The values and attitudes in Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

The values and attitudes in Great Expectations Essay The text Great Expectations by Charles Dickens reflects many of the values and attitudes of nineteenth century England. The terms values and attitude are somewhat linked, and are both an integral part of the context of this novel. There was a great divide between the classes at the time of Great Expectations, with each class having its own stereotypical views. This difference led to crime in the city, which served the need for better punishment, as the justice system was quite arbitrary. Attitudes towards the difference between city and country life were also changing with the coming of Industrialisation. Each of these values and attitudes are depicted in the novel through the use of various techniques, such as imagery, characterisation and irony. During the Victorian Era great differences arose in relation to attitudes towards class. The lower classes were seen as raucous and rude, while the upper classes maintained the image of high moral qualities and social status. It is this difference in Great Expectations which allows Compeyson to get away with a lighter charge than Magwitch for the same crime, simply because he was in the upper class. Magwitch is first characterised through a slight caricature as a fearful man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones. Nevertheless, there was a growing criticism towards the upper class during the century especially with the rapid growth of the middle class, and societys attitudes and views towards them changed. This is shown in Great Expectations through the use of irony and characterisation of Compeyson and Drummle, who are initially seen to be in the upper classes of society. Ironically, both are drawn in parallel and are characterised as morally corrupt, as Drummle mistreated his wife and Compeyson was involved in crime. Dickens is suggesting here that some of the upper class in the Victorian Era were no better than many of the lower class civilians. Money was also an important value and crucial aspect of class during the time of Great Expectations. We can see how much Magwitch valued class and wealth by his attempt to buy Pip into an upper class so that he (Pip) would have enough money to relax and enjoy a wealthy life. Indeed, the idea of a convict making someone rich is an example of situation irony constructed by  Dickens into the plot. Through character development and the narratorial perspective of the novel, we then see how Pip believes that this will allow him to escape his lower class and marry Estella from an upper class, perhaps now she would think twice about me. However this merely leads Pip to snobbery and a wasteful life, and we see how he eventually returns to his lower class. Pip had false expectations and allusions about class, and hence, Dickens has shown that money is not the only barrier between classes, as Pip was for the most part unsuccessful in making the transition. As crime escalated in the nineteenth century the need for an improved legal system arose, however the justice system proved to be quite arbitrary. Those who fell into the arms of the law received little mercy harsh retribution was the stock-in-trade of a perverse, tyrannical and unforgiving legal system. One of Pips first encounters in London, with the minister of justice is an example of symbolism, exceedingly dirty and partially drunk, indicative of the corruption of the legal system and the many injustices to come in Great Expectations.. An example of this injustice of the justice system in the novel can be through the character Jaggers who fixes up evidence to win cases. This is reflective of society at the time, where people with more money could buy justice by hiring pricy lawyers such as Jaggers to manipulate the case for them. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that Jaggers washes his hands after every trial, which signifies his guilt of causing injustice. This can be viewed as a literary allusion to Lady Macbeth, where in the play Macbeth she tries to wash her hands clean of the blood that she spilt during murder, feeling a guilty conscience. Further corruption of the justice system can be seen through the influence of class. In Great Expectations, this is evident when Magwitch gets a harsher punishment than Compeyson for the same crime. In spite of this, a natural justice is served in the end as ironically, everyone who had committed a crime was duly dealt with, although they may have avoided it earlier. Orlick was captured and imprisoned after attempting to murder Pip, while Compeyson was drowned. This use of dramatic irony by Dickens emphasises the importance of justice as a value at the time of the novel. Another important attitude at the time of Great Expectations was the growing difference between the city and country as a result of the onset of industrialisation. As the cities grew they were seen as exciting and dynamic, so many of the city dwellers looked down at the country. However Dickens caricatures city life as polluting, and full of corruption. This is achieved again mainly through focusing on Pips character development as he moves from the country to the city in the hope of becoming a gentleman. Towards the beginning Pip is depicted as innocent and untainted by city corruption, however as he grows up he becomes selfish and snobbish. The difference is clear the city. When Pip first arrives in London, the difference between city and country life is duly emphasised by Dickens through descriptive imagery and caricatures, filth and fat and blood and foam seemed to stick to me. The images of criminals being executed and the sickening smells of the rotting meat in the markets tha t are described by Pip reflect the attitudes held towards the city by many of the people of the time, this was horrible, and gave me a sickening idea of London. Dickens has reflected many of the values and attitudes of the time in Great Expectations, with various stylistic techniques such as irony and characterisation assisting in emphasising their importance both in the story, and in society.

Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Catcher in the Rye Essay The story takes place in Manhattan and is about a young boy named Holden Caulfield, it is about the learning experience that takes place and how an immature child tried to come to terms with multiple problems. In J. D. Salinger’s bildungsroman, Catcher in the Rye, Salinger utilizes the symbols, the red hunting hat; Allie’s catching mitt, and the ducks in central park to portray the theme that it is impossible to preserve natural innocence. Salinger utilizes the symbol of the red hunting hat to portray Holden’s loss of innocence and travel into adulthood. Firstly, when Holden is first mentioning the hat, â€Å"It only cost me a buck. I wore it, I swung the old peak way round to the back-very corny, I’ll admit but I liked it that way. † (17) Holden is talking about how he bought the hat and just wears it to express his own personality and recognizes that he likes to wear it in different ways. When he is explaining why he purchased the hat, he is trying to make people understand, he is constantly looking for acceptance from his peers and others, yet at the same time he tries to push people away by wearing the hat. This helps show that Holden is on his path to trying to figure out how he can stop the inevitable loss of innocence. Secondly, while walking down the street in the cold Manhattan weather, â€Å"My ears were nice and warm, though. That hat I bought had earlaps in it. And I put them on-I didn’t give a damn how I looked. Nobody was around anyway. † (53) As Holden is walking down the street, all he cares about is what he is feeling at that moment, just trying to stay warm and comfortable not caring about what others think. One can infer here that Holden doesn’t care too much about what others think, while this could be a facade to what he really feels inside, he tries to portray himself not caring about what others think and just wants to be happy. This continues to portray his path down the loss of innocence because as he starts to realize other people’s thoughts matter, he understands that he must give a little for the acceptance of others. Finally, towards the end of the novel when Holden angers Phoebe, â€Å"She wouldn’t answer me. All she did was, she took off my red hunting hat-the one I gave her- and practically chucked it right in my face. Then she turned her back on me again. It nearly killed me. † (207) Phoebe is angered by Holden’s immaturity and his lack of caring for others and crushes Holden’s last spirits toward innocence. With ties to the last person in the world crumbling, Holden begins to finally question his stance on life and must decide whether or not he is going to try and salvage the last relationship or completely isolate himself. Holden realizes that by his sisters actions and her disregard of the hunting hat, that he must grow up and this starts a chain reaction within him that could be a cause of his breakdown but it is unknown, Holden finally comes to terms with this loss of innocence and realizes that there is nothing that he can do to stop it. Allie’s catching mitt is also used in the portrayal of the loss of innocence in Holden and the characters around him. We are first shown the mitt when Holden is doing the composition on the catchers Mitt, â€Å" He had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere†¦he wrote them on it so that he’d have something to read when he was in the field and nobody was up to bat. He’s dead now. † (39) This is the first time the reader sees Holden tear up and let some of his emotions get the best of him, he is talking of his dead brother Allie who meant a lot to him. One can infer that this was one of the more important relationships that Holden had and the loss of this relationship causes Holden to feel a series of symptoms and change the way he interacts with people. With the death of his brother Allie, Holden experiences for the first time, the lost of a loved one, one of the few people that he makes attachments with and this causes him to try and preserve the innocence within other children and even adults that he meets on his journey. The next time we see the glove, Holden is recollecting his past memories of Jane, â€Å"She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie’s baseball mitt too, with all the poems written on it. † (77) Jane was another person who Holden allowed himself to get close to; he shows this by showing Jane his brother’s mitt. Holden is trying to get Jane close to him so that he can have someone in his life that is pure and cares about him, by showing her the mitt; he is revealing a part of him that no one outside of his family knows about. He sees the innocence in Jane and wants to try and preserve it; he wants to get close to Jane to keep her out of the adult world and not allow her to be corrupted by the world around her. The final time the glove is mentioned, Holden is having a flashback on when D. B. ants to prove a point, â€Å"â€Å"He made Allie go get his baseball mitt and then asked him who was the best war poet, Rupert Brooke or Emily Dickenson. Allie said Emily Dickenson† (140) This is one of the only times we see Allie alive and the whole family, besides Phoebe, together. Allie’s innocence is portrayed through the glove, when D. B. asks him which WWII author was better, one that was in the war or one that never saw a day in the war, Allie answers with the latter. This can be int erpreted as Allie seeing how the other author was not corrupted in the war and her work was more pure.

Western Art Music | Analysis

Western Art Music | Analysis Western Art Music Western practices define art music as a musical tradition that is basically written, not transmitted by rote or in any recordings but preserved in the form of music notation. This art evolved prior to renaissance period in Europe and matured in romantic period. We can define the identity of an art work by its notated version. Earlier, the European art music was derived as a part of the traditional music. We can say that the art music concept refers to authentic and creative music. Here, I am going to describe the three famous western art music composers, who belong to the different historical periods. They are Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1824) and Alban Berg (1885-1935). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Johann Sebastian Bach was born in year 1685 in Eisenach and was a craftsman. His father’s name was Johann Ambrosius Bach. He was an organist at St. Georges Church. His mother’s name was Maria Elisabetha Là ¤mmerhirt. His father Ambrosius taught him how to play violin and harpsichord. His relatives were professional musicians. Their posts ranged from church organists and musicians to composers. His uncle taught him the art of playing the organ. He was proud to his family’s achievement. His mother and father died in the year 1694, when he was only 10 years old. After his parents’ death, he moved away with his elder brother to Ohrdruf, where he learnt music (Geck Hargraves, 2006). His era was characterized by presence of composers who created work on the demand of employers. Bach focused on the different flavor of the music. In Weimar, as a court organist, he successfully produced organ works, and created music as desired by his patron who was the composer for the Prince of Anhalt-Cà ¶then. In Leipzig, Bach held the most long term and important position as a cantor in Church of St. Thomas. It should not be surprising that in this period, he wrote great church music. The demands from employers helped him to create work under various genres. He did work on sacred vocals that consist of 200 cantatas of church; other works consist of 20 cantatas which were under Secular vocal. Apart from this, his works comprise of music based on Orchestra, including 4 suites of orchestra, 6 Brandenburg Concertos, and for 1, 2, 3 and 4 harpsichords. 6 sonatas and partitas formed the part of unaccompanied violin under Chamber music. Bach Also composed key board music, which includes 2 volumes of Das wohltemperirte Clavier. Among the suites composed there were 6 French Suites, 6 English Suites, etc. In the field of organ music, he made contribution in about 150 chorale preludes, fantasias, toccatas, preludes, and fugues (Wolff, 2000). Bach had the quality of a student or an emulator. The music of his contemporaries constantly surrounded the composer. His study into their music gave an insight to him about the wide variety of personal and national styles as he was often engaged in the re-arranging of these pieces into different instrumental combinations. This was the unique work, which he carried all through his life thus integrating them into his own ideas. Bach had deep faith in his religion. Even his Bible was filled with various annotations and comments. These religious feelings can be very well felt in his music, which frequently strikes the listeners’ heart. Bach liked completeness in every task he did. His various works seem to move forward to attain completeness by exploring each imaginable possibility. The examples showing this attitude are two of his collections of preludes and fugues. In preparing them, Bach had made use of every possible major and minor key combinations. But this encyclopedic quality came out in his final works only. His mass in minor is a summation of his sacred style, which he redrafted from his previous pieces. Thus, to conclude, we can say that his music was unique because it constituted the human element in it (Williams, 2004). Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1824) The second composer chosen by me is Ludwig Van Beethoven. He was born on 16th December 1770, in the German town of Bonn in a musicians’ family. His father and grand father were also musicians. Till the age of eleven, his father acted as his teacher but after that he went under the guidance of the court organist C. G. Neefee. As soon as he reached the age of twelve he deputized Neefe. In this period, his first music notes were published. He remained the assistant of Neefe till the year 1787. Soon after this, at the small age of seventeen he went to Vienna. This time his visit was very short because of his mother’s illness. After five years, in 1792 he finally went to Vienna to earn his living (Powell, 1995, December). From the year 1792, he started learning composing and counter pointing under the able guidance of Salieri, Haydn, Albrechtsberger and Schenk. He simultaneously tried to establish himself as a composer and pianist. From the year 1800, Bethoven was trying hard to master the high classical style, so that he could impress the town Aristocrats. With the passage of time he was successful in establishing very good relations with them. These relations helped him secure his income for living. By the year 1809, the princes of the state, Prince Lobkowitz, Archduke Rudolp and Prince Kinsky were impressed by him and had guaranteed him yearly income. This period denoted the â€Å"early period† of his life (Cooper, 1991). From the start of the middle period, i.e. from 1809 to 1813, he enhanced and developed his high classical style into a more individualistic and dynamic style. By this time, he was able to write piano concert Nr.5, symphonies Nr. 3 – 8 and many other chamber music. At the negative side of his life, he came to know that his hearing power was being lost with the passage of time. This hearing impairment also broke his relations with the lady whom he loved. By the year 1812, his performances came to stand still because of his ailment. It was difficult for him to even handle public interaction. Some of his remember able music compositions were Symphony No.5 in C minor; Symphony No.9 in D minor â€Å"Choral†; Piano Sonata No.30 in E minor, first movement; Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor â€Å"Pathà ©tique†, Adagio cantabile and Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp minor â€Å"Moonlight†, Adagio sostenuto (Stanley, 2000). He lost his brother in the year 1815. After this, he tried to be in the custody of one of his nephew. Bethoven was now harassed on the matters related to this nephew. His relations with his nephew were also getting worse and he was unable to handle these circumstances; as a result, he tried to commit suicide in the year 1826. This period is also known as the late period of Bethoven’s music career. Having a fight with all these struggles along with his poverty, Ludwig Van Beethoven left the world on March 26, 1827. In the end, a brief summary of his life long contribution can be summarized year wise as following: 1800: His first Orchestral symphony; 1802: Orchestral symphony no. 2; 1803: No.3 â€Å"Eroica† orchestral symphony; 1804: a triple concerto (piano, violin, and cello), piano sonata Op.53 â€Å"Waldstein†; 1805: 1 opera, Fidelio; 1806: No.4 orchestral symphony, 1 concerto for violin, piano sonata Op.13 â€Å"Pathà ©tique†; 1808: No.6 â€Å"Pastoral† orchestral symphony; 1812: No.7 8 orchestral symphony;1816: song cycle â€Å"To the Distant Beloved† (An die ferne Geliebte); 1823: Choral music including Missa solemnis; 1824: The final â€Å"Choral† orchestral symphony (Cooper, 1991). Alban Berg (1885-1935) The First composer that I have chosen from contrasting historical periods is Alban Maria Johannes Berg. He was an Australian composer and was from the period of 19th century. Alban Maria Johannes Berg was born on 9th February, 1885 in Vienna. His father’s name was Conrad Berg, who was a positioned sales executive in the export trade. He belonged to Nuremberg but shifted to Vienna in the year 1867. His mother’s name was Johanna Anna Berg. Alban’s maternal grand father was a Viennese citizen (Bruhn, 1998). Conrad and Johanna Berg had four children. The eldest of them was Conrad. Charley was his second brother and he followed the steps of his father. Alban was third Child of his parents. The fourth Child was Smaragda. Smaragda and Alban were very close to each other (Perle, 1980). Alban’s mother Johanna was very vigorous and energetic person. Alban learnt more from his father rather than his mother. When Alban was a child he was more interested in literature rather than music. He began to compose when he was 15 years old. In the year 1903, he completed his education. Till the age of 19, he learnt the music on his own. In the year 1904, he became the associate member of second Viennese school Arnold and Anton Webern. He studied about counterpoint, music theory, and harmony with Arnold Schoenberg. He studied music for full-time by the year 1906. Alban met the singer Helene Nahowski, daughter of a wealthy family in the year 1906 (Perle, 1980). In the year 1907, he became composer. He also inscribed songs, which included his Seven Early Songs; three out of which were Bergs first openly performed work in a concert. This also featured the music of Schoenbergs pupils in Vienna. Arnold Schoenberg seems to be the most prominent person in his life. He spent 6 years with Arnold. Till 1911, he worked and studied with him. Alban Berg used to admire Arnold Schoenberg as a musician and teacher. They remained close acquaintances lifelong. Both of them developed an idea of developing variation. Alban passed the idea to his students (Bruhn, 1998). The society in which he grew up was of very helpful nature. Alban’s social environment consists of the watercolorist Gustav Klimt, the author and comedian Karl Kraus, the architect Adolf Loos, the poet Peter Altenberg, and the musical group Alexander von Zemlinsky and Franz Schreker. In the year 1913, two songs of Bergs were on Picture Postcard Texts (Perle, 1980). The music of Alban explains and demonstrates better than any other individual composer. Alban engaged a lyrical and harmonic language that resemble to the romantic style. He was the most advanced composer of this style. For the work, Alban Berg moved from a rather tonal approach to a purely atonal style. Alban created a rich mix of styles and approaches which included the language that ranges from post-romantic to purely atonal, free mixing of popular and folk elements. Alban Berg’ romantic tonal works gave ways to growing atonality and to 12-tone composition. Alban’s other works included two string quartets. His work included the Lyric Suite in year 1926; Three Pieces for Orchestra in year 1915; Orchestral music which includes Chamber Concerto in year 1925. One of his works Lulu (Opera) remained unfinished due to his death. For 3 years, i.e. 1915 to 1917, Alban served the Austrian Army. In the year 1917 he started to work for his first Opera (Wozzeck). An opera is an art in which singers and musical group perform a theatrical work. After 1920, he started to teach private pupils of Vienna. Alban’s most appreciated work is his mournful Violin Concerto, quotations from historical tonal music which includes a Bach singing group and Carinthian folk song. Alban Berg passed away in year 1935 in Vienna, on Christmas Eve. He died of blood poisoning that was caused by an insect bite. He was 50 years old at that time (Schmalfeldt, 1991). Conclusion The study of these composers reveals that they have made significant contributions in the field of western art music. Though, they all have different inspirational background but still their work in the field of sacred vocal, orchestral suits are remarkable. For example Bach made great contribution as an organist in secular vocal and composed different suits of orchestra. Bethoven was the musician having both romantic and classical styles. He was a new composer of the new age with high energy. His involvement in controversies also made him the most interesting of all great composers. The work of Alban Berg includes the two operas. The first one was Wozzeck and the second was the Lulu. His intention behind this was to include the technique of composition, which means to give theater what belongs to theater. His aim was to compose good music to develop musical content of drama and to translate poetic language into music.

Human Error Essays -- Miscommunication, Shift Work

To err is human. Throughout everyday life, human error is around every corner. Human error is defined as, â€Å"a mistake made by a person rather than being caused by a poorly designed process or the malfunctioning of a machine such as a computer.† (Encarta, 2009) To simplify this definition, people make mistakes. Human error may become apparent in the form of human behavior or conduct that can be categorized as undesirable, unacceptable, careless, inattentive, forgetful, reckless, harmful, a miscommunication, human performance that is extreme in variability or beyond the limits of that expected, or an inappropriate form of risk taking behavior. An error may be harmless, it may be detectable and correctable, or it may serve to predict future problems (Peters, 2006). Many references to human error are associated with high-profile catastrophes. The publics concern over these high-profile catastrophes puts human error in the spotlight. Some examples of human error catastrophes include: the Tenerife runway collision in 1977, Three Mile Island in 1979, the Bhopal methyl isocyanate tragedy in 1984, the Challenger and Chernobyl disasters of 1986, and the Piper Alpha oil platform explosion in 1988. While these catastrophes put human error concerns in the spotlight, the human error impact on manufacturing operations can be just as detrimental. All of the catastrophes that were described above happened on a night shift period of shift work. Shift work involves the alternation of teams of worker each working a certain â€Å"shift†, and who usually perform the same work duties so that operations can be continued for longer than allowed by any single worker. Shift work schedules necessarily require some workers to work for periods of ti... ...ng questionnaires to the convenience sample was the basis of the study. This data was collected for a three-week period. The questionnaires were evaluated and descriptive statistics via means and standard deviations were used to describe the effect on work performance. This study shows that all age groups are subject to exposure to physiological and psychological hazards brought about by night shift as indicated in their subjective response. It also shows that shift work is related to workplace fatigue and accident injury rates (Hayajneh, 2008). Throughout literature review it seems that most research and studies support the fact that accident rates and shift work are related. The studies that were examined as part of this literature review compare and contrast various sides of business functions with similar results in accident rates and shift work data.

Midway Plaisance Essay example -- Architecture History

Midway Plaisance The Midway first came to being during the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago as a bit of an accident. The world's fair scheduled for 1892 was pushed towards a higher standard than most others. The successes of the 1876 Philadelphia and 1889 Paris fairs drove the Chicago planners to produce something even greater. As stated by Richard Wilson, the Paris fair especially hit home for the Americans. The sheer magnificence of the buildings and exhibits made the United States look very backward indeed. While France and the rest of the Old World countries held their own with remarkable advances in art, architecture, and science, the U.S. appeared to be falling behind. America's relatively inferior showings didn't help to shake this harsh image. The U.S. was desperate for a new self-image. It needed an opportunity to establish itself as the superpower it felt it deserved to be. The Columbian Exposition gave the U.S. this chance. Fair organizers planned the fair on a grand scale. They gra vitated towards a solemn Neo-Classical style, as exemplified in the all-white Court of Honor, a style which represented order, tradition, purity, and grandeur -- all the things that America was trying to display. However, this new classical character impressed upon the fair's major buildings produced a conflict with a group of people that had already laid claim to the fair: the members of the entertainment industry. Even before the formal announcement of the Fair in 1890, requests for space from all sorts of vendors, musical and circus troupes, and restaurateurs. Amusement vendors had been set up at previous expositions, usually right outside the fairgrounds. There, they not only attracted more fairgoers than the regular exhibits... ...ighted crowds at Montreal in 1967. This endurance of the idea of the Midway is a testament to its charisma, its power, and the high place amusement holds in the eye of society. Bibliography Richard Wilson, "Challenge and Response: Americans and the Architecture of the 1889 Exhibition," in Annette Blaugrund (ed.) Paris 1889. American Artists at the Universal Exposition, Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1989, 93-110. Findling, John E. Historical Dictionary of World's Fairs and Expositions: 1851-1988. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990. Meehan, Patrick. "The Big Wheel." Chicago's Great Ferris Wheel of 1893. Rydell, Robert W. Fair America: World's Fairs in the United States. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000. Keefe, John Webster. Libbey Glass: A Tradition of 150 Years: 1918-1968. Toledo, Ohio: Toledo Museum of Art, 1968.

Handmaids Tale Essay -- essays research papers

Many of the principles of Gilead are based on Old Testament beliefs. Discuss Atwoods use of biblical allusions and their political significance in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ‘The Handmaids Tale’ is a book full of biblical allusions, before Atwood begins the text an epigraph gives us an extract from Genesis 30: 1-3 â€Å"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.† This principle from the Bible is used throughout ‘The Handmaids Tale’, the principles being that it is the idea of both assemblages that a women’s duty is to have children and that it is acceptable for a man to be angry if a women can not produce a child. Both these beliefs show that in jointly the Bible and ‘The Handmaids Tale’, women are completely defined by fertility and are classed as ‘walking wombs’. ‘The Handmaids Tale’ recreates the selected stanzas from the bible with Jacob, Rachel, Leah and the two handmaids. The tale is an Old Testament story about surrogate mothers, on which the novel is based. The section gives biblical precedent for the several practices of Gilead, by doing this it paves the way for Atwood to comment on patriarchy where women are undervalued and abused in all walks of life. The idea is also expressed later when we discover the ‘Red Centre’ governmentally known as the ‘Rachel a nd Leah Centre’. As the basis of the novel it is replicated many times throughout the text, for example, it is found in the family reading before the monthly ceremonies, and in Rachel’s plea ‘give me children, or else I die’. This clearly lays emphasis on the threat to the Handmaids life. By failing to produce a child, they will be classed as Unwomen and sent to the Colonies to die. Atwood, to coordinate with biblical references has employed a biblical name for the place where the book is set. Gilead is the name Atwood saw fit to call her town. The fundamentalist Republic of Gilead is named after a place in the Old Testament, a mountainous region east of Jordan. Gilead is closely connected with the history of patriarch Jacob, and the prophe... ...ical references, for example, the lords prayer in chapter thirty where she changes the ‘norm’ and asks for the things that she really wants. Just like the commander and the teachers of regime do in order to get what they want. â€Å"Now we come to forgiveness. Don’t worry about forgiving me right now. There are more important things. For instance: keep others safe, if they are safe. Don’t let them suffer too much. If they have to die, let it be fast. You might even provide a heaven for them. We need you for that. Hell we can create ourselves.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gileads official discourse is a hybridised rhetoric, which combines biblical language with traces of American capitalist phrases; for example, ‘in God we trust’ is the motto on the dollar bill. Marxism and feminism. It uses and abuses the bible in the same way as it uses the slogans of the liberal ideology it has overthrown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe Handmaids Tale’ is a blunt warning to modern society, Atwood underlines that all the points in her novel have occurred in the world previously, and if propaganda establishes itself it could take place again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Can a Criminal Be Rehabilitated Back Into Society

The purpose of this paper is to research the whole subject of criminals and their rehabilitation. This is a discussion of what society’s responsibility in this matter is and how to approach whether it is reform or punishing those who commit the crime. Should a criminal who claims insanity be rehabilitated into society? This is a common argument that many people find themselves wondering if such thing is possible when a heinous crime has been committed. It is stated that juries find for only about 20 percent of the defendants who plead insanity. Sixty to 70 percent of insanity pleas are for crimes other than murder. They range from assault to shoplifting. There are some opponents that attack the insanity defense for confusing psychiatric and legal concepts, in the process undermining the moral integrity of the law. During the 150 years or so the insanity defense has been and still is an issue in the U. S. within our criminal law and the medical psychology that have gone through many tireless changes in the criminal responsibility and the mental illness relationship. Ignoring this issue we may have steered away from an important source in our struggle with this type of defense. The United States Federal law states that insanity is a fair defense if at the time of the commission of the acts constituting the offense, the defendant as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the nature and quality of the wrongfulness of his or her acts. When invoking insanity as a defense, a defendant is required to notify the prosecution. In some states, sanity is determined by the judge or jury in a separate proceeding following the determination of guilt or innocence at trial. In other states, the defense is either accepted or rejected in the verdict of the judge or jury. Even if evidence of insanity does not win a verdict of not guilty, the sentencing court may consider it as a mitigating factor. The criminal justice system under which all men and women are tried holds a concept called mens rea, a Latin phrase that means â€Å"state of mind†. According to this concept, criminals committed who commit their crimes are oblivious of the wrongfulness of their actions. A mentally challenged person, including one with mental retardation, who cannot distinguish between right and wrong is protected and exempted by the court of law from being unfairly punished for his/her crime. Insanity, what does that word mean? I don’t have a clear cut definition for it but for most of us when we think of that word we think of someone mentally ill or just plain crazy. Does insanity makes us loose the thought of moral value and or our justification from right from wrong? It is stated that most socially recognized authorities such as psychiatrists, medical doctors, and lawyers agree that it is a brain disease. Let say it is a brain disease should we link insanity with other brain diseases like strokes and Parkinsonism? Unlike these two diseases, whose causes can be medically accounted for through a behavioral deficit such as paralysis, and weakness, how can one explain the behavior of crimes done by such criminals? Doctor’s and psychiatrists describe what they say insanity is a neurological illness explaining it to a jury a person's or in this case a criminal’s reason and behavior. It rarely excuses it. Insanity is now considered a legal concept not a medical diagnosis. The most widely known rule in the insanity defense refers to the M'Naghten rule which arose in 1983 during the trial of Daniel M'Naghten who pleaded that he was not responsible for his murders because he suffered from delusions at the time of that he committed the crime. The rule states that a criminal defendant may be excused from criminal responsibility if at the time of the crime, the person accused was laboring under such a defect of reason, from a mental illness, as not to know the nature and the quality of the act he or she was doing. The biggest problem I feel is that with the insanity defense is either examined from a legal angle or a psychoanalytical one which involves talking to people and taking many tests. These tests so far show no proof of confirming the causal relationship between mental illness and the criminal behavior based on a deeper neurological working of the brain sciences. Many doctors and or professionals seemed to find themselves in a double bind where with no clear medical definition of mental illness, he/she must answer questions of legal insanity- beliefs of human rationality, and free will instead of basing it on more concrete scientific facts. For example, let us use a case study to elaborate the argument that law in this country continues to regard insanity as a moral and legal matter rather than ones based on scientific analysis. Remember the insanity case of Andrea Yates which occurred in Houston, Texas in 2002. In March 2002, a panel of Texas jurors debated her fate. A devoted mother with a history of postpartum psychosis, hallucinations, and two suicide attempts, Yates admitted to drowning her five children in a bathtub. Prosecutors conceded that Yates was mentally ill but knew right from wrong and so was not legally insane at the time of the murders. Under the law, jurors could not be told that Yates would be hospitalized if she were found NGRI. The jury rejected her claim of mental illness, found her guilty, spared her the death penalty but sentenced her to life in prison. At least there Yates would be kept in protective custody because of her ongoing mental problems and possible threats from other inmates and unless she needed intensive psychiatric care she would eventually mingle with the general population at the prison known for housing some of the toughest, meanest women in Texas. Yates's symptoms are controlled by medication. How about rehabilitating the insane, is it possible or how are we the society should deal with this issue? Rehabilitation is based on the idea that the criminal violation resulted from inadequate socialization of the offender; it represents an effort to provide some counseling and practical training that can aid an offender and therefore weaken or remove the stimuli that led him or her to committing the crime. Can we just say that the person with the mental illness is not capable of being normal or distinguishing right from wrong so we should just lock them up and throw the key away? One might wonder if criminals use the insanity defense to escape punishment. After all a crime had been committed and therefore they too should be punished maybe not as a normal criminal but with the proper medical assistance needed for their behavior can be controlled. Some of these individuals can in fact be rehabilitated back into society by properly giving them the right medication and not just sending them to jail where they get no help. If in fact the insanity defense is successful the offender then is placed in psychiatric hospital or the psychiatric ward of a state prison which are secured facilities. Many offenders who plead insanity are nonviolent offenders, and most if not all will stay at the hospital longer than they would if they were going to prison if had been convicted of the crime that they were accused of. Again the insanity does not always bring freedom but indeterminate detention. The defense by which defendant argue that they should not be held criminally liable for breaking the law due to being legally insane when at the time the crime occurred. The defendants who attempt such defense will undergo mental examinations beforehand. There are four various insanity defense standards. The first is the M’Nagthen rule which the standard is whether or not he or she did not know what he or she was doing or didn’t know it was wrong. The burden of proof varies, from proof by a balance of probabilities on the defense to proof a beyond a reasonable doubt on the prosecutor and or depending on the state jurisdiction. The second is the irresistible impulse test which legal standard is if he or she could not control his conduct. The third is the substantial capacity test. The legal standard is if he or she lacks the substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or to control it and the burden of proof is beyond reasonable doubt and rests on the prosecutor. The fourth test is the Present federal law which indicates if he or she lacks the capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his or her conduct. The burden of proof is clear and convincing evidence and rests on the defense. The insanity defense shouldn’t be confused with incompetency. Individuals who are incompetent to stand trial are held in a mental institution until they are considered capable of participating in the proceedings. The insanity defense should also be kept separate from issues concerning the mental retardation. In the case in 2002 Atkins v. Virginia the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of the mentally retarded criminals constituted the cruel and unusual punishment and it was prohibited by the 8th Amendment. If a criminal is acquitted by reason of insanity then execution was not an option. The insanity defense has contributed to making the law more humane. The criminal justice system seeks to protect the public, with the main goal of the mental health system in treating and rehabilitating individuals with some sort of mental illness. Another issue is what critics contend that the insanity defense undermines the functioning of the criminal justice system. Wealthy defendants are able to hire experts and have the advantage over the indigent. The defense may be exploited by perfectly sane defendants who have the resources to conclude a credible defense. The wealthy defendant who pleads insanity usually hires his or her own medical team to be evaluated. This often leads to corruption in a rich man's trial, because the wealthy can afford to buy their doctor's verdicts. This is very unfair in that, the wealthy can afford to hire expensive doctors and defenses and are more likely to get off with a non-guilty verdict whereas the poor man or middle class man has less of a chance even if they are actually insane. This presents a violation of the very basic concept that all people, regardless of their wealth or social status, should be given the equal treatment they deserve when in a court of law, but that is not always the case. Some studies have shown that as many as 70 percent of NGRI defendants withdrew their plea when a state-appointed expert found them to be legally sane. Individuals in this type social status are using the insanity plea as a way to get away with their crime and not have to be punished. If a person is truly insane and cannot be counted on to know the difference between right and wrong, this should be seen beforehand by medical doctors, declared insane and then taken out of society's reach for the safety of the innocent. Those who are harmful to the public should be kept away, not as a measure of cruelty but for the one with mental illness they should get the proper care in a secure facility and once they are sane than be transferred to a prison facility. The law states that we have the same rights no matter what our social status is so therefore should get the same treatment. That is not always the case though. It is difficult even for doctor’s to really determine if the defendant really was insane when the crime was being committed. To really understand the nature of the insanity defense one must go back and look at where and how it started. In today's insanity cases, mental health experts, doctors, and scientists have important roles to play. They can inform the jury of the nature of the defendant's mental illness, the likeliness that the crime might be repeated, and whether the defendant may bring harm upon himself/herself. However, like any court case, there will always be divided opinions amongst the mental experts regarding the outcome of the case depending on whether they testify for or against the defendant. Dangerous mentally ill offenders should be confined appropriately to proper treatment facilities while receiving care. Mentally ill offenders I believe would be less of a financial burden to society since they would be able to return to society as productive members following their required treatment. Many mentally ill offenders would no longer be sentenced as if they had the mens rea required for committing the crime. Instead, mentally ill offenders would receive a constitutionally valid sentence that is proportional to their degree of culpability, thus accurately reflecting the criminal justice system’s notion of criminal culpability. References: Anniken Davenport (2009), Basic Criminal Law: The Constitution, Procedure, and Crimes, 2nd Edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Paul B. Weston & Kenneth M. Wells & Marlene Hertoghe (1995), Criminal Evidence for Police, 4th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Larry J. Siegel (2004), Criminology: Theories, Patterns, & Typologies, 8th edition, Belmont, Ca. Wadsworth/Thompson Kenneth J Peak (2003), Policing in America: Methods, Issues, Challenges, 4th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. References: Anniken Davenport (2009), Basic Criminal Law: The Constitution, Procedure, and Crimes, 2nd Edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Paul B. Weston & Kenneth M. Wells & Marlene Hertoghe (1995), Criminal Evidence for Police, 4th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Larry J. Siegel (2004), Criminology: Theories, Patterns, & Typologies, 8th edition, Belmont, Ca. :Wadsworth/Thompson Kenneth J Peak (2003), Policing in America: Methods, Issues, Challenges, 4th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Todd R. Clear & George F. Cole (2003), American Corrections, 6th edition, Belmont, Ca. Wadsworth/Thompson Frank Schmalleger (2002), Criminal Justice: A brief imtroduction, 4th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Todd R. Clear & George F. Cole (2003), American Corrections, 6th edition, Belmont, Ca. Wadsworth/Thompson Frank Schmalleger (2002), Criminal Justice: A brief imtroduction, 4th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.