Modern Jewish History Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Modern Jewish History - Case Study Example This led to changing attitudes among Rabbis, as the faith began to become less strict. While it could be argued that this modernization became necessary in order for the faith to survive, it can also be argued that it takes away from the Jewish experience as a whole. The modernization of Jews in the Ottoman and Northern Africa differed greatly from the modernization of Jews in Europe because they were surrounded by different cultural elements in each place. The leaders of the European Jews viewed modernization as a destructive force that had the potential to ruin Judaism as a whole. Modernism was compared to a whirlwind by these leaders, which would become a destructive force against tradition and, therefore, the religion as a whole. What occurred because of these new modern ideas was a split between Jews in Europe. Traditionalists believed that everything new was forbidden by the Torah and this caused for those who wished to change the structure of Judaism to leave the religion and form their new branches. All of this was based on fear for the Rabbis of Europe and this fear overtook the religion and caused it to split. By not allowing for changes to be made in order to accommodate the new modern world, Rabbis created even more problems for European Jews. One such change that occurred involved how Jews were to dress. The modern world was creating new fashions and many Jewish people wished to change how they dress. The Rabbis believed, however, that this would make them indistinguishable from the Gentiles, which is going against the Torah because it is a form of shame. Many of these Jews also wished to take part in activities outside of their religious circles, such as become involved in politics or discussion groups. All in all, the leadership of the European Jews was responsible for the opposition to modernization and, therefore, responsible for dissecting the religion because of this. In Arab countries, Rabbis took a slightly different approach to modernization. While they did believe that modernization could cause some major problems for the faith, they also believed that many of the forces of modernization could be used to their advantage. They did not come out against modernization, but rather worked with in it order to ensure that Judaism would survive in the region, which included a rejection of many European ideologies, as they asked the question: " what in the culture of European peoples is superior to Arab culture, by which Iraqi Jews have been influences, that would make it appear preferable to them'".1 This led to a much less chaotic atmosphere in religious circles, as the people did not feel like they had to go against their religion in order to fit in with the rest of the modern world. The religious aspects of Judaism became less strict over this time as well. While the religious leaders were not happy with this fact, they also realized that they had to adapt to the times in order to help people to keep the faith. This is why they did not overreact when young Jewish men began trimming and later shaving their beards. While this was not allowed by Jewish tradition, the Rabbis realized that they could not stop modernization and, therefore, they moved away from some of the traditions, while keeping others alive. Because the modernization in the Arab world took place much later than in Europe, the Rabbis were able to learn from the mistakes of Europe, in order to ensure t

Use of Nature in The Immortalist and The Cherry Orchard Essay

Use of Nature in The Immortalist and The Cherry Orchard - Essay Example Tongues learnt to move after looking at those pre designed and meaningful metaphors (Oliver 1987). Nordquist and Whales (1998) expressed the importance of metaphors and similes in text writing and explained how they enrich the material and quality of text written. According to his point of view, the similes are used to express emotions and signs. The presence of similes makes reading material more clear and entertaining for the reader. And inculcating of new similes also shows that you have a greater command and insight of your subject. In the same way, metaphors are images and shapes of objects and contents of nature. A reader can find the meaning or the imagination of scenarios the writer had, in mind, while writing by looking at those shapes and images drawn. The Immoralist by Andre Paul Guide: By reading the novel Immoralist, the author’s passion towards nature can be recognized. The written material reflects not just the outer natural beauty of the world but also the inne r nature of human beings, their feelings, their desires to have what they want around and for them. The author represented these in the accounts of how Michel used nature to bear with his inner feelings and how he achieved peace. For instance, Guide included some symbols and figures into his texts that gave answers and solution to Michel’s dilemma, and to many other readers out there facing similar problem and feelings. The author gave a marvelous concept in his novel that if a person is lost in the valley of meaninglessness, if his life is gone for the fake uncontrollable desires, he can get his life back by the fruitful control of nature and by pursuing the beauty of nature in and around him. The metaphors that demonstrate this concept and reality can be seen and enjoyed in the part where Michel describe the irrigation system in Biskra and in the taming of the wild colt at â€Å"La Morinier†. The figure of the goat boy depicts the irrigation system. Now, this image i s a symbol of nature and refers to natural beauty of land and a natural process going on for a purpose. The inherent laws of nature do contain the excess of life going forces which may lead to destruction, depriving other trees of their existence as well. The incident written in part 2, in wild colt, illustrates the same truth with its related simile drawn. Where, the beautiful animal was declared useless and dangerous by servants and Michel asks another character named Charles to help him treat gently and quite by showing some respect for that animal. The image drawn at that situation was meant to be used in contrasting situations where absence of restraining and uncontrollable nature leads to corruption and destruction. In the case of metaphor of irrigation system in Biskra, described above, was a human effort that could assist in making the nature more productive. The palm tree images in part 1 related to Michel’s wife Marceline were depicting the concept that she was weak when she got ill after she came back from their honeymoon. She needed energy to live. She could not tolerate the excess of energy around her but also was in need of a moderate level of energy in her atmosphere. This is how the author Mr. Guide put life in his novels through metaphors and symbols and made his material famous among his readers. The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov: The symbol of Cherry Orchard itself depicts the unstable political – socio environment and drastically changing traditions. Negative conditions usually