The article “Sleeping in the Dust at Burning Man” was written in May of 2014 by author Ron Feldman. In it, he explains the festival of Burning Man, as well as the festivals unique and striking connections to the texts of the Talmud which are a series of Jewish laws and traditions. It’s obvious from the opening few paragraphs that the author is very knowledgeable on not only the festival itself, but the text he’s comparing it to. The purpose of this article was mostly to inform and entertain the reader, which it does so quite well. This article provides an interesting insight of the festival itself as well as the religious text the festival seems to parallel. So, not only does Ron Feldman have an extensive knowledge about religion as well as the Burning Man festival, he also uses this knowledge to construct a well written, and entertaining article that achieves all eight elements of critical thinking. …show more content…
Feldman uses his obvious knowledge of religions to his advantage. Drawing many comparisons in Burning Man, with its “24/7 music, performances, dancing, and free-flowing alcohol,” to Sukkot a “celebration with music, singing, and dancing where none of the participants would sleep.” This is not the only comparison however. Feldman also compares the pilgrimage Israelite's would have to make during the eight days of Sukkot to the pilgrimage to Burning Man, as well as the “temporary booths” the Israelite's had to stay in to the makeshift homes the people at Burning man would have to live in until the end of the festival. These points made in this article really help to drive the authors point home and help the reader to see the festivals connection to religion more
My mind took other avenues. In my sleepless, silent trance the fire came to occupy the empty cavity of my thoughts, and I came to realize the significance of the fire and its place in the lonely ceremony of service. Fire was among the first inventions of primitive man. In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Olympus and gave it to humans, catalyzing the advancement of civilization. Under the stars it became clear the fire I was fueling was a symbol: I was growing civilization through my sacrifices. I pondered this curious realization throughout the night.
Fire in the Ashes, by Jonathan Kozal, is a book about Kozal’s observations regarding impoverished families living in New York City. Through his work, Kozal not only befriends the families he is studying, but is also granted access into the Martinique hotel, a housing establishment in New York City for the poor.
The individuals in the Southern Plains did not acknowledge the dust storms as a threat, and continued to plow up the grass that held the soil together. A book by Donald Worster titled Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s, offered vivid descriptions of the effects of dust storms. One example was of a “small town printer [named] Nate White…” who was unable to see and “it was as if someone had put a blindfold over his eyes.” (Doc. A). The citizens in the Southern Plains had experienced the dust storm’s effects but, “ignored the radio warnings, went about their business as usual, and later wondered what had hit them” (Doc. A). In the 1930s, the Great Depression caused the wheat sales to drop due to unemployment in the east. Farmers then
In “Black Blizzard” from Scholastic Scope it describes how people survived the Dust Bowl during The Great Depression. Dust storms could be as high as 7,000 feet and were similar to tidal waves, but made from dirt, dirt so thick that people would be able to taste it and could suffocate from inhaling it. States on the Great Plains, such as Kansas and Oklahoma, suffered from hundreds of these destructive storms that destroyed the land, economy, and forced people to move west, mainly to California. In the early 1900’s people moved to the Plain states and successfully grew crops and raised cattle, destroying something they didn’t realize would save their lives. When farmer’s invaded they wiped out the native grasses and replaced it with cash crops,
During The great depression, African Americans had to pretend to be white in order to get and keep a job. (Malcolm's mother had to do this in order to keep her job)
Imagine a talking spider, who with the help of his wife, goes on an adventure to collect creatures to bring to a sky god so they can get his stories. The spider, Anansi, wants these stories so he can give them to society and memorize them himself. Imagine now, a coyote, and his uncle who is a god, Thunder, playing dice. If coyote wins, he gets Thunder’s fire, if he loses than Thunder gets to kill him. Both these trickster tales have things in common along with things not in common with each other.
The Great Depression affected many lives of americans and many others outside of the United States. The Great Depression first affected the people who were in the city. Then the depression reached the outsides of the cities and then the rural parts of the country. The wheat prices drop extremely. Then because of the poor farm practices from the many different plows used the Dust Bowl started. The Dust Bowl made it harder for farmers to survive in the Great Depression.
The Dust Bowl a tragic event that occurred during the 1930's primarily in the southern plains states. It hurt the lives of many people, and it was preventable. This event is relevant to what we are studying in class.
The printed work of the Dust Bowl written by Donald Worster tells of the devastating man-made events that occurred between 1929 and 1939. Worster described this time in history as the darkest moment life in the southern plains encountered in the twentieth-century (4) which was a time where drought, poverty, and famine were of concern. Worster also ties the Great Depression with the Dust Bowl and said that the same society produced them both because of the weakness of America (5). He strongly believes that the Dust Bowl was not a disaster created by nature, but a crisis created by man due to capitalism. Dust Bowl gives a powerful stance on how man ignored the limits of the land which led them into the dirty thirties; however, his beliefs cause him to disregard the disaster as the fault of nature, and specifically blamed man.
The Dust Bowl also known as the dirty thirties was a major crisis that happened in the United States in the 1930's. Drought struck over the Midwest causing their crops to perish and eventually making a majority of the farmers go into poverty. Thus causing them to flee from their homes and their belongings. looking for opportunities elsewhere. Some walked, some took the train, and some drove if they were fortunate enough to afford one. There are many different primary sources that picture this crisis which all lead to the conclusion that it was a devastating era in the Midwest and filled with misfortune. A few primary examples are as follows.
In the 1930s, there was a period of time known as the Dirty Thirties, or in other words the Dust Bowl. This period of time consisted of severe dust storms that significantly damaged the economy and agriculture of the U.S and Canadian prairies. The many causes of this crisis is one that has been discussed and debated for many years. However, the main cause of this entire debacle is indeed due to the horrendous drought that destroyed everything in sight. In addition, the other causes included overproduction and improper farming by farmers, high heat and winds, and lastly the unfortunate plague of grasshoppers.
“Barn Burning” first appeared in print in Harper’s Magazine in 1939 (Pinion). It is a short story by William Faulkner which depicts a young boy in crisis as he comes to realize the truth about his father’s pyromania. Faulkner takes the reader inside the boy’s life as he struggles to remain loyal to his unstable father. In the end the boy’s courage and sense of justice wins and he not only walks away from his father’s iron clad control over his life, but he is able to warn his father’s next victim. To understand how this boy could make such a courageous, difficult decision we must review the important events in the story and the effect they have on him.
The Dust Bowl negatively affected people who lived there in a personal way. The dust bowl was one of the worst natural disasters in the U.S.
My site visit took place on the first of February 2013 I had the privilege of attending the candle lighting ceremony of the Judaism religion. To bring in the day called Shabbat ( a sacred day to the Jewish community) at the Chabad Center of Kendall and Pincrest they lit candles, sang songs, and recited words from the Torah that reminded them of the historical story of Shabbat. The Shabbat is the equivalence to the Christian tradition of the Sabbath, where the religious community stops to rest and ponder on the holy one. This establishment is a well-respected and reputable Chabad Lubavitch branch of the Jewish
Jonathan Kozol’s Fire in the Ashes is an honest depiction of the hardships and triumphs of families in the South Bronx, New York. In this book, Kozol introduces us to several Hispanic and Black families that he originally met in the Mott Haven/Martinique Hotel in the 1980’s and allows us to view their trajectory in the proceeding 25 years. By allowing the reader a look into the lives of these families, he provides us with a realistic depiction of the disadvantages families living in poverty encounter despite interventions from charity organizations and philanthropic donors. Kozol identifies that without “systematic justice and systematic equity in public education” (Kozol, 2013, pg 304) students in these impoverished neighborhoods will continue to lack the same economic opportunities that may potentially lead them out of the welfare system. Kozol emphasizes lack of stable housing, and unequal educational opportunities, as primarily conditions to perpetuating poverty. Despite the challenges that the families endure, Kozol is able to show that they are resilient.