Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Essay Example for Free

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Essay Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was the great great-granddaughter of â€Å"a potato-famine Irish immigrant† who worked as a superintendent of the public schools of New York City (TV. com, 2007). Her father was a handsome Wall Street banker by the name of John Bouvier III (â€Å"Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis†). She spent the early years of her life between East Hampton and New York City. Attending some of the finest private schools, Jacqueline learned to ride as well as write stories and poems. As a matter of fact, she won an equestrian championship at the tender age of five (TV. com). She was an artist to boot, and she knew ballet. Jacqueline had a sister with whom she arrived later in Newport near Washington D. C. where her stepfather’s home was located (â€Å"Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy†). During the depression, her parents had lost their wealth and divorced (â€Å"Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis†). In 1947, Jacqueline was named â€Å"the Debutante of the Year (â€Å"Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy†). Despite her â€Å"social success,† she desired to continue studying (â€Å"Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy†). As a student of Vassar, she had the opportunity to travel far and wide. She spent an entire year in France before her graduation (â€Å"Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy†). After all, in her youth Jacqueline had dreamt of taking up photography as a profession in France. She had also dreamt of living an absolutely bohemian life in Paris (Melloy, 2006). All of her dreams were not realized. Nevertheless, Jacqueline grew to love the people of France (â€Å"Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy†). She also got to work as an Inquiring Photographer for The Washington Times-Herald. This was her very first job. When Jacqueline won a writing contest that was sponsored by Vogue magazine, she was offered the chance to work with Vogue as well. But, she turned down her prize offer to work with the magazine (TV. com). Besides John F. Kennedy and the rich Greek-Argentine, Aristotle Onassis, whom she married a few years after the death of the President Kennedy, Jacqueline is known to have dated Frank Sinatra, Gianni Agnelli, Marlon Brando, Peter Lawford, Warren Beatty, William Holden, John Husted, Jr. , and Maurice Tempelsman (â€Å"Who is dating Jacqueline Onassis,† 2007). No wonder she was considered the most beautiful and glamorous lady in the United States (Melloy). Besides, she was a rather enchanting lady as far as her spoken language was concerned. Some of her interesting quotes include the following: (1) â€Å"I dont think there are any men who are faithful to their wives;† (2) â€Å"There are two kinds of women, those who want power in the world and those who want power in bed;† (3) The one thing I do not want to be called is First Lady. It sounds like a saddle horse;† (4) â€Å"I always wanted to be some kind of writer or newspaper reporter. But after college I did other things (TV. com). † The wedding dress that Jacqueline wore the day she married Kennedy is known to have taken two months to tailor and fifty â€Å"yards of ivory silk taffeta (TV. com). † Despite her love for Kennedy, the latter is known to have had a large number of flings with different women. He also gave to Jacqueline a â€Å"dose of Chlamydia,† which she believed was responsible for her miscarriage, followed by a premature delivery of a child who did not survive (Melloy). Melloy suggests that Jacqueline’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma toward the end of her life may also have been caused by Chlamydia. What is more, it was not just Kennedy who had betrayed her. Jacqueline experienced physical abuse during her marriage with Aristotle Onassis. Thus, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a glamorous and a tragic figure at the same time (Melloy). References Jackie Kennedy. Think Quest. Retrieved Nov 18, 2007, from http://library. thinkquest. org/TQ0312172/flkennedy. html. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The Biography Channel. Retrieved Nov 18, 2007, from http://www. thebiographychannel. co. uk/biography_story/130:2380/1/Jackie_Kennedy. htm Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy. The White House. Retrieved Nov 18, 2007, from http://www. whitehouse. gov/history/firstladies/jk35. html. Melloy, K. (2006, Apr 8). The Secret Memoirs of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Retrieved Nov 18, 2007, from http://www. edgeboston. com/index. php? ci=ch=entertainmentsc=bookssc2=reviews

Social Stratification Is A Sociological Phenomenon Sociology Essay

Social Stratification Is A Sociological Phenomenon Sociology Essay Social stratification is a sociological phenomenon in which people in the society are placed in different ranks with reference to same economic conditions. Normally, there are those of high standard and others of a low standard. Social stratification borrows classification from earth sciences and thus it refers to its classes as strata. The difference in economic characteristics of persons leads to domination of power by one group to another. Social Stratification is characterized by four core principles namely; Social stratification has been said to be transferable from generation to another. Every generation adopts the classifications that had been set by a generation that preceded. Social stratification is a societal characteristic and not an individual view. The society forms a uniform way of grading persons which is not a sole persons objective. Social stratification is said to be universal and also variable. Though this statement seems contradictory, it means that classification is uniform in a certain society but will vary when compared with other societies. Lastly, social stratification is not all about equality of persons, but also the beliefs that they hold. This means that social classes in the society are also based on common beliefs. The classification of the society into various ranks brings about inequality. In the western communities, social stratification adopts three key stratas; the upper, middle and lower class. It is due to these classes that inequality is developed. Those of upper class view themselves as superior and having more prestige compared to their counterparts in lower ranks. Therefore, sharing of common resources in the society is based on the stratification ranks. Inequality is a social evil that emanates from social stratification. Origins of the Social Stratification theory The above theory is said to have emanated from the Judaeo-Christian Bible which presents the social idea of the Greeks. Though the idea was not extremely straightforward at the beginning, it has gone through various transformations to the present day where it presents itself clearly. The sociological view of Social stratification and inequality Various sociologists have had different views and interpretations on social stratification. For instance, Talcott Parsons who was an American sociologist emphasized that stability of social stratas is partly influenced by universal values. On a different note, Marxism identifies unequal distribution of resources and limited mobility to be factors of stratified societies. However, numerous sociologists have had a uniform view with reference to the fact that the wealthy in the society control the political power. In such a case, the poor ought to submit to orders from the rich. Several sociologists had diverse views on the origin and form of the social stratification theory. Below are some of these sociologists and various discussions regarding each one of them. Karl Marx In his theory of Marxism, Karl asserted that social stratification in the society is based on the way people are related to the factors of production. In such, there exist two different categories of persons; those that own the factors of production and those who labor for the owner of the factors of production. The classification by Karl Marx seems to be inadequate especially in the current view of economics. This is because there exist various aspects of the present economy that have been left untackled by the Marxism theory. For instance; it does not provide accurate categorization as to productive, occupational and economic aspects of the society. Modern scholars of economics have said that the issue of social stratifications requires in depth classifications other than the generalized one provided for by the Marxism theory. In fact, theories behind social stratification need to draw a clear cut between the economic aspects of skilled and unskilled labor, owning and managing a bu siness and also between business and professional occupational roles. Secondly, the Marxism theory appears to be so generalized to an extent that it overlooks various vital social-structural phenomena that are o great influence in the society. These include ethnic affiliations, kinship and lineage affiliations. Modern sociologists have however not ignored these crucial aspects the way Marx did. Thirdly, the theory of Marx on social stratification seems to be so limited in defining the role of cultural factors in social classification. Cultural factors include legal practices, religious norms and scientific ideas among others. It is crucial to note that science has played a key role in maintaining social classes. In summary, Mar defined the relationship between people and property as the key aspect behind social stratification. Max Weber Weber was thrilled by the propositions of his predecessor, Marx, and hence he thought of making corrections to Marxs theory. Weber designed a model based on status, class and a more explicit and systematic differentiation with reference to social stratification. Unlike Marx who identified property to be the sole determining factor in social stratification, Weber identified status and class as additional factors. Weber build an interconnected model that would define the relationship between these three factors. Any of the factors can affect the other two, and in any case any of these factors can be replaced with another. In his model, Weber also did not cover several key influencing factors like education, ethnic and kinship factors. Below are the definitions that Weber gave to his three factors of influence; He defined class as an individuals economic position in the society with reference to birth and their personal achievement. Secondly, he defined status as the position occupied by an individual in the society as a result of their social honor, popularity and prestige. Weber also defined power as the ability of an individual to progress despite various factors offering resistance in the society. Wright Mills Wright sought to advance Webers thoughts on social stratification with no discrimination whatsoever. Similar to Weber, he identified power to be economic oriented but in addition to be influenced by political and military domains. Through his famous book titled The Power Elite, Mills brings out a clear connection between political power and social statas in the society. He asserted that the very power embodied persons occupy a certain class in the society. In order to keep themselves relevant in the society, the power elite tend to develop close ties in ideas, work and marital issues. To him, the power elite is clearly defined in education institutions whereby the persons of the high status group attend prominent schools thus preparing them for high class tertiary schools. Conceptual model to Social Stratification A conceptual model for the current nature of social stratification ought to be multidimensional. It should have considerable measurement techniques and be flexible to accommodate various ideological biases. There appears to be two factors that have led to the resistance of such a conceptual model. These are ideological and methodological oriented. Looking at ideological issues, we find sociologists who still hold on to the traditional ways of classifying people. They want to maintain definitions that are simple clear and self explanatory. However, simple definitions have proved to be incompetent in the current nature of society that presents changing and complex situations. With reference to methodology aspects, scientists have had fear of exploring a multidimensional concept because they fear the complex resources and methods that could be involved. The more differentiated a model is, the more involving it will be in terms of equipments needed to analyze and the processes that will be involved. New ideas have not been explored by sociologist researchers who have committed themselves in exploring simple models hence there is still a lot to be explored. Studies by the Hindu caste society show that there is a necessity for a multidimensional model. Various dimensions of stratification are closely related to one another but this does not mean that they are not exclusively autonomous. For instance, such dimensions as power, prestige, income and education are in a way related to one another. However, in some cases, it can be noted that power is independent of the other factors. In fact, in certain circumstances, power may be attained irrespective of occupational prestige. Again, a certain level of education grounds may not be strong enough if not accompanied by money. The key role of a multidimensional model is to address issues of interdependence and independence of social stratification factors. Key dimensions of Social Stratification Power As defined earlier in this paper and with reference to Karl Marx, power refers to the ability to pursue goals despite resisting factors. Power will be addressed with reference to size and various natures of societies. The degree of division of labor in the society is related to the way typical social classes will be formed. Power exists in two diverse forms; legitimate and illegitimate and hence there cannot be established a direct relation between power and social stratification. Occupational prestige The various productive roles in the society are accorded different level of prestige. It has been evident that though societies may be different, there will always exist a similarity in the way they accord prestige to various occupations. For instance; some professions like law, medicine and pilot are given a high level of prestige because they are associated with good amounts of money. The vaiability of the way occupations are valued is dependent on the way the society values those occupations. Therefore, it is vital to note that prestige accorded to various occupations will differ with reference to the values of the societal setting. Income/Wealth Wealth plays a extremely significant role in social stratification. Whether earned or inherited, wealth will impact the type of class that a person will occupy in the society. Various profession and business roles in the society offer diverse opportunities in accumulating wealth. Sometimes, the so high ranked roles have proven to accumulate low wealth when compared to low prestige roles. Looking at the example of a professional doctor who uses intellect and professionalism to accumulate his wealth yet he may not gather a lot like a bandit. The latter can accumulate in one night, money equal to that a professional doctor earns in an entire month. When money is used as the determining factor in social stratification, business and professional roles lack relevance. Social stratification on basis of income influences to a significant extent other dimensions of societal classification. For instance; the level of education gained by a person may be determined by the relative amount of income they have. Disposable income has also not been left out in studying how it influences social stratification. Family and ethnicity The status of kinship groups and family lineage plays a vital role in determining the social classes in the society. Not once and not twice have persons been seen as wealthy and hence prestigious because their fore fathers were wealthy. The role played by a family in the society in terms of monetary contribution and influence holds a significant support as to why it holds a certain class in the society. The class occupied by a certain family in the society determines the social class it occupies and hence the kind of treatment they will be accorded by the entire society. Family and ethnic position do not however hold a one to one relationship in far as social stratification is concerned. Local community status Individuals and families do not live in isolations or in islands in the society. Their day to day activities are influenced by norms set by the nature of the community. Families and individuals by extension are given placed under certain social classes due to the way the society operates. The position of local community in the society is determined by the nature of influence it has on the entire community. Modern Stratification Systems In the contemporary world, there exists three key systems of stratification whish are; slavery, the caste system and the class system. Despite various laws disregarding slavery, many people in the world today live in conditions that can be classified as slavery. Slavery is still eminent in nations such as Ghana, Benin and Mauritania among others. Also, Asia has been mentioned numerously for prevalent cases in sex slavery. Caste System The above is a social system that is based on characteristics and traits those persons posses as virtue of their birth. These traits include body type, race, gender and age among others. The caste system is said to be a rigid one. This means that it assigns various unchangeable castes to persons which cannot be varied. However, persons have in various situations tried to change their ascribed statuses by lying about their age, changing nationality or performing plastic surgery but not at all times do these attempts yield positive results. Class system Class system classifies persons with reference to statuses that they have earned and not those that they were born with. Persons born in a certain social class can choose their careers, education level and spouses. The class system is characterized by social mobility nature. Social mobility refers to the act of moving either up or down the various social strata. Conclusion Every society has various classes that are generally assumed by members of the society based on various factors. Common held belief in the society model the way a society sets up these classes. Most common factors that determine classification are education and knowledge, power, prestige, and religion among other factors. Sociologists have formed various theories to address the determining factors of social stratification though no one theory seems to have provided comprehensive coverage. Every society exhibits unique factors and believes, but there exists a close relationship between the way these diverse factors influence social stratification.

Ulrich Becks Theory Of World Risk Society Criminology Essay

Ulrich Becks Theory Of World Risk Society Criminology Essay This essay seeks to study the explanation of the September 11 attacks through the key concepts of the World Risk Society. It will analyse how the presence of risks in the contemporary society, is driving the governments towards the incessant development of technologies and other sophisticated security systems in order to make their States more secure. However, the issue under discussion is that, is this tendency to get feign control over the uncontrollable(Beck U; The Terrorist Threat; p 41); which is the central point of the world risk society, further adding to or leading to problems. Is this presence of the future in the contemporary society in a way leading to a security paradox? To put it in the words of Keith Spence in World risk society and War against terror, Both domestically in the guise of Homeland Security, and in military engagements elsewhere, the pursuit of war against terror inevitably compounds and reproduces the conditions and anxieties that it purports to address. To deal with these questions, the essay will start with the elucidation of the World Risk Society Theory as conceptualized by Ulrich Beck. Moving further, the essay would discuss the underlying assumptions of risks that are at the ground level of the counter terrorism policies adopted by the World today. Taking the case study of War on Terror and the pre emptive actions adopted by the US administration, it will analyse how safer is the World with the adoption of such polices? Did the zero risk policies and the constant process of modernization help US or made it more vulnerable to such attacks, in other words, made it more insecure? World Risk Society: Calculating the Incalculable Thinking of contemporary terrorism in the context of Becks theory of Risk Society, it can be defined as de-bounded uncontrollable risk characterised by a well connected structure, a continuous potential threat and difficult to trace to a single source. Beck introduces the concept of risk as a modern concept that presumes decision making. He further explains that as soon as we speak in terms of risk, we are talking about calculating the incalculable, colonizing the future. Beck emphasises on the fact that Risk Society has not arisen because of the presence of one or the other threats or dangers in everyday life but because of the de bounding of uncontrollable risks. According to him, de bounding has three distinct dimensions, i.e. Spatial, Temporal and Social Dimensions. By spatial dimension he implies risks or dangers that are not bounded by the nation state boundaries. The Temporal dimension signifies the long term dangers and finally the social dimension implies that the root of the problem cannot be traced back to a single agent, for instance, for problem of global terrorism, we cannot single out a country or an individual or group and blame it responsible for all terror networks. In the words of Beck, Uncontrollable risks must be understood as not being linked to place, that is they are difficult to impute to a particular agent and can hardly be controlled on the level of the nation state. Ulrich Beck further explains that in the World Risk Society with the central problem of how to feign control over the uncontrollable, have three axes of conflict ecological conflict, global financial crises and global terror. To say that the risk is global is not to suggest that everyone would be equally affected. It implies that the risks are unequally distributed; it might cause damage to different countries differently depending on the cultural and political variations. However, even if it affects everyone unequally but the truth, as Beck says, is that it affects everyone. And thus there exists a global problem for which a global solution must be found. This is where the global co-operation fits the picture. In his theory, terror seems to be the midpoint of interaction between other two axes of conflict. The development in technology and the increase in flow of money, in one way or the other increases the extent of the threat from the dark World of terror.( Beck U., The Terrorist Threat, p. 45) A distinction can be made between ecological and financial conflicts on one hand and global terror risks on the other hand. As Beck explains, ecological and financial conflicts are the unintentional side effects that come attached with the production of goods which in turn are the results of the central decisions taken by society. Explicating the shift from accident to intention, Beck concentrates on the axis of global terror. He describes terrorism as an intentionally bad (Beck U., The Terrorist Threat, p. 44) activity which leads to a negative situation that the other axes of conflicts produce unintentionally. This change of accident in the industrial society to intention in the modern society is followed by a further replacement of active trust to active mistrust. As the terrorist threat highlights mistrust and multiplies the risks, it weakens the relationship between the fellow citizens, foreigners and governments. After looking at these characteristics of the Risk Society, it becomes quite easy to understand the basis on which pre emptive intervention policies, detentions and profiling are justified. As Kessler O. And Werner W put it in Extrajudicial Killing as Risk Management, it is justified in the face of rowdiness and unpredictability of the modern terrorist. Also, after the attacks of September 11, the whole World very well accepts the fact that the terror world today has access to all technologically advanced weapons and thus has the capability to harm more people and spread more fear and panic amongst people. The features of the modern terrorism fit the framework of the risk society. Beck suggests that in the World Risk Society, it is increasingly becoming impossible for the States to protect the security of its citizens in the growing atmosphere of multiplying risks and active mistrust. The solution to the global problems of terror, ecological and financial conflicts lies in transnational co-operation. As he admits, this leads to a paradoxical situation for the nation states as in order to further accomplish their national interests, they need to denationalize themselves. The global coalition against terror stands a witness to it. In order to uphold their constitutional promise of protecting the life of their citizens, in this situation specifically from the terror threats, the nation states came together to fight a war against the terror world. this can be attributed to the fact that it isnt possible for nay country to fight the vast networks of terrorism, spread across the world, all alone. Even the superpower like US, which is most developed technologically a nd financially, had to call for the support of the other nations in order to wage the war on terror. Even though as a leader of global coalition it had to make certain policy compromises, nevertheless it went ahead to uphold its constitutional promise. It is shift from accident to intention that is the basis of all the counter terrorism policies. The process of profiling and indefinite detentions has been justified on the grounds of intention. The government has started judging the people on the basis of intention. To quote Mythen and Walklate from Terrorism, Risk and International Security government has taken more restrictive and invasive steps so that it can create an order that can tame the dangers to the detriment of people. Analysing 9/11 and the policies thereafter through the risk society perspective: Precautionary policies and the National security in the wake of New terrorism Responsible Science and responsible policymaking operate on the precautionary principle. Tony Blair (2002) The policies used to approach the global problem of terror are dictated by the logic of risk management. The novelty of this approach, as Keith Spence puts it in World Risk Society and War on Terror, lies in the adoption of pre emptive approach. The adoption of pre emptive approach as a precautionary principle can be described as being based on four interrelated assumptions put forth by Claudia Aradau Van Munster in Governing Terrorism through Risk: Taking Precautions, zero risk, worst case scenario, shifting the burden of proof and serious and irreversible damage. It is the worst case scenario and the thought of irreversible damage that drives the government to adopt zero risk policies. When struck with the 9/11 attacks, it was the thought of further irreversible damage that made the Bush administration come up with the pre emptive policy and the following invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq as States breeding terrorism. The pre emptive approach reminds us of the Henry Kissingers observation that the desire of one power for absolute security means absolute insecurity for all the others (Kissinger, 1961, p. 148; 1964, p. 2). The conduct and outcomes of such acts are not unpredictable but uncontrollable as well. The pre emptive approach adopted to fight terror spread more fear than it actually tackled due to the presence of uncertainty and unpredictability. In the words of Keith Spence, In leveraging sentiments of uncertainty amongst target populations, pre emption like all mechanisms of terror, enlarges the impact of aggression, provoking fear that permeates the culture thereby constituted and reproduced. (World Risk Society and the War on Terror, P.289) The process of pre-emption follows the logic of absolute security. The adoption of pre emption undermined the UN laws and norms that supported use of force only under situations that justified self defence against actual threat.( Annan, K. (2003); Secretary-Generals address to the General Assembly; New York, 23 September 2003.) The pre emption approach on the other hand worked on the principle of eradicating possible threats. To quote Bush from Remarks at West Point: New Threats Require New Thinking, to wait for the threats to materialize would mean that we would have waited too long. The idea of the eradication of potential threats in order to provide absolute security are all significant features of a catastrophic society as explained by Ulrich Beck in the theory of Risk society. The approach adopted, do not disappoint on the point of global solutions to the problems of terror. The solution that it provides again falls in the line of thought of Becks Wold Risk Society by abandoning the conventional norms of time, space and restraint. (Spence, Keith; World risk Society and the War on Terror; p 289) The stated objective of the War on Terror, as stated by George W. Bush in the Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People on 4th of July, will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated cannot be satiated. Instead the approach of the administration leads to the development of more such networks than it actually eradicates. Egyptian President Hosni Mubaraks has aptly remarked in context of the Operation Iraqi Freedom, that instead of having one bin Laden, we will have 100 as a consequence of Operation undertaken.( Black, Ian and McGreal, Chris (2003) Conflict will create 100 bin Ladens, warns Egyptian president, The Guardian, 1 April, p. 4.) The manner in which the US conducts its response to terror would only lead to multiplication of terror networks rather than its eradication. The fact that the initial steps of the policy adoption actually led to the growth of the terror activities in North and East Africa, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the Indian subject-continent and the wider Gulf Region brings to the fore Kissingers cautionary observation of absolute security. Security measures as a part of precautionary principle: Homeland Security The practices undertaken to fight away the terrorist networks under the label war on terror are too vast and discursive to fit into the framework of any theory. From Guantanamo Bay to biometrics and increased surveillance, or from extraordinary rendition to the categorisation of terrorist suspects as enemy combatants, the war on terror has regimented a whole series of practices that showcase the reaction to precautionary risk. (Aradau and Van Munster, 2007; Governing Terrorism through Risk: taking precautions, (un)knowing the future; European Journal of International Relations; Vol. 13, No. 1, 89-115) As a result of the terror attacks, US post the announcement of War on Terror, took a lot of steps in order to be prepared to shield the country from any unpredictable, unknown but inevitable situation. The website www.ready.gov created by the department of Homeland Security is another source for informing the people and preparing America for any emergency. The site discusses the campaign Ready which aims at educating and empowering the Americans to deal with any situation of emergency including natural and man-made disasters. (http://www.ready.gov/america/about/index.html) The Website states Be ready! and carefully places a quote from the founding secretary Tom Ridge, claiming terrorism forces us to make a choice. We can be afraid or we can be prepared! The website goes to the extent of stating three simple steps get the emergency kit, formulate a family emergency plan and be informed to rescue oneself or at least be prepared to face the emergency situation. It warns the people abo ut emergencies that can range from inconvenient to devastating and aims at empowering them by preparing them in advance. The department aims at preparing the people to fight the emergency but what exactly will be the emergency is unknown, the only surety about the unsure situation is its inevitability. The site puts in to place the key mechanism of the catastrophic society which makes the state of emergency institutionally established as a norm. (Spence, Keith; p 291). The states have marked emergencies from green to red and make sure that the drills take place regularly. As Keith Spence rightly remarks, the frenzy created by these drills and the supplementary activities leads to a persistent feeling of anxiety which is further responsible for a feeling of uneasiness and discomfort. (p.293) The adoption of the pre cautionary principle has led to a time where it is not the state which has to prove but the individual has to prove that he/she is innocent. Under such a precautionary principle, the people irrespective of the fact that they are innocent or victim, they are guilty unless proven innocent. To quote Keith Spence from World risk society and War on Terror, Neither the conduct nor outcomes of such acts are fully predictable or controllable, and as war and terror overlap and blur so too do distinctions separating civilian from combatant, collateral from non-collateral, and innocent from other victims. (p. 289) Ardau and Van Munster aptly remark, Among the technologies used to avoid a catastrophic future, war is just one. The war on terror or the consequent war of Afghanistan and Iraq do not speak of a recent rediscovery of militarism, but of a govern mentality that activates all the technologies imaginable in the face of uncertainty. There is an interesting similarity between Homeland and Fatherland. As Keith Spence points out the Jacobin Terror which was anticipated by the declaration of Fatherland in danger on 11th July 1972 was the starting point for the nation state to assert its control and authority. In 1973 when the Committee of public safety was constituted and succeeded the Committee of Vigilance (Spence; p. 291), Danton proclaimed, Let us be terrible so that the people will not have to be. One cannot help but agree with T. Ridge (2003) when he remarks that if War on Terror has been announced for peace then Homeland Security is just another name for the vigilance committee and has been formed in the name of freedom. As Helene Guldberg puts it in Challenging the Precautionary Principle, to take regulatory action on the basis of possible unmanageable risks, even after tests have been conducted that find no evidence of harm. We are asked to make decisions to curb actions, not on the basis of what we know, but on the basis of what we do not know Biometrics: As Ardau and Van Munster put it in Governing Terrorism through risk: taking precautions, unknowing the future, 9/11 has given way to more pro-active forms of surveillance of suspect populations, leading to a surplus supply of data and an over-prediction of threats. To quote Aas K. F from The body does not lie: Identity, risk and trust in technoculture, in a globalised and anonymous world, where almost everyone can afford to cross the closest borders, biological identification seems to be the best solution for states to verify peoples identity. Biometrics is simply the measurement of the most unique parts of a humans body i.e. the iris, the fingerprints, retinas, gait and voice. Application of biometrics in the field of security is just significant of the increasing trend of securitization of identity. The basic principle behind the biometrics is, as Aas puts it inThe body, to eliminate bad by keeping away undesired people. The US VISIT programme showcases the advanced and complex system of biometrics govern mentality i.e. a system of categorizing a person as legitimate or illegitimate with the support of technology collecting data biometric information of the human bodies. The case of Guantanamo Bay: As Keith Spence puts it in World Risk society and War on Terror, apart from the invasion of Iraq the archaic excess is prominently elaborated at Guantanamo Bay, where deterritorialization and pre-emption are materialized in a legally determined limbo beyond the reach of civil and international law. (p 291) Guantanamo existence as a state of exception was made clear by the condition of the detainees of Gauntanamo. As Giorgio Agamben seeks to explain, The detainees of Guantanamo are subject to raw power and have no legal existence.( Agamben G. And Raulff U.; (2004) Interview with Giorgio Agamben Life, A Work of Art Without an Author: The State of Exception, the Administration of Disorder and Private Life, German Law Journal) Implication of the risk perspective to the camp exemplifies dealing with an unrestricted risk in the spatial category. The Guantanamo Bay detention camp has been placed outside the regular US legal jurisdiction but it is not fully immune for this order. . To this extent, C. Ardau in Law Transformed remarks, The Guantanamo bay camp perfectly embodies the necessity of defining a new form of war, which breaks the habits of all previous sets. Guantanamo Bay stands as a perfect example of the aftermath of the conditions resulting from the implication of the precautionary logic of controlling the future in other words tackling something that is uncertain and unknown of. Even though Gauntanamo has resulted in making modern day terrorism as a novelty nevertheless it cannot be tagged as a place without any regulations. To put it in the words of C. Ardau, it has resulted in the creation of a place ruled by the dominant principle of governing the social and taming the future. US itself has become a source of violence it wanted to fight by adopting the harsh policies to fight to it and Guantanamo Bay is just one example of this. The thought of taking over terrorism with the principle of pre-empt rather than dealing with risk often leads to a vicious circle by giving way to exactly what it had wished to extinguish. War against terror and the precautionary steps taken thereafter is symbolic of this phenomenon. Conclusion: To quote Ulrich Beck, September 11 drove home the lesson that we now live in a risk society, a society in which there are uncontrollable and unpredictable dangers against which insurance is impossible and where questions of compensation, liability and harm minimization have lost all their social and political significance. The policies adopted and the measures taken post the attacks of 9/11 just makes this quote a lot more acceptable and suitable to the present situation. Even after taking the precautionary steps and becoming increasingly ready by employing latest technologies for uncertain but inevitable emergency situations, US has not only made itself more vulnerable to such attacks but in a way has helped the terror world to spread across its message of fear and panic. The new technologies employed for security purposes are just new challenges posed in front of the terrorist. They might learn to overtake it in a while. The question that arises then is What steps will US take then? It is really a vicious circle the more it will try to secure itself, the more insecure it will become!

Holdens Cry for Help in The Catcher in the Rye :: Essays Papers

Holden's Cry for Help in The Catcher in the Rye Catcher in the Rye is a complicated book about a young man going through, what appears to be a nervous break down. This is a book about the boy’s negative self-talk, horrible outlook on life, and a life itself that seems to keep swirling down the toilet. He keeps trying to fill his life with something, but the reality of it is he doesn’t exactly now what he needs. It’s complicated to understand at parts, because all he does is think of things in the worst possible conditions. Holden is the main character of the book. He is a complicated boy how seems to get thrown out of boarding schools left and right. He is constantly thinking about depressive thoughts of his past, like times he was with his brother, who is dead. His thoughts of his brother bring serious rage for some reason. In one instance he tells about the day after his brothers death, and Holden was filled with such anger and loneliness, he punched through all the glass doors in his garage. This required him to go to the hospital, and unfortunately his stay at the hospital forced him to miss his brothers funeral. He also keeps thinking about his old girl friend Jane. Holden is reminded of past times with her, where her father upset her, and Holden was the only one there to console her. So with that in mind, he thinks he still may have a place with her, and Holden believes that all his happiness will rest with her. Holden is just a guy who is searching for something to get him out of his depression , but he has no idea what it is, and above all how to get it. The one thing that stands in the way of what Holden needs is himself. He continues to cut himself off from everything he had once loved. His negative self will not let him get close to anyone else, while trying to get distant from those he once was close with. Holden never looks to the positive side of anything. He is just stuck in a deep hole and he can’t find a way out. Whenever Holden believes that he has found something that could help him, he himself some how shuts the door to his own happiness. Pond of which Holden keeps referring to is a very important.

Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley :: Papers

Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley I will be answering the question "What is the importance of the inspector in J. B Preisley's 'An Inspector Calls'". I think the Inspector is the characters guilty conscience. To prove this I will go through every character and comment on how they react to the Inspector and I shall also comment on how the Inspector reacts to the Birlings and Gerald. Inspector Goole makes his entrance in the middle of the Birlings celebration, they are celebrating the engagement of Sheila (their daughter) to Gerald Croft son of sir George Croft of Crofts Limited. At the time the Inspector enters Mrs. Birling and Sheila have left the room so Mr. Birling, Gerald and Eric (his son) are left in the room. Mr. Birling is in the middle of a speech to Eric and Gerald: "a man has to make his own way-has to look after himself-and his family to". He is cut off when the maid Edna tells Mr. Birling that an Inspector is here to see him this might be a secret message by J.B Priestly (the writer of the play) saying that life shouldn't be like people shouldn't just look after their family and friends they should be caring to other people and during the evening the characters learn that lesson because if they had treated Eva Smith well she wouldn't have died. The Inspector first questions Mr. Birling, a proud man who is very old fashioned. The Inspector came down on them straight away saying: "a young girl has just committed suicide by drinking some disinfectant" . Mr. Birling doesn't take him seriously telling the Inspector that it is nothing to do with him even when the Inspector tells him that Eva Smith use to work for him. Mr. Birling still doesn't feel any remorse. The Inspector shows Birling a photograph of Eva Smith and, Birling can remember her now, then Gerald and Eric ask to see the photograph of the girl but in a quiet but firm tone the Inspector replies

Characterization: Curley’s Wife in Of Mice And Men Essay

With colorful statements like â€Å"She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers† (John Steinbeck, 31), Curley’s wife is one of the more vividly portrayed characters in Of Mice and Men. Although Steinbeck leaves almost nothing to the imagination about this woman, he chooses to consistently refer to her as ‘Curley’s Wife’ rather than giving her a name or a nickname like he has done with most of the other characters. Through indirect and direct characterization the reader discovers that this woman was not simply a ticket to trouble like the workers on her father-in-law’s ranch believed, but a girl stuck in a life where she didn’t belong. Curley’s wife, who was incredibly lonely, was always ‘heavily made up’ even when she lived on the ranch where George and Lennie worked. Although generally she was thought of as a floozy, her talk with Lennie revealed that she was used to the high life. When her parents forbade her to go into the acting business, as she so wished, she married Curley, the first man who offered her something other than stardom, in order to get away from her overbearing family (Steinbeck, 88). Although because of this decision she was forced to spend her life on a ranch full of underclass workers, she still liked to make herself up to constantly remind herself that she had had the potential to be something better. To her, dressing up and flaunting her stuff was a symbol of status, something to set her apart from the rest of the lower class, which, even today, is not much different. Fashion magazines, television, and the general media still lead the public to believe that style directly connects to the amount of wealth or power someone has. When fashion trends change by the minute, it is generally thought that everything from wealth to sophistication is shown when someone is able to keep up with them (Appendix A). Curley’s wife considered always looking presentable as a constant reminder that she had once been considered good enough to go into the movie business and could have been something much better than the boss’s son’s wife. Another reason Curley’s wife was constantly made up and wondering around the ranch was that she was lonely. With Curley always gone and having nothing in common with her, she had no one to keep her company and was forced to look for attention among the workers, who had long since learned to keep away from the boss’s daughter-in-law. â€Å"‘Funny thing,’ she said. ‘If I catch any one man, and he’s alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an’ you won’t talk. Jus’ nothing but mad'† (Steinbeck, 77). Although Curley was very over-protective of his wife, he didn’t tend to her needs so she moseyed around looking for something to do or someone to talk to during the day. And even though all she wanted was the attention Curley didn’t give her, the men in the ranch knew that talking to her would only lead to trouble. â€Å"Well, I aint giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick around the house alla time?'† Curley’s wife had all the spare time in the world, and spends it making herself look as good as she can (Appendix B) and flaunts her body to anyone who will look. She desperately seeks attention and acknowledgment that she’s still got the looks that attracted all sorts of men to her before. Steinbeck chose not to give Curley’s wife a real name because she was never able to make a name for herself; she was forced into a life where she was confined and unable to pursue her real dreams. She obviously wasn’t happy with her life living inside Curley’s ranch; she wasn’t meant to be the typical woman of that time who stays at home doing the cooking and cleaning for her husband. â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Well, a show came through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’ let me. She says because I was on’y fifteen'†(Steinbeck, 88). Curley’s wife desperately tries to show Lennie that she was better than this ranch; that she wasn’t common like the rest of the people there and that it was by fault that she was living where she was now. She needed to leave that ranch and pursue her dreams now that she was old enough to make her own decisions. She needed a ticket out of that city so she could go to Hollywood and make a name for herself (Appendix C). Although Curly’s wife’s character was portrayed completely by John Steinbeck, she was never given a full name because her character isn’t full. She was missing something; she wasn’t in her rightful place. Curley’s wife wasn’t meant to live her life on the ranch, and her character wasn’t completed because of it. Steinbeck showed this the only tangible way he could, with the lack of a name for her. She wasn’t like the rest of the people on the ranch, with a name or nickname; she was referred to as ‘Curley’s Wife’. She stood out by the fact that she was the only woman on the ranch, she was the only one who dressed to impress, and she was the only person without a full name. She didn’t belong and even if she had lived she never would.

The Scarlet Letter

The minister hips himself â€Å"Laughing bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much MO re pitilessly, because of that bitter laugh† (120). Timescale is miserable and pathetic that while he is torturing himself for his sin, he laughs at himself. By laughing bitterly at himself If he shows weakness and knows how pitiful he is, understanding that he is a true disappear ointment to everyone including himself. Though with all this torture it â€Å"Typified the constant NT introspection wherewith he tortured, but could not, purify himself' (120).These punishment TTS reveal the examination of Damselfly's mental and emotional processes, which explain his constant internal struggle. After he tortures himself, Timescale is still not purified. H e can only become wholesome when he exposes the sin to the townspeople. In the forest scene, Timescale decides to run off with Hester, but on the path home his mind becomes controlled by the evil. While passing by young Puritan children, the minister had to restrain himself from â€Å"uttering certain blasphemous jugs sections† (179).Timescale wants to teach them unholy words. By doing this he is corruption g the minds of these innocent, pure children when he is supposed to be a role model for them. As a Puritan minister, Timescale would never be having these thoughts, he was a different man. T he minister had â€Å"Stupefied all blessed impulses and awakened into vivid life the whole brother hood of bad ones† (182). Timescale was tempted by a dream of happiness that he became too eager envisioning a better life than the one he has now.All of his â€Å"blessed senses† had become â€Å"SST updated†, and he is not thinking the way he was before. By using the word â€Å"vivid† it makes the BRB therefore of all the bad impulses more clear and striking. Timescale is now startled at him self of thinking these thoughts and quickly tries to recover himself. Damselfly's confession in the l ast scene on the scaffold is the action that pr vides his salvation. The minister stood on the scaffold with a â€Å"Flush of triumph in hi s face, as One who in the crisis of acutest pain, had won a victory' (209).He has a triumph express Soon on his face in which he appears that he had just accomplished a great victory and achieved .NET. During the time when the minister had kept his sin a secret, he was a miserable man, who WA s pained and distressed from the guilt of suppressing the sin from the rest of the townspeople pale. However, now hat Timescale has confessed the sin his wretched self can now be freed FRR mom the torturing remorse he went through, and can now finally come clean.The minister then finishes his sermon by saying † Had either of these agonies been wanting, [He] had been lost for e eve (210). He is saying his final goodbye, and says that God had brought him there to die in trip unmeant shame in front of all the people. God gave him the burning mark on his chest, and the d ark and terrible Chlorinating to always keep the torture redroot. Without any of these agonies s Timescale would have been lost forever, God's will has been done. Timescale had pop red his heart into this sermon, using all his energy until his spirit departs. The Scarlet Letter I would like to focus on the key points with adultery which is the consequences for adultery all around the world, religion and the media. To begin with, different areas around the world consider adultery to be illegal and other places do not. Adultery's. Org cites that consequences of adultery can be between divorce, criminal actions or even silver lining (â€Å"Adultery Laws†). Just in the united States, our states treat adultery different. Slate. Com notes that Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska and North Dakota andUtah punishes the married person when committing adultery. Also, the District of Columbia, and Michigan says that if the man is married and he commits adultery with a unmarried women he is guilty but if the women is married and she commits adultery with an unmarried man than they are both at fault. In Massachusetts, Michigan, Idaho and Oklahoma treat adultery as a felony. Then in Pennsylvania the adulterer is punished two years in prison or eighteen months of treatment for insanity Acidulate†).Knowing that there are many diverse types of consequences of committing adultery can be valuable especially when Hester Prone committed adultery and she was looked down upon and judged. In my perspective, Hester could've gotten treated worse, such as living in Pennsylvania where you go to prison for a couple years or eighteen months of getting treated for insanity. In Europe, between the fifteen and sixteen century, they would be put in court by the church which would impose good morals.