Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Spider and the Fly Essay Example

The Spider and the Fly Paper In the famous poem The Spider and the Fly written in 1829, Mary Howitt writes of a spider who cunningly persuades a fly to visit his parlor through flattery and carefully chosen words. The fly at first resists, but eventually falls prey to vanity, and, when the spider has disappeared, flutters Into the parlor, only to be pounced upon and devoured for dinner. On the literal level, the spider uses meiosis to tranquilize the flys fears of the web, and all its implications (flrst and foremost: inevitable doom). By simply referring to it as a parlour the spider is able to negate all the negative onnotations of a spiders web, and the actual ramifications of entering such a web: death. A web is where a spider kills and feasts upon its prey, but through meiosis the spider replaces web with parlour, which simply is a place while people drink- thereby not specifying who will be drinking (the spider) and what hell be drinking (the spiders blood). Understanding the cultural and historical context is the single most important factor in determining the underlying meaning of this poem. Critical analysis Seths poem Is In the form of a story narrative; a parable that seeks to teach as It peaks. The frog Is an unmusical fellow, who nevertheless sings through the night causing his neighbours a lot of discomfort. He refuses to be cowed by any form of restraint and remains the neighbourhood bully. When the nightingale astounds everybody with her beautiful voice, ther frog found himself jealous and upset with her presence and he set about systematically eliminating his rival through a sinister plot. Her realises that she has no notion of her abilities. He makes use of that. He makes her believe that he is a maestro and a music critic. He keeps putting her abilities down. He drives her relentlessly and makes money off her as her tutor as well as from people who wish to listen to her. Soon she breaks down and dies and the frog rules the roost again. The bog once again echoes with the unmusical croaks of the frog. The Spider and the Fly is a poem by Mary Howitt (1799-1888), published In 1829. The first line of the poem is Will you walk Into my parlor? said the Spider to the Fly. We will write a custom essay sample on The Spider and the Fly specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Spider and the Fly specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Spider and the Fly specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The story tells of a cunning Spider who ensnares a naive Fly through the use of seduction and flattery. The poem is a cautionary tale against those who use flattery and charm as a front for potential evil. the poem concerns a very eloquent spider trying to entire a beautiful fly into his manor. The artwork is very detailed and in a simple black and white scheme. The poem itself is very straightforward and the rhyming pattern is very catchy which. The conflict is between the Spider and the Fly but has a deeper understanding and moral to that. The moral of the tale is that not everyone who flatters and acts friendly really is. Sometimes the very worst things in ife lurk beneath pretty, flowery words. The spiders cunningness stands contrasted with the Innocence of the fly, but the spider succeeds only because the fly Is prone to flattery and Is gullible. Assay By shbhmasthana In the famous poem The Spider and the Fly written in 1829, Mary Howitt writes of a spider has disappeared, flutters into the parlor, only to be pounced upon and flys fears of the web, and all its implications (first and foremost: inevitable doom). By not specifying who will be drinking (the spider) and what hell be drinking (the Seths poem is in the form of a story narrative; a parable that seeks to teach as it speaks. The frog is an unmusical fellow, who nevertheless sings through the night everybody with her beautiful voice, ther frog found himself Jealous and upset with of the frog. The Spider and the Fly is a poem by Mary Howitt (1799-1888), published in 1829. The first line of the poem is Will you walk into my parlor? said the Spider to with the innocence of the fly, but the spider succeeds only because the fly is prone to flattery and is gullible.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Beowulf Christian or Peagan Influences Essays

Beowulf Christian or Peagan Influences Essays Beowulf Christian or Peagan Influences Paper Beowulf Christian or Peagan Influences Paper Essay Topic: Beowulf The epic poem Beowulf is a tale of a warrior, named Beowulf, and the events that lead to his death. One of the main concerns of the epic poem was whether or not it is of pagan or Christian origin, or whether it has pagan or Christian influences. Even though the poem appeared to be originally a pagan story, there are many clues in the text that point to Christian influence and tradition. Beowulf is essentially a Christian story with Christian customs: that mans survival depends on the protection of God, that earthly gifts come from God, and also that Beowulf is a Christ-figure. Throughout the poem, there are numerous references to Christianity, mostly referring to God, or the Almighty. These references begin right from the beginning of the poem. The story starts with Grendel hearing the bard telling the story of creation. The reader hears how the Almighty has made the earth and all that is beautiful, lovely, and full of life. The Almighty making the earth, shaping these beautiful plains marked off by oceans made quick with life(7-12). This shows how God has given his people great gifts like the earth they live on, and the most precious gift, life. There are also other instances where the notion of God giving his people gifts is made obvious. This is when Beowulf is dying and Wiglaf finds the dragons treasure. Beowulf clearly thanks God for his grace in giving him the treasure. This once again shows the Christian influence in the poem because Beowulf recognizes the importance of God in his life. Another display of Christian influence in the poem is how the people believe in the protection of God. This is first seen when Grendel dares not to touch Hrothgars throne because of its protection by God. This is also seen when Beowulf is speaking about fighting Grendel. He is not afraid of the beast because he says that God must decide who will die in this fight. This shows how Beowulf has faith in God because he knows God will protect him, or if he dies it will be with honor. This is also seen when Hrothgar is speaking about what Grendel has done to his people. Surely, the Lord Almighty could stop his madness, smother his lust! (212-213). This portrays how Hrothgar has faith in Gods protection because if nobody can defeat Grendel, God will protect Hrothgar. This undoubtedly shows the Christian influence in this poem. Drawing parallels between Grendel and Satan also displays Christianity. Grendel is referred to as a demon and a fiend throughout the poem. He is the epitome of evil and is associated with the family of Cain. Conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abels death(20-23). This is a clear Christian reference straight out of the Bible. Grendels lair is also similar to hell. The water at his lair burns like a torch at night symbolizing the fires of hell. Grendels lair is where evil lives and thus is like hell. The ultimate portrayal of Christian influence in Beowulf is that Beowulf himself can be seen as being a Christ figure. There are some significant similarities between Jesus Christ and Beowulf. Jesus is called upon by the Almighty King (God) to give his life for the purpose of defeating evil. Only Jesus could get rid of sin and evil, and nobody else. Like Jesus, Beowulf is called upon by the King of the Danes, Hrothgar, to defeat evil (Grendel). Only Beowulf could defeat Grendel. Jesus was prepared and willing to die for the sake of good and righteousness. The same can be said about Beowulf. He realized that he could die but was willing to give his life in the quest for righteousness. Also, both men were ethical. My hands alone shall fight for me(172-173). Beowulf wanted the battle between good and evil to be fair and equal, so he wanted to fight with only his hands. Jesus was also an ethical man. He is the model of ethics for Christians of all time. Both men met their death in the defense of goodness and in the battle against evil. Finally, for both men, after their deeds to defeat evil were finished, they had their stories retold. For Jesus, the apostles spread the news of Jesus victory over evil. For Beowulf, the people were so joyful from his victory over Grendel, that they retold his bravery all over the land. In conclusion, although showing signs of being a pagan story, Beowulf is primarily a Christian story. There are many Christian elements in the poem such as: earthly gifts come from God, Grendel being connected to the family of Cain, God offering protection to his people, and Beowulf being seen as Christ-like. Beowulf is a poem filled with Christian customs that show man believes in God and there is good in the world, and Beowulf is a man who is willing to die to defend the world against evil.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Child Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Child Study - Essay Example However, Ahmed’s verbal skills are limited since English is not his first language and the use of Arabic at home has limited Ahmed’s verbal development of the English language. In order to administer Piaget’s test for understanding other’s points of view, I observed Ahmed during his play time. At the start of my observations, Ahmed was reclusive and was not open to the idea of sharing with other children. This was evidenced by Ahmed’s habit of taking toys and retreating to a corner to play on his own without showing any concern for other children. Over time, as Ahmed was exposed to the other children through his daily interactions with them, Ahmed started becoming more and more open to other children. Initially, Ahmed was only willing to accept his own self and would tend to walk away with his toys if some other child came close by. Over time, Ahmed developed enough tolerance to allow other children to come close by and sit while Ahmed played on his own. Ahmed only allowed other children to play with him when he realised that he would have to consistently interact with these children for a period longer than that in the nursery. Essentially, this signifies that Ahmed began to realise that other children had a point of view of playing with the toys that Ahmed had. It could be surmised that this indicates a development in that the child is more willing to accept other children’s points of views as evidenced by Piaget’s research (Rogoff, 2003).

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Business Ethics-What Should Barner do Term Paper

Business Ethics-What Should Barner do - Term Paper Example The following case circumstance therefore is more of a challenge to the policies that they have and the values that they purport to uphold. The use of child labor is an unacceptable part of any contemporary society or conceivable reality. While this may be the general and ideal case, there are certain countries that still use children to make profits. The case presents Barner with a significant opportunity for the company. IKEA should clearly come out and accept this fact and the complexities that it possesses. Even in situation that child labor may be camouflaged as household chores; they should be in a position to distinguish the two and strengthen their policies (Jeruissen, 135). First of all, it gives her an opportunity to review the policies that they have in place as to trade practices. Secondly, it presents her with an opportunity to start validating the type of suppliers that IKEA trades with. Thirdly, it provides her with the chance to ensure that the suppliers that she deal s with conform to the policies that IKEA holds as strong values and finally, it presents her with the chance to show that IKEA is more than an organization that is out to make profit by any means necessary. All these instances are ethically based and not commercially focused. If they were commercially focused, the interest of the child would be the least of concerns because the suppliers would argue that the children are paid for their services. Next Move One major step that ought to be taken before any other moves is to first apologize for the ignorance about the issue in which IKEA has found itself in. this apology should bring out the point that the company intends to take the necessary corrective measures to clear the mess. It should also include how this corrective move is going to be applied so as to ensure that such mistakes are not commonplace in the future. In this way, the brand value that IKEA has developed over the past as the case shows, will not only increase but will also sell out. Most people appreciate the fact that they are dealing with company’s that appreciate social values. It is however essential that Barner finds the best way to understand the situation in which this supplier has put them. It would be wrong to take harsh measures on a company that was otherwise following genuine policies. This is because global outsourcing also has its share of cultural, social and regulatory differences that have to be dealt with. In dealing with such issues, the effect should in no way interfere with the supply and distribution chain. IKEA as a company has already built a customer niche that has grown loyal. If actions that Marianne Barner takes interfere with their demand for products, it would not only interfere with the sales but customer confidence too. Therefore, any decision on any of the proposals that IKEA has received should also not be unethical (Griseri, & Seppala, 227). It should be noted that the production of carpets in India is sp read over a geographical area that is very large. From the vast countryside to several smaller units; at times to even individual looms within the villages in these farms. This would therefore make it impossible for IKEA or any other organization that deals in a similar supply chain to effectively guarantee that there is no use of child labor at any point in this wide and long chain. Therefore, the idea that IKEA should sign up to an industry-wide response to the growing concerns

Monday, November 18, 2019

How to use organizational communication more effectively Annotated Bibliography

How to use organizational communication more effectively - Annotated Bibliography Example How to use organizational communication more effectively? The deference inherent in approaches can be perceived as in communication the art can be tapped to influence. It has the potential to bring change by driving perception required into organizational workers and be able to pull workforce in a given direction hence achieving efficiency through communication. Consistency in appeasing and the honoring recipient is the way forward because psychologically human beings yield to praise and acknowledgement than open rebuke. Within the aspect of communication are the varying means of communication, which are either nonverbal or verbal communication. It is in itself a variation. Non-verbal communication in a positive manner is the use of constriction, slouching, smiling, and patterns of the eye, which are in tandem with speeches conveyed verbally. There are theories dictating loss or competition expressing deference. It is a functional behavior. In addition to fighting for power, retaining status in a goal that most employees nowadays endeavor to achieve through deference in communication is frequently witnessed. The paper focuses organizational communication that revolves around decision-making. In addition, the art of communication decisions made largely affect how they are made and promoted in an organization. In a bid to improve efficiency in operation and to consolidate the workforce, the paper gives an insight into communication. The efficiency derived from it and much of it how they affected performance.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Can Torture Of Terrorist Suspects Be Justified?

Can Torture Of Terrorist Suspects Be Justified? In advancing into this essay, I shall discuss the history of prohibition of torture, the Utilitarian approach to torture which would include arguments and debates in favour of justification of torture by taking account of the ticking bomb hypothetical, a case study of Guantanamo Bay and the result of torturing terrorist suspects in recent times. This essay would also examine the deontology approach to torture and make recommendations on other means of getting information and truths from terrorist suspects. BACKGROUND TO PROHIBITION ON TORTURE Torture and other cruel or inhumane treatment has been internationally outlawed since the end of the Second World War and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated that No one shall be subjected torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It allows for no exceptions under any circumstances. This prohibition can also be found in Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights, Article 5 (2) of the American Convention on Human Rights which are both binding on the United States. In addition, Geneva Conventions III, IV and Optional Protocol I in Articles 17, 32 and 75(2) respectively prohibits physical or mental torture and any forms of coercion against a prisoner of war, they also prohibits an occupying power from torturing any protected persons and torture of all kinds and any other outrages on personal dignity, against anyone under any situation. Also the 1984 Convention against Torture takes these general duties and conventions and codifies them into a more specific rule. It criminalizes torture and tries to prevent any exemptions for torturers by disallowing his access to every possible refuge. The convention states categorically that there will be no circumstances peace time, war time, or even war against terror where torture would be permissible. Importantly even before September 11, the International Convention Against Torture (Art 2.2) states that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture. The word torture is clearly a subject matter in which International Law is clear about. It does not matter who the person or persons involved are whether criminals, combatants, members of the Taliban or terrorist suspects, the rule is torture is not permissible for any reason. Anyone who threatens or participates in torture would be treated as a criminal before the law. Sands (2004: 208) furthermore explained that absolute prohibition is related to a second set of rules that deals with the status of the terrorists- whether they are to be treated as combatants or criminals. If he is a member of a regular armed force then he is a combatant and must be treated as such and is entitled to protection under International Humanitarian Law. But if he is a member of an Insurgency group such as Al- Qaeda, who is thought to have planned or is planning a suicide attack, International Law regards such people as criminals. The United States, Britain and over a hundred states support this approach. The 1997 International Convention for the suppression of Terrorist Bombings followed that analysis and made it a criminal offence to attack a government structure or facility, a public place or a state with the aim of causing death or damage. State parties to the 1997 Convention have consented to subject anyone who is thought to have been involved in terrorist activities to criminal procedure, by either prosecuting them or extraditing them to another state that will eventually prosecute them. The convention explicitly guarantees fair treatment to anyone who is taken into custody under its provisions which includes rights provided both under the International Humanitarian Law and the International Human Rights Law. Unfortunately, Lawyers in the Department of Justice and in the administration of President Bush had provided detailed legal advice to the US government on International Torture Rules. According to Sands (2005:205) they suggested that interrogation practices could be defined without mentioning the constraints placed on the United States as a result of its international obligations and that so long the practice was in accordance with the US law, it would be fine. This advice categorically ignored the 1984 Convention against Torture and all other international treaties and rules in which the US was bound. It plainly ignored the prohibition against torture in all circumstances, definition of torture, the classification of detainees either to be combatants entitled to prisoner of war status or criminals. Sands (2005: 222)notes the following: Over time a great deal more information will emerge. But even at this stage it seems pretty clear that the legal minds which created Bushs doctrine of preemption in the use of force and established the procedures at the Guantanamo detention camp led directly to an environment in which the monstrous images from Abu Ghraib could be created. Disdain for global rules underpins the whole enterprise. The deontologist-utilitarian debate over torture provides a useful background and reflects common reasoning when faced with this dilemma. Our immediate focus is on the inhumanity of torture (emphasized by deontologists) and the numerically greater threat to innocent people (emphasized by utilitarianism). However, the situation is presented deceptively simply; the next section will examine its flaws. THE DEONTOLOGY APPROACH AND ARGUEMENTS AGAINST TORTURE Deontology would appear to prohibit torture in all cases. This approach invoking Kant as the traditional torchbearer of this approach, Kay (1997:1) describes Kants theory as an example of a deontological or duty-based ethics: it judges morality by exploring the nature of actions and the will of agents rather than goals achieved. Roughly, a deontological theory looks at input rather than result. Kay (1997:1) noted that this is not to say that Kant did not care about the outcomes of our actionswe all wish for good things. Rather Kant insisted that as far as the moral evaluation of our actions was concerned, consequences did not matter. Deontologism is an approach which seeks to create universal rules for the morality of human action; its ideas of common humanity and fundamental human rights were very influential in the banning of torture. (Turner, 2005: 7, 15) Kants deontological approach creates two universal rules by which moral questions can be addressed: Act as though the maxim of your action were by your will to become a universal law of nature, and Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. (in Turner, 2005: 14) Under the first rule, the act of torture cannot be justified as we would not accept it being universalized and potentially used against ourselves. Under the second, torture is wrong because torturing a person for information is to use them as a means only. (Turner, 2005: 15) Thus Kants logic leads to the conclusion that torture cannot be justified under any circumstances. The individual who chooses not to torture makes the correct moral decision regarding their actions despite the terrible consequences that might result. By torturing a captive, we are treating him as a means only (towards the acquisition of information) as he is definitely not being treated in a way to which he would consent. Torture fails to respect him and treat him inhumanely. Kershnar (1999; 47) believes in some cases utilitarianism would support torture and that because Kantian deontologists would, in all cases, reject it, torture has the position of being a very interesting concept for ethical inquiry. People no doubt have their commitments to utilitarianism or deontology but, given the conflict, there is at least something to talk about and some debate within which to advance opinion to maintain one conclusion or the other. Posner (2004:296) clearly states that if legal regulations are propagated authorizing torture in definite situations, officials are bound to want to explore the outer limits of the rules and practise, once it were thus regularized, it would likely become a norm, in other words, taking an extra step outside the approved situation which would result in abuse of the system. THE UTILITARIAN APPROACH AND DEBATES JUSTIFYING TORTURE The utilitarian approach to torture according to Fritz (2005: 107) argues that the right action is the one, out of those available to the agent, that makes the best use of total aggregate happiness. We might to a certain extent simply imagine a situation in which the disutility of torturing a captive (his pain, the discomfort of the torturer, expense, permanent effects to both, chance of negative events causally connected to torture, etc.) is outweighed, or even dramatically outweighed, by the utility of torture (information is provided that saves many lives and therefore acquires all of the associative utilities). This utilitarian approach is exemplified by one of the most controversial debates on torture which is the ticking time-bomb scenario. This scenario has been thoroughly discussed by Michael Levin and Alan Dershowitz (2002:150) where they have both argued that torture is obviously justified when it is the only way to prevent a serious and impending threat and must regulated by a judicial warrant requirement. The ticking bomb hypothetical tries as much as possible to depict torture as an exception in an emergency. This scenario arises where law enforcement officials have detained a person who supposedly knows the location of a bomb set to explode, but who refuses to disclose this information. Officials could apply to a judge for a torture warrant based on the absolute need to immediately obtain information which will save lives. In other words to avert a greater evil, a lesser evil needs to be done. Another school of thought under the utilitarian approach proposes retaining absolute ban on torture while executing off book torture (ex post). Gross (2004:238) argues that in exceptional situations officials must step outside the legal structure and act extra-legally and be ready to accept the legal implication of their acts, with the likelihood that extra-legal acts may be legally (if not morally) excused ex post. Elshtain(200: 77) in the same way advised that in conditions where we suppose that a suspect might have crucial information, it is usually better to act with harsh inevitability. To condemn torture is to lapse into pietistic rigour in which moral torture of terrorist suspects purity is ranked over all other goods. The primary justification for the torture warrant proposal is that it is compulsory to protect the public. On this view Saul (2004:657) notes that violating the human rights of the individual is essential to safeguard the human rights of the many. Without considering if the information extracted from a tortured terrorist suspect is relevant or not, evidence obtained under torture is inadmissible in court under Article 15 of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984). Article 15 reads: Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made. Dershowitz is of the opinion that there should be an exception to torture which would justify the actions of interrogators as essential to avert greater evil to world. To him, it made no difference whether cases are real or imagined; all that matters is the theorys commitment to the moral obligation to torture in cases of imminent evil. Perhaps the general adherence to the rule torture is wrong is more likely than its negation to maximize happiness. Dershowitzs proposal was fortified by Fritz Allhoff in his article Terrorism and Torture Fritz (2005:17) concluded that: The conditions necessary to justify torture are: the use of torture aims at acquisition of information, the captive is reasonably thought to have the relevant information, the information corresponds to a significant and imminent threat, and the information could likely lead to the prevention of the threat. If all four of these conditions are satisfied, then torture would be morally permissible. Efforts to justify torture are often accompanied by rejection of any adverse physical condition effects of the selected torture methods used by interrogators. The ticking bomb scenario makes for great philosophical dialogue, but it rarely arises in real life, at least not in a way that avoids opening the door to persistent torture. In fact, interrogators hardly ever learn that a suspect in custody knows of a particular, impending terrorist bombing. Intelligence and information is rarely if ever good enough to display a particular suspects knowledge of an imminent attack. Instead, interrogators tend to use inferred evidence to show such knowledge, such as someones relationship with or apparent membership in a terrorist group. Moreover, the ticking bomb scenario is a dangerously expansive metaphor capable of embracing anyone who might have knowledge not just of imminent attacks but also of attacks at undetermined future times. After all, why are the victims of only an imminent terrorist attack deserving of protection by torture and mistreatment? Why not also use such coercion to prevent a terrorist attack tomorrow or next week or next year? And once the taboo against torture and mistreatment is broken, why stop with the alleged terrorists themselves? Why not also torture and abuse their families or associates or anyone who might provide lifesaving information? Dershowitzs arguments were faulted by Saul (2004:659) for various reasons which include the threshold of suspicion whereby it is unfeasible for law enforcement officials or judges to know with any legally acceptable height of conviction that the suspect actually possesses the intelligence and information, or whether the suspect is in anyway involved with a terrorist activity. Dershowitzs standard of probable cause is much lesser than the benchmark of evidence essential in a criminal case which requires that you can proof beyond reasonable doubt and more relaxed than the civil benchmark that is based on the balance of possibility. This means that a person may be tortured because of unproven evidence which still poses a risk that countless innocent people will be tortured. Saul (2004:659) notes that the uncomfortable probability of collateral damage is poorly dealt with by Dershowitz. Officials are faced with multiple unknown variables, including the existence of a bomb, interval of bomb explosions, the chances of neutralizing it, the identity of the terrorist suspect, the probability of the suspect being knowledgeable about the explosion, and the truthfulness intelligence gathered from the suspect. Speculation, guesswork, and supposition will unavoidably play a part in law enforcement judgments at every level due to the fact that accuracy of the information is not certain. The Geneva Convention IV (art3 (1)(a), for example, require that a person be definitely suspected of threatening State security before exceptional powers can be implemented. Saul (2004:1) believes that the border for error drastically multiplies in the pre-trial phase, where any available evidence is imperfect and unproven. The atmosphere of tragedy and emergency surrounding the incident may encourage errors, inaccuracy or dependence on weak evidence, by law enforcement agencies and courts under pressure which may eventually produce false results. Another major fault noted by Saul(2004:1) is the threshold of anticipated harm in which he seeks to question how many lives justify torture. Dershowitz limits his torture warrant proposal to the much-fantasized ticking bomb scenario. But he still acknowledges that very rare cases of actual ticking bomb scenarios have ever taken place. Benvenist(1997) try to give a concrete Israeli example, but the harm averted was the prevention of the killing of a single kidnapped Israeli soldier which is not even close to the exemplary ticking bomb case hyperbolically referred to by Dershowitz as involving the prevention of thousands civilian deaths. Apart from trying to prevent thousands of deaths, Dershowitz provides few parameters for the ticking bomb scenario. How dangerous must a bomb be before torture is justifiable? Does it only refer to weapons of mass destruction, or also conventional weapons? Is the danger supposed to be quantified by the number of lives threatened as Dershowitz appears to suggest? If so, how many thousands must be at risk before torture should proceed, and why is it thousands rather than hundreds of people, or less? What if the bomb causes major economic loss, but does not actually kill people? It is certainly very difficult to identify a ticking bomb scenario or to place limits on the utilitarian calculation necessarily involved in torturing one to save many. The Isreali Supreme Court (1999) noted that the so called necessity defence could not be justified and prohibition of Torture is absolute and there is no room for balancing. Dershowitzs argument is built largely on faith that forcing torture into the open would reduce its use. Furthermore, given the decentralized nature of modern terrorism, it might be possible for law enforcement agents to dispute or conclude that every suspected terrorist act can be likened to ticking bomb, thereby justifying widespread preventive torture. A terrorist is likely to target any location, within an unknown time interval, causing an indefinite number of casualties. There has not been any particular set of rules guarding issue of torture warrants to immediate ticking bomb scenarios. Torture warrants is open to flexible interpretation of the probable and expected harm to be done by the strike of terrorist suspects. Dershowitz also appears to emphasize that the consent of a democratic public are relevant to the justifiability of torture in a particular case and that torture should not be ruled out universally. In reality, we can say that torture has not been seen to give excellent intelligence and results. This would be discussed in the next section. RESULT OF TORTURING TERRORISTS IN RECENT TIMES The issue of the efficiency of torture is complicated to conclude, since there are minute consistent and trustworthy facts accessible on the number of terrorists that have been tortured and of this number, how many offered information or intelligence that was subsequently useful in preventing deaths and a greater evil or gratifying the reason for conducting the interrogation. As a result of this we can say that torture has done more harm than good and its outcome over time has not been tangible enough to justify it. Payes and Mazzetti (2004:A1) reported that in July 2004, an Army investigation of detainee operations in Iraq and Afghanistan exposed ninety-four cases of alleged abuse, as well as thirty-nine deaths in U.S. detention. Twenty of the deaths were suspected homicides. The military was reported to have probed into, fifty-eight deaths in Iraq, which comprising nine cases of justifiable homicide, seven homicides, and twenty-one deaths from natural or undecided causes. In one case of a detainee death, several soldiers have been charged with abuse rather than homicide due to inadequate evidence. In a different case, two soldiers were charged with intended murder. (Eric Schmitt, 2004:A7). He also reports that a Navy SEAL, whose identity has not been released, is being court-marshalled in connection with the beating of Manadel Jamadi, who was later killed, allegedly by CIA interrogators, in Abu Ghraib (and who was photo-graphed there, packed in ice). Realistically, the abuses of detainees at Abu Ghraib, Baghram, and Guantanamo pale by comparison with the death, maiming, and suffering in collateral damage during the Afghan and Iraq wars. Bombs crush limbs and burn peoples faces off; nothing even remotely as horrifying has been reported in American prisoner abuse cases. Yet as much as we may regret or in some cases decry the wartime suffering of innocents, we do not seem to regard it with the special abhorrence that we do torture (Luban 2005:5) Accounts have been given according to Wall Street Journal (2005: A16) which accuses United States interrogators to have used various interrogative techniques ranging from water boarding which was agreed to be most coercive technique ever actually authorised by U.S officials involves the submerging of victims face in water or wrapping it in a wet towel stirring up drowning feelings. Luban (2005:12) sees the principal scenery for torture to always be military triumph. In which the conqueror captures the enemy and tortures him. Torture to an illiberal state as he is noted is not only to get and an extract information and intelligence but also to humiliate the loser, to terrorize the victim to submission and to punish the suspect. Whereas Torture to a liberal state is a tool used to gather or extract information and intelligence from a suspect who has refused to disclose information. This may seem to be the same with torture used by an illiberal state to extract confession but the fundamental variation lies in the reality that confession is retrospective as it concentrates on acts of the past while intelligence gathering is futuristic as it aims to gain information to avert prospect evils. Moreover, coercive interrogation creates a less safe environment by effectively preventing criminal prosecution of the detainees. Once a confession is gotten forcefully, it becomes extremely difficult to prove, as due process requires, that a subsequent prosecution of the suspect is free of coercion. As a result, Jehl(2005) believes that the Bush administration finds itself holding some suspects who clearly have joined terrorist conspiracies and might have been criminally convicted and subjected to long prison terms, but against whom prosecution has become unfeasible. In February 2005, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began to worry openly about the problem. What happens, it worried, when continuing to detain suspects without trial becomes politically untenable, but prosecuting them is legally impossible because of taint from coercive interrogation? Slippery slope arguments also address the wider implications of justifying torture. They are concerned with the gap between theory and practice; arguing that the theoretical limits imposed upon the use of torture would never work in practice. It is well documented that torture spreads from one class of prisoner to others, from one type of treatment to harsher types, and from one emergency situation to routine use. (Shue, 1978: 141; Saul, 2005: 3; Pfiffner, 2005: 21) The Israeli experience demonstrates these dangers. In 1987, the Landau Commission advised that coercive interrogation of Palestinian terror suspects should be legalised in extreme cases. For moderate physical pressure to be used the interrogators would have to demonstrate a necessity such as a ticking bomb situation. (BTselem, 2006) However, by 1999, the evidence that this ruling was being abused had become so overwhelming that the practice was outlawed by the Supreme Court. (Bowden, 2003) It was estimated that during this period 66% to 85% of all Palestinian suspects were ill-treated and that in many cases this amounted to torture. Supposed ticking bomb cases were pursued on weekdays but were not severe enough to warrant weekend interrogation; torture had become routine, systematic, and institutionalized (BTselem, 2006). Though returning to a complete ban, the legal repercussions for potential torturers are able to act as a deterrent. Another consequence that is little considered is the impact that becoming a torturer would have on the individual responsible. Torture is not possible without the brutalisation of the torturer; you must lose your soul if you are to save the victims. (Pfiffner, 2005: 20; Meyer, 2005) To torture requires us to overcome our socially conditioned abhorrence of violence and to accept the psychological repercussions. Shue argues that torture carries a much greater moral stigma (and therefore requires greater brutalisation) than killing in war, for example, as it constitutes an act of violence against an entirely defenceless being. (Shue, 1978: 130) The argument for legally sanctioned torture in some situations overlooks the secondary source of suffering it requires; the harmful psychological and social consequences endured by people who must train in and practice torture. To require this of someone is morally very problematic. A further adverse consequence of allowing torture in some cases is the impact it would have upon the judicial system. The US has experienced this problem in relation to its practice of extraordinary rendition. Secretly sending suspects for interrogation in countries known to use torture may occasionally provide useful information but torture evidence cannot be used in any reputable court. US government refusal to allow some of its prisoners to testify in criminal trials has led many to believe that the US is hiding the evidence of torture. As a result, the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui in relation to the 9/11 attacks was stalled for four years and, in 2004, Mounir Motassadeq, the first person to be convicted of planning the attacks, had his sentence overturned because the allowable evidence against him was too weak. (Meyer, 2005) CONCLUSION Dorfman(2004: 17) expressed his opinion by saying I can only pray that humanity will have the courage to say no, no to torture, no to torture under any circumstance, no to torture no matter who the enemy, what the accusation what sort of fear we habor, no to torture, no matter what kind of threat is posed to our safety, no to torture anytime, anywhere, no to torturing anyone- no to torture. Torturing terrorists is a cruelty in which many prefer not to be faced with in the media. Some will counter it, some will openly justify it, and others will secretly go along with it providing that it is not sadistic and serves a useful, although unheralded, early-warning function in the war on terrorism. Those arguing for the justification of torture on terrorist suspects say it has helped prevent attacks. This cannot be asserted as evidence is unreliable and subjectively sketchy In all likelihood, Dershowitzs proposals will remain only proposals and Allhoffs arguments, as convincing as they seem, will not change existing laws. If Deshowitzs proposal works, then judges would oversee the permission to torture while politicians pick judges. If politicians accept torture, judges would accept as well. Though we cannot be sure of the accurate motivation of the terrorists, one thing we know for sure is that violations of human rights and gathering of information through torture will not extinguish the threat they pose. Justifying torture is just replacing a respect for human dignity with an accommodating, excusatory retort to abuse. The ticking bomb case provides perhaps the most convincing justification for torture that we have, the erosion of the torture prohibition that could be caused by justifying and legalising the practice, and the slippery slope from exceptional to routine use of torture, would have very wide implications and could lead to the torture of many individuals across the world. There would undoubtedly be innocent victims faced with long-term suffering as a result, and these victims would include those required to carry out torture. Further, the use of torture makes it impossible to use any evidence collected in a criminal trial and the US has already begun to see key suspects being acquitted as a result. These arguments lead me to believe that torture is unjustifiable, even in extreme cases. However, because the immediate choice is so difficult and because the person making it is possesses human emotions and instincts, I would not absolutely condemn the decision to torture provided it was made in an emergency situation and with the correct intention. To make prior judgment that torture is justified in some circumstances is dangerous and wrong torture must be prosecuted as a crime wherever it occurs. However, it is also important to recognize the mitigating circumstances when it occurs.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Development of Bathsheba Everdene in Far from the Madding Crowd Ess

The Development of Bathsheba Everdene in Far from the Madding Crowd â€Å"Far from the Madding Crowd†, by Thomas Hardy is about an immature nineteen-year-old girl called Bathsheba Everdene; she has difficulties throughout the novel. She has some good and bad experiences. These are with three different characters. In the beginning of the novel Bathsheba is vain, insensitive, egocentric and stubborn. She gradually develops through the novel as she becomes less vain, stubborn, insensitive, and egocentric and becomes more confident, caring and more determined to make her farm work, this shows how her character changes as she looks at the bad things that have happened in her life and tries to put them right. As she progresses through the novel her responsibilities become more demanding. These roles make her an independent and successful lady. She also becomes more sensitive and responsible towards men. Bathsheba 'major fault’ is an immature and vain young nineteen-year-old woman. Bathsheba is unaware of her own actions as she leads men on without knowing. A way in which this can be shown is the fact that she is aware of Oak having feelings for her but despite this she lead him on. She shows this when Oak asks her to marry him, but she doesn’t like the idea of it until he mentions that she will get publicity. Oak suggests that he would publish their marriage in the wedding section in the public newspaper and she goes along with it as she will get known, but when he starts saying he needs commitment, she slowly losses interest and this shows that she has no real reason for wanting to marry him apart from the fact that she wants attention. â€Å"Dearly I shall like that† This leads onto her showing her vanity as ... ...y gifts all labelled to Bathsheba in six years time. In conclusion Bathsheba emotions change, as she knows that Oak will be leaving. â€Å"Leaving England, Why Gabriel, what are you going to do that for?† This news shows that this is the worst time she has had as Oak has been there for her through everything. She has had mixed feelings foe three different men which make her grow. She soon realises that she is in love with him; her love for him makes her grow and become very mature near the end of the novel. Bathsheba marries Oak as she realises that he is the right man for her and will be able to tame her and be there for her. Each of the three men helped he develop and become a more confident and responsible lady. Though the whole of the whole of the novel Bathsheba had problems and she managed to resolve them, which made her a better character.