBID. Pg. 259. [9] IBID. Pg. 261. [10] IBID. Pg. 261. [11] IBID. Pg. 270. [12] IBID. Pg. 269.

Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Eight

â€Å"You seem sad,† Hickory said, as we took the shuttle back to Phoenix Station. Dickory sat next to Hickory, impassive as ever. â€Å"I am sad,† I said. â€Å"I miss my mother and father.† I glanced over to John, who was sitting in the front of the shuttle with the pilot, Lieutenant Cloud. â€Å"And I think all this moving and leaving and going is getting to me a little bit. Sorry.† â€Å"No need to apologize,† Hickory said. â€Å"This journey has been stressful for us, too.† â€Å"Oh, good,† I said, turning back to the two of them. â€Å"Misery loves company.† â€Å"If you would like we would be happy to try to cheer you up,† Hickory said. â€Å"Really,† I said. This was a new tactic. â€Å"How would you do that?† â€Å"We could tell you a story,† Hickory said. â€Å"What story?† I asked. â€Å"One that Dickory and I have been working on,† Hickory said. â€Å"You've been writing?† I said. I didn't bother to keep the incredulousness out of my voice. â€Å"Is it that surprising?† Hickory said. â€Å"Absolutely,† I said. â€Å"I didn't know you had it in you.† â€Å"The Obin don't have stories of their own,† Hickory said. â€Å"We learned about them through you, when you had us read to you.† I was puzzled for a minute, and then I remembered: When I was younger I asked Hickory and Dickory to read bedtime stories to me. It was a failed experiment, to say the least; even with their consciousness machines on, neither of them could tell a story to save their lives. The beats were all wrong – they didn't know how to read the emotions in the story is the best way I can put it. They could read the words, all right. They just couldn't tell the story. â€Å"So you've been reading stories since then,† I said. â€Å"Sometimes,† Hickory said. â€Å"Fairy tales and myths. We are most interested in myths, because they are stories of gods and creation. Dickory and I have decided to make a creation myth for the Obin, so we have a story of our own.† â€Å"And this is the story you want to tell me,† I said. â€Å"If you think it would cheer you up,† Hickory said. â€Å"Well, is it a happy creation myth?† I asked. â€Å"It is for us,† Hickory said. â€Å"You should know you play a part in it.† â€Å"Well, then,† I said. â€Å"I definitely want to hear it now.† Hickory conferred with Dickory quickly, in their own language. â€Å"We will tell you the short version,† Hickory said. â€Å"There's a long version?† I said. â€Å"I'm really intrigued.† â€Å"The remainder of the shuttle ride will not be long enough for the long version,† Hickory said. â€Å"Unless we then went back down to Phoenix. And then back up. And then back down again.† â€Å"The short version it is,† I said. â€Å"Very well,† Hickory said, and began. â€Å"Once upon a time – â€Å" â€Å"Really?† I said. â€Å"‘Once upon a time'?† â€Å"What is wrong with ‘once upon a time'?† Hickory asked. â€Å"Many of your stories and myths start that way. We thought it would be appropriate.† â€Å"There's nothing wrong with it,† I said. â€Å"It's just a little old-fashioned.† â€Å"We will change it if you like,† Hickory said. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"I'm sorry, Hickory, I interrupted you. Please start again.† â€Å"Very well,† Hickory said. â€Å"Once upon a time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Once upon a time there were creatures who lived on a moon of a large gas planet. And these creatures did not have a name, nor did they know they lived on a moon, nor did they know that moon circled a gas planet, nor what a planet was, nor did they know anything in a way that could be said that they were knowing it. They were animals, and they had no consciousness, and they were born and lived and died, all their lives without thought or the knowledge of thought. One day, although the animals knew nothing of the idea of days, visitors came to the moon that circled the gas planet. And these visitors were known as Consu, although the animals on the planet did not know that, because it was what the Consu called themselves, and the animals were not smart and could not ask the Consu what they called themselves, or know that things could have names. The Consu came to the moon to explore and they did, noting all the things about the moon, from the air in its sky to the shape of its lands and waters to the shape and manner of all the life that lived in the moon's land, air and water. And when they came to these certain creatures who lived on this moon, the Consu became curious about them and how they lived their lives, and studied them and how they were born and lived and died. After the Consu had watched the creatures for some time the Consu decided that they would change the creatures, and would give them something that the Consu possessed and that the creatures did not, which was intelligence. And the Consu took the genes of the creatures and changed them so that their brains, as they grew, would develop intelligence well beyond what the creatures would themselves achieve through experience or through many years of evolution. The Consu made these changes to a few creatures and then set them back on the moon and over many generations all the creatures became intelligent. Once the Consu gave intelligence to the creatures they did not stay on the moon, nor shared themselves with the creatures, but departed and left machines above the sky, which the creatures would not see, to watch the creatures. And so the creatures for a very long time did not learn of the Consu and what they had done to the creatures. And for a very long time these creatures who now had intelligence grew in number and learned many things. They learned how to make tools and create a language and work together for common goals and to farm the land and mine metals and create science. But although the creatures thrived and learned, they did not know that they among all intelligent creatures were unique, because they did not know there were other intelligent creatures. One day, after the creatures had gained intelligence, another race of intelligent people came to visit the moon, the first since the Consu, although the creatures did not remember the Consu. And these new people called themselves the Arza and each of the Arza also had a name. And the Arza were amazed that the creatures on the moon, who were intelligent and who had built tools and cities, did not have a name and did not have names for each of their number. And it was then the creatures discovered through the Arza what made them unique: They were the only people in all the universe who were not conscious. Although every creature could think and reason, it could not know itself as every other intelligent creature could know itself. The creatures lacked awareness of who they were as individuals, even as they lived and thrived and grew on the face of the moon of the planet. When the creatures learned this, and although no individual could know it felt this, there grew within the race of these creatures a hunger for that thing they did not have: for the consciousness that the creatures knew collectively they did not have as individuals. And this is when the creatures first gave themselves a name, and called themselves â€Å"Obin,† which in their language meant â€Å"The ones who lack,† although it might be better translated as â€Å"The deprived ones† or â€Å"The ones without gifts,† and although they named their race they did not give names to each of their individual number. And the Arza took pity on the creatures who now called themselves Obin, and revealed to them the machines that floated in the sky and that were put there by the Consu, who they knew to be a race of immense intelligence and unknowable aims. The Arza studied the Obin and discovered that their biology was unnatural, and so the Obin learned who had created them. And the Obin asked the Arza to take them to the Consu, so they could ask why the Consu had done these things, but the Arza refused, saying the Consu met only with other races to fight them, and they feared what would happen to the Arza if they brought the Obin before the Consu. So it was the Obin determined they must learn to fight. And while the Obin did not fight the Arza, who had been kind to the Obin and took pity on them and then left the Obin in peace, there came another race of creatures called the Belestier, who planned to colonize the moon on which the Obin lived and kill all the Obin because they would not live in peace with them. The Obin struggled with the Belestier, killing all those who landed on their moon, and in doing so found they had an advantage; because the Obin did not know themselves, they were not afraid of death, and had no fear where others had fear in abundance. The Obin killed the Belestier, and learned from their weapons and technology. In time the Obin left their own moon to colonize other moons and grow their numbers and make war on other races when those other races chose to make war on the Obin. And there came a day, after many years, when the Obin decided they were ready to meet the Consu, and found where they lived and set out to meet them. Although the Obin were strong and determined, they did not know the power of the Consu, who brushed them aside, killing any Obin who dared to call or attack, and there were many thousands of these. Eventually the Consu became curious about the creatures they had made and offered to answer three questions for the Obin, if half the Obin everywhere would offer themselves up as a sacrifice to the Consu. And this was a hard bargain, because although no individual Obin would know its own death, such a sacrifice would wound the race, because by this time it had made many enemies among the intelligent races, and they would most certainly attack the Obin when they were weak. But the Obin had a hunger and needed answers. So one half of the Obin willingly offered themselves to the Consu, killing themselves in all manner of ways, wherever they were. And the Consu were satisfied and answered our three questions. Yes, they had given the Obin intelligence. Yes, they could have given the Obin consciousness but did not, because they wanted to see what consciousless intelligence was like. No, they would not now give us consciousness, nor would they ever, nor would they allow us to ask again. And since that day the Consu have not allowed the Obin to speak to them again; each embassy to them since that day has been killed. The Obin spent many years fighting many races as it returned itself to its former strength, and in time it became known to other races that to fight with the Obin meant death, for the Obin would not relent or show mercy or pity or fear, because the Obin did not know these things themselves. And for a long time this was the way of things. One day a race known as the Rraey attacked a human colony and its space station, killing all the humans they could. But before the Rraey could complete their task, the Obin attacked them, because the Obin wanted the colony world for themselves. The Rraey were weakened after their first attack and were defeated and killed. The Obin took the colony and its space station, and because the space station was known as a scientific outpost, the Obin looked through its records to see what useful technology they could take. It was then that the Obin discovered that one of the human scientists, who was named Charles Boutin, was working on a way to hold and store consciousness outside of the human body, in a machine based on technology the humans had stolen from the Consu. The work was not done, and the technology was not something the Obin at the space station could follow, nor the Obin scientists whom they had brought along. The Obin looked for Charles Boutin among the human survivors of the space station attacks, but he was not to be found, and it was discovered that he was away from the station when it was attacked. But then the Obin learned that Charles Boutin's daughter Zoe had been on the space station. The Obin took her from the station and she alone was spared among the humans. And the Obin kept her and kept her safe and found a way to tell Charles Boutin that she was alive and offered to return her if he would give the Obin consciousness. But Charles Boutin was angry, not at the Obin but at the humans who he thought had let his daughter die, and demanded in exchange for giving the Obin consciousness, that the Obin would make war on the humans, and defeat them. The Obin could not do this themselves but allied with two other races, the Rraey, whom they had just attacked, and the Enesha, who were allies of the humans, to make war on the humans. Charles Boutin was satisfied and in time joined the Obin and his daughter, and worked to create consciousness for the Obin. Before he could finish his task, the humans learned of the alliance between the Obin and the Rraey and the Enesha, and attacked. The alliance was broken and the Enesha were made to war on the Rraey by the humans. And Charles Boutin was killed and his daughter Zoe was taken from the Obin by the humans. And although no individual Obin could sense it, the entire nation despaired because in agreeing to give them consciousness Charles Boutin was their friend among all friends, who would do for them what even the great Consu would not: give them awareness of themselves. When he died, their hope for themselves died. To lose his daughter, who was of him and who was dear to them because of him, compounded this despair. And then the humans sent a message to the Obin that they knew of Boutin's work and offered to continue it, in exchange for an alliance and the agreement by the Obin to war on the Enesha, who had allied with the Obin against the humans, once the Enesha had defeated the Rraey. The Obin agreed to this but added the condition that once the Obin were given consciousness that two of their number would be allowed to know Zoe Boutin, and to share that knowledge with all other Obin, because she was what remained of Charles Boutin, their friend and their hero. And so it was that the Obin and the humans became allies, the Obin attacked and defeated the Enesha in due time, and the Obin, thousands of generations after their creation, were given consciousness by Charles Boutin. And among their number, the Obin selected two, who would become companions and protectors to Zoe Boutin and share her life with her new family. And when Zoe met them she was not afraid because she had lived with the Obin before, and she gave the two of them names: Hickory and Dickory. And the two of them became the first Obin to have names. And they were glad, and they know they are glad, because of the gift Charles Boutin gave them and all Obin. And they lived happily ever after. Hickory said something to me I didn't hear. â€Å"What?† I said. â€Å"We are not sure ‘and they lived happily ever after' is the appropriate ending,† said Hickory, and then stopped and looked closely at me. â€Å"You are crying,† it said. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"I was remembering. The parts of it I was in.† â€Å"We told them wrong,† Hickory said. â€Å"No,† I said, and put up my hand to reassure it. â€Å"You didn't tell it wrong, Hickory. It's just the way you tell it and the way I remember it are a little†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I wiped a tear off my face and searched for the right word. â€Å"They're just a little different, is all.† â€Å"You do not like the myth,† Hickory said. â€Å"I like it,† I said. â€Å"I like it very much. It's just some things hurt me to remember. It happens that way for us sometimes.† â€Å"I am sorry, Zoe, for causing you distress,† Hickory said, and I could hear the sadness in its voice. â€Å"We wanted to cheer you up.† I got up from my seat and went over to Hickory and Dickory and hugged them both. â€Å"I know you did,† I said. â€Å"And I'm really glad you tried.†

The Movie Rain Man By Raymond Babbit - 1429 Words

Introduction In the movie Rain Man, Raymond Babbit is portrayed by actor, Dustin Hoffman. Raymond Babbit is a patient of the Walbrook Institute where he was placed at a young age. Raymond is diagnosed with Savants Syndrome. In Raymond’s case, he functions at an impressively high level (Inc., 2004). Savant syndrome is diagnosed when an individual performs basic cognitive processes below what is deemed as normal. However these individuals exhibit exceptional abilities in certain areas. In the case of Raymond Babbit, his memory was exemplary. The character Raymond Babbit, was based on a man named Laurence Kim Peek. Although Mr. Peek lived his life with Savant Syndrome, he was not autistic. After receiving an MRI, doctors discover that Mr. Peek lacked the corpus callosum, the anterior commissure, and the hippocampal commissure (Brogaard, 2013). This is also acknowledged as split brain. These three parts of the brain belong to the neurological system of the brain and transfers information from the right and left hemisphere. This is the reason that Mr. Peek possessed the ability to both read pages of a book and absorb the information simultaneously. Genetics, infections, and intoxication during pregnancy are all factors that can affect the corpus callosum (Brogaard, 2013). According to Jung’s Cognitive Theory, Savants would be classified as Introverted in all categories; sensing, intuiting, thinking, and feeling. Savants are extremely intelligent, however their social andShow MoreRelatedRainman PPTX Final627 Words   |  3 PagesMovie Character Presentation RAIN MAN (1988) Overview of Presentation †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Brief background of Rain Man Functional Assessment of Raymond Analysis of Assessment Nursing Considerations Conclusion Background of Movie and Character †¢ Charlie Babbit: brother of Raymond who is autistic; a self centered young man who discovers the love for his brother throughout the film. †¢ Raymond: Autistic brother of Charlie who has a form of a mental calculator in his head letting him count many items at theRead MoreInside Rain Man By Dr. Temple Grandin1094 Words   |  5 Pages Inside Rain Man â€Å"It is never too late to expand the mind of a person on the autism spectrum.† This quote by Dr. Temple Grandin helps explain to me what autism is all about. According to autismspeaks.org , Autism is a condition that is a result of a neurological disorder that has an affect on normal brain function, affecting development of the person’s communication and social interaction skills. Although we do not have a set cause for autism, we know that it presents itself during the firstRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd )1759 Words   |  8 Pagesmovies, like Rain Man and Forrest Gump, portray characters that are affected by ASD in stereotypical ways that overshadow the true complications of ASD and the realities that autistic people face. I believe that autism awareness and advocacy is being distorted by media representations and portrayal. Perhaps one of the biggest films to introduce a well-known character diagnosed with autism is Rain Man. In the movie, Dustin Hoffman’s character, Raymond Babbit, is an autistic man who displaysRead MorePublic Perception of Persons with Disability2398 Words   |  10 PagesPublic Perception of Persons with Disability A Comparison of Two Movies: Rain Man (1988) and Of Mice and Men (1981) Introduction Stereotypes constantly accompany different groups of people. This is true of mentally handicapped people as well. Labels such as â€Å"slow†, â€Å"stupid†, â€Å"ignorant†, and even â€Å"dangerous† are some stereotypical values that are disrespectfully bestowed on mentally challenged people. (Lewis, 2006) The public is now able to view mentally handicapped conditions through the