Rama in Ramayana Essay Example for Free

Rama in Ramayana Essay In the epic story of Ramayana, one of the cornerstones of the story is the part where Rama attempts to rescue Sita. In the story, Rama is considered the most heroic among all the characters precisely because of his devotion to the rules of dharma. Even during the times when still he was small, Rama was considered to be the perfect son, up to the point when he married Sita thereby considering him further as the perfect husband. More importantly, Rama gladly and willingly accepted the order of his father, king Dasharatha, to abandon the kingdom and be banished, hence removing him from the position as heir to the throne.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poignant part of the story where Rama’s knowledge and perception are further enriched is the part where he encountered Ravana who followed him in the forest. Ravana is the younger brother of Rama who was enthroned as the king of Ayodhya after Rama was banished from the kingdom. The encounter highlighted the capacity of Rama to understand the human situation that swirled around him and his family by understanding the sentiment of Ravana. Ravana very well understood that Rama is the rightful ruler as king of Ayodhya, and after following Rama to the forest, Ravana told Rama that until the day Rama returns, Ravana will instead place the sandals of Rama on the throne as a sign of respect and as a sign that Rama is the actual ruler of the kingdom. That was one way for Ravana to signify that he is simply the ‘caretaker’ of the throne while Rama, the rightful ruler, is away.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rama’s encounter with Ravana in the forest signifies that even though he willingly accepted the banishment that was imposed upon him by his father, he was still willing to face the larger responsibility of serving his people as their king. That goes to show that Rama was willing to face both ends of the situation, or that he was willing to face any situation that he is confronted with. That is so because, having lived with the rules of dharma, Rama very well knows the consequences that awaited his every decision. This time around, his decision to return as the king of Ayodhya can be said as part of his responsibility as the eldest son of the king, hence the rightful ruler, and part of his realization that the kindness of Ravana begets his kindness to accept not only the fact that he is the rightful king but also the willingness of Ravana to bequeath Rama his rightful position in the kingdom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eventually, Rama willingly accepted the offer of Ravana which is not only a sign of respect to an offer which is rightfully his but is also a sign of accepting the propensity of having to rule an entire kingdom under his watch. Quite apart from the fact that accepting such a huge responsibility requires determination and the capacity to lead, it also requires the ability to follow. That ability to follow has been undoubtedly manifested by Rama not only during the time when he accepted his fate to be banished but also during the time when Ravana met with him. That occasion is the time when Ravana made Rama the offer which he followed with all his heart. Rama’s decision best exemplified his capacity to follow without hesitation and confusion on his part precisely because of the wisdom that he possesses due to his strict adherence to the rules of dharma.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In essence, the encounter of Rama with Ravana in the forest is one of the many scenes in the story which shows the enrichment of the knowledge of Rama as well as the formation of his character throughout the story. It brings into mind his capacity to lead by example and to follow the things which he indeed should rightfully follow. It drives home the point that Rama is all the more worthy of being adored by his people because of the virtues which he possesses and of being exalted as a ruler who very well understands the rules and teachings of the dharma. Reference Pollock, S. (1993). Ramayana and Political Imagination in India. The Journal of Asian Studies, 52(2), 262.

Addressing Crime in America in John J. DiIulios Article, Let em Rot E

Addressing Crime in America in John J. DiIulio's Article, Let 'em Rot John J. DiIulio, Jr. writes his article, "Let 'em Rot," in response to the State of the Union Address by President Clinton in January of 1994. In this article he focuses on the continually increasing crime problem in America. DiIulio feels that a change is needed in the way this country handles the punishment and rehabilitation of criminals. He makes a claim of policy that criminals should serve their entire prison sentences. DiIulio asserts, "a prison sentence of X years should mean a prison sentence of X years (truth in sentencing)" (563). He directs his article towards people who are concerned with the crime problem in America, specifically victims of crime and the families of criminals. He also primarily targets people who read the Wall Street Journal and support truth-in-sentencing. Throughout the article, DiIulio's support is primarily based on motivational appeal. He quickly draws interest into the article through the shocking choice of words for his title. He then goes on to provoke readers with the...

History of Media Effects

1. Consider the history of media effects presented in Chapter 3. Choose one historical media event that has occurred in the country of your choice. How has your chosen historical media event opened up a larger discourse about a social issue? Did the issue create conversion or reinforcement of public opinion about the social issue represented in the media event? Support your answer with reference from the text. With reference to the case of Mas Selamat Kastari who was believed to be involved in the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) group in plotting terrorism activities in Singapore such as crashing a plane into Changi Airport .He was Singapore’s most wanted fugitive for more than a year after escaping from detention on 27 February 2008. Since then, it was the  largest manhunt ever carried out in Singapore, furthermore daily local newspapers, TV news report, posters also tried to raise public awareness about Mas Selamat through repeated news coverage. Hence, with the aid of mass media, Ma s Selamat was certainly the hottest topic everywhere and eventually became the historical media event that opened up a larger discourse about terrorism which was a social issue ever since 1963.In the early 80s, the government had implemented a series of measures to counter terrorism in Singapore and after 1991 Singapore has not experience any terrorism therefore resulting in the citizens letting down their guard and eventually the issue on terrorism was taken lightly. With reference to agenda setting theory which explains the powerful influence mass media have in telling us what issues are important, the case of Mas Selamat involving the massive usage of mass media had successfully trigger the fear in the minds of the citizens and the issue on terrorism(security matters) became increasingly important during that period of time.Many citizens wrote in to Straits Times claiming that the government deserved to be blamed for the escape of Mas Selamat and if terrorism will to happen in Si ngapore. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew responded to the Straits Times: â€Å"Mas Selamat Kastari was ‘an escape artist' who had evaded arrest many times, and Singapore's security officers knew this, when you are complacent in handling a wily detainee, then you have been negligent. He also added that,† complacency sets in when people have not suffered any shock or setback for a long time and Singaporeans are being complacent when they believe that the Government will take care of all security matters. † PAP MP Lim Wee Kiak referred complacency as a ‘side-effect' of an overly successful Government and civil service. (â€Å"Straits Times†, 2008). From this historical media event, we can see the impact of media in creating conversion of the public opinion. The public’s attitude towards terrorism (security matters) changed from a dependent on the government to a self-dependent one after the escape of Mas Selamat .Furthermore, according to the public opinions on Singapore forum after the capture of Mas Selamat in 2009, although some were still debating on whether is the Government of Singapore doing enough to protect us from terrorism, but majority strongly believed that Singaporeans should not delude ourselves into thinking that our government is infallible as our government can only do so much-implementing counter terrorism measures, awareness posters and videos in train stations and public transports .Hence, the more relevant questions to ask ourselves – Are we Singaporeans doing enough to protect ourselves from terrorism? Are we coming together as one nation to do our national service in learning and protecting our country, life and property? The citizens of Singapore should not just solely rely on the government but also play our part in preventing the threat of terrorism.

Human Behaviour and Its Conditions Free Essay Example, 1500 words

Generally speaking, human behaviour may be defined as the way a person is able to conduct him or herself in front of the rest of society. There are certain morals of a code of conduct that are accepted within a group of people according to which people may be either accepted or rejected from a large group. The various aspects of understanding human behaviour are very complex because it can be described from the view of different sociological aspects of a human being with respect to society. Behaviour may be described as ranging from symbolic interaction towards other people or by the conflict theory and how a person is not able to adjust with someone else. (Gerrig, Richard J. Philip G. Zimbardo)As a human being grows and develops within society, the people around him bring about a noticeable change within him. The factors that persist within the environment around a man are enough to change him from what he was into something he will be in his future. This is because every man reli es heavily upon the experiences that he encounters during the course of his lifetime and thus is changed by the kind of circumstances that he has been thrust into. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Behaviour and Its Conditions or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now This paper helps to examine how these outside factors like attitudes, beliefs and expectations affect the way a human being acquires information from various sources, and also looks into whether or not human behaviour is conditioned by associations between environmental stimuli and responses as well. Every human being is subject to some kind of environment or the other. Children born in rich households grow up with everything on their platter while those born in poverty-stricken homes need to work and earn their meals from a very ripe and young age which steals away their childhood as well as their innocence from them. The environment and atmosphere within which a human being lives in for most of his life help him to respond to it in a specific manner. (B, A)As discussed in the example above, a rich child would rarely do his own work because of having domestic help to do the same for him whereas a poor child would be used to carrying out his own cho res and duties as taught by his parents.