Abstract The paper discusses the case of Jose Padilla, arrested on May 8, 2002 because it was believed that he was conspiring with Al Qaeda Terrorist to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" within the U.S. The paper shows that Padilla's arrest and subsequent imprisonment has been the subject of an on-going legal debate and at the present time Padilla is being held as an enemy combatant, which means that he is subject to Military Tribunal instead of the civil court system and can be held without being charged until the War On Terrorism is over. The essay discusses both sides of this legal debate and determines which viewpoint is the most constitutional and credible.
From the Paper "Many legal experts believe that the U.S. does not have grounds to hold him as an enemy combatant. They contend that his imprisonment is unconstitutional because he is being held even though he has not been charged with a crime. Padilla's lawyer believes that he is in custody based on information that is circumstantial and that he should be released. They also believe that his detainment is based on the idea that he may be able to provide investigators with important information about forthcoming terrorist attacks on the country."
Tags: Attorney, General, John, Ashcroft, Quirin, Posse, Comitatus, Act
Abstract This paper examines and analyzes the Cuban patriot Jose Marti and his beliefs on education. The author also focuses upon whether or not Marti's beliefs were his own beliefs or whether he was merely echoing contemporary educational theorists.
Abstract The paper discusses how Jose Marti is considered by many as one of the most influential writers in the Hispanic world. The paper explains that Marti used his personal experiences to conceptualize his political position with his well-articulated political views. The paper details his background and political beliefs. The paper highlights the timeline of his youth, the greater connection of his upbringing with the transforming texture of Cuba and his location in Havana. The paper maintains that these factors all influenced Marti to become a unique player in the Cuban Revolution whose legacy lives on until today.
From the Paper ""A genuine man goes to the roots," Marti wrote. "To be a radical is no more than that: to go to the roots." For Jose Julia Marti Perez, those roots began on January 28, 1853 in Havana, then still the capital city of a Spanish colony. Marti's parents were both Spanish, his mother from the Canary Islands, and his large family included seven younger sisters, with whom the family moved from Cuba to Valencia and back to Havana while Jose was still very young. The early exposure to both the political anti-colonial movements burgeoning in Cuba and the new artistic rebirth of the Eclecticism epoch overwhelmed Spain. In the heat of this rekindling of arts and ideologies, Marti explored his creative bent after enrolling in a local Cuban public school."
Abstract The paper discusses the 1959 novel "Pocho" by Jose Antonio Villarreal that shows the political as well as the economic reasons for Mexican-American difficulties with assimilating into American society. The paper explores how the immigrant son, Richard, experiences the classical American identity crisis that particularly afflicts recent immigrants and members of races deemed to be 'minorities.' The paper posits that Pocho is perhaps most useful to us today as an example of how far America has come, in terms of racial and cultural understanding. The paper adds that this novel also acts as a reminder of how second generation immigrants will have a different relationship with their home nation than their parents, often causing inter-family tensions.
Outline:
Overview
Reaction
Applications to Cross-Cultural Psychology
From the Paper "The 1959 novel Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal is a quintessentially American novel in the ways that it details the often painful process of assimilation of a new immigrant group into America. Pocho details the migration of the Rubio family heading north from Mexico after the Mexican Revolution. It portrays the family as leaving Mexico as part of a general migration pattern, typical of previous generations of American immigrants. The Rubio family "came on--insensitive to the fact that even though they were not stopped, they were not really wanted. It was the ancient quest for El Dorado, and so they moved onward, west to New Mexico and Arizona and California, and as they moved, they planted their new seed" (Villarreal 15). Yet unlike previous immigrants the Rubios almost immediately encounter racism, and learn the sad lesson that a Mexican-American must never call a white man a liar."
Abstract The paper discusses how there is great similarity in the stories, "Blindness" by Jose Saramago and "The Plague" by Albert Camus, both which deal with different types of plagues. The plague by Camus is similar to the black plague, spread by rats. In "Blindness" the white blindness starts with an unnamed man simply called the motorist who becomes blind driving into town. The paper shows how both books offer character studies of people caught or trapped in a situation from which there seems no escape.
From the Paper "The children in both Blindness (the little girl) and in the Plague represent innocence caught up in madness. In both stories the madness is caused by a disease but it is the break down of society that is the real story. Without the constraints of society and laws people revert back to their lowest forms, like animals on the hunt for survival. Only the children are innocent and without guile. They are caught in a situation they don't understand. They are the true victims in both stories because there is nothing they can do to help themselves. They can't become a hero like the doctor's wife and the doctor in the Plague. They can't save themselves like Cottard with his evil machinations. They are both left to the vagaries of fate with their only hope in others."
Abstract The paper analyzes Jose Emilio Pacheco's use of simple literary language in order to get his point across in his poem, "High Treason". The paper shows that by writing a poem without the usual metaphorical tangles and without persistent and subtle puns Pacheco has created a verse that a normal person can understand. It shows too that the poem's effectiveness is in its simplicity.
From the Paper "This poem "High Treason" by Jose Emilio Pacheco is one that can make an impact on everyone who reads it. It is a poem that one cannot dismiss as one only for a particular country because of the way that the poet has written it. He has used very general terms in it that can be applied to almost all countries. Aside from this, the poet has also stressed, but not in so many words, that in spite of all that a country might be there is never enough that one can do for his or her country. This is a theme that is actually seen throughout the poem. In the beginning he has shown this in the words, "I do not love my country. Its abstract luster is beyond my grasp. But (although it sounds bad) I would give my life". Aside from these words to express the patriotism that one should have, the poet has also used the following words, "I would give my life" for "various figures from its history", indicating the respect one should have for those in the past who have sacrificed their lives for their country."
Abstract This paper looks at the essay, "Nuestra America" by Jose Marti, and compares the political world described in that essay to the political world in Latin America today. The essay looks at the ways in which Marti's essay is still pertinent today. The paper finds that Marti's essay is still highly pertinent today, and several examples are used to illustrate this.
From the Paper "His "Nuestra America", like many of his essays, was a call to build unity in America (Chacon et al., 2003). Throughout the essay, he uses two major themes to promote this call (Chacon et al., 2003). One of the themes is his use of the idea of the "natural man", a man who has great respect for the land, and the people's inhabiting it, and also little regard for the people who disrespect the land (Chacon et al., 2003). This character of the natural man plays against the character of "artificial man", for whom Mati has a great dislike: it is suggested that the artificial man represents the government of America."
Abstract This paper analyzes a number of incidences within the story "The Garden Party" from a Marxist critical perspective focusing on the attitudes toward the poor by several of the story's main characters (Laura, Jose, Laurie, Mrs. Sheridan) and the insignificance of Laura's eventual epiphany.
From the Paper "Subtle shifts in narration occur throughout the party; Mrs. Sheridan's voice is obvious when her husband broaches the topic of the dead man down the road. Although the silent dialogue still appears to be from Laura's perspective, the actions and ideas immediately following are those of Mrs. Sheridan. She suggests that Laura fill a picnic basket with the party leftovers and bring them to the new widow; Laura, her bourgeoisie consciousness slowly evaporating, wonders how wise this idea truly is. "Again, how curious, she seemed to be different from them all. To take scraps from their party. Would the poor woman really like that?" (294). "
Abstract The essay discusses the opera Carmen. The paper examines how musical instruments are used to reveal the emotion and intent of the characters in the play. The paper explains how more importantly, it is used to contrast between Don Jose and the Carmen to show the flirtatious way she uses the melody to seduce him. The paper shows how Bizet's choice of instrument reveals his desire to show how Carmen uses the melody as a mask for her true intentions.
From the Paper "The opera Carmen uses musical impressions to convey to the reader Carmen's desire to lure Don Jose into moral turpitude. Without viewing the opera, the sensual, alluring tones and lyrics of the songs allow the listener to understand Carmen's actions throughout the entire opera. This seduction by Carmen is probably most visible in Act 1 when she lures the honorable Don Jose in Habanera and Seguidilla into his temptation. Don Jose's seduction begins in Act 1 with Carmen's melodic Habanera. Part of the reason she is able to capture the attention of Don Jose and then lure him into temptation is because she uses few words."
Abstract This paper reviews the story "Pocho" written by Jose Antonio Villarreal, in which he discusses the life of a young American born Mexican and his struggle to assimilate into the culture in which he is being raised, as compared to the culture in which he actively participates throughout his life. It discusses the struggles that he encounters in trying to deal with these two cultures. The paper concludes by presenting the writer's personal opinion about the book.
From the Paper " It is not just Richard, his father or his mother that have difficulty in becoming acclimatized to a new culture, it is all the main characters in the book as well. The book's tone is such that what could be depressing in its view, actually just turns out to be interesting. Philosophically speaking, anyone who would try to completely change the culture that they live in, or attempt to change themselves to fit into the culture in which they have the most interaction would find it difficult. That these characters had such a hard time is not surprising in the least. That they were as successful as they were in their attempts is what is surprising, especially when the reader considers that they were in a new country, with no friends, very little money and the only substantial thing they could offer society was the fact that they would work hard both in the manual labors which they performed, and in the classroom to better themselves."
A comparison of the experiences of the protagonists in the book "Pocho," by Jose Antonio Villarreal and the film "My Family," directed by Gregory Nava.
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the book "Pocho," by Jose Antonio Villarreal and the film "My Family," directed by Gregory Nava. Specifically, it discusses the process of assimilation into American life that the protagonist in the book undergoes and compares it with the assimilation of the character of "Paco" (the narrator) in the film. The paper discusses the similarities and differences between these two characters and their experiences.
From the Paper "The book ends with many questions, and the only certainty is that Richard will not come back to Santa Clara. Perhaps he does not survive the war. Paco did, and became a writer as he dreamed he would. The reader has to hope Richard survives too, because he has a voice for his people that should be heard. It is interesting that both men enlisted to fight for America, making them even more American in their souls. They fought for their country because of patriotism, love, and many other complex reasons. It is what young American men did during World War II. These men, despite their upbringing and heritage, were true Americans, and they both show it in their need to defend their country during times of trouble."
Abstract In this article, the writer points out that philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset built up an original philosophical system, based on a few central concepts, like those of perspectivism and ratio-vitalism. The writer maintains that his ideas on religion and Christianity, seen in the larger context constituted by his ideas on life in general, are very interesting. Further, the writer notes that it can be said that the axis of Ortega y Gasset's system of thought is the concept of vitalism, or the idea that life in itself is the actual purpose for man's existence in the world, and not thinking as the idealists proposed. The writer concludes that Ortega y Gasset's main attempt is to create a philosophy that reveals life-reality, above anything else, and for this, man should find his new belief in history, since it is history that best discloses the patterns of human life.
From the Paper 'However, according to Ortega y Gasset, it is not intellectualism as such that is wrong, but the separation of reason from vitality. This tendency is very common within the scientific domain and more particularly in modern science after Galileo, but also in Christian doctrine. Both science and religion are focused on something which is beyond the actual existence as such. As he proposes, science is only an ideal, something that cannot actually fulfill its purpose, and which does not give us the truth. The means by which science operates is that of the pure reason, which maintains itself in the realm of pure thought and idealism, and moreover manifests disdain for life as such. To this pure reason, Ortega y Gasset opposes the notion of vital reason, which is able to understand the value of life itself."
Abstract The paper discusses how the movie "Burn!" presents a dark look at the nature of colonialism as well as humanity. The paper describes the society radically segregated on racial and economic lines; the slaves are perpetually trapped in a cycle of poverty and oppression and even after finding their "freedom", they are little better off. The paper looks at the character of Jose Delores and his independence that led not to freedom, but to further repression and the collapse of his dream and hopes.
From the Paper "The first part of the movie sets the stage for this philosophy. The island of Queimada has long sought freedom, for it has a history of colonialism as well as a history of revolt. The movie develops in the slave revolt that England seeks to capitalize on and wrest control from Portugal. As the slaves rise victorious from the bloody revolution, Walker, convinces Jose Delores that the slaves can go no further in self-government, or succeed in trading with the world. "Who will buy your sugar, Jose?" Walker asks, yet the British have imposed a boycott on the island (Burn!). In exchange for promised schools, hospitals, financial prosperity, the newly liberated slaves agree to set down their weapons and return to the sugar cane fields. Thus, they are promised success, but are stripped of their independence and freedom. They are trapped, given the ability to "know how to go", but no escape from their situation."
Abstract This paper discusses how Giovanni Battista Moroni's "Gian Lodovico Madruzzo" and Francisco de Goya's "Portrait of General Jose Manuel Romero" exhibit a number of similarities and differences. It looks at how both paintings depict a similar type of subject in the same medium of oil on canvas as well as how, despite these similarities, the paintings are quite different in terms of style and the ways that the subject is shown. More specifically, the paper relates that Moroni attempts to show the personal side of his subject while still maintaining respectability. but Goya emphasizes the military and social role of his subject by minimizing his subject's surroundings and maximizing the subject's image within the framed portrait.
From the Paper "The posing of each figure is also important and is closely related to their placement. The long robes of Moroni's subject are most effective in a standing subject. Here, he poses without implied action of any sort, allowing the long lines of the robe fabric drape naturally around his person. His hands are visible, with his left hand pointing slightly to extend the lines of his arm, again lengthening him within the canvas. Much of the positioning of the subject is done to improve his image within the painting. Much more simply, Goya's subject stands in a formal military pose with his right hand tucked into his sash. This very clear and simple pose does well to again emphasize Goya's ambivalence toward his subject as he attempts to paint him as he truly appears. "
Abstract This paper discusses Jose Luis Gonzalez book "Puerto Rico: The Four Storied Country" and looks at why he calls Puerto Rico a four storied country. In particular, the paper explains that Gonzalez creates an implied critique of how the story of the island is usually told, which, according to Gonzalez, is a singular, narrow tale of the ascent of European, Spanish-speaking nationals who strove to win independence for the nation and spoke with one voice for the entire Hispanic population of Puerto Rico. The paper then examines how Gonzalez contends that this storyline undervalues the more significant contribution of Indian-African, mestizo natives in formulating a unique Puerto Rican identity and culture.
From the Paper "This story exhibited a great deal of cultural intermixture as well as intermarriage, except for the few, white residents who dominated the political life of the island. Blacks, mulattos, and poor whites had no say in the government or church as members of the working classes and despised races, but they influenced the island's development in other ways. There is a long-standing myth that the white jibaros, these working class people, were the first 'pure' Puerto Ricans. However really if there were ever substantial numbers of white jibaros, their culture was a mix of slave and native cultures, not a direct descendent Hispanic or European culture. The fact remains first true Puerto Rican culture, regardless of the exact racial composition of the individual, was at least partially made up of the cultures of the enslaved, runaway, or formerly enslaved Africans who had been owned by early Spanish colonists."
