Reaction Paper Essay Example for Free

Reaction Paper Essay The untold history Rizals reflections during the Spanish occupation had led him to predict and reveal the potential conditions that will come into existence in the Philippines after a century. Which in fact happened in the country. No one knows what was in his mind during that time but one can easily assume that he wrote a narrative description of the past events that accounts the unenlightened state of the Filipino people. These circumstances directly imply that the country is the ultimate victim of a disease diffused by Spain. This was the other side of the story that was not presented to numerous spectators of European discoveries. In line with this analysis, let me refer to the elementary teachings about the goal of European colonizers in establishing settlements in the country, the 3 Gs God, Gold, Glory. To be able to apply this in a consistent manner, the Spaniards tried to implement rules and policies to its colony to sustain its glory which was the source of the reduced number of Philippine inhabitants. In this case, this was a successful move made by Spaniards to maintain its supremacy. Furthermore, they continued to saturate them with their foreign beliefs. This then was the beginning of their God goal, they infused to the natives the Christian faith which exposed them to their so called higher faith which communicates that they are better and more intelligent than the natives. With this newly introduced faith, natives were attracted to a different lifestyle and culture. A culture filled with repeated prayers, songs, images of white-skinned saints and any other religious rites taught and performed by friars. Constantly practicing this, the natives became ashamed of what they originally have, their indigenous knowledge and activities were then condemned. Most of the Filipino people took them three centuries to realize that their culture and practices had undergone evolution. However, this does not suggests that Filipino people lack intellectual acuity to be fully aware of their impoverished condition. Because they are also humans conditioned to learn from their physical environment and with this they have the capacity to discover things that are happening around them. They found out that they can not anymore tolerate the new culture they are engaged to because it brought tension and stress to them. This was then a message to the Spaniards that they can no longer fool the natives whom they thought, in their first encounter with them, as ignorant and uneducated. Maybe what drove the Spaniards to describe the nature of the natives is their inferior feelings towards them. Their rich resources and environment wherein they easily adapted and their capacity to create implements and tools out of it. Of course there are several reasons why any colonizer would feel inferior to the Filipino people, not to mention Rizal who embodied the country through his achievements. Having realized all their misfortunes during the Spanish period, the Filipino people failed to use their culture as a form of resistance. This was the most brilliant and successful idea so far carried by the colonizers because they penetrated through the core of their civilization which eventually dismantled their diversed cultures. Which is also the reason that caused them to be indolent and moribund. They are so fond of peace that kept harmonious relations with the colonizers which also brought them to the extent of adhering to the established customs and doctrines. Rizal mentioned that improvement and growth of the country can be hindered due to the continuous brutalization of the Filipinos. The Filipino people during the Spanish colonization were divided in terms of ways how to overthrow the colonizers, as mentioned in class, the revolution from above and the revolution from below sets the division. Brutalization can either set a revolution in light of freedom or stagnation which causes primitiveness to remain among the people. As long as the Spaniards maintain their superiority to the natives, they are depriving them of its ability for self-determination which then their progress remains to be under control. Rizal wanted change by using reason and not through military engagement that is the reason he wrote several essays including this one to make the people be aware of its present condition. The Spaniards coerced the natives to indulge to the benefits of the newly found faith, however, we can not assumed that every move done by the Spaniards brought undesirable qualities to the native culture. Because in any particular situation, their contributions somehow caused the people to unite with other groups of the island. But going back to the three goals God, gold and glory, we can argue that God was taken advantaged by the friars to exploit the natural resources of the country. Taking for example the practice of giving tithes and offerings, ten percent is only asked for the tithes and offering is an act of contributing unconditionally to the church as an extension the Lords kingdom. And as long as Christianity is concerned, giving by coercion can not bring salvation to a certain person. The previous observations about the Spanish domination exposed the issue of monopolizing the knowledge and intelligence of the Filipino people. No one knows the exact reasons for such activity since they were pampered by the natives in such a way that the colonizers presumed that they are the superior race who have the power to dominate the lower ones. Even though colonizing the Philippines is not the real plan since it seems like a serendipitous one, they declared to the whole world that the new soil is another comparative value of which they are not for a reason that the treatment given to them by the original inhabitants of the island entails their superiority. This does not suggests that the blame is on the early natives who made contact with the dying visitors, instead it proposes the idea that the Europeans were only depending on their hypothesis about the unknown world found on the other side of the planet. It doesnt mean that the first people to develop navigational technologies and to set out to exotic places are those who can manipulate the entire world. With Rizals observations concerning the establishment of the Spanish colony and its creation of intitutions in the country. He laid the future conditions of the Philippines in great and careful detail. It is very astounding to find that he has a great mind in comprehending the conditions in the next hundred years! However, to avoid misinterpreting his abilities again, he is not a prophet who speaks predictions, he is just a mere writer interpreting and examining the general state of the country with the hope of bringing it to its own independent state.

Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation Essay -- Alienation Capitalist Socie

Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation THE TERM "alienation" in normal usage refers to a feeling of separateness, of being alone and apart from others. For Marx, alienation was not a feeling or a mental condition, but an economic and social condition of class society--in particular, capitalist society. Alienation, in Marxist terms, refers to the separation of the mass of wage workers from the products of their own labor. Marx first expressed the idea, somewhat poetically, in his 1844 Manuscripts: "The object that labor produces, its product, stands opposed to it as something alien, as a power independent of the producer." Most of us own neither the tools and machinery we work with nor the products that we produce--they belong to the capitalist that hired us. But everything we work on and in at some point comes from human labor. The irony is that everywhere we turn, we are confronted with the work of our own hands and brains, and yet these products of our labor appear as things outside of us, and outside of our control. Work and the products of work dominate us, rather than t... Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation Essay -- Alienation Capitalist Socie Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation THE TERM "alienation" in normal usage refers to a feeling of separateness, of being alone and apart from others. For Marx, alienation was not a feeling or a mental condition, but an economic and social condition of class society--in particular, capitalist society. Alienation, in Marxist terms, refers to the separation of the mass of wage workers from the products of their own labor. Marx first expressed the idea, somewhat poetically, in his 1844 Manuscripts: "The object that labor produces, its product, stands opposed to it as something alien, as a power independent of the producer." Most of us own neither the tools and machinery we work with nor the products that we produce--they belong to the capitalist that hired us. But everything we work on and in at some point comes from human labor. The irony is that everywhere we turn, we are confronted with the work of our own hands and brains, and yet these products of our labor appear as things outside of us, and outside of our control. Work and the products of work dominate us, rather than t...

Deception Point Page 39

â€Å"My source is not your concern. But if you spend some time studying these figures, you will clearly see that Senator Sexton does not have the kind of money he is currently spending. After Katherine died, he squandered the vast majority of her legacy on bad investments, personal comforts, and buying himself what appears to be certain victory in the primaries. As of six months ago, your candidate was broke.† Gabrielle sensed this had to be a bluff. If Sexton were broke, he sure wasn't acting it. He was buying advertising time in bigger and bigger blocks every week. â€Å"Your candidate,† Tench continued, â€Å"is currently outspending the President four to one. And he has no personal money.† â€Å"We get a lot of donations.† â€Å"Yes, some of them legal.† Gabrielle's head shot up. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† Tench leaned across the desk, and Gabrielle could smell her nicotine breath. â€Å"Gabrielle Ashe, I am going to ask you a question, and I suggest you think very carefully before you answer. It could affect whether you spend the next few years in jail or not. Are you aware that Senator Sexton is accepting enormous illegal campaign bribes from aerospace companies who have billions to gain from the privatization of NASA?† Gabrielle stared. â€Å"That's an absurd allegation!† â€Å"Are you saying you are unaware of this activity?† â€Å"I think I would know if the senator were accepting bribes of the magnitude you are suggesting.† Tench smiled coldly. â€Å"Gabrielle, I understand that Senator Sexton has shared a lot of himself with you, but I assure you there is plenty you do not know about the man.† Gabrielle stood up. â€Å"This meeting is over.† â€Å"On the contrary,† Tench said, removing the remaining contents of the folder and spreading it on the desk. â€Å"This meeting is just beginning.† 44 Inside the habisphere's â€Å"staging room,† Rachel Sexton felt like an astronaut as she slid into one of NASA's Mark IX microclimate survival suits. The black, one-piece, hooded jumpsuit resembled an inflatable scuba suit. Its two-ply, memory-foam fabric was fitted with hollow channels through which a dense gel was pumped to help the wearer regulate body temperature in both hot and cold environments. Now, as Rachel pulled the tight-fitting hood over her head, her eyes fell on the NASA administrator. He appeared as a silent sentinel at the door, clearly displeased with the necessity for this little mission. Norah Mangor was muttering obscenities as she got everyone outfitted. â€Å"Here's an extra pudgy,† she said, tossing Corky his suit. Tolland was already half into his. Once Rachel was fully zipped up, Norah found the stopcock on Rachel's side and connected her to an infusion tube that coiled out of a silver canister resembling a large scuba tank. â€Å"Inhale,† Norah said, opening the valve. Rachel heard a hiss and felt gel being injected into the suit. The memory foam expanded, and the suit compressed around her, pressing down on her inner layer of clothing. The sensation reminded her of sticking her hand underwater while wearing a rubber glove. As the hood inflated around her head, it pressed in on her ears, making everything sound muffled. I'm in a cocoon. â€Å"Best thing about the Mark IX,† Norah said, â€Å"is the padding. You can fall on your ass and not feel a thing.† Rachel believed it. She felt like she was trapped inside a mattress. Norah handed Rachel a series of tools-an ice ax, tether snaps, and carabiners, which she affixed to the belt harnessed on Rachel's waist. â€Å"All this?† Rachel asked, eyeing the gear. â€Å"To go two hundred yards?† Norah's eyes narrowed. â€Å"You want to come or not?† Tolland gave Rachel a reassuring nod. â€Å"Norah's just being careful.† Corky connected to the infusion tank and inflated his suit, looking amused. â€Å"I feel like I'm wearing a giant condom.† Norah gave a disgusted groan. â€Å"Like you'd know, virgin boy.† Tolland sat down next to Rachel. He gave her a weak smile as she donned her heavy boots and crampons. â€Å"You sure you want to come?† His eyes had a protective concern that drew her in. Rachel hoped her confident nod belied her growing trepidation. Two hundred yards†¦ not far at all. â€Å"And you thought you could find excitement only on the high seas.† Tolland chuckled, talking as he attached his own crampons. â€Å"I've decided I like liquid water much better than this frozen stuff.† â€Å"I've never been a big fan of either,† Rachel said. â€Å"I fell through the ice as a kid. Water's made me nervous ever since.† Tolland glanced over, his eyes sympathetic. â€Å"Sorry to hear that. When this is over, you'll have to come out and visit me on the Goya. I'll change your mind about water. Promise.† The invitation surprised her. The Goya was Tolland's research ship-well-known both from its role in Amazing Seas as well as its reputation as one of the strangest-looking ships on the ocean. Although a visit to the Goya would be unnerving for Rachel, she knew it would be hard to pass up. â€Å"She's anchored twelve miles off the coast of New Jersey at the moment,† Tolland said, struggling with his crampon latches. â€Å"Sounds like an unlikely spot.† â€Å"Not at all. The Atlantic seaboard is an incredible place. We were gearing up to shoot a new documentary when I was so rudely interrupted by the President.† Rachel laughed. â€Å"Shooting a documentary on what?† â€Å"Sphyrna mokarran and megaplumes.† Rachel frowned. â€Å"Glad I asked.† Tolland finished attaching his crampons and looked up. â€Å"Seriously, I'll be filming out there for a couple weeks. Washington's not that far from the Jersey coast. Come out when you get back home. No reason to spend your life afraid of the water. My crew would roll out the red carpet for you.† Norah Mangor's voice blared. â€Å"Are we going outside, or should I get you two some candles and champagne?† 45 Gabrielle Ashe had no idea what to make of the documents now spread out before her on Marjorie Tench's desk. The pile included photocopied letters, faxes, transcripts of phone conversations, and they all seemed to support the allegation that Senator Sexton was in covert dialogue with private space companies. Tench pushed a couple of grainy black-and-white photographs toward Gabrielle. â€Å"I assume this is news to you?† Gabrielle looked at the photos. The first candid shot showed Senator Sexton getting out of a taxi in some kind of underground garage. Sexton never takes taxis. Gabrielle looked at the second shot-a telephoto of Sexton climbing into a parked white minivan. An old man appeared to be in the van waiting for him. â€Å"Who is that?† Gabrielle said, suspicious the photos might be faked. â€Å"A big shot from the SFF.† Gabrielle was doubtful. â€Å"The Space Frontier Foundation?† The SFF was like a â€Å"union† for private space companies. It represented aerospace contractors, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists-any private entity that wanted to go into space. They tended to be critical of NASA, arguing that the U.S. space program employed unfair business practices to prevent private companies from launching missions into space. â€Å"The SFF,† Tench said, â€Å"now represents over a hundred major corporations, some very wealthy enterprises who are waiting eagerly for the Space Commercialization Promotions Act to be ratified.† Gabrielle considered it. For obvious reasons the SFF was a vocal supporter of Sexton's campaign, although the senator had been careful not to get too close to them because of their controversial lobbying tactics. Recently the SFF had published an explosive rant charging that NASA was in fact an â€Å"illegal monopoly† whose ability to operate at a loss and still stay in business represented unfair competition to private firms. According to the SFF, whenever AT T needed a telecomm satellite launched, several private space companies offered to do the job at a reasonable $50 million. Unfortunately, NASA always stepped in and offered to launch AT T's satellites for a mere twenty-five million, even though it cost NASA five times that to do the job! Operating at a loss is one way NASA keeps its grip on space, the SFF lawyers accused. And taxpayers pick up the tab.

The War Was Going On America - 1606 Words

Introduction In 1914, militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism began a war in Europe between the Allies (Britain, Russia, Italy, and France) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria). This war would later be known as the First World War and only lasted four years, yet it destroyed Europe’s economy and ravished its terrain. While the war was going on America claimed a neutral stance. Mostly for the fact that many Americas were isolationist and did not care what was going on in the other side of the world. The United States also had a large number of immigrants from Europe which made it difficult to pick a side because many had cultural ties to countries that were either part of the Allies or the Central Power and refused to fight their own people. For example, the Germans who were a large immigrant group during that time. However, as time went by, America’s view slowly started to change because of the fear of a possib le economic collapse, unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman telegram which all led to the United States entrance into the Fist World War. A Possible Economic Collapse One reason America entered the First World War was because many feared an economic collapse. In the initially months of the First World War many businessmen saw this war as an economic boom. On September 4, 1914, in a personal letter to President Wilson, banker Jack Morgan states, â€Å"The war should be a tremendous opportunity forShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War and the War on Terror987 Words   |  4 Pagesthat during the Cold War and the War on Terror, many of the feelings that citizens felt were the same, but what America called the enemy was different. Following the September 11th attacks, there was a feeling of paranoia felt throughout America similar to the paranoia felt during the Cold War. 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