Bless me, Ultima Author- Rudolfo A. Anaya Published date- 1972 Genre- Coming of age Setting • Place-Guadalupe, New Mexico • Time – 1940’s • Atmosphere- Major Characters- • Antonio Márez-
Nicolle Davila Professor Patricia Perea Woman Studies 332 2 December 2014 Bless Me, Ultima Bless Me, Ultima, is a coming-of-age story about a young boy name Antonio and his life in rural New Mexico during WWII. The story revolves around young Antonio and his relationship with Ultima, an elder medicine woman (curandera). Written by Rudolfo Anaya, a Mexican-American author from New Mexico, the story is a prime example of life within the Chicano culture of New Mexico and the important roles woman play in the culture. About the Author Rudolfo Anaya is a Mexican-American writer and educator who was born on October 30, 1937, in Pastura, New Mexico.
It is truly fascinating that most humans are born in to this word with an intangible moral compass within them guiding them right from wrong. As humans mature so do their compasses through certain influences for instance culturally and emotionally. This idea of a moral compass correlates with the characters in Thomas McMahon’s novel McKay’s Bees. In chapter seven of the novel, Bruce Anders has a point of view that I do not agree with. With the aid of my textual evidence, I will prove why our opinions differ.
Although unusual for his time, Darwin’s idea that nature obeys no moral laws gradually grew more and more prominent as further discoveries were made supporting an evolutionary history of the earth. This objective view of nature, Gould notes, resolves any cognitive dissonance created by a religious perspective— if nature is not constrained by human or even divine morals, it is unsurprising that humans are able to find evil in its ways. No longer blinded by faith that everything in nature exists for a godly purpose, Gould claims that an individual who looks at nature objectively can learn from its successes and
Ayn Rand states that “Nothing can corrupt and disintegrate a culture or a man’s character as thoroughly as does the precept of moral agnosticism” (Rand). It is the thought that “one must never pass moral judgement on others,” (Rand) and that “good consists of never distinguishing good from evil,” (Rand) that led to the worship of the word “we”. Equality understands that “The worship of the word ‘we’,” (102) is what caused men to fall “lower than his savage beginnings” (102). By failing to distinguish good from evil, wise from fools, and strong from the weak, human beings are falsely perceived as equals. As people fail to differentiate between one another, individualism is lost, and the word “we” becomes their master.
What impact has Secularism and ‘New Age’ religions in Australia had on the Australian religious Landscape? Overview: With secularism present within the Australian constitution, religion is faced with the threat of fading into oblivion. Secularism is the principle of separation of religious institutions and state. This has allowed for a rapid increase of irreligious Australians and non catholic religions. With the modernisation of Australian society, new age religions have arisen.
What does it mean to “take the bullet” for someone else? It could literally mean that you take the bullet for someone, like a royal guard for a king; however, it could also mean to take misfortune, damage, or punishment, which may be upon someone else, against yourself. In Rudolfo Anaya’s, Bless Me Ultima, we experience a journey of a young boy, Tony, growing up and making difficult decisions that will affect his life. We follow along the teachings of Ultima, a curandera, as she gives Tony knowledge about herbs, the Earth, and the power of evil. We feel the powers of the Gods, and live with a mother hoping her son would become a priest.
The evil humans possess and use is a major theme in life and stories. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury, Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor, and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson all have these themes. The Veldt reveals the dark thoughts of children when the kids, Wendy and Peter, have their parents constantly being eaten by lions in their nursery. O'Connor shows the manipulative, evil side of Manly Pointer when he steals Hulga’s leg and shows how his personality contrasts and compares with the wide-eyed country girl in Good Country People.
Both sides of the nature versus nurture debate hold merit and have compelling arguments to answer the psychological question of whether behavior stems from inborn characteristics or learned practices - whether genes or surroundings are the root of human action and integrity. For Werner Pfennig of Anthony Doerr’s 2014 novel, All The Light We Cannot See, it is clear that the environments he lives in throughout his life influence his mannerisms and comportment. Werner is an excellent example of how the characteristics of external situations can impact morality - how nurture prevails over nature. The culture of the environments people find themselves in often unconsciously impact their virtues, and not always for the better. Growing up as orphans
The concept of morality is commonly believed to be a byproduct of religion with “[n]early half of Americans believ[ing] that morality is impossible without belief in god” (Pyysiäinen 44). Yet, the correlation between the two seems to be less concrete with research showing that “[c]ountries with high rates of religiosity tend to have higher rates of homicide, juvenile mortality (including suicide), sexually transmitted diseases and adolescent pregnancy, and abortion ( 45). Moreover, a study evaluated by Pyysiäinen finds that “religiosity has little to nothing to do with how people evaluate the goodness or badness and acceptability vs. non-acceptability of particular moral judgements” (Pyysiäinen 47). Instead of religion creating morals, Broom
Pojman asserts that this question highlights the question whether or not morality and religion are intertwined. Moreover, Socrates’ comments and critiques of Euthyphro’s claims provide readers a powerful model for what true dialectic thus promoting the development of a strong intellectual spine and the true core of
Throughout history, cultural values have been complexly affected by a large number of things. Most notably, we can see what various societies of the past valued through the stories they told, and the gods they worshipped. The folklore of any society is a window into the way they attempted to understand the world. At the same time, a society’s cultural values would shape the stories they told. Folklore and mythology have shaped and determined the cultural values of societies for many centuries.
In his satirical essay, “The Damned Human Race”, Mark Twain sets off on an uphill battle, to try and convince the entire human race to change its ways. Twain attempts to prove that morality, like any other virtue, has a dark side and this has been the cause of many of man’s problems. In a cynical tone, he uses extensive comparisons posed as experiments to point out the irony in Man’s decision to place themselves at the top of the hierarchy of all living things, based solely on their possession of a moral compass. Twain first utilizes comparisons in the form of experiments to aid his argument about the selfish cruelty of man. In this essay, his first experiment is on greed.
Thesis Statement: Origin of Morality Outline A.Universal Ethics 1.Karl Barth, The Command of God 2.Thomas Aquinas, The Natural Law 3.Thomas Hobbes, Natural Law and Natural Right 4.Immanuel Kant, The Categorical Imperative B.Morality and Practical Reason 1.Practical Reason a.Practical Reason and Practical Reasons C.Evolution of Morality 1.What makes Moral Creatures Moral 2.Explaining the Nature of Moral Judgments F. Answering Questions 1. What is the origin of Morality: Religion or Philosophy? 2. What does religion say about morality?
Ethics and Religion The human views on ethics are greatly influenced by certain beliefs, such as religion or philosophical ideas. Philosophy and religion are similar in this sense; they both are morally influential. However, if a person did not have such views, he/she is still capable of having good morals. Though religion is very impacting in many people’s ethical standings, and a majority of human morality is derived from some belief in religion or supported by philosophical reasoning, it is not the only way a person can be moral.
