The Culture of Zulu Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Culture of Zulu - Research Paper Example Zulus placed a lot of importance on their ancestors and their spirits. These ancestors were supposed by them to be living in Unkulunkulu which was considered as the world of the spirits. The ancestors were the link between the living and the spirits. For this reasons they needed to be remembered by the family members, praised regularly and also appeased by making offerings to them. In case a family failed to do so, the spirits are said to have visited them in the form of troubles. These troubles can be solved only if the mistake of the family is rectified and the spirits of the ancestors are pacified by some offerings and by showering of praises on them. The Sangoma was the spiritual healer and the priest of the Zulus. In the case of a mishap such as failure of crops, the death of livestock, drought or any other natural calamity the Sangoma was the one who declared the reasons for the calamity. The calamity could have been caused by the unhappy spirits or by witchcraft. If it was the former, the family was supposed to appease the ancestors but if it was the latter a witch-hunt and the elimination of the witch responsible was carried out. Another important religious person among the Zulus is the Inyanga. The Inyanga can be said to be the doctor of the Zulu tribe. He mostly used local plants and animals in order to find a cure of the common diseases like cuts, bruises. The cure was usually followed by religious rituals in which the spirits were praised and pacified and asked to restore the health of the person who is sick.

Literature - I stand here ironing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature - I stand here ironing - Essay Example As mother goes back to fetch her past life, we as readers get a glimpse of Emily’s childhood. There are few intrusions that bring her back to the present like "I put the iron down" (p. 12); "Ronnie is calling. He is wet and I change him" (p. 17); "She is coming.† (p. 19). But this journey of recollection ends on a positive note, â€Å"At the end she comes to understand that shed done the best she could, given the circumstances—but this simple insight, and her journey toward it, are quietly devastating.† (Disher, 2001: 91) Emily is a nineteen year old in the present. She is confident woman and has found the art of self-expression through mime. But occasionally she can behave erratically and her sense of self-worth gets dented. That is when she wants to be assured of her beauty and her attractiveness. Emily would insist on being told, "over and over how beautiful she had been--and would be, I would tell her--and was now, to the seeing eye. But the seeing eyes were few or non-existent. Including mine" (p. 10). That was when her alienation, her isolation and her mother’s helplessness and guilt became obvious and grew more intense: "the unsureness, the having to be conscious of words before you speak, the constant caring--what are they thinking of me? . . ." (p. 17). But Emily has found self-worth, expression and confidence as a skilled performer of pantomime. As happy as her mother is of her achievement, it cannot acquit her completely. She is still haunted by her own past, by her pained alienation from a daughter for few months, and by Emily’s failure to adjust in the new family. Emily’s counselor insists she ‘needs help’ but her mother acknowledges Emily’s skill as a mime artist and knows that she has found an inner strength through this art. The counselor is possibly worried about Emily’s alienation and isolation. Her mother goes