The Tempest, Critical Review :: essays research papers

Prospero's Plottings After years of writing plays of history, tragedy, grand comedy and dramatic romance, William Shakespeare emerged from his darker writing of the past into the lighter, more peaceful style of his play â€Å"The Tempest.† This was Shakespeare’s last complete play, and, just as he bid farewell to the art he had so mastered, his principal character Prospero departs from his artful magic on the island he omnisciently controls. While Prospero’s early actions against his foes echo the ideas of a vengeful god, he strives to educate more than to correct. He portions out the justice he carries out with mercy, even when his enemies are delivered directly into his divine power, and, by doing so, proves to be the master of himself, embodying the qualities expected of a good ruler.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prospero’s omnipresence during the play is one the more obvious physical signs that he is in control of all his surroundings. The right Duke of Milan, he was exiled with his daughter, Miranda, to a remote island twelve years prior to the play’s beginning by his usurping brother Antonio, only surviving with the help of the good-hearted advisor Gonzalo. With the help of his spirit servant Ariel, Prospero stirs up a storm to beach a passing ship containing Alonso, king of Naples, who aided Antonio’s usurpation, his brother Sebastian and son Ferdinand, and Antonio himself, so he may confront them. Ferdinand is separated from the rest, is thought to be drowned, and courts Miranda, is put to the test by Prospero, and ultimately marries her. Ironically, Antonio coaxes Sebastian to plot to depose Alonso while they are being punished on the island because of usurpation. Prospero’s deformed slave Caliban encounters two lower members of Alsonsoâ⠂¬â„¢s court, Trinculo the jester and Stephano the drunken butler and the three foolishly plot to win control of the island, under the unblinking eye of Prospero, who punishes them through Ariel’s trickery. In the end, all are brought before Prospero who forgives all, but reclaims his Dukedom, and releases Ariel and Caliban from his control. He renounces his magical powers and returns to Italy having learned the virtues of self-mastery from his exile.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prospero’s character is portrayed as entirely good throughout the play, using his magic only to achieve positive ends such as education. He is one with his environment as he has developed superior intellectual powers, now realizing that he marked himself to be ousted by his distance from everyday affairs.

Rhetoric in Writing and Audience

Rhetoric is the study of effective speaking and writing. It is the art of persuasion and many other things. Over its long history there have been many different definitions of rhetoric, which stretches back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans in particular. In its long and vigorous history rhetoric has enjoyed many definitions, accommodated differing purposes, and varied widely in what it included. And yet, for most of its history it has maintained its fundamental character as a discipline for training students 1) to perceive how language is at work orally and in writing, and 2) to become proficient in applying the resources of language in their own speaking and writing. To see how language and thought worked together, however, it has first been necessary to artificially divide content and form what is said and how we say it. How we say things is precisely the way in which we ensure that our desired meaning has been transmitted to others, so there can be no passing on of ideas without also taking into account lexis. Because rhetoric examines so attentively the how of language, the methods and means of communication, it has sometimes been discounted as something only concerned with style or appearances, and not with the quality or content of communication. For many (such as Plato) rhetoric deals with the superficial at best, the deceptive at worst (â€Å"mere rhetoric†), when one might better attend to matters of substance, truth, or reason as attempted in dialectic or philosophy or religion. Rhetoric studies the effectiveness of language comprehensively, including its emotional impact, as much as its propositional content. Why Rhetoric is Important? The importance of rhetoric provides significant changes in the areas of learning and the development of a persons and institutions. The study of rhetoric, nearly continuous over 2500 years, has always been central to the objectives of a liberal arts curriculum. Extending that study to film, television, protests, politics, debates, philosophy and all forms of discourse has advanced such study into the 21st century. Here are the following reasons why the study of rhetoric is essentially important. It gives scientific writing a focus on argument in scientific debate Numerous studies have called attention to the importance of rhetoric in scientific writing by focusing on arguments presented in scientific debate articles. Rhetorical analysis and textual analysis stress the importance of studying scientific writing to provide better instruction of students learning the genres of academic writing. For example, Swales describes the difficulties of novice researchers or students with English as a second language in learning the literary conventions of American journals. Gusfield is one of the early writers to argue that scientific methods courses should include the study of literary techniques as well as statistical procedures. Davis subscribes to a similar view in that he claims only to be formally describing a model that he believes many social scientists intuitively or inadvertently follow. Davis argues that a conscious awareness of the importance of defining and then denying audience assumptions would ‘increase the Interesting Quotient (I. Q. ) of their discipline relative to the Interesting Quotient of other disciplines. It enables to better understand the processes of communication. Rhetoric is a subject of importance because its study enables us to better understand the processes of communication that underpin decision making in free societies. Judgments on matters of public policy take their cues from rhetoric, and so an understanding of any society's rhetoric will tell us a lot about its ideas, beliefs, laws, customs and assumptions – especially how and why such social features came into being. We don't typically think of it this way, but every law that is on our record books began as an act of rhetorical undertaking by some public or private citizen trying to fix a problem. Statutes and policies are the ends; rhetoric is the means. If law is the architecture of public life, rhetoric is the art that brings it into being. We don't typically think of it this way, but every law that is on our record books began as an act of rhetorical undertaking by some public or private citizen trying to fix a problem. Statutes and policies are the ends; rhetoric is the means. If law is the architecture of public life, rhetoric is the art that brings it into being. It serves as a means for public deliberation about public issues Those who identify rhetoric primarily with ornament, passion, specious argument and deceit, and even those who defend rhetoric as a desirable alternative or supplement to legal reasoning, fail to do justice to the signal importance of rhetoric in the ancient world as a means for public deliberation about public issues under conditions of uncertainty. Despite Plato's famous criticisms of rhetoric as mere flattery, the ancient world well understood that rhetoric had a substantive as well as a stylistic dimension; hence the common association of rhetoric with the merely stylistic aspects of deliberation is entirely misleading. It provides as a precursor for the semiotic study of communication Under the influence of Structuralism, rhetoric has been seen as a precursor for the semiotic study of communication, as in the work of Genette and the Rhetorique generale by a group of scholars headed by J. Dubois. More in keeping with the pragmatic nature of ancient rhetoric, Chaim Perelman and L. Olbrechts-Tyteca attempt in their La Nouvelle Rhetorique (1958) to formulate a modern rhetoric of persuasive argumentation. At the other end of the spectrum, writers associated with Post-Structuralism stress the playful, subversive side of the subject. And finally, the 1980s saw the revived use of explicitly rhetorical models in composition classes in secondary schools to combat an apparent decline in pupils' communication skills. How to Apply Rhetoric in Writing? In order for a writer to know how to apply rhetoric to his writing, he must first know and understand the fundamental forms of persuasive appeals, encompassing forms and rhetoric devices. Persuasive Appeals According to Aristotle, rhetoric is â€Å"the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion. He described three main forms of rhetoric: Logos, or the appeal to reason; Pathos, or the appeal to emotion; and Ethos, or the appeal to character. Logos, pathos, and ethos are completely different, yet, they all correlate. In order to be a more effective writer, you must understand these three terms. Logos meant more in ancient Greek than logic or reasoning, it meant â€Å"thought plus action†. It appeals to patterns, conventions, and modes of reasoning that the audience finds convincing and persuasive. Ideally, a writer should be able to persuade someone based solely upon reason. Although the ability to reason and to think are abstractly two of humanity’s defining characteristics, we are often guided by our passions—even if they lead to our ruin. Pathos is appeal to emotion. a writer needs to consider the things that the listeners value, need, hope for, fear, and so on; once the writer understands the things they care about, he or she can show how what the readers is asked to do is in accord with values they already hold. Ethos is your persona or â€Å"image† as a writer—your ethical character. If a writer communicates good will, good character, and good judgment, the reader will be far more likely to trust him or her. Trust is at the heart of effective communication, and without careful attention to ethos, the effectiveness of the other two modes of persuasion — logos and pathos — is also diminished. Encompassing Terms Next a writer should learn apply the three-ways, of rhetoric in the larger sense. Which can be distinguished between: Kairos, or the occasions to write, which include considerations like the contexts for piece of writing, while audience, or who will read it, looks at where a discourse may take place. Decorum, or fitting words and subject together, lastly, deals with making appropriate use of rhetoric, depending on both kairos and audience. Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the â€Å"right or opportune moment†. You should take time to consider what possible considerations for a piece of writings. Isocrates writes that educated people are those â€Å"who manage well the circumstances which they encounter day by day, and who possess a judgment which is accurate in meeting occasions as they arise and rarely misses the expedient course of action†. As a writer you should develop the ability to adapt to and take advantage of changing, contingent circumstances of your environment. Audience, all rhetorically oriented discourse is composed in light of those who will hear or read that discourse. Or, in other words, rhetorical analysis always takes into account how an audience shapes the composition of a text or responds to it. As writer you should choose an appropriate subject to the prospective readers. Make sure that your reader is appropriate to your purpose, because when it’s not your ideas will just be set aside. Decorum, lastly, refers the appropriateness of style to subject. It involves a range of social, linguistic, aesthetic, and ethical proprieties for both the creators and critics of writing. Each of these must be balanced against each other strategically in order to be successful in understanding or creating discourse. A writer should learn the degree appropriateness or suitability on the use of his words and language in his writing, to enable the interest of the readers to his own discourse. Rhetorical Devices. Good writing depends upon more than making a collection of statements worthy of belief, because writing is intended to be read by others, with minds different from your own. A writer should know how is to get through his readers–or even to be read and considered at all–it must be interesting, clear, persuasive, and memorable, so that he will pay attention to, understand, believe, and remember the ideas it communicates. To apply rhetoric in writing you must know, learn, and understand rhetorical devices in how they have be employed, as well as learning how to use them ourselves. The following are common rhetorical devices used in writing. Apophasis Apophasis asserts or emphasizes something by pointedly seeming to pass over, ignore, or deny it. This device has both legitimate and illegitimate uses. Legitimately, a writer uses it to call attention to sensitive or inflammatory facts or statements while he remains apparently detached from them. Example: 1) Luckily we need not discuss my opponent’s marital infidelities when evaluating his claim to hold the moral high ground. ) I would call you a liar and a cheat if you weren’t my best friend. Aporia Aporia expresses doubt about an idea or conclusion. Its several uses are the suggesting of alternatives without making a commitment to either or any. Such a statement of uncertainty can tie off a piece of discussion you do not have time to pursue, or it could begin an examination of the issue, and lead you into a conclusion resolving your doubt: 1) I have not been able to come to a decision about the new policy, since there seem to be good arguments both for and against it. ) I am not sure whether to side with those who say that higher taxes reduce inflation or with those who say that higher taxes increase inflation. Asyndetons and Polysyndetons Asyndeton is consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. In a list of items, asyndeton gives the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account: On his return he received medals, honors, treasures, titles, fame. Polysyndeton, the opposite of asyndetons, is the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause, and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton. The rhetorical effect of polysyndeton, however, often shares with that of asyndeton a feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up. Example: They read and studied and wrote and drilled. I laughed and played and talked and flunked. Enthymemes Enthymemes is a figure of reasoning in which one or more statements of a syllogism (a three-pronged deductive argument) is/are left out of the configuration; an abbreviated syllogism or truncated deductive argument in which one or more premises, or, the conclusion is/are omitted. Ex: 1) Since she lost the case, she must have been guilty. ) There are only two options available to us and we have seen that the first failed. Expletives Expletive it is a figure of emphasis in which a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal speech, is used to lend emphasis to the words on either side of the expletive. Typical examples include: in fact, of course, to be sure, indeed, I suppose, I hope, you know, you see, clearly, in a ny event, in effect, certainly, remarkably. Metanoia Metanoia qualifies a statement by recalling it (or part of it) and expressing it in a better, milder, or stronger way. A negative is often used to do the recalling. Example: 1) Your proposal will affect everyone is this area, or even the entire region. 2) You fail to realize the impact of these measures – or at least you have not considered the consequences in enough depth. Parallelism and Chiasmus Parallelism is recurrent syntactical similarity. Several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed similarly to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in importance. Parallelism also adds balance and rhythm and, most importantly, clarity to the sentence. Example: Quickly and happily he walked around the corner to buy the book. Chiasmus might be called â€Å"reverse parallelism,† since the second part of a grammatical construction is balanced or paralleled by the first part, only in reverse order. Example: He labors without complaining and without bragging rests. Questions: Hypophora, Rhetorical and Procatalepsis Hypophora is one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one's own question(s). Example: 1) What are the consequences of such an approach to history? There are several, of which the most important is†¦ 2) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?. . . What does the Scripture say? â€Å"Abraham believed God. –Rom. 4:1, 3 (NIV) Rhetorical Question is a question which ask, not for the purpose of further discussion, but to assert or deny an answer implicitly; a question whose answer is obvious or implied. Example: What kind of person would bet against the sun rising tomorrow, though? Procatalepsis is when questions are asked and answered by the writer or speaker, usually by anticipating objections: It is typically suggested that this team will lack the strength in midfield to cope with the opposition, but this neglects the experience gained in the recent tour against†¦ Analogies, Metaphors and Similes Analogy is a kind of extended metaphor or long simile in which an explicit comparison is made between two things (events, ideas, people, etc) for the purpose of furthering a line of reasoning or drawing an inference; a form of reasoning employing comparative or parallel cases. Example: You may abuse a tragedy, though you cannot write one. You may scold a carpenter who has made you a bad table, though you cannot make a table. It is not your trade to make tables. Metaphor is figure of explication occurring when a comparison made by speaking of one thing in terms of another; an implied comparison between two different things which share at least one attribute in common; an association between two unlike things (A vs. B) achieved by borrowing the language that refers to thing A and applying it to thing B. Example: Then Jesus declared, â€Å"I am the bread of life. † –John 6:35 [And compare the use of metaphor in 6:32-63] Simile is a comparison between two different things that resemble each other in at least one way. In formal prose the simile is a device both of art and explanation, comparing an unfamiliar thing to some familiar thing (an object, event, process, etc. ) known to the reader. Example: After such long exposure to the direct sun, the leaves of the houseplant looked like pieces of overcooked bacon. Hyperbole, Litotes and Understatement Hyperbole is ,the counterpart of understatement, deliberate exaggeration of a person, thing, quality, event to emphasize a point external to the object of exaggeration; intentional exaggeration for rhetorical effect. Example: There were millions of people at the bus stop today. Litotes is an understatement formed by the denial of an opposite. This sounds confusing but is actually quite straightforward and a common rhetorical device. For example: Performances like that from the All Blacks are not uncommon. Understatement deliberately expresses an idea as less important than it actually is, either for ironic emphasis or for politeness and tact. When the writer's audience can be expected to know the true nature of a fact which might be rather difficult to describe adequately in a brief space, the writer may choose to understate the fact as a means of employing the reader's own powers of description. For example: 1) I think there may be some additional factors that you may not have accounted for. 2) Your analysis is far too simplistic. Amplification Amplification involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what might otherwise be passed over. In other words, amplification allows you to call attention to, emphasize, and expand a word or idea to make sure the reader realizes its importance or centrality in the discussion. For example: This orchard, this lovely, shady orchard, is the main reason I bought this property. In conclusion lots of practice and experimentation are necessary to develop your rhetorical ability. A best way to experiment is writing in a journal or notebook. Consistency in doing such experiment will develop a natural ability and theory or art in rhetorical aspect. Remember that rhetorical devices are aids to writing and not ends of writing. Further, if used carelessly or excessively or too frequently, almost any one of these devices will probably seem affected, dull, awkward, or mechanical. But with a little care and skill, developed by practice, anyone can master them, and their use will add not just beauty and emphasis and effectiveness to your writing, but a kind of freedom of thought and expression you never imagined possible.

Personal Study †Northern Lights By Stephen Grant Essay

I have recently enjoyed studying a novel by Philip Pullman entitled Northern Lights. The main idea of the novel is about a girl who is travelling north to find her kidnapped friend and other children. She also wanted to give her father something. The novel was a delightful account of how the girl developed and became wiser throughout the story. The main element of the novel I am going to look at is how Lyra develops throughout the course of the novel. Pullman describes the development and determination of the character through characterisation. The author uses effective skills to develop the protagonist into becoming a wiser, more mature and a more courageous person. At first I found Lyra to be naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and headstrong but as her character develops she learns more about how the world works. There is one thing in her I feel was with her through the novel. This was her courage. I feel that she is consistently courageous to the extent of the plot. Here is quote from the start of the novel in which her background story is told. ‘She was proud of her college’s eminence and liked to boast of it to various ragamuffins she played with by the canal or clay beds.’ Jordan College adopted Lyra when she was very young as her mother and father had died. She likes to think of it as ‘her college’ and is very proud of it. However, she is not educated at the college and there fore has a lot of spare time which she uses to play with street children. This shows her character to be of a young naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and mischievous nature. This next quote shows the characters childish nature. ‘In many ways Lyra was a barbarian. What she liked best was clambering over the college roofs with Roger, the kitchen boy, who was her particular friend.’ This quote proves that she can form strong friendships. Another aspect of her character covered by this quotation is her distinct courage and she crawls around the high rooftops of the college. Either this or she is just childlike and does not realise the possible consequences of her actions. Interesting vocabulary in this quotation include: ‘clambering’ which suggests to me the impression of a child’s clumsy and ungainly movement, ‘barbarian’ use of this suggests they had their own little tribe and that she was fierce, brutal or a cruel person. Further on in the text Lyra runs away from a woman who captured her and is now left on the streets. She is confronted by a drunken man who offers her some brandy and shows a few more of her qualities. ‘Where are you going all alone like this’ ‘Going to meet my father’ ‘And who is he?’ ‘He’s a murderer’ ‘Ah! You’re joking’ ‘I en’t’ ‘Good night’ he said Here she promptly lies to the man and makes up a story about her father so the man will leave her alone. This proves that the man did not fool her and her character has grown from being naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve to being sensible and no longer childlike. It also displays her newfound talent for lying. In the quotation she is also using informal language, trying to fit into her surroundings. The next quotation confirms that Lyra is determined to achieve her goal and it also shows her stubbornness. ‘You’ve done your part Lyra.’ ‘But I en’t done nothing yet!’ Lyra protested as she followed the others. Lyra has joined with ‘The Gyptians’ she is trying to convince them to go north with her to try and find the kidnapped children. The Gyptians disagree and tell her it would be too dangerous for her to go. However, she rebels and ends up forcing her way with them. This shows stubbornness, her determination to achieve her goal and again her courage. Near the climax of the story, Lyra is in the prison camp and is trying to listen into a conversation through the air duct above the room. ‘Lyra was trembling. The blood was pounding in her ears’ She is listening in on the conversation and finds out about all the terrible thing they do to children there but she keeps listening until they leave. This demonstrates that she is fearful in some ways but she can control this fear and listen on. This reveals that she is brave and courageous. She gathers a group together so they can escape now she knows what would happen to them. This proves she has strong leadership qualities. When everyone agrees to go with her they promptly escape from the camp. The next quote establishes that she is a quick thinker. ‘A movement later she had turned on all the gas taps and flung a match at the nearest burner.’ This is a quote from a section of the book where Lyra is destroying a building as a distraction so they can escape from the camp. It shows great creativity and a benefit of her patchwork upbringing, where she has learned a few useful things. I think this was one good quality that she learned from when playing with her friends. The following quote also shows that she is a quick thinker and creative. ‘Then she dragged a bag of flour from the shelf and hurled it at the edge of the table so it burst and filled the air with white, because she heard that flour will explode if treated like that near flames.’ I feel that the use of the word ‘white’ is effective because it describes the atmosphere in the room at that time. It would have made it feel like there was a curtain of mist in front of them and may have made them feel claustrophobic and confused. The next quotes describes Lyra’s ‘patchwork’ upbringing. ‘Lyra’s Knowledge has great gaps in it, like a map of the world largely eaten by mice†¦.’ This highlights that she has had education put together by small pieces of information and learns things as she goes along. The quote is a effective example of this because you can just imagine the world with pieces of the map missing, like he education. This quote is also a simile. From my study of characterisation of Lyra, I have concluded that throughout the course of the novel she matures significantly as a person. Her initial character features were: naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½vetà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, being headstrong, being childlike and being courageous. These are now replaced by characteristics such as: maturity, courage and sensibility. I think that the author has employed great skill and achieved a great goal in the creation of Lyra.

Input Devices essays

Input Devices essays Computers would be useless without input devices. Even small-scale computers from calculators to GPS navigation systems require some input from the human being in order to work properly and produce worthwhile output. Some of the everyday input devices like keyboards, mice, joysticks and microphones have reached increasingly more sophisticated levels of technology. Other input devices that are available to the general public but are generally used in commercial settings include touch-screens, keypads for ATMs and bank card purchases, credit card scanners, bar code readers, and more. However, new technology is constantly being developed to create ever more sophisticated and futuristic input devices. Some of these, like the digital signature capture pen and 3D body scanner, may never make it into the common household but are nevertheless fascinating new developments in technology. They enhance the ways in which human beings can interact with machines. Some other new input devices discussed in the Popular Science online magazine include touch screen GPS systems, fancy digital music centers that operate independently from the PC, and the most outlandish: the wearable computer. The wearable computer is mostly a thing of fantasy but baby steps will continually be made to eventually enable the entire human body to potentially interact with a computer. The portable navigation systems currently out on the market are very helpful for drivers, hikers, and campers. They usually require the user to input coordinates in a cumbersome manner, by scrolling down a list and manually inputting navigational points of reference. This tedious process has been recently made more streamlined by the introduction of the touch screen GPS system. However, this is really no different from the technology used for touch screen computers; the difference is in the output of the The advances in digital music...

Free Essays on The Promise

This article, The Promise, was taken straight from the book â€Å"The Sociological Imagination†. The author of this book is C. Wright Mills, who was thought of as a very controversial sociologist when The Sociological Imagination was published in 1959. The main idea in this excerpt from Mills’ book is that a normal man doesn’t view things the way that a sociologist might view them. One of the major points he makes is that a single man has â€Å"troubles†, while the society he lives in has â€Å"issues†. Even though I thought that this article was difficult to read and follow along with, I did pick up on this idea about â€Å"troubles† and â€Å"issues† pretty easily. One example that Mills uses in the article is marriage. He explains that a man may have a problem in his marriage, and that problem is the only thing he needs to deal with. At the same time, the divorce rate of this same man’s society may be rapidly increasing. Mills explains that sociologists do not tend to focus on the one man’s problem, instead they try to find out a way to help the society as a whole. This same idea was used by the sociologists who we read about, and talked about in lecture, who split up 24 boys into groups of 12 each to study the way the boys would react. These scientists found that the boys acted very similar to society. As the days went on with these groups, the boys became loyal to the other boys in their group, and very competitive towards the opposite group. Each separate group of boys also formed somewhat of a hierarchy, as happens in almost any other group in society. When the two groups of boys were then put back into one big group of 24 to complete tasks, the sociologists noticed that the grudges that were previously held were put aside in order to work as a team and complete these tasks. While reading this article by Mills, I was pretty confused. Not so much by the language that Mills used, but I couldn’t quite get ... Free Essays on The Promise Free Essays on The Promise This article, The Promise, was taken straight from the book â€Å"The Sociological Imagination†. The author of this book is C. Wright Mills, who was thought of as a very controversial sociologist when The Sociological Imagination was published in 1959. The main idea in this excerpt from Mills’ book is that a normal man doesn’t view things the way that a sociologist might view them. One of the major points he makes is that a single man has â€Å"troubles†, while the society he lives in has â€Å"issues†. Even though I thought that this article was difficult to read and follow along with, I did pick up on this idea about â€Å"troubles† and â€Å"issues† pretty easily. One example that Mills uses in the article is marriage. He explains that a man may have a problem in his marriage, and that problem is the only thing he needs to deal with. At the same time, the divorce rate of this same man’s society may be rapidly increasing. Mills explains that sociologists do not tend to focus on the one man’s problem, instead they try to find out a way to help the society as a whole. This same idea was used by the sociologists who we read about, and talked about in lecture, who split up 24 boys into groups of 12 each to study the way the boys would react. These scientists found that the boys acted very similar to society. As the days went on with these groups, the boys became loyal to the other boys in their group, and very competitive towards the opposite group. Each separate group of boys also formed somewhat of a hierarchy, as happens in almost any other group in society. When the two groups of boys were then put back into one big group of 24 to complete tasks, the sociologists noticed that the grudges that were previously held were put aside in order to work as a team and complete these tasks. While reading this article by Mills, I was pretty confused. Not so much by the language that Mills used, but I couldn’t quite get ...

Capital punishment and why does the Church (Christianity) oppose it so much Essay Example for Free

Capital punishment and why does the Church (Christianity) oppose it so much Essay Christian (302) , Punishment (104) , Capital punishment (54) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints Man is a sacred and precious creature created by God.   When God has created the Universe, light, the birds, animals, the trees, water and the earth, he had given a lot of importance to man.   Evidence from the Bible suggests that God had left creating man as his final task, and after he had created man, God was so amazed, satisfied with himself and fulfilled with his own creation, that he decided to rest (on the Seventh day).   Through his creation of man, he had provided a reflection of himself ( The Old Testament: Genesis 1 ).   In deed God has given a lot of importance to man, and no one has the right to take away or destroy the life this very special and beautiful creation of God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Countries throughout the World are beginning to understand the importance of capital punishment and are slowly outlawing such laws.   However, certain developed countries such as the US are still encouraging Capital punishment.   The US had stopped capital punishment for some period of time (from 1972 to 1977).   However, the practice resumed again following Gregg V. Georgia case ( Horigan, 2004 ).   Most of the states in the US permit Capital punishment only in very specific instances.   However, the very existence of such an option in the judiciary system, does suggest the States Support to this inhuman act.   The rate of execution in the US has dropped since the 1930’s, but this has no fully ended. The largest number of executions is performed by the State of Texas, and the highest percentage of the population executed by the State is Virginia (Robinson, 2006).   The response of the US public to capital punishment is somewhat mixed.   However, the reaction of the Canadian people to capital punishment was also similar, but the Country has abolished capital punishment.   Depending on the seriousness of their crime, the crimes are imprisoned even for indefinite periods ( Robinson, 2006 ).   Canada has also shown that imposition of capital punishment does not necessarily result in a drop in the crime rates.   The Japanese on the other which permit capital punishment have a crime rate much below that of the US. Hence, it can be demonstrated that capital punishment may not play an important role in crime ( Robinson, 2006 ).   In the US, many people who have been executed by the law, were found not even to be given a proper lawyer during their trials. Several states in the US that have capital punishment in their legal systems seem to have a higher criminal rate than those which do not have capital punishment ( Robinson, 2006 ).   People may feel that by incorporating capital punishment in their legal systems, the State is cheapening the value of human life.   Hence, the crime rates in such states are on the rise.   Several other factors such as poor socio-economic status, low educational levels, poor living conditions, etc, may be related with an increase in the crime rates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Church has seriously opposed the use of capital punishment in case of serious crime.   Pope John Paul II has opposed the imposition of death penalty by the State ( Dulles, 2001 ).   Christians give a lot of importance to life and have opposed any action that could result in the ‘violation to the right to life’ such as murder, abortion, suicide, euthanasia, etc.   Christians usually feel that as God has controlled life, no one including the Governments and the Courts can take away a human life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Old Testament, death was specifically suggested to those who had sinned or committed offences (such as murder and adultery).   The Sacred Covenant during Noah had mentioned that anyone who offenders and disobeys God be stoned or hanged to death.   Several episodes in the Old Testament such as those of with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram ( Numbers 16 ), have given instances in which capital punishment was performed to penalize sinners.   People who helped to execute the will of God by ending the life of the offenders were considered as Agents of God.   Many Countries of the World still follow the Old Testament of capital punishment in penalizing serious crimes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, things have changed since the New Testament times.   Although Jesus Christ had not spoken much about the use of capital punishment by the state, indirect instances are present in the New Testament which may suggest that Jesus was against the practice of capital punishment.   One of these instances included the Stoning of a woman who had sinned.   Jesus did not allow his disciples to pronounce curses of destruction of death on people who did not have feelings of love towards others. In John 19:11 , Jesus told Pilate that he had the authority to sentence anybody who had sinned against God, and that Pilate had the right to fulfill God’s intentions.   In Matthew 26:52, Jesus told Peter to put back his sword when he was arrested.   Jesus even put back the soldier’s piece of ear, after Peter had cut it with his sword.   In Luke 23: 41 , Jesus tells the thief crucified on his side, that they were receiving punishment for the sins that they had committed on earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Christianity believed in the concept of ‘love thy neighbor as thy self’, and Jesus in his preaching expressed that this feeling should be extended to every aspect of life.   We could potentially extent its application for use to prevent capital punishment.   In the New Testament after Christ, there may be several instances in which capital punishment was encouraged.   However, these instances may not directly support capital punishment.   In Acts 5: 1-11 , capital sentences were imposed because they disobeyed Simon Peter.   The Letter to the Hebrews also encouraged the Mosaic Laws on capital punishment. St. Paul told the Romans that death sentence was a mean of expressing God’s intentions against sinners.   However, there have also been instances in the New Testament in which the Church and Christians have opposed death sentence.   During the early Christianity period, the Church did not approve Christians to function as executioners of death sentences ( Dulles, 2001 ).   St. Augustine felt that the Fifth Commandant should be utilized even to prevent execution of death sentences and killing of criminals.   He wrote an entire book about Capital punishment named The City of God .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The idea of capital punishment changed a bit during the Middle Age.   Christianity had some influence on the people, and the Courts were told to impose capital punishment only for people who committed serious crime.   This was mainly as a self-defense mechanism to prevent the criminals from committing further crime and to ensure that the society was safe.   Some of the theologists felt that capital punishment was more of a hatred act against the criminal than one to enable him to reform in the future ( Dulles, 2001 ).   Even though the Church opposed death sentence, it constituted a body to pronounce and capital punishment. The Church even conferred the State the power to issue death sentences in the later part of the 16 th century.   It derived this power from the Commandant â€Å"thou shall not murder†, and it was performed in several instances.   Slowly the Church began to approve capital punishment only in the case the criminal committed a serious crime.   Slowly the attitude of the Church towards capital punishment began to change as they felt that life was a precious gift given by God and it was morally wrong to take one’s life for sins committed.   The Italian thinker Gino Concetti , wrote a Book L’Osservatore Romano in 1977, demonstrating the importance and sacredness of God-given life.   He said that humans could not destroy the life of another human, and even the criminals who had performed serious crimes should not be punished with death sentence.    He said that there should not be any circumstance in which capital punishment was justified as no person had the right to take the life of another and destroy one of God’s precious creations.   We should be able to respect the view that God is expressing himself in man.   This work had really changed the attitudes of Christians and the Church towards capital punishment. Many people felt that the Church itself did not respect or identify this view of life before.   There was a uproar against capital punishment in the 20 th century in Europe.   Several European countries who believed in Christianity began to incorporate the latest teachings and beliefs of the Church in their Legal systems.   The Governments began to underhand the importance of life ( Dulles, 2001 ). Since, the criminal is also a human being; he is a precious creation of God and has a reflection of God in himself.   His actions have an element of God expressed in it.   Hence, it would be morally wrong to even punish the most serious criminals with capital punishment.   In the Old Testament, the view that a criminal action should be punished with a similar action by the law-enforcement agency existed.   However, a person may be expressing the Will of God through his actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Christianity has developed over a long period, and now it does not permit both, direct destruction (taking the life of a specific person) and indirect destruction (actions performed without the intention of killing another person).   In some instances, taking the life of another person by mistake may be pardoned by the Church.   The Church is also against any individuals taking the life of another on the advice of the State ( Pesenke, 1981 ). God does not allow one human to take the life of another because God is the creator of the human beings and can create or destroy a life.   Any person who takes the life of another with a mental intention is sinning against God.   A Human life is the most precious work of God, and destroying it would be against the Will of God.   No political or legal body in the World has the right to interfere with God’s creation.   It is not justified for any Court or King to take the life of any individual including a criminal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many countries feel that capital punishment should be permitted at least to end the life of criminals who committed serious crimes.   They may also be considering that it would be a cheaper option to end the life of such criminals than to punish them with life-imprisonment.   However, the legal and the political systems should not cheapen human life, and should consider them as important to God.   Having capital punishment options in the legal system is not going to reduce crimes.   It is essential that the Government provides a socio-economic environment that may permit development and reduce frustration of the people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Jews believed firmly in capital punishment and permitted it following murders, adultery, worship of idols, war crimes, and kidnapping.   They feel that capital punishment would ensure that the society is safer from the actions of the criminals in the future.   They also feel that anybody who destroys God-given creations should be punished with death sentence.   A counsel usually issues death sentences in Jewish courts.   The court will examine the criminal during the trial and 2 neutral witnesses should provide evidence for the case.   As the process of issuing capital punishment under Jewish laws is very stringent, such sentences may usually occur less frequently. In several situations (such as wars, emergencies, dealing with non-Jewish criminals, etc), the stringent process is relaxed and death sentences are issued more easily.   In such situations Noah-Laws are usually applicable.   Usually just one neutral witness is required ( FAQ, 2006 ).   During the later part of the 20 th century, Jewish thinkers began to oppose the use of capital punishment by the legal system.   The ideas of Christian theologists are now being followed by the Jewish thinkers with regard to death sentence.   Only in extremely serious crimes are capital punishment allowed by Jewish courts ( FAQ, 2006 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Capital punishment is not only an ineffective way of dealing with crime (as it does not reduce the crime rate), but is also an immature way (as hatred and revenge are spread).   It also cheapens the importance of God-given life.   The Government should look at alternative to punish or reform the criminals. Dulles, A. C. (2001). â€Å"Catholicism & Capital Punishment.† First Things 112, 30-35. http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2175%20 FAQ (2006). Question 12.21: What is the Jewish position on Capital Punishment? Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from FAQ.org   Web site: Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance from Web site: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/06-Jewish-Thought/section-22.html Horigan, D. P. (1996). Buddhism & Capital Punishment . Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from The Engaged Zen Foundation from Web site: http://www.engaged-zen.org/articles/Damien_P_Horigan-Buddhism_Capital_Punishment.html Pesenke, H. C. (1981). Christian Ethics: Volume II – Special Moral Theology in the Light of Vatican II , Bangalore: TPI. Robinson, B. A. (2006). Facts about capital punishment: Part 1: data & trends . Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance from Web site: http://www.religioustolerance.org/execut3.htm The Bible Gateway (2007). Genesis 1 (New International Version). Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from The Bible Gateway from Web site: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+1 Capital punishment and why does the Church (Christianity) oppose it so much. (2017, Apr 24). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Domestic violence and criminal theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Domestic violence and criminal theories - Essay Example This has contributed to blaming on the recipients personal maladjustment, instead of a relationship dynamic. Attachment theory does not necessarily place much emphasis on the individual’s mental representation of a relationship, but rather highlights the reciprocity between individuals within relationships. Attachment represents an instinctive motivating force that enables secure dependency, which, in turn, complements autonomy. The accessibility and responsiveness of the attachment figure is central to the securing of binds via emotional engagement and the development of trust (Bartholomew, Henderson and Dutton 43). When attachment behavior fails to manifest, separation distress may arise whereby the insecure models may recreate insecure patterns within adult relationships (Fisher and Steven 373). According to the pioneers of attachment theory, an infant establishes a â€Å"working model† of what can be anticipated from his/her primary caregiver. In the event that a caregiver persist in responding in expected ways, the infant’s model persists; nevertheless, in the event that caregiver’s responses become constantly erratic, the infant may be compelled to alter or revise his/her model, and consequently, the security of the attachment changes (Godbout, Dutton, Lussier and Sabourin 365). Children construct a representation of their own value guided by their experiences and opinions of the caregiver’s capability, availability, and willingness to avail care and protection. Nevertheless, not all attachment are positive and despite the fact that secure attachments are desired and most evident (60-75%), avoidant, disorganized/disoriented, and ambivalent attachments can also develop amid parent-child relationships that are less predictable (Waters and Cummings 164). Attachment theory stipulates that child abuse yields insecure and anxious attachment, which can be ambivalent, avoidant, or disorganized/disorganized. Anxious attachment is linked to later