Farewell To Arms: Religion Essay -- essays research papers

Religion in "A Farewell to Arms" For hundreds of years, writers have used religion as a principle issue and point of discussion in their novels. Hawthorne expressed his views in The Scarlet Letter, Garcia Marquez did the same in One Hundred Years of Solitude and in other writings, and even Ernest Hemingway used his writing to develop his own ideas concerning the church. This is fully evident in his novel A Farewell to Arms. Even in a book in which the large majority of the characters profess their atheism, the ideas of the church materialize repeatedly as both characters and as topics of conversations. Religion is presented through reflections of the protagonist "Lieutenant Henry," and through a series of encounters involving Henry and a character simply identified as "the priest." Hemingway uses the treatment of the priest by the soldiers and by Henry himself to illustrate two ways of approaching religion in a situation in which God has no place, and employs these encounters between the pri est and other characters as a means of expressing religious views of his own. Most evident to the reader is the strict difference between the priest's relationship with Henry and that which he has with the other soldiers. Hemingway repeatedly emphasizes this in all sections of the book, even after Henry is injured, when he is completely isolated from the other soldiers. The first instance the reader sees of this is only six pages into the novel. Hemingway writes, "That night in the mess after the spaghetti course . . . the captain commenced picking on the priest" (6-7). Hemingway's diction is suggestive: "commenced" signifies not only that the soldiers began to pick on the priest, but that ridiculing the priest was their main activity prior to dinner as well as after. Almost the same scenario is portrayed only a few pages later: "the meal was finished, and the argument went on. We two stopped talking and the captain shouted, 'Priest not happy. Priest not happy without girls.'" (14). The soldiers' ridicule of the priest is again hi ghlighted when Henry, bed-stricken with his injury, asks the priest "How is the mess?" (69). The priest replies "I am still a great joke" (69). The reader sees an obvious pattern in the relationship between the priest and the others. Mo... ...igion and God that the reader will receive in the novel. God may or may not be there, but that doesn't affect, and certainly does not help, anyone in the book or in the war itself. The views Hemingway presents in the novel at this point become, if not clear, at least more accessible to the reader. The priest no longer represents God. He does represent religion, for this is why he receives the verbal battery he does from the soldiers. But to Henry and to the reader he is simply another man with strong beliefs. God, in the novel, either does not exist or is completely apathetic to the actions of man. The one religious icon the reader sees in the book, the St. Anthony necklace Catherine gives to Henry, is disregarded and lost within twenty pages. Henry's strongest sense of devotion in the book is to Catherine, and in this way love for him is a "religious" feeling, but by no other definition of the word is this true. The priest nicely expresses Hemingway's message when he says, "there in my country it is understood that a man may love God. It is not a dirty joke" (71). The frontlines are no place for religion. God has no place in war.

Discrimination against people with HIV at work Essay

More than twenty years after the first case of HIV Aids were reported, the issue of discrimination of HIV Aids infected workers continue to elicit mixed reactions in most organizations. Discrimination, at the work place is common all over the world, although it may manifest itself differently depending on the organization. According to an International Labour Organization, ILO (6) report â€Å"Global Report on HIV Pandemic†, â€Å"HIV infected employees suffer stigma which could be in the form of ridicule or social isolation and in some cases their employment might be terminated. † This essay will be highlighting the issue of HIV Aids discrimination at the work place by assessing the existing divergences on this issue. The problem of HIV Aids discrimination at the work place has become more pertinent because of the serious negative effects on individual and overall performance of organizations. The impacts of AIDS on employees at the work place are very considerable to the extent that it has led to the deaths of skilled and educated personnel. HIV Aids is a normal disease that is just like any other and therefore we need to deal with those that are infected with lots of understanding. All over the world, governments have realized the impacts of HIV Aids and put across legislations meant to address this issue. In South Africa, the Employment Equity Act made it illegal for the majority of Government departments to carry out pre-employment HIV testing (ILO 22). Many countries have integrated HIV policy that protects those infected in their policies on employment so as to curb discrimination. However some countries still have legislations that are discriminatory. Cases of deportation of expatriates with HIV/AIDS have been reported in the United Arab Emirates UAE, (Rahimi 17) hence bringing to fore challenges that are brought about by these variations. Discrimination against workers infected with AIDS is unacceptable within organizations and is punishable by law. This allows for infected and able workers to contribute to the economy and towards leading a normal life. AIDS and other related infections can be addressed in the workplace through the formation of a committee that will promote the implementation of non-discriminatory policies in the workplace against infected employees. The committee develops policies on HIV/AIDS that aim at addressing the plight of infected persons and their welfare in the workplace. The program will contain policies that address employment issues of the infected employees. The program is communicated to all departments of the organization to give employees a chance to familiarize themselves on the disease. The support of the top management is necessary for the successful implementation of the HIV/AIDS program. The HIV/AIDS workplace policy components that guide the employer in dealing with the infected employees to ensure they are respected, their status kept confidential and they are treated like any other employee. The policy also prohibits the employee from conducting tests on prospective employees. The committee should develop an education program which will offer education to the employees about HIV/AIDS to avoid misunderstanding between the employees. The employees should understand the facts to avoid discriminating infected employees. By understanding how the disease can and cannot be transmitted will reduce discrimination in the workplace. The program will also inform the employees on their rights regarding their employment and any form of discrimination. The education program should also provide for ways to avoid the spread of the disease and ensuring the safety of the employees. This will help in avoiding stigmatization of infected employees. The program should also offer support through guidance and counseling the infected. The education should offer for evaluation on its effectiveness towards reducing discrimination and fighting the disease in the workplace. Mellow recommends on the evaluation of tasks and activities performed by the employees to ensure their safety. Employees who are always in contact with body fluids face a high risk of getting infected and the company should consider providing them with the necessary safety equipment. The committee should also develop the infection control program that aims at reducing infections in the workplace. Already infected employees are informed on how to conduct themselves to avoid spreading infections in the workplace. The applicability of the program is confined to situations where the employees can get infected while conducting their normal duties. The employees are provided with protective gear that shields them from spreading or getting infected with the disease. The program informs the employees on how to clean their protective equipment to avoid transmissions to unsuspecting employees (48). Discrimination amongst employees with AIDS violates the basic human right to work and the fundamental principles to work. This further affects the measures to prevent further spread of the disease. The loss of skilled employees due to their positive status result to low production of the organization and as the operation costs rise higher. To resolve the HIV/AIDS issue in the workplace should be approached carefully by observing the workers rights. The workers should be involved in decision making and the formulation of policies about the issue in their work environment. This will avoid rejection by the employees of the HIV/AIDS program once it starts to be adopted. The employees should also be made to understand why it is important for the company to adopt such a program. Participation by all the factions of the organization will provide for its successful adoption. The employees should also be provided with the necessary equipment to reduce their exposure towards contracting the disease. The organization should also respect decisions by workers to reject an activity due to high exposure towards contacting the disease. The mere excuse of refusing to perform an activity because a colleague is infected does not validate it. However, where lack of protective gear is cited the employee has got reason to refuse performing the activity. Workers also have the right to know areas in the workplace that highly expose them towards getting infected with the disease. In implementing the education program, the committee should oversee the placing of warning signs in the organization informing employees of the underlying danger. Anti-discriminatory policies on HIV at the work place however face immense criticism from various quarters who argue that they just bring in unnecessary costs and sometimes are used to protect non-performers. A point put forward is that in most cases there is reduced production when it comes to those that are infected, hence either putting employers in a dilemma of facing the wrath of being sued or facing the wrath of trade unions if they terminate the employee or retaining the employer and incurring extra costs. These opposing camps further posit that these workers are always a source of conflict with other workers; which leads to reduced overall performance. Some employees might feel uncomfortable working around them, an issue most organizations have ignored. Generally this state of affairs can be seen in most organizations throughout the world, but the extent of discrimination from different organizations. Conclusion The development of a HIV/AIDS program aims at ensuring that infected workers get a chance to lead a normal life while serving the nation. The program starts by formulating a company’s HIV/AIDS policy with the help of the workers. This will lead to the quick implementation of the program without facing any opposition. The next step is the formation of an education program that educates the workers on the facts about the disease and how to protect themselves. The program also sees the provision of safety equipment and the identification of areas that pose great risk of infection to employees. The programs should then be continually evaluated to check on their effectiveness in containing the disease. If the program is ineffective then changes are made to improve on its effectiveness. There is need to understand that no policy or legal framework can fully address the issue of HIV at the work place. Appropriate communication mechanisms are needed at the work place especially when it comes to confronting the fears and attitudes that continue hampering effective and sustained policies that protect employees infected with HIV Aids. Works Cited International Labor Organization. Global Report on HIV Pandemic Geneva: ILO, 2005. Mello J. A. AIDS and the Law of the Workplace. New York: West view Press, 2006. Rahimi, S. The UAE’s New Fight against HIV. New York: Penguin, 2007.

Free Essays on Mother

Write an essay on mother and son relationship A mother's love is very important. A child who feels love is most likely to succeed and give it in return than a child who never received it and doesn't know what it means to be loved. In most cases, it is the mother's love, care, and understanding that enable the child to overcome many hurdles in their life. In my case, I was able to An important obstacle that I overcame because of my mother was shyness. I always kept to myself and never felt the need to go out of my way to be friendly. But my mother constantly told me and pointed out that communication is key in the real world and that I had to learn to communicate with people if I wanted to succeed. She realized that in order for me to overcome my shyness, I had to start talking to people and being sociable so she introduced me to different people and I began to open up more. Eventually I was able to start high school and make life-long friends there and I owe it all to her. Another obstacle I overcame was self-doubt. Whenever I had trouble believing I could do something, my mother was always there to believe in me and constantly install me that I could do anything as long as I believed I could. Whenever I have trouble with friends or school or when I was just in one of my "moods", my mother was always there for me and willing to discuss my dilemmas. The fact that she is proud of what I accomplish is the main reason for my success so far and I am glad that with her help, I am more confident in my abilities and potential. The last obstacles that I overcame and am still overcoming are the overall difficult times. These times include problems concerning school, and even problem with my parents. Like I said before, when I do have problems with work being extremely difficult, my mother doesn't criticize me for failing, but encourages me to try harder and tells me she is still proud of my efforts. She knows that I am not perfect ... Free Essays on Mother Free Essays on Mother Write an essay on mother and son relationship A mother's love is very important. A child who feels love is most likely to succeed and give it in return than a child who never received it and doesn't know what it means to be loved. In most cases, it is the mother's love, care, and understanding that enable the child to overcome many hurdles in their life. In my case, I was able to An important obstacle that I overcame because of my mother was shyness. I always kept to myself and never felt the need to go out of my way to be friendly. But my mother constantly told me and pointed out that communication is key in the real world and that I had to learn to communicate with people if I wanted to succeed. She realized that in order for me to overcome my shyness, I had to start talking to people and being sociable so she introduced me to different people and I began to open up more. Eventually I was able to start high school and make life-long friends there and I owe it all to her. Another obstacle I overcame was self-doubt. Whenever I had trouble believing I could do something, my mother was always there to believe in me and constantly install me that I could do anything as long as I believed I could. Whenever I have trouble with friends or school or when I was just in one of my "moods", my mother was always there for me and willing to discuss my dilemmas. The fact that she is proud of what I accomplish is the main reason for my success so far and I am glad that with her help, I am more confident in my abilities and potential. The last obstacles that I overcame and am still overcoming are the overall difficult times. These times include problems concerning school, and even problem with my parents. Like I said before, when I do have problems with work being extremely difficult, my mother doesn't criticize me for failing, but encourages me to try harder and tells me she is still proud of my efforts. She knows that I am not perfect ...