Liberation Theology Essay Example for Free

Liberation Theology Essay Liberation Theology is a notion born out of the painful colonial legacy of Latin America. Despite gaining evidence from their colonial masters, the Spanish, the new leaders behaved like the former colonial masters. This is the legacy left behind the the colonizers. The tactic of divide and conquer where they favored the local elites and marginalized the majority who are shunted to the lower strata of society, thereby creating a caste system of sorts that saw an unequal distribution of wealth made even worse by American intervention through â€Å"Dollar Diplomacy† and at the height of the Cold War, supported right-wing dictatorships which they saw as the â€Å"lesser evil† as opposed to local communist movements in the name of containment. Whether working with Marxist guerrilla movements or acting independently, Liberation Theology in name began around the 1950s though it had been around much longer. This concept combined Christian teachings with Marxist doctrine. As the name suggests, it is meant to â€Å"liberate† the poor, not only spiritually but materially from their plight (Petrella vii). Liberation Theologists put forward the idea of Jesus Christ as a â€Å"real† liberator who came to free the masses from their plight since is stated in the Bible that â€Å"Blessed are the lowly; they shall inherit the land. † (New American Bible, Matt. 5:5). It can be inferred here that there is more to Jesus in his role as the Savior or Messiah. Liberation Theologists encouraged many to read the Bible but at the same time â€Å"read between the lines† to see that Christ empowers or encourages believers to fight for social justice and give preference to the poor for they are the ones who have less in life. In a way, Christianity is empowering the masses since the elite-backed regimes will not. As a result, the Bible is therefore interpreted in a different way and clerics who subscribe to Liberation Theology end up siding with armed rebel groups in a rather awkward partnership that puts them in a very comprosing situation as far as their vocations are concerned. The rationale is that the governments, supported by the elites represent the hypocrites Christ rebuked in the Bible and His notion that the â€Å"kingdom of heaven is at hand† is seen in a Marxist context as the time to rise up and be truly free from poverty and oppression. However, Liberation Theology was not without its critics. The Catholic Church itself, led by the Pope (John Paul II), strongly ctiricized Liberation Theologists for hijacking Christian teachings to serve political purposes, especially Marxism. They criticize its rather ironic collusion with Marxism which opposes any form of religion, calling it an â€Å"opiate† of society in giving false hopes or a vehicle of deceit to keep the masses poor. The Church has not forgotten the â€Å"sins† of Marxism in persecuting religion and therefore regards it as â€Å"evil† and those who subscribe to Liberation Theology could be considered being on the wrong side of history, if not faith. The Bible again is used to disprove the notion of Liberation Theologists when Christ rebuked Peter by saying, â€Å"Get out of my sight, Satan! You are not judging by Gods standards but by mans† (Matt. 16:23). Furthermore, Christ also said to â€Å"Give to Caesar what is Caesars, but give to God what is Gods† (Matt. 22:21). It can be inferred here that the Church hierarchy does not approve of the supposed â€Å"well-meaningness† of clerics subscribing to this notion of Christ as a revolutionary for the Church as always upheld that Christ came to save mankind from the wages of sin which is death, not to lead a revolt and become a king in a temporal sense (Petrella 121-122). It also did not help with the fact that socialist regimes began collapsing in Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Berlin Wall which symbolized the separation between democratic and non-democratic regimes, culminating with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the â€Å"heart and soul† of Marxism. With the lose of their chief sponsor, Marxist regimes, even those in Latin America, fell and along with it the loss of credibility of Liberation Theology. In addition, the Church itself has adapted liberationist notions that are pro-poor and even created councils and commissions that address the needs of the margnialized peoples of the world, further emasculating Liberation Theologists and taking away what ever power or influence they have in stirring up the masses (Petrella 2, 121-122). At this point, one would wonder where would Liberation Theology go from here. According to Ivan Petrella, Liberation Theology must reinvest itself to ensure its continued relevance and not become an anachronism. He further stated that the present is the opportune time to begin, especially in this day and age of globalization. Much of the world is trying to be competitive to meet world-class standards but the flaw seen here is that this competitiveness would leave behind those who cannot keep up and will therefore be marginalized. However, he pointed out that the current approach they are taking to reinvent themselves are incorrect or improper and in his work, The Future of Liberation Theology, he showed the shortcomings of Liberation Theologists in their attempt to reinvent itself. One attempt to reinvent itself is to reassert its core ideas but at the same time distancing itself from Marxism where it is often associated, especially the growing inequality caused by globalization makes it even more relevant than ever (Petrella 3). One of the mistakes in this approach is that Liberation Theologists seem to have difficulty spearating itself from its Marxist ties as it still continues to see things through the prism of Marxism in their pursuit of social justice. It still maintains its antagonistic stance towards capitalism, thereby becoming more of a hindrance on the ideal essence of Liberation Theology which truly views it from a Christian perspective (Petrella 69). Furthermore, Liberation Theologists have not provided their own model society which is still tied to Marxist utopia – a classless society. In their attempt to reassert their ideas, Liberation Theologists fail to come up with an approptiate response to the cooption of their ideas by democratic institutions and even by the Church. It further contributed to the cooption by eliminating the dichotomy created by the â€Å"old school† Liberation Theologists but unfortunately failed to capitalize on it as it was seized by its perceived â€Å"enemies† especially in the part where the distinction between reform and revolution becomes blurred and its â€Å"enemies† realize that the ideas of Liberation Theology are â€Å"useful† to their purposes without worrying about revolution which is anathema to them and emphasizing the reform component (Petrella 122-123). What is proposed is that Liberation Theologists should reorient their way of thinking where they should stop regarding the concept of liberation as a theme but a guiding principle and must be politically neutral. This way, it can be employed by any political ideology that has social justice in its agenda and is not strictly limited to Marxism or socialism for that matter (Petrella 4). Petrella also encourages an open-minded appraoch for Liberation Theologists in order to remain relevant. He argued that democracy and especially capitalism, is not one-dimensional as they usually regard it to be but rather multi-dimensional. Capitalism in the United States is different from that of Germany and Japan and should not be generalized or viewed in absolute terms. Another point Petrella raised that supports Liberation Theologys continued relevance is that it can still transform society though not in a sweeping manner but in a methodical manner by changing the laws of society rather than calling for defiance or revolution, let alone activism (124). It can be surmised that what Petrella is suggesting is that Liberation Theology do away with revolution and even â€Å"civil disobedience† as the approach but rather work within the system. Liberation Theologists should find allies in mainstream politics whose ideology and platform are attuned to theirs and create an alliance with them. By doing this, they not only scored a moral victory but a political victory as well, something that has eluded them for decades of trying with revolutionary movements. Borrowing ideas from noted Liberation Theologist Leonardo Boff, Liberation Theology is all about mediation – to know and understand oppression and societys ills, reorienting it in a Biblical context without trying to intertwine it with Marxism and through this purview come up with appropriate measures to address these problems short of fomenting unrest and revolution. In conclusion, by looking at Petrellas proposed solution, Liberation Theology stands a chance of living up to its true billing. But as he warned, it must really distance itself from Marxism, the first challenge and really look at problems from Christian context free of any ideology. Rather, it political ideologies must be assimilated by it rather than the other way around and by doing do, become part of mainstream politics in the pursuit of real social justice as Christian teachings define it. Works Cited Petrella, Ivan. The Future of Liberation Theology. Hampsihre: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2004.

Wilfred Owens Poetry and Pity of War Essay -- Wilfred Owen War Poems

Wilfred Owen's Poetry and Pity of War Through his poetry Wilfred Owen wished to convey, to the general public, the PITY of war. In a detailed examination of three poems, with references to others, show the different ways in which he achieved this Wilfred Owen was born in Oswestry, 18th March 1893. He was working in France when the war began, tutoring a prominent French family. When the war started he began serving in the Manchester Regiment at Milford Camp as a Lieutenant. He fought on the Western Front for six months in 1917, and was then diagnosed with War Neurosis (shell shock). Because of this he was sent to Craiglockhart Hospital for treatment. In his stay at Craiglockhart Hospital Wilfred Owen met Siegfried Sassoon. Sassoon was also a poet, and the two became good friends. The two friends compared and edited their poems, and Sassoon introduced Wilfred Owen to some publishers. Whilst he was in Craiglockhart he wrote such poems as "Dulce et Decorem Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth." He used his poems as a cathartic experience to help him forget and overcome his experiences on the battlefield. Through a detailed examination of the poems Dulce et Decorem Est,Disabled and Anthem for Doomed Youth with reference to other poems by Wilfred Owen, it can be seen that, although he uses different political forms, styles, and devices, and he addresses his readers from different authorial stances, evoking feelings from great anger and bitterness to terrible sadness; the end result is always the same: he shows the pity of war. Dulce et Decorem Est was written by Wilfred Owen whilst he was having treatment at Craiglockhart, it is one of his most famous poems. Stanza one sets the scene. Owen takes his ti... ...there is no glory involved. This poem gets across the madness of war, and that it must not be continued. Owen expresses feelings of bitter hatred for the war, and he lets those feelings out in Dulce et Decorem est. He is angry that war is allowed to be continued, that the public are lied to, and the conditions the soldiers have to cope with. He was in the war himself, he knew what he was talking about. Owen has a very strong use of imagery, which I think helps get across his message. Although sometimes I feel he can be a bit too bitter, and lose the plot slightly, his poetry is extremely effective. He is asking his reader just to take some time to think about the war, ignore the propaganda and see what is really happening. All of this put together conveys the pity of war, by using graphic imagery, metaphors and similes, and often use of onomatopoeia.

Key Factors to a Supportive Environment

Key factors that support speech, language and communication environment: 1. Your room/setting layout – what does your physical environment look like? The noise level – are there quieter and noisier areas, planned times or activities. Evidence: There are two main rooms that are in use during morning and afternoon sessions, the classroom and larger hall area. The classroom has a book corner with a child's size couch and soft cushions on the floor. This area is ideally for quiet time and reading. The rest of the classroom and large hall allows for noisy and more social activities.Throughout the day there are planned adult lead activities, circle times, outdoor play, snack bar and lunch club. Which work on a rota based system. Quality of light – are play areas well lit for children to see ; communicate well with each other, see mouth movements, resources ; staff. Evidence: The classroom and main hall both allow for a substantial amount of natural light through large windows and also have more then one artificial light in either room. Space to move, expressively, with whole bodies, with and without speedEvidence: The main hall area is a large open space with a substantial amount of room for children to move freely and expressively. This room is used for more active activities and also for when outdoor play is restricted due to poor weather conditions. The children will use this area to build train tracks, stack blocks, act out role plays and imaginary games, as well as group games such as duck duck goose and ring a ring a roses. The outdoor area is also set up in a way that allows for all types of movement. There is an large space for bikes and smalls cars, which is also used for obstacle courses and tents.This is divided from the rest of the playground by log stumps that the children can also walk across. Resources and toys – is there a varied selection available for both indoor ; outdoor play. Evidence: Within the classroom and hall the re is a large variety of resources and toys to cater for all the children. For example; a home corner, roll play area, mark making area, play dough and sand/water trays, block building, music corner, small world toys, ICT area book corner. The outside area has a large storage cupboard which allows us to alternate what goes outside to create interest and excitement.There is an outside book corner with bean bags and blankets, large wooden blocks for building, play house with kitchen and work bench, prams, bikes and large cars, balls, rackets, a table and chairs to encourage mark making, blackboard with chalk and a variety of playing apparatus's. 2. Staff – Involvement/roles – how does everyone interact with children to promote communication. Evidence: Most children attending the pre-school will have an all about me book, which their key person and any other staff member are allowed assess. It contains information and pictures on the child's life including family, pets, f riends, likes and dislikes.The children also receive a settling in performer after two weeks of them attending the setting. Which goes over how they are doing and is sent home to their parents to read and comment on, then sent back in. This is kept in the child's learning journey. The children are also given a chance to have their say on what they would like to do at pre-school, with the children's planing board. Where any ideas that are given from the children are written on and then added to the planing in future sessions. We have a classroom rules board, illustrating the main rules of the setting. Which is positioned down low at the children's eye level.There is also a ‘how are you feeling today' poster with photos and illustrations of different facial expressions, again at the children's eye level. We also try to operate with a positive language approach when reminding children of rules, for example saying ‘walking feet and kind hands' instead of ‘no running an d don't hit each other. ‘ Staff responsibilities – does a key person system operate to support your children? Evidence: A key person system is operational within the setting, each key person has on average 11 children under their care and are also responsible for the overall care of every child.Observations are made on every child and logged in their learning journeys, which are kept in a locked cupboard. Planning daily routines – are there times of the day to support communication eg. greetings and goodbyes, toilet asking times? Small/large group and individual activities? Evidence: Our setting works on an rota based system, in which there are set times for snack bar, lunch club, tidy up times, free play, adult led activities, nappy changes, circle times and outdoor play. This helps the children and staff to get into a routine.Who ever is responsible for nappy changes that day will also be reminding children to go to the toilet, both are logged in a daily folder . The children are welcomed in the mornings/afternoons and self register with name cards. At the end of both morning and afternoon sessions the story of the week is read and the children can give thanks in prayer. The children are then dismissed when their allocated parent/carer arrives. Training opportunities? Child Development, Safeguarding, Impairment, Activity intervention & awareness.Evidence: All staff are given the opportunity to attend relevant training that is beneficial for the setting and themselves. I myself have already attended four training courses since joining in September 2012. Certificates given at the completion of the training days and are displayed on the wall inside the classrooms setting. We also have a weekly policy quiz, with a different quiz selected each week for staff to read through and then be tested on. 4. Parent & carer involvement – Evidence: The Pre-school welcomes parent and carer involvement within and outside of the setting, especially du ring the festive period.We often have parent helpers for the day that provide us with an extra pare of hands. The pre-school also recently held a fundraising event at the local community center, where we saw an overabundance of support from parents/carers. How does the setting engage with parents to share activity ideas, rhymes, resources, books, event dates, news, parent's language needs, knowledge ; expertise Evidence: Each week parents and staff receive the ‘weekly update sheet' via email, which provides information on the up and coming week.This information consists of the theme of the week, number, letter sound and shape, story focus, our star of the week (child), important dates, resources needed for any activities planned, how they can support their child and a photo gallery of what their children have been up to in the previous week. 5. Language itself – Identify the types of language/methods of communication used in the setting; facial, body, creative, expressi ve and behavioral. Evidence: At the entrance to the classroom there is a mood board on the wall with the phase ‘how do you feel today'.The board displays a variety of facial expressions and words for the children to relate to and caters especially to children still developing their speech or children that have English as an additional language. We also have a mark making area with creative resources for the children to express themselves. Throughout the setting there are posters and images reminding the children of the pre-school rules, for example use kind hands, put hands up during circle time, line up in a straight line and two children at the I. T station. Additional Language-Is there support within the setting for children with additional languages. Evidence: All resources accessible to the children are labelled with the relevant wording of the contents and a photo or picture to support visual aid. Around the main classroom we have numerals 1-10 in additional languages an d greetings/farewells in multiple languages. When the children join the setting their parents/careers are asked if they speak any additional languages or if English isn't their first spoken language. During circle times, we will often greet each child in an additional language.

Response Criticism Of There s No Help By Michael Drayton

Reader-Response Criticism The sonnet â€Å"Since There s No Help† is a single example of Michael Drayton s work, yet it has been considered the one sonnet responsible for plucking Drayton from obscurity. Many are of the opinion this was his one and only sonnet that reached the highest level of poetic feeling and the effect allows the audience to suffer alongside the writer. This poem is written in what is called the traditional Shakespearian sonnet form, which consists of fourteen lines of iambic pentameter. Yet some are of the opinion that this sonnet can be split into the traditional three quatrains and a rhyming couplet to finish it off. However, it is not the pentameter or the rhyming which gives this sonnet its raw emotions, but†¦show more content†¦302). Everyone has had those moments at the end of a relationship we thought was special, where we try to act like we never cared, but like our author we try to hide the pain we feel. Through this affect the imp lied reader, along with the author, lie to themselves and their former lover that they do not care that this is over because greener pastures await and one is better off being single. In the second stanza we see that he is not really happy with this outcome, instead he is trying to convince himself that he wants this as well. The author speaks as if a simple hand shake signals the barter agreed upon and everything is done. Poof! You’re free of your emotional bonds and they never will bother you again. â€Å"The reader’s prior knowledge and experience is nevertheless paramount in.. reading†¦. the reader focuses on the quality of emotions, ideals, situations and characters and formulates the response on the basis thereof â€Å" (Demà ©ny, 2012 p.53). Everyone has a similar subjective response to running into ‘The Ex’ for the first time at a party and it is never easy. But for our author, it will be a breeze; he is just going to pretend it neve r happened. They should never let it be â€Å"seen in either of our brows† (7) that they once a â€Å"former love retain† (8). They should never show any emotion or affection to each other in public. Instead it will be