...Throughout time, there have been different documented, and usually highly publicized, cases that reflect different perceptions of the guilty party. Often, the individual has committed a heinous crime against individuals in society for reason we can never be certain of; being viewed as a “monster.” Yet, upon interviewing close family and friends in regards to this individual, the perception is quite different. The novel, Crime and Punishment, depicts a scenario of a crime that is justified by the individual as being okay since the intended victim was mean by nature, in his opinion, and the benefit of the crime, the financial gain, would assist the people he cared for most (Kliger, 2010). During this analysis, the focus will be on the question, Did Raskolnikov find it still morally acceptable, after taking lives of two individuals, in order to increase his financial status and share the wealth with members of society close to him that he thought needed it most? Based on the documented life of the author, Fyodor Dostoevsky, it can be assumed that in fact often the author is placing circumstances and social class of the main character, in which he had lived through as a child himself. In the novel, the author depicts a scenario of a young man whom is restricted to poverty, along with his mother and sister. This social class can be related to the author himself, having had his mother and father die at a young age. Adding to the comparative lifestyle that of the author and the main...
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...and against the practice of torture and will come to a conclusion that no matter what, torture will always reflect negatively on the society as the only way of justifying it is through perfect knowledge of the consequences that no one knows but God. I also considered the scenario of ticket- time bomb because it is considered to be the heaviest argument that justifies torture. So, let’s see how torture isn’t justified. One night, I went into my house and saw a man, on TV, beating a defenceless tied person. The man was actually beating the guy and enjoying the extreme pain he’s suffering from. He even cut the guy’s feet with a butcher’s knife. My whole family was watching the movie. My dad seemed to enjoy the movie. My brother was just shouting for the man and encouraging him to beat the guy further. My mom had no reaction towards what’s happening. And still my sister who looked really annoyed and demanded to change the channel over and over. This gives rise to the question of whether torture should be accepted or not. And does accepting torture imply that it is justified? The movie, called “Hostel”, turned out to be talking about a group of Man hunters. It talks about three men in Amsterdam who were encouraged by a stranger, who showed them images of hot women, to visit Hostel known as “Paradise of Sex on Earth”. As they reach Slovakia, and Hostel in particular, they meet gorgeous girls. However, they come to realize that they have been sold to...
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...Big Brother is watching you more closely than ever: CCTV cameras, the spies in our midst Privacy is essential to our humanity. It permits us to shape and maintain lives, from which personal identity, selfdetermination and freedom arise. In today’s society, however, undisturbedness is mainly an illusion. The line between privacy and public space has simply become as fragile as porcelain. This is due to increased monitoring of human behaviour. In “Big Brother is watching you more closely than ever”, written by John Kampfner in 2012, it is discussed whether surveillance provides protection or disturbs the individual liberty. A coherent structure in essence is the foundation for the written amount of text. The article consists of three components: an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Thus it achieves structural integrity. The text mostly centers on the subject of surveillance and its effect on society. To what extent the use of security cameras can be justified is, however, also a focus of attention. The major topic is presented in the introduction by using the words: “The march of CCTV cameras.” The ideas, to which the writer will adhere when discussing the theme, are likewise indicated in the introductory section. The body, where the issue is elaborated, covers the critical evidence that defends the position of John Kampfner. The documentation includes specific facts, description, quotations and references to authoritarian persons. Numerical examples are also used to...
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...essay: “Big Brother is watching you more closely than ever:CCTV Cameras, the Spies in our midst. Privacy is essential to our humanity. It permits us to shape and maintain lives, from which personal identity, selfdetermination and freedom arise. In today’s society, however, undisturbedness is mainly an illusion. The line between privacy and public space has simply become as fragile as porcelain. This is due to increased monitoring of human behaviour. In “Big Brother is watching you more closely than ever”, written by John Kampfner in 2012, it is discussed whether surveillance provides protection or disturbs the individual liberty. A coherent structure in essence is the foundation for the written amount of text. The article consists of three components: an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Thus it achieves structural integrity. The text mostly centers on the subject of surveillance and its effect on society. To what extent the use of security cameras can be justified is, however, also a focus of attention. The major topic is presented in the introduction by using the words: “The march of CCTV cameras.” The ideas, to which the writer will adhere when discussing the theme, are likewise indicated in the introductory section. The body, where the issue is elaborated, covers the critical evidence that defends the position of John Kampfner. The documentation includes specific facts, description, quotations and references to authoritarian persons. Numerical examples...
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...Ranking the Play Hamlet The Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet is among the best ever written, and perhaps the very best. Why do the literary critics say this? In this essay let’s examine the play to see what makes it a prizewinner. Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in “Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula” give some detail about the reasons for the undying popularity of this play: No play demonstrates the power and glory of Shakespeare’s tragic vision more than Hamlet, which for over 350 years has excited us with its action, its insight, its brilliant language. Hamlet is an unparalleled adventure story, complete with suspense, intrigue, murder – even a battle at sea with pirates. It is a play of intense emotional and physical violence. Yet underlying all of this are some of the most profound explorations of the mysteries of human existence. (43) This play is ranked by many as the very greatest ever written. Cumberland Clark in “The Supernatural in Hamlet” gives the consensus regarding Hamlet that exists among literary critics of today: At least six or seven years pass after the writing of Midsummer Night’s Dream before we find Shakespeare engaged on Hamlet, the second of the great plays with an important Supernatural element, and, in the opinion of many, the greatest tragedy ever penned. (99) There is no more exalted ranking than the above. Richard A. Lanham in the essay “Superposed Plays” maintains that no...
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...The Death Penalty PHI103: Informal Logic Professor Donald Ceplenski March 26, 2012 The Death Penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the lawful infliction of death as a form of punishment. It is considered to be one of the most controversial and a debated topic across the United States which leads to the logical question; is the death penalty just and applied fairly? Although in theory sentencing a criminal to death may bring closure to the victim’s families, the practice of sentencing someone to death is an unjust form of punishment with factors such as costs, deterrence, and rehabilitation failure show that putting a criminal to death is counterproductive and inhumane. Death Penalty laws have been around since Eighteenth Century B.C., but the execution in American dates back to the colonial days in 1608, when Virginia carried out the colonies first execution to Captain George Kendall (Randa, 1996). According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), in the last four hundred years, 36 states have instituted the death penalty, making execution the ultimate form of punishment (2012). In theory the death penalty appears to be a reasonable method of punishment but in reality it has major flaws that damage the integrity of the state. Not only does it have serious flaws it is absolutely inhumane in every way. The death penalty goes against our rights as human beings. We are supporting the message that killing is okay if the reason...
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...Taped Confession of Epistemology Taped Confession of Epistemology In 1996, I was on a study abroad program as a freshman in college. The trip was a six week tour of the Volga region of Russia, which also consisted of a three week cruise of the Volga River. After the cruise, the ship docked in Moscow and then the students were to board a train to go to St. Petersburg. While on the cruise, my bunk mate was the professor. Because this was in June, White Nights was in effect and as a result, it was quite difficult to get to sleep. Every night, the professor would talk about his walk-man and how lucky he was to have one to go to sleep with at night. We had a great relationship, so I would tell him that he might wake up dead and his walk-man stolen because he made fun of me not having one! I also was his teaching assistant, so we would often joke with each other about death threats. So this threat was nothing to be alarmed with. Finally, after three weeks of dealing with the professor, I was looking forward to not having to bunk with him in St. Petersburg. When the ship docked in Moscow, the captain informed us that we needed to return by 8:00 pm so that we would not miss the train going to Petersburg. On a side note, I had lived in Moscow for two years, so I left the rest of the students and made my way around town to see some friends. I returned to the ship at 8:00, loaded my luggage onto a bus and waited for the rest of the students. At 8:30, the captain of the...
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...Utilitarian And Kantian Concept Of Punishment Print this Table of Contents S. No. | Content | Page No. | | Introduction | 3. | | Research Methodology | 4. | | Chapter 1: Utility of Punishment | 6. | | Chapter 2: Retributive Justice And Legitimacy | 10. | | Chapter 3: Can Capital Punishment Be Justified | 13 | | Chapter 4: Finding A Middle Way | 15. | | Conclusion | 17. | | Bibliography | 18. | Introduction Punishment entails the intentional infliction of pain or some type of deprivation in an institutionalized form that individuals would generally prefer to avoid. This requires justification to be morally acceptable. Attempts to provide justification for infliction of punishment are made by various punishment theories. Punishment theories generally can be separated into a handful of philosophical camps—consequentialist theories, non-consequentialist theories, and mixed (or hybrid) theories that contain both consequentialist and non-consequentialist elements. What distinguishes these theories is their focus and goals: Consequentialist theories are forward-looking, concerned with the future consequences of punishment; non-consequentialist theories are backward-looking, interested solely in past acts and mental states; and mixed theories are both forward- and backward-looking, with each hybrid placing a different emphasis on culpable past conduct versus future consequences. The present paper will briefly examine the two dominant consequentialist and...
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...It is shocking and depressing to ever hear stories about accidental gun deaths or suicide. However, these stories could be diminished with gun laws that make it harder for people to have access to or be around the deadly weapons. There are more than twenty-two million children currently living in homes with guns in the United States. This number becomes a problem when children are uneducated on gun safety and their dangers. Nearly 1,500 children younger than eighteen die from shootings each year. A majority of these death are accidental deaths in a home with a gun (Schaechter). Suicide could also be reduced with tighter gun control. Some gun control laws would make it harder for people with mental health issues to come into possession with...
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...Emmanuel J. Crespo Ms. Coleman Honors World Literature April 13, 2016 Killing for Human Life An analysis of the justification for criminality with the argument that it will better humanity in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Crime towards humanity has never been rightly justified, but it seems as if the crime towards humanity misinterprets the goal of the crime. Criminals would like to believe that their crimes were done for humanity rather than towards humanity. Fyodor Dostoevsky exposes the argument of bettering humanity as a scapegoat for criminality in his novel, Crime and Punishment. The wealthy and those in poverty have had a strong dissonance for hundreds of thousands of years, usually caused by envy and frustration of the poor and the arrogance and lack of empathy of the rich. Raskolnikov, frustrated that he could not finish his studies in law and had to drop out of law school, has grown a type of soft hatred to the pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna. Due to her wealth and unfair treatment to the people that pawn items to her, Raskolnikov undoubtedly turns his soft hate into violent thoughts. He envisioned murdering her and taking her money, but the moral side of him always brought a sense of disgust to his own thoughts, and Raskolnikov would not want to go through with the crime. Although he tried to take the idea off his mind, the struggle of him having owe the landlady dues as well as him already behind on payments, Raskolnikov’s thought turned to a plan...
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...| Analysis of Rihanna’s Man Down | Dr. Brown: RTF 331-01 | | Terry Bright, Angelica Grant, Ginae Eddins, Marcus Miller | 5/3/2012 | | In the black community rape is not an issue that is address publicly. “What goes on in my house stays in my house” is how most black families deal with most of their issues. This issue is not only protected in black household but globally rape is not a subject that people address right away. Sexual abuse or rape is usually pushed under the rug, due to the negative connotation stereotype associated with being victimized, because of the controlling images such as the jezebel modernly known as “hoochie.” The jezebel is stemming image associated with the loose women stereotype. Referencing to the notion that if your dressed sleazy i.e. thong showing, booty shorts that she wants attention. This image makes it easy to camouflage the sexual assault to justify how it could be rape if this is what she wants. Any good piece of art has a history or background in which case may translate to the public as controversy. Music is a form of therapy for most to cope with their problems, and music video provides a visual aid for wide-ranging audiences’ and to give a visual message. Rihanna fifth studio album is entitle “Loud” she wanted to address some issue and make them loud and clear. Rihanna released her fifth single from the album entitled Man Down, lyrically this song is a modern version of I Shot the Sheriff by Bob Marley. In the music video...
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...this time and it would be none other than El Padrino (the Godfather) Pablo Escobar. For those who do not know El Padrino he was the world’s largest cocaine distributor in the world. Even though many Colombians prospered from Pablo Escobar’s cocaine trade; was the financial gain worth the state becoming a narco-terror state; and introducing the world to a substance which would increase terror and corruption in two countries. Many Colombians and Americans would say no. Even though killing Pablo Escobar did not reduce the output of cocaine being imported into the U.S. and around the world. Many Colombians felt as if his death ended the narco-terror which paralyzed Colombia for almost fifteen years, but some Colombians believe that his good justified the means of his brutality. In the early 1970’s the United States started a campaign called the War on Drugs, President Richard Nixon declared “drug abuse enemy number one’ in 1971. Why did Richard Nixon take a hard line look at drugs with the Vietnam War taken place? Was it because, he looked at drugs as symbols of rebellion, political strife, and or social upheaval? Who knows what President Nixon’s reasoning for this new policy? After this policy was established earlier in the decade; there was a drug renaissance about a certain white powder, which would change the course of the United States forever. This drug renaissance came along with the perception that it was cool to use after seeing many celebrities such as Steven Tyler from...
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...In the PBS film by Tavis Smiley, “MLK: A Call to Conscience,” Tavis explored Martin Luther King’s stand against the Vietnam War and the influence of his legacy today. Tavis reached out to scholars, associates and personal friends of Dr. King who gave personal accounts of their feelings toward MLK and his movements. These events will also be supported by evidence from two other films, “Eyes on the Prize: Episode 4” which profiled MLK’s last year prior to his assassination, and “The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.” which provided additional details in regard to the FBI’s potential conspiracy against Dr. King. This film was chosen as my main source for analysis due to a personal connection with how I relate to Dr. King and his convictions for what he believes in. Just as Dr. King described Americans becoming complacent to the injustices of justice in his speech, we also tend to become complacent about why we celebrate this brilliant leader’s life. His drive and determination should be modeled by every American citizen, especially by those in successive generations who have been denied their dreams. I also intend to highlight why his ideology could live and thrive in today’s policy. The central message of this documentary builds on when Dr. King gave his speech, “A Call to Conscience” April 4, 1967 at the Riverside Church in New York City. As Vincent Harding, a close friend and author of this speech would explain the one thing that never changed during rewrites...
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...COMM120 Zarchfel N. Lumasag 2FREE1 TH 8:00 -11:00 AM Narrative Analysis of Night Crawler Night crawler opens with the image of an unaltered billboard that is draped in white. The billboard that would normally promote, advertise or represent something is instead blank, emotionless. This could not be a more appropriate image to open this film with consideringNightcrawler is a film that is devoid of emotion, sentiment or integrity. This form of detachment from human emotion does not stem from the film’s content, but rather from Jake Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of the film’s main character, Lou Bloom. Even in the strictest of definitions, the character is a sociopath who feeds off the vulnerability of others. By proxy of Gyllenhaal’s performance, the film transforms itself into an unapologetic film that chronicles the plight of its lead character without ever throwing judgment or morality upon his actions. A sociopath, in many regards, is opportunists. They craft a narrative and use their persuasive social skills to create an entry into individual’s lives, companies or corporations. Typically such personalities are perceived to be harmless, such as being personable and generating attention towards them. Also, their inability to feel guilt often feeds into their confidence, which allows for them to present themselves as being more than they actually are. Gyllenhaal’s performance occupies many of these qualities, to which the viewer...
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...INTRODUCTION India as is seen during present days has changed its conscience towards a new penal jurisprudence in abolishing the capital punishment. This is to counter the plenary provisions of Article 5 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 and its protocol in 1989 where the State parties believed that abolition of death penalty should be in the scale of enhancement of human dignity and progressive development of human rights and recalling Article 3 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted on 10th December, 1948 as well as Article 21 of our Constitution.1 It can be judicially said “I don’t punish you for killing the man but so that the other cannot be killed.” That is, the chief aim of capital punishment is to make deterrent to others for same crime . Now this concept is having a new direction. The Supreme Court and High Courts in India interpret the cases before giving the death sentence as rarest of rare cases. The Court moves its eye also for other aspects of society. The landmark cases where death sentences were awarded in India are Ranga Billa case2, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case, Laxman Nayak case 3 and the lastly, it was awarded to Dhananjoy Chatterjee on 14th August, 2004 in connection with Hetal Parikh case of West Bengal after the Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence awarded by lower courts and President also refused to grant him pardon. In the year 2003, Government...
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