Naranjo-Morses Ta - on Ethics, Success, Social Justice, and Integrity - Essay Example

? Naranjo-Morse’s “Ta On Ethics, Success, Social Justice, and Integrity November 28, In a world where integrity is well-talked about but not always followed, what is the meaning of success? Naranjo-Morse uses the poem “Ta” to tackle the difficult endeavor of measuring “success.” The underlying themes of her poem are ethics, social justice, and integrity, which are all related to the same themes found in “Ethics,” Clayton’s “A Whole Lot of Cheatin’ Going On,” King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and Carter’s “The Rules about the Rules.” “Ta” shows that, in connection to other readings, success is defined and measured by following one’s moral compass, which is the basis of ethics that supports people’s behaviors toward integrity and social justice. “Ta” is about Naranjo-Morse’ need to understand the meaning of success in modern times. The speaker of the poem is Naranjo-Morse, who talks to Ta, her father, while the audiences of the poem are people who are also wondering what success means. The poem creates a meaningful experience for the author of this paper by emphasizing the morality involved in defining and measuring success. The diction of the poem shows that the speaker is educated and insightful because she thinks that success concerns “struggling in/ two worlds” “between Pueblo tradition/ and modern values” (Naranjo-Morse, 1992, p. 278). The paper thinks that an educated person can express herself well in English, as well as use complex concepts as “tradition” and “values.” Naranjo-Morse is also insightful because she considers the struggles of bi-nationalities because they have to balance modern and indigenous values in their language and identity, which can impact how they see and pursue success in their lives. Naranjo-Morse uses personification, imagery, and language to illustrate the meaning of success. Personification is in how she describes that time “tailored” her father “into an old man/wrinkled/and halting” (Naranjo-Morse, 1992, p. 279). The personification enhances the poem because this means that time has provided Ta the experience and knowledge needed to create a thoughtful answer. His answer to her daughter’s question on how to measure success seems simple, but the meaning behind it is deep because time has wrinkled him enough to know something about success. Furthermore, Naranjo-Morse (1992) uses imagery when she describes Ta sitting under the Elm, “drifting to sleep,/his hand in mine” (p. 280). The image enhances the poem because it shows that success is appreciating the present moment and the relationships one have during the present time. Furthermore, Ta speaks in their native Indian language, which Naranjo-Morse (1992) interprets later in English: “My daughter,/it is going well,/your children,/your husband,/ are happy./My daughter,/you are a good woman,/listen,/it is going well,/ it goes in beauty” (p.279). The use of Indian language underscores that success is being proud of all aspects of one’s identity. In addition, through what Ta says about her family and listening, Naranjo-Morse (1992) realizes that apart from balancing tradition and modern values, to attain success is to appreciate “life’s basic gifts” and connecting that to “who” she is and who can become (pp. 279-280). The paper interprets that the main idea of the poem is that to be successful, one must see the gifts inside (“you are a good woman”) and around them (“it is” refers to the world, and children and husband pertain to family), and use that (“listen” to these inner and outer voices) (Naranjo-Morse, 1992, p. 279) to carve their identities and future success. “Ta” is connected to other readings, the first of which is the chapter on “Ethics,” because Naranjo-Morse is also looking for an ethical way of measuring success. The “Ethics” chapter talks about the desire for a moral compass that guides all people. It asserts that when people explore moral issues, they demonstrate “the enduring human desire for a firm ethical sense, a guide to right and wrong as immutable as the stars” (Lunsford & Ruszkiewicz, 1992, p. 161). Naranjo-Morse also seeks for a universally ethical way of measuring success, which can come from her father who has gotten old and must have a greater understanding of what success means. When she describes her father as “wrinkled/and halting,” she emphasizes that her father knows firsthand what success is and is not because he has already gone through it. If he does “halt,” it is because he does not want his daughter to think that success is something that can be easily measured, since essentially, success is hard to define because it is connected to the meaning of happiness and the right road to it. Instead, by “halting” and saying that “it” is well, that her children and husband are “happy,” and that her daughter is a “good woman” who should “listen” that all is “well” and “it goes in beauty” (Naranjo-Morse, 1992, p. 279), Ta shows, instead of telling directly, that success has inward and outward manifestations, but the most important sources of its measurement are the person inside oneself (one’s voice) and around the person (those who value the person, like family). To say “listen” means to listen to these inner and outside voices that can help measure what is “right” and “wrong” success. There are many roads to success, but not all are moral to oneself and to the people around oneself, and Naranjo-Morse has to listen and to make the final decision. The paper further believes that when Ta says “it goes in beauty,” it means that she cannot be successful, if she is not happy with the beauty inside herself and the people around her. Success, hence, as Ta shows, is a morally divisive issue, but it can be resolved through understanding the voices that matter the most. “Ta” is also connected to another essay, Clayton’s “A Whole Lot of Cheatin’ Going On” because they both explore the implications of defining success and the significance of developing a moral compass that can guide one’s actions. Clayton described widespread cheating in schools. Clayton noted that many students are cheating because they feel pressure in getting good scores, which is prominent even for high-achieving students (Clayton, 1992, p. 199). “Ta” supports the need to define success, which for these students involved in cheating, means getting good grades, whatever it takes. In addition, “Ta” is related to “A Whole Lot of Cheatin’” because the speaker of “Ta” seeks for a moral compass to guide her pursuit of the meaning of success. Clayton (1992) asserted that numerous factors drive students to cheat, which includes a “lack” of a “strong moral compass” (p. 199). The paper thinks that “Ta” can help cheaters understand that they do not have to plagiarize to feel successful because success is measured in much deeper ways, such as understanding one’s voice and relating to loved ones in meaningful ways. With a moral compass, these students will no longer define success through cheating, but through finding meaning in doing what is right too. “Ta” is further related to King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” because both explore the importance of a moral compass to their specific social issues. For “Ta,” the main social issue is success, although the paper connects it also to happiness. To be successful, Ta mentions that “it” is well and “it goes in beauty” (Naranjo-Morse, 1992, p. 279). The paper notes that Ta refers to an inner moral compass that connects inner happiness to success. For King, he wanted the clergy to reconsider their moral compass too. He complained that the “contemporary church” is “weak” and “an archdefender of the status quo” (King, 1992, p. 174). King (1992) reflected on the possibility of relying on an “inner spiritual church” (p.174), which is similar to listening to oneself and finding inner happiness that “Ta” underscores. These works are the same in highlighting that, to know what is right, the answer is also within oneself. Furthermore, “Ta” is connected to King’s “Letter” because they both value social justice. Ta answers his daughter that to measure success is to note the happiness of the people around her, her children and her husband. The paper asserts that King is also concerned of the overall level of happiness in society, but instead of calling it happiness, he terms it as social justice, and when injustice is present in any part of the world, it is a “threat to justice everywhere” (King, 1992, p. 164). King (1992) asserted that it is the responsibility of people to resolve injustice since all people belong to “an inescapable network of mutuality” (p. 164). “Ta” understands how people are connected to one another, which is why success is also about the happiness of one’s family. The paper argues that King’s “Letter” and “Ta” underscore the importance of social justice to a collective notion of success. Finally, “Ta” is related to Carter’s “The Rules about the Rules” because they are similarly concerned of success and the lengths people do to attain it, and the urgency of a moral compass in guiding people’s integrity. In “Ta,” the speaker thinks that by balancing “who” she is and who she wants “to become” (Naranjo-Morse, 1992, p. 278), she can be successful, but her father reminds her that other factors also matter, such as family and listening to the beauty that goes inside her (Naranjo-Morse, 1992, p. 279). Carter (1992) is ashamed that success in the U.S. has become more important than the means, as people care more “about winning than about playing by the rules” (p. 179). In short, Carter (1992) noted that many Americans have lost their integrity in doing what is right. Moreover, “Ta” and Carter are concerned of the waning moral compass in society. Ta refers to going “in beauty” to measure success. The paper sees this as Ta cautioning his daughter to not think about how the outside world defines beauty, especially when they see it in material things. The implication of beauty inside is integrity. Carter (1992) asserted that integrity “lurks somewhere inside each of us” (p. 182). Like Ta, Carter (1992) believed that a person’s moral compass is his/her conscience that prioritizes inner values- the values that compel people to do what is right. The paper shows that “Ta” has remarkable connections to the writings of Carter, Clayton, King, and Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz through connecting the poem’s question on success to the latter’s concerns of integrity and social justice in a world that is hungry for success. Ethics is at the heart of defining and measuring success because it guides people’s moral compass in knowing what is right and wrong, for not all roads to success and not all kinds of success support integrity and social justice. The poem “Ta” asks readers to communicate with their souls, so that they can rediscover their inner compass. From there, they can assess the answers to their ethical questions. From there, they can begin resolving the social issues of their time. References Carter, S.L. (1992). The rules about the rules. In A. Lunsford, & J. Ruszkiewicz (Eds.), The presence of others (5th ed.) (pp. 178-188). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Clayton, M. (1992). A whole lot of cheatin’ going on. In A. Lunsford , & J. Ruszkiewicz (Eds.), The presence of others (5th ed.) (pp. 198-202). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. King Jr., M.L. (1992). Letter from a Birmingham jail. In A. Lunsford, & J. Ruszkiewicz (Eds.), The presence of others (5th ed.) (pp. 163-176). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. (Original work published 1963). Lunsford, A., & Ruszkiewicz, J. (1992). Ethics. In The presence of others (5th ed.) (pp. 161-162). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Morse-Naranjo, N. (1992). Ta. In A. Lunsford, & J. Ruszkiewicz (Eds.), The presence of others (5th ed.) (pp. 278-280). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Read More