Theory of Depression - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1767 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/04/15 Category Psychology Essay Level High school Topics: Depression Essay Did you like this example? Biopsychosocial Michael Peters was a 50 year old Caucasian resident at the Ed Thompson Veterans Center, a substance abuse residential rehabilitation facility for Veterans. Michael attended group sessions but didnt contribute to discussions or interact with anyone. He was very quiet and isolated a lot. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Theory of Depression" essay for you Create order Michael grew up in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He was the son of a substance abusing mother who had six children with six different men. His childhood was riddled with severe neglect and trauma. It became apparent to neighbors that Michaels mother was unable to take care of the kids, so Michael and two of his siblings were taken in by a friend of the family. He was a single man living alone and he was a father to Michael, the only stable figure in his life. He died when Michael was twelve years old. Michael was forced to go back to living with his mother, and thats when the abuse happened. A man in the neighborhood sexually abused Michael for three years; he would take him to a bar first and get him drunk. In treatment, without the use of alcohol to numb emotional pain, Michael was experiencing intense feelings of guilt and self-criticism. He was very self-critical of things he had done in the past: He was involved in a relationship which produced a child. He abandoned his son out of fear t hat he would do the same thing to his son that was done to him; that he would touch him the same way that he was touched. At the age of 19 Michael joined the military in search of a better life. He watched a man collapse and die in basic training. He snapped and was discharged without any grief counseling. After that his drinking and drug use escalated. Michael was married for thirteen years and raised three children. Although at the present he is estranged from his family. His drinking caused him to spiral downward; he was sleeping on friends couches, essentially homeless. He knew he couldnt go on this way and came for treatment. It was not easy to engage Michael in therapy at first. His tendency to isolate all his life makes him uncomfortable talking to people one â€Å"on- one. His low self-esteem and sense of inferiority were magnified by his perception of me being in a higher socio-economic class than him and being more educated. Michael grew up in poverty and had no educational aspirations. The neighborhood in Brooklyn where he lived did not espouse values of education and goal achievement. His mother was not a good role model for him. This added to his fear and anxiety at the beginning of our relationship. In actuality, we are all very similar. In my own life journey I have also experienced verbal and emotional abuse by my father. In my search for ways of healing I was very fortunate to have found a talented therapist who practiced psychodynamic psychotherapy. He helped me access my anger and express it in a productive way. I was enraged when I realized as an adult, how crazy my father was, and that I had believed everything that he said about me as a child. I had to work so much harder than most people to be a functioning human being in life. This anger was an integral part in my healing trajectory, it helped me find my voice and reclaim my personhood. I have also learned to allow and encourage my kids to express their anger towards me, and not suppress it. The open communication and expression of anger has helped in our relationship. I was interested in exploring the anger turned inward hypothesis of the psychodynamic theory of depression (Freud 1917). I wanted to find out if this theory has ever been empirically studied and tested. Does unresolved anger really cause depression? Anger has always been looked at as a negative symptom; I wanted to learn how unconscious anger can be surfaced and used constructively as a tool in the healing process of child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors. Proof of Theory Scott and Day (1996), studied abuse-related symptoms in survivors of childhood sexual trauma and they found that anger is one of the most prevalent emotional after-effects of childhood sexual abuse. Not surprisingly, Murphy et al. (1988) found that survivors of CSA had substantially more problems dealing with anger than non-abused controls. Interestingly, they also discovered that the correlation of CSA in women with re-victimization was directly mediated by self-blame. This shows that victimized women believe that they do not deserve to be in a loving relationship. Other studies that I came across tested whether anger directed towards the self is connected with depression: Brody et al. (1999) found more suppressed anger and hostility in individuals recovering from depression than in healthy controls, accompanied by a fear that expressing anger would destroy relationships. Becker Lesiak (1977) found that the severity of depression directly correlated with repressed anger, guilt, irritability and suspicion in clinic outpatients, but not with outwardly expressed anger. And finally, Kiefer and Wolfersdorf (1998) found that, compared with healthy controls, depressed in-patients had higher levels of inhibited aggression and repressed anger and hostility, but did not express aggression. Besides depression, repressed anger has also been associated with eating disorders, substance abuse, sleep disorders, anxiety, physical problems such as ulcers, the jaw joint disease and suicide (Blume, 1990). Michael has been suffering from deep and unbearable pain his entire life since the CSA. He told me that he attempted suicide several times in his life, once he tried to hang himself, and the belt snapped. He used alcohol to self-medicate, but it comes with many other problems. Researchers who studied anger experience and symptom formation have also identified extreme guilt and self- tormenting behavior as indicators of repressed anger (Blume, 1990). Michael feels very guilty about abandoning his son and has been tormenting himself his whole life. He has a very low self-esteem. I once asked him, What would you do to this man who abused you if you could find him today? He responded: I would kill him, because I know that he did it to other kids too. For these reasons, I believe Mi chael would benefit from exploring his repressed anger, reattributing it to the perpetrator and advancing personal growth and power. Psychoanalytic Model of Depression Since the beginning of psychoanalytic theorizing, many theorists believed that anger plays a big role in depression (Busch, 2009). I will mention a few of the important theories. The first to contemplate depression as self-directed anger was Karl Abraham (1911). He noticed that depressed patients had a predisposition towards hatred based on their temperament or early life experience. He believed that this excessive anger triggers guilt and anxiety, becomes repressed and projected onto others. As a result, the patient believes that people hate them and they are inferior, which in turn lowers their self-esteem and leads to depression. Subsequently, in 1924, Abraham added to this theory that individuals with depression endure anger and low self-esteem as a result of a traumatic rejection either in childhood or later in life (Busch, 2009). In Freuds (1917) perspective, depression comes from a fantasized or real loss of a person for whom the patient has ambivalent feelings. The patient in ternalizes an aspect of that person in order to deal with the loss. As a result, the anger directed at that person now becomes directed at the self, identified with that individual. This leads to self-criticism and depression (Busch, 2009). More recently, Dr. Frederick Busch, a Professor at Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (Busch et al, 2016) together with Dr. Mary Rudden (Rudden et al, 2003) developed their own psychodynamic model of depression based on theory, research and their clinical experience. They posit that individuals who are prone to depression are very sensitive to rejection or loss; called Narcissistic Vulnerability. This sensitivity develops early in life when a child experiences rejection, disappointment and powerlessness by parents or caregivers, which they perceive as proof of inferiority, unlovability and damage. This sensitivity becomes an integral part of their personality and identity as they grow up, shaping their psychological functioning. All failures, rejections or losses in life are viewed as additional proof of inferiority and damage. Besides feelings of unlovability and inferiority in childhood, rejection and disappointment trigger angry feelings at the per petrator of these painful experiences. In turn, this anger triggers guilt and activates defense mechanisms intended to shield the needed adult. That is how the anger becomes self-directed, further lowering self-esteem. This completes a full circle of Narcissistic Vulnerability and anger. The second layer to this theory is another vicious cycle, in which low self-esteem causes a person to compensate for their perceived defects by idealization of the self and others. We idealize our parents and find excuses for their shortcomings. However, these idealized expectations always lead to disappointments and devaluation of the self which further lowers self-esteem. Defense Mechanisms in Depression Depressed individuals attempt to manage anger unconsciously and protect the people they care about from angry feelings and fantasies by employing defense mechanisms. However, these defense mechanisms backfire and often exacerbate depression. Defense mechanisms associated with depression are: denial, passive aggression, displacement, reaction formation, projection and identification (Bloch, 1993). Denial keeps anger and hostility out of consciousness. This intensifies depression because anger becomes directed towards the self and is not used effectively to solve relationship problems. In projection, anger directed at others is denied and reversed as if the anger is being expressed by others directed towards the self. This leads to increased rejection and further lowering in self-esteem. In passive aggression, anger is expressed indirectly by avoiding doing what is expected by others. This causes others to become angry at the individual and worsens relationship problems. In reaction formation, anger is denied and replaced by over-compliance and attempts to help others. However, intrapsychic and interpersonal problems underlying the anger remain unaddressed and this fuels the rage even more. In identification, the person identifies and takes on the image of their abuser or aggressor who has made them feel disempowered. This is why some kids who were abused grow up to be abusers. It gives them feelings of power and being in control but it also makes them feel guilty. Sometimes anger can also be externalized through displacement, usually at subordinates like children. Its easy to yell at children or physically punish them but they become hostile to the parent (Bush, 2016). Adding to all of this is dissociation. Dissociation is a defense mechanism employed by victims of trauma and sexual abuse, to protect them from the psychological effects of trauma. It unconsciously changes the cognitive framework of a persons reality (Braun, 1998).

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun - Society and...

Society and Family in A Raisin in the Sun We can learn a great deal by observing a given moment in history. The politics, fashion, and religion of a given society reveal the inner workings of the individuals that combine to make the society functional. While every society is different and unique, there are universal themes that apply to every society; the need to eat and sleep as well as the concept of family exist in all societies. In Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun, we are witness to the common drama that occurs within a family set in a specific historical period. Much of the political action that occurred during the time described within this play is specific to the era which it portrays. In†¦show more content†¦Dorothy Dandridge, who only three years later became the black Goddess of Hollywood through her role in Carmen Jones, was still struggling to overcome racial stereotypes (A E ). The Korean war was in its second year, 70% of all American troops were in active duty, (Archer) and the armed forces still had segregated troops (Carlisle). In all, it was a turbulent time, and it put in motion ideas and beliefs that sparked the civil rights movement of the sixties. In the first act of the play, the characters display a wide variety of emotional tensions. We can see from the dialogue between Ruth and her husband Walter that their relationship has undergone a period of stressful transformation. Even in the opening narration, the author describes Ruths face as showing ...disappointment...that life has been little that she expected...(Hansberry 1382). The entire family lives together in a two bedroom apartment, the furniture described as well worn, and the common living area, which houses the kitchen as well, is wear(y)...[with]all pretenses but living itself having long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room(Hansberry 1382). The picture we see of the living arrangements and conditions of this family give us a hint not only of their economic standing, but of their emotional states asShow MoreRelatedA Raisin Review673 Words   |  3 PagesA Raisin Review Kenneth Hawthorne English/125 3/15/2016 University of Phoenix A Raisin Review â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or faster like a sore and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode†. (Langston Hughes, Harlem) The author Lorraine Hansberry was born May 19, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. Lorraine Hansberrys writing style is autobiographicalRead MoreSummary Of Lorraine Hansberry 1486 Words   |  6 PagesLorraine Hansberry, born May 19, 1930, made a very prominent contribution to society in her short lived life. She was born to a middle class family as the youngest of four children. Her father was a successful real estate broker who also founded one of the first Negro banks in Chicago (Adams 247). Lorraine’s mother was a schoolteacher named Nannie Perry who later became a ward committeewoman. In 1938, Lorraine’s father took a stand against the real estate covenants in Chicago due to the fact thatRead MoreThe Great Playwright s Life Story2415 Words   |  10 PagesBefore the relatively short life of Lorraine Hansberry tragically ended, the African-American playwright distinguished herself in American theatre and literature as she creatively and unknowingly challenged the views of African-American life, among other inescapable issues of the nation and the world, on the theatrical stage. The great playwright’s life story began on May 19, 1930. Although born during a time of hardship introduced by the Great Depression, Hansberry grew up rather comfortably inRead MoreRacial Identity in A Raisin in the Sun: Who Am I?1102 Words   |  5 Pagesproviding a perverted rational for justifying segregation (Pilgrim â€Å"Mammy†; â€Å"Tom†). So when Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun (1959), confronted the issue of segregation through th e lens of an African American family living in Chicago’s Southside, the Caucasian audience’s widespread acceptance of a family who was â€Å"just like any other† (Nemiroff 9) appears ironic. Contrary to public perception, Raisin sought to convey â€Å"the essence of black people’s striving and the will to defeat segregationRead More Racism and the American Dream in Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun1340 Words   |  6 PagesA Raisin in the Sun is written by a famous African- American play write, Lorraine Hansberry, in 1959. It was a first play written by a black woman and directed by a black man, Lloyd Richards, on Broadway in New York. The story of A Raisin in the Sun is based on Lorraine Hansberry’s own early life experiences, from which she and her whole family had to suffer, in Chicago. Hansberry’s father, Carol Hansberry, also fought a legal battle against a racial restrictive covenant that attempted to stop African-Read MoreEssa y on Who Am I?: Racial Identity in A Raisin in the Sun1596 Words   |  7 Pagesa perverted rationale for justifying segregation (Pilgrim â€Å"Mammy†; â€Å"Tom†). So when Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun (1959), confronted the issue of segregation through the lens of an African American family living in Chicago’s Southside, Caucasian audiences’ widespread acceptance of the Youngers, a family who was â€Å"just like any other,† appears ironic (Nemiroff 9). Contrary to public perception, Raisin sought to convey â€Å"the essence of black people’s striving and the will to defeat segregationRead MoreAnalysis Of A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry1158 Words   |  5 Pages Welcome to Windham High School’s very own theater production of the incredible play A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry. To further understand the play please read the text below about the background of Hansberry’s life, living conditions in the era that the play took place, and reviews written about the play. Lorraine Hansberry was a playwright and a writer. She was born in Chicago May 19, 1930 in Chicago, and she grew up in the Woodlawn neighborhood in the South side of ChicagoRead MoreRacial Segregation, By Lorraine Hansberry1248 Words   |  5 Pagesmake the dreams seem worthwhile,† once stated by Lorraine Hansberry. Racial segregation has been a huge topic in our society. Believe it or not, just a few decades ago African American people did not have the basic equality rights that white citizens were given. Something as simple as having a dream to become an author seemed out of reach; even impossible some might have said. Living in this kind of a world was unfortunately a reality for Lorraine Hansberry. Growing up she lived in a world of racialRead MoreLorraine Hansberry s Life As A Whole1461 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"I was born black and female.† These two words black and female identified Lorraine Hansberry’s life as a whole. Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in Chicago. She was the third youngest out of seven siblings. Her parents contributed a large amount of money to NAACP and the Urban League, because of this Hansberry was never comfortable with her rich girl status, so instead she identified herself as â€Å"poor†. She was admired by the children who were so often independent and matured which she imitatedRead More Fighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and The Cosby Show1410 Words   |  6 PagesFighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and The Cosby Show The critical reception of The Cosby Show, an enormously popular television sitcom in the 1980s, roughly paralleled that of A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberrys highly acclaimed play of the 1950s. Both the television series and the play helped change the way Blacks are portrayed in the entertainment media. But despite being initially greeted with critical praise, both subsequently fell under heavy

Why Case Studies Free Essays

A case study is a snapshot from a moment in time when businesses are facing key decisions PURPOSE: Case studies are meant to expose students to business scenarios and problems as well as help students develop the methodology to solve those problems How to Approach a Case Study? Read the prompt/given questions Read the case. Take preliminary notes What is the core problem? Write it out in 1-2 sentences Read through the case again. Find 3 alternatives and jot down pros/cons Solution impacts Things to Think: Long term vs. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Case Studies or any similar topic only for you Order Now . Short term Risk vs.. Reward Processes/procedures Target Consumer Financial Viability Brand Image Fixed vs.. Variable Costs Profit vs.. Revenue Format of the Case Report Paragraph 1: Intro/Problem Paragraph 2*: Alternative 1 with pros/cons Paragraph Alternative 2 with pros/cons Paragraph Alternative 3 with pros/cons Paragraph 5: Recommendation and why that solution is the best course of action * Can be combined together to save space * 3 Alternatives are recommended but not required 12 apt. Times New Roman, 1†³ Margins Formal Paper (no â€Å"I†, etc. ) Should be an â€Å"Executive Summary/’ (I. E. How to cite Why Case Studies, Papers

Democracy Conceptual Political Ideology †Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: How To Democracy Is a Conceptual Political Ideology? Answer: Introducation Liberal democracy is a conceptual political ideology that combines notions both from democracy and liberalism. Much is debated on the subject of these two ideologies, but to understand the concepts, they must be first properly defined. There were various debates regarding the same but in order to understand the concept properly we need to define them in a proper manner. History has demonstrated that there were various forms of leadership in the country ranging from absolutism to democracy. In case of absolutism the country is run by one man who has the supreme power over the whole country, empire or kingdom whereas democracy gives power to the people. ( Daelington, 2017)Apart from that the political scientist have explained freedom as the most meaning word in a society which is organized. This also further states that each and every person has a birth right to be free and it is often induced by the legislative system. There were various parties which dominated the political scenario of Australia in past but in today's date the politics of Australia is classified under two party system. The Australian democratic system is liberal in nature and in the present date it has become more stable(UK Essays, 2017) In one hun dred years of Australian Government, Australia's report card in terms of parliamentary democracy is a mixed one. There is no doubt that, by and large, representative parliamentary democracy in Australia is strong and healthy. The franchise has been expanded across the century to include women, Indigenous peoples and people between 18 and 21 years of age. Today the Australian Parliament reflects itself through the public much more as it leads to growth of minor parties and independents; those who can beat and challenge the agendas of major parties with the inclusion of more women in the parliamentary system and also in the leadership positions. This scenario also indicates that the parliament is diversifying from its older concept although growth in this area remains very slow. Currently the parliamentarians are becoming more literate and improving their quality too .Majorities and executives are the ones who are dominating the parliament although the disciplines of the parties were made in past years as a part of Australian parliamentary democracy. They hold such a power that the government been elected choose their power from the majority for free .The weakness basically surrounds the accountability of the executives in the parliament and also around the shortcomings of main parties. On the verge of 20th century the parliament of Au stralia improved its position to hold the whole Executive and individual minister too with their accountability. The power remained with Senate itself. Although both the houses committee system improved to a great extent and the overall data and expertise was available with the parliament .Therefore it can challenge the executives in all the scenarios. Majority parties are very much disciplined but at the same time Executives keep dominating the parliamentary system since the beginning of parliament of democratic Australia. But with time they were rectified to a huge extent. The Australian parliament is although weaker as compared to executives and majorities but it is not irrelevant at any case (Australian Politics .Com ,2010) The following essay is an introduction to contemporary Australian politics describing the features which demonstrate it as unique nation. Australia apart from handling the institutional arrangements such as the executive, the parliament, the bureaucracy, federalism, policy making and the high court also takes care of activities of public in various social movements. The essay states the domination of executives in the parliament at all respects. In further paragraphs the essay will deal with the critical and key foundation concepts in the political science discipline. It will also show a detailed and clear understanding of Australian democracy. The executives are usually considered the arm of Australian government and they are also responsible theoretically to induce the laws which are passed by the parliament. Due to these factors immense power remains in the hand of executives in all scenarios as the judicial control is in their hand. The Prime Minister leads the executive government further it works for the service of the public in managing government apparatus..But at the same time we need to know that executives cannot implement laws which are easily passed by the parliament. Since the executive is derived from the parliament itself and it dominates due to discipline of the party. So in simple words the executives have the power to determine a policy but in most cases parliament debates. This system often demonstrates domination of executives which is considered completely outdated in the modern times. It is basically a result of 1000 yrs of absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy. Another instance of domination i s often demonstrated when practice meetings of executive councils take place with few ministers and Governor-General; these decisions are often rubber stamped in most cases (Thompson ,2000) This kind of policy directly affects the Australian Constitution. According to Ward (2010) A constitution can be considered as being a "social contract that sets out the agreed procedural rules that apply to the political system". The constitution of Australia was drafted by colonial politicians during 1890s further in 1900 it was legislated by British parliament. Basically it is denoted as a superior act on which parliamentary and federal systems of government are based. The constitution of Australia is integrated part of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act. The Act has 9 sections among which sections ranging between 1-8 contain legal rules and regulations of the establishment of the Commonwealth. The last one i.e. the 9th one derives Australian constitution which in total has eight chapters and 128 sections. (Xu Xu 2011) The Constitution of Australia is in written format. The elements of government in Australia are usually charged from the legal courts but the conviction i.e. the unwritten part is not as they are usually decided through the public opinion. The Australian constitution provisions statutes are usually entrenched which further means that they cannot be changed by ordinary law making process. Thus in Australia it is very much possible to amend the constitution but at the same time it requires a referendum. A general election in Australia can be called any time hence a particular election is usually called after a fixed term. But at times it can be conducted within short term. Therefore these practices let Parliament responsible to electorate a body. Thus we can say that democracy and liberalism is root of Australian constitution ( Museum Of Australian Democracy ,2017)One can witness consistent increase in size of the executive government in terms of proportions as well as numbers also in federal and state level. These traditions have become very much common and stable at the level of Commonwealth and they are continuing the same over almost all the states and territories. Thus it is the need of an hour to monitor the size and growth of executive government in order to maintain the independence of parliament across the country. References: UK Essays, 2016 .,The Australian Political System Politics Essay. [Online] Available at : https://www.ukessays.com/essays/politics/the-australian-political-system-politics-essay.php [Accessed 2 April 2017] Museum Of Australian Democracy, 2011., Australian democracy: an overview. [Online]Available at:https://moadoph.gov.au/democracy/australian-democracy/ [Assessed April 2 2017] Daelington, R , 'A short guide to Australian Political system,. [Online]Availbale at: https://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/Australianpoliticalsystem.html [Assessed April 2 2017] Thompson. R ,2000, Australian Parliamentary Democracy After a Century: What Gains, What Losses? . [Online] Available at : https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp9900/2000RP23 [Assessed April 2 2017] Australian Politics .Com ,2010 ., Executive Government:[Online]Available at: https://australianpolitics.com/democracy/key-terms/executive-govt [Assessed April 2 2017] Xu, L. Xu, Y. 2011, 'The comparative analysis of supply chain management in domestic and foreign supermarket chains', Computer Science and Service System (CSSS), 2011 International Conference on, IEEE

What means does Alan Bennett use to help us to understand the truth about Lesley in Her Big Chance Essay Example

What means does Alan Bennett use to help us to understand the truth about Lesley in Her Big Chance Essay Talking heads was a BBC drama television series produced in the late 1980s. The first six monologues were screened in 1987 and a further six were broadcasted in 1998. The monologues give us access to peoples most private thoughts. The individual tells their side of the story. Sometimes they reveal a lot more than they mean to, leaving the audience to investigate their lives further and piece together clues from what they say to create a character in their mind. Each monologue shows us a varied life. They are all melancholy and dramatic. These monologues also give us an insight of everyday British lives in the 80s. Her Big Chance is about young imprudent women named Lesley. Her obsessive career as a professional actress takes over her whole life so it becomes not just a job, but her world. She ends up being seduced by many men and manipulated into things she doesnt really want to do, leading to her acting in an abominable manner. The most tragic element being her acceptance of this treatment, believing it is part of her much admired career. These twelve monologues were written by Alan Bennett, born in 1934. He went to Oxford University and by 1960 he was at his prime. Aspects of Bennetts life can be found in his monologues. During the 30s Britain had a strong sense of community. The nation was hard working but was also male dominated. There were strict morals such as girls having to be married before sexual intercourse. We can see some opinions from the 30s reflected in Her Big Chance. For example, Lesley sees it as normal for men to push her around and abuse her. Bennetts early years were spent during World War Two. This harsh upbringing means he would have encountered shortages, caution, great fear and perhaps at times boredom. The audience will notice that young Lesleys life in the beginning is merriment and over exaggerated. This could represent what Bennetts childhood lacked, and the things he desperately wanted in his younger years. Bennett says at the begging of talking heads he has met many Lesleys, evoking the idea that the monologues are semi-auto biographies. The monologues were cheap to produce. During the 80s the BBC was cutting back their drama budget; therefore Talking Heads was the perfect series to put on air. The series was produced using just two cameras and each monologue took only six hours studio time to create. We will write a custom essay sample on What means does Alan Bennett use to help us to understand the truth about Lesley in Her Big Chance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What means does Alan Bennett use to help us to understand the truth about Lesley in Her Big Chance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What means does Alan Bennett use to help us to understand the truth about Lesley in Her Big Chance specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Compared to earlier high quality dramas, Talking Heads was a successful drama on a tight budget. Thatcherism played an immense influential role in peoples lives in the 80s. When Margaret Thatcher became the first women prime minister in 1979, the idea of community was beginning to break down. People became more independent. We see the feeling of independence in Lesleys character at times. The feeling of freedom spread and with it raised the divorce rate. Society became hard working but selfish. It was now believed that you could do anything if you tried hard enough. The idea of fame became exceedingly popular. Lesleys opinions and morals are linked to this reforming society and culture. She believes that if you give a lot you get a lot. She also thinks she is famous. Although the equal rights act being introduced a few years before Thatchers rise to power, Britain still held many aspects of a male dominated nation. We can see this when the men in Her Big Chance manipulate Lesley into doing things she is reluctant to do. However, she still obeys them. This drama is called Her Big Chance, but why did Bennett choose this title? I believe the purpose of this title is to mislead the audience. Bennett has used irony here to get our brains thinking about various meanings within the title. It holds many meanings and represents both Bennetts and Lesleys view of the situation in the monologue. When the audience first read the title, they presume this drama will be about a person, who has come across an opportunity that could change their life forever in a positive way. Once we have read the monologue thoroughly and understood Lesleys character, the titles hidden meanings are revealed. As we see in the monologue, due to her lack of understanding, Lesley always considers her role in the pornographic movie as a useful experience and never regrets coming across the job ( as we see when Lesley tells us shes glad she went to the party because thats how she got the part). So the title, if taken literally, represents Lesleys interpretation of the monologue. She really did see this as Her Big Chance and still does. However, Bennett could have written the title with the intention of a sarcastic meaning. This would be supporting both Bennetts and the audiences personal view of the situation. This wasnt really Her (Lesleys) Big Chance, his just making fun of her. This title gets the audience thinking like Lesley, in the beginning. By the end of the drama, we see the true Lesley, and think like Bennett. This is what happens in reality when we build a relationship with someone. Firstly we go by the persons opinion of them self. We then begin to find out their true personality and our view of them as they reveal more about their past and we watch their behaviour and interaction with others in general. Bennett begins this monologue with a dramatic and highly shocking opening. This rather bizarre comment by Lesley helps the audience understand more about her ludicrously stupid character. The first line she says is, I shot a man last week. In the back. I miss it now, it was really interesting. Its only the first line, and the audience has already been drawn in. I think Bennett wrote this cold and peculiar opening line to get the audience interested in this mysterious character encouraging us to read on and find more about this situation and this persons psychotic and sadistic personality. The word interesting evokes this image. The frequent use of fall stops and comers in this sentence builds up the tension even more so. However, the audience still have more unemotional and evil comments in store. This stone- hearted person then says Still, Im not going to get depressed about. Bennett seems to be turning the audience against Lesley by infuriating us and inflicting hatred towards her character. The idea that someone could be so heartless about a murder they just committed is almost unbelievable. She continues with the story, telling is more unwelcoming comments. Suddenly she talks about crossroads and her acting career, this disappoints the audience a little but without this opening, we would miss out on many aspects of Lesleys character. The audience see this being about a woman whose life is life is action filled and exciting. When we encounter Lesley getting a part in a pornographic, we are just bewildered; this was not what we were expecting after reading this opening about a cold-blooded murder. As we read further on we find out the truth, and the opening reveals some of Lesleys hidden characteristics. Lesley revels the truth about this opening. The audience see that this murder was acted out by Lesleys character, Travis, He spins round. Travis fires the harpoon and you see the spear come out of his back. This over exaggerated opening shows us Lesleys incapability of drawing a line between home life and work. She appears to be trying to intimidate the audience giving her the feeling she has authority over us, and all the characters in the monologue, reassuring herself. She is abused so much in the monologue, that maybe she doesnt want to risk being mistreated in this way again. She believes this threatening opening is the way to stop this. Bennett could also be trying to tell us that Lesley is ashamed; shes covering up and manipulating the immoral truth so it doesnt look as negative. Throughout the monologue, the audience will notice Lesley insulting other characters. Lesley rarely sees when she is being mistreated, but when she does recognise this foul treatment she snipes back with a harsh insult. Not only does she snipe when she feels bullied, but also when she feels her authority has been overruled by someone else. This can be seen when Lesleys water skiing role is given to another women. She tells us she is Pleasant enough, but doesnt look a bit like me (her), clearly bettering herself. She then makes comparisons between the new girl and herself. Im quite petite, only she is on the large side and whereas my hair is auburn, hers is defiantly ginger. Lesley emphasised the fact the new girl is ginger, which is clearly an insult. Its obvious Lesley is jealous of this woman for getting her much wanted role, because she is bettering herself by insulting her. If Lesley was really a professional like she says she is, she wouldnt be sulking about a small part like this. Bennett is showing us here her immaturity. Maybe Lesley has glimpsed the truth that she is not really a great actress and so makes nasty comments about the womens appearance, reassuring herself that although she may be the better actress, she has the better appearance. Lesley never, even at the end of the monologue understands her role in this movie. Bennett is showing us here her stupidity. At the beginning of the monologue when she is talking about the party, she tells us that shes glad I (she) did (went) because thats how I (she) got the audition This just sums- up Lesleys ridiculously stupid personality. She has had a week to think this over and still, she doesnt understand that she was used and manipulated into acting in a pornographic film. The director Simon asked to see her in her bra and panties They forced her to apply sun-tan lotion while topless, and yet has failed to see the film for what it is. But why? I believe that Bennett is not just showing her stupidity here, but her almost identical personality with Travis. Travis goes around topless and draws male attention, Lesley sleeps with three men during the monologue. This is just one similarity. Travis is abused by men in the monologue, Lesley tells us that Travis was hit my her boyfriend at an earlier junction Lesley is always mistreated by men, by saying you knew he was my boyfriend because at an earlier junction youd see him hit me across the face she is really telling us that in her eyes thats how men treat woman, and that its a fact of life. Could Bennett be highlighting the problem of sexist men in the 80s and how Britain was male dominated? Being so like Travis means that all of this seems normal to Lesley. There was nothing suspicious about having to act someone sleeping around and filming sexual intercourse scenes. Lesley does this in real life, sleeps around. As the audience sees, Lesley is constantly manipulated and abused such as the comment from Scot Lets face it, dear. Youre not used to working. Why dont you bring you knitting? and many other insults throughout the monologue. Lesley also tells us that Travis is a good-time girl, although you never see me having a good time. This is just like Lesley, she tells us about this part and how she shot a man in the beginning, but we never see her having any fun. This is why Lesley fails to see anything wrong with this film, she doesnt draw a line between acting and real life as Scot says to Lesley when she says it back to real life he replies some of us never left it. Showing, characters in the monologue also see this. This conversation also shows us that Lesley, although she constantly tells us she is, is not a professional. Professional actresses do not live their part. They dont go around sleeping with their directors like Lesley. However we can see why Lesley fails to see the film for what it is. If we was to get an acting job, and our character we played was like us, we wouldnt see anything wrong in it because we would be insulting our self if we said anything negative about the character. Lesley agrees with Gi nter that the film is very moral She wouldnt want to say it isnt because that would be calling herself immoral. Although that is exactly what she is, she wants to hide away form the truth, she only likes to hear what she wants to hear. Lesley manipulates information to help us understand more about her character. The audience can see Lesley manipulating information when she goes to a distant friends party. She tells us that she surprise(s) her friends by not being much of a party goer. She uses the excuse that she would rather curl up in a book The audience never see these friends and she gives no names, and it is clear that Lesley is extremely lonely and has no one. Lying in this way shows us she is ashamed and embarrassed of who she is and desperate to make new friends. She goes up to Spud as soon as she sees him. Why isnt she talking to her friends? If she had any she wouldnt have been on her own in the first place. She uses the excuse would rather curl up in a book, because she probably never been to a party. Lesley goes into so much detail about it that its obvious she is excited about it proving she has probably never been to one before in her life. Lesley being manipulated by so many men proves she is too trusting, but still thinks shes better than them. We can see this when she sleeps with Spud after the party. Spud and Lesley get talking about a film project Spud is working on. He asks Lesley if she is an actress, Lesley replies Interesting you should ask because as a matter of fact I am. The audience have just herd about her past experience on crossroads. She seemed interested in anything except acting out her part as an extra. Even this small role witch did not involve any speech, was too difficult it seems for Lesley to manage. All she spoke about was the layout and the props. This just proves to the audience she is not a Professional actress like she says she is. She is just an extra and she cant even sit and eat a meal. If Lesley was a professional she would have gone into detail with Spud about her possible role but she doesnt, evoking the idea she is far too trusting and an easy target. When Spud comes back, he tells Lesley that the director is seeing possible replacements at an address in west London. He tells Lesley that he is based in Ealing which is also west London. Although he has just pointed out, Lesleys stupidity has got the better of her and still hasnt worked out why Spud is telling her this. The audience by now are beginning to see what he is after. Lesley tells him that her stamping ground is Bromley for her sins. He replies with thats a fairish cry. Why not bed down at my place The audience automatically knows what he wants and now, so does Lesley. The audience are thankful and relived when she says Thank you kind sir, but I didnt fall of a Christmas tree yesterday, meaning I am not stupid. This quote can also represent Lesleys humorous language. These over exaggerated terms clearly show that Lesley is trying to appear well-educated and sophisticated. Maybe to gain authority over Spud? It seems that its a constant battle with Lesley too be better and higher than everyone, she does this through her language and snipes. But we and Spud see right through this. He covers this accusation up by telling her he has a son in hotel management and a daughter with one kidney and he has his sister-in-law staying. Most women by now would have walked away. Most people wouldnt even sleep at a strangers house. But this is Lesley, and she does. Then we are then told His vest had electrician all over it. She dont see the sister-in-law, and she comes up with the conclusion that she is still tracing around Olympia Why, didnt Lesley walk out when she noticed that these were all lies being told? This shows us both her stupidity and her trustworthy attitude are negative characteristics. Saying his vest had electrician all over it is heightening her status. She is associating him as a person from the lower class. Showing she feels guilty and needs to make herself appear better than him, even though she has just been tricked into having sexual intercourse with a complete stranger. This lack of understanding makes the audience cringe with embarrassment. Gi nter soon learns how to manipulate Lesley. Throughout the monologue he pressures her into doing many things she is reluctant to do. At the end of the monologue, Lesley asks Gi nter if she was Travis? And whether he was pleased with (her) my performance? Its the next line that revels and basically sums up Lesleys exceedingly foolish and immoral personality. Gi nter reassures Lesley that if someone is a bad actress (he) I cant sleep with them. The audience find this quotation exasperating. We have given so many chances to Lesley, forgiving her. However, she continues acting in this disgraceful manner. Here, Gi nter is manipulating Lesley with complements; once Lesley feels part of a group she will do anything. This shows the audience that what Lesley is really lacking, is the feeling she wanted. After this, she tells us Gi nter is a real artist even though she has just been manipulated for the third time into sleeping with a man. She usually insults men after they have tricked her. Gi nter is an exception, now she feels wanted by someone, she is nice to them. Lesley is so unintelligent that she fails to see what Gi nter is doing to her. Bennett has shown us here that Lesley will do anything if complemented. Bennett manages to get a serious message across, and still make this a comedy at the same time. He does this by Lesleys use of film parlance and pretentious use of language. Not only does it add humour into the monologue, it also helps us understand yet more about Lesleys complicated character. An example of unintentional humorous language is when Nigel says were cooking on gas. He says this as a metaphor. Lesley takes this literally and replies oh. I prefer electricity. By doing this Bennett is entertaining the audience and stopping us from feeling tedious. It shows us Lesleys persistent failure to understand everyday terms. Lesleys ability to slip in a few specialist film words in her everyday speech such as we slated for the part and we wrapped about six show audience that acting is part of Lesleys everyday life and is her only real interest. She explains what each term means. When she says (thats film parlance for packed up) she is patronising and insulting the audiences intelligence. Her ability to be able to slip in these technical terms s also tells us she is very dedicated her career. Bennett then makes the audience see this is not the case. When Lesley is talking about her experience on crossroads, we can see that acting is not her main priority. She discusses toilet and food preparations. She then wonders why people dont give her serious parts. The truth is she is not a great actress people just say it to win her over. The audience find Lesleys over exaggerated terms such as Thank you kind sir also quite amusing. This use of language clearly shows that Lesley does not get out much. This monologue has helped me understand more about the abuse everyday British women suffered in 1980s. By using these techniques, Bennett has revealed Lesleys darkest secrets and taught us her true personality. The dramatic opening shows the audience that women wanted to escape this treatment. They acted as if everything was fine and that they werent being mistreated by men. Lesleys character is representing many British women at this time. We feel sorry for Lesley at first, but her stupidity turns us against her. The monologue is quite upsetting; the audience laugh at Lesley because of her pretentious use of language and over exaggerated terms as well as all the characters. Sometimes we cant help but feel sorry for her. Its when she shows little sign of regret we start loosing sympathy. Even a week later she still doesnt regret being part of this film. Bennett defiantly succeeded at showing us this. He does in a clever way; he doesnt quote these ideas in directly but adds a few hints in throughout the monologue.

Messed essays

Messed essays Mines were developed to be capable of being dropped from aircraft. Even if they floated on the surface of the water, they could be placed in enemy harbours. Originally, contact mines were used which meant that the mine was to make contact with an object before it exploded. Boats, aircraft and submarines were all capable of laying mines. Eventually new technology was implemented where mines detonated before they came into contact with a ship. The mines were equipped with magnetic sensors with an adjustable sensitivity level. As ships passed by, they would go through the earth's magnetic field and concentrate it at that point. Mines would detect this effect and detonate. New methods are clearing mine fields involved using large electromagnets dragged behind ships and low-flying aircraft. This had minimal protection, therefore electrical cables were developed to be dragged behind ships, which passed a large current through the seawater. Guns played a vital role in battles during the Second World War. Machine guns were very prominent, and found in three categories; 1) light machine guns: they were generally used for offensive purposes against personnel and lightweight, therefore they could be carried by the soldiers. Magazines (containers for ammunition) were used to feed this weapon. 2) medium machine guns: these guns were generally used for defence and were mounted on large tripods. They could not be easily carried, but could fire large quantities of bullets for longer periods of time. 3) heavy machine guns: their primary use was anti-aircraft because of their good range and penetration. Although they were not very mobile and awkward. Bazookas received its introduction in World War II. Invented by Americans, it is a short-range weapon with low accuracy, and one of the first WWII weapons to use launch rockets. The bazooka was fabricated to be more portable and lightweight since it was being used by the infantry on the grou...

Client evaluation for Be Good To Go Research Paper

Client evaluation for Be Good To Go - Research Paper Example The company produces a nutritional health supplements that are geared towards helping people who travel to avoid constipation. Constipation among travelers is a common thing and many people who travel for relatively long distances using any means whether it is train, air, road or even water (ship) suffer from constipation upon reaching their destination (Westen 89). With the Be Good to Go products the traveler can travel safely knowing that they will reach to their destination and even further without having to fear about the issue of constipation. The products are capsules that people who are travelling can take. They come in pairs, one to be taken in the morning and the other in the evening after the parson has reached his or her destination. The mission of the firms is to make sure that people can travel contrary and without having to fear the age old problem of constipation. They achieved this by researching the issue and developing a product that when used properly will help the users to deal with the issue of traveler constipation. For Be Good to Go, it is almost hard to identify which industry or sector to place it. The first is that it not a public firm and scant information has been provided about the firm. However, given the nature of the products that the firm provides to its customers, it is only necessary to place it in the health and nutrition supplement industry. This industry has been regarded as the growth industry with regard to the fact that it is has a fast growing industry that will continue to grow at a very fast rate. The size of the Be Good to Go within this industry can be seen to be both big and small due t two main reasons. First, Be Good to Go has a unique sector in this industry, a sector which is a niche that not many firms have ventured into. In this regard, within this industry, Be Good to Go is a

Text and Image in Landscape Painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Text and Image in Landscape Painting - Essay Example The essay "Text and Image in Landscape Painting" discovers the nature of painting and analyzes text and image in landscape painting. This silk panel is filled with intricate detail, while it retains the impressionistic character of Chinese silk paintings. The brush techniques used allow the deposit of varying amounts of ink from different parts of the brush. The technique took many years of practice to perfect, especially in consideration of the medium and the canvas: ink from solid sticks and silk. The brushes were very soft and it was difficult to learn to control them. One can imagine that many many practice paintings were done before the various techniques were mastered. Chinese silk painting is not an art one can master overnight. It is easy to believe that the artists of the day, including Guo Xi, did extensive travel in order to investigate all the various landscapes around, and then, having once chosen one to paint, spent hours, or even days, contemplating the scene they were going to paint. It is obvious at close inspection that there are many layers to this painting, and knowing the characteristics of the block ink, it had to be done slowly, a little at a time. We can imagine that the artist applied layer after layer of almost transparent ink before daring to add any details with a drier brush. Guo Xi’s document begins with an appreciation of what such paintings can do for busy men, especially rulers and others with heavy responsibility. He also talks about the responsibility of the artist.

Arminian and Calvinist Views Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Arminian and Calvinist Views - Research Paper Example Christianity denotes a religious grouping that believes in God as a Supreme Being and Jesus Christ as his begotten son through which mankind receive salvation. â€Å"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and the only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have an everlasting life†1 Christianity as a religion has two major groupings, Catholics and protestants, which are further divided into numerous groups with different doctrines. The paper will explore Calvinism and Arminianism as two different views in the Christian fraternity and evaluate their merits. Nosorto states that, â€Å"There are several notable differences between the two theologies of Calvinism and Arminianism.2 Let us examine these two views to bring out the differences and to understand them. The term Calvinism was coined by John Calvin who was a close ally of Martin Luther for a long time before they parted ways due to divergent religious ideologies.3 Calvinism is a religious viewpoin t that holds five major pillars and each of the pillars have biblical backings. One of the pillars as documented by Nosorto is total depravity that states that, a man 1.International Bible Society. Holy Bible; New International Version. USA:International Bible Society Press,1973. 106. 2. Nosotro Rit. Calvinism and Armianism.Hyperhistory.net. 2010. http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw20calvinismarminianism.htm (Accessed April, 24 2012) 3.Norsoto does not have a freewill but only in accordance to his nature.†4 This is a proposition that man’s heart is naturally wicked and therefore cannot choose God. It is a belief that unless man is prompted by the Holy Spirit, he will remain wicked. This believes are supported by Jeremiah 17:9 that state that, the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. 5. This brings out the fact that man’s heart is wicked from creation and will remain so unless God intervenes. You cannot choose God because you are unclea n but God can choose you and cleanse you; this is the essence of total depravity and lack of freewill. On the other hand, Arminianism advocates for freewill. It argues that even though man is sinful in nature, they have the ability to choose to do-good or do bad. God does not impose decisions on human beings but gives them an opportunity to make their own decisions. These decisions do not depend on nature. This position is supported by John 7:17, that states that if any one chooses to do well then they will know that my teachings are from God.6 According to Coulter, other areas of divergent opinions between the Calvinist and Arminianist perspectives are on the election to salvation, where it is conditional in Arminianism and unconditional in Calvinist, limited atonement for Calvinism but universal atonement for Arminianism and irresistible grace for Calvinism and grace that can be resisted in Armianism.7 4. Norsoto 5. .International Bible Society. Holy Bible; New International Versi on,817 6. International Bible Society. Holy Bible; New International Version,112 7. Coulter B. Paul. Devine Sovereignity and Human Responsibility.Paulcoulter.net. 2011 Web 23 April 2012 http://www.paulcoulter.net (Accessed April, 23 2012) How do these views relate with God’s providence? What is providence? The word providence is derived from the Latin noun providentia, ‘foresight, forethought,’ and the related verb providere, ‘to provide for, take precautions for or against something.8

Social, economic and political factors of crime

Social, economic and political factors of crime For many, there is the belief that the existence of punishment is linked to the problem of crime, and that the extent of crime is the key factor in determining the level of punishment. But some of the most important sociologists (and penologists) such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Michel Foucault argue that crime is relatively trivial, and that the form and degree of punishment in society must be understood through its relationship with other greater social, economic and political factors. Karl Marx was a 19th century sociologist and economist whom were interested in the role punishment held in class-based social and economic regulation. He criticized the failure of penal theory to consider the social factors, especially economic inequality and poverty, which underlay criminal activity. Using this framework, others such as Georg Rusche and Otto Kirchheimer, in Punishment and Social Structure (1939), looked at the formation of different forms of punishment in the context of the labor markets fluctuating needs, from the Middle Ages through to contemporary society. For example, imprisonment serves as both a practical source of inexpensive labor for the state and, during periods of high unemployment, as a method of incapacitating dangerous offenders from doing public harm. These Marxist ideals influenced historical changes in penology in Western Europe beginning in the Middle Ages into the Mercantilist Era. During the early middle ages, there was a bot (betterment) paid by the criminal to the offended party which gave rise to the idea of compensation and a wite was a fine paid to the King. These fines were forms of tiered punishments that varied depending on ones socioeconomic class. For upper-class/freed citizens, punishment was given in compensation fines, but for lower-class/slaves punishment was much more brutal in the form of corporal death. These practices carried into the late middle ages and into the Mercantilist Era (1400-1700s). As middle-age feudalism declined, capitalism (as focused on by Marx) and international trade rose and expanded to new heights. These economic changes influenced the creation of new, wealth merchant class and the vagabond poor. Vagabonds were displaced workers from the former agricultural-run society of feudalism, who were now non-productive in a commercially dominant Western culture. This led to the widespread belief that work was to be associated with morality (17, BL). The poor, criminal vagabond social class we re exploited and sentenced as laborers. Karl Marx asserted that punishment could be used to force people to work as here in the case where vagabonds worked in galleys as reliable workforce, served in workhouses in Great Britain to help change and reform their character, and transportation where criminals were sent away for manual labor to help meet the needs of growing American and European colonization. Durkheim The Father of Sociology published several works during his time, however, none has had more impact than his book, The Division of Labor in Society written in 1893. Here he rejected the idea that punishment must break away from either vengeance or the emotional satisfaction it gives. Durkheim believed that the social function of punishment was to give effect to the moral and emotional outrage of a society whose norms have been violated by the criminal act. A criminal act is therefore identified as that which affects the communitys collective conscience; criminality serves as a way to explain the moral limitations of the social group. Punishment is the reciprocal effect of a collective moral outrage, creating and sustaining a type of solidarity crucial to the existence of a functional society. From these ideas arises Durkheims theory of social solidarity, as shown in his work The Two Laws of Penal Evolution, (1902) whereby he states that despite changing penal methods overtime , the underlying mechanisms and functions of punishment remain constant. Social solidairty insisted that rather than focusing on either the crime (or the criminal), one should observe the after-affect of crime on victims and the community as a whole. Offenders must be held accountable to these victims, and part of their penalty may involve direct restitution. The goal is begin a process of restoring the trust and solidarity that is broken by criminal activity by focusing on the social relationships that have been harmed as a result of crime. Durkheims scientific study of penology led to the conclusion that the severity of punishment was diminishing, and that solidarity could be broken into two categories: mechanical and organic solidarity. He called mechanical solidarity the solidarity of sameness which organic solidarity was made up of differences. The idea behind this is that organisms are made up of parts that serve different functions but manage to work together. In relation to society, Durkheim stated society was based on the division of labor, and is reliant on the communitys mutual dependency on one another. Although before the time of Durkheim, these same theoretical ideas can be seen in Colonial and Federalist America. This period included the early settling of colonists in areas such as Massachusetts and Virginia (17th and late 18th centuries), where society was dominated by the institutions of church, family and most importantly community. While religion played an important role in determining punishment, punishment was more so based on the social reaction to crime. Crime was religiously reflected as sin and as a moral matter of right versus wrong. Methods of punishment included fines (to victims most commonly), whippings, mutilation, shaming and banishment. Discipline and punishment held a significant role in social solidarity by publicly demonstrating rules, and expressing moral outrage over wrongful acts in a collective manner. These principles can also be applied to provide insight in the American Temperance Movement of the 1830s. As democratization increased as the nation expand ed economically and socially, religion still held a high importance that reflected in how crime was seen. Crime was viewed a moral disease, and more specifically alcoholism was becoming a national epidemic. The American Society for the Promotion of Temperance declared that, all temperate people should remain so and that the others should kill themselves off (50 BL). Alcoholism was collectively viewed as having a linkage to crime that caused labor to decrease which consequently affected American economic prosperities. These abolition and temperance movements of the 1800s were representative of social and moral reform going on within American culture. Michel Foucault was a 20th century French sociologist who argued that punishment is a threat to society, and that discipline is power-knowledge mechanism for domination. Foucault is well-renowned for his 1977 book entitled, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, where he questioned how penology has changed in the way criminals are punished (in France) and introduces disciplinary punishment as the dominating practice in the modern world. He identified a qualitative shift in punishment from 1750 and 1820 in Europe and the U.S, pointing out three major changes: (1) punishment changed from body to soul/psyche, (2) from vengeance to transformation and (3) from punishment to corrections. In the second part of his book, Foucault marks the prison as the template for the technology of modern discipline. Disciplinary punishment gives professionals (psychologists, program facilitators, parole officers, etc.) power over the prisoner, most notably in that the prisoners length of stay dep ends on the professionals judgment. Foucault goes on to argue that Disciplinary punishment leads to self-policing by the populace as opposed to brutal displays of authority from the earlier eras. He utilized supervision, assessments, timetables and detailed attention to efficiency as tools for his studies of penology. Such ideas influenced the technology used in prisons such as Jeremy Benthams Panopitcon. The Panopticon, usually located in the center of a prison floor consisted of a single guard who could watch over many prisoners while remaining hidden. Ancient prisons have been replaced by clear and visible ones, but Foucault cautions that visibility is a trap. It is through this visibility, Foucault claims, that modern society exercises its controlling systems of power and knowledge. Increasing visibility leads to power located on an individualized level as shown by the possibility for judicial institutions to monitor individuals throughout their lives. Foucault suggests that a carceral continuum or a carceral archipelago runs through modern society, from the maximum security prison, through secure accommodation, probation, social workers, police, and so on into our daily working and home lives. All are joined together by the supervision (surveillance, application of social/moral norms of acceptable behavior) of some humans by others. Although the methods in which these sociological theorists approached penology, their ideas helped influence and change the way in which we [as society] view crime and the correlation it holds with punishment. These dominant theories shaped the evolution of American and European penal history which reflected the social, cultural and moral reforms of their times in relation to crime and the administration of punishment. Essay Two Punishment in Ancient European society was brutal and based primarily on private vengeance. Retaliation was violent and often community participation was encouraged. These tribal communities settled their conflicts through blood feuds held in public areas. These feuds, however, did not follow every crime. By 700 A.D. people mediated their offenses through fines. These were called bots (meaning betterment) and were paid to the offended party, while wites referred to fines paid to the King. These fines were highly discriminatory based on social-class structure. Penology practices then began to evolve as attempts were made to match the severity of offenses with the severity of the punishment itself such as in the Roman Justinian Code of 529 A.D. Punishment served as a way to uncover the truth behind crimes, sometimes through compurgation where witnesses were presented on behalf of the accused through trials by ordeal. Punishment was administered through torture if found guilty. The Early Middle Ages (700-1000) was defined as a power struggle between the church and society. The church was so powerful at the time that it had its own system of justice governed by the bishops and clergy. During this time, the church introduced the benefit of the clergy that gave protection from prosecution for church members and leniency to other related groups. Punishment was issued in the form of confinement rather than corporal punishment because the church believed that, such punishment would inevitably lead to the offenders despair, which impeded the ability to repent (15, BL). Only secular courts had the right to executions or any blood shed. Mutilation was popular to match the sanction with the crime (e.g. liars tongues cut out). Banishment and fines were still present. The Late Middle Ages (1100-1300s) signified a time of change in European history as the Church (sacred) power began to decline in daily social life, and with this, began the rise of the secular State pow er. Despite this decline, the church continued to use even more torturous, brutal punishment especially during the period of the Inquisition (13th-15th centuries) to weed out heretics. The end of the medieval period is marked within the social and economic changes brought on by the Mercantilist Era from 1400s-1700s. This era represented a decline of feudalism amongst society hierarchy, and gave birth to the rise of capitalism. Capitalism spread as globalization and commercial activity and trade increased. Power passed into the hands of the wealthy, known as the merchant class. This dissolution of feudalism and a once, agriculturally dominated society brought forward a number of displaced, non-productive people who were very poor called the vagabond poor. These people were focalized in crime and punishment, which gave rise to the understanding the conditions of this social class by learning how they became to be vagabonds. This questioning reflected the importance of work, for work was associated with morality. These vagabonds thus threatened society as a result they were exploited to working within the galley, workhouses and transportation. Transportation especiall y served as a means for states to solve crime problems by sending criminals away to the new colonies for indentured labor. There are several historical trends that can be identified from Ancient society to the end of the Medieval ages. First, there was a decline in direct participation by the community and by victims in primitive European societies. Secondly, there was a direct shift from private vengeance to church power during the Early Middle Ages. The Middle-Ages was a time where general deterrence was essential to preventing crime by instilling fear within the people after witnessing brutal, torturous penal practices. The Late Middle Ages through the Mercantilist Era was characterized by the growing popularity of state and secular justice over the church, and the rise of crime and punishment focused on labor. By the end of the 1700s, secular authorities controlled social classes by transporting criminals and vagabonds overseas to colonies, or by holding them in galleys and workhouses where they were incapacitated to extensive labor. Changing gears from Europe to Colonial America (1600-1790), the new nation was dominated by three primary social institutions which included church, family and community. Crime was viewed as sin and punishments mostly served religious ends, directly or indirectly in nature to reflect the laws and morals of the time. Colonial American society was centered on religion, where there was the mentality of, God wants people to behave a certain way, and it is the peoples job to set morality and justice. Punishment was administered for many common offenses and resulted in fines, shaming, whippings and sometimes exile. Executions were made public in order to have an educational purpose where community was intended to learn, however, intentional cruelty behind corporal punishment decline. The rise of the new nation could not have evolved without the presence of European Enlightenment Ideas in the American colonies. The prominence of human reason served as a tool to battle ignorance, superstition and tyranny targeted mainly in religious and hereditary aristocracy. Crime and punishment evolved to becoming a philosophy of understanding the offender. This gave birth to the first modes of classical criminology that assumed all people were rational beings that must be equated with a balance between crime and punishment. Ideas such as these enlightened moderation of punishment to focus on rationality and more importantly, efficiency. Punishment was concealed behind bars in prisons where criminals were to be held separate from society as a means of incapacitation. Early prisons and other penal institutions, such as the penitentiaries increased incarceration in America. Together the Colonial Ages and American Federalist period (1790-1830) marked a time of social reform where there was the suppression of the emotional purposes of punishments and execution to a newfound emphasis on their instrumental purpose instead. Criminals were to be understood rationally taking into account human reason, and crimes were to be administered fairly with a balance between offense and sanction. Punishment was morally defined. Punishment and reform in 19th century America (1830-1880s) prospered with the shift from prison-to-penitentiary. Societal influences included: alcoholism, gangs, and immigration. The Temperance and Abolitionist movement deemed alcohol use as moral failings/disease in society. Punishment revolutionized out of Enlightenment ideals that focused on democratization where society was governed by the people. Crime was spreading and was soon viewed as moral and social pathology. It was believed that crime could be combated with the help of penitentiaries. The goals of these institutions were to reform criminals through routine, surveillance and discipline. Blomberg and Lucken best define crime as: criminal activity was attributed to human interactions with a morally depraved environment (61). This penal ideology spread into Progressive America where crime and punishment were studied with science to understand criminality through biological, psychological and sociological reforms. From the Pr ogressive Movement into 20th century America, there flourished the proliferation of penal services (parole, probation, indeterminate sentencing, prison specialization min., med., max.). This ideology focused on social and moral reform as well by introducing reformatories (not vengeance), specializing and professionalization in prisons and a growing focus on juvenile and female offenders. Academic and medical questioning ruled criminology, the understanding of offenders and how to treat prisoners which lasted until the 1960s. The 1970s is best defined as a time of American Liberalism. Within society there were cultural changes taking placing as social activism and protest amongst all groups civil rights, women, prisoners, etc. Growing emphasis was put on prisoners issues and rights and through this we [society] made attempts to understand the internal and external relations of offenders with society. Decentralization emerged with the idea of Less is Better where importance was aimed at the criminal justice system through reforms such as net-widening that identified people who were at high risks to commit crimes, and deinstitutionalization of juveniles (not behavior that determines crime, age status instead). The 20th century was a change to rehabilitative and specific deterrence amongst criminals. From the 1980s to the present, crime increased as political and social turmoil grew in America. The war on crime that evolved with the staggering drug use of the 80s was counteracted with the conservative backlash by the government that installed harsher prison sentences focused on retribution, deterrence and incapacitation (three-strikes rule, mandatory minimums, etc). Increasingly so, social inequality is the underlying factor of high imprisonment rates amongst the poor and minorities. Privatization of prisons and companies led to a culture of greed that resulted in growing crime rates. This soon led to the collapse of the rehabilitative ideal into the era of get tough punishment and law and order punishment that was termed Neo-Conservative criminology. Essay Three Jails and prisons were among the first public structures built in colonial America. Besides serving as a place for emigrants, jails were an essential part of the system of bondage that existed in America. At a time where the dominating institutions consisted of the church, community and family, any crime committed was viewed as sin. Criminal activity was reflecting religiously onto the community as a whole. Executions were carried out for ordinary crimes other than murder, under local rather that state authority, and were made public. Punishments focused on retribution rather than understanding the crime, or the criminal. There began a shift from the 18th century to 1789 after the ideas of the Enlightenment reached the western world. The belief in human reason and rationality governed all aspects of life, especially penology. As a new nation emerged, penal practices changed to view criminals as rational beings, and an increased notion that there should be a balance between crime and punishment so it can be efficient. In regards to capital punishment, people felt it did not equate with the democratic ideals founded within our nation and it was in fact ineffective as a deterrent. From this point until the 1900s into the Progressive Era, crime changed and adapted according to the cultural changes that corresponded. Americas growing population boom, immigration increase, industrialization and urbanization were all factors in growing incarceration rates. Over time, prisons trended towards becoming more pervasive, more secure, and more permanent. In contemporary America there is a growing sense that the cost of fighting of crime, incarceration and rehabilitative services is spiraling out of control. There are more criminals, more courts, more prisoners and more anger as society focuses on the criminal as the cause for the economic collapse and downturn. The most recent historical factors that have led to todays conditions begin in the 1960s the age of disconnect where many significant changes to societal norms started. These included the civil rights movement, freedom of the individual, increased used of illegal substances, changing attitudes to sex and sex education, and in general, a focus on a more liberal and less-controlled societal model. During this period America experienced a debilitating military conflict (Vietnam), a break-down of the family unit as defined in separation statistics, and a core change in the role of women in society. At this time there was substantial focus upon prisoner rights, focus upon rehabilitative rather than punitive punishment ideals and a number of inside-prison demonstrations and even rioting against the methods of incarceration being used. Americas death penalty collapsed after the Furman v. Georgia decision where it was nullified and made unconstitutional. By the end of the 60s and 70s this era of liberalism was being pointed to as the cause of other significant societal problems crime being one of the most prominent. The 1980s witnessed a major shift back towards a more conservative America. The war on crime changed from one focusing on rehabilitative and (what caused) criminal activity to one that called for substantially-increased reliance on incarceration and an almost sole focus upon stopping the activities of criminals. Through a combination of sentencing guidelines (mandatory minimums, truth-in sentencing, three strikes) the aim was clear. By incarceration, clearly, the activities of the individual criminal were curtailed through incapacitation. There was little, if any concern, on rehabilitation and many argue upon humane treatment. Against this trend American society experienced large swings towards materialism, a lifestyle of financial improvement without concern for the morality of society as a whole (Boesky). These changes led America to become entrenched in a culture of greed where inequality between social and economic classes rose enormously, and so began the widespread politicization of criminal justice as crime was brought to political form. Beginning with the Reagan administration, the political goals, reflecting societys attitudes were quite evident. There were to be more incarcerations for more criminals for more offenses with greater sentences and less focus on parole provisions and rehabilitative treatments. These Get Tough penal philosophies exploded after the war on drugs invaded America as more people (many minorities) were being arrested and placed in prisons for much harsher sentences. Because of the increased prison population numbers, there was the need to specialize prisons based on the type of crime/the incarceration period imposed. This included a tiering, or separation of prisons into three divisions: minimum, medium and maximum facilities. The societal shift continued through the Bush (senior) administration and into the 1990s, where theories of penology are characterized by culture of control (BL). Control, in this context means: reinforcing more rigid guidelines for sentencing, more inflexible guidelin es towards rehabilitative treatments, and in general, a harsher, punitive mindset towards criminals. The changing economic climate has now introduced a move towards privatization. Privatization is a desire to outsource the management of prisons and criminals away from the state. Because the goals of private enterprise are profit-based, this suggests a shift to penology model with even less of a concern upon prisoners rights, rehabilitative treatments and any actions outside strict profit-based incarceration. Essay Four From colonial times to contemporary society, American penal history has undergone significant changes. Various penal innovations have been presented, some of which have had major impact on penology as a whole. Many of the thoughts and beliefs from Europes Age of Enlightenment carried onto the new-world, which helped birth the flourishing democratic ideals founded in the United States. The Enlightenment (18th century to 1789) was characterized by the belief in human reason and rationality. In regards to judicial reform, the goals of this era were to form a better world by using human reason to combat the negativities of ignorance, susperstition and tyranny that governed old monarchial practices. It also sought to target religious and hereditary aristocracy to create a more socially and economically equal society. The Enlightenment gave American penal policy and practices the push it needed to moderate punishment on the basis of rationality and efficiency. As a result most notably criminals were viewed as rational beings; punishment was to be efficient and logical, discipline changed from being public to conceal all factors which led to the early emergency of the prison and growing incarcer ation. The presence of enlightenment ideas in America influenced sociologists of the early 20th century such as Max Weber and Norbert Elias. Both sociologists studied the science of punishment by observing penal and other worldly changes from 19th century onwards leading towards rationality. Elias in particular held the notion that Western societies have become more civilized. This notion followed the trends of punishment, which he believed were reflected in the changing sensibilities in the civilizing evolution of Western culture. Despite there being a tension between moral imperative and bureaucratic management of the more highly privatized modern world, discipline was starting to be rationalized in a scientific, logical manner for means of justifying penal practices. Such social and moral reforms influenced the rise of one of the most prominent penal innovations the American penitentiaries of the 1800s. During such times crime was seen as a moral and social pathology. In the 1820s, two variants, the Pennsylvania System and the Auburn System competed for the role of best in the handling of the incarcerated population in America. The silent method of the Pennsylvania System required absolute silence, complete lock down in a solitary environment and produced mental problems at a rapid rate. It was espoused by the religious zeals such as the Quakers who felt that prisoners would be rehabilitated by that system. The belief was that silence and isolation helped criminals reflect on their crime alone. The Auburn System was seen as more cost effective because it required labor which offset the cost of prison housing. Auburn introduced uniforms, the lockstep and harsh punishment for minor infractions. The idea in the Auburn system was that silence, working together and discipline could yield reform in criminals. These two great penitentiaries were based on the ideas enveloped within each giv en region in America. In the North, rehabilitative ideals aimed to change/transform individuals, while the South adopted a convict lease system built on the slavery model that influenced penal reform to exploit labor to satisfy economic and political means. In truth, neither penitentiary created a model prisoner or one that entirely rehabilitated. The debate continues today between those that argue in long sentences and those that want reform. The importance in such an innovation was that it reflected the beliefs and ideals of democratization and moral reform of the 19th century. It exemplified the prisoner as a rational being that could and must be studied to explain criminality, diagnose and treat and then correct the criminal through rehabilitation. The second penal innovation grew out of former rehabilitative penal practices into the Progressive American Era (1880s-1930s) that theorized crime through biological, psychological and sociological factors for better understanding. These beliefs introduced positivist criminology, which asserted faith in the scientific study of criminals and crime through classification. In relation to penal ideology, it created reformatories, indeterminate sentencing, parole and probation. Punishment was less punitive and searched for the causes, treatment and corrections of criminals, especially juveniles. This movement led to the Juvenile Court Reform Movement. The Juvenile Court Movement lasted for nearly sixty years, beginning in 1900. Juveniles were seen as lost children who required guidance and whose crimes were subject to indeterminate sentencing to show leniency on the behalf of courts in hopes that treatment could help transform the characters of such offenders. This movement revolved around the rehabilitative ideal centralized in society as this time that claimed human behavior was a product of antecedent causes which could be identified, classified in accordance to specific scientific treatment, which could then be treated therapeutically. The importance behind the juvenile court movement is that it launched the specialization of penal practices. For example, the term prison guard expired and advanced to corrections officer. The term corrections emerged as professionalization and bureaucratization was introduced (as seen in Weber). Next, the treatment of offenders was individualized and penal services were broadened to accompany f or the various causes of criminal behavior, and was more accessible than ever before. Prison specialization led to the classification and division of these institutions into minimum, medium and maximum facilities governed by corrections officers with the aid of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, vocational counselors, etc. Although the innovations of the juvenile reform movement and the progressive era were promising, by the late-20th century, America was headed towards decentralization. Criminologists and penologists created labeling theories that took focus away from the offender and onto the criminal justice system as an entity. Net-widening occurred in penal reforms that formed programs that identified people who were considered at high-risk to commit crimes. There began an academic focus on social control that influenced the contemporary penal model characterized by Get Tough punishment. Policy makers have implemented multiple-strategies approach to combat crime including: retribution, incapacitation (search for habitual offender), deterrence (escalation of penalties), restoration and rehabilitation (214). Present-day America has evolved to become a culture of control and greed (211, BL). Truth-in-Sentencing standards and Three-Strikes Laws were some of the few penal methods introduced in the 1980s to curb crime rates and put habitual offenders away for longer periods of time. Truth-in-sentencing refers to policies and legislation that aim to abolish or curb parole, so that convicts serve the period that they have been sentenced to. Three-Strikes law statutes enacted by state governments in the UHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_StatesS require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. Restorative justice has also been implemented recently that puts criminals up against the state, holding the criminal accountable through highly retributive means. These various methods comb

Creation of Identity in Chaim Potok’s The Chosen :: Potok Chosen Essays

Creation of Identity in The Chosen Many forces can powerfully change the identity of a person. In the novel, The Chosen, a few of these forces are religion, family, and friends. Religion is one of the main points in anyones identity and much of the book is based around the fact that the main characters, Reuven and Danny, are Jewish. In Danny's case religion changes the entire way he was raised, as his father puts it, "I did not want to drive my son away from God, but I did not want him to grow up a mind without a soul." (Potok pg. 266) During Reb Saunders explanation of why he raised his son in silence he reveals that both God and a soul were key factors, these being both religious. Another example of religion playing a part on ones identity is when the fathers of the boys catch themselves in a battle over Zionism, Reb says "I'll tell you who says it! True Jews do not say such a thing." (Potok pg. 188) Reb Saunders words in response to David Malter's opinion take a shot at Reuven's identity. By challenging Reuven's beliefs it is hitting his identity quite hard, the issue is so touchy the boys stop talking over it. Family is another big chunk of one's identity. Reb Saunders identity is changed through many experiences of his brother. This not only affects him but affects Danny as well, seeing as he was raised on his uncle's mistakes, "Reuven, I did not want my Daniel to become like my brother." His brothers mistakes challenged Reb to step up and follow in his fathers legacy, and when his son is caught in the same position it affects how he was treated. Family is also what you are taught by and things can be both beneficial and non. When first meeting Reb Saunders, Reb asks Reuven, "And you know Hebrew. A son of David Malter surely knows Hebrew." (Potok pg. 121) A normal child may not understand Hebrew, but in Reuven's case because his father is very religious he does. Your knowledge of the world is very much part of your identity and your family definitely affects that.