Crime Essay -- essays research papers

Crime   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is crime? Crime is an act committed in violation of law for which punishment is imposed upon conviction. It also can be unlawful activity, a serious offense, especially in violation of morality. Crime effects anyone, and everyone. People that commit crimes are of all gender, color, ethnicity etc. Crime effects all towns, cities, states, and countries; even though many places are significantly different in matters of crime that takes place there. Take for example: Johnstown, Pennsylvania with a crime rate of 16.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in 1999 and Miami, Florida with a crime rate of 87.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in 1999. Crimes in these two cities are on the opposite ends of extremes. The United States has lo...

Tea Party Movement Essay -- What is the Tea Party Movement

Due to the weak state our of economy over the past several years, many organizations and movements have surfaced in order to attempt to make a change to better our country. One of those organizations is the Tea Party and their movement. The Tea Party movement is an effective political force in our society because it is respectable, organized, and focused on common issues. According to the official website for the Tea Party movement, it was formed randomly in 2009 from â€Å"the reaction of the American people fiscally irresponsible actions of the federal government, misguided ‘stimulus’ spending, bailouts, and takeovers of private industry.† In an article for PBS from 2010, Dante Chinni writes that there were about 67,000 members of the movement at that time. Since the article is roughly two years old, it can be estimated that the total number of members has grown significantly, especially with the recent downfall of the economy and other political forces. Chinni goes on to state that much of the movement’s population is concentrated either in boom towns, which are towns that went through rapid population growth during the housing crash of the early 2000’s, rural and agricultural counties, or counties located near armed forces bases. As far as member backgrounds, most Tea Party movement members tend to fall into the same category. In a New York Times article by Kate Zernike and Megan Thee-Brenan, they write that those who identify themselves as apart of the Tea Party are â€Å"wealthier and more well-educated than the general public.† Zernike and Thee-Brenan also state that according to a poll conducted by the Times and CBS News, most supporters of the movement are white males who are married and over the age of forty-fi... ...bers of Congress a Well-heeled Lot." Los Angeles Times, 05 Jan 2012. Web. 20 Mar 2015. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/05/news/la-pn-tea-party-members-of-congress-a-wellheeled-lot-20120105. Walsh, Kenneth. "Tea Party Presidential Candidates Flash and Fade." U.S. News and World Report, 28 Sep 2011. Web. 20 Mar 2015. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/Ken-Walshs-Washington/2011/09/28/tea-party-presidential-candidates-flash-and-fade. Wing, Nick. "Rudy Giuliani: Tea Party 'Respectable', But Some Members, 'A Little Crazy’." Huffington Post, 25 Jan 2011. Web. 20 Mar 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/25/rudy-giuliani-tea-party-crazy_n_813571.html. Zernike, Kate, and Megan Thee-Brenan. "Poll Finds Tea Party Backers Wealthier and More Educated." The New York Times, 14 Apr 2010. Web. 20 Mar 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html.

Charles Dickens Essay

Belle says: â€Å"Our contract is an old one. It was made when we were both poor and content to be so†¦ † Dickens shows that they were content when they were poor. â€Å"You are changed. When it was made you were another man. † Dickens shows that since Scrooge has got wealthy he has changed. Dickens uses Italics on â€Å"are† to show that Belle is very certain that Scrooge has changed. Belle continues saying that Scrooge has changed and also that he was different when he was poor. Dickens uses this to show Scrooge how he has changed and that he was different before. Belle also says: â€Å"But if you were free today†¦ Can even I believe that you would choose a dowerless girl-you who in your very confidence with her, weigh everything by Gain†¦ † Dickens uses this sentence to show that Scrooge would not be with Belle if she wasn’t rich. Belle then says, â€Å"A very, very brief time, and you will dismiss the recollection of it gladly, as an unprofitable dream†¦ † This implies that because this event isn’t profitable, Scrooge will forget about it quickly and â€Å"†¦ From which it happened well that you awoke. † Implies that he thinks it is good that he can forget about it leave it without any loss. The second incident involves 3 people trading Scrooges belongings after he is dead in the 4 stave. Firstly Dickens describes the narrow, haunted streets that the ghost takes Scrooge by using adjectives such as, â€Å"Naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. † Dickens uses many adjectives at a time throughout this book to help better describe the scene. He is persuading the reader that where the ghost and Scrooge are visiting isn’t pleasant. Dickens describes the shop as, â€Å"†¦ Den of, infamous resort, there was a lowbrowed, beetling shop below a penthouse roof, where iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy offal were bought. † Objects in which we would not really want to purchase and these objects imply hideousness into the scene. Dickens keeps the reader guessing because the conversation the three people are having starts off by not telling too much information and shows that this affair is frequent in occurrence. The woman gives a clue to the reader by saying, â€Å"That’s enough. Who’s the worse for the loss of a few things like these? Not a dead man, I suppose? † Immediately the reader figures out that these people are talking about a dead man. The woman describes the dead man as a â€Å"Wicked old screw†. The reader gets a little bit more information on who the dead man is and dickens uses these techniques to keep the reader guessing. The people are sarcastic and cold; these features make the reader despise these people. The woman says something that provokes scrooge into thinking that they could be talking about him, â€Å"This is the end of it, you see! He frightened everyone away from him when he was alive, to profit us when he was dead! † There is irony here because it shows all the money Scrooge greedily gathered was of no purpose or use because he is dead. Scrooge starts to realize that they could be talking about him. My third incident is where the ghost takes Scrooge to the graveyard and shown his own tombstone, this incident is also in the fourth stave. Dickens starts describing the graveyard by calling it â€Å"A worthy place† which is ironic because this graveyard is not looked after and is a place where people are buried and then forgotten. Dickens carries on describing it: â€Å"Walled in by houses; choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite. A worthy place. † Again Dickens describes it as â€Å"A worthy place† and describing the graveyard as an unvisited place. Dickens shows that Scrooge wasn’t looked after well and just forgotten after he died. Dickens starts to create tension: â€Å"Scrooge crept towards it, trembling†¦ † The reader is caught up in the tension reading on to find out who’s name is on the tombstone. Dickens still describes everything: â€Å"†¦ Neglected grave†¦ † Suddenly Scrooge realizes everything and is showing despair: † ‘Am I that man who lay upon the bed? ‘ he cried upon his knees. † He is desperate and shocks the ghost: â€Å"Tight clutching at it’s robe† Scrooge begins to show signs of change and declares: â€Å"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. † Dickens uses language brilliantly by Scrooge saying that he â€Å"Will honour†¦ † and also that he â€Å"Will live†¦ † He is making a strong statement that he will change. In a desperate plea he asks the Ghost, â€Å"Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone! † Dickens still is creating tension and is further showing Scrooges anxiety: â€Å"In his agony†¦ † Dickens creates a tension cliffhanger and leaves the reader guessing and wondering, has Scrooge been saved? In my conclusion this novel is a masterpiece in which Charles Dickens creates a simple story that is easy to understand and follow. Dickens uses many adjectives in one go to best describe an object. He creates a great amount of tension in this book and manages to keep the story warm and exciting. His clever use of language ensures the reader is always kept guessing but interested.

Nature and Function of Literary Criticism Essay

The word criticism is derived from the Greek word meaning † judgment†. Hence, criticism was known to be the exercise of judgment on works of literature, or it can be said that criticism is the play of mind to observe the merits and defects on the work of literature. A critic , therefore, is a person who expresses judgment on works of literature or poetry or the art of an artist or a painter. The critic is also defined as a person who is possessed of the knowledge necessary to enable him to pronounce right judgments upon the merits or worth of such works as come within its province. However, the question that is always asked, does the critic has the right to judge or not ? Indeed, no one has the right to judge the people because of two reasons. Firstly, to judge the people is something subjective ; in other words, when a critic evaluate a literary work he is judge based on or influenced by his personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. Second, when a critic judge and evaluate a literary work , he eliminates the reader’s mind and deactivate his faculty of thinking and analysis. It’s known that the target group of the critics is the public reader, so what do they want from the reader and what is the ultimate objective of criticism?. Actually, the modern understanding of criticism is regarded as having two different functions which helps to achieve the main purposes of criticism. The Modern Understanding of Criticism Criticism is the process of analysis and description and interpretation of literary works for the purpose of increasing understanding and raising appreciation.   This means that the critic should penetrate to the heart of the literary work to analyze and formulate its meaning , to disengage and describe its qualities of power and beauty , and to elucidate by direct examination the artistic and moral principles which, whether the writer himself was conscious of them or not , have actually guided and controlled his labors, and then to pronounce a right evaluation of a literary work. It’s worth to realize that criticism does not depend on a critic’s views or his opinions , but it depends on scientific basis which is † Critical  Theories†. As a result, criticisms are completely different depending on the theory that the critic uses. Thus, the objective of literary criticism is to determine the artistic values, poetic beauty, or the features being regarded as inadequate existing in the works of literature in order to 1-Helping the reader to gain a better understanding of nature and value of literature, and a better appreciation of the pleasure proper to literature, then to form an evaluation of his own. 2- Helping the writer to improve his skills and facilitate to achieve the merits while allowing him to overcome the flaws if any. At this stage, it would be appropriate to say that criticism is not just † fault- finding† , but helping the writer or poets or artists in achieving the excellence in their works and leading the reader to a better understanding and appreciation. At this point , the saying of T.S Eilot is worth mentioning, † The end of criticism is the elucidation of works of art and to correction of taste†.

Modernization and Indigenous Cultures Essay

Introduction Modernization is the process of moving from farming and agricultural society to an industrial society and it mainly deals with societies after the Industrial Revolution of the mid-18th century. Some key features of modernization would be large, formal organizations and division of labor based on specialization of skills and abilities. There is more control over environmental resources such as oil, water, land, and animals. There is also a distinct improvement in the quality of life during this time. Because of a higher per capita income individuals are able to buy more goods and services, have more recreational time, and have better housing and health care. Modernization can have both positive and negative effects on society and can often bring about controversy. In this paper I will look at examples of how modernization has affected cultures and traditions around the world. Theories Before we look at the effects of modernization on different cultures we will look at a few specific theories concerning how modernization affects society and community. The German sociologist Ferdinand Tà ¶nnies (1855-1937) formed two theories concerning modernization which he called _Gemeinschaft_ and _Gesellschaft_. Ferdinand Tà ¶nnies viewed modernization as the progressive loss of human community – _Gemeinschaft_. He also believed the Industrial Revolution weakened the social bond of families and communities by emphasizing the impersonal business attributes like money, efficiency, and self-interest – _Gesellschaft_. Tà ¶nnies belief was that modernization turns societies inside out so that individuals are essentially separated in spite of uniting factors (Macionis, 2006, page 457). Peter Berger, whose work was greatly influenced by Ferdinand Tà ¶nnies, identified four major characteristics of modernization: the decline of small, traditional communities, the expansion of personal choice, increased social diversity, future oriented and higher focus on time. As we look at societies and cultures around the world we will see how these four characteristics play a large part in explaining the effects of modernization on each. There are other aspects of modernization that are not quite as appropriate for explaining the affects on indigenous cultures but should still be discussed. Other theorists such as Emile Durkeim, whose view of modernity differed from Tà ¶nnies’s in a more optimistic manner. He viewed modernization as a change from community based bonds to a community based on economic priorities – division of labor. There was Max Weber, who thought that modern societies valued efficiency over tradition; therefore, modern people will adjust to anything that will allow them to attain their objective. Weber felt that for modern people, truth is the result of rational calculation. Then we have Karl Marx, who analyzed modernization as the ascendancy of industrial capitalism. He anticipated a socialist revolution that would lead to an egalitarian society. The problem with Marx’s theories is that he had an idealistic view of how the world would work, and underestimated the dominance of bureaucracy in shaping modern societies (Macionis, 2006). Cultures and traditions Traditional culture, in a broad sense, is human activity such as religion, philosophy, moral standards, laws, society, history, and art that have been learned and passed on in a community or group over a long period of time. Whether a society can survive modernization without losing its identity is the question that is debated by many people. In Asian countries such as Japan, Modernization has often been confused with Westernization. This is partly due to the fact that the concept originated during the Industrial Revolution in England. It is also due to the fact that accepting modernization often meant accepting a Western culture and its resulting way of life. Many feel that Japan is a great example of how a thoroughly modern way of life can exist in a non-western society. Others argue that Japan has become distinctly more western as a result of its modernization. The main thing to understand about Japan is that it has always been on the periphery of culturally developed countries such as China, and has become accustomed to accepting foreign developed cultures. The fact is that Japanese people have always had a great interest and curiosity in imported things, including religion and science. This is why Japan never felt a strong resistance against the introduction of Western culture. Effects on Family There was a United Nations study conducted in the mid-80’s that examined the effects of modernization, urbanization, and industrialization on the family structure. Part of the findings were focused on developing countries where wide-spread poverty was forcing families to migrate to areas where work could be found; mainly large cities. Technology and development have both positive and negative effects on family. It is true that there is usually an improvement in living conditions; especially in the area of health care, income, living conditions, and education. On the other hand it can lead families into an impoverished life, loss of social identity and traditions, and an effort to ever improved innovation with no regard for the effects on family life. Most would agree that the positive or negative effects of modernization on the family are not intentional, but a product of growing  population and ever-advancing technology. It can be said that few activities resulting from modernization have been geared explicitly towards families; whether to reduce the negative effects or improving their well-being. There have been many changes in family structure due to modernization. Along with the change in roles and responsibilities within the family are changes in values. This includes a greater pressure to adopt the values, culture, or viewpoints of the dominant group. â€Å"The emphasis on individualism is probably pre-eminent among the values of developed societies†. (Development and the family, 1985) There is a very large pressure on families and small communities to integrate into the dominant culture. Although there has been a long-term shift away from the extended family towards the nuclear family, the extended family is still regarded in some instances (among rural-urban migrants, for one) as a way to continue social and cultural traditions while adapting to new circumstances and behaviors (Development and the family, 1985). It is inevitable that there will be clashes between the dominant culture and that of family values. Industrialization and Urbanization There are two key aspects of modernization in which we need to explore; Industrialization and Urbanization. Both can be looked at as a byproduct of modernization and have related affects on a society’s culture and traditions. The effects of industrialization on a family, as with modernization, is influenced by the distance they must travel to acclimate themselves to the new way of life. Some of the pressures that a traditional family structure might face include; work schedules that reduce the time a family spends together, less family production as a unit, and a diminished societal network due to migratory labor. In the U.N study mentioned above, urbanization is listed as the third major aspect of development impacting on family functioning, particularly the rapid growth of rural-to-urban migration (Development and the family, 1985). Some of the negative aspects of urbanization on family life would include  decreased communication between family members, separation of family members and lack of communal support for urban migrants, more single-parent households and postponement of child-bearing. All of these factors affect how communities and families develop, and how their culture and traditional values are passed on. There are also areas like Sao Paulo in South America where modernization has caused substantial population growth over the last 100 years. In the case of Sao Paulo, widespread coffee cultivation created sudden prosperity to a region that was fairly isolated. Then there was another population surge as manufacturing was established in the area. By the middle of the 20th century Sao Paulo became the chief manufacturing center of Brazil. The problem with that much growth in a generally poor country is the mass influx of people. With over-crowded cities come crime, air and noise pollution, traffic congestions, and most importantly a labor force that seriously outnumbers the available jobs (Cohen, 2004). Many individuals from outlying areas will continue to travel to this city in hopes of a better life, and most will end in continued poverty. It’s possible that many will end up in areas like Prestes Maia. The largest squat in Latin America, some 258 families, nearly 2,000 people, have crammed into this disused textile factory. Its 20 story’s provide shelter for some of the poorest people in arguably the most unequal place on earth (Study in contrast, 2007). There is no longer a sense of community in large cities like this. How can there be a local support network when each individual is busy looking after themselves. Conclusion Most people would probably say that globalization and modernization rarely cares for societies and culture, but that statement is not completely accurate. Cultures do not always have to modify themselves and adapt to the global changes that are being imposed upon them. There have been cases, like the Kayapo in Brazil, where natives used modern technology to help fight the intrusion of developers. In the case of the Kayapo people, they used video  cameras to film treaty negotiations and then used them against the government when they tried to go back on their word. This seems to be the exception rather then the rule. In most cases though, the reality is that dominant cultures do overwhelm smaller indigenous cultures. Small communities and societies are often torn apart by the pull of large urban areas. Because of modernization there has been an increase in personal choice. With industrialization come more opportunities for an individual to choose there future. People no longer had to stay on the farm to ensure that the family would produce enough to survive. This also led to the decline of small traditional communities. Individuals and families would travel to where the opportunities were. The problem is that those that are left behind feel abandoned by those who migrate to the cities. This fact alone creates a cultural division between indigenous peoples. Central and South America are a classic example of how a dominant culture can completely decimate that of the indigenous people. The Portuguese and Spanish left a lasting impression on the indigenous way of life. That influence reached new heights during the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th century. Not only were the Europeans extracting recourses from the area, they were also introducing new ways of thinking, new technologies, and a new type of economy. It would be almost impossible for a lesser developed people to compete against the dominant culture of a technologically advanced society. References Cohen, B. (2004). Urban Growth in Developing Countries: A Review. _World_ _Development_, _32_, Retrieved March 06, 2008, from http://www7.nationalacademies.org/dbasse/Cities_Transformed_World_Develop ment_Article.pdf Development and the family. (May 1985). _UN Chronicle_, 22, p.xix(2). Retrieved March 17, 2008, from General OneFile via Gale:http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS Macionis, J. J. (2006). Society: The basics (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson PrenticeHall. Study in contrast. (2007, March 14). The Statesman,1. Retrieved March 6, 2008, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 1232854241).

Vannah

Two hundred and six years ago, high officials of two nations deliberately turned 5,000 square miles of Southwest Louisiana into a safe refuge for violent criminals who flocked to it from all over the young nation. This is how it happened. In 1803, the united States had paid France $15 million to abandon its claim to 828,00 square miles of land in the brand-new America. It was called the Louisiana purchase, but we TLD actually buy the land. America and France both claimed the land, and e paid France SSL 5 million to abandon its claim, leaving us as sole owners of the land.When the Louisiana Purchase was announced, Spain protested, saying France had no right to include a 5,000-square-mile strip of land in what is now Southwest Louisiana in the Louisiana Purchase. Spain said the land had been found by Spanish explorers and claimed for Spain. We argued that the Louisiana Purchase was history and we wouldn't try to change It. Spain said It wanted its land. The argument got hotter. When bo th sides hinted they might use military force to support their claims, lore but not wiser heads stepped in.The cool heads suggested that the disputed land be set aside and belong to nobody until ownership was decided by peaceful negotiation. Both America and Spain liked the idea. Thus was born the Neutral Strip. The disputed land being put aside was bound on the West by the Sabine River in East Texas. It was bound on the East by El Arroyo, the Spanish name for what is now the Calcifies River. It was bound on the South by the Gulf of Mexico, and on the North by the 32nd parallel, which was near Southeast in Red River Parish.The Neutral Strip included all or portions of the present Louisiana parishes of De Sotto, Sabine, Nuthatches, Vernon, Rapider, Beauregard, Allen, Calcifies,Jefferson Davis and Cameron. The rules or the Neutral Strip were simple: I For whatever time it took to peacefully negotiate ownership, the disputed land would belong to nobody. I Nobody would be allowed to liv e on the disputed land, which would also be off-alms or anyone In the military or law enforcement. I Since the Neutral strip would have no Inhabitants, there was no need for laws, ordinances, ales or regulations.The Neutral Strip opened in 1806, and the response was immediate. The strip became known as No Man's Land, and it seemed that every criminal in our young nation heard of it and moved into No Man's Land. Squatters took over land uninvited. It seemed that anybody who asked got grants from Spain for small tracts of land. Runaway slaves sought refuge there. Convicts who escaped from prison disappeared Into No Man's Land. So did military deserters , criminals sought for smuggling contraband goods, murderers, robbers, counterfeiters and rapists.Bands left No Man's Land to rob trade caravans, then disappeared again in No Man's Land. Other bands left long enough to rob homes and businesses before returning and melting into the lawless crowds in No Man's Land. Even joint military uni ts hesitated before entering No Man's Land. Two raids, in 1812 and 1816, netted few arrests and caused little Interruption of criminal activities. Inside the strip, there Land kept loaded guns in their houses. A curious mind-set developed that was copied years later by lawmen in some cities.The feeling was that having the worst elements of society gathered into one area created more safety in other parts of the city or parish. The same mind-set that led to red light districts and allowed criminals to congregate in specific areas of a city or parish. There were several roads across the 50-mile width of the strip that retained the Spanish names of Camino Real (Royal Road) which became routes of terror for traders. Some traders skirted No Mans' Land to the South by using schooners to carry goods to Galveston and other Texas ports for distribution.To the North, traders skirted No Man's Land by going through upper Red River Parish. After 13 years of crime and violence in No Man's Land, r elief came from an unexpected source. The Adams-Ions Treaty of 1819, known as the Transcontinental Treaty, was a pact between the United States and Spain. It was mainly directed at Florida. Under the agreement, we paid Spain $5 million and Spain withdrew its claim on Florida. In what was considered a lesser clause in the Transcontinental Treaty, Spain also gave up its claim on any land in Louisiana. With that silent stroke, No Man's Land died.

The Medici Effect Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Medici Effect - Case Study Example Despite the fact that all the ideas he develops do not materialize all the times, the truth is that the ideas exist. After analyzing this person, I have concluded that the main opportunity for the person or group in the case, is the nurturing of the Medici effect, which in real sense is taking the opportunity of intersecting disciplines and cultures, and combine the existing concepts as presented by those cultures and disciples, to come up with a wide range of extraordinary ideas (Johansson, 7). The example that Johansson has given is that of the Medici family that created an intersection of cultures and disciplines through funding various kinds of experts such as poets, philosophers, painters, artists, sculptors, scientists, and architects, who in turn came together to learn and discuss from one another (Johansson, 3). Through learning, they intermarried the ideologies, perspectives and concepts to come up with a range of newly creative ideas that broke the barriers between the disciplines, and thus charted the way for revolution, growth and immense developmental advancement. To take advantage of these opportunities, I suggest that a person or group of individuals should focus on multidisciplinary integration, which entails integrating ideas from various disciplines and cultures, as opposed to isolating the disciplines and learning them independently. This is because, teaching the various disciplines differently gives rise to directional ideas, which follows a similar and common path (Johansson, 163). However, while allowing various cultures and disciplines to intersect while being studied, an opportunity arises where an individual or a group of people can generate an idea that is a hybrid of the various cultures and disciplines, which charts a new direction of development, allowing the individual or a group of individual to generate an idea that is of their own. The creation of a novel idea then generates followers, and makes the