The Death Penalty Is Cruel Punishment - 1194 Words

Many people think that he death penalty is a unusual and cruel punishment and others think â€Å"If you do the crime you do the crime†. Both sides have been fighting over this topic for centuries to the present day. Today’s population stands on 44% against the death penalty, and 41% for the death penalty. Many Americans are for the death penalty because it breaks our 5th amendment, innocent people die., and sometimes it doesn’t work so inmates are in pain when it is suppose to be a peaceful death. The death penalty was started in the era of king Hammurabi of Babylon. The code of Hammurabi codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. The death penalty has changed from the 18th century to present day. After Britain had their death penalty, by hanging, later rulers became more violent with the means to how they execute someone, with little to no good reason. Britain influenced America’s use of the death penalty. When new settlers came to Ameri ca they brought with them the practice of capital punishment. In 1612 Thomas Dale started the Moral and Martial Laws, which provided the death penalty to be used for minor crimes like traffic offenses, possession of small amounts of illegal drugs with no intent in selling. The law varied from colony to colony. 1982 the United States became the first country to use lethal injection. In the early colonies the death penalty was for some of the most minor crimes. In the 19th century it is only for the first degree ofShow MoreRelatedDeath Penalty Is Cruel And Cruel Punishment2004 Words   |  9 Pages Death penalty satisfies the saying ‘ an eye for an eye’ which doesn t significantly eliminate crime. I believe there are other terms of punishment for those offenders such as life-time prison. Death penalty is rather useless in terms of eliminating crime. Although a lot of states have eliminated the use of capital punishment s , there are few states that still practice de ath penalty. therefore, we must put an end it all. Death penalty is barbaric and an unusually cruel punishment. There hasRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Cruel And Unusual Punishment1432 Words   |  6 PagesSome people think that abolishing the death penalty would cause criminals to commit more capital crimes. Although to some degree this is true, I believe that if a criminal is going to commit any capital crime his or her first thought is how can I get away with this? Most criminal may not even think about getting caught. For me this statement applies to the mentally ill convicts, which is one of the reasons why I’m against the death penalty. Besides the execution of an mentally ill person these areRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Cruel And Unusual Punishment988 Words   |  4 PagesThe death penalty has been around for centuries. It dates back to when Hammurabi had his laws codified; it was â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†. Capital punishment in America sta rted when spies were caught, put on trial and hung. In the past and still today people argue that, the death penalty is cruel, unusual punishment and should be illegal. Yet many people argue that it is in fact justifiable and it is not cruel and unusual. Capital punishment is not cruel and unusual; the death penaltyRead MoreDeath Penalty : Cruel And Unusual Punishment?1192 Words   |  5 PagesDeath Penalty: Cruel and Unusual Punishment? Yvette Y. Rushing Northwest Florida State College Abstract The death penalty has been has been questioned about whether it is a reasonable sentence based on our 8th Amendment Right which protects us from cruel and unusual punishment. In the 1976, Gregg v. Georgia case the U. S. Supreme Court has chose to uphold the death penalty. The only way an offender can be sentenced to the death penalty is if they have intentionally taken the life of theRead MoreDeath Penalty Is Cruel And Unusual Punishment1706 Words   |  7 Pages1962 the Supreme Court thought that death penalty as cruel and unusual punishment. Because of this 107 people had their sentences changed to something that was not death. In November 1972 nine months after they had this choice the California electorate amended the state constitution overruled it. Then in 1973 the Supreme Court decided that the death penalty was unconstitutional. The California legislation was passed in 1973, which meant that the death penalty could only happen under certain conditionsRead MoreThe Death Penal ty Is It A Cruel Murderer Or Just A Punishment?707 Words   |  3 PagesWhat are two sides of the death penalty?Is it a cruel murderer or just a punishment? Can not be a deterrent to crime? Capital punishment and the death penalty is the legally commissioned killing of someone as punishment for a crime. Capital punishment is used today and was used for many years to punish a diversity of offenses. Even the bible advocates death for murder and other crimes like kidnapping and witchcraft. When the word death penalty is used, it makes yelling and screaming from both sidesRead MoreIs the Death Penalty Cruel and Unusual Punishment? Essay1245 Words   |  5 PagesCapital punishment remains a cause for debate with people continuing to disagree on what cruel and unusual punishment consists of. Cruel and unusual punishment being defined as torture or a deliberately degrading punishment, in no way does the death penalty fall into this category. Having the death penalty in our society deters potential violent offenders from committing crimes, saves the government money, and guarantees that offenders will not commit these crimes again. The United States shouldRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is A Form Of Cruel And Unusual Punishment1421 Words   |  6 PagesThe death penalty till this day remains to be a very controversial topic. Some people may argue that it should be considered a form of cruel and unusual punishment; others may rebuttal in saying that the death penalty is capital punishment. When visiting the idea of placing someone to death one must bear in mind the possibility of condemning an innocent person through such torture, the brutalizing effect on society it may leave, and the serious psychological trauma that a defendants family and friendsRead More The Death Penalty is Cruel and Unusual Punishment Essay examples1331 Words   |  6 PagesThe death penalty does not punish people for killing but for murdering someone. Murder is the unlawful, malicious, or permitted killing of one human being by another (Carmical 1). The slogan should be ?We execute people t o show people that murder is wrong.? The death penalty is racist, it punishes the poor, it causes the innocent to die, it is not a deterrent against violent crime, and it is cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty is wrong and it should be abolished. The death penaltyRead More Capital Punishment Essay - Death Penalty is Neither Cruel Nor Unusual1166 Words   |  5 PagesDeath Penalty is Neither Cruel Nor Unusual A man sits immobile in a steel chair with a metal cap resting on his bald head. A priest reads selections from the Bible telling him he will go to Heaven if he confesses his sins to God. The man just smiles as the security guard pulls the switch, and one thousand volts of electricity flows through the mans body. His entire frame shakes in convulsions as his head bobs up and down with the shock. In a couple of seconds the mans life is over. The priest

Breast Cancer A Dangerous Type Of Cancer - 1502 Words

Most people know breast cancer is a dangerous type of cancer that affects both men and women. Author Gayle Sulik of Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women s Health describes breast cancer as, â€Å"abnormal cells [that] appear in the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) or the lobules (glands that make milk) and, more importantly, have the capacity to spread (metastasize)† (164). Breast cancer can be treated with surgeries and chemotherapy, radiation, and hormonal therapies. However, a person can still die even with treatment if the cancer metastasizes to major organs, like the brain and liver. For breast tumors and cancer to be diagnosed early, it is important to complete self-breast examinations and take the†¦show more content†¦In addition, the media does the same thing by creating false awareness through â€Å"pinkwashing†. According to Assistant Professor Tasha Dubriwny, the media purportedly does â€Å"pinkwashing† to, â€Å"veils [veil] the harsh reality of being diagnosed with cancer.† â€Å"Pinkwashing† is the emphasis on pink, femininity, body image, and hope; instead of life and death. With breast cancer, pink symbolizes strength, survivorship, beauty, and femininity. In order to maintain femininity, one must buy pink ribbon endorsed products such as grocery products, items of clothing, wigs, and other breast cancer awareness paraphernalia. In addition to supporting femininity, buying pink ribbon products from certain companies will supposedly help them contribute to research for the cure. â€Å"Pinkwashing† overlooks men who are suffering from breast cancer since the primary focus of â€Å"pinkwashing† is women and the â€Å"female† color pink. With â€Å"pinkwashing†, the media portrays a message of hope that breast cancer can be eradicated and those diagnosed with breast cancer survive. The media portrays the woman with breast cancer as a strong p erson who follows doctor’s orders, completes prescribed treatments, and holds a smile throughout the entire ordeal. In Sulik’s Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture

Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden Free Essays

The geishas of Japan have long held a mystery that has inspired a lot of stories about who they were and how they lived their lives. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden captures this fascinating and mysterious world in a story that contrasts the rich tradition of the geishas and the changes brought about by the World War II in Kyoto. This is the story of Chiyo, with her sister Saysu who are both sold to a stranger by their own father because they have to earn a living due to extreme poverty of their family. We will write a custom essay sample on Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden or any similar topic only for you Order Now At the young age of nine, Chiyo has a beauty that makes her right to be a part of the geisha homes. However, her sister. Saysu, is not fortunate enough, as she does not possess beauty like her sister. Saysu is then forced into prostitution and the sisters are separated by these circumstances. Chiyo however metamorphoses into a beauty and is later known as Sayuri. Because she is the fairest among all the geisha’s in their home, she   eventually earns the wrath of the other geishas who came before her including the equally lovely Hatsumomo. Sayuri is almost destroyed by her rival Hatsumomo who envies her incessantly. If it were not for the intervention of the celebrated geisha Mameha, who coaches Sayuri about the chores and duties of a geisha, it would have been Sayuri’s end. Yet destiny prevails and Sayuri turns out to be a good pupil who learns to love what she has been taught. Author Arthur Golden succeeds in portraying the inner life of a geisha as he weaves the story in an enticing and engrossing way such that viewers find that their intricate kimonos are really not that easy to get into. Equally intricate is the way the story develops with the life of Sayuri as its focus. Golden recreates the scenes with such subtlety, sensuality and mastery of what the geisha world is all about. These glory days of Kyoto’s Gion pleasure district is recaptured well in the story. The beauty and historical value of pre-war Japan is also seen here and which adds drama and color to the already colorful life of geishas. The book reminds me of the developmental theories which we learned in class. For instance, Bandura’s cognitive emphasis comes to mind as I view the scenes where Sayuri learns the art of being a gracious hostess. She is able to do it because she observed Hatsumomo many times over flipping the fans, turning and bowing to the clients with such excellent perfection. She is able to execute the movements excellently because of the observational learning which comes from observing the behavior of other people. Observational learning cannot occur unless cognitive processes are at work. In the story, the character Chiyo, who later transforms into Sayuri, was a keen observer all along. From the way the people nodded, she knew that there were some people who were plotting evil against her. She observed everything, even her benefactor, who transforms her life and whose actions does not escape the glances that were meant not only to look at the surface level, but to really look and find the nuances which she may uses. This art of observing has been perfected well by Sayuri and this is what removes her from the bind of the tradition and ennui. Observational learning is stressed in this cognitive social learning because this active, cognitive form of learning also permits individuals to be able to quickly assimilate thousands of new responses in a variety of settings. This is where their models are simply pursuing their own interests and are not trying to teach them anything. In the story, Sayuri continually learns both desirable and undesirable responses by keeping her eyes open. Moreover, in the story, we find that human development proceeds so very rapidly along so many different paths. I am also able to correlate the learning insights that there is a broad world view of how one should situate the context of the story. Another broad world view, the contextual model has recently emerged as the perspective that many developmentalists favor (Lerner, 1996). The contextual model views development as the product of a dynamic interplay between person and environment. People are assumed to be active in the developmental process (as in the organismic model) and the environment is active as well (as in the mechanistic model). Development may have both universal aspects and aspects peculiar to certain cultures, times or individuals. The potential exists for both qualitative and quantitative change, and development may proceed along many different paths depending on the intricate interplay between internal forces (nature) and external forces (environment). Since the story dates back to the height of the geishas and the rich culture of Japan, I am reminded again of the cross-cultural comparisons which one can apply as one reads the story. For instance, the story has given me a broad understanding of several Japanese students in the school. Some of them have been acquaintances and I now understand the particular culture that they come from. This provided me with some new ideas on the factors that may impact on the developmental process. It has given me new insights on the link between culture and development. Developmentalists are often hesitant  Ã‚   to publish a new findings or conclusions until they have finally observed and studied quite a number of people so that they can conclude that their results are reliable. However, their conclusions are more often based on participants living at one point in time within one particular culture or subculture. It would then be difficult to know if these conclusions apply to future generations or even to the young people currently growing up in other societies or subcultures (Lerner, 1996). Today, the generalizability of findings across samples and settings has become an important issue, for many theorists have implied that there are â€Å"universals† in human development—events and outcomes that all children share as they progress from infancy to adulthood. Thus, the cross-cultural guards against the overgeneralization of research findings. In sum, one must become a knowledgeable reader in order to get the most of what the field of human development has to offer, so that one’s views of the world from books, stories and one’s experiences become integrated in a coherent whole that explains why and how one acts and behaves the way he does. The story could have ended with the characters dismissing it as one of those geisha stories, but author Arthur Golden ends with bravura because the story recaptures the glorious days of the geisha and the values that provide the redeeming factor in an engrossing story of traditional Japan. It is interesting to note that Sayuri is able to blend well to the new environment where she is thrusted into because of her innate flexibility and strength of character from where she gets the power to rejuvenate. She is able to observe that she must obey and observe what her associates do, so that she can relate them in her own world as a geisha. She does not resent anything because she is made to do this work, but she negotiates her way around and emerges triumphant in the end where she â€Å"feels as a bird must feel when it has flown across the ocean and comes upon a creature that knows its nest.† (Starr). REFERENCES Lerner, R.M. (1996). Relative plasticity, integration, temporality and diversity in human development: A developmental, contextual perspective about theory, process and method. Developmental Psychology. 32. pp. 781-786. Starr. K. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Nabou.com. Retrieved Aug. 4, 2007 at: http://bookreviews.nabou.com/reviews/memoirs_of_a_geisha2.html How to cite Memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden, Essay examples

The Laboratory free essay sample

In The Laboratory, the courtesan chooses poison as her murder weapon. Poison is often the weapon of choice for female killers. It requires little or no physical strength to administer, and can be done secretly. It also leaves little evidence thus making it difficult to detect the culprit. We believe the act of murder is because of another woman that her lover is with and she feels physically inferior to her rival. We know this because she starts saying ‘What a drop! She’s not little, no minion like me. ’ The murderer is also fascinated and excited about the poison and power of the poison, she says ‘And yonder soft phial, the exquisite blue sure to taste sweetly’ She thinks that her rival who she is out to kill will think nothing of it and will believe it’s just an ordinary beverage. She then also goes onto say ‘to carry pure death in an earring, a casket. ’ Meaning she is so excited about the whole aspect of being able to carry death in such a small item. So she plans to slip her rival only known as ‘Pauline’ and give her thirty minutes to live until ‘her breast and her arms and her hands should drop dead! ’ This is what she believes will happen in her head, she believes the murder will happen quickly and she also chose poison because she didn’t want to see it happen. Browning writes ‘The delicate droplet, my whole fortunes fee’ showing that she’s incredibly dedicated in getting this guy and she’s spent her whole fortune on the poison and she’s not going to give up until the deed is complete. The character is quite evil in a way; not only has she murdered someone but she says ‘ Not that i bid you spare her the pain; Let death be felt and the proof remain; Brand, burn up, bite into its grace- He is sure to remember her dying face! ’ Which is almost saying that he is going to remember this moment for a long time and this is her perfect revenge on him for leaving her for this other woman. The character is also quite optimistic about the whole thing as she doesn’t feel there will be any consequences afterwards. This optimism and careless attitude towards her murder suggests she has murdered before and she’s not worried about being found out because she is proud of what she has done ‘Now, take all my jewels, gorge gold to your fill, you may kiss me, old man, on my mouth is you will! But brush this dust off me, lest horror it brings, ere I know it- next moment I dance at the King’s’. In Porphyria’s Lover the murder weapon is the victims own hair. Browning states in the poem that the murderer debates what to do as he is over the moon that Porphyria has told him that she loved him. That moment she was mine, mine, mine fair, perfectly pure and good’. Earlier in the poem, you are told that all her yellow long hair was displaced and at the point rising up to the murder just by reading it you can almost see the light bulb click above his head for his new bright idea. He was to murder her will her own hair. ‘I found a thing to do, and all her hair in on e long yellow string I wound three times her little throat around and strangled her. ’ So the murder happens quite suddenly and again when reading it you can see the pleasure in his eyes while doing it as Porphyria is finally his forever. Browning uses such techniques as enjambment while the murder is happening so make it seem like the murder is happening quickly and to rise the tension and excitement of it, for example the part where he has the idea and then strangles her, the line gaps and pauses are in the middle of the sentence and not at the end, this makes the reader read faster and could possibly make them breathless. The murderer seems quite adamant that no one will discover what he has done and that his victim felt no pain. No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain’ This suggests that he might have sympathy for her and wishes that it was a painless death because he wants her to be ‘happy’ and with him forever. Just a few lines down in the poem he then goes on to say ‘I warily oped her lids: again laughed the blue eyes without a stain. ’ He cautiously opens her eyes just to see if there is any life left in her, and is almost relieved that she is dead; the laugh could t hen be portrayed as a nervous laugh with a sigh of relief. He then makes sure that there is no evidence to how she died, so he untangles her hair from her neck and then says ‘Her head, which droops upon it still: the smiling rosy little head, so glad it has its utmost will, that all it scorned at once is fled and I, it’s love, am gained instead. ’ This is saying that he’s glad she is dead and all her other lovers cannot place their hands on her anymore as he has gained her love for as long as he lives. The character’s motives for murder really is jealousy and he’s greedy and wants her for himself, he almost seems a little insane because at the end of the poem he says ‘And thus we sit together now, and all night long we have not stirred and yet god has not said a word’ So he just sits with this dead woman all night and he believes strongly that god does not mind what he has done and understands his motives for the murder of this innocent woman. Finally Browning uses pathetic fallacy to reflect the ood, at the start of the poem he says ‘The rain set early in tonight, the sullen wind was soon awake, it tore the elm-tops down for spite and did its worst to vex the lave’. This is showing us that the weather was miserable and gloomy and the it was ripping leaves off and ‘upsetting’ lakes. So the murders in the poems are completely different to each other, but they almost both show slight elements of revenge in them. With Porphyria†™s he almost wanted revenge on the other men who loved her as he didn’t get a chance with her and then in The Laboratory she wanted to ruin his life for leaving her for another woman. Both the murders are quite peaceful in a way, well not exactly peaceful but not in a violent throat slashing, stabbing murder kind of way, but away where they die quite-ish. They both didn’t take that much effort to do, they were simplistic. Both poems use enjambment which leads up to the murder and creates a sort of tension and quickness about it, and has the reader reading quickly and becoming quite breathless, which grips you and has you wanting more with your heart racing, almost as if Browning wants you to believe you are there and witnessing the murder yourself. Browning has also used structure in each of his monologues to reflect the mind of the killer and their attitudes. These two poems are structured very differently. In The Laboratory there is a regular verse pattern. This structure suggests a chronological process which seems to contrast with the rather rambling ideas and erratic mood of the speaker. However, she is waiting for a scientific process to be completed (the brewing of the poison), so the structure of the poem probably reflects this, as it is this process that determines her emotions. The poem is written in twelve stanzas, all of four lines, rhymed AABB. The metre is anapaestic (two unstressed syllables, followed by a stressed one) and this creates a rather jaunty effect, which seems unsuited to the poems subject, if we take it too seriously. It seems like Browning wants the poem almost to be comic and over the top, much like a horror/comedy film where the situations and characters are quite ridiculous. Browning uses alliteration a few times in the poem ‘Moisten and mash up thy paste’ ‘pound at thy powder’. This adds a little liveliness and excitement to the text and can be quite exaggerated when read. The rhyming structure of the poem also adds that little bit more excitement and creates a child like element about it. Browning may use this technique because in a sense it makes the reader happier and can have the effect to make them reader faster to see what happens next therefore adding to tension, suspicion and excitement. Also Browning now has the reader gripped and wanting more. Porphyria’s Lover has a fast rhythm to it, much like The Laboratory and also has a slight chronological structure to it, with a little information before hand and then the murder and then it has the aftermath of the murder. Browning uses just one long verse. The speaker sets the scene for us and explains the events of the evening. The poet uses a lot of enjambment and caesura to mimic the sound of natural speech. The structure of the poem helps to establish the mindset of the lover. Upon first glance, the rhyme scheme seems odd and disjointed. More careful inspection reveals an odd pattern: every two non-indented lines rhyme and every three indented lines rhyme ABABB. So there is in fact a strict logic behind the somewhat chaotic structure. This mirrors the lovers own mindset. He is obviously disturbed (chaotic) but within his own mind there is a very strict logic, and he can justify his actions to himself. Browning uses simple, short words. However there are subtle developments in the poem to suggest the speaker’s unusual state of mind and his heightening state of conflict. At first the poem relies almost on description as the speaker recounts the events that have taken place, but as it becomes clear that the events described through the speakers madness the language becomes more metaphorical. For example in the beginning the character gives a simple physical description of Porphyria ‘and made her smooth white shoulder bare’ but then after he kills her he uses more and more similes ‘as a shut bud that holds a bee, I warily opened her eyes. ’ Relating to the rhyme again, it too like The Laboratory uses enjambment and has the reader reading faster until the breaks in the middle of the sentence. It creates that upbeat rhythm to it which leaves you wanting more and building the tension up to the murder. Also in this poem Browning uses such techniques as repetition ‘that moment she was mine, mine, fair. ’ This shows the desperation and his undying love to Porphyria, it shows how happy he is that he has her in his life. Finally much like the Laboratory Browning uses alliteration in his poem right after the murder the speaker describes Porphyria ‘blushes, bright, beneath my burning kiss. ’ I believe Browning may have used this particular technique to show the almost insanity of the speaker and the evil side to him, with his ‘burning kiss’. As in the Laboratory the alliteration was used when she was creating the potion and had the evil side of her come out. I think the way these poems are structured really amplify the evilness and despair of the murderers. The upbeat pace created makes the tension and suspicion rise, which I don’t believe the characters themselves actually create. They seem a little too unrealistic and especially in the modern age the whole strangling his love one with her hair round her neck may seem a little outdated and almost silly. I think in the laboratory the murder is slightly more realistic as she is using a poison which in this day you see quite a bit of in films and television. It also shows the aspect of revenge which could be related to by a reader of this era. I see how in pe-1914 these poems would have been slightly more realistic and frightening but now due to the influence of films, television and even more recent poetic pieces these murderers and murder choices don’t seem to have the wow factor anymore.