Indian sewer cleaner letter to the editor

Katie Taylor

Period 6, World History

November 21, 2013

Preface: History is a way learning of and from our predecessors. Learning of their mistakes and successes gives us a better understanding of what put man kind where we are today. It is widely known that history tends to repeat itself, unfortunately in India the caste system has been a major part of the spiritual and social beliefs of Indian society for centuries. This writing is a work of historical fiction told from the eyes of one of the untouchables meant to display why it is time to move forward in India by dissolving the caste system. 

Introduction: The caste system has been a deeply integrated part of Indian society and its most practiced religion, Hinduism, for over 3,000 years. Its a part of Indian and spiritual beliefs based on karma and reincarnation. The caste system is basically a ladder where each rung is a different caste and you move up or down in your next life based on your works in your present life. It is meant to punish people for past life's wrong deeds and rewards you if you lived your previous life well. In someways the caste system unifies India because they each have a close nit community within their own caste as a sort of "safety net" to rely on, but in many more ways than not the caste system tears India apart.

Dear Editor, I am Daya Patel and I am a member of the untouchable sewer cleaning caste in the poorest state in India, Bihar.  The caste system is a respected part of the Hindu religion and unites the people of India under our religion and provides us with a closenit community within our caste to rely on. Some people say this system is only fair and people deserve to be punished or rewarded for past works. Maybe those who think that are right, but I would like to think it is time for change in India. It is time to get rid of the caste system. At one point the castes were based on character and it was not impossible to move up to a better caste in one life time, but now the caste system is determined by birth and it is not possible to move up in the world. 

The current treatment of us untouchables is not right and the treatment of sewer cleaners like me is even worse. We are the worst of the worst in everyone's eyes. We looked down on and hated by even leather worker, who are considered lowly untouchables. Every day I wake up and put on my work clothes, caked in sweat and human waste. Then I travel through the passage made especially for untouchable to the first blockage because we are not permitted enter their houses or stores through the main door. I plunge my bare hand into the blockage to move the flow of human waste. Some people have government jobs and are provided work gloves, but I am not so lucky. I am employed by the people of my village who require my services. I keep my nails short to keep human waste from becoming stuck under them. Everyday I am exposed to large amounts of methane and hydrogen sulphide, both considered potentially fatal substances. The members of my caste including myself often suffer from conic health problems, such as eye infections, serious respiratory problems, and skin disorders due to our work conditions. There is actually a law India against human sewer workers. The law states that humans can not go into the sewer unless it is an emergancy, the problem is the sewers are so bad and the cities so crowed that there are emergencies every day. Because of my caste I am not given a fair chance in life. I will never have the opertunaties to have an education, earn better job, or get out of poverty. The caste system causes segregation and discrimination throughout India. I as an untouchable can only so olive and marry within my caste. I have never even spoken to a Brahman. Some Brahmans refuse to eat food cooked where an untouchable has eaten or brush up against an untouchable on the street, or else they have to undergo a cleansing ritual. The limitations and restrictions for the lower castes segregate the castes and makes it impossible for the India to ever be completely unified and that is why the caste system should be dissolved. 

Works Cited

 Jha, Rupa. "'My Life Cleaning Delhi's Sewers'" BBC News. BBC, 02 July 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Blank, Jonas. "Caste." pag. Print.

Thoughts and Reflections on: The Silence of the Buddha

Katie Taylor,  World History Period 2                                                              November 17, 2013
Thoughts and Reflections On: Silence of the Buddha

              Buddha tried to find answers to many of life's questions, but remained silent towards all questions pertaining to when and how the world was created or to the idea of a creator. He viewed these types of questions as "low conversation".

He focused instead on Un-Creation, because it was pointless to waist time searching for answers to questions on the creation of the world when his main life goal was to escape this wold of suffering and reach nirvana. 

Digital Scrapbook entry #3 - Mesopotamia

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/nov/01/schools.wordsandlanguage

http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/cuneiform-writing-system-ancient-mesopotamia-emergence-and-evolution#sect-thelesson

When writing first appeared on the earth around 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia, it was representational form of writing called pictographs. Pictographs originated in Sumer and were used to represent objects; for instance a picture of a cow would stand for cow. Over the years the people found that writing out a whole picture for each word was cumbersome and we impractical for any words other than nouns and their writing began to evolve.

This evolved form of writing was called cuneiform, meaning wedge shaped writing named for its wedge like shapes because of the reeds used by the scribes as writing utensils. In today's modern word our language is going through a similar transformation. With the spread of the use of cell phones came a quicker form of writings: text talk. Text talk is used to represent other groups of commonly texted words such as got to go: G2G or laughing out loud: LOL.

These short cuts have recently become part of our vernacular and many have been added to dictionary's. In fact it was recently announced that the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) will be excepting text talk on written English exams, showing how much like ancient writing todays writing is still constantly changing. 

Thoughts and Reflections of The Indifference of Confucius

    

Katie Taylor, World History Period 2                                                              November 10, 2013

Thoughts and Reflections On: "The Indifference of Confucius"

The Riddle of Creations

      Confucius was a notable Chinese scholar who's lessons and believes are still remembered and sometimes used today. Confucius unlike other vagrant scholars was not seeking power, but instead simply wanted to improve the Chinese government. although he tried to earn himself a government position he ultimately failed. Despite his failure to be recognized by the Chinese government his teachings were used for over 2000 years and became a part of the traditional Chinese family beliefs. Confucius was focused towards living in the present and his believes were based on morals. He strongly believed in harmony in all aspects of life and he believed you could achieve this harmony by following the five relationships and education was also extremely important to him.

Although many follow Confucianism, it should not be mistaken as a religion because it is simply a secular set of teachings and values. In fact Confucius was not much for religion, he believed there was a creator but Confucius was indifferent toward the creation of the universe, cosmogony, metaphysics and many aspects of religion. He strongly believed people could solve problems by there ancestry and personal experiences. Confucius believed that heaven and earth became the yin yang and then the yin yang became the four seasons.