The Scapegoating of Homosexuals as Threats to Society Essay

Politics of Exclusion - The Scapegoating of Homosexuals as Threats to Society It is hard to believe that this bill is anything other than a thinly veiled attempt to score political debating points by scapegoating gay and lesbian Americans.-John F. Kerry The monster lulls reason into a night of unknowing in which sleeping leviathans do not lie.-Timothy K. Beal Introduction The scapegoating of homosexuals as monstrous threats to the order of society allows for their exclusion from institutions such as marriage, legal adoption, and The Boy Scouts of America. To reverse this discrimination, we must learn to make room for the chaotic queer monster, to perceive its presence not as threatening, but rather as inevitable,†¦show more content†¦The Creation of Queer Monsters This politics of exclusion is grounded in the depiction of homosexuals as monsters. It would be silly to deny that gays and lesbians, in their sexual preference, clearly diverge from the societal norm. Furthermore, we cannot ignore that this deviation introduces a degree of chaos to society. However, when we view homosexuals’ difference and challenge to convention as monstrously threatening, discrimination is justified. Homosexuals can be correlated with Freud’s concept of the unheimlich. This term describes the â€Å"unhomely†, the outside which threatens one’s sense of security, one’s â€Å"at-homeness† from the inside; it is the â€Å"otherness within sameness† [1] . The gay and lesbian population constitutes an element of difference, an â€Å"other†, within an American society nearly obsessed with the maintenance of order and security. Like the subjects of Timothy Beal’s book Religion and Its Monsters, homosexuals â€Å"are threatening figures of anomaly within the well-established and accepted order of things†. In their difference, they serve to disorient, to introduce a degree of chaos, and to reveal deep insecurities in our confidence in the meaning, integrity, and well-being of society [2] . Therefore, gays and lesbians are demonized as threats to our sense of order. We create queer monsters of chaos that must be repressed andSh ow MoreRelatedThe Negative Stereotypes About Bisexual Lifestyle1408 Words   |  6 Pageslesbians see bisexuality as a transitional identity between heterosexuality and lesbianism; notably, 83% lesbians agreed that â€Å"some women claim to be bisexual when they are really lesbians who are afraid to admit it† (Rust, â€Å"Neutralizing the Political Threat† 9). Stone also notes in her memoir that lesbians are often bitter about the â€Å"straight-passing privilege† that bisexual women possess (2). 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Classical Concerto Free Essays

CONCERTO A concerto (from the Italian: concerto, plural concerti or, often, the anglicised form concertos) is a musical composition usually composed in three parts or movements, in which (usually) one solo instrument (for instance, a piano, violin, cello or flute) is accompanied by an orchestra. The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words conserere (meaning to tie, to join, to weave) and certamen (competition, fight): the idea is that the two parts in a concerto, the soloist and the orchestra, alternate episodes of opposition, cooperation, and independence in the creation of the music flow. The concerto, as understood in this modern way, arose in the Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra. We will write a custom essay sample on Classical Concerto or any similar topic only for you Order Now The popularity of the concerto grosso form declined after the Baroque period, and the genre was not revived until the 20th century. The solo concerto, however, has remained a vital musical force from its inception to this day. Classical concerto . Sonata form in the Classical ConcertoFor exposition, development and recapitulation, The concerti of the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach are perhaps the best links between those of the Baroque period and those of Mozart. C. P. E. Bach’s keyboard concerti contain some brilliant soloistic writing. Some of them have movements that run into one another without a break, and there are frequent cross-movement thematic references. Mozart, as a boy, made arrangements for harpsichord and orchestra of three sonata movements by Johann Christian Bach. By the time he was twenty, Mozart was able to write concerto ritornelli that gave the orchestra admirable opportunity for asserting its character in an exposition with some five or six sharply contrasted themes, before the soloist enters to elaborate on the material. He wrote one concerto each for flute, oboe (later rearranged for flute and known as Flute Concerto No. ), clarinet, and bassoon, four for horn, a Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra, a Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, and Exsultate, jubilate, a de facto concerto for soprano voice. They all exploit and explore the characteristics of the solo instrument. His five violin concerti, written in quick succession, show a number of influences, notably Italian an d Austrian. Several passages have leanings towards folk music, as manifested in Austrian serenades. However, it was in his twenty-seven original piano concerti that he excelled himself. citation needed] It is conventional to state that the first movements of concerti from the Classical period onwards follow the structure of sonata form. Final movements are often in rondo form, as in J. S. Bach’s E Major Violin Concerto. [2] Sonata form Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century (the early Classical period). While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement. The teaching of sonata form in music theory rests on a standard definition and a series of hypotheses about the underlying reasons for the durability and variety of the form—a definition that arose in the second quarter of the 19th century. [2] There is little disagreement that on the largest level, the form consists of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation;[3] however, beneath this, sonata form is difficult to pin down in terms of a single model. The standard definition focuses on the thematic and harmonic organization of tonal materials that are presented in an exposition, elaborated and contrasted in a development and then resolved harmonically and thematically in a recapitulation. In addition, the standard definition recognizes that an introduction and a coda may be present. Each of the sections is often further divided or characterized by the particular means by which it accomplishes its function in the form. Since its establishment, the sonata form became the most common form in the first movement of works entitled â€Å"sonata†, as well as other long works of classical music, including the symphony, concerto, string quartet, and so on. [3] Accordingly, there is a large body of theory on what unifies and distinguishes practice in the sonata form, both within eras and between eras. Even works that do not adhere to the standard description of a sonata form often present analogous structures or can be analyzed as elaborations or expansions of the standard description of sonata form. Outline of sonata form Introduction The Introduction section is optional, or may be reduced to a minimum. If it is extended, it is, in general, slower than the main section, and frequently focuses on the dominant key. It may or may not contain material that is later stated in the exposition. The introduction increases the weight of the movement, and also permits the composer to begin the exposition with a theme that would be too light to start on its own, as in Haydn’s Symphony No. 03 (â€Å"The Drumroll†) and Beethoven’s Quintet for Piano and Winds Op. 16. The introduction usually is not included in the exposition repeat. On occasion, the material of introduction reappears in its original tempo later in the movement. Often, this occurs as late as the coda, as in Mozart’s String Quintet in D major K. 593, Haydn’s Drumroll Symphony, or Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 (â€Å"Pathetique†). Exposition The primary thematic material for the m ovement is presented in the Exposition. This section can be further divided into several sections. The same section in most sonata form movements has prominent harmonic and thematic parallelisms (although in some works from the 19th century and onward, some of these parallelisms are subject to considerable exceptions), which include: First subject group, P (Prime) – this consists of one or more themes, all of them in the home key (also called the tonic)—so if the piece is in C major, all of the music in the first group will be in C major. Although some pieces are written differently, most follow this form. Transition, T – in this section the composer modulates from the key of the first subject to the key of the second. Second subject group, S – one or more themes in a different key from the first group. If the first group is in a major key, the second group will usually be in the dominant. If the original key is C major, for example, the key of the music of the second group will be G major, a perfect fifth higher. If the first group is in a minor key, the second group will, in general, be in the relative major, so that, if the original key is C minor, the second group will be in E-flat major. The material of the second group is often different in rhythm or mood from that of the first group (frequently, it is more lyrical). Codetta, K – the purpose of this is to bring the exposition section to a close with a perfect cadence in the same key as the second group. The exposition is commonly repeated, particularly in classical works. Often, though not always, the last measure or measures of the exposition are slightly different between the repeats, one to point back to the tonic, where the exposition began, and the second to point towards the development. Development In general, the development starts in the same key as the exposition ended, and may move through many different keys during its course. It will usually consist of one or more themes from the exposition altered and on occasion juxtaposed and may include new material or themes – though exactly what is acceptable practice is a famous point of contention. Alterations include taking material through distant keys, breaking down of themes and sequencing of motifs, and so forth. The development varies greatly in length from piece to piece and from time period to time period, sometimes being relatively short compared to the exposition (e. g. , the first movement of Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K 525/I by Mozart) and in other cases quite long and detailed (e. . , the first movement of the â€Å"Eroica† Symphony by Beethoven). Developments in the classical era are typically shorter due to how much composers of that era valued symmetry, unlike the more expressive romantic era (â€Å"Eroica† is considered to be the first Romantic symphony) in which development sections gain a much greater importance. However, it a lmost always shows a greater degree of tonal, harmonic, and rhythmic instability than the other sections. At the end, the music will usually return to the tonic key in preparation of the recapitulation. On occasion it will actually return to the sub-dominant key and then proceed with the same transition as in the exposition). The transition from the development to the recapitulation is a crucial moment in the work. The last part of the development section is called the retransition: It prepares for the return of the first subject group in the tonic, most often through a grand prolongation of the dominant seventh. Thus, if the key of the movement is C major, the retransition would most typically stress the dominant seventh chord on G. In addition, the character of the music would signal such a return, often becoming more frenetic (as in the case of the first movement of Beethoven’s â€Å"Waldstein† Sonata, Op. 53). A rather notable exception to the harmonic norm of the retransition occurs in the first movement of Brahms’s Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1. The general key of the movement is C major, and it would then follow that the retransition should stress the dominant seventh chord on G. Instead, it builds in strength over the seventh chord on C, as if the music were proceeding to F major. At the height of the musical tension, this chord triumphs with great volume and wide registral scope on the downbeat, only to take up immediately the first theme in C major – that is, without any standard harmonic preparation. Occasionally, the retransition can begin with a false recapitulation, in which the opening material of the first theme group is presented in a key other than the tonic. The surprise that ensues when the music continues to modulate toward the tonic can be used for either comic or dramatic effect. Recapitulation First subject group – normally given prominence as the highlight of a recapitulation, it is usually in exactly the same key and form as in the exposition. Transition – Often the transition is carried out by introducing novel material, a kind of brief additional development section; this is called a secondary development. Second subject group – usually in roughly the same form as in the exposition, but now in the home key, which sometimes involves change of mode from major to minor, or vice versa, as occurs in the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 0 (K. 550). More often, however, it may be recast in the parallel major of the home key (for example, C major when the movement is in C minor like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67/I). Key here is more important than mode (major or minor) – the recapitulation provides the needed balance even if the material’s mode is changed, so long as there is no longer any key conflict. Ex ceptions to the recapitulation form include Mozart and Haydn works that often begin with the second subject group when the first subject group has been elaborated at ength in the development. After the closing cadence, the musical argument proper is said to be completed. If the movement continues, it is said to have a coda. Coda After the final cadence of the recapitulation, the movement may continue with a coda which will contain material from the movement proper. Codas, when present, vary considerably in length, but like introductions are not part of the â€Å"argument† of the work. The coda will end, however, with a perfect authentic cadence in the original key. Codas may be quite brief tailpieces, or they may be very long and elaborate. A famous example of the more extended type is the coda to the first movement of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony (no. 3 in E flat), although there are numerous others in Beethoven’s music. Explanations for why an extended coda is present vary. One reason may be to omit the repeat of the development and recapitulation sections found in earlier sonata forms of the eighteenth century. Indeed, Beethoven’s extended codas often serve the purpose of further development of thematic material. How to cite Classical Concerto, Essay examples

Ethnic Conflict in Rwanda free essay sample

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda is, by all accounts, the worst war related disaster since the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki in World War II. In Rwanda, 800,000 people died in less than one hundred days. As the well wishers of Europe and the United States turned a blind eye to what was happening in Rwanda, thousands of machete-wielding youths turned Rwanda into a mass grave. Although, the United Nations sent its peacekeepers they were few, severely underfunded, and with a mandate limited only to self defense and protection of foreign interests. In short, the peacekeepers could only watch helplessly as the Rwandese butchered each other. By considering Gourevitch’s arguments, this essay analyzes the reasons why the Europe and the United States turned a blind eye to the genocide in Rwanda. It will also outline the strengths and weaknesses of those arguments, and finally put forward arguments that UN officials should have made in order to convince Europe and the United States to intervene in Rwanda. GOUREVITCH’S ARGUMENTS The economic underdevelopment of Rwanda made the well-wishers of Europe and the United States doubt the Hutu government’s capacity to carry out systematic attacks aimed at exterminating the Tutsi’s. To them Rwanda was a third world country and, as such, it did not have the economic muscle required in the commission of genocide. They compared Rwanda with Germany and stated that the reason why the holocaust happened was because the Germans had advanced weapons. They forgot to accept one fact, it was not the advanced weapons that killed the Jews but rather it was the Germans who killed the Jews. Hitler was able to turn the Germans into weapons. Similarly, Rwanda was a third world country but its government, with the aid of the media, was able to turn the Hutus into weapons and in a span of a hundred days they massacred more than 800,000 people. The reason why Belgium was indifferent to the plight of the Rwandese was because its policies during the colonial period and the early 1990s entrenched ethnic hatred in Rwanda. According to Gourevitch, the Belgians were more racist than the former German Administrators (128). They encouraged the Tutsi minority to dominate the Hutus. They called the Tutsis â€Å"Europeans† because they are tall, athletic, and intelligent, while the Hutus were the â€Å"Africans† because they are short. In addition, in 1991 Belgian troops stood in silence as Zaire troops massacred the Tutsi and looted their villages. These injustices by the Belgians created tension between the Hutus and the Tutsi’s and it is what led to the genocide. The actions of Belgium barred her from intervening to stop the genocide in Rwanda. There was no political will in France because of its economic interests in Rwanda. The French President, Mitterrand, derived a steady supply of income from the supply of weapons to the Rwandese Hutu government. His son was a major arms dealer in the region. Intervening in Rwanda would therefore jeopardize their economic interests because these interests depended on the cordial relationship between the Rwandese president and the French president. The French president was also heavily involved in narcotics trade this trade with the President’s son rumored as being one of the people managing the trade in Rwanda. The French could therefore not risk its economic interests by intervening in the conflict. Although Belgium had been supporting the Tutsis during colonialism, they supported the Hutus during the genocide because they suspected that the Tutsis received support from the English speaking countries like the US and Great Britain (Gourevitch 90). The French were fearful of the rising influence of Britain and the US in East and Central Africa. To counter this influence, Belgium and France supported the Hutu government by supplying it with weapons, troops, and money. Gourevitch recalls how the French Ambassador to Rwanda quashed the US Ambassador’s attempts at criticizing the Hutu government for its involvement in the massacre of Tutsis in the early 1990s (Gourevitch 132). This division prevented France and the US from agreeing on the way forward for Rwanda. The UN Security Council decided to send few peacekeepers with limited mandate because there was division between United States, Britain, and France in the Security Council. France was keen on maintaining its influence in the Rwanda while Britain wanted to extend its influence to Rwanda. The US supported Britain and as a result favored the rise of the Tutsi rebels to power. In addition to that, the genocide in Rwanda came in the wake of the killing of eighteen US soldiers in Somalia. Consequently, there was no public support in the US for humanitarian intervention. Under such circumstances, the UN Security Council decided to send only one hundred troops with limited mandate. STRENGTHS OF GOUREVICH’S ARGUMENTS One of the major strengths of Gourevitch’s argument lies in the fact that he establishes a clear background of the events culminating to the genocide. He gives a chronology of events from the colonial period to the time when the genocide occurred. Gourevitch clearly shows how the Belgians treated the Hutus before independence and clearly indicates how this ethnic division eventually led to the armed conflict in Rwanda. He also gives the background of the situation in Rwanda before the 1994 genocide. How the Rwandese media was used as a tool to fun ethnic tensions in Rwanda. This background makes it easier for the reader to have a clear understanding of the issues at stake in the Rwandese Genocide. The other strength of Gourevitch’s arguments lies in the fact that he is objective. Gourevitch painted a vivid picture of the genocide in Rwanda without leaning on either side. His account of the armed conflict is completely neutral and unbiased. Although he is a citizen of the United States, he clearly shows the reasons why the United State was indifferent towards the war. He also gives a neutral account of the role of the French and Belgian Government in the genocide. This objectivity makes it easy for a reader to understand what happened in Rwanda from a neutral point of view. WEAKNESSES OF GOUVERICH’S ARGUMENTS Although Gourevitch clearly portrays the indifference of the Western governments in the Rwandan genocide, he fails to clearly underline the role of the Western Media in the Genocide. The western media, of which Gourevitch is one, concentrated on the weaknesses of the peacekeepers and failed to report on the role their governments played in the genocide. For example, in a report, Gourevitch criticizes how the Peacekeepers shot at dogs that were feeding on human corpses instead of shooting at people who were committing genocide (Gourevitch 148). Yet he does not criticize the US and Europe for giving the peacekeepers limited mandate. The media failed to lobby their governments to send more troops to Rwanda in order to prevent the genocide. In failing to clearly outline the role of foreign journalists in the Genocide, Gourevitch abdicates his ethical responsibility as a journalist. Another weakness of Gourevitch’s argument is that he fails to indicate the role of the African Union in the Genocide. Since the African States knew what was going on in Rwanda, it was incumbent upon them to report to the Security Council and request them to send troops. Putting the blame entirely on Europe and the United States misses the point entirely (Wilshire 74). The war was taking place in Africa; the African states should therefore have been the ones leading the crusade on humanitarian intervention. Although the African states played a big role in the adoption of the Arusha Accord, the African states should have gone a step further by ensuring the prevention of the genocide. Blaming Western entirely Governments is misplaced. ALTERNATIVE ARGUMENTS BY THE UN OFFICIAL Public condemnation of the action of the Western Powers prior to the genocide would be effective in forcing them to change their policies on Rwanda. The UN Official should have made public the evidence gathered on the role played by the Western governments in Rwanda since the colonial period and its link to the ethnic tensions in Rwanda. For example, if the UN official brought to the attention of the French citizens the kind of atrocities that their government participated in, the French citizens would then pressurize their government into changing its policy on Rwanda. The public condemnation would in effect prevent the genocide by forcing the reluctant states to send their troops. The UN official should also have explained to the members of the UN Security Council that sending more troops to Rwanda was in their best interest. The truth of the matter is that the UN used more money in reconstructing Rwanda after the genocide compared to the money needed to prevent the genocide. For example, the United Nations used a lot of money to establish the United Nations Tribunal for Rwanda criticized for failing to bring the perpetrators of the genocide to book (Thompson 208). Showing the United nation Security Council the amount of money that it would eventually use to reconstruct Rwanda if it fails to stop the genocide would have had a positive impact. This is because a country like the US which argued that sending troops to Rwanda was not in its interest could have done re-evaluation of its policy. The production of concrete evidence by the UN Official indicating the inevitability of genocide would force the Western powers to change their stance. By showing the evidence of the 1991 massacre of Tutsis by the Hutus and the levels of ethnic tensions between Hutus and the Tutsis, the Official’s case would be strong. Such evidence would give the United Nations a clear picture of the situation on the ground. In such a case, requesting for a fact finding mission would also increase the chances of a swift response by the UN incase the report of the fact finding mission paints a grim picture. This concrete evidence would in effect prevent the genocide. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the reasons, according to Gourevitch, why the foreign powers turned a blind eye to the genocide in Rwanda were because they were in denial as to the capability and/or possibility of genocide happening in Rwanda. Belgium was indifferent to the plight of the Rwandese because its policies during the colonial period entrenched ethnic tensions in Rwanda. Another reason that prevented the French and Belgians from intervening was because of their economic interests in Rwanda. In addition, during the genocide the Belgians supported Hutus because they suspected that the Tutsis received support from English speaking countries like the US and Great Britain. The reason why the UN troops sent to Rwanda were few was because of divisions in the Security Council between the Anglophone and Francophone states. The strength of Gourevitch’s arguments is that he establishes a clear background on the events culminating to the genocide. His report on the role of the US, Europe, and the UN in the genocide is also neutral and unbiased. However, Gourevitch’s weaknesses lie in the fact that he does not indicate the role played by the western media in the Genocide. Another weakness is that he does not clearly indicate the role of the African states in the genocide. Finally, in order to convince or force the United Nations to prevent the genocide, the United Nations official should have publicly condemned the actions of western states prior to the genocide—especially France and Belgium. Explaining to the United Nations Security Council why sending troops to Rwanda was in their best interest was the best way of convincing them to send troops to Rwanda. In addition to that, the production of concrete evidence on the inevitability of the Rwanda genocide would convince the United Nations to take the Rwandese case seriously.