A River Sutra Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A River Sutra - Essay Example The man had been tutored by her father and had promised to marry her after he had learned his music. A young executive who worked at a tea company lives a wasteful life until he meets a young woman called Rima and falls in love with her. The woman puts a spell on him and he becomes insane. He goes to the river and makes a mud image of goddess and he regains his sanity back. In summary, the river offered love and life to all the people. The other theme the author reveals in the book is misery. The people who visit the river experience suffering and seek happiness. The monk, despite being wealthy, is not satisfied in his life. He had lived a poor life and he sought something more from life. Mohan is taunted and sneered by his wife for being poor. He takes a young boy, Imran who sings beautifully but the wife sells the young boy to a master for five thousand rupees. The master slits the boy’s throat and Mohan commits suicide afterwards, his life has been full of suffering. It is clear that the people have different beliefs regarding the river. The people who pay pilgrimage believe the river is one of the holiest in India. However, it is a paradox that the river means ‘whore’. The archeologists who conduct a dig in the river wonder about the immortality of the river and makes fun that the people believe that it is sacred. Therefore religion is a complimenting theme in the book. People from various religious backgrounds such as Muslims, Hindus and Jain monks pay pilgrimage to the river. .The stories reveal that man must undergo suffering in order to attain perfection of power from the river. This is portrayed when the archeological professor Shankar realizes he is the Naga Baba that rescued Umi from a brothel as an ascetic and immersed her in the river for cleansing. In conclusion, the stories in the book link love forgiveness and happiness to each individual’s belief. Regardless of their different religious beliefs, the river

Was the United States genuinely neutral during the first years of Essay

Was the United States genuinely neutral during the first years of World War I, - Essay Example to remain neutral throughout the war. At the war’s beginning (August, 19 1914), Wilson, along with congressional and public opinion was adamantly opposed to intervention by U.S. military personnel. He, as most Americans, did not want to get entangled in what seemed was a perpetual European conflict. In 1916, Wilson won re-election principally as a result of the campaign slogan ‘He kept us out of war.’ â€Å"Between 1914 and the spring of 1917, the European nations engaged in a conflict that became known as World War I. While armies moved across the face of Europe, the United States remained neutral† (Duffy 2002). Because of diplomatic, economic and cultural ties to the U.K., the U.S. began supplying the military needs of the allied forces. Public opinion had swayed toward the allies during the war as word spread of alleged horrific acts committed by German troops. U.S. exports to the U.K. and France rose quickly and sharply while U.S. shipping to Germany de creased by similar proportions during this same time. Germany viewed this action as all but an act of war though the U.S. was officially neutral and still strongly opposed to sending its troops (Duffy 2002). The U.S.