For my essay i am planning on looking through the lens of a feminist. How a man's outlook on a woman can effect more then just one situation. In "Things fall apart" Woman are seen as property. It makes a man want to seem strong and un breakable. Men have treated woman like this for centuries as shown in the article. The men in this story look at woman as a price of property something that can be bought sold and auctioned off. Men seem to think that men are the center of the world and everything else seems to support them. Indeed a woman’s role is to support the man, but as an equal not as an ornament. In the Novel a woman was actually given as a gift. She was a virgin and she was given as a sacrifice with her virtue in tact ready to be destroyed by man. “The male is by nature superior, and the female inferior; and the one rules and the other is ruled. Woman is matter, waiting to be formed by the active male principle…..Man consequently plays a major part in reproduction; the woman is merely the passive incubator of his seed” (Aristotle #384-322). Woman are nothing but an instrument for men. “Nature intended woman to be our slaves…..They are our property. What a mad idea to demand equality for Women!”(Napoleon Bonaparte). Women are not allowed to be educated. Men feel inferior to woman when they are educated and they must be on top. “Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life, and it ought not to be. The more she is engaged in her proper duties, The less leisure will she have for it, even any…..recreation”( Robert Southey). When listening to the quote it talks about a woman’s “duties” and how with education she will seem to not fulfill your duties. Some duties woman had in the story were: “Educating a woman is like pouring honey over a fine Swiss watch….It stops working.” (Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.) With this new found education, A woman will be able to understand the position she is at in life and understand that she deserves better. Woman won’t settle for less.

The Brave New Singularity

In the article "2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal," a statement is made addressing the quick and sudden increase in technology. The point becomes apparent that "computers are getting faster. Everybody knows that. Also, computers are getting faster faster-that is, the rate at which they're getting faster is increasing." One can't help but ask themselves, where are we headed? what does this mean for the future? Though we are all entitled to our opinions, one opinion seems to stick out above the rest.

Kurweil's claims is that "we're approaching a moment when computers will become intelligent, and not just intelligent but more intelligent then humans." He goes on to explain how ourselves and society will become "irreversibly transformed." To myself, the usage of the word "irreversibly" suggest some hesitation or unwillingness, yet Kurweil seems to think of this idea so highly and wants to be apart of this "transformation" in every way he can.

I can't help but pose the question, transformation into what? Into a society run by all machines? Or will we turn into machine ourselves? The article speaks of Artificial intelligence in such a positive way. What about our personal intelligence? Is our conscious human intelligence not enough?

I can see no light in this. How can this be a positive thing? You cant experience life if you allow machines to take the life right out of us. The problem in the world is we hold technology at such high esteem as to put it on a pedestal and worship it.

In "A Brave New World" Ford is looked at some type of "God" for "giving" them the great gift of a technological advancement. We laugh at this idea of how the say things like "o my Ford" and "For the love of Ford" but in actuality, This is where we are headed. If we continue on this path, I wouldn't refer to it as "The Year Man becomes Immortal," but rather "The Year Mortal Man Worships Machines." Machines will completely replace God.

Being "mortal" secures the thoughts of free thinking, of personal intelligence, of consciousness. Being conscious is to be "aware". So if we are aware of the danger of things to come, and are conscious in our thoughts now, it is my personal belief that we should take this time to decide not to worship technology. We should not let it over take us. If we bow to technology we will give it everything, and in return we loose our consciousness and become apart of technology itself.

Rhetorical Analysis : Temptation and the Ring in J.R.R Tolkien's "The Fellowship of the Ring"

Kathleen E. Gilligan writes her paper on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. Gilligan provides her thoughts on whether Tolkien intended for his readers to have such a "bible based" outlook on his works. Gilligan hits many key points. By her use of quotes and extensive insight, she appears to know much about both texts herself. She does not assume the reader to know the text as well, due to many descriptive examples throughout her paper. But she does allow her readers to step back and think for themselves as she informs the readers of the many comparisons often being discussed.

"Tolkien argues for a religious reading by showing that the struggle for the characters to fight the temptation of the Ring is a direct reflection of the temptation faced by those in The Bible." Temptation has surrounded the world all the way from the beginning when Eve was first tempted to take the apple. Here, the ring is being compared to the apple itself. It was in the beginning of the story that the ring was seized upon like the apple. And just like in the Bible story once the ring was taken, automatically everything changed for the characters. Both the apple and the ring are small and can seem insignificant to some but in nature they are both powerful and life changing.

Smeagol and his friend Deagol can easily be compared to the Bibles own "Cain and Able." Just like the close relationship of brothers, Smeagol and Deagol were good friends that would usually lead to a strong bond and a secure comfort of trust. But in the end, Cain and Smeagol both turned on their close relationships out of envy and jealousy. Able was the perfect son and his parents loved him and cain envied him for it. Deagol was envied for what Smeagol saw as perfect. The ring was little again and was underestimated. The undermining theme of temptation once again took over.

Temptation itself is seen countless times in both the Bible and Tolkien's writings. And each story of "temptation" as similar biblical comparisons. This leads reader to ponder the question, "Is Tolkien's writing of "The Fellowship of the Ring" Biblical based and inspired?" Tolkien said that the direct biblical Parallels were unintentional. But they didn't go without being noticed.

The popularity of Tolkien's text is vast. Many people have compared it to the bible and use the parallels to better relate to the story itself. But whether it was intended or not the readers enjoy the comparisons. And if the readers got so much out of it because of the biblical parallelisms, then Tolkien's book is a success all itself. Its not what the writer puts into it. But it is what the reader takes from it that really counts.