To what extent can Steinbecks The Pearl be classed as a parable Essay Example For Students

To what extent can Steinbecks The Pearl be classed as a parable Essay Published in 1947, Steinbecks novella, The Pearl, has attracted much literary attention. Many critics have referred to the work as a parable,but how far can this classification be justified? In order to answer this question, we must first establish what is meant by the term parable. A dictionary defines a parable as a short story which puts across a moral or religious truth. We know of parables from the Bible, where Jesus told these stories to teach his followers about Gods word. Typical features we would expect from a parable would be: a short narrative told in a simple style with little detailed description; a homely setting;nameless and undeveloped characters; and a moral or religious truth conveyed through symbolism, with everyday objects or events representing larger ideas or concepts. The basic plot of The Pearl is straightforward. Kino,a native Mexican fisherman, married with a child, sees his son stung by a scorpion,and a doctor demands money for treating him. Kino finds a large pearl, which he thinks will solve all his problems and save his son,but instead it leads to greed, disaster and violence. We will write a custom essay on To what extent can Steinbecks The Pearl be classed as a parable specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Finally the family throw the pearl back into the sea, but not before they have lost their precious son in a shooting. In many ways, The Pearl conforms to what we would expect of a parable. The story is short, although not as short as the parables in the Bible;the style is simple, with little complex vocabulary or sentence structure; the main setting is the homely,if poor, Mexican fishing village and many of the characters are nameless, eg the doctor, the priest, the pearl buyers, the trackers. Even the main characters are not described in much physical detail. All we know of Kinos appearance is, he was young and strong and his black hair hung over his brown forehead. Certainly, we can take a moral message from the tale; that the promise of wealth is a great corrupting influence in mens lives,and such is human nature that man will often sink to great depths to gain the thing he desires. Evidence that would also mark this story as a parable is that the author uses a great deal of symbolism. Kino can be seen as representing man and all men, giving his story universal significance. His wife, Juana, has a name which means woman, again suggesting that she is meant to represent all women. The child makes up the archetypal family, representing the next generation and hopes for the future. The major line of symbolism, however, centres round the pearl itself, which symbolises much more than material wealth. It becomes a crystal ball in which one can see ones dreams and nightmares; Kino looked into its surface and it was grey and ulcerous. Evil faces peered from it into his eyes, and he saw the light of burning. And in the surface of the pearl he saw Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away. The whole story, in keeping with a parable, could also be seen as putting across a religious truth. It could represent mans search for his soul, finding good and evil on the way, making a sacrifice, and finally coming to a greater understanding. Kino at the start of the book is isolated and protected. When the pearl comes into his world, he learns about loneliness, hate, greed, suspicion and evil. Like Adam, in the Fall in Genesis, Kino returns to his home at the end of the book , having gained knowledge, but changed forever,as he has sacrificed his son for this knowledge. The idea of this book being a religious parable also seems to be borne out by the journey through the desert to sell the pearl, which is like a pilgrimage, testing the character of the pilgrim, and seems to echo the Exodus of the Israelites seeking their promised land in the Bible. Was this story supposed to be a version of the parable of the pearl in the Bible, where a merchant sacrifices everything he holds dear for a pearl of great value, and his place in the Kingdom of Heaven? As we have seen, Steinbecks novella has many features we would expect of a parable, but does that mean we can say it is one completely? .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a , .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .postImageUrl , .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a , .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a:hover , .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a:visited , .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a:active { border:0!important; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a:active , .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u657a2d7a5ba2e0949cd840d2b9a0906a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Brave New World Essay Gender EqualityLooking at further evidence, we find features of the text which do not conform to those we would expect of a parable. Although the style is simple, there is a great deal more description than we would expect from a parable, some of it very poetic in style, eg High in the grey stone mountains, under a frowning peak, a little spring bubbled out of a rupture in the stone. It was fed by shade-preserved snow in the summer, and now and then it died completely and bare rocks and dried algae were on its bottom. This description of a pool continues for a full page. The main characters, Kino and Juana are named and their personalities are much more developed than we would expect form a parable. This makes the story far more realistic as the characters seem like believable people with real feelings and emotions, Juanas face was hard and lined and leathery with fatigue and with the tightness with which she fought fatigue. And her wide eyes stared inwards on herself. The whole story can be read as entertainment, without having to look for a message or meaning. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that Steinbeck was trying to write it as a realistic piece, and not as a parable. In his book, Sea of Cortez 1941, he explains that he took the idea for his book from an old Californian/Mexican folk tale about an Indian boy who found a pearl. He liked the story, but said, it did not sound believable because it was so much like a parable, or a short story with a hidden moral lesson and the character of the young boy went contrary to human direction, that is, he was not realistic enough. In Kino and Juana, Steinbeck has given us much more realistic people. In his introduction to The Pearl, Steinbeck himself casts doubt on his book being a parable, saying If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it, and reads his own life into it. Looking at all the evidence, my conclusion is that although Steinbecks The Pearl has many features of a parable, it goes much further than a parable in that it exists on so many levels . It can be seen as a realistic story of the economic and political repression experienced by native Mexicans at the hands of their wealthy conquerors and rulers. It can also be seen as a story showing how man and nature are intertwined. It can be read as an exciting adventure tale, or as a moral or religious lesson. In many ways, it is unfair to categorise this novella by putting a label on it. I prefer to see it, like Steinbeck himself, as a unique work of art that each reader can interpret in his or her own way.

Changan - Capital of the Han, Sui, and Tang Dynasties

Changan - Capital of the Han, Sui, and Tang Dynasties Changan is the name of one of the most important and immense ancient capital cities of ancient China. Known as the eastern terminal of the Silk Road, Changan is located in Shaanxi Province about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) northwest of the modern town of XiAn. Changan served as capital to the leaders of the Western Han (206 BC-220 AD), Sui (581-618 CE), and Tang (618-907 AD) dynasties. ChangAn was established as a capital in 202 BC by the first Han Emperor Gaozu (ruled 206-195), and it was destroyed during the political upheaval at the end of the Tang dynasty in 904 AD. The Tang dynasty city occupied an area seven times larger than the current modern city, which itself dates to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing(1644-1912) dynasties. Two Tang dynasty buildings still stand today―the Large and Small Wild Goose Pagodas (or palaces), built in the 8th century AD; the rest of the city is known from historical records and archaeological excavations conducted since 1956 by the Chinese Institute of Archaeology (CASS). Western Han Dynasty Capital At about AD 1, the population of ChangAn was nearly 250,000, and it was a city of international importance for its role as the eastern end of the Silk Road. The Han Dynasty city was laid out as an irregular polygon surrounded by a pounded-earth wall 12-16 meters (40-52 feet) wide at the base and more than 12 m (40 ft) high. The perimeter wall ran a total of 25.7 km (16 mi or 62 li in the measurement used by Han). The wall was pierced by 12 city gates, five of which have been excavated. Each of the gates had three gateways, each 6-8 m (20-26 ft) wide, accommodating the traffic of 3-4 adjacent carriages. A moat provided additional security, surrounding the city and measuring 8 m wide by 3 m deep (26x10 ft). There were eight main roads in Han dynasty ChangAn, each between 45-56 m (157-183 ft) wide; the longest leads from the Gate of Peace and was 5.4 km (3.4 mi) long. Each boulevard was divided into three lanes by two drainage ditches. The middle lane was 20 m (65 ft) wide and reserved exclusively for the use of the emperor. The lanes on either side averaged 12 m (40 ft) in width. Main Han Dynasty Buildings The Changle Palace compound, known as the Donggong or eastern Palace and located in the southeastern part of the city, was approximately 6 sq km (2.3 sq mi) in surface area. It served as the living quarters for the Western Han empresses. The Weiyang Palace compound or Xigong (western palace) occupied an area of 5 sq km (2 sq mi) and was located in the southwestern side of the city; it was where Han emperors held daily meetings with city officials. Its principal building was the Anterior Palace, a structure including three halls and measuring 400 m north/south and 200 m east/west (1300x650 ft). It must have towered over the city, as it was built on a foundation that was 15 m (50 ft) in height at the north end. At the north end of the Weiyang compound was the Posterior Palace and buildings that housed the imperial administration offices. The compound was surrounded by a pounded earth wall. The Gui palace compound is much larger than Weiyang but has not yet been fully excavated or at least not reported in the western literature. Administrative Buildings and Markets In a administrative facility located between the Changle and Weiyang palaces was discovered 57,000 small bones (from 5.8-7.2 cm), each of which were inscribed with the name of an article, its measurement, number, and date of manufacture; its workshop where it was created, and the names of both the artisan and the official who commissioned the object. An armory held seven storehouses, each with densely arranged weapon racks and many iron weapons. A large zone of pottery kilns that manufactured brick and tile for the palaces was located north of the armory. Two markets were identified within the northwestern corner of the Han city of ChangAn, the eastern market measuring 780x700 m (2600x2300 ft, and the western market measuring 550x420 m (1800x1400 ft). Throughout the city were foundries, mints, and pottery kilns and workshops. The pottery kilns produced funerary figures and animals, in addition to daily utensils and architectural brick and tile. In the southern suburbs of Changan were remains of ritual structures, such as the Piyong (imperial academy) and jiumiao (ancestral temples to the Nine Ancestors), both of which were established by Wang-Meng, who ruled ChangAn between 8-23 AD. The piyong was built according to Confucian architecture, a square on top of a circle; while the jiumiao was built on the contemporary but contrasting principles of Yin and Yang (female and male) and Wu Xing (5 Elements). Imperial Mausoleum Numerous tombs have been found dated to the Han Dynasty, including two imperial mausoleums, the Ba Mausoleum (Baling) of Emperor Wen (r. 179-157 BC), in an eastern suburb of the city; and the Du mausoleum (Duling) of Emperor Xuan (r. 73-49 BC) in southeastern suburbs. Duling is a typical elite Han Dynasty tomb. Within its gated, pounded earth walls are separate complexes for the burials of the emperor and empress. Each interment is centrally located within a gated rectangular surrounding wall and covered by a pyramidal pounded-earth mound. Both have a walled courtyard outside of the burial enclosure, including a retiring hall (qindian) and a side hall (biandian) where ritual activities associated with the buried person were conducted, and where the individuals royal costumes were displayed. Two burial pits contained hundreds of nude life-sized terracotta figures―they were clothed when placed there but the cloth has rotted away. The pits also included a number of pottery tiles and bricks, bronzes, gold pieces, lacquers, pottery vessels, and weapons. Also at Duling was a shared mausoleum temple with an altar, located 500 m (1600 ft) from the tombs. Satellite tombs found east of the mausoleums were built during the rulers dynasty, some of which are quite large, many of them with conical pounded earth mounds. Sui and Tang Dynasties Chang​an was called Daxing during the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) and it was founded in 582 AD. The city was renamed Changan by the Tang dynasty rulers and served as its capital until its destruction in 904 AD.   Daxing was designed by the Sui Emperor Wens (r. 581-604) famous architect Yuwen Kai (555-612 AD). Yuwen laid out the city with a highly formal symmetry that integrated natural scenery and lakes. The design served as a model for many other Sui and later cities. The layout was maintained through the Tang Dynasty: most of the Sui palaces were also used by Tang dynasty emperors. An enormous pounded-earth wall, 12 m (40 ft) thick at the base, enclosed an area of approximately 84 sq km (32.5 sq mi). At each of the twelve gates, a fired brick fa ¸ade led into the city. Most of the gates had three gateways, but the main Mingde Gate had five, each 5 m (16 ft) wide. The city was arranged as a set of nested districts: the guocheng (outer walls of the city describing its limits), the huangcheng or imperial district (an area of 5.2 sq km or 2 sq mi), and the gongcheng, the palace district, containing an area of 4.2 sq km (1.6 sq mi). Each district was surrounded by its own walls. Main Buildings of the Palace District The gongcheng included the Taiji Palace (or Daxing Palace during the Sui dynasty) as its central structure; an imperial garden was built to the north. Eleven great avenues or boulevards ran north to south and 14 east to west. These avenues divided the city into wards containing residences, offices, markets, and Buddhist and Daoist temples. The only two extant buildings from ancient Changan are two of those temples: the Great and Small Wild Goose Pagodas. The Temple of Heaven, located south of the city and excavated in 1999, was a circular pounded earth platform composed of four concentric stepped circular altars, stacked on top of one another to a height of between 6.75-8 m (22-26 ft) and 53 m (173 ft) in diameter. Its style was the model for the Ming and Qing Imperial Temples of Heaven in Beijing. In 1970, a hoard of 1,000 silver and gold objects, as well as jade and other precious stones called the Hejiacun Hoard was discovered at Changan. The hoard dated to 785 AD was found in an elite residence. Burials: a Sogdian in China One of the individuals involved in the Silk Road trade that was so central to the importance of ChangAn was Lord Shi, or Wirkak, a Sogdian or ethnic Iranian buried in ChangAn. Sogdiana was located in what is today Uzbekistan and western Tajikistan, and they were responsible for the central Asian oasis towns of Samarkand and Bukhara. Wirkaks tomb was discovered in 2003, and it includes elements from both Tang and Sogdian cultures. The underground square chamber was created in the Chinese style, with access provided by a ramp, an arched passageway and two doors. Inside was a stone outer sarcophagus measuring 2.5 m long x 1.5 m wide x 1.6 cm high (8.1x5x5.2 ft), lavishly decorated with painted and gilded reliefs depicting scenes of banquets, hunting, travels, caravans, and deities. On the lintel above the door are two inscriptions, naming the man as Lord Shi, a man of the nation of Shi, originally from the Western countries, who moved to Changan and was appointed sabao of Liangzhou. His name is inscribed in Sogdian as Wirkak, and it says that he died at the age of 86 in the year 579, and was married to the Lady Kang who died one month after him and was buried by his side. On the southern and eastern sides of the coffin are inscribed scenes associated with the Zoroastrian faith and in Zoroastrian fashion, the selection of the south and eastern sides to decorate corresponds to the direction the priest faces when officiating (south) and the direction of Paradise (east). Among the inscriptions is the priest-bird, which may represent the Zoroastrian deity Dahman Afrin. The scenes described the Zorastrian journey of the soul after death. Tang Sancai Pottery Tang Sancai is the general name for vividly color-glazed pottery produced during the Tang dynasty, especially between 549-846 AD. Sancai means three colors, and those colors refer typically (but not exclusively) to yellow, green and white glazes. Tang Sancai was famous for its association with the Silk Roadits style and shape were borrowed by Islamic potters at the other end of the trade network. A pottery kiln site was found at ChangAn named Liquanfang and used during the early 8th century AD. Liquanfang is one of only five known tang sancai kilns, the other four are Huangye or Gongxian Kilns in Henan Province; Xing Kiln in Hebei Province, Huangbu or Huuangbao Kiln and Xian Kiln in Shaanxi. Sources: Cui J, Rehren T, Lei Y, Cheng X, Jiang J, and Wu X. 2010. Western technical traditions of pottery making in Tang Dynasty China: chemical evidence from the Liquanfang Kiln site, Xian city. Journal of Archaeological Science 37(7):1502-1509.Grenet F, Riboud P, and Yang J. 2004. Zoroastrian scenes on a newly discovered Sogdian tomb in Xian, northern China. Studia Iranica 33:273-284.Lei Y, Feng SL, Feng XQ, and Chai ZF. 2007. A provenance study of Tang Sancai from Chinese tombs and relics by INAA. Archaeometry 49(3):483-494.Liang M. 2013. Scenes of Music-Making and Dancing in Wall Paintings of the Tang Tombs in the Xian Area. Music in Art 38(1-2):243-258.Yang X. 2001. Entry 78: Changan Capital Site at Xian, Shaanxi Province. In: Yang X, editor. Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past. New Haven: Yale University Press. p 233-236.Yang X. 2001. Entry 79: Imperial mausoleums of the Western Han dynasty at Xian and the Xianyang Plains, Shaanxi Province. In: Yang X, editor. Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past. New Haven: Yale University Press. p 237-242. Yang X. 2001. Entry 117: Daxing-ChangAn Capitals and Daming Palace Sites at Xian, Shaanxi province. In: Yang X, editor. Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past. New Haven: Yale University Press. p 389-393.Yang X. 2001. Entry 122: Hoard of Gold and SIlver Objects at Hejiacum, Xian, Shaanxi province. In: Yang X, editor. Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past. New Haven: Yale University Press. p 3412-413.

Corporate governance in Adelphia Communications Corp., US Term Paper

Corporate governance in Adelphia Communications Corp., US - Term Paper Example In the United States, checks and balances prevent any branch from accumulating too much power, hence encouraging cooperation. According to Kroszner (Para. 9), good corporate governance requires strong executives with an independent mind. Moreover, the Sarbanes –Oxley Act of 2002 applies to all organizations and it entails the requirements for the governance of organizations. The Act requires that management of an organization should certify a company’s financial reports and internal controls too. Despite the United States corporate governance being heavily criticized for the failure of some of major companies like Tyco and WorldCom, the country has improved on its Sarbanes –Oxley Act of 2002. The Sarbanes–Oxley Act promotes accuracy and accessibility of information, whereby investors are required to reveal the company’s transaction. The Act also involves penalties for those violating regulations; for instance, a maximum of 20 years in prison for fra ud rather than a five-year sentence. Corporate governance entails the controlling and directing of companies in a direction of fairness, accountability, and transparency. Below are checks and balances within the corporate governance of the United States. ... ct fosters the principle of accuracy and accessibility whereby, it requires the revealing of company’s stock after the second day of transaction by its directors and principal investors. This fast revelation of the company’s stock makes it easier for the outsiders interested in the company. Failure to abide by the laws of this Act; a person is liable to 20 years of imprisonment. This act is aimed at creating quality standards for corporate governance, which managers and auditors must abide by. Management accountability The Sarbanes –Oxley Act fosters management accountability, hence preventing issues of fraud and the blame game. A corporate fraud task force was established in 2002 with an aim of curbing fraud in organizations. Accordingly, the managing directors and officers must certify the accuracy of their company’s financial reports. The Act requires a total of $1million for any officers who knowingly engage in false certification of financial reports. Auditor independence Auditors are limited to false and careless financial reports. However, this Act makes it difficult for managers to select and compensate an external auditor. The choice of an auditor is now made by the committee of independent directors who are not employees of the organization, hence being not related to the company. A new audit partner is required to be assigned to each client account. In addition, the government has formed the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, with an aim of monitoring and enforcing the supply of audit services. Moreover, accounting firms are required to register with the oversight board, submit their periodic performances, and abide to the rules and regulations of the board (Kroszner (Para. 20). The Sarbanes –Oxley Act ensures that rules are followed to the

Conflict of Interest-role of Public Utility Board Essay

Conflict of Interest-role of Public Utility Board - Essay Example In Case No. 76-6 involving the practice of giving gifts to foreign officials, the NSPE Board of Ethical Review stated in part, â€Å"Even though the practice may be legal and accepted in the foreign country, and even though some might argue on pragmatic grounds the United States commercial companies should ‘go along’ to protect the jobs of employees in this country, we cannot accept it for professional services. No amount of rationalization or explanation will change the public reaction that the profession’s claim of placing service before profit has been compromised by a practice which is repugnant to the basic principles of ethical behavior under the laws and customs of this country†¦.we believe that the codes must be read on this most basic point of honor and integrity not only literally, but in the spirit of its purpose –to uphold the highest standards of the professional. Anything less is rationalization which cannot stand the test of placing the public ahead of all other considerations† Engineers who do think it is acceptable to use an agent abroad to â€Å"do the dirty work† thus acting like Pontius Pilate and â€Å"washing one’s hands† of the problem, also need to realize that they are committing a felony under the U.S. law and are subject to prosecution So long as they are U.S. citizens, the Federal Corrupt Practice Act applies to them. His comment also applies to corporations. A U.S. corporation is a citizen in the eyes of the law. Those companies engaging in bribery can avoid the law only by giving up their Q.2. The statement â€Å"Take off your engineering hat and put on your management hat.† implies that engineer shifts from their professionalism and assume another management task. This is vital especially when the management has loopholes that need to be addressed. Engineer B is employed in the engineering firm and is a member of BOD in a local public utility. As a member of the board, the utility uses 3 years to do a research on a new power generation plant.  

Sensory Perception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sensory Perception - Essay Example With regards to my grandfather’s farm, I had only recently traveled back to this place within the past few months. As a child I had spent many a happy summer as well as interspersed individual weekends playing around the familiar sights that the farm had to offer. As such, the setting itself was one which provided me with a great many happy memories that were, and continue to be, seared on my memory. When I recently viewed the farm again, a virtual flood of memories came back to me. Many of these memories seemed as if they were happening at the exact moment or merely a few minutes prior to me seeing the old sights again. It was as if I was transported, via the sense of sight, to a different dimension in which time and the long absence from the farm that had intervened, meant little if anything as it all seemed so close and personal rather than removed and distant. The familiarity and the positive connotations of the sights doubtless had a lot to do with such an interpretation. Similarly, my old neighborhood has had a similar visual perceptional effect on me. Due to the different perspective that I had when I was younger, the sights themselves seemed as something a bit foreign. Everything was much smaller than it had been; some things seemed unnaturally out of place or entirely different. In this way, the sense of sight and my perception thereof were seemingly arguing with the memories that I had etched into my mind. This disjuncture between memory and reality was a unique aspect of my visual memory that I had never before experienced and was a unique and different feeling. Finally, with respect to my primary school and the effects that visual perception have had on me once I have been back to visit such a place, the perception of sight was one in this case that sought to bring forward a host of other emotional feelings and worries that were unique to that particular time of my life. For instance, as I walked the halls, I no longer felt the sense of insec urity or judgment that I had so strongly felt before. While my eyes acquainted themselves with the classrooms with the loved and hated teachers I had had, the level to which sight was providing an entirely alternate reality to me was something unique that I cannot quite describe yet I know precisely how it felt to experience. Each of these experiences has helped to inform the author with regards to the various memories, feelings, and emotions that exist within the context of the sights that have herein been represented. Due to the fact that each of the five senses is directly linked to strong memories within the brain, the exemplification of but a simple sight, sound, smell, or touch is enough to bring back a flood of memories to the individual within the given experience. As has been detailed, the thought process that takes place a a result of this perception is not one that is always voluntary; rather, something as simple as seeing an object or a group of objects that have long si nce been absent from the life of the viewer can begin something akin to a mental chain reaction that culminates in distinctive memory patterns and understandings of what things may have changed in life since the last time that such an object or group of objects was objectively

Jails Old And New Sociology Essay

Jails Old And New Sociology Essay With the advent of civilization and ever improving societies, man has found the need for several constants. The needs for shelter, food and security have been just a few of these constantsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as has the need for incarceration of some of those members of society that have chosen not to follow the rules that a particular society has deemed as necessary. For those members, jails and prisons were built to hold people before or after a conviction, it is not meant to be a permanent stop for those convicted, just a placeholder. The first jail built was believed to be in 1166, ordered by King Henry II of England, from there jails spread throughout Europe but changed in scope and size over time. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) Workhouses and poorhouses were developed in the 15th and 16th centuries in England where sheriffs took the role of supervising vagrants, the poor and the mentally ill. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) These so-called jails were not sanitized and had unhealthy conditions for the prisoners. This caught the attention of 18th century reformers. One such reformer was English sheriff John Howard. In 1779, Englands Parliament passed the four jail reforms that Howard proposed: secure and sanitary structures, jail inspections, elimination of fees, and an emphasis on reforming prisoners. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) The first jail in the United States was the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia, built in 1773; it housed offenders without regard to sex, age, or offense. The Philadelphia Quakers had wanted the Walnut Street Jail to be a place where inmates reformed themselves through reflection and remorse, but shortly after its opening, it turned into a promiscuous scene of unrestricted intercourse, universal riot and debauchery. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) On October 5, 1835, the Walnut Street Jail closed and those prisoners were transported to another facility. By the close of the 19th century, most cities across the United States had jails to hold persons awaiting trial and to punish convicted felons. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) So, what has changed in the jail population and structures since they were first built? Back in the day, prisoners were treated inhumane, beaten, flogged, and even hung for their crimes. In todays jail society, those types of treatment are nothing but a moment in histor y. There are laws governing the treatment of prisoners and prisoners now have rights on how they are treated. The 8th Amendment, ratified in 1791, protects persons convicted of a crime to not have excessive bail or fines imposed, nor to have cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. (Head) I tend to somewhat disagree with this due to some persons crimes are so hideous that they deserve fines and/or cruel and unusual punishment, I mean look what some of those criminals do to their victims! I think they deserve the same treatment as they gave those victims, but that is just my personal opinion. The design and structure of the jails have also changed. Jails have changed throughout history, and have been through four phases of design, First-Generation, Second-Generation, Third-Generation and Fourth-Generation. First-Generation jails were designed back in the 18th century, and were called linear design. In this design, prisoners lived in cells or dormitories. The cells lined up in the corridors and the inmate supervision was minimal. Staff would walk the corridors and would not be able to see into the cell until they were right up on it. The idea of this type of design was to keep prevent inmates from trying to escape and to keep the staff safe. I would describe this type of jail setting as isolated. The downfall to this type of setting is no type of social contact with anyone unless a fight broke. This was not a solution to what needed to be done in order for the prisoners to reform. These types of jails were more like solitary confinement, which over time would literally drive a person insane. The Second-Generation jails emerged in the 1960s to replace old, rundown linear jails and provide staff officers to observe inmates in a central zone or better known as a control booth, of the jail. The conception of the second-generation jails was for staff to be centralized in one area, which was enclosed in glass for security, to overlook the pods. These jails have been termed podular remote-supervision facilities. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) This type of jail has its difficulties. The advantage for this type of jail is that the staff can see more of the inmates without having to walk down a corridor. The disadvantage for this type of jail is that the staff and inmates are still separated and with no social contact, much like the first-generation jails. The Third-Generation jails, which are also known as direct-supervision jails, were introduced in the early 1970s. The housing unit is podular. The cells are arranged around a common area or dayroom. There is not control booth and no physical barriers between the staff and the inmates. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) The first direct-supervision county jail in the United States was the Martinez Detention Facility in Contra Cost, California. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) With the direct-supervision jails come the principles of Direct Supervision: 1. Effective control, 2. Effective supervision, 3. Competent staff, 4. Staff and inmate safety, 5. Manageable and cost-effective operations, 6. Effective communication, 7. Classification and orientation, 8. Justice and fairness, and 9. Ownership of operations. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) Direct-supervision jails facilitate staff movement, interaction with inmates, and control and leadership over pods. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) With direct-supervis ion, staff and inmates intermingle and this is a positive movement towards the reformation of the inmates and their social skills. You cannot just put someone back into society if he/she has had no contact with other people over a certain amount of time. When you are alone, after a while you get use to the idea of being alone and you get set in your ways and adopt a certain way of doing things. Take my brother for example, no he was not in jail, but he had been living on his own after his divorce for about 10 years and when he recently remarried, it was difficult for him to adapt to new lifestyle that involved another person. He had to adjust his ways that he had been accustomed to and to accept new ideas and new rules for the house. This was very difficult for him and it goes along the same line for inmates. People need social interaction and with the third-generation jails they received it. The Fourth-Generation jails brought improvements to the direct-supervision jails by adding borrowed light or natural sunlight into the day room. This improves the moral of the inmates and staff and saves on electricity bills when it is sunny outside. Along with the borrowed light concept, the fourth-generation jails also implemented program services, more staff, volunteers, and visitors to the jail, even vending machines to the day room. This reduces the feeling of isolation. This improvement adds to the staff the ability to carry out the nine principles of direct-supervision. (Schmalleger Smykla, 2011) Along with these new generation jails requires new interpersonal skills. Officers and staff must have excellent interpersonal skills. They must be able to address minor and major conflicts within the pods, even though in the new generation jails, especially the fourth-generation jails, conflicts are at a minimal rate due to the improved conditions and the attitudes of both the inmates and the staff. Reports have shown that the staff no longer saw themselves as mere guards or defined their jobs as simply to keep criminals locked up. Among the positive impacts, the officers and staff tend to see the jails as cleaner, less crowded, having fresher air, and being more temperate. However, these same researches also showed, even with the improvements, that the staff was no more satisfied than with the new generation jails than the traditional jails. (Appegate Paoline, 2007) I can see how the cleaner jails could be a positive effect on the staff and inmates. Take for example, you are invite d over to a friends house and it is totally in chaos and messy. The friend might be comfortable in that type of environment, but you are not so comfortable. If the environment were cleaner and more organized, you would be more comfortable and able to relax and enjoy that visit. Same thing with jails, the cleaner and organized it is, the more positive the attitudes of the staff and inmates. They will be more prone to communicate and follow the rules than in a run-down, unstructured type of jail. Another point of view would be that if an inmate can see that the place he/she is housed and it is not being take care of properly, what makes them think that anyone cares to find ways of improving it, that the facility is complacent with the conditions? Not that I would want to experience jail life, I would prefer it to be clean, healthy and somewhat a positive environment. With the improvements of the third and fourth generation jails brought, it also brought controversy and disadvantages. Results from studies show that few jails are strictly adhering to the new design techniques that have been recommended for the successful operations of these new generation jails. (Tartaro, 2002) Overcrowding is a popular problem in todays jails and even thought the crime rate is down, there is still overcrowding. Another problem the new generation jails have is the age of the offenders has increased and having the necessary accommodations for these elder prisoners. In the traditional jails, there were no medical treatments available, in todays jails, most jails offer medical treatment, but only on the same level as lower income families. Studies have also shown that inmates with disabilities are a growing problem in that they were discriminated against and most jails do not have the means to house inmates with disabilities, and I mentioned earlier, the 8th amendment protects this group of prisoners in todays society. (Ginsberg, 2009) In closing, the research I have done I have learned that the differences in the old jails and the new jails are similar in some ways and totally opposite in other ways. I believe that in the old jails and the way they were imprisoned were more likely not to repeat their offenses, and in the new jails, offenders are likely to repeat their offenses. In the old jails, inmates were brought into the public eye and were embarrassed by their actions. The old, traditional jails were not focused on reforming the prisoners; they were more focused on punishment to these criminals. In todays jails, we are more focused on reformation of the prisoners and trying to help them merge back into the society from what they once came from, but as I have learned in class, some inmate repeat their offenses because the jail life is better life than what they had. They may have come from broken homes, life of poverty and the jails give them a place of security and more of a home life than what they had. As s ad as this is, it is true and with the economy the way it is, this would seem like a better life. New generation emerged due to society to stand against the inhumane treatment that convicts were submitted to and to require the transformation of detention places from excusive instruments of punishment into establishments of moral recuperation (Merei, 2012) Merei also stated that in the nineteenth century, it was developed the concept according to which jails could become, from the means of expiation of the evil committed, social sanctums for healing the soul of the one in conflict with the laws of society . In Mereis report, she mentioned that a man named Panait Mucoiu made a categorical statement, which sums it all up. Mucoiu stated, As long as you take the mens freedom, you will definitely not transform him into a better person. You will harvest relapse. By incarcerating him and by giving him, every moment, the conviction that everything that happens in detention is a punishment, t he society proceeds with all its resources to make him an enemy. (Merei, 2012) Appegate, B. K., Paoline, E. A. (2007, June). Jail Officers Perceptions of the Work Environment In Traditional Versus New Generation Facilities. Retrieved November 21, 2012, from ProQuest Criminal Justice: http:search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.uwf.edu/criminaljusticeperiod Ginsberg, B. (2009, June). Out with the new, in with the old: the importance of section 504 of the Rehabiliation Act to prisoners with disabilites. p. 713. Head, T. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2012, from About.com Civil Liberties: http://civilliberty.about.com/od/lawenforcementterrorism/p/8th_amendment.htm Merei, L. E. (2012, January). The affirmation of the renewing current of prison reform in the 19th century Romanian thinking. p. 313. Schmalleger, F., Smykla, J. (2011). Corrections in the 21st Century. New York: McGraw-Hill. Tartaro, C. (2002, September ). Examining Implementation Issues with New Generation Jails. Retrieved November 21, 2012, from Sage Journals: http://cjp.sagepub.com.ezproxy.lib.uwf.edu/content/13/3/219

Essay --

The fictional short story by Kurt Vonnegut entitled Harrison Bergeron takes place in a dystopian future. Vonnegut chooses to make the story a satire in order to raise questions concerning how desirable social equality is within this world and how far society will go to achieve it. Like many dystopian, bleak, futuristic worlds, Vonnegut presents very clear aspects of how society is influenced by propaganda and the extent to how powerful a tool propaganda can be. After reading and analyzing this story, I will attempt to explain how Kurt Vonnegut’s life could have influenced his position on propaganda found within this short story. Furthermore, these elements will be matched to those common propaganda strategies discussed in this class and relate how this may impact any modern society. Vonnegut's experience as a soldier and prisoner of war had a defiant influence on his work. He served as a private and was captured during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He was chosen as a leader of the POWs captured because he spoke a little German. After telling the German guards "what [he] was going to do to them when the Russians came,† he was beaten and had his position as leader taken away. Vonnegut was one of the lucky ones to survive an attack in a meat locker used by the Germans as a detention facility. Vonnegut said that the aftermath of the attack was "utter destruction" and "carnage unfathomable." This experience was the inspiration and central theme for many of his other books including Harrison Bergeron. The Germans put the surviving POWs to work, breaking into basements and bomb shelters to gather bodies for mass burial, while German civilians cursed and threw rocks at them. Harrison Bergeron is what seems to be a negative po... ...y to show just how absurd a life living with handicaps can be. The handicap system is a metaphor that tries to bash the ideas of communism that he undoubtedly incorporated from history using Hitler’s Germany and Cold War Russia as examples of how this system is flawed. The satire is further enforced by the elements of propaganda that he uses in the story. The television is the medium in which all people in society use to get their information. It is a powerful tool and Vonnegut has the entire story’s setting be only around the television to show just how much people rely on it. He also shows how propaganda has conditioned people to follow what the State wants them to do by appealing to the people’s logic that no one person should be than another. A good idea in principle, but in action, it causes a lot of harm and only benefits the State or the people in control. Essay -- The fictional short story by Kurt Vonnegut entitled Harrison Bergeron takes place in a dystopian future. Vonnegut chooses to make the story a satire in order to raise questions concerning how desirable social equality is within this world and how far society will go to achieve it. Like many dystopian, bleak, futuristic worlds, Vonnegut presents very clear aspects of how society is influenced by propaganda and the extent to how powerful a tool propaganda can be. After reading and analyzing this story, I will attempt to explain how Kurt Vonnegut’s life could have influenced his position on propaganda found within this short story. Furthermore, these elements will be matched to those common propaganda strategies discussed in this class and relate how this may impact any modern society. Vonnegut's experience as a soldier and prisoner of war had a defiant influence on his work. He served as a private and was captured during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He was chosen as a leader of the POWs captured because he spoke a little German. After telling the German guards "what [he] was going to do to them when the Russians came,† he was beaten and had his position as leader taken away. Vonnegut was one of the lucky ones to survive an attack in a meat locker used by the Germans as a detention facility. Vonnegut said that the aftermath of the attack was "utter destruction" and "carnage unfathomable." This experience was the inspiration and central theme for many of his other books including Harrison Bergeron. The Germans put the surviving POWs to work, breaking into basements and bomb shelters to gather bodies for mass burial, while German civilians cursed and threw rocks at them. Harrison Bergeron is what seems to be a negative po... ...y to show just how absurd a life living with handicaps can be. The handicap system is a metaphor that tries to bash the ideas of communism that he undoubtedly incorporated from history using Hitler’s Germany and Cold War Russia as examples of how this system is flawed. The satire is further enforced by the elements of propaganda that he uses in the story. The television is the medium in which all people in society use to get their information. It is a powerful tool and Vonnegut has the entire story’s setting be only around the television to show just how much people rely on it. He also shows how propaganda has conditioned people to follow what the State wants them to do by appealing to the people’s logic that no one person should be than another. A good idea in principle, but in action, it causes a lot of harm and only benefits the State or the people in control.