Critically evaluate Karl Barth's theology of religion and work Essay

Critically evaluate Karl Barth's theology of religion and work - Essay Example Barth work resulted to great effect on how the society interprets and apply Christian teachings. The unpopular and radical approach of Barthian theological thinking about work and Sabbath earned him great criticisms from the mainstream society but his work remains an important component of the current theological scholars and knowledge about Christianity faith. Barth claims that work or human labor is solely utilitarian intended to keep us alive. In this regard, he emphasizes on the importance of observing Sabbath, in order for man to resist the temptation of worshipping work at the expense of serving God (Hughes, 2007). In Barth ideology of Sabbath, the command to rest does not validate man to work for the remaining days of the week. He argues that Sabbath should take precedence of all other activities that man does for the service of God, so that He can reveal His purpose for him. Therefore, Sabbath day according to Barth (2009) gives the meaning and direction of man’s activ ities for the rest of his working days in the week. During Sabbath, man should not consider it as leisure or passive time but rather a day to join God in celebrating His Creation (Barth, 2009). Work or active life is not entirely, what God requires from man, but an activity that man does for survival (Barth, 2009). In this case, Barth argues that Jesus Christ called his disciples to abandon their work and follow him in his ministry but not join work. From his arguments, it is not necessary for man to work because it is worldly and cannot lead to salvation. I disagree with Barth’s opinion on work and Sabbath. When God was creating the universe, all Creations were made in six days and on the seventh day, He rested (Alister, 1999). In this case, God did not rest and then proceed to the work of creation. Though man’s activities do not add up to God’s creations, his actions have a profound effect on the entire universe and its inhabitants. God created man to be the m aster of the universe and its creations, and to fulfill the purpose, man must work not only for his own survival, but for the sake of other creations (Alister, 1999). In poor and underprivileged societies, rest days are liability to such people who struggle hard to afford even a single meal in a day. To such people, taking a break from work in Sabbath amounts to starvation, psychological suffering including anxiety, self-humiliation and depression. Thus, considering economic and social status of people, Barth idea of work and Sabbath is a luxury only the rich can afford. A true Sabbath should result after six days of working earnestly, without deceit or oppression, so that all people regardless of their economic status can fellowship with God and celebrate His Creation. 2. Critically evaluate an issue affecting employers or employees in relation to religious faith and practice Different religions have distinct practices that they instill on their followers and believers. These pract ices normally dictate their daily activities such as mode of dressing, nutrition, duties and responsibilities, health, ways of praying among other behaviors. Alister ( 1999) noted that strict observation of these practices determine the commitment of the believers and more importantly, their desire to attain the highest form of spiritual purity dictated by the teachings of the respective religious denomination. Many religious teachings from diverse backgrounds contain punitive measures meted on followers who fail to comply with the said practices. The punishments are normally carried out by the leaders and/or, adherents of the particular religious grouping on the errant followers (Alister, 1999).

Walls Icecream Parlor Essay Example for Free

Walls Icecream Parlor Essay Wall’s came to Pakistan in 1995 establishing the Wall’s factory on Multan Road in Lahore. Fully equipped with state of the art machinery, the Wall’s factory is a standard of hygiene and technology in the region and has become synonymous with quality. In 1998 Wall’s acquired Polka, a local ice cream manufacturer. Some of the most popular brands loved by the masses were linked to Wall’s making an irresistible combination that few could refuse. Key facts about Wall’s Pakistan: * Wall’s is the market leader of the Pakistani Ice cream market. * All Wall’s products are Halal and are made with Halal ingredients in a Halal compliant manner Ice cream is made from milk, fat and sugar. These are cooled as they are mixed, then whipped to create a light, airy texture. Flavourings, fruit or chocolate are added then the whole mixture is frozen again before packaging. IDEA: The idea is to open an ice-cream parlor under the brand name walls. Ice Cream parlor is a unique opportunity.walls is a very well established brand in Pakistan and will surely have its name in ice-cream parlour. The ice cream parlour will not only give products but also excellent services. The features would be quality, quantity, a lot of flavours plus an additional flavour and sugar free ice creams. They would be at low price compared to competitors. The future plan will be to start a van service in twin cities for consumer’s convenience. Our goal would be to penetrate the market and make good customer relationships by providing great quality and taste. Potential: As already said hat walls is a established and well known brand having many loyal customers so definitely it will be successful as there are so many loyal people to this brand they would love to come and enjoy ice-cream at walls parlor having different kind of atmosphere as well as different types of ice-cream.

Spiritual Beliefs Vs Human Reason Philosophy Essay

Spiritual Beliefs Vs Human Reason Philosophy Essay Philosophers and scientists have constantly attempted to explain concepts divine processes described initially. They always sought for a scientific or logical explanation for a phenomenon explained through religion, or not explained at all. Scientists believed natural laws govern universe. As a result, a quest for explanation of events, which seemed illogical, began. The first philosophers speculated that beneath the ever-changing natural world was an unchanging matter (Matthews Platt, 46). They also believed in rationality. Thus, any explanation of a natural concept seemingly unrealistic was questioned. This mindset progressed throughout Western history, and presently, there is the attempt to prove the role of God, and the existence of God through human reason. My opinion is human reason should not preclude the existence of God. Spiritual beliefs and logic should be separate spheres of human existence. Humans beings have two paths to knowledge During the time of the Greeks, there was a myth claiming Apollo drove his chariots across the sky, which was responsible for the rising and setting of the sun. This myth, though illogical, was held high and any opposition to this myth would have been called, in modern terms, blasphemy. The belief was held as firmly as the monotheistic religions believe in the existence of God through faith. Later science was able to prove false the reason for the rising and setting of the sun the Greeks believed in. Even in the case of Galileo Galilee, the churchs theory was that the sun revolved around the fixed Earth: Geocentrism. Galileos attempt to prove otherwise, scientifically, was vigorously fought-against. They forced him to recant his theory because it went against their theory. In their explanation for the cause of rain, Ancient Greeks believed Heras cries fell as rain whenever she found out Zeus, her husband, had gone after other women. These concepts, clearly unscientific, were assumed true. As history moved from the Greek civilization to the modern era, a number of myths were dogmatically believed. Later science and rational thought refuted most of these myths or concepts, while others,-especially those related to spiritual realm, such as the existence of God-are difficult to prove. The Greek civilization was perhaps the foremost place where the tension or dispute between faith, religious thought, spiritual belief; and science, natural philosophy and logical thought began. Philosophers such as Thales, Pythagoras and Heraclitus believed in rationality and the fact that the universe operated on natural laws. Such philosophers believed God or their religious deities had no effect on the natural order of things. The Greeks of the Archaic Age believed the muses were responsible for creative inspiration. Muses were the goddesses of artistic inspiration and claimed to stimulate every work. The monody, lyrical poetry, is based on the personal thoughts of the poet. Then how did the goddesses inspire a work that was based on the poets personal thoughts? In spite of the irrationality of the explanations, the Greeks believed in the explanation of concepts that involved the deities. Philosophers in later civilization asked questions, probing the credibility of the beliefs which resulted in several proofs that opposed myths and religious dogma. Philosophers, since the Hellenic Age have been inquisitive; they questioned divine or illogical explanations to concepts in the universe. Still in the Archaic Age, the idea of believing in concepts, despite the lack of logic behind them, was a key element in their religion. It carried over to later religions in the modern era where religious dogmas are still held. An example of such is the hypostatic union. It is the claim Jesus was both divine and human while in his physical form on earth. To me, the reason the search to understand the natural order of things started, was that everything in the Archaic Age was attributed to the deities. The deities determined the inspiration for works of art, the survival and prosperity of the Greeks, and their cultural accomplishments. Embedded in the Greeks was the belief that as long as they recognized the divinities power and did not challenge themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they would survive and often prosper. (Matthews Platt, 41). The initial philosophers were able to ignore the beliefs (or dogma), because they thought of a world that was controlled by natural causes and deities had no eff ect on the world. However, explaining concepts illogically, which actually are scientific, has been a part of religion, even from the Egyptians. This is not to say that religions knew the concepts were of natural causes, but scientific proofs that came later on would not cause the religions to waiver in their initial beliefs. An example is the tale of the beginning of the world. Scientists claim that the world was formed because of an explosion- The Big Bang. Scientists would then question the tale of Christianity: how did God create the whole world in seven days? Many have tried to answer this rationally or scientifically, but in my opinion, it is almost impossible to explain. Yet, Christians still hold on to this belief firmly. So many cultures, as well as science, have their own speculation about the beginning of the universe. The Hebrews belief of the beginning of the world then became the accepted Word of God thus making it seem as if other beliefs are wrong. This undermines the credibility of re ligious beliefs, but does not mean the Hebrews version is false. Take an instance where a murder is commited and three witnesses give entirely different accounts of the details. However, because the three of them gave separate accounts of the murder, does not mean that no version can be the correct one. In fact, the real version might be a combination of all three accounts. I disagree with the attempt to use reason or rational thought to predetermine if God has effect on the world or if He exists. A logical claim I could make is God creates the natural order philosophers try to understand. An example is the recent science discovery refuting the effects of God on the parting of the Red Sea. Scientists found out that the biblical account of the splitting of the Red Sea might have actually been due to natural causes. In the Bible (Exodus 14), God caused the Red Sea to split, allowing the Israelites to pass on dry ground and then the sea caved back in and drowned the Egyptians. However, according to science, the wind from the East (East Wind) could have been so strong as to push the water up several streams for a certain period (for the Israelites to cross) and then cease, to cause water to return to the sea (to drown the Egyptians). It could have been possible that God caused the East Wind to drive the Red Sea up the tributaries at the time the Israelites wanted it, and then caused the river to fall in when the Egyptians were passing through it. The desire to prove the role or existence of God has persisted through centuries. There is such a strong belief that human reasoning can prove the existence of God, if He exists. But if God cannot be proven, then He does not exist, and He is just a fiction of the imagination of monotheists. I disagree with this perspective because the existence of God has to do with the spiritual realm. The existence of God has for a long time, been questioned, and therefore has troubled philosophers and scientists who always seek to explain every concept, but these two theories (mention the name of the theories), in my opinion, should be completely separate spheres of human existence. To Ockham, faith and reason were both valid approaches to truth, but they should be kept apart so that each could achieve its respective end (Matthews Platt, 261). I agree with William of Ockham in this statement because the fact that the first philosophers believed there is regularity in the universe and that human reason can ultimately understand the natural order, does not imply the use of reason should preclude the existence of God. Just as Thales was wrong about the fundamental substance being water, so also could the Milesian school be wrong about using human reason to prove or try to verify the existence of God-that is if God falls under the natural order of things. William of Ockham lived from about 1300 to about 1349, during which many things in the physical world have been invented or discovered. Up until now, the spiritual realm remains a mystery. Apparently, there is a great disparity in achievement between the use of reason to explain things in the physical world and to explain things of the spiritual realm. William of Ockham accepts reason as a valid approach to truth, but he also includes faith as a valid approach to truth. He explicitly says reason alone cannot question the existence of God. Instead, he suggests the existence of God can only be accepted by faith and the divine mysteries can simply be understood by faith. John Duns Scotus concluded, The theologian and the philosopher have different intellectual tasks, [therefore] theology and science should be independent fields of inquiry (Matthews Platt, 261). To elaborate on John Duns Scotus conclusions, as a Christian, I tried to prove the concept of the Trinity to a Muslim, using only logic. No matter how logical my answers were, they still involved spiritual beliefs and faith. Scientists who have attempted to measure the efficacy of prayer have obtained rather conflicting results. How can one attempt to solve a physics problem by reading a literature book? How can scientists make an effort to verify the spiritual beliefs using human reason? According to Ockham, human reason cannot produce any meaningful knowledge about the spiritual realm (Matthews Platt, 261). Furthermore, there are several religious events recorded in the Bible or Quran that are unfounded; for instance, how Noah was able to get all types of animals into the ark and prevent them from eating one another. One cannot answer this question because it does not make sense logically, so humans have to use another form of inquiry, faith. Only faith can explain the divine mystery. William of Ockham asserted, Reason, senses and empirical evidence could enable human beings to discover and hence understand the natural world, stoicism-a philosophy in the Hellenistic Age-offered a seemingly contradictory point of view. The Stoics believed that reason and the senses could be used jointly to uncover the underlying moral law as well as Gods design [or effect] in the world. The Stoics accepted that a spiritual being had effect on the happenings of the universe. An issue is does God have any effect on the universe. The Stoics acknowledge the effect of a supernatural being, William of Ockham does not. The Greeks/Mesopotamians/Egyptians believed that the More importantly, the use of faith to explain spiritual beliefs or religious dogma caused tension between religious thought and rational thought. From the Hellenistic Age, philosophies and religion have offered conflicting answers to unpredictable events and those beyond human control. Concepts, which could not be explained initially, were attributed to God or religious deities like the myth of rain: Hera. The inclination to leave the happenings during their time to the hands of the deities had a strong impact began with the Mesopotamians, who believed they were created to serve the deities. They probably held an even stronger dogma than modern times, because they believed human destinies were in the hands of the gods, and there was nothing they could do about that. Whatever the gods did with their lives could not be questioned. Also, the Hellenistic world had a section of people who believed in Fate. Fate, in that era, meant there were non-physical beings that controlled the natural events. They felt human reason could not understand the natural order of things. The Greeks who began to put humans at the center of the universe fortunately altered this pessimistic approach to life. Their mindset led them to question divine explanations for natural events. The disagreement between materialists and idealists could represent the early dispute between rational thought and spiritual beliefs. Materialists in the Archaic Age believed that the world was made of some basic physical element whereas the idealists reasoned that the physical world was deceptive and that there was a spiritual force or metaphysical power being the physical world. Also in the Hellenistic Age, the clash between these two paths to knowledge has been so significant; they can be found in other works of art. Dramatists wrote plots that dealt with divine law versus human law. Evident in Age of Synthesis (1000 to1300 CE), the tension or dispute has been carried through civilizations. Thomas Aquinas in this Age, tried to resolve the dispute by stating that human beings have two divine paths to truth or knowledge: reason and faith. He refers to divine paths, which indirectly means that the paths are God-given-a spiritual being exists that determines the limit to what we know. However, perhaps the period when the gap between philosophy and theology became the widest was in the Baroque Age 2 (1600 to 1715CE). In this Age of Scientific Revolution, the scientists and philosophers questioned divine explanations; they countered faith with reason, dogma with skepticism, and divine intervention with natural law. Nonetheless, scientists and philosophers have the tendency to assume that if divine concepts or events cannot be explained scientifically or logically, then these concepts or events never happened, or do not exist. This supposed misconception probably came about as a result of the actions of ancient civilizations. These civilizations produced explanations for things beyond their comprehension, which led led religions in later civilizations to explain other concepts divinely. Science has proven some of these concepts false and as a result, this has fuelled the constant dispute between religious beliefs and logical thought. Nevertheless, because some accounts were wrong does not mean all other explanations are. For the reason that Thales was wrong about water being the fundamental substance, did not mean that his belief-there is regularity in the universe-was wrong. Consequently, the use of reason cannot and should not preclude the existence of God. Religious dogma started on earth in Egypt and has manifested in different religions in history. Religious dogma is a belief without proof. Starting from the Egyptians, they believed that the king as god on earth embodied the state. Likewise, there have been several civilizations, which have provided different explanations about the beginning of the universe or life after death. Religious people believe in one holy book or another. The Christian version of the history of the universe is the biblical account. However, just like every tribe has a different story of the creation, the Hebrews had their own, and their version then became the accepted version by Christians-the word of God. Another concept for which several civilizations provided different explanations is life after death. The Egyptians, according to their religion, believed that if they remained faithful to their gods, they would be rewarded with a new life after death. About a thousand years later, the Hellenistic world held similar beliefs. Mithraism followers believed immortality awaited them after death. This concept of immortality is similar to the Egyptians new life after death. Philosophies in the Hellenistic Age attempted to explain life after death. According to Epicureanism, the atoms that made up the soul simply separated from the bodys atoms and united with other particles to create new forms. This way of life made its followers believe that there was a happy life after death. Couples of centuries later, Christians are made to believe the same underlying perception of life after death as did the Egyptians and the Epicureans: if they remain faithful, there would be paradise awaiting them. All through Western history until this date, science has never been able to refute any of these beliefs. Rational thought, or human reason, has not been able to come up with a description of life after death, which would refute these beliefs. Only spiritual belief has helped in understanding life after death. This suggests human reasoning or science is has a limit to which it can understand certain concepts in the universe. Restating Ockams concept, no useful knowledge can be gained through reason or the senses about the spiritual realm. To further the achievement of the Greek genius, human reason, as well as spiritual beliefs can understand concepts of the universe CONCLUSION

Anti-Death Penalty Essay -- Papers Against Capital Punishment Essays

Anti-Death Penalty History: The death penalty is not a new idea in our world. Its origins date back 3,700 years to the Babylonian civilization, where it was prescribed for a variety of crimes (Kronenwetter p.10). It was also greatly used in the Greek and Roman empires. In ancient Roman and Mosaic Law they believed in the rule of â€Å"eye for and eye.† The most famous executions of the past included Socrates and Jesus (Wilson p.13). It continued into England during the Middle Ages and then to the American colonies where it exist still today. In the colonies, death was a punishment for crimes of murder, arson, and perjury. Although today the death penalty is used for murder. Common ways of execution in the past where stoning, crucifixion, burning, breaking of the wheel, draw and quartering, beheading, garroting, shooting, and hanging (Wilson p.89). Today these styles of execution are thought to be cruel and unusual. Today in the United States, the death penalty is used in five different ways. These five ways are the firing squad, hanging, gas chamber, electric chair, and lethal injection. The United States applies these styles of execution because they are thought to be not torturous for execution. The death penalty has been accepted in the United States, but was not always approved by the people. In the late eighteen hundreds there was enough attention gathered to the death penalty to lead to restrictions. Many northern states abolished the practice all together like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island (Wilson p.45). Pennsylvania in 1794 decided to revises its laws on the death penalty. The state decided to use the penalty mainly for first-degree murder. Around this time many states where deciding t... ...ald J. â€Å"Reports: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and Lack of Due Process in Death Penalty Cases.† Human Rights Winter 1995. Whittier, Charles H. â€Å"Moral Arguments For and Against Capital Punishment.† CRS Report For Congress 1996 Wilson, Josh, M. â€Å"Death Penalty History†. New York: Fletcher Press. 1998 http://www.time.com/time/magagzine/archive/1994/940523.crime.html http://listserv.american.edu/catholic/church/us/nybish.death http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/historic/query=[group+†¦/pageitems=[body] http://mtsd.k12.wi.us/mtsd/district/whacked.sites/anatomy.of.a.murder/gregg.htm http://mtsd.k12.we.us/mtsd/district/whacked.sites/anatomy.of.a.murder/furman.htm http://mtsd.k.12.wi.us/mtsd/district/whacked.sites/anatomy.of.a.murder/thompson.htm Http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/historic/query=[group+†¦pageitems=[body]

V for Vendetta

Brainwashed or Truly Embraced? V for Vendetta By Alan Moore and David Lloyd â€Å"16. Was Evey brainwashed by V or did she truly embrace V’s ideals† A teenage girl saved by V while she became involved with a gang of London’s secrete police while looking for a way to escape her social, economical and emotional needs. That’s how Alan Moore and David Lloyd introduce Evey Hammond, a fictional character and one of the protagonists of the comic book series V for Vendetta. Growing up on Shooters Hill in southeast London, she lost both her parents, and was struck by poverty.Trying to escape poverty she became a prostitute at only 16 years old. When she approached her first potential customer, which happens to be a Fingerman, a member of Norsefire’s secret police the man tried to rape her, but she was saved by a mysterious man in a Guy Fawkes mask and black cloak, which calls himself V. Being a naive young women, Evey falls for this V character and from that day on shows what could be questioned as a brainwashed by V, or a loyal follower of his unique ideals.If we divide the book into three different sections, we can see how Evy Hammond changes her point of view towards V ideals throughout the comic book. At the beginning we can see how she wasn’t totally convinced by his ideals, way of manipulating and spreading his thoughts but was still loyal to him even though she stayed at his house for convenience and protection rather than for loyalty. Since V appeared and saved her from those Fingerman, Evey showed an expression of gratefulness and relief him.In page 11, panel 3,8-9, we see how sad, nervous and lost she felt in the presence of the secrete police thanks to the sexual tension between them. After V appears in page 12, panel 6 we see how Evey expression changes, showing relief and emotional stability compared to her previous face expressions and gestures. Even though she realizes what she is leaving behind, she doesn’ t think its valuable enough to turn down V? s proposal about going to live with him even though she knows she might be getting involved with a potential terrorist. When she arrives to V? s ? house? he had an idea of what kind of person V was and still didn’t fear or ran away as a regular 16 year old girl would have done. In page 18, panel 2–5 we can perceive she was in her comfort zone regardless of the situation she was passing through. The act of staying not only shows us the instantaneous loyalty and gratefulness she feels towards V, but the desperation in which Evey was before being saved by him. As time starts passing, Alan Moore and David Lloyd, starts to modify Evey Hamond character, revealing a doubtful, confused side, which the readers did not know of.This personality trait is reflected when she doubts about V’s person under the masked, having the bravery to ask him if he might be her father. Through the second thirds of the book we see how Evey loyalty start to increase each time regardless of the physical or psychological distance that is between these two characters. When she is kicked out of The Shadow Gallery, she is left in the streets with nothing but V’s memory, because who thought they were going to see each other in a not so far away future?She goes to a friend’s house who gives her a place to sleep, food, and comfort, which is more likely what a teenage girl needs. Around this time was that we started to notice the strong connection there was between these two characters. Even after he had the nerve to kick her out she was still loyal to V, this is the point where we start to believe it’s a true loyalty instead than a game of manipulation and brainwashing as V’s common games. In page 124, panel 7-9 we see how even in a daily basis, she keeps thinking of him even though she tries to hide or forget it.When V captures Evy, someone who supposedly he loves, he tortures her physically and psycholog ically, until her breaking point. When asked to testify against V, her loyalty was so pure and profound, that she preferred to die for him that to say the reality of where he was hiding. Distracted and brainwashed by the emotional weight of Valerie’s story (pg 154,panel 6), we question again if her loyalty is pure or if it might be one of V tricks. If her loyalty was all a mind game, V was managing to do a great job do to the fact that not everyone would risk his/her life to say no words about the location of a terrorist.V keeps Evy locked up until she is tortured and manipulated to the extreme where she finally sees justice through V? s point of view. When she does, she is finally allowed back to the Shadow Gallery. Using such extremes to convince Evy of his perspective makes the reader question, once and for all if she is brainwashed or truly follows his ideals. Reaching the conclusion of truly embracing his ideals thanks to her strong determination about dying instead than revealing about her sentimental partner.When she is finally free from the cell, she embraces V ideals completely, to the extent that she even plans to execute his cruel plan, and to respect his death wishes about leaving his mask on regardless of his state. The moment one is completely sure about this loyalty is in my own favorite panel, located in page 251panel 8, a panel full of symbols that convey a unique message to each reader. Mimicking V? s smile, this final panel, close to the end demonstrate that even though Evy Hamond might not have believed in V? ideals at the beginning of the book, she grew to adopt them as if they were of her own. She got so involved in her new life living with the guy in the Guy Fawkes mask that she forgot her complete identity thanks to his manipulation, torture and charm. Giving V the tranquility of dying knowing that the idea survived his death rather than dying with him. —————————†”————– [ 1 ]. Potential terrorist, considering the fact he just blew up the House of Parliament in her presence.

Explore the theme of escapism in Peter Pan Essay

The theme of escapism is prominent in much children’s literature. Frances Hodgson-Burnett’s The Secret Garden is, like Peter Pan, an example of Edwardian children’s literature. Both these novels are tales of escapism from real life into another world. There are also more recent examples of escapism in children’s literature. In the 1950s C. S. Lewis invented Narnia, and in even more recent literature, Harry Potter escapes his everyday life to go to school at Hogwarts. J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, an early Edwardian novel, is one of the great classics of British children’s literature and is, on the surface, a tale about a boy who refused to grow up. There is however, an underlying plot concerning a girl who must grow up. It is from this obligation that Barrie’s Neverland acts as a form of escape. Throughout Peter Pan, there is little focus on the female characters. It is almost assumed that Wendy will grow up and become a Mother, as all daughters do. Although Neverland allows Wendy to escape from her home and from the domestic world she knows, she does not escape domesticity altogether. She almost becomes mother to the Lost Boys, and is given a number of domestic duties such as ironing Peter’s shadow. However, Wendy’s relationship with Peter is not entirely conventional. She appears to be the closest thing Peter has to a girlfriend, as he rejects the sexual advances of both Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily. However, Wendy also appears to be acting as his mother, something Peter has been deprived of his whole life. It is the childish energy of Barrie’s imagination filled with such a â€Å"splendid jumble of pirates, redskins, fairies and mermaids† that enthrals so many children (Carpenter p172). Through this manipulation of other people’s minds and emotions, Barrie â€Å"carries them off from the real world †¦ to a country of his own invention† (Carpenter p179). Barrie seems to be presenting his readers with a substitute faith, to act as a form of escape from the Christian teachings of the Victorian era. It has even been suggested that Peter Pan is in fact an alternative religion. Humphrey Carpenter suggests that in many respects Peter is Christ-like. Possibly the most obvious example of this is when he takes Wendy and her brothers on a flight of fantasy to â€Å"his own heavenly land† (Carpenter p182). The Lost Boys who live there seem to represent the souls of the dead as Peter asserts, â€Å"They are the children who fall out of their prams when the nurse is looking the other way†, therefore further increasing Neverland’s resemblance of heaven. The concept of escaping to heaven was extremely important to Barrie. He lost his brother David at a young age and subsequently spent much of his life trying to become a living version of the boy â€Å"who by dying †¦ remained ever young† (Wallshli ger p120). To observe Peter and Hook as the Christ and Satan of Barrie’s religion, the reader must have faith in the novel. The theme of belief is interesting throughout Peter Pan as the reader is, like the Darling children, constantly being asked, â€Å"Do you believe? † In order to fly, the Darling children must have faith, and â€Å"think lovely wonderful thoughts†, as Peter’s fairy dust is, in itself not enough. In turn the reader or audience must have faith and believe in the fact that a child can fly. Similarly, in order to escape to Neverland, a reader must have faith that there is such a place â€Å"somewhere past the second star to the right and straight on until morning†. The theme of belief is particularly important at the end of Barrie’s story when the darling children lose their faith and no longer believe in Peter, and so cannot see him. Though faith and belief are important in Peter Pan, the dream of escaping to another world seems to be almost self-sufficient. Barrie implies there is little need to grow up or awaken from this dream as it is in fact already framed by the Edwardian domesticity of the â€Å"real† world where wealth and relationships are important. Carpenter in fact goes further than this by asserting that children must not grow up and claims that to visit Neverland â€Å"requires an act of belief that children cannot sustain as they grow up† (Carpenter p180). Peter himself seems to be of the opinion that it is only children, who can escape the drudgery of everyday life and claims, â€Å"I want always to be a little boy, and to have fun†. Barrie’s adventure story and his creation of such a magical hero seems to have achieved what so much children’s literature had previously tried to do. Peter represents the shift from the Victorian perception of the child as a â€Å"moral icon† to â€Å"a craze for the child as a fun-loving playboy hero† (Wallshli ger p111). Peter has no memory or emotion, and so â€Å"can live only for the moment† and experiences ecstasies that other children can never know (Wallshli ger p117). Peter is an asexual child rather than a young man. Barrie himself was also somewhat sexless, and it is doubtful whether his marriage was ever consummated. This lack of sexuality and romantic relationship is represented well on stage as Peter is often played by an actress, and is therefore viewed as an androgynous figure. Another interesting aspect of the casting of Peter Pan is that of Mr. Darling and Hook, who traditionally, are played by the same actor. This becomes particularly significant when considering the theme of masculinity in Peter Pan. There is much evidence of male competitiveness in the novel. The most obvious example of this is Peter’s dual with Hook, which appears to be an assertion of masculinity by Peter. It is particularly interesting that it is Peter and the lost boys who triumph over Hook who is a mature villain. This youthful triumph acts as another form of escape for a young reader. Traditionally in Victorian society adults were in control and would have power over children. In Barrie’s Children’s fantasy, it is youth and sexual immaturity that enable Peter to triumph over his adult rivals. It has been suggested by many critics that Peter, â€Å"The boy who wouldn’t grow up†, is a representation of Barrie himself. Barrie was a short man and despite a moustache â€Å"retained a markedly boyish look until old age† (Carpenter p173). He was in a physical respect, quite literally, a boy who couldn’t grow up. This figure of a man in a child’s body is undoubtedly the principle model for Peter, who is â€Å"neither child nor adult† (Carpenter p177).

The Kiss of Death

It began with the porch steps. Or maybe it began with the laziness of the man living in the house to which these steps led. Either way both are very important for this story. The Higgs couple lived in a small house in a quiet neighbourhood by the road. It may have seemed at first sight that Mr. And Mrs. Higgs got on well as a couple. However the truth was very different. Mr. Higgs was a jealous man. Mrs. Higgs was a hospital nurse and often had to work over night. This meant the two of them never got to see much of each other. Mrs. Higgs came home in the morning at about the time when Mr. Higgs left for work. It was the same in the evenings, Mrs Higgs leaving the house for work only to meet her husband coming in. Not knowing for sure where his wife was over night Mr. Higgs often got very suspicious of his wife having an affair. It was a Tuesday morning Mr. Higgs, alone in the house, looking out the window at the snowed-in drive, thinking what his wife might be doing right now. Paranoid thoughts were once again chasing through his head. But a plan was already taking shape in his mind. He would come home from work earlier than usual today and see whether his wife had someone in the house. If yes he certainly wouldn't hesitate to punish her. Pondering on a suitable punishment he turned to other things that needed to be done that morning. Apart from the usual, he had to clear the porch, the steps leading up to the porch and the walkway of snow. This was a chore Mr. Higgs despised. He hated having to trudge up and down in the snow, wielding his shovel while more and more fresh snow fell. Mr. Higgs hated winter and anything that went with it. He decided not to shovel the snow that morning. Mr. Higgs left the house at about quarter to eight. He locked the door and carefully walked across the porch and down the three steps. They did seem to be a little slippery and Mr. Higgs once again considered clearing them of that wretched snow. No, it could wait besides he would be late for work. He walked over to the gate, got in his car and drove off to work. Mrs. Higgs came home at half past eight. She took a shower, made herself some breakfast and then sat down into an armchair with a book. She wasn't expecting anyone. She knew about Mr. Higgs's suspicions but they were all false. She wouldn't be surprised if he came marching in at that very moment demanding where she hid her secret lover and then went on a rampage around the house searching closets, and wardrobes. She smiled to herself at the thought of that happening. Her smile didn't last long. At that moment a loud thump came from outside. Henry the postman opened the Higgs's gate. The Higgs couple didn't have a mailbox hanging on the gate. Instead they chose to place directly on the main door. Probably so they wouldn't have to walk that far when retrieving their mail. Lazy. He went through the gate and strode across the garden toward the Higgss' door. â€Å"Couldn't even take care of the snow, people these days†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This was probably one of Henry's last thoughts because as he was about to take the third step up the small stairs leading to the porch his foot slipped and Henry the postman fell to the ground, hitting his head on the porch steps with a loud thump. Mrs. Higgs sat there, waiting for her husband to come bursting through the door. When the door remained closed she walked forward and threw it open only to find not her husband but the local postman sprawled on the porch steps. Luckily for Henry Mrs. Higgs was a nurse and knew exactly what to do in such a situation. She crouched down next to him and reached out looking for a pulse. There it was, slow but steady. Henry the postman was still alive. His breathing seemed to be weak and irregular. She would have to resuscitate It was about at this moment that Mr. Higgs's car came to a halt in front of the house. Unfortunately Mrs. Higgs didn't notice instead she leaned over Henry's body, her lips touched his and as she exhaled air was pushed into his lungs. By this time Mr. Higgs had gotten out of his car and all his attention was on his wife kissing the local postman that was laying there on the porch. Mr. Higgs opened the gate, stepped through and closed it forcefully behind him. The clash of the gate made Mrs. Higgs look up. She immediately realized what she is doing must look like. She stood up and took a few steps down the stairs and into the garden toward her husband. Behind her Henry was waking, lifting his head, dazed. â€Å"I know what this must look like Paul, but it's nothing like that† Mrs. Higgs stuttered. â€Å"He slipped and fell. I was giving him the kiss of life.† Mr. Higgs stood there staring into her eyes â€Å"It might have been the kiss of life for him but it's the kiss of death for you.† It was the way he said it, a slow deliberate growl that made Mrs. Higgs react the way she did. Turning back toward the house she ran. Mr. Higgs didn't say anything to warn or stop her. He knew she wouldn't get far. Mrs. Higgs running back to the house forgot all about how slippery the porch steps were. She was almost on the third step when her foot shot from under her. Mr. Higgs watched as if in slow motion as Mrs Higgs turned in the air and fell, hitting her head on the bottom stair. There was a sickening crunch and then silence. It ended as it began, with the porch steps.