The Efficiency Of The Prison System Essay - 2411 Words

Antoine Niezborala Instructor Ghent CRTW 201 April 25, 2016 The Efficiency of the Prison System If Johnny Cash described the sad daily life of inmates in his classic  « Folsom Prison Blues  », today it’s all the prison system which is feeling pretty blue. Justice is defined as the administration of law. But within that definition is the implicit understanding that the law must be applied even handedly. The rule of law is meant to apply to all, but currently in America that crucial principle can be questioned. It is blatantly obvious that the justice system could be better. It takes minimal effort to peer under the veneer of blind justice. Some argues that prison system is a necessary solution to make our society safer, I would say that justice system has many failures, its effects are so much negative to not be questioned. The assumption about prisons benefit is based on two principles : The first principle is that the fear of incarceration deters crime. The second is that for criminals who are imprisoned, time spent in prison is s upposed to serve a rehabilitation goal which will allows detainees to better fit with the society in the future. But the modern prison system has failed to fulfill either of these objectives. Indeed, two thirds of prisoners commit an offense again within their years of being released and often with more important crimes. The supposed balance between punishment and rehabilitation is out of date and the cause of this can be explained by severalShow MoreRelatedWhat is Wrong with Out Penal System817 Words   |  3 Pagesfuture atrocities glorious and otherwise.† In the position that prison reform is not justified and shouldn’t be ruled in favor of, that I feel compelled to negate today’s resolution. Resolved: Prison reform is not justified. For clarification of today’s round, I offer the following counter definitions. To begin with, the word prison reform is defined as the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system. In addition to that, the term not justified is defined as somethingRead MoreJuvenile Detention Centers : A British System Of Punishment922 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough the concept of punishing offenders dates back to ancient Greece, American colonists adopted a British system of punishment. Rather than incarceration, offenders were punished with corporal punishment or death. English Quaker William Penn successfully persuaded Pennsylvania to adopt â€Å"The Great Law† which emphasized hard labor in a house of corrections for most crimes (â€Å"History Of Corrections†, n.d.). Thus, the â€Å"penitentiary† was created to keep prisoners isolated from society and one anotherRead MoreThe Merits and Pitfalls of Capital Punishment Today1482 Words   |  6 Pagesterms of legality, morality, and ethicality, capital punishment, and perhaps more specifically its accompanying proceedings, should be embraced and its efficiency improved upon in order to eliminate these as t he most common arguments against it (â€Å"White Paper† 82-84). The first step that must be taken in order to ultimately improve upon the efficiency of capital punishment is convincing the general public that capital punishment is ultimately beneficial to our country as a whole. In their current stateRead MoreModern World s Highest Incarceration Rate1341 Words   |  6 Pagesrehabilitation and fair punishment, that is all distracted by the prison industrial complex, politics, and profits. This mass incarceration, and the â€Å"prison-industrial complex† causes the U.S. to seem unfair and harsh, and possibly motivated for the punishment of it’s people. Perhaps a huge proponent of mass incarceration is the prison industrial complex or PIC. This is a suggested group that is motivated by money and other benefits to keep prisons open, and to stock them with large amounts of inmates.Read MoreDiscipline And Punish : The Birth Of The Prison1105 Words   |  5 PagesFrench scholar Michel Foucault, in chapter 20 of Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, titled ‘Panopticism’ discusses his position on the panopticon ability to be a form of surveillance. The following piece will summarize chapter 20 of Foucault’s work, and discuss the creation of panopticism as a figure of societies transition into disciplinary forms of surveillance. Additionally, providing contemporary examples with the creation of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), and employ monitoringRead MoreThe War on Drugs Essay1124 Words   |  5 PagesStates are under a burden that seems to be growing out of control. Since â€Å"the war on drugs† the prison population has increased exponentially, and the states are trying to keep up with the burden of housing, feeding, and giving medical treatment to prisoners. The state’s financial burden in becoming great and the government is starting to look at treatment measures that could save money. Substance abuse is an overwhelming factor in crime, for example 50% of homicides involve drugs and alcoholRead MoreSlavery In The River Of Dark Dreams By Walter Johnson1745 Words   |  7 Pagestechnological revolution in cotton picking; instead, Baptist insinuates it stemmed from innovative violence. Obsessed with increasing efficiency, enslavers spent considerable time calculating and drafting new methods in order to assure their slaves produced more. The new system that best ensured this sought-after efficiency was called the â€Å"pushing system.† The pushing system forced slaves to compete with one another by the number of baskets of cotton they picked each day, in effect transforming the enslavedRead MoreAdvocating For The Legalization Of Marijuana Is Not A Novel1480 Words   |  6 Pagesaffect equality nor efficiency of the economy. It is merely a transfer of money. Equality and efficiency are the two most important aspects of a policy that should be analyzed. If a policy improves both equality and efficiency, then it should be put into effect. Marijuana should be legalized because it improves equality by eliminating the prohibition laws that disproportionately incarcerate minorities, thereby negatively impacting their ability to succeed, and improves efficiency by lowering crimeRead MoreMotivation Research : Curiosity And Career Related962 Words   |  4 Pagescareer application, research can play a role in the day to day assignments of and industrial-organizational psychologist, my ideal career. My primary interest in the realm of psychology is efficiency. This directly applies to industrial-organizational psychology as this area of psychology focuses on efficiency and productively within the workplace. The concepts behind doing tasks as well and quickly as possible truly fascinate me. In the fast-paced society that we live in, time is of the essenceRead MoreThe Prison Reform System Is The Main Objectives Of The Modern Penal System1131 Words   |  5 PagesSince the introduction of the prison systems to humanity, people have always tried to think of ways to improve upon it. Prison, is and has been seen as the primary punishment against criminal acts. But, prison is no longer seen as just a form of punishment it is also seen as a form of rehabilitation. Now, seen as the main objectives of the modern penal system. We can still incorporated new methods to effectively rehabilitate convicts and make the reintegration process for them much easier. One of

A Midsummer Night s Dream And The Taming Of The Shrew

A comedic story can be summed up as one thing; a hero who triumphs over evil and wins the day. In these tales, our main character encounters around one hardship and overcomes it with much ease. The ancient Greek playwrights had a similar view on comedic tales: in order for something to be a comedy, the main character must reach a positive outcome. So no matter what comes their way, our hero will be in a better spot than he was at the beginning. Well-known comedies include A Midsummer Night s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, and Cyrano de Bergerac. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew, the main character achieves their goal with few hardships. Yet, in Cyrano de Bergerac, our main character’s ambitions are never†¦show more content†¦Yet, if he were to act sad and depressed, then the tale would be more of a tragedy, since it would belabor the negative context. By focusing on Cyrano’s point of view, Rostand was able to make a pathetic situ ation seem humorous and hopeful. In this tragic event, Rostand accentuates Cyrano s support towards Roxane and by doing so, he makes the scene seem more of a heroic comedy. Consequently, the tension between Cyrano and Roxane isn t the only place where Cyrano s wit is up against the tragic play. On the other hand, Cyrano’s optimism counterbalances the play’s tragic theme when he confronts De Guiche, during a battle in Arras. De Guiche, who suffers from Cyrano’s humiliations, decides to betray the Gascons and sent the Spanish army to slaughter them. Despite this, Cyrano takes this as an opportunity to show off his strength. He tells his fellow Gascons, â€Å"My friends, we shall add now to our old Gascon arms with their six chevrons, blue and gold, a seventh, blood red!† (IV. 164). Here, Cyrano seems especially proud of this chance, that he and his fellow soldiers will get the chance to die in â€Å"honor.† Not only that, but right before he charges into battle, Cyrano yells at a Spanish offer who asks him, â€Å"Who are these men who are so fond of death?† (IV 200). Full of pride, he replies, â€Å"The Cadets of Gascoyne, the defenders of Carbon de Castel-Jaloux, free fighters, free lovers, free spenders.† (IV 200). In this sc ene, despite the tragic event that De Guiche hasShow MoreRelatedLa Story and Shakespeare1546 Words   |  7 Pagescredited with being a variation on A Midsummer Nights Dream. This is a more subtle lifting of the works. The similarities are limited to the device of the confused lovers, and the possible use of magic in order to bring the lovers to their correct partner. The similarities would probably have gone unnoticed were it not for the production notes that came as a supplement on the DVD, wherein Steve Martin bluntly says that he took the idea from A Midsummer Night‘s Dream. But as previously stated, the themeRead MoreSonnet 107 by William Shakespeare-literary analysis.1200 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeare s Sonnet 107 Nowadays William Shakespeare is renown as one of the world s greatest and most prolific dramatists of all times.Both tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Anthony and Cleopatra, and light-hearted comedies like The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night s Dream are still box-office successes in theatres all around the globe.Yet, besides being a playwright, Shakespeare has also exercised his complex literary talents in poetry, appreciated inRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Influence On The Course Of World History1440 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare s first child was named Susanna, and she was born on May 26,1583. 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The plays, the poems, and the sonnets have had a significance influence in EnglishRead MoreModern-Day Adaptations of Shakespearian Plays3263 Words   |  14 Pages Two Shakespearian plays that have been adapted many times are A Midsummer Nights Dream and Hamlet. Both plays deal with the difference between reality and the semblance of reality and the madness that can occur if we confuse the two. While A Midsummer Nights Dream deals with the reality-distorting drug known as love, Hamlet is about accepting artifice for reality. Two interesting adaptations of A Midsummer Nights Dream are the 1999 film directed by Michael Hoffman and the issue by NeilRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare Biography Essay1691 Words   |  7 Pagesone of his greatest stories ever told; in which I have seen many movies and read many books. Here are some of my favorite stories ever written; Othello, The Moon of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night or What You Will, Julius Caesar, Richard III, Macbeth (which was a favorite in high school), Midsummer Night’s Dream ( I have read that book), Henry V, Hamlet, which I might add Mel Gibson did very well playing that part, and my most favorite love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet. As youRead MoreHow Shakespeare Impacted The British History?1851 Words   |  8 Pagesto his own outstanding work due to the fact that his parents were illiterate. Shakespeare’s first plays were based on the categories of comedy and tragedy such as â€Å"Titus Andronicus , The Two Gentlemen of Verona , The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, and â€Å"Henry VI† . (William Shakespeare, n.d.). He began interacting with different theater companies when his plays started becoming a hit on the stage. By, 1594 he prepared to write and acting for a troupe called Lord Chamberlain’s Men, inRead MoreShakespeare As A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay1922 Words   |  8 PagesHenry VI and Richard III, King John centered on the Kings right to the throne. Shakespeare not along just wrote plays that applied to history he also included some comedy plays such as The Taming of the Shrew, The comedy of Errors, The Gentlemen of Vernon. A popular play of Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream, tells a story of courtship within the suffering of Love, such as Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare had a long list of plays of Tragedy of noble ch aracters; Hamlet, Macbeth, Anthony and CleopatraRead MoreEssay on Biography of William Shakespeare2736 Words   |  11 PagesAge. It was in this atmosphere that London became a leading center of culture as well as commerce. Its dramatists and poets were among the leading literary artists of the daythis is the environment in which Shakespeare lived and wrote. In the 1580s, the writings of the University Wits defined the London theatre. Though grounded in medieval/Jacobean roots, men such as Marlowe, Greene, Lyly, Kyd, and Peele, produced new dramas and comedies using Marlowes styling of blank verse. Shakespeare outdidRead More Shakespeares World Essay3144 Words   |  13 Pageshave known that he was a successful playwright while he was alive. There is not even a contemporary portrait to reveal his true appearance. Although a number of mentions of William Shakespeare the poet-dramatist appear on record during the 1590s and early 1600s, they comment only briefly on his writings, telling us nothing about the man. Less is known about Shakespeare than almost any other playwright of his time. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The orthodox version of William Shakespeares life is probably

Feminism in Hamlet Free Essays

Feminism in Hamlet â€Å"Frailty, thy name is women†; Mother, thy name is greatness Loyalty or betrayal, nobody can definitely point out what the truth is; but something that seems like the truth may not always be correct. Truth usually hides behind the stage and needs to be found by knowing what the characters are actually thinking. The Queen acts as a controversial character in the play â€Å"Hamlet† by William Shakespeare. We will write a custom essay sample on Feminism in Hamlet or any similar topic only for you Order Now She marries her husband’s brother just after her husband’s death. â€Å"Treachery†, â€Å"recreance†, â€Å"conscienceless† become the symbols of her character. As a queen of noble lineage, she has superior power, but no access to speak freely. Everything she does is to protect her son Hamlet. The pitiful queen becomes the scapegoat in a play filled with male characters. She loves only her true husband-King Hamlet. Her weakness and sin is just a foolish pretense for male chauvinism. Weakness or sagacity may on the surface appear to be just a result of a decision made on the spur of the moment. Queen Gertrude has always been a controversial character. â€Å"In 1848, Strachey called her â€Å"weak†; and Professor Nicoll declares her ‘Little more than a puppet’,† (Draper). Is Gertrude a symbol of weakness or sagacity? According to John William Draper’s understanding of Hamlet, he offers another perspective to understanding the queen. â€Å"Can Gertrude, indeed, have been so â€Å"weak†? This interpretation apparently is based on the vague accusations of the Ghost and on Hamlet’s bitter, but also vague, reproaches, and especially on his â€Å"Frailty, thy name is women,† early in the play† (Draper). Here Draper alters the discussion around Gertrude from focus on her frailty and weakness to argue that her actions are misunderstood by male characters who do not understand the complexity of female nature. In Act 1 Scene 2 Queen Gertrude speaks to Hamlet about her perception of the circumstances they have been placed in since her husband’s death. Gertrude clearly articulates her belief in accepting what has been lost, and the necessity for her to continue on without longing for what can no longer be. Her husband has passed and she must now make decisions she does not like in order to maintain her position as Queen, and protect her son. She says: â€Å"let thine look like a friend on Denmark. Do not forever with thy vailed lids seek for thy noble father in the dust. Thou know’st ‘tis common; all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity. †(Shakespeare, 1. 2. 69-74). Gertrude speaks rhetorically to Hamlet about her desire for him to continue with his life without longing desperately for his father, as she has been forced to do. The Queen is a normal woman who must play two different roles between her new husband and her son. She is distressed herself over the inharmonious relationship between Hamlet and Claudius. She attempts to tell Hamlet this, but he is too young and stubborn to understand the position she is in as a woman. Instead of understanding her, he forms an opinion of her being weak and frail, only thinking of herself. On one side is her husband, Claudius, who gives her comfort while she is helpless after the death of the King; on the other side is her dear son who is enraged over his father’s death. Although it appears that her motivation for marrying Claudius is selfish, she actually marries to secure Hamlet’s position as prince and maintain power over Denmark. No complaint, no grumble passes her lips, the only thing she is able to do is to tolerate it all. The reason Gertrude marries her husband’s brother is not because she loves him, or her vanity, it is because she wants to protect Hamlet. This is proven in the end of the play, when she drinks the poisonous wine which the King attempts to give to Hamlet. â€Å"Claudius treats Gertrude with unfailing consideration, respect and love; for her sake, he tries to conciliate Hamlet, though at some personal risk, and even cour ts discovery of his last desperate plot to warn her against the poisoned goblet. † (Draper). It can be argued that because of this action the Queen has discovered Claudius’ guilt and is attempting to save Hamlet from the same fate as his father. The King asks Gertrude to â€Å"not drink† (Shakespeare. 5. 2. 293) the wine, but she responds, â€Å"I will, my lord; I pray you pardon me. †Ã‚   (Shakespeare. 5. 2. 294). Gertrude is hoping that Claudius will explain himself, and prevent her from drinking the poison. This is her way of letting him know she is aware of his regicide, and is no longer willing to be his idle accomplice despite his great affection. In saying this she is knowingly protecting Hamlet from drinking the poison, while also letting Claudius know she is on to him. Hamlet describes his mother as a, â€Å"wretched, rash, intruding fool† (Shakespeare 3. 4. 32). According to the opinion expressed by Harold Bloom, â€Å"All [Hamlet’s] life he had believed in [Gertrude]†¦ He had seen her not merely devoted to his father, but hanging on him like a newly-wedded bride, hanging on him†   (Bloom 21) However, he will never know who his mother was. Hamlet was staying abroad in England when is father died. Gertrude was helpless after King Hamlet’s death. However, Claudius gives her much comfort and encouragement, and as a result, she marries him. She sees Claudius as the reflection of the late King. As Steven Mullaney demonstrates â€Å"Remarriage might seem to resolve the threat posed by female independence. † (Mullaney 172) Remarriage plays an ironic role in the play, Gertrude indeed does not receive any independence but rather causes the tragedy that happens. It is tragic that her son thinks she is disloyal. Never is a statement made indicating the Queen’s knowledge of Claudius murdering his brother. She even seems to not trust Hamlet’s accusations about the King’s death because Hamlet has been behaving as if he is mad. During the conversation between she and Hamlet he tries to tell the truth, â€Å"A bloody deed-almost as bad, good Mother. As killing a king, and marry to his brother. † (Shakespeare 3. 4. 29-30), Hamlet instead accuses his mother of having knowledge of his father’s murder. This implies that Hamlet believes the Queen is selfish and deceitful. The Queen is confused by his accusation. â€Å"As Killing a King? † (Shakespeare, 3. 4. 31), she asks genuinely confused by his statement, and being innocent is hurt by his censure. At the beginning of the play, the Queen ask s Hamlet to get out from the sadness of the King’s death. What no one knows is that she is trying to tell herself the same thing. She seems to ‘step out’ from the shadow of the suddenly French leave of her husband. She becomes a liar, she is silly, and childishly thinking that marrying her brother-in-law will keep her close to her husband. The audience and other ? characters are unaware of how much Gertrude loves the late King; this is due to her being perceived as weak, frail and of a lesser moral position than the men that surround her. Weakness is not a characteristic belonging to Gertrude. She is a great mother and wife, who is misrepresented to the audience vis-a-vis a one sided view- that of Hamlet. Hamlet says that he â€Å"must hold his tongue† (Shakespeare, 1. 2. 159) He acts as a male character in the play, although he is saying that he cannot express what he wants to, however he still can do what he likes. Beavering madly, arguing with his mother and even being rude to King Claudius. Whatever how bad deed Hamlet has done, people prefer to believe â€Å"he is mad†, but Gertrude makes one decision that appears to be bad, and people call her† weak† and a treasonous wife; however her decision is also forced by the power of King Claudius, as he preys upon her fear and concern for her son and throne, convincing her that the only solution to reigning her country successfully is through another noble marriage. Sometimes, people judge others unfairly. Gertrude is a great mother who dedicates her life to protect her son and guard the little sanctity she has. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Bloom’s Major Literacy Character- Hamlet. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2004. Print. Draper, John Wiliam. â€Å"Queen Gertrude. † Draper, John Wiliam. The Hamlet of Shakesperae’s audience. London: FRANK CASS AND COMPANY LIMITED, 1939. 108-121. Electronic. Mullaney, Steven. â€Å"Mourning and Misogyny. † Chedgzoy, Kate. Shakespeare, Feminism and Gender. New York: PALGRAVE, 2001. 172. Print. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: New American Library, 1998. Print. How to cite Feminism in Hamlet, Essay examples