Taino Lifestyle Essay Example for Free

Taino Lifestyle Essay The Arawak/Taino society was basically a very gentle culture. It was characterized by happiness, friendliness and a highly organized hierarchical, paternal society, and a lack of guile. Each society was a small kingdom and the leader was called a cacique. The cacique’s function was to keep the welfare of the village by assigning daily work and making sure everyone got an equal share. The relatives of the caciques lived together in large houses in the center of the village. These houses reflect the warmth of the climate and simply used mud, straw and palm leaves. The houses did not contain much furniture. People slept in cotton hammocks or simply on mats of banana leaves. The general population lived in large circular buildings called bohios, constructed with wooden poles, woven straw, and palm leaves. At the time of Columbus there were five different kingdoms on the island of Hispaniola. The Indians practiced polygamy. Most men had 2 or 3 wives, but the caciques had as many as 30. It was a great honor for a woman to be married to a cacique. Not only did she enjoy a materially superior lifestyle, but her children were held in high esteem. HOUSING AND DRESS The Arawak/Taino used two primary architectural styles for their homes. The general population lived in circular buildings with poles providing the primary support and these were covered with woven straw and palm leaves. They were somewhat like North American teepees except rather than being covered with skins they needed to reflect the warmth of the climate and simply used straw and palm leaves. The caciques were singled out for unique housing. Their house were rectangular and even featured a small porch. Despite the difference in shape, and the considerably larger buildings, the same materials were used. When the Africans came beginning in 1507 they introduced mud and wattle as primary building materials. However, there is no record of the Arawak/Tainos having used these materials. The house of the cacique contained only his own family. However, given the number of wives he might have, this constituted a huge family. The round houses of the common people were also large. Each one had about 10-15 men and their whole families. Thus any Arawak/Taino home might house a hundred people. The houses did not contain much furniture. People slept in cotton hammocks or simply on mats of banana leaves. They also made wooden chairs with woven seats, couches and built cradles for their children. In addition to houses the typical Arawak/Taino village contained a flat court in the center of the village which was used for ball games and various festivals, both religious and secular. Houses were around this court. This was a hierarchical society, and while there was only one cacique who was paid a tribute (tax) to oversee the village, there were other levels of sub-caciques, who were not paid, but did hold positions of honor. They were liable for various services to the village and cacique. Stone making was especially developed among the Arawak/Tainos, but they seem not to have used it at all in building houses. It was primarily used for tools and especially religious artifacts. The men were generally naked, but the women sometimes wore short skirts. Men and women alike adorned their bodies with paint and shells and other decorations. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Arawak/Taino diet, like ours, centered around meat or fish as the primary source of protein. There never were many wild animals to hunt on Hispaniola, but there were some small mammals which were hunted and enjoyed. They also ate snakes, various rodents, bats, worms, birds, in general any living things they could find with the exception of humans. They were able to hunt ducks and turtles in the lakes and sea. The costal natives relied heavily on fishing, and tended to eat their fish either raw or only partially cooked. Since they did grow cotton on the island, the natives had fishing nets made of cotton. The natives of the interior relied more on agriculture and de-emphasized meat or fish in their diet. The Taino had a developed system of agriculture which was environmentally friendly and almost maintenance free. They raised their crops in a conuco, a large mound which was devised especially for farming. They packed the conuco with leaves which improved drainage and protected it from soil erosion. One of the primary crops cultivated by the Taino was cassava or yuca, which they ate as a flat bread. They also grew corn, squash, beans, peppers, sweet potatoes, yams, peanuts as well as tobacco. (As an aside I would like to comment that many people in the pre-Columbian Americas had virtually work free agriculture. This system meant that people living in these materially simple social systems had enormous amounts of free time and often developed elaborate religious rites which took a lot of their time, but also had highly developed systems of games and recreation. There are some nice advantages to very simple living and diet!) One of the Arawak/Taino’s primary crops was cassava. This is a root crop from which a poisonous juice must be squeezed. Then it is baked into a bread like slab. The current method of doing this in Haiti produces a flat bread, sort of like a stale burrito or pizza shell. The Arawak/Taino grew corn (maize), squash, beans, peppers, sweet potatoes, yams and peanuts. They not only had cotton, but they raised tobacco and enjoyed smoking very much. It was not only a part of their social life, but was used in religious ceremonies too. TRANSPORTATION The Arawak/Taino had no large animals like horses, oxen or mules to ride or use for work. But they did have river and sea transportation. They used dugout canoes which were cut from a single tree trunk and used with paddles. They could take 70-80 people in a single canoe and even used them for long travels on the sea. These dugouts allowed fishing the few lakes of Hispaniola as well as fishing out a bit off the coast. DEFENSE The Arawak/Taino themselves were quite peaceful people, but they did have to defend themselves from the Caribs who were cannibals. The Caribs of this area were centered at what is today Puerto Rico, but some did live in northeast Hispaniola, an area that today is the Dominican Republic. The Caribs were war-like cannibals. They often raided the more peaceful Arawak/Tainos, killing off the men, stealing and holding the women for breeding, and fattening the children to eat. Thus the Arawak/Taino had some weapons which they used in defense. They used the bow and arrow, and had developed some poisons for their arrow tips. They had cotton ropes for defensive purposes and some spears with fish hooks on the end. Since there were hardwoods on the island, they did have a war club made of macana. This was about 1†³ thick and reminds one very much of the cocomaque stick used in later Haitian days. They did not develop any armor or specifically defensive weapons (shields, etc.). RELIGION AND MYTH The Arawak/Taino were polytheists and their gods were called zemi. The zemi controlled various functions of the universe, very much like Greek gods did, or like later Haitian Voodoo lwa. However, they do not seem to have had particular personalities like the Greek and Haitian gods/spirits do. There were three primary religious practices: Religious worship and obeisance to the zemi themselves Dancing in the village court during special festivals of thanksgiving or petition Medicine men, or priests, consulting the zemi for advice and healing. This was done in public ceremonies with song and dance People had special dress for the ceremonies which included paint and feathers. From their knees on down they would be covered in shells. The shaman (medicine man or priests) presented the carved figures of the zemi. The cacique sat on wooden stool, a place of honor. (There are many surviving stone carvings of the cacique on his stool.) There was a ceremonial beating of drums. People induced vomiting with a swallowing stick. This was to purge the body of impurities, both a literal physical purging and a symbolic spiritual purging. This ceremonial purging and other rites were a symbolic changing before zemi. Women served bread (a communion rite), first to zemi, then to the cacique followed by the other people. The sacred bread was a powerful protector. (The interesting similarities between this ritual and the Christian practice of eucharist is obvious!) Finally came an oral history lesson — the singing of the village epic in honor of the cacique and his ancestors. As the poet recited he was accompanied by a maraca, a piece of hardwood which was beaten with pebbles. There was an afterlife where the good would be rewarded. They would meet up with dead relatives and friends. Since most of the people they would meet in this paradise were women, it is curious to speculate if it was mainly women who were considered good, or if some other reason accounted for this division of the sexes in the afterlife. There are many stone religious artifacts which have been found in Haiti. The zemi take on strange forms like toads, turtles, snakes, alligators and various distorted and hideous human faces. The zemi, as well as dead caciques, have certain powers over the natural world and must be dealt with. Thus these various services are ways of acknowledging their power (worship and thanksgiving) and at the same time seeking their aid. Because of these powers there are many Arawak/Tanio stories which account for the origins of some experienced phenomena in myth and or magic. Several myths had to do with caves. The sun and moon, for example, came out of caves. Another story tells that the people lived in caves and only came out at night. One guard was supposed to watch carefully over people to be sure they were well divided in the land. However, one day he was late in returning and the sun caught him and turned him into a stone pillar. Another Indian became angry at the sun for its various tricks and decided to leave. He convinced all the women to abandon their men and come with him along with their children. But, the children were deserted, and in their hunger they turned into frogs. The women simply disappeared. This left the men without women. But, they did find some sexless creatures roaming around and eventually captured them. (Actually they used people with a disease like mange since they had rough hands and could hold on to these elusive creatures.) However, they tied these creatures up and put woodpeckers on them. The birds, thinking these were trees started pecking on them and carved out the sex organs of women, thus re-establishing the possibility of survival. A different myth simply tells that once there were no women. Man brought woman from an island where there were only women. The origin of the oceans was in a huge flood which occurred when a father murdered his son (who was about to murder the father), and then put his bones in a calabash. The bones turned to fish and then the gourd broke and all the water of the world flowed from the broken gourd. GENOCIDE AGAINST THE ARAWAK/TAINO INDIANS There is a great debate as to just how many Arawak/Taino inhabited Hispaniola when Columbus landed in 1492. Some of the early Spanish historian/observers claimed there were as many as 3,000,000 to 4,000,000. These numbers seem to be based on very little reliable evidence and are thought to be gross exaggerations. However, since nothing like a census was done, the methods for estimating the numbers are extremely shaky, whether by these early historians or later critics. One long technical article on the population comes in the with the low estimate of 100,000. Several other modern scholars seem to lean more forcefully in the area of 300,000 to 400,000. Whatever the number, what happened to them is extremely tragic. They were not immune to European diseases, especially smallpox, and the Spanish worked them unmercifully in the mines and fields. By 1507 the Spanish were settled and able to do a more reliable job of counting the Arawak/Tainos. It is generally agreed that by 1507 their numbers had shrunk to 60,000. By 1531 the number was down to 600. Today there are no easily discerned traces of the Arawak/Tanio at all except for some of the archaeological remains that have been found. Not only on Hispaniola, but also across the Windward Passage in Cuba, complete genocide was practiced on these natives. Disease was a major cause of their demise. However, on Columbus’ 2nd voyage he began to require a tribute from the Arawak/Tainos. They were expected to yield a certain quantity of gold per capita. Failing that each adult of 14 was required to submit 25lbs. of cotton. For those who could not produce the cotton either, there was a service requirement for them to work for the Spanish. This set the stage for a system of assigning the Arawak/Taino to Spanish settlers as effective slave labor. This system contributed significantly to their genocide.

Missing in Action: The Female Work Force in Nazi Germany :: European History Research Papers

The Female Work Force in Nazi Germany Unlike the examples of the United States, Great Britain, Italy, and the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany refused to mobilize its female work force behind their war effort. Even as Germany was starving from attrition in a lack in war supplies as well as civilian essentials such as food, Nazi officials declined from enlisting the female force as laborers. All of Europe struggled to survive throughout the brutality of World War Two by using every resource available, except for Germany. Germany struggled as well, but stubbornly denied its full capacity in fighting the war by declaring the workplace unsuitable for women. Yet women around the world supplied munitions to the men at the front in order to succeed militarily as well as domestically. Germany did not have the luxury of maintaining a male dominated work force during the war, yet they tried to do so and found disaster. The reasons that Germany chose not to mobilize "racially acceptable" German women into the work force were complex and varied, but can be categorized into four primary categories. Firstly, Nazi expectation about World War II influenced not only how they dealt women, but also the entire German community. Nazi belief and behavior supported a "racially" superior nation inhabited by a war weary people. Subsequently, they feared losing support should Germany become involved in a protracted war or if the government asked too many sacrifices from its people. Secondly, German history paints a continuous prejudice toward women and their role in society. Nazis understood the prejudice, based their ideologies and policies on it, and then expanded from this base to more radical and limiting policies toward women. Thirdly, the enactment of Nazi policies and ideologies toward women were incompatible with including them in the war-stressed industrial force. Nazis had mapped out women's role in the Third Reich before the war, and were inflexible to altering it to include the necessary hardships of war. Finally, Germany used a pool of labor in their industry that was unique to Nazi Germany. Germany had the luxury of pulling from the populations of occupied Europe to fill its factories, and when even they were not enough, Nazis finally used the "inferior" forces of the inmates of concentration camps. Nazi Germany's failure to mobilize its female work force behind its war effort was a flaw that eventually became fatal. Germany is a country traditionally preoccupied with status and titles.

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 16

I'msorry. Was I interrupting something?† he said, Maggie had to struggle not to draw in her breath sharply. It was always a little bit of a shock seeing him. And even in a room with Hunter Redfern and thepale and dazzling Sylvia, he stood out. Like a coldwind blowing through the door, he seemed to bringcoiled energy in with him, to slap everyone awakewith the chilly smell of snow. And of course he was gorgeous, too. And not awed by Hunter, Maggie thought. Hefaced his greatgrandfather with those fearless yellow eyes level, and a measuring look on his fineboned face. â€Å"Nothing at all,† Hunter Redfern said amiably.†We were waiting for you. And planningthecelebrations.† â€Å"Celebrations?† â€Å"To honor our agreement. I'm so pleased that we've come to an understanding at last. Aren'tyou?† â€Å"Of course,† Delos said, pulling off his gloveswithout any change in expression. â€Å"When we docome to an understanding, I'll be very pleased.† Maggie had to bite her lip on a snicker. At thatmoment, looking at Hunter's facile smile and Sylvia's pinned-on simper, she had never liked Delos'sdour, cold grimness better. Idiot, she told herself. When did you ever like itat all? The guy's an icicle. But there was something clean and sharp-edgedabout his iciness, and she couldn't help admiring the way he faced Hunter. There was a little aching knot in her chest as she watched himstandingthere, tense and elegant, with his dark hair tousled from riding. Which wasn't to say she wasn't scared. That auraof power Delos carried along with him was veryreal. He had sensed her before, even with Aradiablockingthe signs of her lifeforce. And now here he was, maybe twelve feet away, with only a pieceof linen between them. There was nothing Maggie could do but sit asstillas possible. â€Å"Sylvia has taken the liberty of beginning thepreparations,† Hunter said. â€Å"I hope you don't mind.I think we can work out any little details that areleft before tomorrow, don't you?† Suddenly Delos looked tired. He tossed his gloveson the bed and nodded, conceding a point. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Essentially,† Hunter Redfern said,†we are agreed. This time Delos just nodded without speaking. â€Å"I can't wait to show you off to the world outside,† Hunter said, and this time Maggie thought the note of pride and eagerness in his voice was sincere. â€Å"My great-grandson. And to think that ayear ago I didn't know of your existence.† Hecrossed to slap Delos on the back. It was a gestureso much like the old king's that Maggie's eyeswidened. â€Å"I'm going to make some preparations of myown,† he said. â€Å"I think the last hunt before youleave should be special, don't you?† He was smilingashe left. Delos stared moodily at the fur coverlet. â€Å"Well,† Sylvia said, sounding almost chirpy.†How's the arm?† Delos glanced down at it. He was still wearingthe complicated brace thing Maggie had seen him in yesterday. â€Å"It's allriot.† â€Å"Hurts?† â€Å"A little.† Sylvia sighed and shook her head. â€Å"That's because you used it for practice. I did warn you,you know.† â€Å"Can you make it better or not?† Delos saidbrusquely. Sylvia was already opening the basket. â€Å"I toldyou, it'll take time. But it should improve with each treatment as longas you don't use it.† She was fiddling with the brace, doing thingsthat Maggie couldn't see. And Maggie's heart wasbeating hard with anger and an unreasonableprotectiveness. I can't let her do that to Delosbut how can istop her? There's no way. If she sees me, it's allover†¦ . â€Å"There,† Sylvia said. â€Å"That should hold you fora while.† Maggie ground her teeth. But at least maybe she'll go now, she thought. Itfeels like about a century I've been sitting in herelistening to her. And this stool isn't getting anymore comfortable. â€Å"Now,† Sylvia said briskly, tidying. â€Å"Just let meput your gloves away-â€Å" Oh, no,Maggie thought, horrified. On the shelf beside her was a pile of gloves. â€Å"No,†Delos said, so quickly it was almost anecho. â€Å"I need them.† â€Å"Don't be silly. You're not going out again-â€Å" â€Å"I'll take them.† Delos had wonderful reflexes. Heput himself between Sylvia and the wardrobe, andan instant later he was holding on to the gloves,almost tugging them from her hands. Sylvia looked up at him wonderingly for a longmoment. Maggie could see her face, the creamy skin delicately flushed, and her eyes, the color of r-drenched violets. She could see the shimmerof her pale blondhairas Sylvia shook her head slightly. Delos stared down at her implacably. Then Sylvia shrugged her ft-agile shoulders andletgo of the gloves. â€Å"I'll go see to the feast,† she said lightly andsmiled. She picked up her basket and moved gracefully to the door. Delos watched her go. Maggiesimply sat, speechless and paralyzed.When Delos followed Sylvia and closed the door firmly behind her, she made herself get slowly offthe stool. She backed away from the curtainsslightly, but she could still see a strip of thebedroom. Delos walked unerringly straight to the wardrobe.†You can come out now,† he said, his voice flatand hard. Maggie shut her eyes. Great. Well, I should have known. But he hadn't let Sylvia come in and discoverher, and he hadn't simply turned her over to his guards. Those were very good signs, she told herself stoutly. In fact, maybe she wasn't going to haveto persuade him of anything at all; maybe he wasalready going to be reasonable. â€Å"Or do I have to come in?† Delos said dangerously. Or maybe not, Maggie thought. She felt a sudden idiotic desire to get the dust out of her hair. She shook her head a few times, brushing at it, then gave up. Terribly conscious of her smudged face and slaveclothing, she parted the linen hangings andwalked out. â€Å"I warned you,† Delos said. He was facing her squarely, his jaw set and hismouth as grimas she had ever seen it. His eyeswere hooded, a dull and eerie gold in the shadows.He looked every inch the dark and mysterious vam pire prince. And here I am, Maggie thought. Looking like†¦well, like vermin, I bet. Like something fished outof the gutter. Not much of a representative forhumanity. She had never cared about clothes or hairstylesor things like that, but just now she wished thatshe could at least look presentable. Since the fateof the world might just depend on her. Even so, there was something in the air betweenDelos and herself. A sort of quivering aliveness that quickened the blood in Maggie's veins. That stirredsomething in her chest, and started her heartpounding with an odd mixture of fear and hope. She faced Delos just assquarelyashe was facing her. â€Å"I know some things that I think you need toknow,† she said quietly. He ignored that. â€Å"I told you what would happenif you came here. I told you I wouldn't protectyou again.† â€Å"I remember. But you didprotect me again. AndI thank you-but I really think I'd better tell youwhat's going on. Sylvia is the suspicious type, andif she's gone to Hunter Redfern to say that youdon't want people looking in your closet-â€Å" â€Å"Don't you understand?†he said with such sudden violence that Maggie's throat closed, chokingoff her words. She stared at him. â€Å"You're so closeto dying, but you don't seem to care. Are you toostupid to grasp it, or do you just have a deathwish?† The thumping in Maggie's chest now was definitelyfear. â€Å"I do understand,† she began slowly, when shecould get her voice to work. â€Å"No, you don't, â€Å"he said. `But I'll make you.† All at once his eyes were blazing. Not just theirnormal brilliant yellow, but a dazzling and unnatural gold that seemed to hold its own light. Even though Maggie had seen it before, it wasstill a shock to watch his features change. His face going paler, even more beautiful and clearly defined, chiseled in ice. His pupils widening like a predator's, holding a darkness that a human coulddrown in. And that proud and willful mouth twist ing in anger. It all happened in a second or so. And then hewas advancing on her, with dark fire in his eyes,and his lips pulling back from his teeth. Maggie stared at the fangs, helplessly horrifiedall over again. They were even sharper than she remembered them looking. They indented hislower lip on either side, even with his mouth partly .open. And, yes, they were definitely scary. â€Å"This is what I am,† Delos said, speaking easily around the fangs. â€Å"A hunting animal. Part of a world of darkness that you couldn't survive for aminute in. I've told you over and over to stay awayfrom it, but you won't listen. You turn up in my own castle, and you just won't believe your danger.So now I'm going to show you.† Maggie took a step backward. She wasn't in agood position; the wall was behind her and thehuge bed was on her left. Delos was between her and the door. And she had already seen how fasthis reflexes were. Her legs felt unsteady; her pulse was beating erratically. Her breath was coming fast. He doesn't really mean ithe won't really do it. He isn't serious†¦. But for all her mind's desperate chanting, panicwas beginning to riot inside her. The instincts of forgotten ancestors, long buried, were surfacing.Some ancient part of her remembered being chased by hunting animals, being prey. She backed up until she came in contact with the tapestry-hung wall behind her. And then therewas nowhere else to go. â€Å"Now,† Delos said and closed the distance between them with the grace of a tiger. He was right in front of her. Maggie couldn't helplooking up at him, looking directly into that alienand beautiful face. She could smell a scent like autumn leaves and fresh snow, but she could feel theheat from his body. He's nothing dead or undead, some very distantpart of her mind thought. He's ruthless, he's beenraised to be a weapon, but he's definitely alivemaybe the most alive thing I've ever seen. When he moved, there was nowhere she couldgo to avoid him. His hands closed on her shoulderslike implacable bands of steel. And then he waspulling her forward, not roughly but not gently either, pulling her until her body rested lightlyagainst his. And he was looking down at her withgolden eyes that burned like twin flames. Looking at my throat, Maggie thought. She couldfeel the pulse beating there, and with her chin tiltedup to look at him and her upper body arched away from him, she knew he could see it. His eyes werefixed on it with a different kind of hunger than shehad ever seen in a human face. For just one instant the panic overwhelmed her,flooding up blackly to engulf everything else. Shecouldn't think; she was nothing but a terrified massof instinct, and all she wanted to do was to run,toget away. Then, slowly at first, the panic receded. It simplypoured off her, draining away. She feltasif she were rising from deep water into air clear ascrystal. She looked straight into the golden eyes aboveher and said, â€Å"Go ahead.† She had the pleasure of seeing the golden eyeslook startled. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Go ahead,† Maggie said distinctly. â€Å"It doesn'tmatter. You're stronger than me; we both knowthat. But whatever you do, you can't make me yourprey. You don't have that power. You can't control me.† Delos hissed in fury, a reptilian sound. â€Å"You are â€Å". so â€Å"You wanted me scared; I'm scared. But, then, Iwas scared before. And it doesn't matter. There's something more important than me at stake here.Prove whatever you've got to prove and then I'll tell you about it. â€Å"So completely stupid,† Delos raged. But Maggiehad the odd feeling that his anger was more against himself than her. â€Å"You don't think I'll hurt you,†he said. â€Å"You're wrong there.† â€Å"I willhurt you. I'll show you-â€Å" â€Å"You can kill me,† Maggie said clearly. â€Å"But that'sall you can do. I told you, you can't control me. And you cant change what's between us.† He was very, very angry now. The fathomless pupils of his eyes were like black holes, and Maggie suddenly remembered that he wasn't just a vampire, or just a weapon, but some doomsday creature with powers meant for the end of the world.He hovered over her with his fangs showing. â€Å"I willhurt you,† he said. â€Å"Watch me hurt you.†He bent to her angrily, and she could see his intent in his eyes. He meant to frighten and disillusion †¦ †¦ and he kissed her mouth like raindrops falling on cool water. Maggie clung to him desperately and kissed back. Where they touched they dissolved into each other.Then she felt him tremble in her arms and they were both lost. It was like the first time when their minds had joined. Maggie felt a pulsing thrill that enveloped her entire body. She could feel the pure line ofcommunication open between them, she could feelherself lifted into that wonderful still place whereonly the two of them existed and nothing else mattered. Dimly, she knew that her physical self was fallingforward, that they were both falling, still clasped in each other's arms. But in the hushed place of crystalline beauty where she really was, they werefacing each other in a white light. It was like being inside his mind again, but thistime he was there opposite her, gazing at her directly. He didn't look like a doomsday weapon anymore, or even like a vampire. His black-lashedgolden eyes were large, like a solemn child's. Therewas a terrible wistfulness in his face. He swallowed, and then she heard his mentalvoice. It was just the barest breath of sound. Idon'twant this Yes, you do, she interrupted, indignant. The normal barriers that existed between two people had melted; she knew what he was feeling, and shedidn't like being lied to. -to end,he finished. Oh. Maggie's eyes filled with sudden hot tears. She did what was instinctive to her. She reachedout to him. And then they were embracing in their minds, justastheir physical bodies embraced, andthere was that feeling of invisible wings allaround them. Maggie could catch fragments of his thoughts,not just the surface ones, but things so deep shewasn't sure he even knew he was thinking them. So lonely †¦ always been lonely. Meant to be that way. Always alone †¦ No, you're not,she told him, trying to communicate it to the deepest part of him. Iwon't let you be alone. And wewere meant to be like this; can't you feel it? What she could feel was his powerful longing.But he couldn't be convinced all at once. She heard something like Destiny †¦ And shesaw images of his past. His father. His teachers.The nobles. Even the slaves who had heard theprophecies. They all believed he had only one purpose, and it had to do with the end of the world. You canchange your destiny, she said. Youdon't have to go along with it. I don't know what's going to happen with the world, but you don't have to be what they say. You have the power to fight them! For one heartbeat the image of his father seemed to loom closer, tall and terrible, a father seen through the eyes of childhood. Then the featuresblurred, changing just enough to become HunterRedfern with the same cruel and accusing light in his yellow eyes. And then the picture was swept away by a tidalwave of anger from Delos. I am not a weapon. I know that,Maggie told him. I can choose what I am from now on. I can choose what path to follow. Yes,Maggie said. Delos said simply, Ichoose to go with you. His anger was gone. Just briefly, she got theflicker of another image from him, as she had once before seeing herself through his eyes. He didn't see her as a slave girl with dusty hairand a smudged face and coarse sacking for clothes.He saw her as the girl with autumn-colored hairand endlessly deep sorrel eyes-the kind of eyesthat never wavered, but looked straight into his soul. He saw her as warm and real and vibrant,melting the black ice of his heart and setting him free. And then this image was gone, too, and they weresimply holding on to each other, lapped in peace. They stayed like that for a while, their spiritsflowing in and out of each other. Delos didn't seeminclined to move. And Maggie wanted it to last, too. She wanted tostay here for a long time, exploring all the deepestand most secret places of the mind that was nowopen to her. To touch him in ways he'd never beentouched before, this person who, beyond all logic,was the other half of her. Who belonged to her.Who was her soulmate. But there was something nagging at her consciousness. She couldn't ignore it, and when shefinally allowed herself to look at it, she remembered everything. And she was swept with a wave of alarm sostrong it snapped her right out of Delos's mind. She could feel the shock of separation reverberate in him as she sat up, aware of her own bodyagain. They were still linked enough that ithurther just as it hurt him. But she was too frightenedto care. â€Å"Delos,† she said urgently. â€Å"We've got to do something. There's going to be trouble.† He blinked at her,asif he were coming fromvery far away. â€Å"It will be all right,† he said. â€Å"No. It won't. You don't understand.† He sighed, very nearly his old exasperated snort.†If it's Hunter Redfern you're worried about-â€Å" â€Å"It's him-and Sylvia. Delos, I heard them talkingwhen I was in the wardrobe. You don't know what they've got planned.† â€Å"It doesn't matter what they've got planned. I cantake care of them.† He straightened a little, looked down at his left arm. â€Å"No, you can't,†Maggie said fiercely. â€Å"And that'sthe problem. Sylvia put a spell on you, a bindingspell, she called it. You can't use your power.†

The Literary And Pop Culture Vampire Of The 1950s

The Literary and Pop Culture Vampire of the 1950s The following paper illustrates the cultural function of vampire legends and beliefs in the context of literature and pop culture of the 1950s. Using the following film and novel, Curse of the Undead (1959) and I Am Legend (1954) to analyze the cultural function of vampire during this era. The paper uses historical references of 1950s to depict hidden meanings portrayed in the novel and film. Themes of threatening external invasion were paramount in Curse of the Undead (1959) and I Am Legend (1954). In addition, the metaphor of disease happens to appear in both film and novel. Interpretive elements of the Cold War are present amongst the literary and pop culture vampire which presents the vampire as diseased human, and, or vampire as victim of nuclear war. Curse of the Undead (1959) can be interpreted as anti-communism propaganda. The film is a composite of western and horror film, although it does not directly state, the vampire is casted as the communist disease. The disease metaphor relates the vampire to the spread of Communism infecting the America way of life. In a testimony in front of the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover used a disease metaphor to discuss the communist threat. This metaphor became part of cold war rhetoric. Hoover states that: â€Å"Victory will be assured once communists are identified and exposed, because the public will take the first step of quarantiningShow MoreRelatedGothic Realism And The Vampire Sub Cultures1512 Words   |  7 PagesSince the 18th century, Vampires have ultimately transcended narrative boundaries and genre divides and the Vampire sub-cultures flourish in neo-gothic aesthetic from science fiction and fantasy, romantic and young adult literature and in celluloid. Vampire graphic narratives are finding increased popularity and have since developed into an â€Å"Iconic popular culture phenomenon drawing an obsession and fascination globally†. (Jacqueline, Ng, 2014) So what inspired this new genre of graphic narrativeRead MoreGlee Essay9324 Words   |  38 Pagesme, ultimately about the series demonstrating its own voice and its space within the world of contemporary musicals. I don’t know what exactly I expected when I heard Joss Whedon would be directing, although it did send me diving for my Buffy The Vampire Slayer sing-along DVD. What I didn’t expect was an episode that didn’t feel like Whedon at all but felt intensely like Glee, more specifically the Glee that endeared itself to me in the first half of the season. What has always appealed to me aboutRead MoreAmerican Slang Essay 115481 Words   |  62 Pagesas CD booklets, songs and video clips, magazines and Web sites. Through the media, young people enter fan communities where they learn to incorporate certain forms of English into both their speech and writing to show that they’re a part of youth culture. As a result, American slang and related resources ha ve become a global code for youth worldwide embedded in a local code — the national language. â€Å"American,† writes H. L. Mencken,† shows its character in a constant experimentation, a wide hospitalityRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 PagesRastafari This page intentionally left blank Rastafari From Outcasts to Culture Bearers Ennis Barrington Edmonds 2003 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford It furthers the Universitys objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala