Deep River Shusaku Endo English Literature Essay

Deep River Shusaku Endo English Literature Essay Shusaku Endo has had a long career in literary works. He has written some very compelling novels that dive deep down into the journey of spiritual learning. He has fixated most of his writings on two main crossing issues such as eastern and western cultures specifically between Japanese culture and Christianity. His novels have sited a wide range of issues of cultural and spiritual identity, alienation, and personal pledge to faith. The story he wrote Deep River is a fascinating journey of revelation for the characters involved, especially the relationship between Mitsuko has with Otsu. Otsu and Mitsuko first meet in college, Otsu is an awkward religious student and Mitsuko is a woman who has no real passion for life. She decides she wants to steal Otsu away from the god he believes in. She invites Otsu to a party to ask him about his beliefs, to my surprise he comes clean saying he is unsure of what he believes in. Mitsuko forces Otsu to drink and wont stop forcing him until he forsakes god, but he drinks till he throws up, never giving up on god. No it sounds like these two would never see each other again after something like that. To your dismay Mitsuko cant leave Otsu be, she says he must falsify his belief in god. She then gives him the opportunity to be her boyfriend if he gives up his faith. I honestly cant believe anyone would force that upon someone. To my dismay they end up having sex and dating for several months until she breaks his heart. Otsu now depressed, leaves and doesnt return, although they do of course, meet again. Mitsuko has a problem because she feels no passion in life; she goes through her life and this story with a horrible feeling of emptiness in herself On Mitsukos Honeymoon instead of spending time with her new husband she hears Otsu is in France and searches him out. They meet up and come up with a new word for god onion because to Mitsuko the term god means nothing. Otsu is on the complete opposite page, saying god is everything everywhere. The French actually say he is a heretic for his beliefs that other religions are also true and that god uses both sin and suffering for the greater good. Otsu is opposed by his teachers because of this statement he gives evil lurks within good, and good thingsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦good things can lie within evil as well (65). I believe what Endo is trying to express be that god has the power to convert every sin into some kind of good. Later in the story another quote comes up, god has many faces. I dont think god exists exclusively in the churches and chapels of Europe. I think he is also among the Jews and the Buddhists and the Hindus (121). Otsu wants to live a life of selfless sacrifice for all p eople, which at the time Mitsuko finds to be a waste of time. I believe the reason she seeks out Otsu so many times in the story even though she doesnt really know what it she is searching for she is searching for god which in the end brings love. Otsu signifies a belief in unity of all. He believes in combining all faiths and caring for all mankind, generating an enormous social assembly of love. Even with being called a heretic, Otsu never revokes his beliefs and maintains a strong faith and trust in Jesus. While talking to Mitsuko he decides to tell her he has dedicated his existence to chasing only one thing: the love of that onion, Love is all the onion has imparted to us. The thing we are most lacking in our modern world is love; love is the thing no one believes in anymore; love is what everyone mockingly laughs at, and that is why someone like me wants to follow my onion with dumb sincerity (119). Otsu follows his beliefs to India at the river Ganges. This is a place that is very sacred to the Hindus, they travel here when they are dying with the hope to have their bodies cremated and their ashes spread into the holy river. Otsu goes here to sacrifice himself so he can help these people make the dying journey. He literally carries the people to the river who can barely walk. Sacrifice is the focus of Otsus faith. Jesus is the number one symbol of sacrifice. He gave up his life for mankinds sins. Jesus symbolically lugs all of the anguishes of mankind on his shoulders when he is made to carry his own cross to death. Otsu imitates the carrying of suffering by plainly transporting the deceased and dying on his back to the River Ganges. Otsu sees more than just the task he is doing, he feels something pure and necessary in putting the suffering of others on his shoulders, by sacrificing himself. Mitsuko sees what Otsu is doing as a waste of his own life, because he is getting nothing out of it in her eyes. Otsu knows he will not change the world or cure suffering, he is doing this act of sacrifice for the good of the people, if there is a benefit that comes from it then Otsu knows the act will not be the true good act of sacrifice. By the end of the story you start to get the feeling that Mitsuko finally understands the belief of sacrifice and love for others. She decides to bathe in the holy river joining the Hindus with her own prayer, which she still believes is a lie, she still has that emptiness until she sees the ultimate sacrifice. Sacrifice is to give and receive nothing in return except for happiness in you. To love is to sacrifice; Otsu makes sacrifices for people trying to turn their sorrow into love. The end of the story brings the biggest sacrifice, when Otsu becomes mortally wounded, while saving Sanjo, who is a person who most wouldnt sacrifice for because of his cultural insensitiveness. But because Otsu and his beliefs he saves the man and in the end giving his life. This act makes his sacrifice even greater, he is not sacrificing for a loved one or a family member but for a stranger who does not know or appreciate what Otsu does for him. Otsu has Christ-like, selfless love that rises above all cultural, racial, and religious prejudices to embrace all of humanity, just like the river Ganges, which he saw as a deep and flowing river of love accepting all, rejecting neither the ugliest of men nor the filthiest (185). This is when we finally understand what lies at the heart of Christianity; Love and sa crifice for others. Otsus sacrifice is one of pure love for mankind, deaf, blind and dumb to how pointless it may be.

Was the Iraqi Use of Military Force in the First Gulf War Justified?

Was the Iraqi use of military force in The First Gulf War justified? In the end of Cold War, a new problem for the international community emerged. In the summer 1990 Iraq launched an invasion of Kuwait. Since the establishment of the United Nations, the international law has played a significant role in relations between states and the survival of the fittest has no longer been a legitimate reason for aggression. Hence, as Iraq has been a UN member a since 1945, its government must have advocated its use of military force somehow. Thus Saddam Hussein took an advantage of ongoing disputes with his neighbour.The purpose of this essay is to prove that the economic frictions between Iraq and Kuwait could not serve as a justification for the Iraqi invasion. Firstly, this paper will examine financial quarrels between the two countries. Secondly, a dispute over price of oil will be discussed. Financial issues between Iraq and Kuwait have their roots in the Iraq-Iran war. The eight years of fighting have caused economic instability in Iraq. The local government was suddenly forced to deal with destroyed infrastructure, depleted oil reserves, and mainly, with the third largest debt in the world that accounted for $80billion (CIA, 2007).In short, local economy got in a dire situation and in order to keep the country going, Iraqi leaders needed to obtain extra money as soon as possible. As a result, Saddam Hussein urged Kuwait to write off the whole Iraqi debt and in addition, provide Baghdad with another $10billion. As Kuwait belonged to Iraq’s biggest creditors, the amount of Iraqi debt was definitely not negligible. In fact, Iraq owed Gulf States approximately $40billion at the time (Freedman & Karsh, 1993).Hussein decided to advocate his daring demand by claiming that without Iran-Iraq war, Gulf States would have been forced to pay larger sums in order to protect themselves from Iran and its Islamic revolution. Accordingly, in the Iraqi point of view, Baghdad deserved to be compensated for the war expenditures. Iraqi former foreign minister, Tariq Aziz, elaborated on this topic with pan-Arabic rhetoric. In his memorandum to the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Aziz argued that despite the division into states, all Arabs still remained one country and what belonged to one, belonged to all.Therefore, according to Aziz, financial support provided to Iraq by Gulf States should not have been regarded as debt, but as aid (Salinger & Laurent, 1991). However, since the establishment of the United Nations, the principle of the pan-Arabism has not been legitimate. On the basis of Article 2, paragraph 1 of the UN Charter, all states are sovereign. This means they have full authority over their own territory and cannot be forced into a decision they do not want to make. It seems logical that no country would voluntarily forget a huge debt and render another $10 billion for no service in return.For this reason, Kuwait considered the Iraqi far re aching demand as bullying (Mylroie, 1993; Salinger & Laurent, 1991; Bulloch & Morris, 1991). Moreover, there was possibility that if Kuwait had fulfilled the Iraqi request, more Iraqi demands for additional money would have followed (Mylroie, 1993; Karsh & Rautsi, 1991). Hence, Kuwaiti government refused to negotiate with Iraq for most of the time and ignored the Iraqi insistence. Nevertheless, when the situation got more escalated, delegates of both parties finally met at a congress in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Here, at last, Kuwait made a concession and offered Saddam Hussein and his cabinet a cancellation of Iraqi debt and a loan of $500million (Musallam, 1996). However, Saddam Hussein did not accept this offer and immediately the next day, on August 1st 1990, sent Iraqi troops on the Kuwaiti border. According to Baran and Rubin (1993), Kuwaiti government perceived the meeting in Jeddah as a starting point for bargaining and perhaps even further concessions. Iraq, on the other hand, c ame only to deliver an ultimatum. This essay will now examine this financial dispute between Iraq and Kuwait in terms of international law.As the law stands, a war must be fought for a just cause. Among other things, it mainly means that a war should be waged only as a last resort, when all possible peaceful options have failed (O’Brien, 1981). With application of this rule to the frictions discussed above, it is plausible to argue that Saddam Hussein and his government did not try to solve the dispute by all peaceful options. On the one hand, they were urging Kuwait to negotiate in the beginning. On the other, when Kuwait finally offered a concession, Iraqi government rebuffed it and immediately launched an invasion of Kuwait.Clearly, this time it was Hussein’s turn to make a concession to Kuwait. Even if afterwards the bilateral negotiations would have failed, there would have been still other peaceful ways how to solve the problem, such as for example good offices, conciliation, arbitration or judicial settlement. Meanwhile, none of these were employed. From this, one can see that Iraq should not have advocated its invasion to Kuwait with an argument that Kuwait ignored all his financial needs. As the Iraqi demand was very daring, Hussein should have tried much more to bargain and make a compromise.The second pressing economic problem was the oil price. Since Iraqi oil industry accounted for 95% of country’s foreign currency earnings (CIA, 2007), petroleum was very important for Saddam Hussein, especially in the post-war years. In order to raise extra revenues necessary for the reconstruction of the country, Iraqi government needed the oil price to grow as much as possible. However, a constraint in the Iraqi plan became once again Kuwait. The Gulf State was producing more oil than Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quotas allowed and this overproduction led to a slump of oil prices.Whereas in January 1990 a barrel of petroleum cost $20. 5, two months later it was only $18 (Freedman & Karsh, 1993). For this reason, Saddam Hussein was losing a prospect of future revenues. Consequently, Iraq demanded Kuwait to reduce its quotas in exporting oil so that the prices could grow again. This request was completely ignored from the Kuwaiti side. In fact, instead of abiding the oil limits to make more space for increased Iraqi production, Kuwait continued to far exceed them by $0. 6 million barrels a day (Salinger & Laurent, 1991).It was as if Kuwait kicked into the hornets’ nest. Iraqi foreign minister immediately declared that Kuwait was utterly and knowingly trying to bring Baghdad to its knees† (Salinger & Laurent, 1991, 37). On a meeting of Arab monarch in the spring 1990, Saddam Hussein even escalated the situation further by aggressively stating that â€Å"war doesn’t mean just tanks, artillery of ships. It can take subtler and more insidious forms, such as the overproduction of oil, economic damage and pressure to enslave a nation† (Salinger & Laurent, 1991: 31).In this way, he directly accused Kuwaiti leaders of waging a war against Iraq. Even though Kuwait never publicly acknowledged being in an economic war with Hussein’s regime, from a leaked letter between a Kuwaiti statesman and the Kuwaiti king, it became clear that a part of the Iraqi accusations was justifiable. The letter showed that Kuwait was, indeed, purposely taking an advantage of the dire economic situation in Iraq in order to put pressure on Hussein’s regime (Salinger & Laurent, 1991). But still, it was OPEC’s rules and OPEC quotas that Kuwait did not adhere to.Therefore, it was OPEC’s responsibility to deal with the problem, not Hussein’s. A lack of consensus among OPEC members about how to deal with the overproduction led to lengthy negotiations and no tangible result for a long time. At last, a few days before the invasion at an OPEC meeting, Kuwait finally agreed to abide the quotas. Nonetheless, it did not change the Iraq’s violent intention. This suggests that Hussein used his argument about the economic war only as a pretext for annexation of Kuwaiti territory.Furthermore, looking at these frictions around the oil price in terms of international law again, according to the Article 2, paragraph 3 of the UN Charter, all members must in their international relations refrain from the threat or use of force. However, there is one exception to this rule and that is self-defence. Saddam Hussein was probably well aware of the right of self-defence. Therefore, he tried to make himself look insecure and claimed that Kuwait was waging an economic war and that he was only protecting his country.Nevertheless, in the article 51 of UN Charter, it is clearly stated that a UN member has a right to self-defence â€Å"if an armed attacks occurs†. Armed is a very important word in the discussed case, because Kuwait did no t use army to intimidate Iraq and so Saddam Hussein could not justify his invasion in Kuwait with an argument of waging economic war as well. Based on the previous discussion, it can be concluded that Iraqi use of military force in The First Gulf War was not justified. In regard to the financial disputes and the issues of oil price, none of these can serve as an argument for invasion.In the first case, Saddam Hussein should have put in a more effort to make a compromise with Kuwait. In the second one, OPEC had a responsibility to solve the problem, not the Iraqi government. Moreover, as the international law stands, both Iraqi arguments were not legitimate. In general, Saddam Hussein only confirmed Aristotle’s idea, according to which tyrants are trying to make themselves look insecure but this is only because they want to obtain what is justly not theirs. Reference List: Aristotle. (1995) Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Baran, A &Rubin, B. (1993) Iraq’s Road to War. London: Macmillan Press Bulloch, J & Morris, H. (1991) Saddam War: The Origins of the Kuwaiti conflict and the International Response. London: Faber and Faber Central Intelligence Agency. (2007) Iraq Economic Data (1989-2003). Retrieved 16 August 2012 from: https://www. cia. gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/iraq_wmd_2004/chap2_annxD. html The Charter of United Nations. Retrieved 16 August 2012 from: http://www. un. org/en/documents/charter/ Freedman,L & Karsh, E. 1993) The Gulf Conflict. London: Faber and Faber Karsh, E & Rautsi, I. (1991) Why Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, Vol. 33 Issue 1, pages 18-30. Mussalam, M. (1996) The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. London: British Academic Press Mylroie, L. (1993) Why Saddam Hussein invaded Iraq. Orbis, Vol. 37 Issue 1. O‘Brien, W. (1981) The Conduct of Just and Limited War. New York: Praeger Salinger, P & Laurent, E. (1991) Secret Dossier: The Hidden Agenda behind the Gulf War. New Yor k: Penguin Books.

Globalization Is The Process Of International Integration...

Globalization is influencing the world to become more productive and efficient, but the high demands must be balanced out with ethical practices. The opportunity to reach a better economic standing is commonly eschewed and the promise exploited. While China s jeans and denim factories give the people the chance to improve their economic standing, many factories abuse and exploit their workers, bringing into question how a business should run to be both efficient and ethical. Globalization is the process of international integration through trade and communication. It is based in the theory that countries good at producing a particular good are better off exporting it to countries less efficient in producing that good. The assumption is†¦show more content†¦One of the prime examples of the issues can be explored within the Chinese denim and garment industry. (China Blue) While the garment industry may not seem at first glance to have high risk occupations, it contains possible deadly practices and chemicals, especially in denim production. The process of Sandblasting creates wear on denim fabric using abrasive sands blasted under high pressure. Sandblasting is fast and cheap, and can increase the value of the product being sold. However, without proper precautions, sandblasting can be deadly to workers. The disease silicosis is common among them. Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust containing free crystalline silica. It leads to thousands of deaths every year worldwide. Symptoms include shortness of breath and increased heart strain that eventually leads to death. (Silicosis : MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia) In response to the Clean Clothes Campaign s attempts to end sandblasting, over 40 brands have promised to end this practice. However, the act still continues. Other techniques for weathering denim have also been used as a loophole (such as chemical spraying, hand-sanding and bleaching). These methods have their own risks involved, putting workers in more danger. In addition to dangerous work conditions, garment workers in China can face long hours with low pay and

Analysis Of Shakespeare s Macbeth, The Tale Of One Man s...

Defying the laws of society has been around for centuries, for it is human nature to consist a mixture of rule-followers and nonconformists in the commonwealth. While committing a crime is considered immoral and an infringement of human decency, there are underlying causes for the atrocity. Between addiction, drugs, pressure, and desperation, there are many outer influences as to why someone would commit a crime. Some causes can turn any ordinary person into an offender, while others are hard wired into the brain. It isn t always possible to tell, or prevent a future criminal from developing, but by understanding the multiple causes, it becomes easier to understand a criminal’s thought process. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the tale of one†¦show more content†¦He was originally searching for work, but he took the easy way out: stealing. Stealing was a last resort, but when presented with the opportunity, he welcomed it. His instinct to survive and feed his family i s the catalyst in the incident, and ultimately, his punishment. Desperation can cause ordinary people to commit a crime, no matter how miniscule. Curtis is a small example of the idea that crime rises in areas of poverty, and proves money is essential for survival necessities, â€Å"‘It is not rocket science to understand when poverty and despair deepens, crime will rise† ( Desperation driving people towards crime). The less resources a person has, the more immediate the urge is to survive, meaning the more likely an illegality will be performed. Supporting a family and an individual is necessary for survival, but when these duties fall short, humans resort to stealing, and other crimes. When desperation affects an entire community, crime rates rise. Moreover, desperation can cause tremendous ruin to a city and a person’s life. In high crime areas, poverty and desperation is a main factor, but peer pressure is a main factor as well. An article from Regis University documents the account that adolescents feel an underlying pressure to commit crimes if they live in high crime areas, â€Å"the influence of a single criminal neighbor can have a profound and lasting impact on the likelihood of surrounding youngsters to engage in illegal behavior and can determine justShow MoreRelatedshakespeare influences16068 Words   |  65 Pagesï » ¿ RESEARCH TOPIC An Analytic Review Of Shakespearean Influence On Faulkner s Tragedy RESEARCH QUESTION How Shakespeare tragic patterns influenced on William Faulkner s writings? NAME: SYEDA AMBREEN FATIMA FATHER’S NAME: SYED HASAN AKHTER SEAT NO: 1315793 ENROLMENT NO: 2013/ENG/M.A(LIT)/15681 DATE OF SUBMISSION: 28TH NOV 2013 SUBMITTED TO: MISS SAMREENRead MorePlay Macbeth11985 Words   |  48 PagesAt the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a respected general, a devoted husband, and a loyal subject of the king. The first of the witches prophecies bring out his ambitious nature, but he struggles with killing the king. By attacking his manhood, Lady Macbeth convinces him to committ the first of his evil deeds. Macbeths evil deed causes him to suffer from fear and guilt, which leads to even more evil crimes. Then Macbeth becomes paranoid, suffering from hallucinations and sleeplessness. He becomesRead MorePlay Macbeth11979 Words   |  48 PagesAt the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a respected general, a devoted husband, and a loyal subject of the king. The first of the witches prophecies bring out his ambitious nature, but he struggles with killing the king. By attacking his manhood, Lady Macbeth convinces him to committ the first of his evil deeds. Macbeths evil deed causes him to suff er from fear and guilt, which leads to even more evil crimes. Then Macbeth becomes paranoid, suffering from hallucinations and sleeplessness. He becomes