Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Democracy An American Novel - 2141 Words
A work of fiction, Democracy: An American Novel, is a novel in which Henry Adams skillfully addresses many social commentaries through satire and interesting characters. This novel can simply be described as a political love story. The main character, Mrs. Madeline Lightfoot Lee, originally leads her life as a ââ¬Å"private philanthropist, amateur philosopher, and socialiteâ⬠in New York (Adams v). After her husband and child died she lost her ââ¬Å"taste for New York societyâ⬠and everything that was in it (Adams 14). Eventually she became tired of her life in New York and decided to go to Washington D.C. to see what life had to offer her. The book has many parallels to Henry Adamââ¬â¢s own life. For example, when Mrs. Lee moved to Washington she lived on Lafayette Square, as did Henry Adams (ââ¬Å"Washington, D.C.â⬠). Madeline Lee is the kind of character who loves power, and she knew exactly where to look. Aside from finding out what exactly lay at the center of democracy and government, she wanted to see ââ¬Å"the clash of interests, the interests of forty millions of people and a whole continent, centering at Washington; guided, restrained, controlled, or unrestrained and uncontrollable, by men of ordinary mould; the tremendous forces of government, and the machinery of society at work. What she wanted was POWERâ⬠(Adams 18). She was not the only one to travel to Washington, however. Madelineââ¬â¢s sister, Miss. Sybil Ross, came along with her. The two would much rather describe themselves asShow MoreRelatedDemocracy An American Novel, by Henry Adams Essay956 Words à |à 4 PagesIn the late 1800ââ¬â¢s, Henry Adams wrote Democracy An American Novel, in which he portrayed Washington society through the eyes of a wealthy young widow, Mrs. Madeline Lee, who is looking for the basis of American governmental power. In her search for the basis of power, Mrs. Lee encounters many facets of Washington society, such as the types of people who control the government. The novel moves beyond a simple plot and story and includes portrayals of the basic Washington types of people, WashingtonRead MoreFalse Truths, Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness1538 Words à |à 7 Pages The motto and the foundation of American democracy. If life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the key to a long and stable governing power, then, would non-vitality, imprisonment, and censorship do the same? George Orwellââ¬â¢s, 1984, a bleak, yet compelling novel answers this question. In this dystopian version of 1984, asides from discos and neon leggings, Oceania, a mega-continent, is ruled by the omnipotent force called the Party. As told in the novel, the government, itself, is builtRead MoreFeminists, Abolitionists, and Democracy Essay736 Words à |à 3 PagesFeminists, Abolitionists, and Democracy The framework of Americaââ¬â¢s government was forged in the spirit of democracy. The founding fathers envisioned a nation of free and equal persons and a country where everyone had a voice in the decision-making process. However, it soon became evident that not all people had a voice or even equal rights. Two groups excluded from government were women and African-Americans. These groups rose up to declare their rights to equality and freedom under the law. TheRead MoreSatire In Herman Melvilles Moby Dick1239 Words à |à 5 PagesSatire in Herman Melvilleââ¬â¢s Moby Dick Herman Melvilleââ¬â¢s Moby Dick is a parting from the traditional conception of the Anglo-European novel in underlying the idea of the self as opposed to society, or, the human being in contrast to the universe. Many of Melvilleââ¬â¢s themes are typical of American Romanticism: the ââ¬Å"isolated selfâ⬠and the difficulty of self-revelation, the imperfections of human knowledge, the contrast between immorality and virtue, and the pursuit of the truth. Although Melville intendedRead MoreThe Dangers of a Totalitarian Dictatorship1671 Words à |à 7 Pagescommunistic country, many Americans feared Communism because of the influence that it had in America. Many intellectuals supported Communism in the U.S. which led to more concern within the country. The communistic threat presented by the Soviets in the war led to the spread of Communism within the U.S. It was a fear that many Americans spoke out against in attempt to save the American society. George Orwell spoke out against it in 1949 by warning people in his novel 1984 that the spread of CommunismRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding1540 Words à |à 7 Pagesdictatorship greatly limited the liberties of its people. This era created lasting views of the concept of ââ¬Å"good versus evilâ⬠. British author William Golding wrote his novel, Lord of the Flies, during this time and it reflects this uneasy atmosphere. The character development, along with the carefully chosen symbolism of the novel suggests that Golding wrote Lord of the Flies as an allegory to the people and events of the Cold War, but also to present his future predictions for the Cold War; bothRead More The Dangers of a Totalitarian Dictatorship Essay1637 Words à |à 7 Pagesa communistic country, many Americans feared Communism because of the influence that it had in America. Many intellectuals supported Communism in the U.S. which led to more concern within the country. The communistic threat presented by the Sov iets in the war led to the spread of Communism within the U.S. It was a fear that many Americans spoke out against in attempt to save the American society. George Orwell spoke out against it in 1949 by warning people in his novel 1984 that the spread of CommunismRead MoreThe Impact of Sir Walter Scott on American Literature722 Words à |à 3 Pagesup to the American Civil War, Sir Walter Scott made a lasting impact on American literature. His romantic style was wildly popular, especially in the southern states. Most of the nations views on the war at the time were highly romanticized as a result. However, there was nothing romantic about this war. Once soldiers witnessed the horrors of war, many of their romantic views were changed forever. One such soldier was Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. The themes of American literatureRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Chesnutt Uses Mixed Race Characters 1675 Words à |à 7 PagesIn the novel, Chesnutt uses mixed race characters, w hich have both black and white ancestors and these characters display the conflicts between black and white societies. Within the novel, Janet Miller is the best example of a mixed race character. Janetââ¬â¢s father was from the white aristocracy, while her mother was a slave and a servant. Janet is emotionally hurt because she doesn t receive the same affection like white half-sister. She views herself as black and submits to the segregation of theRead MoreRealism In Huck Finn Essay876 Words à |à 4 PagesEuropean, and American Literature in the nineteenth century (9). The key principles of this literary style are the insistence upon and defence of the ââ¬Å"commonplaceâ⬠, characters being more important than plot, attacks upon romanticism and romantic writers, an emphasis on morality, which is often self-realized and upon an examination of realism, and the concept of realism as a realization of democracy. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , written by Mark Twain, is a perfect archetype of a novel written in
Monday, December 23, 2019
Permissive vs. Strict Parenting - 831 Words
Leave me alone or Ill scream! Im calling the authorities and tell them you are abusive. These are threats we hear today from our youth. Very little respect is shown to those in authority. Parenting guidelines have diminished over the last fifty years leaving us with a compromised future. Single parenting and busy schedules are only the beginning of the problems we face with effectively raising the adults of tomorrow. These concerns and others have placed a part in removing the much needed structure in our homes. Lack of supervision and concern for todays youth have created a lack of interest in goals with our children. Crime along with drug and alcohol use with our children is at an all time high and rising. Parenting skillsâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The message you want to get across is that such actions are unacceptable and should not happen again. The lack of discipline and cooperation from the parents has flowed over into school with the inability to punish a child for wrong actions. a child needs to know they are responsible for their actions. Such expectations produce successful and productive adults. Todays children are tomorrows future. It is our job to develop our youth into people who will take our knowledge and economy further than we are now. In order to chieve these goals, they will need to know the meaning of discipline. It is a lesson that will take them to and through each goal they set for themselves. Without it, they will achieve nothing. They will become victims of our undisciplined and unproductive society. Change a life and create a positive future. Lead your children in the direction they need to go. With this we give the world a future of great leaders who will carry us into the next generation withShow MoreRelatedThe Fbi Behavior Analysis Unit1443 Words à |à 6 PagesKarley Pecosky Psychology Parenting Styles The FBI Behavior Analysis Unit can profile a person down to the type of household they grew up in. Behavior as an adult, especially of a psychopath, is usually in correlation to a traumatic event of their childhood, usually involving their parents. The FBI has the ability to analyze all the behaviors of a person and tell you what kind of car they are mostly likely to drive, what profession they are most likely involved in, and in most cases, links toRead MoreParenting Styles and Child Development1821 Words à |à 8 Pages| Parenting Styles and Child Development | Awais Qureshi | | Hannah Steinweld | 5/11/2011 | | In recent years, much data has shown that parenting styles exercise a strong influence on child development and behaviour. The initial choice of parenting style creates the foundation for the childââ¬â¢s psychological and social development. Parents can choose from different approaches in raising their child; they can be strict, moderate or lenient. Authoritarian parents are characterized as beingRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1318 Words à |à 6 PagesPsychosocial developmentââ¬â¢ theory and Diana Baumrinds ââ¬ËParenting Stylesââ¬â¢. Stages of Psychosocial development Erik Eriksonââ¬â¢s theory emphasizes the search for identity during the adolescent years (Feldman, 2013). His ideas were greatly influenced by Freud, going along with Freudââ¬â¢s (1923) theory regarding the structure and topography of personality (McLeod, 2008). Eriksonââ¬â¢s theory is broken down into eight different stages. The first stage is ââ¬ËTrust-vs.-mistrustââ¬â¢, which approximate ages for this stage isRead MoreAcademic Motivation : Mediating Variable between Parenting Style and Academic Achievement3869 Words à |à 16 Pagesreinforcing, caring, and showing warmth to their children and these differences are called Parenting Styles. Therefore, this study will be useful and informative for parents on how to raise their child and for the future parents to have an idea and awareness of the different approaches that most children would prefer. Literature Review Parenting Style can be defined as the integration of the two elements of parenting: Responsiveness/Warmth and Demandingness (Baumrind, 1991). Responsiveness is the extentRead MoreBusiness Psychology: Different Parenting Styles6933 Words à |à 28 PagesAbstract This research investigated the affect parenting styles have on a personââ¬â¢s performance in the workplace. Parenting styles play a major role in a childââ¬â¢s future performance. How parents raise their kids affects the kids for the rest of their lives. As with any aspect of psychology there is no right or wrong way about it. However, each parenting style has its pros and cons and this is why I have chosen this topic. To find out how different parenting styles affect the performance of the child inRead MoreThe Big Five Personality Traits3406 Words à |à 14 Pagesnecessary nutrients. 6. Define Permissive Parenting and describe 3 consequences. Permissive parenting can be explained as a parent who is friends with their child more than a parent. Instead of setting rules or boundaries for the child, they would rather listen and not discipline the child when they do something wrong. This parenting style provides ââ¬Å"high nurturance and communication but little discipline, guidance or control,â⬠(Berger p 299). Permissive parenting is said to have more negative resultsRead MoreRaising The Children : Children2004 Words à |à 9 Pagesdisciples out of all the people of the Earth. It would only make sense that a parent try to make a disciple of their children, or even start them on the right path. From a psychology standpoint, though, this proverb covers many topics; nature vs. nurture, parenting styles, and child development just to name a few. Ultimately, this proverb focuses on the upbringing of a child, and while environment has some effect on adult characteristics, it is how the child is raised that will greatly aff ect the pathRead MoreDiana Baumrind2963 Words à |à 12 PagesDiana Blumberg Baumrind is a clinical and developmental psychologist that specializes in parenting styles. Baumrind was born on August 23, 1927 in a small Jewish community in New York City; she was the first of two daughters born to Hyman and Mollie Blumberg. Baumrind earned a B.A. in philosophy at Hunter College in 1948. She later received her M.A. and Ph. D. in Psychology at the University of California, Berkley; she studied developmental, clinical, and social psychology. Her doctoral dissertationRead MoreM1 AND D1 Development through life stages3017 Words à |à 13 Pagesmuchâ⬠question assumes that the variables can all be expressed numerically and that the issue can be resolved in a quantitative manner. The reality is that nature and culture interact in a host of qualitatively different ways. (McLeod 2007) Nature vs. nurture could refer to really intelligent people. One reason given for their being so gifted at learning and acquiring information might be that its in their genes. They have really intelligent parents; a high IQ... i.e. their genetic makeup has enabledRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Trailer Bad Moms Essay1675 Words à |à 7 Pagesapproach towards themselves and parenting, as shown when Amy narrated ââ¬Å"Their lives already are amazing and magicalâ⬠. This scene introduces the appeal to pathos with the emotional change her children partook in. An evident change with Amy is the transition from a standard mom van to a bright red convertible. Her children seem better adjusted to the new parenting style Amy takes on. The perfect mother in Bad Moms seems to take a permissive approach towards parenting where they are not allowed to neglect
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Response Paper Purposes Of Schooling Free Essays
string(56) " system which undermines the whole intent of its being\." In reading the articles that we have covered in category, there is one inquiry that comes to mind. Why? What is the intent of schooling and why do we analyze it? The reply to this is non really simple and it requires a organic structure of work from many different writers to seek to reply to the full. But unfortunately, this is what I seek to make with my essay in which I will compare and contrast several articles written by outstanding experts on Education such as Alfred Kohn, Philip Jackson, Patricia Carini, Barbara Rogoff, and John Dewey. We will write a custom essay sample on Response Paper : Purposes Of Schooling or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are many people who frequently assume that Education is an unreal thing created for grounds that are out of our control. But through the usage of these articles and my ain pertinent experience, I seek to show that acquisition, and schooling by extension, are non at all unreal and organize a important portion of our development as worlds ; the intent of schooling is hence to assistance in our already natural procedure of acquisition and contribute to it meaningfully. Let us therefore get down by analysing each writer ââ¬Ës chief points. Carini argues that through observation we can come to see the function that instruction dramas in the lives of kids. She therefore says that kids should be, ââ¬Å" Understood as active and open-ended, [ like ] us at any minute in our lives, and in all taken together, a complex [ image ] of weaknesss and virtuousnesss, of strengths and exposures. It seems to me that this is what makes us interesting and what makes instruction ( and non developing ) a possibility â⬠( Carini, 64 ) . It is of import to observe that she highlights the difference between instruction and preparation, something that most people frequently equate school to. The following writer, Rogoff, attempts to demo us how school is a natural continuance of larning that begins from birth by giving us assorted illustrations from assorted civilizations to drive the point place. She says that, ââ¬Å" The leaning to seek propinquity to and engag ement with their seniors aids immature kids everyplace in larning about the activities of the individual who is followed â⬠( Rogoff, 289 ) . This quotation mark shows us how some kids learn, through engagement and engagement with other members of their household. These first two writers focus the bulk of their several articles on analysing why schools exist and how this affects the kids in it. They ponder largely upon the intents of school in general. Herein we will discourse what this means. These two writers are in kernel doing the same point while reasoning from two different points of position. Rogoff argues that schooling is the right and natural continuance of larning and although schools must accommodate to each kid ââ¬Ës method of acquisition, it however emphasizes rational development in a faster and more structured manner, as opposed to the cultural methods she references. Her chief point is besides borne out of her position that merely as kids learn through guided engagement in cultural enterprises, so excessively must this method be used when it comes to structured school acquisition. It is the most natural method of larning and creates schools that merely mimic natural procedures of larning. Therefore, schooling in her head is merely a more structured manner of traveling through the procedure of larning which already occurs of course. The statement made by Carini is that of detecting kids and seeing how they act both in and out of school, to accurately see a image of them as persons and more significantly, bookmans. Schools are hence merely a normal continuation of society for Carini, a topographic point in which kids should be watched and dealt with in a specific mode harmonizing to how they learn and develop. Consequently, it becomes clear that the point that she tries to do is that of analysing kids decently in order to see their accomplishments and aptitudes highlighted in footings of acquisition, so that they may go better persons. This so leads us to our following three writers whose articles attempt to non merely analyze the relationship that childs have with school and why schools exist, but besides the specific methods of instruction. One of the first writers who begins to analyse the function of schooling is society is Jackson who in his article efforts to analyse the schoolroom, seeing how such a great portion of our twenty-four hours as kids is spent at that place. He summarizes the chief focal point of his essay like so: ââ¬Å" In three major ways them ââ¬â as members of crowds, as possible receivers of congratulations or rebuke, and as pawns of institutional governments ââ¬â pupils are confronted with facets of world that at least during their childhood are comparatively confined to the hours spent in schoolrooms. True, similar conditions are encountered in other environments â⬠( Jackson, 10-11 ) . The of import portion of this quotation mark is the fact that the three facets mentioned by the writer are as he said, ââ¬Å" facets of world â⬠. As a consequence, we can get down to see his chief point that classrooms fix the young person of our state for the existent universe. But doubtless as instruction continues, the procedure becomes more complex and thereby leads us to the following writer, Dewey. This educational expert argues that schools degenerate in a sense from topographic points where acquisition is the exclusive end to topographic points of competition and criterions. This he explains by stating that, ââ¬Å" This mental wont which reflects the societal scene subsidiaries instruction and societal agreements to stratifications based on mean gross lower statuss and high qualities â⬠( Dewey, 20 ) . He shows us by extension that this is the world of school as it stands but it is non, by any stretch of the imaginativeness, the existent intent of it. This so leads us to the 3rd writer that grapples with this issue, Kohn, who besides highlights a lack in the school system which undermines the whole intent of its being. You read "Response Paper : Purposes Of Schooling" in category "Essay examples" He says: ââ¬Å" The truth is that the job is non merely pena lties but besides wagess, non bad classs but the accent on rating per Se. Anything that gets kids to believe chiefly about their public presentation will sabotage their involvement in larning, their desire to be challenged, and finally the extent of their accomplishment â⬠( Kohn, 159 ) . All these points form a basic statement clear uping what the intent of instruction is, an statement that we will further analyse in the following subdivision. What do these writer ââ¬Ës theses have in common? In Jackson ââ¬Ës except we see what the writer sees as the intent of schooling but the other two writers address the subject otherwise by stressing the mistakes with the current system and how this is incongruous with what the end of instruction should be. Jackson toys with the thought that schoolrooms are a simulacrum of existent life that easy diffuses this fact to the kids through the old ages and hence helps to fix them for life. This is an idealised position of instruction because as Dewey and Kohn point out, the system has gone amiss. They point out the defects in the system and how this has changed the current educational ends and affected us negatively through the usage of extended scaling, inordinate testing, extrinsic motives, and ranking systems. What so do all these writer ââ¬Ës statements connote? The first two writers focused more on the ground why schools exists and should, while the last three writers we covered tended to concentrate more on how the educational system tallies and should be running and how this affects the pupils. For that ground, the deductions of their statements are important. They show us how school should ideally be and so portray the actuality of it and what that inspires in me, and hopefully all the readers, is disgust. We should be perfectly huffy and aghast with the current province of our educational system which has become increasing politicized and has lost its planetary border. I can talk to this as a merchandise of this really same system, which got progressively more oppress0ve and head numbing as the old ages went on. But that should non be the manner it is, because instruction is our hereafter and by altering the system into this more regulated and standardized from of its old ego, we are making more injury than good. This essay and these ar ticles should be seen as a call to action in order to change by reversal this perfectly exasperating procedure and to reform the current intent of schooling which is now an unreal creative activity. The chief statements made by these writers can sum up the intent of schooling as a natural attack to larning in a structured environment that Fosters larning, creativeness, imaginativeness, and find and does non concentrate on methods which emphasize nil but conformance to averageness. To better understand how influential this new intent of schooling would be, I must uncover a spot about myself. The fact of the affair is that I did pre-K to 1st class in Colombia and when I came to the United States, things were radically different. For starting motors, things in Colombia were every bit usual, structured for basic nucleus categories such as Writing and Math but in every other category we had a really broad scope of freedom that I could merely compare to my recent visit to Far Hills Country Day School. This private school sets itself apart from most public schools by offering a different method of larning for the pupils which includes giving them greater freedom to travel approximately and speak and interact with things in the schoolroom while still keeping subject. To be honest, I truly enjoyed watching those childs because it reminded me greatly of my schooling in Colombia which was set up in a really similar manner with a batch of cultural enrichment plans. But as a point of comparing, I can merely raise up memories from my first two old ages of schooling in the United States. Thingss were really different for me as I had grown up in a theoretical account that allowed me greater freedoms. I now had to hold a hall base on balls, and a bathroom base on balls and mark in and out of the schoolroom in my typically big 2nd class script and had assigned seats fro the whole twelvemonth and to be in categories with a really stiff construction that made me suffering for the first few months. Although it did non smother my English linguistic communication acquisition as that was indispensable for societal interaction, it did hold a negative impact on my mathematical accomplishments seeing how I was non used to this stiff system. That summer I had to even travel to summer school. Furthermore, I can state that 2nd class in the U.S was the first clip I was introduced to a system of standardised classs for the lower classs and even a system of honor axial rotation ; I was wholly alienated. Therefore, I must state that I extremely agree with the writers here who suggest that acquisition and school should be founded upon more natural and unconditioned methods of larning which allows for greater freedom and therefore a better scholastic public presentation for childs. In decision, what we have seen is how several different writers analyze what the intent and importance of school is in our modern society. And it is through the lens of their articles that I have analyzed my ain school experience and have come to hold with them in what the intent of school should be. I agree that school should non be so stiffly structured and that the intent of schooling is to mime the natural procedure in which a kid learns because this will mind better consequences. What does this imply? To take action! Our current educational system is rapidly being eroded and replaced by something that some old ages ago, writers such as George Orwell or Aldous Huxley would hold called oppressive. We must take action and battle against the current system that seeks to do school more structured, more strict, and overall, more unreal. An antithesis to what a existent instruction should be. The intent of schooling is to inform and to animate and through this essay I hope I have done nil less but to fuel your choler against the current system of incompetency and bureaucratic averageness and to do you recognize that larning and instruction is non a job ; its intent is to do you a better person. Beginnings: Carini, P. ( 2000 ) . A missive to parents and instructors on some ways of looking at and reflecting kids. In M. Himley A ; P.F. Carini ( Eds. ) , From another angle: Children ââ¬Ës strengths and school criterions, pp. 56-64. New York: Teachers College Press. Rogoff, B. ( 2003 ) The cultural nature of human development. Chapter 8 ââ¬Å" Learning through guided engagement in human enterprises. Oxford University Press. Kohn, A. ( 1999 ) . Punished by wagess. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Pp. 142-159. Dewey, J. ( 1922/1966 ) . Individuality, equality and high quality. In J. Ratner ( Ed. ) , Education today. ( pp. 171-177 ) . New York: Macmillan. Jackson, P. W. ( 1968/1990 ) . Life in Classrooms. New York: Teachers College Press. Chapter 1 ( 3-37 ) . My ain experience. How to cite Response Paper : Purposes Of Schooling, Essay examples
Friday, December 6, 2019
Quiapo Paper free essay sample
Dy, James Andrew D. SA 21-C Silva, Maria Patricia T. March 8, 2011 Uy, Christian R. Better Catholics and Better Filipinos Catholicism in the Philippines right now, is very prevalent, filled with all sorts of beliefs and values that are constantly being practiced by the Filipinos. How exactly did this Catholicism come to be? It was first introduced to the Filipino people by the Spaniards, our past colonizers, and this was what they first used to educate and to civilize the olden Filipino people. At the time, the Filipinos, though perceived to be simplistic, and were behind in terms of technology, arts, and the like in comparison to the western world, they already had their own culture, with its own set of respective belief and values, and thus, the Spaniards themselves were finding it rather difficult to simply teach their belief of Catholicism to the natives when they already believed in something else. In order to power through this and still be able to promulgate Catholicism, instead of taking over and erasing the Filipino culture, surprisingly, the opposite happened. The new teachings of the Catholic faith were infused and combined with the pre-existing beliefs of the natives. Frank Lynch defines Folk Catholicism as the combination of the culture of the Filipinos to the usual Catholic religious beliefs, and that is how Folk Catholicism is formed. To this day, Folk Catholicism is very much prevalent in the country, and in fact it can be regularly seen among the people. The biggest testament of which, is the appropriation of Catholic beliefs to Filipino culture can be seen in the way we celebrate our very own festivals in the Philippines and the way we celebrate known events like Lent, Christmas and even the Feasts of the Dead, all of these have become appropriated to the Philippine Culture to be centered around family and community solidarity. Ultimately, Lynch believed that the way Catholicism was appropriated with the Filipino Culture was a great way of promoting the Catholic faith, for it was able to help them better understand and live Christs message. The Catholic faith has been manifested in a physical form that is very Filipino, and thus, it helps the Filipinos themselves to live by the teachings. In addition to that, as what was previously stated, the Folk Catholicism that has been created solidifies the community and the amily, thereby bearing proof that being Better Catholics did indeed push the Filipinos to become better themselves. However, through the flow of time, and with all the changes that has happened technologically, socially and etc. , can this opinion still hold up? Has Folk Catholicism continued to be complementary to the original Catholic faith? The answer to that question lies within the heart of Manila, in Quiapo Church and Plaza Miranda. In the hodgepodge of people, paraphernalia and seemingly ra ndom clutter of items and beliefs, there lies the truest form of the present Folk Catholicism. To start off, inside the confines of the Quiapo Church, we were able to see a very solemn showing of faith by the devotees, from those sitting in theà pews, confessing to priests andà even to those who wereà slowly progressing through the center aisle while kneeling. Thousandsà of these devotees flock inside the church to pray and confess, and ofà course, to witness the Black Nazarene, the patron of the Basilica ofà Quiapo. A practice of which includes the pahalik, where devotees wait for their turn to touch theà foot of the Black Nazarene image near the altar. There is even theà blessing of images of the Black Nazarene after every mass which serves as a constant reminder that there is a God whom they worship and firmly believe in, and most gloriously, Catholics, Filipinos and foreigners alike, gather to witness theà procession of the Black Nazarene around Manila one in which they literally battleà for position to get the chance of having their cloths, rosaries, andà other accessories blessed by the Black Nazarene through a simple touch to the image. Needless to say, the power of the Catholic Faith is strong within the Quiapo Church. Immediately outside however, is a different story. In Plaza Miranda, it seems as if everything is opposite. There are women who, for a fee, would pray the entire Rosary for anyone who needs a prayer but is too busy to do so. Also,à vendors are all over the place selling a lot of different and exoticà products. Some sell amulets of protection or ââ¬Å"agimatâ⬠, some sellà different herbal medicines, and some even sell mystical stones said toà grant the bearer invisibility and protection over all things, and most striking of all is the presence of fortune-tellers who, for a measly 100 pesos, will use palmistry and a number of different tarot card readings to predict your future, a very tell-tale sign of the Occult which the Church is very much against. Everything there, from the amulets, and most specifically the fortune-tellers are all eemingly against the churchs teachings, and thus it seems as if the opinion and belief of Frank Lynch regarding the positivity of Folk Catholicism has been seemingly proven wrong. Seemingly. At the outset, everything that is inside the church is so massivelyà different from what is outside. It is easy for one to think that the ideals both sectors possess have grown to be complete opposites that the church andà the group of fortune tellers and my stic vendors outside are inà opposition with each other. However, when we were able to interview both theà fortune-tellers and the mystic vendors, they did indeed seem to veer off from what the church teaches by saying both extraordinary things (for theà vendors) and occult advices (for the fortune-tellers), however theà main point of what both of them said were very surprising and familiar;à ââ¬Å"You will get what you dream and want, if you strive hard and pray to God. â⬠In fact, even while giving your fortune, the fortune-teller continues to mention prayer to God, and continued reverence towards Him as being the most important part of living your life. From that statement, and from our observations around Quiapo, it can beà seen that what has been believed to be Folk Catholicism from before, has not actually significantly changed today. The beliefs and values revolving around the continued solidarity of the family and the community is still very much alive, as seen in the hubbub of people both inside and outside of the church, most of which are composed of (much like in the past) families. All in all, the way people have lived their faith, when compared to the Folk Catholicism of the past, indeed has changed. However, the change that has happened, did not affect the core value of our Folk Catholicism that was concluded by Frank Lynch. To this day, our focus on the family and the community still continue to resemble the words of Frank Lynch; Folk Catholicism has helped us become better Filipinos and better Catholics.
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