Capital Punishment - Cruel and Inhumane?
After centuries of nearly universal implementation, the death penalty
remains a deeply debated issue. While one execution takes place, other
murders occur, and the question still stands: Will the death penalty safeguard
society and deter murder, or will it not? The death penalty cannot be considered
a proper economical and moral means of punishment to deter those who might
commit capital offenses, or can it?
In the past, capital punishment horrified people, which deterred them
from committing crime. In England, the country from which the United States
adopted the death penalty, the death penalty was imposed for a rather large
number of offenses in an effort to discourage people from committing crimes.
Methods of inflicting the death penalty have ranged "From stoning in biblical
times, crucifixion under the Romans, beheading in France, to those used in the
United States today: hanging, electrocution, gas chamber, firing squad, and
lethal injection"(Bedau 124). There were drastic penalties for such serious
crimes as homicide. Execution was a suitable punishment for those times. Today,
though, the law is not as strict. This leads potential criminals not to fear the
death penalty because government today uses more "humane" methods of execution,
rather than the brutal punishment that history portrayed.
People who oppose the death penalty say that "there is no evidence that
the murder rate fluctuates according to the frequency with which the death
penalty is used" (Masur 153). It is more likely that the convict would be
paroled instead of being executed because of the present practice of allowing
unlimited appeals. Convicted criminals are not exposed to cruel punishment, but
rather given a long waiting period. If the criminal is put to death, it is
usually done as mercifully as possible.
One problem with the death penalty, presently, is that crime is not
decreasing, but rather increasing. If capital punishment is supposed to deter
crimes such as murder, it is not serving its purpose. Even philosophers, such as
Beccaria, Voltaire, and Bentham of the Enlightenment Period, argued that "the
death penalty was needlessly cruel, overrated as a deterent, and occasionally
imposed in fatal error" (Fogelson 89).
Another problem with the death penalty is the enormous amount of money
being spent on implementation. It costs taxpayers millions of dollars more to
execute a criminal than to lock him up for life. The number of prisoners on
death row has been steadily increasing and will soon meet all time highs. This
fact brings up the question of economic feasibility of the implementation, as
well as the question of weather the death penalty is actually an effective
Write a thematic statement for the essay “Self-Reliance”. Explain how Emerson's idea of Self-Reliance is different from and similar to the common use of the term (take care of your own needs and don't depend on others outside yourself).
He writes, “all things real are so by so much virtue as they contain.” Emerson says that things that are unique and individual are real, so therefore people who are mere imitations of society are neither unique nor individual. This makes it impossible for them to have distinct characteristics and qualities. A person with greater self reliance, Emerson’s goal for society, is an individual who brings value to themselves and others. In his closing paragraph, Emerson drives the final point home in his case for self-reliance. “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.” The major goal in life is seen as being at peace with oneself, a goal nearly impossible if one is an imitation of someone else. Becoming self reliant is not so simple as making a single decision, it is a journey. Emerson provides crucial explanation and motivation for one to become self-reliant, and leaves it to the reader to take this goal upon
same to keep an inmate in jail for life, as it would to put that same inmate to
When a defendant is convicted and sentenced to death, theoretically what follows is an execution. An execution doesn’t follow death sentences very swiftly, and in some cases at all for a variety of reasons. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that only 15% of people sentenced to death from 1973-2009 had been executed by the end of 2009. Of these cases, 46% ended in alternate ways (reversed convictions, commuted sentences, or the death of the inmate). Of the inmates sentenced to death during that period, 39% were still
In “Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he promotes the importance of self reliance as an individual, and in society. Individuality to Emerson Opposed the traditional ideas of society, and to him it meant to oppose the conformity and consistency in society. He believes that the majority of people have given up their self reliance because of their fear of judgement by society. To be an individual, Emerson stresses that one has to be a risk taker, and disregard all things external.
...g abroad and from inside the territories. Iran contributes a estimated 3 million dollars a year.5
As many people begin to examine the debate of whether or not the death penalty should be inflicted upon those who commit such heinous crimes in the United States, are finding flaws in the system. One of those flaws being that the cost of executing someone on death row is much higher than someone sentenced to life-without-parole. This may come as a shock to many people due to the fact that it costs a sufficient amount of money to provide food, shelter, and security to the people sentenced to a lifetime in prison. This forces much of society to question whether such funds
Murder, killing, fatality, and mortality: all words that are associated with the disgrace that is the death penalty. Debated for decades, the death penalty continues to be a prominent topic for discussion across the United States. In 1977, the Death Penalty was reinstated by the use of lethal injection. Now, each state has their own take on the death penalty and on how its rules should apply to the criminal, of whatever crime they have committed, in said state. Have you ever thought about what a death sentence is? If you sentence a man to death for committing a murder aren’t you just a murderer yourself? These questions are frequently argued over, and there is always going to be two sides arguing: pro or anti-death penalty. Although many American’s believe that the death penalty is necessary for people who have done terrible things, the pros of not having the death penalty surpass the cons with factors such as money, mental issues, cruel and unusual punishment, as well as the possibility of wrongful convictions.
To this date, Seven hundred and seventy two criminals in the U.S. alone have been
The essay “Self-Reliance”, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is a persuasive essay promoting the ways of transcendentalism. He uses this paper to advance a major point using a structure that helps his argument. In the paper, Emerson begins his concluding thoughts with a statement that greater self-reliance will bring a revolution. He then applies this idea to society and all of its aspects, including religion, education, and art. This brings Emerson to a new, more precise focus on how society never advance, rather it recedes on one side as fast as it gains on the other. This shocking, yet intriguing, idea is supported and augmented using tone, metaphor, example, and the consequence of ignoring his opinion. The final result is a conglomeration of ideas into the major points that, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.” With the major points and devices used by Emerson defined, it is now possible to examine in greater detail how he persuades the reader, starting with the use of tone.
In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” Emerson calls for each person in society to be wholly true to themselves. He claims that it is most rewarding to the individual and the society for people to believe in one’s own thoughts and not in the thoughts of others. Emerson believes that conformity will ultimately lead to an individual’s demise because by living for others, people are not being true to themselves. Therefore in order to have a well-formed society, citizens should focus inward and have confidence in their own ideas before beginning to look towards other individuals; moreover, Emerson calls individuals not only in “Self-Reliance,” but also in numerous essays to act independently from conformity and to live for themselves.
... God. Self-reliance is the idea of individuality and making decisions for oneself. In turn, creating a more highbrow society is achieved through self-reliance and the belief in intellectual distinction. Finally becoming closer to God allows one to realize they are just a small part of even greater concept. Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman showed that intellect is the most important aspect of their works and they believe everyone should pursue these three facets of living.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” was written in 1841 in New England during the Transcendentalist Movement, which was a revolt against the “Age of Reason” and the beginning of Romanticism. Emerson’s essay is about Transcendentalism, the belief that every human has his own way of thinking and personal inborn knowledge to build his opinion, independent from the common beliefs of the community and he should believe in and express his opinion to be successful. Emerson supports the idea of Transcendentalism by urging his readers to trust their own ideas, beliefs and common sense, to listen to and to trust their inner voice and to hold the popular opinion back from influencing their way of thinking, if they want to be successful. He tells them to be proud of their own opinion and not to be shy to express it.
3. The soliloquies are in effect the hidden plot of the play because, if one puts them side by side, one notices that the character of Hamlet goes through a development which, in substance, is nothing other than the history of human thinking from the Renaissance to the existentialism of the twentieth century.
Soliloquies help to establish a vital part in a play, which is to reveal the character’s emotions and thoughts. Not only does it effectively do that, but also deepens the plot and creates a strong atmosphere for any play. Without soliloquies, plays would lack depth and length, along with various key elements. No doubt, the soliloquy is the most powerful instrument into discovering the deepest thoughts of a character. Hamlet without soliloquies would have a far different effect. The soliloquy gave the depth and emotion needed to reveal Hamlet’s true internal conflicts.