Conformity and Rebellion in Conversion of the Jews Essay -- essays pap

Conformity and Rebellion in Conversion of the Jews Though it seems like a stereotype, all teenagers, at some point, choose to rebel against authority figures or conform with their friends. Part of growing up means becoming the person God intends you to be and finding out how to survive, or be independent, on your own. Conformity and rebellion, two issues that each human being has experienced, have great effects not only on the conformist and rebel, but on the people around them as well. In â€Å"Conversion of the Jews,† Ozzie rebels against the religious complacency that he sees in his Hebrew school, and his friend, Itzie, projects an example of religious complacency and conformity. Ozzie, a thirteen-year-old boy born into the Jewish faith, has spent his short life conforming to what his single mother, his religion, and Rabbi Binder wanted him to be and believe. Judaism means everything to Ozzie’s mother, Mrs. Freedman. The importance of her religion, expressed through her actions as Ozzie states that â€Å"she didn’t look like a chosen person. But when she lit candles she looked like something better; like a woman who knew momentarily that God could do anything† (1103). Judaism defines who she is as an individual and who she is as a member of society as well. Ozzie has many questions about Judaism and Mrs. Freedman and Rabbi Binder feel he does not need to ask them, but just have faith. It becomes clear throughout the story that Rabbi Binder wants Ozzie to behave. By behave, Rabbi Binder means conform to his way of thinking. The rabbi dodges his questions and Ozzie says that â€Å"he kept explaining about Jesus being historical, and so I kept asking! him. No kidding, Itz,... ...onforming. Conforming means not standing out, not thinking, and involves little work. In a religious setting, conforming gives a person a place to be important and accepted. Being truly â€Å"religious† requires some work; however, mindless conforming and religious complacency seems much easier. Rebelling, on the other hand, seems like something people like to do just as much. In the case of religion, a line rests between rebellion and spiritual questioning. In Ozzie’s circumstance, his questions went beyond spiritual questioning, crossing into the realm of rebellion. In any case, conforming and rebellion both have consequential effects. Conforming can lead to a life of unanswered questions and being the person that you are not. Rebellion can lead to alienating yourself from something good that might only need a few simple explanations.

Jazz and Popular Music Essay

Despite the rapid evolution of country music in the U. S. , it was not before the creation of Acuff-Rose Publishing that country music became one of the central elements of musical advancement in the country. The rise of Acuff-Rose Publishing is closely associated with and is considered as one of the drivers for positioning Nashville as one of the country music centers in America; and where country performers and song writers sought to establish themselves in the world of music, â€Å"Acuff-Rose readily gave Nashville an outlet for the fledging country songwriters. Record executives kept Nashville in contact with the New York scene† (Malone, 1968). To a large extent, the creation of Acuff-Rose Publishing by Fred Rose and Roy Acuff was the turning point in the process of moving country music into masses. The new musical enterprise was able to establish close ties with ASCAP and BMI studios, which turned country music into the source of enormous profits (Pecknold, 2007). The popularity of country music and country songwriters depended on the way Acuff-Rose managed to collect and distribute the most promising pieces of country singing. It should be noted, however, that the development of Acuff-Rose and the rapid popularization of country music produced two-fold effects: on the one hand, Acuff-Rose publishing actively worked to promote the relevance of country music; on the other hand, talented country music performers promoted positive business image of Acuff-Rose, which in its turn served to help professionals and beginners in country music to reach beyond traditional regional music markets (Malone, 1968; Pecknold, 2007). Later during the 1950s, the bluesy and gutsy style of music that had originated from Acuff-Rose’s country singers became the determining feature of country singing across several American states. Acuff-Rose has caused a strategic shift in public perceptions with regard to country music, making it a never ending source of inspiration and a reliable basis for generating continuous profits. It was due to country music that Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis became the critical figures of the American musical Olympus, with country sound being the distinctive feature of their style and the essential component of their professional appeal and emotiveness.

James Baldwins Giovannis Room - 1445 Words

Privacy is an abstract concept, one that seems to go unnoticed until it is violated. When observed using Western culture, the entire nature of the concept of privacy relates to it being particularly special or sensitive to an individual. In James Baldwin’s novel Giovanni’s Room, the reader encounters tension between the main character, David’s, perception of privacy and the reality he encounters while living in France. David is a young American who has recently become engaged to his girlfriend, Hella. However, David’s sense of self and his private thoughts are contested when he meets a young Italian bartender, Giovanni, while Hella is away on a trip. David is caught in the middle of repressed desires and his conventional morality when he†¦show more content†¦In sum, privacy is redefined in Giovanni’s Room because it is not a safe place, instead, it represents a place filled with anxiety and denial which lead to David and Giovanni’s u nhappiness and dissatisfaction. David struggles to come to terms with his relationship with Giovanni and the implications that homosexuality has on his perception of the masculine identity and male power relations. David sees his relationship with Giovanni as a form of liberation from his loveless relationship with Hella, but in his attempts to keep it a private affair it becomes more and more of a threat to his masculine identity. In his first encounters with Giovanni’s room, David acknowledges the confines of the space but accepts it. However, as he feels his masculinity stifled by his relationship with David, the room develops into an oppressive symbol, something he must escape from to reclaim his masculinity. David expresses this idea when he says, â€Å"But it was not the room’s disorder which was frightening; it was the fact that when one began searching for a key to this disorder one realized†¦ it was a matter of punishment and grief† (Baldwin 87). The room serves as a constant remi nder about David’s sexuality as well as his true feelings for Giovanni. David obsess with the idea of masculinity, he is constantly comparing himself to