Elements of Postmodernism in Ishmael Reeds Mumbo Jumbo,...

Introduction Postmodernism as a term and a philosophy represents a wide range of various concepts and ideas. Perhaps the central achievement of postmodernism is the consideration of difference, an insistent attention to the local cultures and undervalued constituencies that modernisms exaltation of unity and grand narrative often obscured, which can easily be observed by reading and analyzing some of the most important works of American postmodern fiction. Works such as Ishmael Reeds Mumbo Jumbo, Don DeLillos White Noise, Toni Morrisons Beloved and Thomas Pynchons The Crying of Lot 49 are only a few of many which contain all or some of postmodernisms most distinguishable elements. Throught these four novels one†¦show more content†¦Also, Nietzsche’s emphasis on the body and dance is in perfect accord with Reed’s approach in Mumbo Jumbo. The entire idea revolves around freedom, freedom of thought, of body, of language, of heart and spirit, which defies the constraints and norms of the society. As every postmodernist writer, Reed steps outside the boundaries of the traditional narrative. Blurring the lines between historical facts and fiction, reality and fantasy, as one of the prominent characteristic of postmodern narrative, is omnipresent in Mumbo Jumbo. The United States occupation of Haiti, attempts by whites to suppress jazz music, and the widespread belief that the United States president Warren Harding had black ancestry are mingled with a plot in which the novels hero, an elderly Harlem Voodoo priest named PaPa LaBas, searches for a mysterious book that has disappeared with black militant Abdul Sufi Hamid. Reed uses a series of fictional, non-fictional, and thinly-veiled real characters. He distorts historical facts by placing them in a fictional narrative. He turns mythology and history around to serve his own purpose, that of a third-world, anti-oppression, and pro-soul perspective on history. Mumbo Jumbo is underground history—in two ways. First, it is underground, i.e., non-official in the sense that a Marxist would write history: from the viewpoint of the oppressed rather than the oppressor. Reed, in contrast, writes an underground history in a

Moral Actions Essay - 1682 Words

Moral Actions Honesty and deceit. Compassion and Neglect. Benevolence and malevolence. All these represent the extremes in the spectrum of morality. From the general societal viewpoint, the former represents the attitudes which should be admired, rewarded and emulated, while the latter represents the attitudes which should be abhorred, punished and discouraged. Now philosophers, not being satisfied with leaving things well enough alone, endeavour to discover why this is so. Why do we admire acts of kindness? Why do we loathe acts of malice? It is generally thought that the crux of this question of morality has to do with the magnitude of selfishness accounted for in the acts and thoughts of individuals. If we can think of†¦show more content†¦Surveying every shadow, analyzing every movement. Waiting. Realizing that its cover is blown, the cheetah cuts through the grass like a farmers scythe. The chase begins. Eventually, the cheetah gets the better of one of the gazelles. Perhaps it had a bum leg, perhaps it was weak. One crushing bite to the windpipe ends the chase. What better illustration of life than this Discovery Channel scenario? Nietzsche would have loved the Discovery Channel because it illustrates Nietzsches definition of life as a will to power. The will to power is any organisms natural inclination to overpower, appropriate and exploit others in a way that best benefits the organism. The cheetah is exercising its will to power by chasing, killing and devouring the gazelle. The gazelles will to power is to escape, robbing the cheetah of sustenance. No one would find fault with the cheetah in injuring and killing the gazelle, just as no one would find fault with the gazelle if it happened to contribute to the death of the cheetah by starvation. We ourselves are animals as well, therefore, how can we be blameworthy when we exploit, and overpower other organisms, Nietzsche asks. We are just as entitled to life as any other organism, and being so, we have th e natural right to exercise our will to power. Therefore, any notion we have of treating others as we would want to be treated, is faulty andShow MoreRelatedAffirmative Action Is A Moral And Just Purpose1279 Words   |  6 PagesAffirmative Action was originally established by former President John F. Kennedy on March 6, 1961 in his executive order, which included a provision that mandated federally funded projects to take â€Å"affirmative action† to ensure that hiring and employment were free of racial bias (#4). Over the years, colleges and universities began to adopt similar policies in their admissions process (#2). The purpose of affirmative action is to provide an equal ground for women and people of color in the workforceRead MoreDoes Affirmative Action Make Moral Sense?1084 Words   |  5 PagesDoes affirmative action make moral sense? 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A Nurse is a Nurse Free Essays

The public and professional images of nursing and the portrayal of nurses in the media have a great impact on several work-related issues – how health care as a collaborative enterprise is provided to patients, the extent that nurses’ work is valued, the participation of the nurse in healthcare team decision-making, the visibility of nurses in shaping national health care and the effect of these images on nurses’ job performance (Fletcher, 2007. Most researchers agree that although there have been improvements in the image of nursing, the portrayal today is still largely negative – an issue that has been raised by nurses for the past century. Gender issues seem to be at the core of this situation. We will write a custom essay sample on A Nurse is a Nurse or any similar topic only for you Order Now Other disciplines, specifically the medical profession, view nurses based on certain qualities. In a study by Weinberg, Miner and Rivlin (2009) on the perspectives of medical residents on working with nurses, nurses were trusted and regarded as colleagues depending on how competent, congenial and hardworking the residents perceived them to be (p.37). This implies that the collaborative approach does not always permeate the nurse-medical resident relationship despite nursing practice being elevated into a profession that is equal to other health disciplines. To be respected as a colleague requires a condition – nurses must first have to prove that they possess the qualities expected of them. Meanwhile, the media reinforces the image of nurses as a health worker that is lower in status than physicians or as other concepts other than being a professional. In a literature review conducted by Fletcher (2007) concerning the media portrayal of nurses, the author found that television shows, novels, films and advertisements then and now mainly portray nurses in four categories, namely â€Å"as ministering angel, battleaxe, physician handmaiden and naughty nurse† – negative images because these do not capture the reality of nursing (p.208). As an acute nursing shortage looms ahead, the campaign to improve the image of nursing, in order to attract more students into the profession, yielded a positive outcome. A recent Gallup survey on professional ethics and honesty found that 84% of Americans agreed that nurses are the most trusted professionals (Singleton, 2009). The Gallup survey image of nurses represents a positive development because nurses were viewed as professionals who are bound by a code of ethics and who adhered to such a code. Both the positive and negative images of nursing seem to reflect the unequal power relationship between men and women in society where women are viewed as either sex objects or as domestic partners. The end product is a stereotypical view of women’s roles as subservient to men. Along with this role are the associated feminine traits ranging from obedience, hard work, compassion and congeniality to promiscuity. The physician-nurse relationship reflects these stereotypes as physicians are disproportionately male and while nurses are disproportionately female. As a male-dominated profession, the physician’s work is highly recognized and valued while the nurse’s work is undervalued and unrecognized. Because of the stereotypes reinforced by media, the public largely identifies nurses only with bedside care and with carrying out physician’s orders. Most would think that since the work involved seems trivial, nurses do not need to obtain a 4-year BSN degree. They do not see the complex daily responsibilities of the nurse that requires education, training and autonomy or the current scope of nursing practice. As such, they fail to appreciate the significant impact of nurses’ work on patient health and outcomes. Although men have enrolled in nursing, it is still mainly a women’s profession and as Lavinia Dock (cited in Fletcher) aptly put it, â€Å"the status of nursing in all countries and at all times depends on the status of women† (2007, p.210). Because the nurse is a woman in a caring profession, expectations of her relate to female gender roles as well. Hence, further improvements in the status of women will similarly uplift the status of nursing. How to cite A Nurse is a Nurse, Papers