Friday, August 21, 2020

Profile of Filmmaker Errol Morris essays

Profile of Filmmaker Errol Morris papers Dallas cop, Robert Wood, was shot multiple times and killed subsequent to pulling over a vehicle for a minor petty criminal offense. Randall Dale Adams was captured, indicted and condemned to death for the wrongdoing. Adams argue not liable to the charges. He guaranteed multi year old David Harris, whom he had gone through a few hours with upon the arrival of the wrongdoing, was the genuine executioner. In Mark Singer's Profile of Filmmaker Errol Morris, Singer depicts Randall Adams case as it was depicted in the film The Thin Blue Line. Artist contends that Morris made the film to demonstrate Adams blamelessness and represent that Adams had gotten anything other than a reasonable preliminary. Singer, a creator for The New Yorker Magazine, checked out the case since he, just as Morris, trusted Adams was guiltless and merited another and reasonable preliminary. The indictment won the body of evidence against Adams for three significant reasons: David Harris' declaration, Prosecutor Douglas Mulder's unmistakable quality, assurance, and the arraignments three key observers, Emily Miller, Robert Miller, and Michael Randell. After the finish of the preliminary Adams kept up his blamelessness and movie producer, Errol Morris met with David Harris and started to have questions about Adams blame. Morris researched the case further and found it was unreasonable on established grounds and Adams was in truth guiltless. Morris made a film entitled The Thin Blue Line, which was a depiction of the real occasions in the Adams manslaughter case. Morris planned to delineate thirteen purposes of outlandish indictment. There were four unmitigated demonstrations of prevarication or inside and out shamefulness in Adams first preliminary. Judge Metcalf would not allow the utilization David Harris' broad past criminal record, remembering pending charges for another province as proof. This left Adams in the liable seat even before the preliminary started. Examiner Mulder requested a blameworthy decision with a capital punishment s ... <!

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

100 Of The Best Travel Books That Will Give You Serious Wanderlust

100 Of The Best Travel Books That Will Give You Serious Wanderlust Real travel is awesome when we can manage it, but sometimes we just have to travel from our armchairs, right? When armchair travel is the most we can do, its good to have many reading options from which to choose. So I put together a list of 100 of the best travel books that will take you around the world without requiring any more effort than lifting your hand to turn the pages. I did my best to organize these by geographical region, although sometimes thats tricky since there are many ways to divide up the regions of the world. And I had to include a large category of various locations since some travel books really do take you everywhere. Within the geographical region, the books are organized chronologically. I hope you will find some books on this list that pique your interest and can help you find adventures from the safety of your own home. Or maybe they will inspire you to go on a journey, or prepare you for an upcoming trip. Maybe you will read one of these on an airplane. Whatever the case, if travel is something that interests you, I hope this list helps you find new books to love. Best Travel Books Set In Europe Mary Wollstonecraft, Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (1796) Originally published in 1796, Mary Wollstonecrafts account of her trip to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, is compelling both in its picture of countries rarely visited in Regency times and insights into Marys personal life. Robert Louis Stevenson, Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes (1879) Ever hopeful of encountering the adventure he yearned for and raising much needed finance at the start of his writing career, Stevenson embarked on the120 mile, 12 day trek and recorded his experiences in this journal. Edith Wharton, A Motor-Flight Through France (1908) Shedding the turn-of-the-century social confines she felt existed for women in America, Edith Wharton set out in the newly invented motor-car to explore the cities and countryside of France. D.H. Lawrence, Sea and Sardinia (1921) Written after the First World War when he was living in Sicily, Sea and Sardinia records Lawrences journey to Sardinia and back in January 1921. It reveals his response to a new landscape and people and his ability to transmute the spirit of place into literary art. George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London (1933) This unusual fictional account in good part autobiographical narrates without self-pity and often with humor the adventures of a penniless British writer among the down-and-out of two great cities. Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (1941) Written on the brink of World War II, Rebecca Wests classic examination of the history, people, and politics of Yugoslavia illuminates a region that is still a focus of international concern. Mary McCarthy, The Stones of Florence (1956) Mary McCarthy offers a unique history of Florence, from its inception to the dominant role it came to play in the world of art, architecture, and Italian culture, that captures the brilliant Florentine spirit and revisits the legendary figures Dante, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and others who exemplify it so iconically. Jan Morris, The World of Venice (1960) Often hailed as one of the best travel books ever written, Venice is neither a guide nor a history book, but a beautifully written immersion in Venetian life and character, set against the background of the citys past. Patrick Leigh Fermor, A Time of Gifts (1977) In 1933, at the age of 18, Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on an extraordinary journey by foot from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. A Time of Gifts is the first volume in a trilogy recounting the trip, and takes the reader with him as far as Hungary. Tété-Michel Kpomassie, An African in Greenland (1981) Tété-Michel Kpomassie was a teenager in Togo when he discovered a book about Greenlandâ€"and knew that he must go there. Working his way north over nearly a decade, Kpomassie finally arrived in the country of his dreams. Peter Mayle, A Year in Provence (1989) In this witty and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs. Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun (1996) Frances Mayesâ€"widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writerâ€"opens the door to a wondrous new world when she buys and restores an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. Adam Gopnik, Paris to the Moon (2000) Paris. The name alone conjures images of chestnut-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés, breathtaking façades around every cornerin short, an exquisite romanticism that has captured the American imagination for as long as there have been Americans. Lori Tharps, Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love Spain (2008) Magazine writer and editor Lori Tharps was born and raised in the comfortable but mostly White suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she was often the only person of color in her school and neighborhood. At an early age, Lori decided that her destiny would be discovered in Spain. Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story (2009) Between 1998 and 2000, Sue and Ann travel throughout Greece and France. Sue, coming to grips with aging, caught in a creative vacuum, longing to reconnect with her grown daughter, struggles to enlarge a vision of swarming bees into a novel. Ann, just graduated from college, heartbroken and benumbed by the classic question about what to do with her life, grapples with a painful depression. André Aciman, Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere (2011) From beautiful and moving pieces about the memory evoked by the scent of lavender; to meditations on cities like Barcelona, Rome, Paris, and New York; to his sheer ability to unearth life secrets from an ordinary street corner,  Alibis  reminds the reader that Aciman is a master of the personal essay. Sarah Moss, Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland (2012) Novelist Sarah Moss had a childhood dream of moving to Iceland, sustained by a wild summer there when she was nineteen. In 2009, she saw an advertisement for a job at the University of Iceland and applied on a whim, despite having two young children and a comfortable life in an English cathedral city. Robert Macfarlane, The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot (2012) In this exquisitely written book, Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge, England, home to follow the ancient tracks, holloways, drove roads, and sea paths that crisscross both the British landscape and its waters and territories beyond. Best Travel Books Set In  Latin America Zora Neale Hurston, Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica (1938) Based on Zora Neale Hurston’s personal experience in Haiti and Jamaica, where she participated as an initiate rather than just an observer of voodoo practices during her visits in the 1930s, this travelogue into a dark world paints a vividly authentic picture of ceremonies and customs and superstitions of great cultural interest. Sybille Bedford, A Visit to Don Otavio (1953) In the mid-1940s, Sybille Bedford set off from Grand Central Station for Mexico, accompanied by her friend E., a hamper of food and drink (Virginia ham, cherries, watercress, a flute of bread, Portuguese rosé), books, a writing board, and paper.  Her resulting travelogue captures the rich and violent beauty of the country as it  was then. V.S. Naipaul, The Middle Passage, (1962) In 1960 the government of Trinidad invited V. S. Naipaul to revisit his native country and record his impressions. In this classic of modern travel writing he has created a deft and remarkably prescient portrait of Trinidad and four adjacent Caribbean societiesâ€"countries haunted by the legacies of slavery and colonialism. Bruce Chatwin, In Patagonia (1977) An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin’s exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, remarkable bits of history, and unforgettable anecdotes. Paul Theroux, The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas (1979) Beginning his journey in Boston, where he boarded the subway commuter train, and catching trains of all kinds on the way, Paul Theroux tells of his voyage from ice-bound Massachusetts and Illinois to the arid plateau of Argentinas most southerly tip. Salman Rushdie, The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey (1987) In this brilliantly focused and haunting portrait of the people, the politics, the land, and the poetry of Nicaragua, Salman Rushdie brings to the forefront the palpable human facts of a country in the midst of a revolution. Mary Morris, Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone (1987) Traveling from the highland desert of northern Mexico to the steaming jungles of Honduras, from the seashore of the Caribbean to the exquisite highlands of Guatemala, Mary Morris, a celebrated writer of both fiction and nonfiction, confronts the realities of place, poverty, machismo, and selfhood. Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place (1988) Lyrical, sardonic, and forthright, A Small Place magnifies our vision of one small place with Swiftian wit and precision. Jamaica Kincaids expansive essay candidly appraises the ten-by-twelve-mile island in the British West Indies where she grew up, and makes palpable the impact of European colonization and tourism. Isabel Allende, My Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile (2003) Isabel Allende evokes the magnificent landscapes of her country; a charming, idiosyncratic Chilean people with a violent history and an indomitable spirit, and the politics, religion, myth, and magic of her homeland that she carries with her even today. Best Travel Books Set In  North America Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789) Widely admired for its vivid accounts of the slave trade, Olaudah Equianos autobiography the first slave narrative to attract a significant readership reveals many aspects of the eighteenth-century Western world through the experiences of one individual. Isabella Bird, A Ladys Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879) Bird was born in 1831 in Cheshire, England, and became one of a distinguished group of female travellers famous in the nineteenth centurya time when it was considered that a ladys place should be confined to the home. Isabella travelled and explored the world extensively and became a notable writer and natural historian. John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley in Search of America (1962) In September 1960, John Steinbeck embarked on a journey across America. He felt that he might have lost touch with the country, with its speech, the smell of its grass and trees, its color and quality of light, the pulse of its people. Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire (1968) This is a rare view of a quest to experience nature in its purest form the silence, the struggle, the overwhelming beauty. But this is also the gripping, anguished cry of a man of character who challenges the growing exploitation of the wilderness by oil and mining interests, as well as by the tourist industry. Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (1974) A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. Edmund White, States of Desire: Travels in Gay America (1980) In this city-by-city description of the way homosexual men lived in the late seventies, Edmund White gives us a picture of Gay America that will surprise gay and straight readers alike. William Least Heat-Moon, Blue Highways: A Journey into America (1982) William Least Heat-Moon set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity His adventures, his discoveries, and his recollections of the extraordinary people he encountered along the way amount to a revelation of the true American experience. Gretel Ehrlich, The Solace of Open Spaces (1984) Poet and filmmaker Gretel Ehrlich went to Wyoming in 1975 to make the first in a series of documentaries when her partner died. Ehrlich stayed on and found she couldn’t leave. The Solace of Open Spaces is a chronicle of her first years on “the planet of Wyoming,” a personal journey into a place, a feeling, and a way of life. Jonathan Raban, Bad Land: An American Romance (1985) In towns named Terry, Calypso, and Ismay (which changed its name to Joe, Montana, in an effort to attract football fans), and in the landscape in between, Raban unearths a vanished episode of American history, with its own ruins, its own heroes and heroines, its own hopeful myths and bitter memories. Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild (1996) In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Jenny Diski, Stranger on a Train: Daydreaming and Smoking Around America with Interruptions (2002) Using two cross-country trips on Amtrak as her narrative vehicles, British writer Jenny Diski connects the humming rails, taking her into the heart of America with the track-like scars leading back to her own past. Rebecca Solnit, A Field Guide to Getting Lost (2005) A Field Guide to Getting Lost draws on emblematic moments and relationships in Solnits own life to explore the issues of wandering, being lost, and the uses of the unknown. The result is a distinctive, stimulating, and poignant voyage of discovery. Sarah Vowell, Assassination Vacation (2005) With Assassination Vacation, [Vowell] takes us on a road trip like no otherâ€"a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage. Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012) At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. Suzanne Roberts, Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail (2012) It was 1993, Suzanne Roberts had just finished college, and when her friend suggested they hike California’s John Muir Trail, the adventure sounded like the perfect distraction from a difficult home life and thoughts about the future. But she never imagined that the twenty-eight-day hike would change her life. Gloria Steinem, My Life on the Road (2015) Gloria Steinemâ€"writer, activist, organizer, and one of the most inspiring leaders in the worldâ€"now tells a story she has never told before, a candid account of how her early years led her to live an on-the-road kind of life, traveling, listening to people, learning, and creating change. Best Travel Books Set In  Asia Matsuo Basho, The Narrow Road to the Deep North (1689) In later life Basho turned to Zen Buddhism, and the travel sketched in this volume reflect his attempts to cast off earthly attachments and reach out to spiritual fulfillment. The sketches are written in the haibun stylea linking of verse and prose. Alexandra David-Néel, My Journey to Lhasa (1927) In order to penetrate Tibet and reach Lhasa, she used her fluency of Tibetan dialects and culture, disguised herself as a beggar with yak hair extensions and inked skin and tackled some of the roughest terrain and climate in the World. Eric Newby, A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush (1958) No mountaineer, Newby set out with a friend to explore the formidable peaks of the Nuristan Mountains in northeast Afghanistan. His witty, unorthodox report is packed with incidents both ghastly and ecstatic as he takes us where few Western feet have trod. Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard (1978) When Matthiessen went to Nepal to study the Himalayan blue sheep and, possibly, to glimpse the rare and beautiful snow leopard, he undertook his five-week trek as winter snows were sweeping into the high passes. This is a radiant and deeply moving account of a true pilgrimage, a journey of the heart.' Michael Ondaatje, Running in the Family (1982) In the late 1970s Ondaatje returned to his native island of Sri Lanka. As he records his journey through the drug-like heat and intoxicating fragrances of that pendant off the ear of India, Ondaatje simultaneously retraces the baroque mythology of his Dutch-Ceylonese family. Vikram Seth, From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkian and Tibet (1983) After two years as a postgraduate student at Nanjing University in China, Vikram Seth hitch-hiked back to his home in New Delhi, via Tibet. From Heaven Lake is the story of his remarkable journey and his encounters with nomadic Muslims, Chinese officials, Buddhists and others. Christina Dodwell, Traveller in China (1985) Christina Dodwell s wanderlust, combined with her inventive and unorthodox methods of travel and her unquenchable curiosity about people, make her the ideal guide to the remoter parts of Chinas vast territory. Pico Iyer, Video Night in Kathmandu (1988) Why did Dire Straits blast out over Hiroshima, Bruce Springsteen over Bali and Madonna over all? The author was eager to learn where East meets West, how pop culture and imperialism penetrated through the worlds most ancient civilisations. Then, the truths he began to uncover were more startling, subtle, and more complex than he ever anticipated. Pankaj Mishra, Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India (1995) From a convent-educated beauty pageant aspirant to small shopkeepers planning their vacation in London, Pankaj Mishra paints a vivid picture of a people rushing headlong to their tryst with modernity. Andrew Pham, Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam (1999) Catfish and Mandala is the story of an American odysseyâ€"a solo bicycle voyage around the Pacific Rim to Vietnamâ€"made by a young Vietnamese-American man in pursuit of both his adopted homeland and his forsaken fatherland. Ma Jian, Red Dust: A Path Through China (2001) In 1983, at the age of thirty, dissident artist Ma Jian finds himself divorced by his wife, separated from his daughter, betrayed by his girlfriend, facing arrest for Spiritual Pollution, and severely disillusioned with the confines of life in Beijing. So with little more than a change of clothes and two bars of soap, Ma takes off to immerse himself in the remotest parts of China. Suketu Mehta, Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found (2004) The book combines elements of memoir, travel writing as well as socio-political analysis of the history and people of Mumbai. Mehta writes as a person who is at one level outsider to this magnificent city and on the other hand is the one who is born here and has lived his childhood in the city then known as Bombay. Faith Adiele, Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun (2004) Reluctantly leaving behind Pop Tarts and pop culture to battle flying rats, hissing cobras, forest fires, and decomposing corpses, Faith Adiele shows readers in this personal narrative, with accompanying journal entries, that the path to faith is full of conflicts for even the most devout. Barbara Demick, Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (2009) Award-winning journalist Barbara Demick follows the lives of six North Korean citizens over fifteen yearsa chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and a devastating famine that killed one-fifth of the population. Katherine Boo, Behind the Beautiful Forevers (2012) In this brilliant, breathtaking book by Pulitzer Prize winner Katherine Boo, a bewildering age of global change and inequality is made human through the dramatic story of families striving toward a better life in Annawadi, a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport. Best Travel Books Set In  Africa Mary Kingsley, Travels in West Africa (1897) Upon her sudden freedom from family obligations, a sheltered Victorian spinster traded her stifling middle-class existence for an incredible expedition in the Congo. Beryl Markham, West with the Night (1942) [Markhams] successes and her failuresâ€"and her deep, lifelong love of the soul of Africaâ€"are all chronicled here with wrenching honesty and agile wit. Hailed by National Geographic as one of the greatest adventure books of all time, West with the Night is the sweeping account of a fearless and dedicated woman. Maya Angelou, All Gods Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986) Once again, the poet casts her spell as she resumes one of the greatest personal narratives of our time. In this continuation, Angelou relates how she joins a colony of Black American expatriates in Ghanaonly to discover no one ever goes home again. Eddy L. Harris, Native Stranger: A Black Americans Journey into the Heart of Africa (1992) Recounting his journey into the heart of Africa, an African American describes his encounters with beggars and bureaucrats, his visit to Soweto, a night in a Liberian jail cell, and more. Philip Gourevitch, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families (1998) Philip Gourevitchs haunting work is an anatomy of the killings in Rwanda, a vivid history of the genocides background, and an unforgettable account of what it means to survive in its aftermath. Colleen McElroy, Over the Lip of the World: Among the Storytellers of Madagascar (1999) McElroys tale of an African American womans travels among the people of Madagascar is told with wit, insight, and humor. Throughout it she interweaves English translations of Malagasy stories of heroism and morality, royalty and commoners, love and revenge, and the magic of tricksters and shapechangers. Charlayne Hunter-Gault, New News Out of Africa: Uncovering Africas Renaissance (2006) In New News Out of Africa, this eminent reporter offers a fresh and surprisingly optimistic assessment of modern Africa, revealing that there is more to the continent than the bad news of disease, disaster, and despair. Noo Saro-Wiwa, Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria (2012) She finds [Nigeria] as exasperating as ever, and frequently despairs at the corruption and inefficiency she encounters. But she also discovers that it is far more beautiful and varied than she had ever imagined, with its captivating thick tropical rainforest and ancient palaces and monuments. Best Travel Books Set In The  South Pacific Robyn Davidson, Tracks: A Womans Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback (1980) Robyn Davidsons opens the memoir of her perilous journey across 1,700 miles of hostile Australian desert to the sea with only four camels and a dog for company with the following words: I experienced that sinking feeling you get when you know you have conned yourself into doing something difficult and theres no going back.' Dea Birkett, Serpent in Paradise (1997) Acclaimed British travel writer and journalist Dea Birkett, obsessed like many with the islands image as a secluded Eden and its connection to the mysterious and intriguing Bounty legend, traveled across the Pacific on a cargo ship and became one of the very few outsiders permitted to land on Pitcairn. Bill Bryson, In a Sunburned Country (2000) Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Kira Salak, Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua, New Guinea (2001) Traveling by dugout canoe and on foot, confronting the dangers and wonders of a largely untouched world, [Salak] became the first woman to traverse this remote country and write about it. Best Travel Books Set In The  Middle East/North Africa Mary Wortley Montagu, The Turkish Embassy Letters (1716) Her lively letters offer insights into the paradoxical freedoms conferred on Muslim women by the veil, the value of experimental work by Turkish doctors on inoculation, and the beauty of Arab poetry and culture. Robert Byron, The Road to Oxiana (1937) In 1933 the delightfully eccentric Robert Byron set out on a journey through the Middle East via Beirut, Jerusalem, Baghdad and Teheran to Oxiana -the country of the Oxus, the ancient name for the river Amu Darya which forms part of the border between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Isabelle Eberhardt, The Nomad: The Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt (1987, written in late 19th century) Eberhardts journal chronicles the daring adventures of a late 19th- century European woman who traveled the Sahara desert disguised as an Arab man and adopted Islam. Sara Suleri, Meatless Days (1989) In this finely wrought memoir of life in postcolonial Pakistan, Suleri intertwines the violent history of Pakistans independence with her own most intimate memoriesâ€"of her Welsh mother; of her Pakistani father, prominent political journalist Z.A. Suleri; of her tenacious grandmother Dadi and five siblings; and of her own passage to the West. Amitav Ghosh, In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Travelers Tale (1993) Interspersing his quest with accounts of his stay in Masr and the people he met, Ghosh weaves together a narrative packed with exuberant detail, exposing ties that have bound together India and Egypt, and Hindus and Muslims and Jews, from the Crusades to Operation Desert Storm. Rory Stewart, The Places in Between (2004) In January 2002 Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistansurviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers Along the way Stewart met heroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers, Taliban commanders and foreign-aid workers. Colin Thubron, Shadow of the Silk Road (2007) Making his way by local bus, truck, car, donkey cart, and camel, Colin Thubron covered some seven thousand miles in eight months out of the heart of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey and explored an ancient world in modern ferment. Gertrude Bell, A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert (2015, written in early 20th century) This is the epic story of Bells life, told through her letters, military dispatches, diary entries, and other writings. It offers a unique and intimate look behind the public mask of a woman who shaped nations. Lynsey Addario, Its What I Do: A Photographers Life of Love and War (2015) Lynsey Addario was just finding her way as a young photographer when September 11 changed the world. One of the few photojournalists with experience in Afghanistan, she gets the call to return and cover the American invasion. Best Travel Books Set In  Arctic/Antarctic Ernest Shackleton, South: The Story of Shackletons Last Expedition, 1914-1917 (1919) In an epic struggle of man versus the elements, Shackleton leads his team on a harrowing quest for survival over some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world. Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams (2001) Lopez offers a thorough examination of this obscure world-its terrain, its wildlife, its history of Eskimo natives and intrepid explorers who have arrived on their icy shores. But what turns this marvelous work of natural history into a breathtaking study of profound originality is his unique meditation on how the landscape can shape our imagination, desires, and dreams. Sara Wheeler, Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica (1996) Terra Incognita is a meditation on the landscape, myths and history of one of the remotest parts of the globe, as well as an encounter with the international temporary residents of the region living in close confinement despite the surrounding acres of white space and the mechanics of day-to-day life in extraordinary conditions. Gretchen Legler, On the Ice: An Intimate Portrait of Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica (2005) Sent to Antarctica as an observer by the National Science Foundation, Gretchen Legler arrives at McMurdo Station in midwinter, a time of -70 degree temperatures and months of near-total darkness. Various Locations Ibn Battuta, The Travels of Ibn Battuta, (14th century) Ibn Battutahâ€"ethnographer, bigrapher, anecdotal historian and occasional botanistâ€"was just  21 when he set out in 1325 from his native Tangier on a pilgramage to Mecca. He did not return to Morocco for another  29 years, traveling instead through more than 40 countries on the modern map, covering  75,000 miles and getting as far north as the Volga, as far east as China, and as far south as Tanzania. Martha Gellhorn, Travels With Myself and Another (1979): Out of a lifetime of travelling, Martha Gellhorn has selected her best horror journeys. She bumps through rain-sodden, war-torn China to meet Chiang Kai-Shek, floats listlessly in search of u-boats in the wartime Caribbean and visits a dissident writer in the Soviet Union against her better judgment. Barbara Savage, Miles from Nowhere: A Round-The World Bicycle Adventure (1983) This is the story of Barbara and Larry Savages sometimes dangerous, often zany, but ultimately rewarding 23,000 miles global bicycle odyssey, which took them through 25 countries in two years. Elaine Lee, editor, Go Girl!: The Black Womans Book of Travel and Adventure (1997) Globe-trotting attorney Lee assembled 52 travel pieces presenting the uncommon perspective of black women, mostly African Americans. Assembled under the headings Back to Africa, Sistren Travelin, and Trippin All Over the World, many initially appeared in popular womens or travel magazines. Cheryl J. Fish, editor, A Stranger in the Village: Two Centuries of African-American Travel Writing (1999) Dispatches, diaries, memoirs, and letters by African-American travelers in search of home, justice, and adventure-from the Wild West to Australia. Caryl Phillips, The Atlantic Sound (2000) Liverpool, England; Accra, Ghana; Charleston, South Carolina. These were the points of the triangle forming the major route of the transatlantic slave trade. And these are the cities that acclaimed author Caryl Phillips exploresphysically, historically, psychologicallyin this wide-ranging meditation on the legacy of slavery. Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel (2002) Any Baedeker will tell us where we ought to travel, but only Alain de Botton will tell us how and why de Botton considers the pleasures of anticipation; the allure of the exotic, and the value of noticing everything from a seascape in Barbados to the takeoffs at Heathrow. Geoff Dyer, Yoga for People Who Cant Be Bothered to Do It (2003) As he travels from Amsterdam to Cambodia, Rome to Indonesia, Libya to Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert, Dyer flounders about in a sea of grievances, with fleeting moments of transcendental calm his only reward for living in a perpetual state of motion. Susan Orlean, My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Whos Been Everywhere (2004) In this irresistible collection of adventures far and near, Orlean conducts a tour of the world via its subcultures, from the heart of the African music scene in Paris to the World Taxidermy Championships in Springfield, Illinoisâ€"and even into her own apartment, where she imagines a very famous houseguest taking advantage of her hospitality. Ryszard Kapuscinski, Travels with Herodotus (2004) Just out of university in 1955, Kapuscinski told his editor that he’d like to go abroad. Dreaming no farther than Czechoslovakia, the young reporter found himself sent to India. Wide-eyed and captivated, he would discover in those days his life’s workâ€"to understand and describe the world in its remotest reaches, in all its multiplicity. Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love (2006) Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. Tahir Shah, Travels with Myself (2011) Travels with Myself is a collection of selected writings by Tahir Shah, acclaimed Anglo-Afghan author and champion of the intrepid. Written over twenty years, the many pieces form an eclectic treasury of stories from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and beyond. Elisabeth Eaves, Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents (2011) Spanning 15 years of travel, beginning when she is a sophomore in college, Wanderlust documents Elisabeth Eavess insatiable hunger for the rush of the unfamiliar and the experience of encountering new people and cultures. Paula Young Lee, Deer Hunting in Paris: A Memoir of God, Guns, and Game Meat (2013) What happens when a Korean-American preacher’s kid refuses to get married, travels the world, and quits being vegetarian? She meets her polar opposite on an online dating site while sitting at a café in Paris, France and ends up in Paris, Maine, learning how to hunt. Emily Raboteau, Searching for Zion: The Quest for Home in the African Diaspora (2013) On her ten-year journey back in time and around the globe, through the Bush years and into the age of Obama, Raboteau wanders to Jamaica, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the American South to explore the complex and contradictory perspectives of Black Zionists. Amanda Epe, A Fly Girl: Travel Tales of an Exotic British Airways Cabin Crew (2014) A Fly Girl gives insight to the highs and lows in the world of a former BA cabin crew, in an intriguing travel writing memoir. In the global landscape the memoirist meticulously documents personal adventures, social structures and political history throughout her daring and exciting expeditions. Robert Moor, On Trails: An Exploration (2016) Throughout, Moor reveals how this single topicâ€"the oft-overlooked trailâ€"sheds new light on a wealth of age-old questions: How does order emerge out of chaos? How did animals first crawl forth from the seas and spread across continents? What do you think are the best travel books? Check out even more recommendations for travel memoirs here! Save

Thursday, May 21, 2020

The Power of Faith in the Poem, Beuwulf - 1425 Words

Faith is that one intangible aspect of humanity whereby empirical evidence is innately and fundamentally unnecessary to its power. When certain events occur that cannot be explained by proof then one can attribute it to devotion and divine intervention. Did Beowulf achieve his victories because of his warrior skills, or because of that divide intervention? In the poem, Beowulf, this idea is brought up throughout when Beowulf is successful in his battles. According to the epic poem, it is God’s intervention that helped Beowulf. In other words, Christianity is interrelated with other ideological systems in the text such as chivalry and paganism. Furthermore, it is also indicated that his success may be due to his own power and skill as a warrior, as if it were his fate that led to his triumph. He was destined to be a great warrior and so this was what contributed to his victories. This grapple to know what is the real cause of his successes highlights the contradiction between Pagan and Christian beliefs that are shown throughout the poem. Since it can be argued that this poem was written to possibly start changing Pagans to Christians and there are such Pagan beliefs mentioned it is sensible to say that the Christian beliefs were the new ones being pushed. The Pagan beliefs were there first and so it can be assumed that Beowulf’s success was due to his fate. Beowulf is introduced in the poem as being wise, this start shows the individual greatness of Beowulf (207). Later on

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Platos Allegory of the Cave Compared to the Human...

The Allegory Because of how we live, true reality is not obvious to most of us. However, we mistake what we see and hear for reality and truth. This is the basic premise for Platos Allegory of the Cave, in which prisoners sit in a cave, chained down, watching images cast on the wall in front of them. They accept these views as reality and they are unable to grasp their overall situation: the cave and images are a ruse, a mere shadow show orchestrated for them by unseen men. At some point, a prisoner is set free and is forced to see the situation inside the cave. Initially, one does not want to give up the security of his or her familiar reality; the person has to be dragged past the fire and up the entranceway. This is a difficult†¦show more content†¦These chains that bind the prisoners to the floor are beliefs. Take clothes for instance, a person may not have very much money, so they should not spend enormous amounts on clothing, but the fear of not being accepted d ue to out of style clothes requires said person to spend too much money on their clothes. The fear spoken of is derivative of the persons beliefs, holding them to abide by the cultural norms, in this case purchasing over priced clothing. The prisoners are gazing at shadows on the wall, until he or she breaks free. To break free in this world, you must look at objects, individuals, cities and societies, even the universe as a whole, with reason. Do not simply rely on perceptions and senses to grasp concepts. People carrying figures of humans, animals, and plants crafted from wood or stone, cast images on the wall for the prisoners to gawk at. These people are the political, business, and educational leaders that feed the average person their own ideologies, beliefs about various things. These individuals are in todays society, people like George Bush, the President. He makes decisions for us, and tells us what to believe on certain subjects. After the attack on our country, he decided to send to troops in and attack Afghanistan. In this particular example, the Presidents beliefs may be correct, however, that is not a relevant fact. What is relevant, though, is that in questioning his decision, I have now formulated my own opinion andShow MoreRelatedPlatos Allegory Of The Cave Compared To The Human Condition Essay997 Words   |  4 PagesThe Allegory Because of how we live, true reality is not obvious to most of us. However, we mistake what we see and hear for reality and truth. This is the basic premise for Plato#25263; Allegory of the Cave, in which prisoners sit in a cave, chained down, watching images cast on the wall in front of them. They accept these views as reality and they are unable to grasp their overall situation: the cave and images are a ruse, a mere shadow show orchestrated for them by unseen men. At some pointRead MorePlato s Theory Of Forms1556 Words   |  7 PagesEssay 1: Give a careful account of Plato’s theory of Forms as presented in the Phaedo. Plato has an idea that all ideas are merely abstract thoughts, and what we perceive with our senses is actually an imperfect version of these abstract thoughts. This is the basic idea of Plato’s theory of the Forms. To best illustrate the theory of the Forms to others, Plato explains his famous Allegory of the Cave. From the groundwork of the Forms, Plato goes on in Phaedo to argue the immortality of the soulRead MoreHow Plato Uses the Myth of the Cave Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesHow Plato Uses the Myth of the Cave Could reality be the greatest special effect of all time? 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It is also known as the Analogy of the Cave, PlatosRead MoreThe Allegory of the Cave Essay1600 Words   |  7 PagesThe Allegory of the Cave or also known as, Myth of the Cave, is a good example of explaining the feature of the way people think. It is a concept that demonstrates how humans are fearful of change and what they don’t know. Plato says that men are living in an underground cave and it is a situation. The Allegory of the Cave is Platos explanation of the education of the soul toward enlightenment. Plato talks ab out being free, everyday life, knowledge, and essentially what he wrote to be true.Read MorePlato And The Matrix Essay1463 Words   |  6 PagesIn â€Å"The Matrix† and Plato’s Phaedo and Republic questions of what makes up a whole and fulfilling life are answered. Both The Matrix and Plato provide alternate forms of reality, one that is based on truth and is fulfilling and one that is based on a false reality that offers false forms of fulfillment. The Matrix and Plato show the difference of living a life in a true reality and a â€Å"fake† reality where everything inside this reality is fake making the lives inside this reality fake. True educationRead MoreHuman Nature : Good Or Evil1053 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Nature: Good or Evil All ideologies, including some economic ideologies, produce theories of human nature in order to establish fundamental human rights and to establish a more productive form of government. Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics of humans, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting; it is the moral principles that construct certain standards of behavior, which every person is entitled to simply because they are a human being. Many philosophers such asRead MoreReligion And Its Role Within Societies 600 B.c11006 Words   |  45 Pagessocieties 600 B.C.E. - 600 C.E. Codifications and further developments of existing religious traditions provided a bond among the people and an ethical code to live by. Religion has been a dominant cultural, ethical, and political force throughout human history, both recent and ancient. Religion has been science and asylum for many generations of very many people, uniting them in their common faith. Temples were built for people to pray and perform sacrifice in, giving the people a common cause to Platos Allegory Of The Cave Compared To The Human... The Allegory Because of how we live, true reality is not obvious to most of us. However, we mistake what we see and hear for reality and truth. This is the basic premise for Plato#25263; Allegory of the Cave, in which prisoners sit in a cave, chained down, watching images cast on the wall in front of them. They accept these views as reality and they are unable to grasp their overall situation: the cave and images are a ruse, a mere shadow show orchestrated for them by unseen men. At some point, a prisoner is set free and is forced to see the situation inside the cave. Initially, one does not want to give up the security of his or her familiar reality; the person has to be dragged past the fire and up the entranceway. This is a†¦show more content†¦Prisoners, watching life unfold on the cave wall in front of them, accepting what they see as truth, as reality, are literally people. Every average person in this world is a prisoner, chained down. These chains that bind the prisoners to the f loor are beliefs. Take clothes for instance, a person may not have very much money, so they should not spend enormous amounts on clothing, but the fear of not being accepted due to out of style clothes requires said person to spend too much money on their clothes. The fear spoken of is derivative of the person#25263; beliefs, holding them to abide by the cultural norms, in this case purchasing over priced clothing. The prisoners are gazing at shadows on the wall, until he or she breaks free. To break free in this world, you must look at objects, individuals, cities and societies, even the universe as a whole, with reason. Do not simply rely on perceptions and senses to grasp concepts. People carrying figures of humans, animals, and plants crafted from wood or stone, cast images on the wall for the prisoners to gawk at. These people are the political, business, and educational leaders that feed the average person their own ideologies, beliefs about various things. These individuals are in today#25263; society, people like George Bush, the President. He makes decisions for us, and tells us what to believe on certain subjects. After the attack on our country, he decided to sendShow MoreRelatedPlatos Allegory of the Cave Compared to the Human Condition Essay1025 Words   |  5 PagesThe Allegory Because of how we live, true reality is not obvious to most of us. However, we mistake what we see and hear for reality and truth. This is the basic premise for Platos Allegory of the Cave, in which prisoners sit in a cave, chained down, watching images cast on the wall in front of them. They accept these views as reality and they are unable to grasp their overall situation: the cave and images are a ruse, a mere shadow show orchestrated for them by unseen men. At some point,Read MorePlato s Theory Of Forms1556 Words   |  7 PagesEssay 1: Give a careful account of Plato’s theory of Forms as presented in the Phaedo. Plato has an idea that all ideas are merely abstract thoughts, and what we perceive with our senses is actually an imperfect version of these abstract thoughts. This is the basic idea of Plato’s theory of the Forms. To best illustrate the theory of the Forms to others, Plato explains his famous Allegory of the Cave. From the groundwork of the Forms, Plato goes on in Phaedo to argue the immortality of the soulRead MoreHow Plato Uses the Myth of the Cave Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesHow Plato Uses the Myth of the Cave Could reality be the greatest special effect of all time? Since the 6th century B.C.E a growth in human knowledge and understanding had occurred and people began to question the world rd they lived in, these people were called philosophers. Thales, Anaximander, Anaximines, Pythagoras, Heraclitus and Socrates were all highly regarded intellectuals but one mans thoughts on the world stood out. Plato is probablyRead MoreThe Allegory of the Cave2024 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction: An allegory is a kind of story in which writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface story. One of the most important allegories ever to be gifted to humankind is Allegory of the Cave. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is one of the most potent and pregnant of allegories that describe human condition in both its fallen and risen states. The Allegory of the Cave is Platos explanation of the education of the soul toward enlightenment. It is also known as the Analogy of the Cave, PlatosRead MoreThe Allegory of the Cave Essay1600 Words   |  7 PagesThe Allegory of the Cave or also known as, Myth of the Cave, is a good example of explaining the feature of the way people think. It is a concept that demonstrates how humans are fearful of change and what they don’t know. Plato says that men are living in an underground cave and it is a situation. The Allegory of the Cave is Platos explanation of the education of the soul toward enlightenment. Plato talks ab out being free, everyday life, knowledge, and essentially what he wrote to be true.Read MorePlato And The Matrix Essay1463 Words   |  6 PagesIn â€Å"The Matrix† and Plato’s Phaedo and Republic questions of what makes up a whole and fulfilling life are answered. Both The Matrix and Plato provide alternate forms of reality, one that is based on truth and is fulfilling and one that is based on a false reality that offers false forms of fulfillment. The Matrix and Plato show the difference of living a life in a true reality and a â€Å"fake† reality where everything inside this reality is fake making the lives inside this reality fake. True educationRead MoreHuman Nature : Good Or Evil1053 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Nature: Good or Evil All ideologies, including some economic ideologies, produce theories of human nature in order to establish fundamental human rights and to establish a more productive form of government. Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics of humans, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting; it is the moral principles that construct certain standards of behavior, which every person is entitled to simply because they are a human being. Many philosophers such asRead MoreReligion And Its Role Within Societies 600 B.c11006 Words   |  45 Pagessocieties 600 B.C.E. - 600 C.E. Codifications and further developments of existing religious traditions provided a bond among the people and an ethical code to live by. Religion has been a dominant cultural, ethical, and political force throughout human history, both recent and ancient. Religion has been science and asylum for many generations of very many people, uniting them in their common faith. Temples were built for people to pray and perform sacrifice in, giving the people a common cause to

Lifeguarding Swimming Pool and Associates Professional Lifeguard Free Essays

Cortny Handorf Professor Richey English 1301 December 4, 2012 Life Savers Growing up, the job title â€Å"lifeguarding† said it all to me. Swimming pools and aquatic attractions were always the most fun places to go with the family. I always looked up to lifeguards as if they were some sort of a hero. We will write a custom essay sample on Lifeguarding: Swimming Pool and Associates Professional Lifeguard or any similar topic only for you Order Now They made me feel secure and safe although I’ve always been an excellent swimmer. It seemed as if they had the ideal job, so when I got older I took the first opportunity to become my own hero. I started out being just a lifeguard and then soon advanced quickly to a lifeguard instructor. I even was promoted to becoming the facilities Aquatics Director. Through this journey, I had the chance to experience how rewarding being a lifeguard truly is and was able to be many of others hero. There are several specific techniques on how to be an Ellis and Associates professional lifeguard. The first step in how to be an Ellis and Associates professional lifeguard is to pass all the prerequisites. This includes being able to swim 200 yards and to tread water for two minutes. After passing those, people must take the international lifeguard training course through Ellis (ILTP). This program prepares them for what it takes to be professional. This course also teaches how to anticipate, recognize and manage aquatic emergencies. It is a requirement that Ellis lifeguards be accountable and responsible. After all, they are the crucial, front line components of water safety at an aquatic facility. Being prepared, pleasant, vigilant, knowledgeable, and always in proper uniform reflect upon the professional image of a lifeguard. When a lifeguard looks and acts professional the facility will reflect upon their actions, and the guest will respond to their request more efficiently. Lifeguards should also speak with authority to insure rule enforcement. The second step in how to be an Ellis and Associates lifeguard is to learn the variety of rescues. Each lifeguard is assigned a specific zone of protection. This is commonly referred to as their station or position they are responsible for. Within the zone of protection, each Ellis lifeguard is required to keep a vigilant 10/20 protection standard. This means they have 10 seconds to spot a guest in distress, and 20 seconds to reach the guest to administer aid. There are several different ways to scan a zone of protection, and everyone’s technique will be different. Practicing these techniques will assure vigilance, and help the guard stay focused. During an emergency, lifeguards have to be able to keep calm, speak loud and clear to be able to control a surrounding crowd. All Ellis lifeguards will also have to be CPR certified through Ellis. The lifeguards preform CPR until EMS shows up to take over. The third step in how to be an Ellis and Associates lifeguard is to know each facilities emergency action plan (EAP). Every aquatic facility has an EAP and should be practiced daily. It is important for all employees to know their role in the state of an emergency. Communication becomes very crucial when an EAP has been activated. Most lifeguards use their whistles to communicate in this process. For example, the waterpark I was at used two long whistle blasts to activate an emergency. However, EMS is not always going to be called for a tiny scratch or slight sunburn. That means all lifeguards also have to know how to render first aid. By the end of the course, some people learn they are not cut out for this type of job. Therefore, after they have completed the 24 hour course and have passed the written exam at least by 80 percent, then they will be certified lifeguards. After they complete this, they now have to attend weekly in-services to keep their skills sharp. In conclusion, these are brief techniques on how to be an Ellis and Associates professional lifeguard. Being a lifeguard is harder than what some people may think. At the end of each day, lifeguards must be able to prioritize their actions in order to save lives when needed. They may not be doctors or nurses; however, they are life preservers. How to cite Lifeguarding: Swimming Pool and Associates Professional Lifeguard, Papers

Friday, April 24, 2020

Women writing in India

Table of Contents Introduction The Theme of Change Razia Sajjad Zaheer Amrita Pritam Ratakonda Vasundhara Devi Conclusion Work Cited Introduction The confrontation between tradition and change comes out well in the collection Women writing in India. The collection contains various views on the theme change as presented by various women authors. This paper will examine the outstanding features of the tradition and the change as presented in the collection. The paper also brings out the effect that change has on the protagonists. An analysis is made on how both men and women respond to change and who between men and women responds better to the changes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Women writing in India specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Theme of Change It is worth mentioning that the collection of short stories in the book Women writing in India is one big representation of the theme of change. It is a r epresentation of the change because it assists to bring out the talent that women possess, which was initially (before the age of learning institutions) not recognized. The collection is true evidence of the ingenuity that women posses; a potential which has been trampled down by male chauvinists. Going through the stories in this collection, one gets to view the society from a different perspective. It was quite appropriate that the authors did not engage in any kind gender modification to represent women as better than men; such an action could have dispelled the authenticity of the application of the stories in the society. The stories are a true replica of the society with no unnecessary delineation, which could have depicted the society as it was not. It is evident that the authors in this collection had embraced to write about change as it had seemingly set them free. This, however, is not an indication that the authors had depicted tradition in bad light. It can be argued tha t the authors had technically juxtaposed tradition and change thus leaving it to the readers to point out the good and bad element of both the tradition and the change. The authors were very observant of the changes that were taking place in the society, especially those which touched on the liberation of women. Some of the authors who stood out well in representing the change in their stories are examined below. Razia Sajjad Zaheer Razia Sajjad Zaheer was well educated; she acquired a master’s degree. She was married to a husband who shared the same interest as her and was an activist. It is alleged that he spent half the years he was married to Razia Sajjad Zaheer in prison. Nevertheless, they kept on communicating despite the geographical gap that existed between them. Razia wrote many stories and the one which was captured in the collection was titled Neech, which meant low born. Using this story, Razia presented in an exceedingly powerful manner a huge conflict between t he tradition and change. She juxtaposed dominant elements of tradition and change in a very amazing manner. Shymali was the daredevil who changed the tradition. To Sultan, who had developed an admiration for Shyamali, this was beyond reality, it was lunacy.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The tradition was that, husbands were very precious and in the words of Sultan: â€Å"a husband was so precious; he was a woman’s honor, her god on earth† (Tharu and Lalita 148). Shyamali, a low born, was of a different opinion; she did not believe she deserved to be treated as a prostitute. The author decided to introduce a change in a different manner, not through the noble but through the low born. The change story Neech surprised both men and women. Sultan was seen struggling with the thought of how women could go against their husbands even if the husbands mistreated t hem. To Sultani, this was unthinkable. To Sultani, there was one fact; a fact that in that society â€Å"marriage was nothing more than legalized prostitution† (Tharu and Lalita 149). Amrita Pritam Amrita Proitam went through a life that was filled with many restrictions that adversely hindered her potential from sprouting freely. After the death of her mother, her father restricted her so much that she could literary feel restriction in each breath she took. At a tender age of sixteen years, she got married and her new family was against her publicity, which was due to her writing of poems. The general feeling was that she was not undertaking her duties as a wife and daughter in law but instead was engaging in writing, which brought much publicity to her. She later divorced her first husband and afterwards lived with the artist Imroz. Amrita Pritam can be described as a champion of the women struggle against oppression from male. She often wrote about the loneliness that mar ried women endured and the atrocities that they suffered. Her writings can be described as those which encouraged women to be open-minded and seek freedom from the entanglement of oppression. She was quite frank and often informed the women who so desired to free themselves that they were likely to incur some costs. Amrita received a number of awards for her contribution towards empowering the womenfolk and encouraging them to stand up for their rights. Amrita expressed a lot of pain in one of the poems that she wrote. The poem was titled Jada that is winter (Tharu and Lalita 163). The title might have been symbolic to display the coldness that was inherent on women’s lives. The poem described how her whole body shivered. The shivering is attributed to have started from her soul. This is an indication that the cause of the oppression that women were subjected to was an intrinsic factor; it was something that was inherent in the society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Women writing in India specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the last stanza of her poem, she seemed to have had a desire for a cup of sunlight. She was to tuck this cup of sunlight into her womb and by so doing the winter in her life would have passed away. This was quite symbolic as it was a simple but powerful message that she was delivering to fellow womenfolk that they needed enlightenment in order to cross over from the coldness that oppression had locked them in. Ratakonda Vasundhara Devi This is another writer who vividly brought out the suffering that women underwent while undertaking the roles that the society had prescribed to them. Ratakonda clearly fought for women right. Her writing brought to light issues, which touched on women â€Å"rights, their pleasures and pains, and their welfare† (358). The story Picchi (madness) was written by Ratakonda. She used this story to shade light on the burden that women were exposed to. In this story, a man married his second wife after the first one had committed suicide. The second wife seems to put up well with the family but soon after she gave birth to the first child, she ran mad. The immediate family believed that it was the food she was given after giving birth that affected her. In the true sense, it was the pressure and burden that were laid on the first and the second wives that drove them to the kind of calamities that they underwent. Some members of the village often went to visit the second wife at the mental hospital. Though visiting her was a show of concern, clearly the society was missing out on vital issues and attending to issues, which were of less significance. The vital issues were to ensure that women were not overworked. It was ironical that overworking oneself could be viewed as being a good and responsible wife. Unlike in the two stories above, this story on Picchi does not reflect any change but rather brings to f ull light the kind of chains that women were enslaved in. Conclusion The collection Women writing in India brought out significant issues, which affected the lives of women. The collection was a good illustration of women fighting for their rights. The theme which dominated in this volume was that of change. The change depicted in most of the stories by the different authors was that of women going against oppression and moving towards their freedom. As some of the writers noted, this movement was not easy, and in some cases it cost women a lot. Some of the changes which took place surprised even the women who were supposed to benefit from the changes. Men, who were depicted as agents of this oppression on women, did not take lightly the changes as they viewed them as a disobedience to what the society had agreed on as the normal way of life. Work Cited Tharu, Susie and Lalita, ke. Women writing in India: 600 B.C. to the present, volume 2. New York, Feminist Press, 1991. Print.Adver tising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on Women writing in India was written and submitted by user Kaitlin Howard to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.