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The event that I attended on November 15th of 2016 at 7:30 pm was Legally Blonde, a musical of Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. This performance was produced by the Texas State University Performing Arts Center of Theatre and Dance and was performed in the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre of Texas State University. This musical is based on the novel and the movie Legally Blonde. The production tells the story of the adventure of Elle Woods, a sorority girl at UCLA with a great fashion sense and an admiration of the color pink, finding her life go into a spiral when she is dumped by her boyfriend Warner. In an attempt to prove to Warner that she is worthy of his love, she follows him to Harvard Law School, where she struggles to fall in suit with everyone else and do well. Eventually, she challenges the obvious expectations that others have for blondes and manages to stay true to her charmingly pink charisma. This show was hilarious to attend, and every scene was entertaining to watch. I really liked how the effects of the scenery, lighting, costume, sound, choreography and singing were all alluring and kept me tuned in completely during the entire performance. I was captivated by how lovely the performance was done and carried out, and I have not seen such an amazing musical as this.

For scenery and lighting, they were both pretty elaborate. One example for scenery was how, in the beginning, parts of scenes were displayed on multiple cellphones. Another example was there were multiple set changes – from the Delta Nu house, to the Harvard Law admissions office, to Harvard Law, to outside, to Elle’s dorm, to the Harvard Law classroom, to the courtroom, to the salon, etc. The scene changes were on point and each set piece flowed perfectly with the words of the characters and the music of the song pieces. When it came to lighting, I liked how there were lots of pinks in each scene. The pink lights definitely gave a more Elle-type feel to the whole show, and it was a wonderful attribute of the musical. The spotlights for each character were basically perfect and spot-on. The characters looked good in their light and not one of the characters looked washed out or flat.

For costuming, each costume fit into the style of the early 2000s. I enjoyed how each character was dressed according to their personality – the costumes definitely made the character. Brandon R. McWilliams did well as costume designer by finding each costume for each actor and actress to fit the character physically and emotionally – costumes were very appropriate for each matter within the play. By wearing these costumes, the actors and actresses were able to display and carry out their mood and tone precisely.

MaeAnn Ross did well with the sound design. The sounds during the play were very suitable. Sound took the forms of sound effects, music and the use of microphones (whether on stage or on the actor). To me, nothing needed to be done differently with the microphones and music – everything seemed to be perfectly fine. The sound effects went well with the script as well as the music. Each sound and musical piece was integrated nicely into the script and into the performance. I loved every bit of it.

When it came to singing, these characters could literally sing their heart out – they are seriously talented – and sang with such enthusiasm. The singing followed each song of the musical tremendously well – to a T – and each song was sung with the emotion that it was supposed to be sang in. One example I would like to share is when Elle lead the song “So Much Better”, she showed sadness and eventually showed happiness and hopefulness because she saw her name on the list. There was only one time where I felt the singing was off, and that was one point in the first classroom scene. Besides that, each character sang their heart out and knew exactly how to sing each song correctly. The singing was one of my favorite parts of the whole show.

The choreography, my other favorite part of the musical theatre production, was – to be completely honest – amazing. Kiira Schmidt Carper knew exactly what she was doing when she put the dance moves together for each actor and actress to do. The dance breaks for each song where so funny and amazing, it was so much fun to watch every single one.

One thing that I never enjoy about any production here at Texas State University, produced by anyone who holds their showcases in the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre, is that the shows never start on time – ever.

In conclusion, I believe the musical theatre production of Legally Blonde at Texas State University was a complete success, and I could honestly watch it over and over again. The Musical Theatre department at Texas State has really shown out, and I am glad that I got to experience such an amazing performance that was brilliantly showcased. I have already recommended that others go watch the performance because it was just that good. I loved it, enjoyed it, greatly appreciated it, and laughed a lot throughout the whole musical.

Merlin has existed as the quintessential imaginary magical figure for centuries. Recognizable by name before even the writing of Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur, the Merlin figure pervades art throughout time, featured in numerous books, paintings, and films. Although the general consensus on Merlin’s demeanor persists as his being a wise, mysterious counselor, a second version of the character has arisen due to animated children’s films, specifically Walt Disney’s The Sword in the Stone. This film’s portrayal of Merlin as a kooky, strange hermit who borders on foolishness at times has influenced many other adaptations of the character including the one depicted in DreamWorks’ Shrek the Third. While an eccentric and odd Merlin opposes his traditional characterization, the medium calls for the necessity of Merlin being presented this way. As animation’s target audience is generally children, the realistic and dark aspects of the character are dropped in favor of entertainment and appeal. This opposing characterization both adds and detracts from the canonical Merlin, infringing on the legendary perception of him while adding more depth and arguably more mystery to the character. J. Hillis Miller’s “Narrative” argues that society craves the same story in repetition, so the skewing of the traditional aspects of the cultural figure not only adds a form of entertainment but also forces the new Merlin to act in conjunction with the old. Due to animated films altering the character of Merlin, a dual characterization has arisen which both adds and detracts from the original Merlin described in Arthurian legends and alters the character’s overall canonical personality.

Merlin in the Morte D'arthur offers an example of the traditional “Merlin” figure. Sir Thomas Malory’s wizard character is mysterious, wise, and drives the plot along. Upon his first introduction, it appears that Malory assumes his reader already understands who Merlin is as he offers no exposition on the character and merely immediately thrusts him into the action. Merlin then occasionally pops into the story, giving King Arthur advice and exhibiting some magical power. Even when not directly in the story itself, other characters refer to Merlin in reverence and remembering his power. While Malory never explores the extent of Merlin’s personality or power, it is stated that he has powers of disguise and prophesy along with extensive knowledge of both magical and real elements. Merlin himself never reveals aspects of his character beyond being a wise counselor who obeys his king, and little of Merlin’s own story is written in Malory’s work. Unlike other versions of Merlin, Malory’s character acts solely as the static and one-dimensional sagacious, mysterious sorcerer who is necessary for the plot to continue at times.

While Malory’s Merlin offers the traditional perception of the character, Walt Disney’s film The Sword in the Stone introduced a different version of Merlin. Unlike the unexpected visitor role Merlin plays in the Morte D'arthur, Disney’s Merlin has a much greater role in Arthur’s life, guiding him for essentially the entire movie. While this Merlin also acts as a counselor for Arthur, he is both a friend and holds more power over Arthur and his decisions. He also possesses great wisdom, however, unlike the foreboding and stiff Merlin Malory presents, Disney’s Merlin is silly, clumsy, and absent-minded. Although he possesses the power of prophecy, this ability, along with many others, is not entirely full-proof. This Merlin offers little mystery, instead playing the role of a kooky old man. Despite the extreme discrepancies between Malory and Disney’s characterizations of Merlin, the Disney version of the character has become quite popular, enough so to be included in Arthurian parody.

DreamWorks’ Shrek the Third, a children’s film which parodies Arthurian legends, takes both versions of Merlin previously discussed, spoofs the original, and furthers the ridiculousness of the character introduced in The Sword in the Stone. DreamWorks’ Merlin plays little role in the plot itself, existing what appears to be solely an opportunity to spoof another Arthurian aspect of the legends. While aforementioned Merlins played the role as mentor to Arthur, this aspect of Merlin is unnecessary in the film as the titular character Shrek fulfills this role. Instead, the film parodies this aspect of Merlin by portraying him as insane, mentioned that he was once a teacher before his “nervous breakdown” (Shrek the Third). This Merlin eats rocks, is quite dramatic, and wears clich? Merlin attire—wizards hat and robe, however, this is also spoofed. DreamWorks’ version of Merlin is not the great and powerful sorcerer as described in previous lore, but rather possesses more mediocre “special effects”-type magic and doubts himself and his abilities. Even when he performs more advanced magic, it only works partly as to add to the comedic elements of the film. DreamWorks’ foolish characterization of Merlin represents how much the idea of who Merlin is has changed over time, especially in thanks to children’s films.

The change of Merlins characterization overtime is mostly due to the necessity of adapting the character to the films’ targeted audience. Generally designed for children, such films rely on stereotypical tropes as to allow for juvenile audiences to understand the plot and characters. If the Merlin character was the powerful, mysterious figure he is in Morte D'arthur, he would not fit into a children’s film where generally “good guys” are more lighthearted and open. As children’s films call upon certain types of character, Merlin’s personality must then be changed as to appeal to the target audience. Similarly, the animated style of the films requires a specific type of character that differs from the traditional characterization of Merlin. Since animation removes the realism from the story, so must the realistic aspects of the characters be removed. Therefore, the original version of Merlin is dropped in favor of a more fantastic adaptation as to befit the medium; the loss of the realism associated with the dark and mysterious figure allows for the addition of more comedy and imaginative aspects of the character.

Also, if Merlin were similar to his Morte D'arthur counterpart, there would be no shock factor for those that know the canonical version of the character thus removing some of the comedy related to him. This would also detract from the entertainment, making the targeted audience bored and unamused by seeing an adult as normally seen in everyday life. As this man is an elderly wizard, an authority figure in society, he must have a sense of absurdity in order to appeal to children while also appealing to adults who know what the character normally is and add to the comedy/parody of the film(s). Therefore, the foolish adaptations of Merlin appeal to all audiences, both young and old, which also allows for the characterization to become popular.

By having such a ridiculous version of the character become so common in pop culture, this adaptation of Merlin infringes upon the original canonical version of the sorcerer. What was once only perceived and referenced as the epitome of wisdom and magic, children’s films have warped into a silly, old man trope. Not only do these adaptations of Merlin seemingly reduce him to a static figure meant only for entertainment, but also allow for a silly Merlin to become the “original” version of the character for many. Many children’s first introduction to the character may be through these comedic films which then infringes upon the canonical character, effectively instilling a new “original” Merlin, depending on the generation, and slowly replacing the Morte D'arthur version of Merlin as the primary characterization.

Although these comedic Merlins do detract from and somewhat replace the Morte D'arthur Merlin, it could be argued that by introducing the new trope—Merlin being a kooky hermit—allows for the character to be adapted for modern audiences and expanded upon, thus making him more dynamic and perhaps even more mysterious as his true nature is debatable. The adaptations of Merlin revamp the character and make it something new while still relying on its past interpretations. Miller’s chapter “Narrative” discusses how “we need the same story over and over” (70) for we crave recognizable content as it asserts “the basic ideology of our culture” (72). In this way, the adaptations of Merlin that make him out as foolish rely on the basic human desire for repetition of a familiar trope through people’s past experiences with the character whilst offering a new and interesting version to keep audiences interested. Then, as the “new” Merlin is assimilated into the culture and story canon, the new character traits become associated with the character and craved by audiences to be repeated.

As the new adaptation of Merlin becomes more used in our culture, it does not override the preexisting ideas of the character, but rather adds to the cultural interpretation of Merlin instating a dual characterization. The Morte D'arthur-type Merlin still prevails as a recognizable character, known for power, wisdom, and magic, but once The Sword in the Stone warped this version of the character to create a new adaptation, making Merlin kooky, foolish, and magically unreliable, he lost his aspects of realism and thus sank further into a mythical lore of our culture. By having opposing versions of the character so present in our culture, the character can be adapted however the adapters see fit like with Shrek the Third who chose to further the ridiculousness of Merlin as introduced in the Disney film. While the newer Merlin characterization does detract from the original canon version, it cannot be ignored that through the existence of another perception of the character, Merlin becomes more dynamic and a more mysterious figure as his nature does not have a consensus. By having a dual characterization of Merlin, thanks to animated children’s films, the character appeals to a wider audience and modernizes the character, making the Arthurian legendary figure relevant in modern culture.

Works Cited

Malory, Thomas, Sir. Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur: A New Modern English Translation Based on the Winchester Manuscript. Trans. Dorsey Armstrong. Anderson: Parlor Press, 2009. Print.

"Merlin." Disney Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Merlin (Shrek the Third)." WikiShrek. N.p., n.d. Web.

Miller, J. Hillis. "Narrative." Critical Terms for Literary Study. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1995. N. pag. Print.

Seanny, and Liambonez. "Ask John: Why is Animation Associated with Children’s Entertainment?" AnimeNation Anime News Blog. N.p., n.d. Web.

Shrek the Third. Dir. Chris Miller. DreamWorks, 2007.

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The Sword in the Stone. Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman. Walt Disney, 1963.

In the mornings of 11th September 2001, The World Trade in New York was attacked by a terrorist militant group. Shortly, a ‘war on terror’ emerged. . In 2003, president George W. Bush ordered an invasion in Iraq, with the suspicion that Iraq’s president Saddam Hussein was in the possession of a mass destruction weapon(WMD) targeting the US. In this essay, I shall explain core concepts of Classical Realism and Critical theory. As critical theory is a theory with various theories I shall focus on Gramscian concept of hegemony, as I believe this will be the suitable framework from the Critical tradition. I shall thereafter apply these theories together with the level of analyses, as frameworks to account for the legitimatization of the US 2003 invasion in Iraq. Core concepts of Classical Realism Classical Realism is the dominant theory of international relations. War, peace and conflict have been the focus of the realist theorist in International Relations.

The most key ancient Realist thinkers in the field of international Relations are, Thucydides, Thomas Hobbes, E. H Car and Hans Morgenthau. Niccolò Machiavelli, a modern Italian scientist argues against the notion that state leaders should be and act righteous. Machiavelli further states that, morality has no place in politics. According to Hobbes, human beings are egoist and lust for power. ” …And the life of a man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short”. In realism, the international system is anarchic, and therefore promotes a struggle for survival, through a maximization of power, among states. Thus, states are the main units in the international system. The existence of states in an anarchic system, creates insecurity, and encourages a constant competition for power, between major and great powers. Furthermore, the international system is a self-help system, where states must ensure its own safety and survival. If a state is conceived as the most powerful, a counterbalance of power, will be created by major and great powers- balance of power. The balance of power prevents any state for dominating another state, and thus provides for stability in the international system.

US invasion in Iraq 2003: A Realist Perceptive During World War 2, nation-states hostile to each other where the ultimate sources of threats. After the 9/11 attack in New York, a new definition of threats emerged. Firstly, terror organizations were now able to commit terror anywhere in the world. Secondly, weak states that harbor terrorist organizations, and roque states that massacre their own people, and determined to acquire WMD. Lastly, terrorist organization with access to harmful military technology, poses a serious threat to international security. The destruction of the Twin Towers at the ‘heart of America’ showed how a minor group was able to attack the worlds most sophisticated security and defense technology. The ‘war on terror’ was an attempt to dismantle Al-Qaeda and its organizational networks in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2002, former US president, George. H. W Bush, set forth a vital document- The National Security Strategy of the United States, also referred to as, the Bush Doctrine. The document outlined the rationale for the war, and defined the threat against the US as, “a combination of radicalism and technology”. Bush stated following, “The gravest danger to freedom lies at the crossroads of radicalism and technology. When the spread of chemical and biological and nuclear weapons, along with ballistic missile technology, when that occurs, even weak states and small groups could attain a catastrophic power to strike great nations. . . ”.

From a realist perspective, The US was entitled to act rationally and take effective measures to protect itself against an imposing threat by Iraq. Saddam Hussein was developing WMD under his regime, and to achieve a nuclear capability The Bush doctrine granted itself the right to take pre-emptive actions against from potential threat against its security. The concept of “raison d’état” is the most fundamental principle of international conducts. A stateman must ensure adequate steps to preserve the health and strength of the state. Saddam Hussein and his authoritarian regime was opposing a direct toward American soil. In 2001, The US withdrew from the 1972-Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, to build a new missile defense system, to protect itself from nuclear attacks.

Level of analyses: In this section, I shall account for the US invasion in Iraq by applying the first level of analyses – state level. “The state level of analyses comprises arguments that focus on the particular political or economic characteristics of countries or states”. It argues that, the state’s activity abroad, including being in conflicts with each other, is strongly influenced by the domestic political institutions. For instance, a theory developed by various scholars such as Michael Doyle and Bruce Russet, suggest that, states with a democratic government is less likely to go into war with another democratic state. From this framework, the ‘war on terror’ and Saddam Hussein’s’ non-democratic regime was an essential factor for invading Iraq. ” One rationale for acting was that the ‘liberation of Iraq’ might initiate a swing towards more democratic government stability, which would, in turn, generate greater international political stability”. The Bush administration emphasized the idea of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s authoritarian regime, would create the conditions for establishing, a democratic Iraq, which in turn could act as a model for the greater Middle East Region. Following is from the Bush doctrine document, “The United States possesses unprecedented-and unequally-strength and influence in the world. Sustained by the faith in the principles of liberty, and the value of a free society, this position comes with unparalleled responsibilities and, and opportunity. The great strength of this nation must be used to promote a balance of power that favors freedom. Thus, various progress was made in Iraq, due to the invasion. A year after, under the rule of the Coalition Occupation Authority, Iraq was once again an independent state. Furthermore, a new Iraq constitution was established, and people were now able to select candidates in real elections. In fact, 76, 9% of eligible Iraqis voted in 2005, and 12 parties was represented in the new House of Representatives.

Before I shall introduce Gramsci’s concept of hegemony, the origins of Critical theory must be addressed. The Frankfurt school is a school of social theory and philosophy developed by philosophers, economist, and psychoanalyst. The three main Frankfurt school thinkers was Marx Horkheimer who also became the director of the Frankfurt school institute, Herbert Marcuse and Theodor Adorno. The school was initially closed by Nazis in 1935, but they reestablished the institution in New York later with a second volume of “Studies on Philosophy”. Their main idea with the establishment of the Frankfurt school project was to transform Marx’s Critique of Political Economy into a social theory that would focus on the situation with social democracy, bolshevism and fascism that emerged after the Second World War. Gramsci concept of hegemony “The Canadian scholar Robert Cox has done most to introduce Gramsci to the study of world politics. Gramsci was an Italian Marxist philosopher, and wrote his most famous work, Prison Notebooks, in prison between 1929 and 1933.

Gramsci has developed the concept cultural hegemony. His understanding of power derives from Machiavellian’s concept of power as, “centaur- half beast, half man- a mixture of coercion and consent”. Consent is created by the hegemony of the ruling class in society, trough the institutions of civil society, “the network of institutions, and practices that enjoy some autonomy from the state, and trough which groups and individuals organize, represent, and express themselves to each other and the state (for example, the media, the education system…. ”. According to Gramsci, culture becomes more political and important. The hegemony of the ruling class will generate its own values and norms, so that it will become the “common sense” and maintain the status quo. US invasion in Iraq: From a Gramscian Perspective Former US president, George Bush, invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. This preemptive attack was legitimized by repeatedly claiming that Saddam Hussein was involved in attack on the World Trade Center, and not complying with UN requirements about weapon inspections. , through various national and press conferences. Also, that Iraq was developing a MDW planning to use it against the US. Despite that fact, reports was showing there were no indications to this claim by the White House.

Despite international condemnation against the use of force to invade Iraq, the Bush administration managed to persuade and obtain the consent of the majority of the American people to initiate a war against terror, in particular Iraq. In order to promote a campaign of fear, the arguments began in Sep 2002, when British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Bush in a joint press conference, declared that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a report, stating that Iraq had revised its nuclear weapons project.

In conclusion, the 2001 terror attack against the World Trade Center shocked the world. The Bush administration declared ‘war on terror’ against militant terror organizations. The US invasion in Iraq was an attempt to maintain the balance of power and remain a global hegemony according to realism. The notion of hegemony in Realism, and Gramsci’s concept of hegemony differs. For Gramsci, the dominant state holds the hegemony over culture and ideas. The invasion was an attempt to impose its own political values and norms on Iraq. Realism is a theoretical framework to explain conflicts in the world. Critical theory focuses on the cultural aspect of capitalism. Both theories have flaws and strengths. Unlike Realism, Critical theory does not consider the practices and agencies in international relations, nor does the economic aspect. How would one explain why the oil ministry in Bagdad was protected under the invasion in 2003?

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Hence, it might not be the best suitable framework for analyzing this case. The invasion of Iraq poses some challenges to al varies of realist theories. The invasion and occupation of Iraq poses some challenges to all varies of realist theories. The invasion took place at a time when the US was the undisputed leader of the post-cold unipolar world. The US is the biggest nation in the world, in terms of, economic, military, and cultural, and political powers. Iraq was in no great power, nor even a major power. Therefore, Saddam Hussein provoking hostile military acts the US sovereignty was not challenged. And posing any threat to the US security. Also, Iraq was since the Gulf war in 1991, already subjected to sanctions, which would make the allegations of Iraq developing MDW, because of these sanctions, developing MDW would be merely difficult, if not impossible. In realism, if power struggle is between major and great powers, and perceives real challenges from one another, then in this case, a relist framework fail to provide for a sufficient explanation for the invasion in Iraq.

One of the major themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” is the idea of the public self as distinguished from the private self. This leitmotif encompasses much more than the idea of an individual versus society; it also contains the themes of hidden thoughts versus candid speech, staying true to self versus meeting social expectations, and freedom through self-actualization versus restriction through self-denial. The story develops three characters that represent different schools of thought regarding the contrast between the public and private self. Understanding the mindset and the approaches of each of these characters, as well as how they reconcile their two personas, is paramount in discerning Hawthorne’s message.

The first character, Hester Prynne, has the most consistency between her public and private persona. From the opening of the book to the closing, her public image mirrors her private thoughts and actions. Having already failed society’s expectations, she is altruistic, reserved, and free to think about life in unorthodox ways. In the public setting, she does not retaliate against the masses’ derogatory opinions of her nor try to change their feelings; she instead accepts people, ideas, and attitudes at their face value. She conducts herself similarly in private.

This aspect of Hester’s character is seen in her relationships with Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. First, Hester does not place harsh restrictions upon Pearl; she generally lets her daughter do whatever the child wants. Hester only steps in to correct Pearl when Hester believes her daughter is behaving inappropriately. Hester takes Pearl at face value, and acts accordingly in response; she does not try to govern Pearl to produce a desired outcome.

This aspect of Hester reveals that she is not the type of person to dogmatically assert her own beliefs and opinions on others. She is content to accept the world and the people around her for what they are and make the best of them, regardless of her feelings. This approach to life can be seen in her public persona when she readily submits to her punishment of wearing the ignominious scarlet letter: accepting her fate and society’s viewpoint. She does not agree necessarily with them, but she is willing to put her own emotions aside to appease others. This desire to appease others may also be noted in the extensive amounts of time Hester took to take care of the marginalized of society.

Hester’s private behavior with Dimmesdale is different than in public, but she still stays true to herself in both scenarios. Her thinking is the same; however she voices her opinions in private while keeping quiet about them in public. Publicly, she does not try to sway Dimmesdale in either direction as redemption is sought for his transgressions: she leaves him alone. In private, however, she expresses her concerns and suggestions to him. Hester’s approach is governed by her desire to appease Dimmesdale. She sees that Dimmesdale does not want to discuss their affair before the community, so she stays taciturn. However, when she sees his private turmoil, she follows suit by talking to him about it privately. This further demonstrates Hester’s kind, reserved, and accepting nature: both clandestinely and publicly.

Even with her abhorred husband, Roger Chillingworth, Hester shows a degree of submission and altruism. She abides by Chillingworth’s request to not reveal his true identity to the public. The only time she privately confronts him is to demand that he stop torturing Dimmesdale. Even this action had nothing to do with Hester’s prior disgust with Chillingworth; it was simply to ameliorate Dimmesdale’s suffering. This once again shows Hester’s desire to appease people.

Hester’s character is a testament to the good that comes from staying true to self, regardless of setting. In public, she appeases the people by honoring her punishment and helps them by caring for the sick and making garments. In private, she still strives to appease others and assist them. By staying true to self and not vacillating between two separate modi operandi, covertly and openly, she attains the greatest level of enlightenment and redemption out of all Hawthorne’s characters.

Roger Chillingworth’s character demonstrates the atrocities that occur when a person’s public self is completely divergent and illegitimate to his private self. He presents himself as a kindly old man who is there to assist the town with their illnesses, namely Dimmesdale’s illness. However, in private, he is a maleficent angel of death who is there to twist the knife already placed in Dimmesdale’s heart. In public, he puts on the facade of caring about Dimmesdale’s medical condition and wanting to make it better; he appears to be ignorant of the exact cause of Dimmesdale’s suffering. This public display is completely fraudulent. In private, Chillingworth knows that Dimmesdale is Hester’s lover, and the vengeful old man’s only reason for assisting the young reverend is to further Dimmesdale’s suffering. Revenge is the poison that pervades all of Chillingworth’s actions. However, he hides these motives from the town. This concealment of his private self from the outside world devolves his initial drive for reconciliation and justified anger into unhealthy, corrupted animosity. Hester confronts Chillingworth about the matter, but Chillingworth denies the opportunity to end the downward spiral, which marks his full transformation into wickedness. Perhaps if Chillingworth had made known his identity and his intentions to the public, then he could have ended his personal rage before it consumed him.

The character of Dimmesdale is defined by his piety; it is his greatest asset, and yet it is his undoing. His affair with Hester, in his mind, forever broke his own sense of piety and righteousness. However, he strays from his new self-assessment of himself and still participates in the religious activities of a reverend. This alone constitutes a discrepancy between private self-esteem and public image. Furthermore, by vaguely claiming to the public he is indeed a sinner, the population further reveres him. This provides an even starker contrast between Dimmesdale’s public image and his own private view of himself, which feeds him the idea that his private self is the truer, more confidable side. Ergo, when he decides that he has to declare and atone for his sins, he opts to do so in a private setting. His own judgment then becomes impaired because he is only exposed to his own view and bias, without any empathy or alternate counsel from anyone else.

Because Dimmesdale has rejected all public opinions of him as false and uneducated, the alternate view that Hester finally does present him with warrants no credibility. While Dimmesdale is somewhat consistent because he acts miserably in both public and private, and says that he is a sinner in both settings, the two are weighted differently in his mind. Dimmesdale’s character exposes that it takes more than just acting the same in private and public; one must also balance and value the two equally. He invested too much time, energy, emotion, and faith into the private, which ultimately sapped him of all the liberation that could have come from a public reckoning.

From the three aforementioned characters, it becomes apparent that Hawthorne wanted to reveal personal peace and growth come through reconciliation and alignment of an individual’s private and public self. Chillingworth, who did not do this, became so depraved that Hester noted the ground where he stood seemed to swell with darkness, and Pearl started calling him “the Black Man”, which was synonymous with the devil’s name. Dimmesdale, who only left a meager amount of his private self open to the public, went into decline because he did not let the meditations of his heart equally permeate and resound through both the private and the public. In juxtaposition to Chillingworth and Dimmesdale is Hester Prynne. She stayed true to herself and let that be the guiding force for all her actions. Subsequently, she matured throughout the story and became a revered figure, despite the initial stigma she inherited with the scarlet letter. Through these three characters, Hawthorne wanted to show the imperative of refraining from deceiving the public about whom one truly is. He wanted to show that humanity’s nature is essentially corrupt and malignant, and the way to overcome this innate malice is not to hide it, but to share it publicly so that one may be liberated through the consistency and accountability that come along with being open with society and with self.

Lenin and Weber both hold distinctly different views on the state, and explore the pitfalls and praises of democracy through their respective paradigms. In Weber’s Politics as a Vocation he takes a militant view of the state, claiming that if the notion of violence and militantism did not exist, the concept and existence of the state would also be absent. In contrast Lenin adopts a traditionally Marxist view of the state, claiming that the mere notion of the state is transitory, evolving, and hallucinatory in State and Revolution.

Weber heavily emphasizes the relationship between violence and the state as the binding solution to the stability and sustainability of government. The emphasis of Weber’s state is also centered on three models of authority, which are represented by the leaders of the state: the eternal yesterday (effectively divine right), the charismatic (with messiah-like qualities), and legality (a rational process like democracy). These three authority models all have power and a right to authority in a different sense; the strongest of these being charismatic due to the devotion towards the individual and the leader’s crusade. Weber argues that without a strong leader, preferably with a charismatic character, or without the military capabilities to enforce geographic and ethno-centric borders the state will ultimately fail as the state is directly brought to genesis and developed through the actions of the prince.

Sheer military force is not enough within modern context, however the structuralism within the military in reference to rank, units, and a division of labor, is directly applicable to the power structures of a modern government, mainly the implementation of bureaucracy. Weber argues that a new source of power is found within the bureaucracy that upholds the leader and, in turn, the state. Weber also makes reference to the potential of economic power outweighing sheer military power; that to a certain extent economics could play the suitor to the prince in place of violence. Weber’s general sentiments towards the state are violence and authoritarian oriented, allowing room for a strong, dictatorial leader in order to control an irrational world.

While Lenin’s view of the state will prove to be a contrast, Lenin and Weber both agree on the use of professionals within the political realm. Lenin advocates for professional revolutionaries to help organize and systematically approach the revolution, allowing the workers to follow through with the plans made by the professional revolutionaries. Much like Lenin, Weber also leans strongly towards an organization of the political power, and presses for professional politicians- people who make politic a vocation in the idea that they devote their lives, money, and purpose to a particular cause or a particular vision. Much like a prophet, Weber finds this vision and charisma critical to the success of a professional politician (who also should not be Christian in religious practices). Both Lenin and Weber want strong, organized, intellectual, and visionary men to be the leaders of these socio-political movements.

Lenin’s view of the state takes after a Marxist tradition in which the state is slowly withering away allowing for a new form of itself, mainly communism, to emerge in place of this old system of government. This transition from capitalism to communism is what Marx focuses on, and the withering away of the states the decay of capitalism. Lenin, and by extension Marx, views the state as a transitory and nonexistence façade for the next step, the state itself is nothing but a shell to Lenin, and thus has no true power and doesn’t need violence. The use of violence in Lenin’s paradigm is to bring about a revolution that will bring about a “true democracy”, the idea of using force to maintain geographical borders seems almost foreign to Lenin as he points out the fluxuations of the German and Swiss border due to cultural and government changes.

Lenin goes on to talk about democracy, mainly condemning capitalistic-democracies for pushing out the labor classes and elevating the bourgeoisie and their pursuits of greater wealth. He advocates for a dictatorship of the proletariat, which would be a more honest and pure form of democracy as opposed to the capitalist-democracy found in America. Weber on the other hand advocates for democracy as an acceptable form of authority (falling under the legal category) as long as there is military or economic (preferably both) behind the political figure.

As a whole, Lenin’s argument is more persuasive in tone, but Weber is more rationally persuasive. The concept of the decay of the state due to the unbridled force of capitalism is in direct contrast to Weber’s use of capital as a replacement for violence. Lenin takes a traditional Marxist approach to his argument for a revolution, taking history and the transition from capitalism to communism into account. The structure of the arguments is different, and thus their effectiveness also differs, making two arguments fundamentally different.

Leon Trotsky’s vast impact and contribution to Russian/Soviet history is made through his strong ideologies, organization and leadership.

The successful consolidation of Communism in Soviet Russia from the period of 1917 to 1928 can be largely attributed to the masterful orator and intellectual that was Leon Trotsky. Throughout this period he successfully premeditated the Bolshevik accession into power, and through his military brilliance, defended the Communist ideology and the foothold it had gained in Russia.

One of the most significant contributions of Trotsky was his involvement in organising the 1917 revolution. With Lenin in exile, Trotsky began recruiting, arming and disciplining the Bolshevik Red Guard and in October he was elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet. Trotsky became the public face of Bolshevism and the key figure in three months of strategically important planning; in preparation for the revolution, Trotsky packed the Soviet with as many Bolshevik delegates as possible and organised the Military Revolutionary Committee. Given his role as the Committee’s central figure, Trotsky was primarily responsible for organising the movements of the Red Guard and the issuing of weapons, and ultimately the success of the November Revolution. Timed to occur just prior to the All Russian Congress of Soviets which was scheduled to meet on 7 November, the MRC and the Red Guards laid siege to the Winter Palace and secured occupation of other key strategic points throughout Petrograd; the post and telegraph offices, railway stations, bridges and garrisons. By the end of 7 November Lenin had declared ‘All power to the soviets’ and the All Russian Congress of Soviets, the majority of whom were Bolshevik delegates, voted approval of the coup.

Another aspect in which Trotsky played a significant role was in the peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. In his capacity as Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Trotsky led the Russian delegation during the peace negotiations between Russia and Germany at Brest-Litovsk. Having developed his belief in a peace without indemnities or annexations during the war, Trotsky remained resolute in this belief at Brest-Litovsk. When the Germans presented their terms, Trotsky responded that Russia would end the war but not sign a peace treaty, instead choosing to believe that socialist revolution was imminent in Germany. He simply refused to accept the German terms and walked out of the negotiations. When revolution did not occur, the Germans resumed the offensive. Trotsky’s arrogance had backfired for the Bolsheviks and resulted in even harsher terms.

The Treaty was signed on 3 March 1918 after much heated debate amongst the Central Committee. The harsh terms of the Treaty caused a rift amongst the Bolshevik leadership and Trotsky resigned his position.

However, the Treaty eliminated the Bolsheviks’ most dangerous enemy and gave the new Soviet government the freedom from international conflict that it needed to consolidate its rule. The Treaty was annulled when Germany signed the Armistice in November 1918.

Trotsky’s involvement in the Civil War against the Whites is another contribution that had a lasting impact on Russia/Soviet history. Trotsky transformed the Red Army into a fighting force. By unleashing the ‘Red Terror’ against the Whites he ruthlessly achieved communist victory in the Civil war.

In his capacity as Commissar, Trotsky increased the size of the Red Army to three million and attached political commissars to ex-Tsarist officers to maintain discipline and loyalty. He often took the families of many officers hostage to further ensure loyalty. Furthermore, he recruited factory workers loyal to the Communists, introduced conscription and imposed the death penalty for desertion and disloyalty. Touring the country by train, Trotsky was able to distribute ammunition, maintain morale, discipline and revolutionary fervour. As a result, he was able to defeat the White armies one at a time and the Civil War was over by the 1921.

His leadership, determination and utter ruthlessness were critical in achieving Communist victory in the Civil War and in attaining control over most of what had been the Tsarist Empire. He remained Commissar for War until 1925 when he was forced to resign.

Lastly, by losing the power struggle with Stalin, Trotsky quite inadvertently, sentenced Russia to two decades oppression, by failing to consolidate his own power in the years following Lenin’s death.

Stalin’s propaganda machine used Trotsky as a focus for its propaganda, denouncing him as the fount of all evil. Trotsky was exiled in 1929 and during that time, continued to write against Stalin.

Leon Trotsky had an extensive and lasting impact on Russia/ Soviet history and his school of thought, views and personality continue to affect Marxist teachings to this day in the form of Trotsky-ism, a major school of thought within Marxism. Through his involvement in the 1917 revolution, treaty of Brest Livstok and the civil war, he drastically impacted the path of Russian/soviet history. Trotsky's significance is indisputable through his oratorical and the positions he held inside and outside Russia.

Teaching is universal around the world. Beginning teachers can learn not just from teachers in their own society but also from those in other countries, such as in the foreign film Les Choristes (2004). This French film revolves around Clément Mathieu, a failed musician and new prefect at Fond de l’Etang, a boarding school for troubled boys. Faced with the challenge of managing a class full of unruly, sullen boys, Mathieu learns that the way to their hearts is through music. He begins to teach them how to sing, forming a chorus and changing their lives forever. Les Choristes (2004) is not merely an artistic masterpiece, for it also contains several significant messages about teaching: the importance of a positive attitude towards children, the need for a strong teacher/student relationship, and the way in which a teacher grows and learns from his students.

From the minute he sets foot in Fond de l’Etang, Clément Mathieu, as an outsider, notices the negativity that permeates the school. The headmaster, Rachin, punishes the boys, even those whom he knows are innocent, by beating them and forcing them to do an excessive amount of school drudgery or locking them up behind bars in isolation. Rachin, along with the majority of the other school teachers, views the boys as a lost cause and, as Mathieu points out, “sees evil everywhere” (Les Choristes, 2004). However, “if a teacher expects a student or group of students to behave in a certain way, the teacher’s attitude may serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy—that is, the students may behave in the predicted manner in response to the teacher’s attitude” (Ryan & Cooper, 2010, p. 175). Because the adults assume that the boys will be wild, rude delinquents, the students act that way. They are not used to having someone expect good things from them, and when Mathieu treats them with kindness and believes in them, they do not know how to react. Mathieu, unlike the rest of the administration, holds high hopes for them and is outwardly optimistic. He shows the boys that they are more than petty thieves, liars, or juvenile delinquents and that they can excel through the power of music. By keeping a positive attitude towards the boys, Mathieu manages to simultaneously tame them and bring out their good sides. Leclerc and Pépinot, two radically different boys, form a friendship, a bond that didn’t exist prior to Mathieu’s arrival. Morhange, initially described as a little devil with the face of an angel, learns to overcome his innate jealousy and selfishness under Mathieu’s guidance. When Mathieu allows him to finally sing his solo, he notices, “Morhange’s eyes followed my tempo, and in them, I suddenly read many things: pride and the joy of my forgiveness, but also something quite new to him. A feeling of gratitude” (Les Choristes, 2004). The troubled boy and his peers changed for the better, all because of Clément Mathieu’s strong belief and faith. As a teacher, it is of utmost importance to believe in your students, hold high expectations for them, and not be biased against them because of their histories. In order to overcome his fears and truly excel, a child needs to be aware of his teacher’s support and realize that someone is there for him, even when other adults have brushed him off as a lost cause.

In addition to a positive attitude about students, the student-teacher relationship is an essential aspect of teaching. Clément Mathieu is beloved by his students because he is the only adult in the building who treats them with respect and kindness. Upon meeting them for the first time, he approaches them with humor, hoping to win them over and gain their trust, despite being called “Chrome Dome” behind his back. He remains undeterred even when they break into his room steal his most prized possessions, the sheet music he composed. Despite being distraught and angry over their crime, he does not turn in the mischief-makers when a fellow teacher, Chabert, finds them and demands to know what is going on. Furthermore, when Boniface is being unjustly punished for a crime he did not commit, Mathieu rescues him by convincing Rachin to give him permission to find and take care of the real culprit. Clément Mathieu truly cares about his students and their well-being and may, in fact, be the first person to ever love these neglected children. As a result, the boys come to trust and respect Mathieu in return and obey his wishes. The relationship developed between the teacher and the students is integral to their growth and education; without Mathieu, the boys would never have changed their behavior and would have continued to be disruptive, unproductive, and disobedient. Instead, they formed friendships, paid attention in class, and listened to their superiors. A strong student-teacher relationship is key to a successful classroom and ought to be given great priority by aspiring teachers.

At the beginning of Les Choristes (2004), Clément Mathieu was easily swayed by the headmaster and did not intervene whenever Rachin executed a punishment or spoke harshly to the boys. Rather, he quietly did everything he could to protect the children from the abuse while keeping a low profile. However, living with his students and learning about them changed him, giving him the courage he needed to stand up for what he knew was right. At the film’s denouement, the dormitories, where the children were supposed to be staying, are burnt down by Mondain, a former student seeking revenge. When Rachin hurries back to the school, he finds that Mathieu and the elderly Maxence had taken the children on a treasure hunt and left the dormitories unattended. Despite saving the children’s lives, Mathieu is unjustly fired for “breaking the rules.” Maxence insists that he be fired too, but Mathieu thanks him and says, “It’s nice of you, Mr. Maxence, but you’re needed here. Think about the children, since this gentleman never does” (2004). Before departing, he finally says to Rachin, “Headmaster, before I go, I’ll tell you what I think of you. You’re an incompetent, truly evil man” (2004). The children weren’t the only ones who changed for the better from their experiences with their prefect; Mathieu himself grew and learned through them as well. With the children’s best interests at heart, he is no longer afraid to defy Rachin’s twisted methodology. By standing up to the headmaster, he overcomes his original cowardice, reaffirms his beliefs, and regains faith in himself. Even as he is fired, he conducts himself with dignity and passion and leaves knowing that he has made the right choice. Students can have a tremendous, powerful effect on a teacher, and teaching includes being open to changing and learning from the children as well.

Les Choristes (2004) is a poignant film about teaching. All viewers can take to heart the significant messages it contains about not just education, but also society as a whole. Clément Mathieu’s story depicts the power of teaching to change people’s lives forever while effectively conveying the trials and tribulations a teacher must face. Ultimately, however, it shows the importance of a positive attitude, the benefits of a strong teacher-student relationship, and the potential for a teacher to grow, learn, and develop through immersing himself or herself in teaching.

Short stories “Through the Tunnel” and “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” both display themes of maturity and development of character. Each narrative features a young boy facing new fears and uncertainty. Their triumph, whether assisted or independent, is a milestone of their maturity into an adult. Success grants each protagonist a renewed sense of strength and determination.

Jobe, a young kid in “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” by Ray Bradbury, anxiously waited the night before a battle. As his fear of the next day striped him of courage and sleep, the lad confided in the general; he mitigated Jobe’s dread and gave him purpose for the fight. In “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing, the protagonist Jerry is faced with the challenge of swimming through an underground tunnel. He battles his fears and physical ability as he proves to himself that he is as mature and capable as the older boys. Both adolescents deal with their own fears as they mature and come out of their conflicts stronger and wiser. They both searched manhood and fought to gain it.

Jobe’s story focused on his own panic while Jerry dealt with fear and the physical trial that the tunnel demanded. Even with a common theme of maturity, the tales are unique in their execution. Jobe did not feel equipped to fight the next day and let terror seize him until the general mentored him, Jerry saw what it took to be a “man” and rose to the challenge solo.

Maturity is inevitable, whether gained from past mistakes or from success. Both characters recognized their development and its value even if they obtained it from contrasting paths. Finally, the authors wrote these anecdotes for a reader to recognize every man's journey as they find their identity and purpose in life.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. The Teaching Profession
3. Teacher of the Year
4. Profile of the South Carolina Graduate
5. Conclusion

Introduction

As a dedicated teacher who strives to improve the teaching profession, I have implemented various initiatives to positively impact my peers, such as conducting peer observations and serving as a mentor teacher for beginners; therefore, I believe I would be an ideal candidate to write an essay about a teacher of the year and this profession in general.

The Teaching Profession

The most effective way I strengthen and improve the teaching profession is by being a positive team player. I try to do this by bringing a positive attitude to school and sharing my knowledge with my teaching peers. While I am always looking to learn new things from others, I have 19 years of experience that may be helpful to someone else. I have participated in having lessons videotaped to share with staff, frequently am asked to give input on challenging situations, and have become a trusted resource for professional advice to my teaching colleagues. Being on a quest to improve my own teaching by searching out additional professional development opportunities, conducting peer observations, inviting others to observe my classroom practices in action, initiating teacher discussions of effective practices, and being a strong mentor teacher for other teachers in my school and district not only strengthen me as a teacher, but also support and nourish those around me in the teaching profession. I have had the privilege to mentor many practicum students and beginning teachers who are just starting their teaching careers. In working with these young, inexperienced teachers, I often find myself not only imparting my teaching wisdom, but gleaning new techniques and ideas from them.

Another way I strengthen the teaching profession is by being open and flexible to change. Even though there is a comfort zone in familiar routines and teaching practices, it is imperative that teachers make room for new and innovative ideas in order to reach different students and their varied learning styles. I think a creative teacher is a more effective teacher because we are constantly researching new ways to inspire our students to enjoy learning. I am always adding to a running list of professional techniques or topics I plan to learn more about or am trying to refine in my own teaching.

By keeping a positive attitude, and demonstrating to other teachers how to make learning fun and engaging, teachers, as well as students, reap the rewards. When teachers enjoy their professions more, they can’t help but be better teachers. I try to always remember why I became a teacher. I love to recall the enthusiasm and exhilaration I felt on my first day in my own classroom. I try to share my excitement for teaching with my peers and others in the community. Although maintaining that positive outlook is sometimes difficult, I encourage all teachers to try to regain that zest for teaching and spread the word to others. That attitude will transfer to the students and in the end, everyone benefits.

Accountability for teachers is determined by several factors. Student achievement, as evidenced by standardized test results, is a common way to measure teacher effectiveness. In my classroom, student progress is measured comparing individual MAP scores from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. It is also monitored mid-year to verify that students are making progress and to tweak instructional methods. I am proud to say that my students’ scores are impressive. In addition, teacher certification is another way teachers are held accountable. Additional coursework and testing is required for teachers to stay current with their certification and licensing. Lesson plans are still another way to hold teachers accountable for the objectives and techniques being used in the classroom.

Classroom observations are a useful tool for measuring teacher accountability and have more recently moved from simple checklists to more in-depth evaluations of teacher efficacy. Detailed rubrics with opportunities for pre and post-conferences to provide explanations and hear feedback about the observed lesson are becoming the norm. In addition to these practices, teacher accountability is not only being measured by what the teacher is doing, but by observing the students. Observers are asking students to verbalize what they have learned and demonstrate their knowledge during and after the completed lesson. For maximum teacher effectiveness, and to allow teachers the ability to hone their teaching skills, we need to move away from the one or two common formal observations by administrators only, and towards more frequent and routine reviews from a variety of evaluators, including peer teachers. Observations should not cause teachers anxiety, but should offer the opportunity to showcase excellent teaching, discuss positive experiences, learn from challenging situations, and make changes to improve student engagement and achievement. As always, good teachers are constantly reflecting on their lessons, whether being formally observed or not.

Teacher of the Year

As the Sumter County District Teacher of the Year spokesperson and representative for the teaching profession, my message would be that children are the stars, and parents and teachers working together, help them shine. All students have star potential and every effort must be made to illuminate it.

Speaking to parent-teacher organizations in schools across the county, and impressing upon them the benefits of working together as a team for their students, would be a starting point to generate enthusiasm and share ideas on the best methods to achieve this message. The ideas from parents and teachers of the most effective practices to build strong relationships could be collected and published on school websites and displayed on banners in businesses and school libraries as a reference for other parents and teachers. Ideas that are successful at one school may spur success at another school. I feel that by working together as a strong team for the students we serve will enable every child to shine, and in the process, make sure we reach all children.

Developing a series of short public service announcements on local television or radio stations could be made by parents, teachers, current and former students, and possibly local celebrities (including television personalities, sports figures, political representatives, etc.). They could highlight the importance of reaching every child through the combined efforts of parents and teachers for the best possible educational opportunities, and how this has helped them to achieve their goals in life.

If we incorporated and practiced the best of these methods to foster healthy and productive teacher/parent relationships, students would know that the most important people in their life share the same goals and are working together to support them. Students would have no choice but to shine and achieve their potential for success.

Profile of the South Carolina Graduate

As a teacher, my ultimate goal is to give students the skills they need to become independent thinkers who can collaborate, communicate, and persevere. I have high expectations for my students, and others have even sometimes jokingly implied that I teach “college-prep first grade.” In my classroom, I foster an environment where students are challenged to think outside the box. To begin with, lessons are taught with the end in mind. They are expected to be able to achieve the rigorous content standards and objectives, and are supported with varying degrees of assistance when students need it. In my classroom, students routinely work in cooperative learning groups, communicate with partners/peers, collaborate on ideas, and use their verbal communication skills to relay their thoughts, procedures, and strategies. Higher-order thinking questions, tasks with multiple solutions, and student choice are used to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

More recently, I’ve included an emphasis on STEAM skills, such as generating solutions for real-world problems, incorporating engineering and design, and open-ended exploration. These skills are being integrated into already hands-on lessons. Students are excited to try their hand at solving problems and feel a sense of accomplishment with their creative solutions.

In addition, I try to incorporate as much “device” technology as possible. Students' daily work involves short periods of using Chromebooks to build reading fluency by listening to stories read aloud and practicing math and reading skills through Education Galaxy and Prodigy games. Each week students also use their devices to participate in a fun teacher-made game of Kahoot! to review previously taught skills about the recent topics of study. This allows me to informally assess students’ learning and guides my future instruction. By using this data, I am able to build remediation groups and provide more challenging objectives to those students who are ready.

My challenging expectations are not only for academic skills but also for character and life skills. I build a supportive classroom community where students are encouraged to try and persevere. Students are taught mistakes are chances to learn. I want my students to be excited to take risks, make mistakes, and use them as opportunities to reflect, persevere, and improve. 

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Conclusion

In conclusion, this essay highlights the importance of teamwork and flexibility in strengthening the teaching profession. The author's approach to being a positive team player, sharing knowledge, mentoring young and inexperienced teachers, and being open to change, serves as a model for others in the profession. The essay also emphasizes the need for accountability in teaching but suggests that it should not cause teachers anxiety, but offer the opportunity to showcase excellent teaching and make changes to improve student engagement and achievement. Lastly, the author suggests that parents and teachers must work together as a team to help every child reach their full potential. By collaborating and sharing successful ideas, children can shine, and every effort must be made to illuminate their potential. The essay provides a thoughtful and inspiring insight into the teaching profession and offers ideas for continued improvement.

My dear friend,

I know we don’t always agree on things, and that’s ok. In fact, I think that it’s really valuable to be able to hear the opinions and ideas of those who disagree with you, and to engage with those ideas rather than simply dismiss them. This is why I’m writing to you about definition of racism essay, because I know that I’m about to tell you things you probably won’t agree with. But please, hear me out.

If I were to call you a racist, you would passionately deny it, but both you and I know that I would not be the first person to say that. I don’t know if anyone has ever taken time to try to explain that perhaps the definitions of racism are different, and that maybe that is the cause of the disagreement. I believe that your definition of racism is probably more or less an act to deliberately discriminate against somebody because of their race – correct me if I’m wrong. That is not my definition, and I don’t think it should be yours either, even if many people you know and agree with think that definition is correct. It is just not good enough and does not capture the full picture of racism, as argued by Robin DiAngelo in her book White Fragility . I know that what I’m saying might not agree with mainstream culture or popular news outlets – but when were they ever the ultimate source of knowledge? With that said, I acknowledge that what we see around us is often what we assume to be true, so when the media tells us that racism is a single and intentional act of discrimination in isolation, we often just believe it. Combine that with the basic assumption that we all have about ourselves that we are a good and moral person, and it is easy to come to the conclusion that we cannot, in any way, be connected to the issue of racism. I know that I had come to the same conclusion not long ago.

So, what made me change my mind? I realised, quite recently actually, that I have a race. To some people, that might seem like the strangest statement. Of course you have a race – you’re a human! To that I would say this: it isn’t that simple. There are things that you don’t notice nor appreciate until you really focus on them, and quite simply, my race – our race – had never been one of them. We had very similar childhoods, you and I, and I suspect you might feel the same way. We both grew up white, in white families, in white neighbourhoods. Being white was the default, the unmarked trait, and if race was talked about, it was always someone else’s race, not your own . I had the realisation that not only is being white my race, but also that the whole society we live in is racialised. Race matters, and not just other races but your own too, and that is the truth, even if you wish it were not.

We are both white, and that’s never been a problem – right? Why is that? Do you think someone of colour living in Australia could say the same thing? I don’t think so, and I don’t think that you could say so without knowing you were lying to yourself. You know as well as I do that the power in Australian society is held almost exclusively by white people, and mostly white men at that. This has clearly got something to do with race, since it isn’t just by chance that all the elite and powerful levels of society don’t represent the racial diversity of Australian society as a whole. This is where your definition of racism has to change. The structures in our society favour and privilege the white population, and that is the core of structural racism. In order for a definition of racism to include this type of bias, one that is built into a system, it can’t just be about immoral people committing individual acts of discrimination. The reality is that racism is a complex and nuanced social dynamic into which the whole population is socialised . When you consider just one action, isolated and away from the society in which it was made, you lose so much of the picture. The full picture includes a complex and interconnected system that is tied into the history of a particular society and it is important to acknowledge that history, and who wrote it – that is, who had the power and why.

It’s really not hard to see where the power has been in Australian society. It’s hardly hidden, given the racial profile of the `elite’ and the politicians. We even had a white Australia policy, but started at colonisation with the persecution of the Indigenous population. I don’t believe you when you try to tell me “Sure, but that was then, and our society isn’t like that now – everyone is equal”. I wish I could believe you, but I can’t because it simply isn’t true. You have to recognise that not everyone starts on an equal playing field, and recognising the impact of these historical power structures, and their role in the present day, is key to understanding that something like the booing of Adam Goodes is, and has to be, racist. I can hear what you’re saying back to me, that they were just booing, and how can that be a racist act. That’s the thing, only a fraction of the story is about the ‘act’. It’s about the historical context, which Coram and Hallinan highlight in their paper . The concept of racism is misunderstood in Australian society as being about the overt and the intentional, but that’s just not true . I’m trying to show you how it has to be seen as an element of social structure .

I know that this broader definition might seem too philosophical to you. It’s harder to see and point a finger at than someone’s individual act and it doesn’t seem concrete enough, right? Well, yes and no. Structural racism often doesn’t have easy to see edges and it pervades through all levels of society, but I believe that the consequences are so much easier to see. I know that once I was aware of it, I could recognise the impacts everywhere. When looking for a job earlier this year, I would do research into a company and their background. What I found shocked me, but somehow, simultaneously, wasn’t a surprise at all. On every single ‘Our people’ type page, almost every person listed was an old, white man. Sure there were some exceptions but overall, time and time again this pattern occurred. I know that this wouldn’t have been intentional, and these companies wouldn’t have actively sought out these people, but they went with the flow of the system, the system that is riddled with structural racism.

So, with this broader definition of racism, I hope you agree with me that structural racism exists throughout society and it is a product of the historical context of our society. I want to now discuss something that I know we disagree on, so again, please hear me out. The climb on Uluru was permanently closed in October this year but the traditional owners, Anangu, had been asking people not to climb the sacred site since the 1990s . Do you think that not recognising their wishes, and by extension not acknowledging Indigenous culture, is racist? I urge you to think of the context here, everything from colonisation to the Stolen generation. There is a long, sad, history in Australia of the white population, at best, ignoring the Indigenous peoples, and at worst, actively persecuting and killing them. That history is not dead and can be seen to this day in a vast array of statistics on ‘the gap’ which is the focus of the ‘Close the Gap’ campaign and the associated annual reports . When someone believes that white, Western culture is more important than other cultures, implicitly or explicitly, that did not happen in a vacuum. In the same way that racism is a part of social structure, so too are the vast majority of the population socialised into that structure, such that many don’t even know that it’s there. It is this ignorance that can contribute to racist structures and perpetuate them as the norm. If you can’t see how you fit into a bigger picture of society, then you won’t easily see how that picture has to change for the better.

By now, you might agree with me that racism is complicated and that the prejudice is not just skin-deep but embedded into the very fabric and history of Australian society, amongst many. These structures benefit and privilege white people and being white, both you and I benefit from this unfairness. If you’re like me, then thinking about this makes you feel so guilty – and you can’t even control it! It’s not your fault that you were born white, into a society where white people have the privilege! Indeed, it is not your fault, as much as it isn’t mine. That doesn’t mean, however, that we can forget about it. I found help dealing with this sense of guilt about my race in reflexive anti-racism, as introduced by Kowal, Franklin & Paradies in their paper ‘Reflexive antiracism: A novel approach to diversity training’ . They explained that it is essential that you both recognise the privilege and to be aware of it as often as you can, but it is also key that you come to terms with the fact that you can’t erase your whiteness and you mustn’t pretend that it doesn’t matter at all . This must all sound complicated, and a long way from just saying “I’m not racist – trust me!”, and that’s because, honestly, it is. Anti-racism is not a “one-stop shop” or something that can be done once and finished with. It’s an attitude or approach that involves an ongoing process of reflection and self-appraisal .

If you come to me and claim that the hiring practices of one company or another are racist because they favour Indigenous Australians, or people of colour, I will disagree. I want you to know that “both racist and antiracist acts are racialised” so therefore, a racialised act – such as affirmative action in hiring processes – is not racist, but rather antiracist. It is hard living in a racialised society, especially when you are trying to be an antiracist – and I hope you will try. But no one ever said that the world was simple or that being a good person was easy. I don’t mean this to be a discouraging statement, but rather encouragement that everyone is in the same boat. We all live in the same society, and it is up to us – the people with the privilege and the voice – to try our best to be a positive contribution to society.

My friend, I wrote to you because I know that we disagree on various matters, and I also know that there will probably be things that I have said today that you disagree with and I look forward to your reply and the discussion we will have. At the same time, I hope that some of the things I have said have made you think and reflect on our society and our place in it. If that is the case, and I have shed some new light on racism and it’s forms, then I hope that you will share that with others. I truly believe that being able to have discussions about structural racism is especially important for white people like us, since we are, at the end of the day, the people most likely to not see the effects it has.

Yours truly,

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Your dear friend.