«Mantle Poem» and «Eighth Class»

What is the primary focus and argument of each text? â€Å"Mantle Poem† by al-Busiri entirely praises the Prophet Muhammad. The prophet is believed to have healed the poet of paralysis (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 179). The poet had been paralyzed for a long period of time. He attempted to seek medical help in various hospitals, but he did not get well.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on  «Mantle Poem » and  «Eighth Class » specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The poet decided to hopefully turn to the messenger of Allah by the name Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. Upon turning to him, he composed a lengthy Qasida comprising 167 verses. The message in the Qasida was asking for help from Darbar-e-Mustafavi (Razavi 25). One night, Prophet Muhammad appeared to the poet in a dream and wrapped him in a cloak, which is described in the poem as a mantle and then he was cured. â€Å"Eighth Class† of Ib n Sina’s Remarks and Admonitions on the other hand depict Sina’s knowledge of the universe’s eternal aspects. He argues that every eternal aspect of the universe primarily belongs to God (Razavi 25). The primary focus of this text is to show the greatness of God through the creation on earth. Ibn Sina revealed the creation of God through various disciplines like Arabic literature, philosophy, sciences, logic and Islamic law among others. What do they have in common? Both texts are mystical. The â€Å"Mantle Poem† by al-Busiri portrays Prophet Muhammad to be the supernatural power who has control of everything on earth (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 179). The poem depicts the prophet to be the deliverer of humans. It urges people to put their trust on this prophet since he has control of human race. The â€Å"Eighth Class† of Ibn Sina’s Remarks and Admonitions on the other hand believe in God to be the supernatural power. Sina has attr ibuted all knowledge and everything happening on earth to God (Sells 172). Both texts are from the Islamic tradition. For example, the â€Å"Mantle Poem† remains the most celebrated tribute in the history of Islam. The poem illustrates how Prophet Sal Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam visited the poet in a dream, cured him and gave him a chaadar mubarak (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 179). This is an Islamic cloak, which is referred to as the mantle in the poem. Ibn Sina the author of the Remarks and Admonition’s â€Å"Eighth Class† was a great Muslim physician during the medieval period. Both texts depict happiness. The â€Å"Mantle Poem† depicts happiness when the poet is cured of paralysis while the â€Å"Eighth Class† illustrates means of achieving happiness (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 179). The difference brought forward by the two texts regarding happiness is the nature of happiness. The â€Å"Mantle Poem† depicts happiness as l uck, which comes and goes while the â€Å"Eighth Class† depicts happiness as something worked for and once achieved it stays (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 179).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Ibn Sina, knowledge which brings about happiness is given by God and according to al-Busiri, Prophet Muhammad is the source of happiness (Sells 178). Both of them argue that happiness comes from their supernatural creators. How do they differ? The two texts believe in different supernatural powers. The â€Å"Mantle Poem† by al-Busiri believes in Prophet Muhammad while â€Å"Eighth Class† of Ibn Sina’s Remarks and Admonitions believe in God. The â€Å"Mantle Poem† is based on one specific action, which is healing the poet of paralysis by Prophet Muhammad (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 179). â€Å"Eighth Class† has illu strated a number of issues why God is to be glorified, praised and treated with dignity. For instance, all knowledge is depicted to have originated from God. Every living thing on the earth is attributed to God. Hence, the â€Å"Mantle Poem† is specific while the â€Å"Eighth Class† is general. In addition, the â€Å"Mantle Poem† is a sufi poem while the â€Å"Eighth Class† from the Remarks and Admonition is more of philosophical work. The â€Å"Mantle Poem† is shallow and written in complex language, which needs a professional like a poet to read and understand it. On the other hand, the â€Å"Eighth Class† from the Remarks and Admonition is a philosophical work written in details and layman’s language, hence, easy to comprehend by most people. According to Ibn Sina, knowledge which brings about happiness is given by God and according to al-Busiri, Prophet Muhammad is the source of happiness. Ibn Sina wrote this work as part of his s cholarly work. He did not write the work to praise or glorify anyone. He wrote it to inform the general public. al-Busiri, on the other hand, wrote the poem to praise, glorify and treat the prophet with dignity for healing him of paralysis (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 179). The poem is full of love message directed to the prophet (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 179). Hence the â€Å"Mantle Poem† was directed to some power while the â€Å"Eighth Class† in Remarks and Admonition was meant for the general public.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on  «Mantle Poem » and  «Eighth Class » specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What can we learn about the nature of happiness from these two texts? In the â€Å"Mantle Poem† happiness is depicted when the poet is healed of paralysis. We see him astounded by happiness upon getting healed of paralysis (Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri 17 9). The poem never depicts happiness elsewhere apart from the time he is healed. It can be concluded that according to al-Busiri happiness is seasonal. It comes once in a while. According to Ibn Sina the author of Remarks and Admonitions, â€Å"Eighth Class†, human happiness can only be achieved through knowledge (Razavi 26). Sina argues that two types of knowledge must be available for happiness to be achieved. This includes theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Practical knowledge must be practiced and applied for the sake of perfecting an individual, the family, and the society in general. Sina goes further to argue that practical knowledge paves way for theoretical knowledge (Razavi 27). This is done by completing an individual’s metaphysical perfection. The eternal elements of the earth like the knowledge of essences, quiddities of things, realities and natures complete the metaphysical perfection of an individual (Razavi). For instance, knowledge of esse nces perfects one by making her mirror the earth’s eternal aspect leading to achievement of eternity for herself. This eternity can be revealed through one’s happiness. When the nature of happiness in the two texts is compared, the â€Å"Mantle Poem† depicts happiness as a luck that comes and disappears while in Remarks and Admonitions, â€Å"Eighth Class† depicts happiness as something invested by an individual, and if it is well invested, it can last forever (Sells 178). According to Ibn Sina, knowledge that brings about happiness is given by God. On the other hand al-Busiri suggests that Prophet Muhammad is the source of all happiness. Works Cited Muhammad ibn Sa’id al- Busiri. The Mantle Adorned: Imam al-Busiri’s Burda.goodreads.com, 3 Sep 2009. Web. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7261695-the-mantle-adorned Razavi, Mehdi. â€Å"Ibn Sina and mysticism: Remarks and Admonitions.† Middle East Journal 51.4 (1998): 25-27. Print.Adv ertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sells, Margaret. â€Å"Ibn Sina and mysticism: Remarks and Admonitions.† The Journal of Religion 78.1 (1998):170-179. Print. This essay on  «Mantle Poem » and  «Eighth Class » was written and submitted by user Graysen K. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

West Chester University Admissions Data

West Chester University Admissions Data West Chester University is a somewhat selective school, with an acceptance rate of less than 60 percent of those who apply. Learn more about their admissions requirements and what it takes to get into this college. About West Chester University Founded in 1871, West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public, four-year university located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. With about 14,500 students, WCU is the fourth largest college in the Philadelphia region. It offers over 80 undergraduate and 70 master’s degree programs across its colleges of Education, Health Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Business and Public Affairs, and Visual and Performing Arts. Academics are supported by an 18 to 1 student/faculty ratio. On the student life front, WCU is home to a host of student clubs and organizations such as the Fencing Club, the Tai Chi Arts Club, and the Breakdancing Club, or Heavy Reign Crew. WCU also has 25 fraternities and sororities and intramural sports such as Wallyball, Wiffleball, and Squash. WCU is a member of the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with 24 mens and womens varsity teams. Will you get in if you apply? Calculate your chances of getting in with this free tool from Cappex. Admissions Data (2016) West Chester University Acceptance Rate: 64 percentGPA, SAT and ACT Graph for WCU AdmissionsTest Scores: 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 480 / 570SAT Math: 490 / 580SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: 21 / 25ACT English: 20 / 25ACT Math: 20Â  / 25What these ACT numbers mean Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 17,005 (14,397 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 41 percent Male / 59 percent Female89 percent Full-time Costs (2016-17) Tuition and Fees: $9,720 (in-state); $20,812 (out-of-state)Books: $1,200 (why so much?)Room and Board: $12,860Other Expenses: $2,520Total Cost: $26,300 (in-state); $37,392 (out-of-state) West Chester University of Pennsylvania Financial Aid (2015-16) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 80Â  percentPercentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 38 percentLoans: 72Â  percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $6,064Loans: $8,450 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors: Accounting, Business Management, Elementary Education, English, Health and Physical Education, History, Liberal Studies, Marketing, Nursing, PsychologyWhat major is right for you? Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Transfer, Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 86Â  percentTransfer-out Rate: 21 percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 46Â  percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 70Â  percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports: Football, Swimming, Tennis, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Golf, Track and Field, Cross CountryWomens Sports: Gymnastics, Soccer, Lacrosse, Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, Field Hockey, Softball, Swimming Interested in West Chester University? You May Like These Universities Temple University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphPennsylvania State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphDrexel University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphLock Haven University: ProfileUniversity of Delaware: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Pittsburgh: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphArcadia University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphRowan University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphAlbright College: ProfileIndiana University of Pennsylvania: ProfileWidener University: ProfileKutztown University of Pennsylvania: Profile West Chester University of Pennsylvania Mission Statement mission statement from wcupa.edu/president/ West Chester University, a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, is a public, regional, comprehensive institution committed to providing access and offering high-quality undergraduate education, select post-baccalaureate and graduate programs, and a variety of educational and cultural resources for its students, alumni, and citizens of southeastern Pennsylvania. Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics

Introduction to Accounting and Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Introduction to Accounting and Finance - Essay Example Based on the forecasted data assessed with ratios and capital budgeting techniques, the project has been found highly feasible with attractive returns. For details view of the financials; forecasting sheets have also been provided. Moreover, there are some assumptions made while forecasting the financials of the project and these assumptions have also been discussed. ASSUMPTIONS ABC DRINK Following set of assumptions have been followed to prepare the following financials for the data: 1. External environment has been analysed and the market has been found conducive of conducting the energy drink business. 2. ABC drink has been evaluated for the offering size of 250 ml. 3. Costing of the material has been used the cost of item listed. 4. All the expenses are based in fictional figures. 5. Price of the product has been set according to competitive prices available on the Amazon grocery offering 6. It is assumed the changing season would not affect the demand. 7. Production and will fol low the given pattern. 8. The closing stock of each month is utilised in next month. 9. Frequent receipts do not affect the payments as even in the months when the cash position is running negative. 10. For business valuation, the forecasting for the net income has been done for 5 years with NI increasing with 2.5% with first two years, 5% in third-year, 8% in fourth-year and 10% in fifth-year. 11. Required rate of return for business valuation has been taken as 15%. It has been selected so high to incorporate any effect of unlikely event that negatively affects business operations mainly cost and revenues. MARGINAL COSTING COST STATEMENT    TOTAL EXP. CATEGORY FIXED AMT VAR AMT    (Monthly) (PROD OR SELLING) (%) In (%)    LABOR                Factory Manager ? 7,083 Production 100% ? 7,083 0% ? - Accountant ? 4,500 Selling 100% ? 4,500 0% ? - supervisor ? 2,500 Production 50% ? 1,250 50% ? 1,250 Marketing team of 3 people ? 3,600 Selling 35% ? 1,260 65% ? 2,340 SCM team ? 5,000 Selling 25% ? 1,250 75% ? 3,750 Sales Force (10 people) ? 8,000 Selling 20% ? 1,600 80% ? 6,400 Technician (2) ? 6,400 Production 50% ? 3,200 50% ? 3,200 On Floor Labor ? 14,000 Production 10% ? 1,400 90% ? 12,600 watchman (Prod dept) ? 980 Production 100% ? 980 0% ? - watchman warehouse ? 980 Selling 100% ? 980 0% ? - Transporter ? 1,300 Production 65% ? 845 35% ? 455 Transporter    ? 1,800 Selling 40% ? 720 60% ? 1,080 BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS Break even analysis is the point where the total cost of the company is equal to the total revenues (Levy, & Brooks, 1986) and at this point the profit of the company is 0 (Anand, 2004). Breakeven analysis is used to determine the minimum quantity that should be produced in order to achieve no loss (Arnold, 2008; Besley, & Brigham, 2007). Breakeven point for the discussed project has been identified and it is 42,304 units. This means that the company needs to sell 42,034 units of drink in order to achieve zero profitability. BREAK EVEN ANALYSIS T. FIXED COST ? 38,954.33 VC ? 1.18 SALES PRICE ? 2.10 CONTRIBUTION MARGIN ? 0.92 BREAK EVEN ANALYSIS 42,304.70 Break even has also been calculated using graph. The following graph shows break even and it is almost the same point as calculated above. Cash budget Cash budget shows

Managerial Economics Week 7 Individual Work Assignment

Managerial Economics Week 7 Individual Work - Assignment Example The information asymmetry by the buyer will enable him/her to go for more quality tests on the product. An experience good is a good in which its prices and quality are in question by the consumers. After the consumption, the consumer will then be able to ascertain the quality of the product. Consumers then are more likely to pay higher prices for the product because lower prices by the notorious firm will raise the consumers’ eyebrows. Consumers will also be able to question whether there are some problems, which cannot be observed in the market but only upon consumption. Higher prices indicate how genuine the product can be thus consumers will go for the product at higher prices. Good branding of the products will also contribute towards higher prices by consumers (Holt, 2009). In the long-run, consumers will opt to paying lower prices. The decision to pay lower prices results from the fact that one gets to know the quality of the product after its

The Impact Of Assigned Components Of A Designated Measure Essay Example for Free

The Impact Of Assigned Components Of A Designated Measure Essay Introduction In carrying out valuation of companies, there are many methods that are used. Among them include asset valuation models, discounted cash flow models, abnormal earnings model. In valuing the company using future cash flow valuation method the net operating profit after tax, operating current assets and other figures are used. The main aim of valuation is to find the fair value of the company prices.    This is called discount cash flow models. Assets based model assigns a value to the firm by aggregating market values of assets and liabilities to enable in getting the fair value. There is a possibility that the value of the firm exceeds the value of the sum of assets and liabilities in this valuation method. When these figures are used, we assume that the valuation is based on the book value. Operating current assets. Every company that is in business of manufacture, retail, distribution has in it financial statements current assets. Current assets form an integral part of the assets of the company. Current assets include inventory, cash at hand and bank, short term investments such as notes, promissory notes, treasury bills and bonds and other short term investments. This forms part of the working capital of the organization. They help in the day to day running of the organization since they provide quick resources for those in the company. Operating current assets are grouped into two: those that are easily convertible to cash and those that are not easily converted. The easily convertible to cash include short term investments like treasury bills and bonds, cash at bank and at hand. Those that are not easily convertible include stock or inventory. Cash is the real amount of money that is in bank or at hand it can be used in need current obligations as to when they fall due.   It is realized from collections of sales or data. Data is another cash item which is easily convertible and forms part of the operating current assets. Data arises from the sale of goods and services on credit facilities. Marketable short term investments are the securities which can be sold to the market on any working day there fore it is easily convertible to cash. Stock or inventory is items for sale in an organization. The business cannot survive without stock. It consists of raw materials purchased for manufacture, work in progress (WIP), materials that have been badly processed into finished goods and finished goods which is the final product meant for the market. There fore if there is operating current assets in a company, the above components are considered to be important. The role of operating current assets in determining the price per share. Current assets forms part of the assets of the company. While determining price per share of the company, all the value of assets is added less reliabilities. The method used, the future cash flow valuation considers all assets less liabilities to arrive at capital employed by the company or net worthy of assets. Then the net worth of the assets is subjected to division using the number of shares of the company to arrive at the price value of the share. The net worth of assets is equivalent to the equity of the firm. This method is used during acquisitions. The role of operating current assets in determining the price value per share. In arriving at the price value per share in this method, operating current assets have been used. In arriving net operating working capital of 104088.5, 10500.3, 1100250, operating current liabilities has been subtracted from operating current assets. These figures arrived at is added to net fixed assets to arrive at net operating capital. The net operating capital will eventually be used in determining the difference in the investment in capital. In this case, investment in capital in year 2002 has been arrived at by subtracting the totals of net operating capital of 315042.3- 303088.5 to get 11953.8   to arrive at return on capital, the figure of the previous year of 303,088.05 has been subjected to division by net operating capital. Therefore, operating current assets has been used effectively in determining investment in capital which is in return used to calculate return on capital employed.   In arriving at the future cash flows that are used in calculating the price per share of the company are arrived at by subtracting the net operating profit after tax i.e.net operating profit after tax – investment in capital. The figure arrived at of 35.1 is comparable to the figures arrived at of EVA based on return on investment capital.   Therefore from the explanation provided, the role of operating current assets is shown. References Mayberry Personal Receivers from 2002 to 2003, annual accounts White G.I, Sondhi A.C and Fried D.(1997), The Analysis and Use of Financial Statements; John Wiley Sons Inc., New York.

Where Have You Gone, Joshua Chamberlain? :: Free Essays Online

Where Have You Gone, Joshua Chamberlain? To some, it may be considered a minor inconvenience. To others, a drawn-out ordeal with annoying aspects, but one they realize will be completed shortly. Yet to some, to a select, elite group of young, paranoid, and, let’s face it, broke, lot of people known as college students, it’s a travesty. An impossibility. An object traveling deep into the Void, never to be seen again. This trip into the parallel universe to which some objects traverse without return is known as: The Loss of a Package Sent by your Parents. It wasn’t a package of cookies -- oh no, it couldn’t be something sweet, simple, and purely meant as a tasty surprise. Nor was it a warm, knit blanket, something to keep me toasty warm during long, cold nights of studying in my fairly-heated dorm room. Mail accidentally sent to my home address instead of my brand-new, thoroughly unfamiliar college address it was not. It was a package of books, hand-picked by my dad, for my first college presentation, discussing the life of a Civil War general, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. My father is somewhat of a self-taught expert on the subject. A man who has been that annoying voice in the back of a group tour, constantly asking questions and making comments (this â€Å"he-usually-makes-fun-of-this-person† day took place at the Joshua Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick, Maine). A man who has scoured every remote bookstore location in Maine, searching, praying, for another addition to his collection of scores of books concerning the late, great Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine. This past summer, he hit the jackpot. While walking in Freeport, Maine, land of the wondrous L.L. Bean store, my father stumbled upon a small shanty of a store with a meager painted sign which read: â€Å"BOOKS: 20TH MAINE.† With bated breath, my dad entered the store. And there, among rows of Civil War memorabilia, regiment flags and extremely overpriced bronze replicas of battles such as Little Round Top, Dan Beaulieu found heaven. To this day, I wonder if he breathed once in that store, for fear that a puff of air might blow away his Holy Grail of bookstores. After a very exciting hour of buying T-shirts with inspiring quotes

Identity struggle †The narrow and broad path in James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain Essay

James Baldwin’s life was deeply marked by an identity struggle. A struggle to find out what it meant to be an American and foremost what it meant to be an Afro American. Like in other works he also deals with this topic in his first novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, where John Grimes confronts this problem on his fourteenth birthday. The following paper will therefore take a look at the possibilities offered to the Afro American characters in the story, especially to John, and what role the church plays in this context. Moreover it will outline John Grimes situation between a religious up-bringing in poverty and the longing for a better financial life by adopting white ways. Finally it will try to elaborate on the basis of two key scenes whether John’s decision is based on faith or hopelessness. II. Imposed roles – Afro Americans in a dominantly white society From the very beginning of the novel the possibilities of Afro Americans in American society are depicted as very remote, especially in John Grimes’ case: â€Å"Everyone had always said that John would be a preacher when he grew up, just like his father.† . His entire life and all the people in it are set in a religious environment, blocking out any kind of secular influence. As a matter of fact no other future option for him is ever mentioned in the novel. At some point though his teachers notice that he is very intelligent: â€Å"You’re a very bright boy, John Grimes [†¦] Keep up the good work.† .His parents don’t seem to be aware of this or don’t consider this to be of importance for his future perspectives. This hopelessness can be traced throughout each character’s life in the novel. Those who do not accept their role imposed to them by society tend to fail in life. For example Aunt Florence who sets out North in order to achieve a higher living standard, but ends up alone after driving her husband away from her due to her ambition to gain a higher social standard. Further, John’s real father Richard is crushed by the injustice against black men in a dominantly white society and consequently commits suicide. Hence, John and the following generations are taught to accept the circumstances and their status in American society. In order to cope with this they are advised to lead a highly religious life and to shut out all secular elements. It is this aspect that Baldwin criticizes mostly. He blames the black people for accepting the myth of being inferior to white people without a struggle . Moreover he accuses them of copying white ways and replacing their own African traditions . Aunt Florence even takes a step further in the novel by trying to bleach her skin with beauty products, hereby rejecting her black skin and thus her heritage. At the same time he blames the Anglo-American society for depriving black people of all freedom and power to direct their own lives . This identity struggle is clearly visible in John’s case and will be discussed in detail in chapter three. 2.1. Black church as a helpful companion or a mere distraction from reality? Since the current story evolving around John primarily takes place in a church and deals with his conversion it is important to take a closer look at the role of Black Christianity and the Black Church. The Temple of the Fire Baptized, family Grimes’ church, is presented to the reader as a place of redemption and as a shelter from all the sin in the world. John is confronted with this supposedly sin on his way to church every Sunday in the form of men and women coming home from bars and cat houses . The constant threats of damnation and hell itself, which Macebuh states as being part of the Black Christianity, also appear throughout the entire novel. Due to the permanent warnings of temptations and sin by his parents and the church community, John lives in abiding fear of God’s wrath, even in harmless places such as the movies: He waited for the darkness to be shattered by the light of the second coming, for the ceiling to crack upward, revealing, for every eye to see, the chariots of fire on which descended a wrathful God and all the host of Heaven. In return for refuge and brotherhood, the members are curtailed freedom and have to renounce all worldly pleasures. Especially this aspect of religion is irreproducible for John and even more for Roy, who openly criticizes his father for forcing them to obey: Yeah [†¦] we don’t know how lucky we is to have a father what don’t want you to go to movies, and don’t want you to play in the streets, and don’t want you to have no friends, and he don’t want this and he don’t want that, and he don’t want you to do nothing. We so lucky to have a father who just wants us to go to church and read the Bible [†¦]. In the novel the church primarily seems to be a place of comfort for those in sorrow, such as Aunt Florence. She remembers having gone to church only once since she moved to the North and her visit to the Temple of the Fire Baptized now is due to her cancer and fear of death. So it seems that people rather turn to God out of despair than out of strong belief. This assumption is also enforced by an ironic observation the narrator makes concerning the character’s habits of church going: Tarry service officially began at eight, but it could begin at any time, whenever the Lord moved one of the saints to enter the church and pray. It was seldom, however, that anyone arrived before eight thirty, the Spirit of the Lord being sufficiently tolerant to allow the saints time to do their Saturday-night shopping, clean their houses, and put their children to bed. Especially the younger people do not seem to go to church voluntarily to help out, leaving John usually alone to clean up the Temple, unless Elisha shows up to give him a hand: â€Å"Lord, Sister McCandless,† he said, â€Å"look like it ain’t never but us two. I don’t know what the other young folks does on Saturday nights, but they don’t come nowhere near here.† . Ironically, while Elisha says this, John thinks to himself that not even Elisha shows up frequently on Saturdays. All these passages show that the so called â€Å"saints† in the novel do not go to church out of religious reasons but because they are desperate and consider the church as a â€Å"rallying point around which they sought to lessen their pain by sharing in one another’s joys and suffering† as Macebuh puts it . Peter Bruck interprets this similarly. He sees the Negro Church as the only available social space for the black society in history. But still this social field of activity does not help to change the inhuman conditions each character suffers and the prayers also do not improve their psychological and social circumstance . In this context, particularly in chapter two, â€Å"The Prayers of the Saints†, the reader gets an idea of what the prayer of each member consists. During mass all of them reflect on their past and recall their sins, but they do not pray out of their love for God but out of fear that He might make them suffer his wrath, since He is not the â€Å"compassionate God of the New Testament† . Colin MacInnes goes even further in his essay by referring to religion as â€Å"a fierce and constant compulsion that never abandons them [the characters] a second† . Bone states that religion means refuge from the terrors of everyday life and God therefore represents safety: â€Å"God and safety became synonymous, and the church, a part of his survival strategy†. However, the price for this safety is renouncement of personal power of one’s sex and social power of one’s people . Overall Bone reckons that the church offers either the path of self-hatred or the path of self-acceptance, with Christ as a kind of spiritual bleaching cream. In this structure the Negro masses function as a ritual enactment of their dai ly pain . Edward Margolies depicts the Negro Church as a â€Å"kind of community newspaper† which links the new immigrants to their Southern past and functions as an output for their rage, terror and frustrations . In addition to all the authors here mentioned, Margolies expands the church’s functions upon the field of masculine identity. The church exemplifies by means of the wrathful Old Testament God a masculine role model many Negro adolescences lack in their family environment . This can also be applied to John’s case. Rejected by his father, or as the reader knows, his stepfather, he feels unloved and ugly. On the one hand he despises God, since he sees his father as God’s minister . On the other hand though, he longs to be saved and become God’s son, who would then protect him: Then he would no longer be the son of his father, but the son of his Heavenly Father, the King. Then he need no longer fear his father, for he could take, as it were, their quarrel over his father’s head to Heaven – to the Father who loved him, who had come down in the flesh to die for him. This passage clearly shows that the church provides John with some kind of psychic compensation for the love his father deprives him of and that he sees in God an ally against his father. This would become redundant if he were to find out that Gabriel is not his real father and that he has also sinned in his past life, namely in the form of his unclaimed firstborn son with Esther . As for Elisha, who also tries to bring him closer to God, John sees in him a brotherly and fatherly figure he looks up to, but he also feels attracted to him in sexual ways. Elisha somehow represents the earthly protection and guidance John needs in order to find his identity. He is also the one who shows him another side of God and religion. Instead of the wrathful God his father preaches him, Elisha speaks of a caring and blessing one who protects and saves . In general, the church is depicted as a kind of sanctuary for the characters, just as it was for James Baldwin himself. The black Church offered him in a similar way shelter and refuge from the terrors of the streets . Overall, true belief is disregarded in contrast to safety which now stands for Christianity. III. In search of identity: Between secularization and clericalization Given the background so far John Grimes is trapped between the clerical life his parents force unto him and the secular life that awaits him outside his home on the streets. The title of the novel, the first line of a Negro spiritual, refers to the good news of Jesus Christ’s existence. Additionally, the first chapter that introduces the reader to the characters is called â€Å"The seventh day†, a clear reference to the creation story of Genesis . Both function as allusions to biblical constructions. In a figurative sense, John’s fourteenth birthday can therefore be seen as a creative process, which marks his finding of self-identity, as well in religious terms as in worldly or sexual terms. The following chapters will take a closer look at two passages where John faces different paths concerning his identity, one characterized by a more material and white world and another leading to a strictly religious life. 3.1. John’s getaway to Manhattan – Denial of his black heritage? On his fourteenth birthday John uses the money his mother gives him to buy a metro card and drive down to Manhattan. As mentioned before John feels attracted to the shining and sparkling world of white men and is not so â€Å"much interested in his people† . He cares more about what the white people think of him and feels very proud when they notice his intelligence in school . This intelligence symbolizes for him a special power the others do not possess and which he hopes will bring him the love he lacks: â€Å"Perhaps, with this power he might one day win that love which he so longed for.† . For John the white world represents power and success . Thus, once he arrives at Central Park and reaches the top of the hill, he feels as if he could counter the entire city: He did not know why, but there arose in him an exultation and a sense of power, and he ran up the hill like an engine, or a madman, willing to throw himself headlong into the city that glowed before him [†¦] Then he, John, felt like a giant who might crumble this city with his anger; he felt like a tyrant who might crush this city beneath his heel; he felt like a long-awaited conqueror at whose feet flowers would be strewn [†¦] He would be, of all, the mightiest, the most beloved, the Lord’s anointed, and he would live in this shining city which his ancestors had seen with longing from far away. There alone on the top of the hill he dreams of being part of the city and belonging to the upper white class, which would accept him unconditionally. But as soon as he recalls the people’s reactions to him he is pulled back into reality: â€Å"He remembered the people he had seen in the city, whose eyes held no love for him [†¦] and how when they passed they did not see him, or, if they saw him, they smirked.† . Despite these incidents John still feels as part of the white social stratum due to his intelligence, but reality looks quite different and resembles more his parents’, especially his father’s warnings of the city and white men in general. As he walks along Central Park he keeps imagining what it would be like living in such an environment and being wealthy. The absence of God in this society is not a drawback for John, since he sees that the way of life according to the Lord has not really helped his parents with their everyday struggles: In the narrow way, the way of the cross, there awaited him only humiliation forever; there awaited him, one day, a house like his father’s house, and a church like his father’s, and a job like his father’s, where he would grow old and black with hunger and toil. The way of the cross had given him a belly filled with wind and had bent his mother’s back; they had never worn fine clothes, but here, where the buildings contested God’s power and where the men and women did not fear God, here he might eat and drink to his heart’s content and clothe his body with wondrous fabrics [†¦]. Despite the fact that he knows that â€Å"their thoughts were not of God, and their way was not God’s way† , he cannot believe how the white society, being so beautiful and gracious, could end up in hell. He himself had been witness of their capacity to do good when he was sick and one of his teachers had brought him medicine. Although John does not really know yet who he is and where he belongs, at this point he does know that he never wants to end up like his father. Due to his young age and inexperience it is more likely that he feels attracted to the white society on the grounds of a wealthier future it seems to offer and not because he tries to deny his black heritage. His aversion to black people derives basically from the fact that his entire Negro environment characterizes itself by poverty and does not offer him a successful, strong or caring male role model. On the contrary, John’s self-hatred and accusation are a result of his father’s treatment. Hence, he tries to find an explanation for his father’s rejection in his own shortcomings, such as his desire to leave the ghetto or his intelligence which singles him out . Gabriel’s ongoing criticism of John’s outward appearance leads to insecurity and self-doubt: His father had always said that his face was the face of Satan – and was there not something – in the lift of the eyebrow, in the way his rough hair formed a V on his brow – that bore witness to his father’s words? In the eye there was a light that was not the light of Heaven, and the mouth trembled, lustful and lewd, to drink deep of the wines of Hell [†¦] two great eyes, and a broad, low forehead, and the triangle of his nose, and his enormous mouth, and the barely perceptible cleft in his chin, which was, his father said, the mark of the devil’s little finger [†¦] he most passionately desired to know: whether his face was ugly or not. By contrast, the white society stands for success and seems to offer him all the possibilities his father deprives him of. Most of all John associates access to knowledge with white people. Next to the incident at school, which was mentioned earlier on page three, John feels both attracted and frightened by the Public Library on 42nd Street. He believes books to be part of high culture and thus a white privilege. Scared he stands in front of the building not knowing how people would react to him if he dared to go inside: He loved this street, not for the people or the shops but for the stone lions that guarded the great main building of the Public Library, a building filled with books and unimaginably vast, and which he had never yet dared to enter [†¦] But he had never gone in because the building was so big that it must be full of corridors and marble steps, in the maze of which he would be lost and never find the book he wanted. And then everyone, all the white people inside, would know that he was not used to great buildings, or to many books, and they would look at him with pity. This passage also shows that even though the big city fascinates John, it also seems to him as a kind of maze that terrifies him and brings back his father’s words of warning. Despite all these admonitions and the fact that John is aware of the Negro treatment and history in the United States , he believes that his knowledge is the key to white acceptance. His getaway to Manhattan also leads him to Broadway, which he automatically associates with the broad path to Hell and damnation: â€Å"Broadway: the way that led to death was broad, and many could be found thereon [†¦]† . Still he immediately dismisses this image and decides to see a movie on Sixth Avenue, where once again he is plagued by thoughts of God punishing him for this supposedly sin . Inspired by the main character of the movie, whom he admires for her strength and independency, John tries to figure out whether there is a third path in life: â€Å"John thought of Hell, of his soul’s redemption, and the struggle to find a compromise between the way that led to life everlasting and the way that ended in the pit. But there was none [†¦]† .   This trip to Manhattan signifies for John an escape from his father’s religious world and one step closer to the life he wishes to lead, one that is characterized by financial security and social status independent of his skin color. As mentioned before, this tendency in John can be ascribed to a longing for a better life and not to an intended denial of his blackness. Still his desire to be part of the white society leads automatically to a negation of his ancestor’s past and hence to alienation from his own people. Therefore John’s desired white identity is only a mock identity which would never work. The only way of finding his real identity is by accepting his own heritage and history and consequently his own father . Moreover, by attending the movies he does not only carry out an act of social participation but also an act of defiance both against morality and religion, since he identifies with the white heroine’s attitude, who â€Å"tells the world to kiss her ass† . Ironically, in the end John remains in his secular thinking as much a victim of his fears of God as those who are willing to accept God’s power . 3.2. John’s conversion – True belief or a mere survival gimmick? The other path, the narrow one which is available for John, is the religious one his parents and his community offer him. Here the third chapter â€Å"The Treshing Floor† or rather the conversion scene in this chapter can be taken as a good example. Even though John mentioned before that â€Å"he did not long for the narrow way, where all his people walked† , in chapter three he engages in an ecstatic conversion. Therefore this experience is questionable and rather seems to be a flight from the quest for identity into the ostensible safety the black church offers . During his spiritual experience he encounters various obstacles, his father being the most difficult one. While John is lying in front of the altar he sees his father looking down on him without pity or love, but instead he keeps hearing him say: â€Å"I’m going to beat sin out of him. I’m going to beat it out!† . As mentioned before the only way to God is through his father and by admitting his sin. Like the son of Noah, he too had made fun of his father’s bareness and was now cursed for it to the present just like Ham. By accepting this, namely that â€Å"all niggers had come from this most undutiful of Noah’s sons† and that â€Å"a curse was renewed from moment to moment, from father to son† , he embraces his black heritage. Some critics, e.g. Csaba Csapà ³, go even further by assuming that by doing so he also embraces his homosexuality, which comes to show in his relationship with Elisha . But this is altogether a different topic of the novel, which does not contribute to this essays matter and will therefore not be discussed at this point. His ongoing journey takes him into a grave, which symbolizes the past, isolation, death but also resurrection, where the collective singing and praying further strengthens his realization of his own history : In this murmur that filled the grave [†¦] he recognized a sound that he had always heard [†¦] This sound had filled John’s life, so it now seemed, from the moment he had first drawn breath. He had heard it everywhere [†¦] It was in his father’s anger, in his mother’s calm insistence, and in the vehement mockery of his aunt [†¦] Yes, he had heard it all his life, but it was only now that his ears were opened to this sound that came from darkness, that yet bore such sure witness to the glory of the light. And now in his moaning, and so far from any help, he heard it in himself. This experience creates an identity in John which no longer separates him from his black environment but rather strengthens the feeling of solidarity. Nevertheless, this identity-shaping does not change John’s relationship to his father: â€Å"[†¦] the living word that could conquer the great division between his father and himself. But it did not come [†¦]† . Peter Bruck explains this situation with the fact that John’s experience does not signify relief from his damnation, but merely constitutes a momentary ease from the existing situation, similar to the Noah and Ham network . This assumption is also supported by Gabriel’s comment after John’s conversion: â€Å"It comes from your mouth [†¦] I want to see you live it. It’s more than a notion.† . He reminds John of the fact that his conversion is merely the first step and that he is still to be tested by the long, complex journey of life. This is also emphasized by the unchanged picture the saints face the morning after John’s conversion, which stands in contrast to the development he has undergone: Yet the houses were there, as they had been; the windows, like a thousand, blinded eyes, stared outward at the morning – at the morning that was the same for them as the mornings of John’s innocence, and the mornings before his birth. The water ran in the gutters with a small, discontented sound; on the water traveled paper, burnt matches, sodden cigarette-ends; gobs of spittle, green-yellow, brown, and pearly; the leavings of a dog, the vomit of a drunken man, the dead sperm, trapped in rubber, of one abandoned to his lust. This passage clearly shows the constant burdens of life and the unimproved reality awaiting John. The picture is characterized by decay and waste and thus depicts John’s hopeless situation in spite of his new found identity. As his father mentioned to him he is still endangered by his environment and his relationship to yonder has not improved at all. The people will still confront him with the same pity and hostility as before, calling him â€Å"Frog-eyes† and other names . Hence the church only offers a temporary place of refuge without really creating better options for the future. It only partially illuminates things and merely hides or damns others . But in the midst of all this pessimism there also exists a spark of hope for John. He has now found a new ally in Elisha who already helped him through his conversion and will keep on doing so in the future. Further, he has introduced John to the love of God, instead of the theological terror of the false God his father preaches . As Robert Bone also hints at, the church can function as a â€Å"path of self-hatred† or as a â€Å"path of self-acceptance† . The following lines point to a new start and ongoing journey lying ahead of Jo hn: The sun had come full awake. It was waking the streets, and the houses, and crying at the windows. It fell over Elisha like a golden robe, and struck John’s forehead, where Elisha had kissed him, like a seal ineffaceable forever. Again, this kiss and the rising sun can be interpreted as John’s awakening homosexuality, which in the following works of Baldwin is also seen as a source of hope . The closing lines of the novel â€Å"I’m ready [†¦] I’m coming. I’m on my way.† impart an open ending to the story, leaving out which path John is going to take after all. IV. Conclusion The ending of the novel leaves the reader wondering whether John has definitely chosen the â€Å"narrow path† he so long avoided, even despised. Only several hours before, he still dreamed of a wealthy life midst the white society, far away from his own people and poverty. The moment he realizes that â€Å"this world was not for him† and that â€Å"they would never let him enter† , as his father always kept preaching him, he turns to his only other option, the black church. Thus, it seems to be more a last desperate act to survive in the brutal streets of Harlem, than an act of religious belief. This step can also be found in James Baldwin’s own biography. After having served as a preacher for several years, he left the black church unsatisfied and misunderstood, still searching for his own identity as an American, better as an Afro American. In exchange for sanctuary he had to give up his sexuality and entirely isolate himself from the outer world, which might get him into conflict with the white power. This meant exchanging the personal power of one’s sex and the social power of one’s people in exchange for the power of the Word, in Baldwin’s eyes the historical betrayal of the Negro Church . A similar pattern of behavior can be observed in John, who sees in religion also a survival gimmick. Although during John’s religious ecstasy the reader might get the impression that he is acting according to belief, his final words to Elisha on the way home evoke insecurity in this decision: â€Å"[†¦] no matter what happens to me, where I go, what folks say about me, no matter what anybody says, you remember [†¦] I was saved. I was there.† . It seems as though he knows that his conversion is not the finish line and yet another journey awaits him that may lead him away from the church, as it did James Baldwin. V. Bibliography Primà ¤rliteratur †¢Baldwin, James: Go Tell It on the Mountain. New York: Bantam Dell 1980. Sekundà ¤rliteratur †¢Bone, Robert A.: â€Å"James Baldwin† in: Keneth Kinnamon: James Baldwin. A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1974, p. 28-38. †¢Bruck, Peter: Von der „store front churchâ€Å" zum „American Dreamâ€Å". James Baldwin und der amerikanische Rassenkonflikt. Amsterdam: B. R. Grà ¼ner 1975, p.24-36. †¢Csapà ³, Csaba: „Race, Religion and Sexuality in Go Tell It on the Mountain† in: Carol E. Henderson: James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain. Historical and Critical Essays. New York: Peter Lang 2006, p.57-74. †¢Fabre, Michel: „Fathers and Sons in James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountainâ€Å" in: Keneth Kinnamon: James Baldwin. A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1974, p.120-138. †¢Jones, Beau Fly: „The Struggle for Identity† in: The British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 17, No.2 (June 1966), p.107-121. †¢Kent, George E.: „Baldwin and the Problem of Being† in: Therman B. O’Daniel: James Baldwin. A Critical Evaluation. London: AD. Donker 1977, p.19-29. †¢Macebuh, Stanley: James Baldwin: A critical Study. New York: The Third Press Joseph Okpaku Publishing Company 1973, p.49-68. †¢MacInnes, Colin: „Dark Angel: The Writings of James Baldwin† in: Gibson, Donald B.: Five Black Writers. New York: New York University Press 1970, p.119-126. †¢Margolies, Edward: „The Negro Church: James Baldwin and the Christian Vision† in: Harold Bloom: James Baldwin. New York: Chelsea House Publishers 1986, p.59-76. †¢Rosenblatt, Roger: â€Å"Out of Control: Go Tell It on the Mountain and Another Country† in: Harold Bloom: James Baldwin. New York: Chelsea House Publishers 1986, p.77-90. †¢Sylvander, Carolyn Wedin: James Baldwin. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1980, p.27-44. View as multi-pages