The Responsibility to Relieve the Suffering Essay

The Responsibility to Relieve the Suffering - Essay Example Majority of the people hate to see others suffering. They want to do something that will end suffering. It is unfortunate that most of the strategies they adopt to relieve the suffering of others are not justified. In other cases, some people relent to relieve the suffering of others when they have the potential. This implies that there are different circumstances and realities that determine the willingness of an individual to respond. There are times when people relent to help and in some way, it is justified. These people count the cost and sometimes the price to pay is too high for them. According to Hardin, he highlights how thirty-seven people failed to save a woman, who was their neighbor, from an attack (779). Hardin explains how the onlookers failed to make a phone call to the police immediately they heard her cries and saw the assailant. It is not clear why these people did not want to make a move that would have saved their neighbor. Probably some of them were ignorant but it is clear that they wanted to stay clear of the story. Analysis of this story leaves one wondering why these people were so afraid of making a phone call. They wanted to help but a certain fear prevented them from doing so. From the perspective of Hardin, sometimes we do not have to help people undergoing suffering because we want them to learn things the hard way. He illustrates a classic example of how poor countries depend on aids from richer countries. Poor countries have challenges handling natural calamities such as hunger due to climate changes, diseases, earthquake, and floods. They rely on rich countries for help. The rich countries have a choice to make on how they respond to their cries. One option would be to educate the rest of the world on better strategies of planning and budgeting as well as disaster preparedness. They can also choose to donate part of their surplus to feed the hungry nations. It is clear in his reasoning that a lifeboat survives only if critical measures are put into place. Poor countries must learn how to budget and plan. They should adopt strategies that will ensure they are independent (Hanh and Weisman 18). In addition, it is essential to learn how to control their population so that it can survive on the available resources. If rich countries continue relieving their suffering without their own initiative of finding long-term solutions, then the lifeboat will sink. Poor countries multiply so fast and similar trends of population increase are predictable in the future. On the contrary, rich countries portray a more controlled population growth. There will be more dependents in society and the rich will exhaust their resources. Overpopulation in poor counties will rise to levels that the environment cannot sustain. People from poor countries will want to immigrate to rich countries to get easier access to a better life. This immigration will lead to environmental strain in rich countries. In both cases, the lifeboat will capsize. From the analysis of Hardin’s point of view, it is evident that it is justified to withhold help with good intentions. The rich countries are not selfish; they want the poor countries to take the first responsibility in eliminating their suffering. Poor countries should learn to be more responsible in terms of both governance and planning. If rich countries always choose to relieve the suffering of the poor countries by giving those aids, they will cause devastating effects both to themselves and to the rest of the

Is Virginia Woolf a Feminist Writer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is Virginia Woolf a Feminist Writer - Essay Example Does this style predispose Virginia Woolf as a feminist writer because she was female and wrote about issues that were important to women? Is she still a feminist if her emotional dependence upon men was greater than her intellectual dependence? Or through current retrospect, do we see her as a champion of feminism because she overcame the prevailing male attitudes within her family and society to write about what she thought was essential? Critics offer the opinion that â€Å"†¦her life has come to stand for a great deal; it has become a heavily loaded symbol in the current dialogues over gender, class, madness, and marriage. The famously gifted, original, neurotic, courageous, difficult, and very imperfect human being she once was has disappeared†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .Virginia Woolf gained prominence during the first-wave of political feminism in the early 20th century, but the major focus of this effort revolved around suffrage. She has been portrayed as a feminist, but her writing supports idealist views that humans, in general, should be free to pursue activities that make them whole, regardless of the sexual orientation, gender, or culture. Eyal Amirane asserts that biology is not destiny, and the use of specific language is not synonymous with having a feminist philosophy, â€Å"Thus feminist analysis can take a textual form that is not bound to the body, though it is already (always) about the body†¦it takes place not on the writer's body but in the body of the text†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .... synonymous with having a feminist philosophy, "Thus feminist analysis can take a textual form that is not bound to the body, though it is already (always) about the bodyit takes place not on the writer's body but in the body of the text" (Amirane, np). A writer can be of either sex, since art is created in the mind first, and passed through the body of the artist. When Woolf tells us that, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is going to write", she intimates to us that there is no need to establish a political philosophy, just the need for privacy and economic support. (Lavender, np). Woolf did not embrace a specific political ideology and was ambiguous about suffrage, but still believed in being feminine, and her definition meant assurance by allowing " women the fundamental right to control their own lives and income" (Allen, np). In Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa wants to perform purposeful roles-wife, mother, lover, and hostess, with aplomb. The role created for her character is one of a strong feminine tradition. She is artificial and shallow, but tries to be everything to everyone. Her party is a tribute to the prestige of her husband and family's reputation. Her selfish attitude and demeanor exemplify the divisions in social class, the acceptable exclusions, and how snobbish women can be towards each other. Clarissa is a strong protagonist and she is stereotypical in her assertions and behavior. We are privy to the inner emotional workings of the characters, but within the context of this novel these are not special or unique (Crawford, np). This novel might be considered an example feminine writing, but not feminism. This work does not espouse a feminism point of view. The context is about everyday life and events, plain and ordinary, and