Police Influence on Society Essay Example for Free

Police Influence on Society Essay Historically, this nation of the United States has proven many times over its dominance over those who are different to those in power. The United States has proven time and again that it can and will discriminate against others it considers less than equal. This is proven and demonstrated to all U. S citizens and those who are not, in our history books throughout school. Every year affording student’s new information of how the United States demonstrates its power over those that are different. From the demise of many Native American tribes; the internment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor; the discrimination and segregation of African Americans; to the constant current discrimination to those people of different origins, whose language and customs differ from that of the status quo. The United States; although, has demonstrated preference to what is referred to as â€Å"White privilege† has consistently demonstrated countless efforts and successes against prejudice and discrimination that have led this country to focus continually on equality and justice for all. The dominant group is the group in power and so by definition is the group that establishes control. In order for a nation, such as the United States, to establish a dominance that will encourage all people to follow suit, the key lies in establishing a common ground. Control in itself is a trait that no one wants as a descriptor, but as a way to describe a united front it is more than acceptable. Having control over a population through laws and regulations that the people themselves agree to is control through the general consent. Laws and regulations meant to establish order and protection to its people also establish control within the government that governs over the people. Policing is a primary way for the government to serve and protect its people as well as its own interests. Policing serves many purposes but the primary purpose is to protect. But, who do the police protect? The wealthy have an economic position that frees them from the need to commit crimes such as theft, while the poor live in economic despair that tempts them to commit these crimes, or so it is believed. In reality, no one is exempt of crime; anyone is capable of committing crimes and need is not always the deciding factor. Those fortunate of economic wealth also enjoy the privilege of a high social status, and those of high social status do not need nor do they commit crimes. A myth, of course, but still believed by many. On the other hand, the less fortunate suffer discrimination based on their poor economic status among other factors. â€Å"Minorities experience unequal treatment and have less power over their lives than members of a dominant group† (Robert McNamara, 2009). To understand how discrimination has changed throughout the years, it is important to understand the gradual but never ending influx of people from different countries into American soil. The concept of discrimination is fairly odd considering all people within the United States with the exception of Native Americans are all immigrants to this great nation and yet generation after generation people continually do to new cultures that which was once experienced by them and is possibly still experienced by their race or ethnic group. People that have lived within the United States eventually gain a sense of â€Å"national identity† and â€Å"identify with being part of the larger society† (Robert McNamara, 2009). With so many different people coming in to the country they not only bring everything which is good about their culture but also that which is negative and affects the U.S as a whole. Discrimination is not based solely on a different culture; race, etc. but rather the negative aspects endured by the American public by a few anti-social individuals that bring disgrace upon a certain group. The events occurring on September 11th were not the actions of all Arabs or Muslims, but rather of a few and because of them all that resemble those who attacked have become the target of discrimination. Because of the actions of certain individuals, the groups that they belong to or are associated with tend to be at the receiving end of discrimination to the point that law enforcement finds it necessary to profile in order to perform their duties (Bass, 2001). Policing in the United States reflects discriminatory actions much like many other countries. The race or ethnic background in American history, when it refers to discrimination is not relative because discrimination is not limited to certain groups. Discrimination is an act that affects those that are different from the dominant population. Law enforcement discriminates not because someone is from a different race or because a race or ethnic group commits a certain amount or types of crime. Discrimination in its purest form is simply â€Å"White America† unwilling to accept difference and those with â€Å"national identity† forgetting their own history. References Bass, S. (2001). Policing space, policing race: Social control imperatives and police discretionary decisions. Social Justice, 28(1), 156-176. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231906243?accountid=458 Chan, J. (2011). Racial Profiling and Police Subculture. Canadian Journal Of Criminology Criminal Justice, 53(1), 75-78. MacNamara, R. H., Burns, R. (2009). Multiculturalism in the criminal justice system. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. The Criminology and Criminal Justice Collective of Northern Arizona University. (2009). Investigating difference: Human and cultural relations in criminal justice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

The Great Depression in Arkansas Essay Example for Free

The Great Depression in Arkansas Essay Have you ever wondered about The Great Depression during the 1930’s? During that time period 1930-1940, there were harsh times. People got hung, prices were low. Gas price was 5 to 10 cents a gallon. One quart of milk costed 14 cents. During The Great Depression, unemployment rate was 25%. As of today, the unemployment rate is 7.2 percent. It has fallen 18.3% since 1930. People lost jobs because times were so harsh. People got depressed because of unemployment or losing their jobs. Also people got hung or killed. 27 people got hung/killed. People got mad because they caused them to get unemployed. People got mad when losing their job. People got hung for causing other people to get unemployed. During The Great Depression, one quart of milk costed 14 cents. One gallon of milk costed 55 cents. A round steak costed 42 cents. As of 2012 milk costs 4 dollars. A round steak costs 3 dollars. One quart of milk costs 1 dollar. Therefore, today we have newer automobiles and gas. During The Great Depression, a car costed about 1,000 dollars. As of 2012 a car costs 20,000 to 50,000 dollars. Gas costed 5 to 10 cents a gallon during The Great Depression. As of today gas cost 3.20 dollars a gallon. Finally, The Great Depression 1930-1941 was very harsh times for Arkansas. Some people survived and some people died, people got unemployed and depressed. People went broke; the average salary was 1,900 dollars a year.

The Relevance Of Legal Positivism

The Relevance Of Legal Positivism I have chosen to critically examine The Contemporary Relevance of Legal Positivism by Professor Brian Z Tamanaha who has written on the topic of legal positivism, and this is a legal theory that greatly interests me. Though the title suggests otherwise, in his article Tamanaha argues a particular point that in its current state legal positivism fails to engage with real world matters.  [2]  Tamanaha goes on to suggest that legal positivism has been emasculated  [3]  to the point where it is no longer a relevant legal theory, as modern discussions on legal positivism have drastically shifted away from the original ideas of legal positivism proposed by Bentham and Austin. However, to make such claims effectively requires compelling evidence, and this is something that the article plainly lacks. Moreover, Tamanahas article is full of presumptions, which one can only assume that he has misinterpreted many of the theoretical debates between key characters within legal positivism. As a result, this dissertation will argue that although Tamanaha makes some important points, overall there are too many inaccuracies within the article, which make it weak and unpersuasive. There are three particular arguments that will be pursued in this dissertation. Firstly, it will be argued that Legal Positivism does in fact deal with real world matters. Secondly, that the separation thesis supported by Hart is in fact false and Tamanaha may have misunderstood his work. Thirdly, it will be argued that Tamanahas alternative is not the way to move forward; in fact we should move in a completely different direction and focus more on science rather than descriptive theory. Legal Positivism and Real World Matters To begin with, we need to clarify that Tamanahas article is not without value, as Tamanaha has made some valid arguments, which cannot be disputed. Throughout his article, Tamanaha gives us a good account of what traditional legal positivism stood for and how contemporary legal theorists have transformed this important legal theory. As a result, it is only necessary to give a brief account of the historical background of legal positivism at a later stage in the dissertation. For now, we will turn our attention to the issues within the article, the most problematic claim in the Tamanaha article is one where he states that legal positivists have divided into two different groups whereby both argue about legal theories and turn their backs on real world matters.  [4]  This is something that I strongly disagree with and will be spending a large section of the essay arguing against this point. Apologies are made in advance, as it may seem to the reader that we are going off on a tangent but it will become clear at the end of this section that Tamanaha has made a critical mistake in making this claim. My line of argument will be to look at Brian Lieters writings in Legal Realism and Legal Positivism Reconsidered and dispute Tamanahas statement through the link between American Legal Realism and Legal Positivism. Leiter argues at the outset the there are two common misconceptions within jurisprudence that he wants to rebuff. Firstly, that Legal Positivism a nd Legal Realism are not incompatible from a conceptual level. Secondly, that Legal Realism has been gravely misunderstood even by the central character of modern legal positivism, Hart.  [5]   It seems in Leiters view that only by comparing Legal Realism to Legal Positivism on a conceptual level can Hart argue that they are opposed to one another. He adds on that Positivism is essentially a theory of law-a theory, in part, about what is distinctive of any societys legal normsRealism is essentially a descriptive theory of adjudication, a theory about what it is judges really do when they decide cases.  [6]  In order for Legal Realism to work it must presuppose a theory of law and this is where according to Leiter Legal Positivism comes in.  [7]  Leiter admits that Legal Realism cannot ascertain to be a theory of law on a conceptual level because quite frankly is it a philosophical mess but he suggests that there are links between Legal Positivism and Legal Realism on an Empirical level. The empirical level will consider whether or not legal rules causally determine judicial decisions. Leiter goes on to add that even though Hart was aware of this possibility he has n ot given a convincing argument to dispute the link at the empirical level.  [8]  One has to wonder why Hart stayed clear of such debates, was there something he was afraid of discovering. Leiter is insistent that anyone writing on Legal Realism should fully understand what it stood for before attempting to define what it is or what it does. He adds on that many of the main characters within Legal Realism like Llewellyn, Frank, Radin, Moore, Yntema, Cohen, Oliphant, Green, and Hutcheson wanted to achieve the goal of understanding judicial decision-making and, in particular, shared certain substantive views about how adjudication really works.  [9]  Leiter presses the argument that Legal Realism is a descriptive theory about how judges actually decide cases based on the facts of the cases instead of looking at legal rules. Although, it does seem clear that judges can predict cases if they fall within distinct patterns. This process allows judges and lawyers to predict the outcome of a case where the facts fall within a situation type which the outcome of that type has already been determined.  [10]  Oliphant clarifies this point when referring to commercial law and dealings between parties and the fact that judges may rely on commercial norms  [11]  (i.e. what would reasonably be expected of both parties in this situation) in order to decide a case. Therefore, it seems that Realists wanted to identify and describe the way in which decisions are made by judges.  [12]  This is very similar to the way in which conceptual analysis works, which demonstrates that there is some sort of link between Legal Realism and Legal Positivism. Legal Realists wanted to push forward the idea of an empirical theory of adjudication as it gave us the best opportunity to fully understand judicial decisions.  [13]  Of course, such a theory would only work if Realists were able to presuppose an existing theory of the concept of law.  [14]   Leiter, like many others before him makes it clear that Legal Positivism is a theory of law or about the nature of law.  [15]  What this tells us is that we must use this theory as a way of understanding and analysing our concept of law. This is a task which involves establishing the criteria of legality  [16]  and determining whether a certain norm is a legal norm. Leiter then covers the two most important theses of the Positivists theory. The social thesis (which concludes it is society which decides what will count as law, social fact) and the separation thesis (which states that what the law is and what it ought to be are separate questions).  [17]  If Leiters work is read carefully, it will become clear where Hart went wrong in his analysis and the fact that Hart offers no conclusive arguments to rebut the connections between Legal Positivism and Legal Realism. So if Hart misunderstood Legal Realism himself it is inevitable that those who read Hart and interpret his work will be making the same mistakes. There are two clear arguments as to why Legal Realism and Legal Positivism are connected. Firstly, both Legal Realists and Legal Positivists accept that law is indeterminate. According to Leiter, Realists argue that trying to determine if a law is justified, based on legal rules has not worked in the past and that is not something that Realists want to do.  [18]  Therefore, Realists only wanted to find out what it is that makes judges decide cases in this way. Similarly, Hart accepted that legal rules are indeterminate because there is a limit, inherent in the nature of language, to the guidance which general language can provide.  [19]  This was because language is, in Harts opinion, open-textured: There will indeed be plain cases constantly recurring in similar contexts to which general expressions are clearly applicable (If anything is a vehicle a motor-car is one) but there will also be cases where it is not clear whether they apply or not. (Does vehicle used here include bicycles, airplanes, roller skates?). The latter are fact-situations, continually thrown up by nature or human invention, which possess only some of the features of the plain cases but others which they lack.  [20]   This then makes it clear that even the most celebrated 21st century legal positivist is aware that there are similar features between Legal Positivism and Legal Realism. The second argument is that both Positivists and Realist agree that legal rules do not determine decisions in some cases.  [21]  Realists for example argue that it will be up to judges to decide how the use a range of tools available to them when interpreting previous decisions. As Llewellyn puts it judges have the discretion to interpret a case strictly or loosely and that in most cases their interpretation will be recognised, legitimate, honorable.  [22]  It is through adjudication that private parties, such as individuals or corporations are able to sort out legal disputes. In addition, adjudication is there to review any disagreements between private parties and public officials. If then judges are involved in the legal process whereby they have to assess evidence and arguments presented to them about leg al issues surely this is something which can be considered a real world matter. Tamanaha has failed to consider these sorts of arguments in his article and as a result has opened himself up to criticism. Contrary to Tamanahas argument, Legal Positivism does deal with real world matters, as adjudication is a real world matter. Legal Realism is about highlighting how law operates in practice, and Realists wanted to locate law in its broader context (not separate). Leiter also points out that Realists challenged the myth of legal certainty- by highlighting indeterminacy of law. More importantly to our task here, it is clear that Legal Realism concerns law and study of law as an inherently practical activity associated with the real world.  [23]  As a result, these findings suggest that Tamanaha was wrong to make such an erroneous claim without looking at the evidence to back up his premise. There are also a number of other faults with Tamanahas article. In an attempt to convince the reader, Tamanaha has selected specific writings about legal positivism, which heavily criticise it in order to suit his side of argument, whilst ignoring arguments that are made in favour of legal positi vism. He quotes Waldron who said that these analytical discussions tend to be flat and repetitive in consequence, revolving in smaller and smaller circles among a diminishing band of acolytes  [24]  . What Waldron believes is that we should go back to traditional legal philosophy in order to improve our understanding of the concept of law. He states that in legal philosophy: there is less of a sense of a canon of great books stretching back to the dawn of time. If there is canonical work it is H.L.A Harts book, The Concept of Law, which analytical jurists read over and over (and the squabble amongst themselves as to what it means and whose position is now closest to what Harts is taken to be). Since Hart Developed his theory by criticizing the nineteenth-century jurisprudence of John Austin, there is also some half-hearted discussion on Austins work. Beyond that however, the canon of legal philosophy is attenuated and non-existent.  [25]   Of course, it is true that there hasnt been any standout publication on legal philosophy after Hart published The Concept of Law, but that does not mean that we should go back to the traditional ideologies on legal philosophy. Hart proved that some of the original ideas behind legal philosophy are unpractical in a modern society thus is it unproductive to keep applying them when trying to ascertain our concept of law. So common sense and reality would make us reject what Waldron suggests. Tamanaha then considers Twining, who has asserted that positivist debates are now repetitious, trivial, and almost entirely pointless.  [26]  Twining comes across as a great admirer of Bentham whose work is highly valued, however, Twining believes that Bentham should not remain as a historical figure in legal philosophy. For Twining Benthams à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦version of legal positivism; a more flexible and subtle conception of sovereignty than Austins; his penetrating attack on natural right; his progressive ideas on punishment; and his theory or adjudication  [27]  remain important topics. In fact, Twining goes one step further to suggest that we should go beyond Benthams work and look at the work of Augustine and Plato to help us understand issues we deal with today.  [28]  Whilst Benthams work was crucial, it is important to remind ourselves that what he produced was suited for the 19th century, thus it seems unlikely that it will be beneficial in dealing with issues in a contemporary society. With regards to going beyond Bentham, it is impossible to conceive how ancient ideologies would help us deal with modern issue and therefore Twinings suggestion is on the verge of being absurd. Tamanaha also refers to Schauers work to argue that large numbers of American law professors believe that analytical jurisprudence in general, and the debates about legal positivism in particular, are the largely irrelevant preoccupation of a small group of socially unaware but philosophical obsessed pedants.  [29]  The simple explanation to this is that almost everyone involved in legal philosophy is a positivist.  [30]  Even Tamanaha accepts that legal positivism is the dominant legal theory of law, as the first paragraph of his article states that: Most legal philosophers agree that legal positivism is the dominant theory of law today.  [31]  As a result, it is extremely difficult to argue on anything more than marginal issues as the main issues have already been agreed upon. Therefore, until we have another philosopher like Dworkin or Hart who is able to come up with new and radical ideas, unfortunately, marginal arguments is all that is left for contemporary legal positivists to debate. Tamanaha has presented some inconsistent arguments in support of his position. Right at the outset, he admits that legal positivism is by far the biggest camp within legal theory  [32]  but at the same time attempts to argue that it is no longer relevant. It is simply irrational to describe a theory as being both dominant and irrelevant at the same time, Tamanaha has either set out his article to be extremely provocative, or he has not really planned his arguments. Nonetheless, Tamanaha then moves on to explaining why legal positivism has reached this point of being irrelevant. One of his arguments is that for much of its existence, the primary foil for legal positivism has been natural law theory. But natural law theory no longer has the primacy it once did.  [33]  Yet, Tamanaha then says that due to an agreement reached by natural law theorists and legal positivists on certain issues legal positivism has lost and important reason for being.  [34]  It is astonishing how a professor who, according to Washington University in St Louis, is a renowned jurisprudence scholar and author  [35]  would make this sort of argument. Natural law theory might have hampered the complete domination of legal positivism but Tamanaha himself admits that natural law theory no longer has the primacy it once did. How can a legal theory lose a reason for being if it is still the dominant theory after all this this time? In fact, Tamanaha is completely wro ng as legal positivism is easily the best theory of law and there does not seem to be a theory out there that can match it.  [36]  Tamanaha seems to be confused as to what legal positivism stands for, namely that it seeks to provide a better understanding of the nature of law  [37]  and if a new idea comes along positivists are willing to adopt it. Churchill once said, I am an optimist- it does not seem to be much use being anything else.  [38]  It has become clear that Tamanahas reasoning as to why legal positivism is in a problematic state is completely flawed as natural law only had a marginal effect on the dominance of legal positivism. The most surprising error in Tamanahas article is his attribution to Harts success in the Concept of Law as on one of the reasons legal positivism has reached this point. Tamanaha writes that Hart established the parameters of the current understanding of legal positivism. Tamanaha goes on to add that legal positivism today remains trapped within Harts paradigm.  [39]  Either Tamanaha has misunderstood Harts writing or he has completely failed to grasp it. Hart made it clear in The Concept of Law that his interpretation of the concept of law is quite open in that it does not forbid the extension of the term.  [40]  Therefore, how can legal positivism be trapped in Harts paradigm if Hart himself has admitted that this is not a conclusive answer of what the concept of law is and that from time to time this term will need to be expanded in order to be applicable in a modern society. Tamanaha could at least afford Hart the courtesy of fully reading and understanding his work befo re making such erroneous presumptions, which do not portray Harts objectives. Yet, Tamanahas misinterpretation of Harts work does not stop there. One of his other arguments is that legal positivism through the separation thesis allows us to be in a better position to challenge evil law. Tamanaha relies on a quote from Hart who said that: So long as human beings can gain sufficient cooperation from some to enable them to dominate others, they will use the forms of law as one of their instruments. Wicked men will enact wicked rules which others will enforce. What surely is most needed in order to make men clear sighted in confronting the official abuse of power, is that they should preserve the sense that the certification of something as legally valid is not conclusive of the question of obedience, and that, however great the aura of majesty or authority which the official system may have, its demands must in the end be submitted to a moral scrutiny.  [41]   According to Tamanaha, only if we separate the question of law and morality we can be in a position to judge whether a law is moral or not, Tamanaha writes that Hart is Reminding everyone of the separation between law and morality, according to this view, should enable citizens and legal officials to recognize, resist, and disavow evil law.  [42]  To drive this point home Tamanaha also relies on Schauers work,  [43]  but in a few pages within the same work Schauer concludes that the separation of law and morality does not necessary allow people to resist bad law.  [44]  To add further misery to Tamanahas argument, Bix writes that there are no conclusive arguments either logical or psychological, for favouring legal positivism or natural law theory (or any other alternative) for the resistance to evil law.  [45]  Again, Bix is another source Tamanaha has quoted in his article but somehow he has either misread his own sources or has chosen to simply construct them in a way which would better suit his argument. In summary, it has become clear that Tamanaha has presented a number of unfounded arguments, which can easily be rebutted. In fact, some of his arguments come across as unprofessional and it is surprising that that someone who is highly regarded in legal philosophy would see any value in presenting such arguments to the reader. Having discovered that Tamanahas claim that legal positivism does not connect with real world matters is misguided, we will now move on to the second part of the dissertation, which will argue that contrary to Tamanahas belief the separation thesis is in fact false. Separation Thesis is False One of the key arguments Tamanaha makes in the article is that the shift away from traditional legal positivism has had a wider affect to the point that one of the fundamental ideas behind it namely, the separation thesis, has been dramatically transformed to a point where it no longer resembles the original ideas.  [46]  Looking at legal philosophy from a historical context, it is clear that Benthams contribution helped shape the way in which law is perceived today. As a result, it would be almost impossible to talk about legal positivism without mention his work. Classical legal positivism as portrayed by Bentham and Austin suggests that the notion of law is simply a command of the sovereign, which obliges subjects to obey the law and gives official authority to carry out punishment. Modern legal positivists adopt a considerably more sophisticated approach to the concept of law, but, like their distinguished predecessors,  [47]  they deny the relationship between law and mo rals.  [48]   Bentham single-handedly sought to transform English common law in order to achieve a greater good in society.  [49]  Through his critical analysis of the common law Bentham made it possible to construct a comprehensive theory of law. Bentham wanted to unmask the true meaning of the common law and make all of the common laws misconceptions clearer.  [50]  In his opinion, the common law was so indeterminate, and in such chaos that it was close to being pervasive. His main argument was that in order to achieve clarity and certainty common law had to be written and recorded in a manner, which could be traced when a similar legal issue arises, thus allowing for them to be deal with in the same manner throughout England.  [51]  Bentham wanted to organise the common law in a way that it could control the behaviour of society as citizens would have a clearer idea of how they would be punished if they disobeyed the law.  [52]  In addition, by systematically setting these rules it meant judges had less power in making the law and it made it easier to understand your legal rights and obligations. John Austin followed in the work of his predecessor as he advocated the idea of commands as notions of law. Austin was concerned about state power and which laws subjects had to obey. It can be argued that both Bentham and Austin wanted to achieve a greater understanding of the principal features of the law. However, it has been suggested that Austins definition of law as commands is limited in its application only to criminal law.  [53]  In addition, other writers have observed that whilst Bentham was concerned about a single complete law Austin wanted to create a science of law.  [54]  Austin also made it clear that what the law is and what it should be are two separate questions and they should always stay separate.  [55]  It is in no doubt that Bentham and Austin laid the foundations for modern legal positivism. However, their ideas have been considerably refined, developed, and even rejected, by contemporary legal positivists. H.L.A. Hart is often credited with providing a more sophisticated account of legal positivism than provided in Bentham and Austins writings. In doing so, Hart advises us that we must apply analytical, linguistic and philosophical techniques to the study of law in order to achieve a greater understand of the concept of law.  [56]  In The Concept of Law, Hart made this point clear from the outset in the preface that his task is about achieving a descriptive sociology [or in other words, hermeneutic description] thus a deeper meaning in the nature of words and law.  [57]  Hart considers legal concepts and the ideals we may have about the law and legal systems in a different point of view. He asks questions which had not been asked before, focusing specifically on the conceptual context of law. Whilst advocating some of the previous ideas about legal positivism, Hart strenuously denies that law should be seen as an imperative theory of law.  [58]  Harts interpretation of posi tivism is completely different to the accounts given by Bentham and Austin. This may be because society has changed dramatically since their time; as a result, contemporary legal positivism focuses less attention on a coercive picture of law. Hart made it clear that the only way to understand the true nature of law is to look at actual social practices that apply within our own communities.  [59]   Law, in Harts analysis, is a system of rules, which our society constructs and transforms as time goes by. Legal rules are divisible into primary rules and secondary rules.  [60]  Primary rules prohibited committing certain acts which would have jeopardised the close coexistence in our community (e.g. theft, murder etc.). However, as a society becomes more complex, there is obviously a need to change these primary rules, hence why Hart advocates secondary rules. Unlike primary rules, secondary rules do not generally impose duties, but usually confer power to adjudicate on breaches of primary rules, and to identify which rules are actually obligation rules.  [61]  For Hart, there are tw

The Shawshank Redemption: A Comparison of the Short Story and the Film

The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King is both a wonderful film and a brilliantly written short story. There are many themes represented in each form of The Shawshank Redemption. The one major theme that interests me in both the film and the story is freedom. Freedom serves a large purpose for both the story's writer and the filmmaker. Both use similar examples to signify freedom, not only in the jail, but also in a larger context about life. There are many events and examples in both the film and the short story that signifies the theme of freedom. The one main difference is when the film uses the director’s technique to portray a feel of freedom for the inmates. The overall three issues used in this essay are all linked to the feeling of the inmates feeling the sense of freedom with the prison walls. In both the film and the short story, which involves freedom is when Andy Dufresne approaches the narrator, Red. Andy asks Red, "I wonder if you could get me a rock-hammer."(28) Andy's reason for wanting a rock-hammer is because he was "a rockhound. At least... I was a rockhound. In my old life."(29) Andy states that he would like to be a rockhound again on a limited basis because it gives him the feeling of freedom. This example serves the purposes of both the story's writer and the filmmaker. The act of Andy Dufresne being able to go on "Sunday expeditions"(29) at Shawshank shows the reader and/or viewer that it will make him feel free, like when he collected ...

Analysis of Nothings changed by Tatmkhulu Afrika :: essays research papers

The poem Nothing’s changed is based on an apartheid in district six near cape town in south Africa exploring the portrayal of racism. The ironic title reveals to the reader how the apartheid has changed nothing but the physical appearance of district six. The poet gives the reader the impression that the speaker in the poem has grown up throughout his childhood in district six and has left and returned after the apartheid has supposedly begun. The poem is written in enjambment and is said as a narrative, in stanza one the speaker has returned to district six that has evicted all its ethnic cultures to be replaced by a white minority, to find that the place is a shambles and people have no respect for it he talks about the â€Å"seeding grasses thrust bearded seeds into trouser cuffs, cans, trodden on† this shows how littered it has become, the fact he mentions it shows the reader it did not use to be like that. Also the mention of the â€Å"purple-flowering amiable weeds†, purple being the colour known for dried blood implies to the reader that some sort of massacre went on throughout the apartheid, and amiable meaning sociable and friendly as a mask over what is really going on in the village. The overall emotion in the poem is revengeful and tragic, however the emotion from the speaker is anger and repulsion towards the white minority and the way they have took over the black’s home, he is aware that he has entered district six without any acknowledgement towards his surrounding, the way he says â€Å"District six.† As a short sentence sounds cold but built up with anger, he knows where he is and he doesn’t particularly want to be there.† No board says it: but my feet know,† this gives the impression he has steps on this ground many times before for his own feel to be aware of its surroundings, â€Å"and the skin about my bones, and the soft labouring of my lungs, and the hot, white, inward turning anger of my eyes.† The repetition of â€Å"and† makes the wording like a list and makes out the speaker has endless bad feelings towards this environment. Afrika then talks about the new buildings that have emerged since he has been gone to illustrate the diverse condition between the two social cultures within his society. He talks about the new building â€Å"flaring like a flag† as if it is taunting him, â€Å"it squats in the grass and weeds,† this gives the reader a horrible impression of the place but also implies the building stand out of its surrounds, it doesn’t belong there. Analysis of Nothing's changed by Tatmkhulu Afrika :: essays research papers The poem Nothing’s changed is based on an apartheid in district six near cape town in south Africa exploring the portrayal of racism. The ironic title reveals to the reader how the apartheid has changed nothing but the physical appearance of district six. The poet gives the reader the impression that the speaker in the poem has grown up throughout his childhood in district six and has left and returned after the apartheid has supposedly begun. The poem is written in enjambment and is said as a narrative, in stanza one the speaker has returned to district six that has evicted all its ethnic cultures to be replaced by a white minority, to find that the place is a shambles and people have no respect for it he talks about the â€Å"seeding grasses thrust bearded seeds into trouser cuffs, cans, trodden on† this shows how littered it has become, the fact he mentions it shows the reader it did not use to be like that. Also the mention of the â€Å"purple-flowering amiable weeds†, purple being the colour known for dried blood implies to the reader that some sort of massacre went on throughout the apartheid, and amiable meaning sociable and friendly as a mask over what is really going on in the village. The overall emotion in the poem is revengeful and tragic, however the emotion from the speaker is anger and repulsion towards the white minority and the way they have took over the black’s home, he is aware that he has entered district six without any acknowledgement towards his surrounding, the way he says â€Å"District six.† As a short sentence sounds cold but built up with anger, he knows where he is and he doesn’t particularly want to be there.† No board says it: but my feet know,† this gives the impression he has steps on this ground many times before for his own feel to be aware of its surroundings, â€Å"and the skin about my bones, and the soft labouring of my lungs, and the hot, white, inward turning anger of my eyes.† The repetition of â€Å"and† makes the wording like a list and makes out the speaker has endless bad feelings towards this environment. Afrika then talks about the new buildings that have emerged since he has been gone to illustrate the diverse condition between the two social cultures within his society. He talks about the new building â€Å"flaring like a flag† as if it is taunting him, â€Å"it squats in the grass and weeds,† this gives the reader a horrible impression of the place but also implies the building stand out of its surrounds, it doesn’t belong there.

Korea: MacArthurs war with Truman :: essays research papers

Korea: MacArthur’s war with Truman 1946-1952 The movie starts out with a pretty good background on the whole Korean War. It tells of how after WW II, Korea, at that time was ruled as a colony of Japan, was split along the 38th parallel. With the Russians controlling North Korea, and the U.S. backing South Korea. Both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. chose leaders from the countries to be more of a governor than a president for the two nations. MacArthur, though in many ways was a failed general in that he lost many troops and strategic strong holds, was still a very popular â€Å"hero† from WW II. Although it depends on who you talk to. My great-grand father was U.S.S. Colorado and everyone in the Pacific during the was thought MacArthur was a horrible leader, and commander. MacArthur tended to make his own choices on U.S. foreign policy. MacArthur wanted to take troops all the way up to the Yule River on the border of Korea and China. Truman hated MacArthur for this, absolutely hated him. Truman felt that MacArthur’s daring had unduly escalated the war. China was now involved, and Truman feared Russia was to follow. Even though at that time Russia was considered a friend, Truman knew it was only one major conflict away from another world war. MacArthur wanted to bring in Chinese nationalist from Thailand into the war and attack Mainland China. MacArthur even went as far as to fly to Thailand and meet with na tionalist leaders to discuss doing so. MacArthur even suggested using up to 20 atomic bombs on strategic Chinese locations. He did not want his soldiers to die for a stalemate, he wanted total victory. Both Truman, and the U.S. Joint Chief’s of Staff (a collection of high ranking officers from all of the armed forces) disapproved of MacArthur’s actions, but were reluctant to do anything about it because of his tremendous popularity. In Tokyo, MacArthur met with diplomats from Spain and Portugal, and made it clear he wanted war with China. The diplomats related this to their home governments in telegrams that were intercepted by the NSA (National Security Agency). This was reported to Truman and he knew that MacArthur needed to be fired. The problem was that Truman could not report that the US had been listening in on other countries secret communications. So Truman was forced to wait until there was another reason to let MacArthur go, one that could be published and not embarrass the US.

Argentina Genocide Essay

There was court investigated crimes against 200 opponents of the military regime in six illegal detention centers in Buenos Aires, One of the crimes was a kidnapping of a man named Jacobo Timerman who was tortured by electric shocks, beatings and solitary confinement in the years he was held illegally. The prosecutor said Jaime Smart was a leading factor in the persecution of opponents in the military. The illegal detention centers were run in police stations under his command. During the seven year military rule, an estimated 30,000 people were kidnapped, tortured, and killed by the junta. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/argentina.htm The Dirty War ran for seven years, from 1976 – 1983. It was run by the Argentine government against dissidents (A person who opposes official policy) and subversives (A person seeking or intended to subvert an established system or institution). Many people were â€Å"disappeared† which usually meant being taken in the night to secret government detention centers where they were tortured and killed. These poor humans were known as â€Å"los desaparecidos† or â€Å"the disappeared.† The war started with the death of President Juan Peron in 1974 when his wife gained authority, unfortunately the woman was not a strong political leader and a military junta removed her from office. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3673470/Argentinas-dirty-war-the-museum-of-horrors.html Miriam Lewin, 49, one of only 150 Esma survivors, was arrested and taken to a detention center for almost a year, Miriam was locked in a tiny dark cell, kept hooded and chained to the wall and tortured with electric shocks. They told her she was being taken to a work camp to be rehabilitated instead they shoved her into a car trunk and took her to Esma. Miriam spent 10 months at Esma, on her release she fled to the US and returned after the w ar as a journalist for a television station. Lewin repeats some of the horrific events passed, ‘It was similar to the Terezin Nazi camp: some prisoners worked and were shown films for entertainment, while others were tortured next door, then drugged and weighted before being taken on â€Å"death flights† over the Atlantic.’ The bodies were dropped into the ocean; others were burnt. As in the case of the Holocaust victims who were forced to write to their families saying that they were being treated  well, Esma prisoners were occasionally allowed contact with the outside world, mostly through calls from a monitored telephone booth in the entrance, which is now a lavatory.’When I was 20 they took me to see my parents,’ Lewin says, ‘to prevent them from looking for me. My mother asked, â€Å"How are you, how are you being treated?† Fine. â€Å"What do you do all day?† Well, we write, watch films, read†¦ â€Å"Are you with other girls of your age?† Yes, yes, Mum. I couldn’t tell her that I was in a concentration camp where they tortured and killed people, that this could be the last time she would see me alive, otherwise they would have been in danger, too.†I will never forget how, purely to humiliate us, they took me and some other female prisoners to have dinner in a restaurant in the centre of town with a group of armed plain-clothes officers. We would be sleeping in the middle of the night and a guard would shake us and say, â€Å"Wake up, you have to go.† We didn’t know if we were going out for a meal or to die. A girlfriend of mine was taken dancing by the guy who had killed her husband two weeks earlier,’ she says with a wry smile.Like most others, she was imprisoned in the casino or officers’ hall of residence, a building clearly visible from the street and overlooked by nearby flats. She was forced to work in the basement, translating into Spanish articles on the military regime that appeared in English and French newspapers; others wrote military biographies, forged documents and filmed propaganda videos. As they worked, inmates in adjacent rooms were tortured with water and electric cattle prods, their shouts sometimes muffled by loud music. http://www.vice.com/read/inside-argentinas-secret-death-camps Inside Argentina Camps In 1977 Nilda â€Å"Munu† Goretta was walking home from work on a busy street in downtown Buenos Aires when members of the Argentinean Military Death Squad blindfolded her from behind and shoved her into a nearby car. She wasn’t seen or heard from for 13 months. During the height of Argentina’s seven-year military dictatorship Munu lived as a political prisoner in the torture center, ESMA. In order to maintain control, the junta organized a system to eliminate any threats to the new government. Anyone who expressed the slightest sympathies for leftist politics would vanish without a trace. The general public was not aware of the concentration camps. ESMA operatedÃ'Ž