Movie Analysis Of Kick Ass

Movie Analysis Of Kick Ass In the film Kick-Ass, directed by Matthew Vaughn, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a teenager who is ignored by girls and obsessed with comics sets out to be a real superhero. He purchases a costume online and begins to fight crime with the name of Kick-Ass. After fighting off three thugs, Dave becomes a internet phenomenon and gets the help of other vigilantes in a collective goal to bring down mob boss Frank DAmico (Mark Strong). When analyzing the film, I noticed that it contains the elements of a Hero Myth that are clarified in Linda Segers article, Creating a Myth. While most heroes in film have superpowers or special abilities, the character Kick-Ass uses his desire and passion in order to combat his enemies. The archetype of the hero is reinforced throughout the film because Kick-Ass encounters many obstacles, which in turn develop a sense of growth and transformation. Seger begins by asserting that in hero myths, the hero is introduced in ordinary surroundings and the hero begins as non-hero; innocent, young, simple or humble (2). As viewers we see that Dave Lizewski is a typical teenager in everyday New York. He fantasizes about how life would be as a superhero. Like most teenage boys, Dave has a crush on a female counterpart, Katie Fonseca (Lyndsy Fonseca), but he is barely noticed Brown 2 by her and the other girls at school. We can see that he possesses humility because he is neither bold or self-assertive. His innocence can be derived from the fact that his intentions are harmless. He only sets out to do good by fighting crime. Heath continues by stating that something new enters the heros life and this catalyst sets the story in motion (2). After being robbed by a pair of street thugs, Dave realizes that he must fight crime and take on the role of a superhero. He orders a wet suit online and begins to train in preparation for the dangers on the city streets. Moreover, when Dave sees the same two men that robbed him and his friend Todd breaking into a car he confronts them with his new suit on. Unfortunately he gets stabbed and stumbles to be hit by a car, causing nerve ending damage. He is rushed to the hospital where doctors fix him with metal plates, which gives him a higher pain threshold. Sequentially, this experience sets the story in motion because Daves determination to become a superhero is only sparked and it leads to another crucial event. He later sets up a MySpace account under the name Kick-Ass, which allows the public to contact him and request assistance. One night, he goes out to look for a lost cat and interrupts a chase between thugs who were trying to kill another man. Fortunately, he fights off the attackers and becomes an internet phenomenon after it was recorded and posted on Youtube. Furthermore, we can see that Dave is endowed with bravery and desire. In addition, this sequence of events develop as a whole catalyst, which in turn stimulate the story. Additionally, Seger argues that in any journey, the hero usually receives help that often comes from unusual sources(2). In the film, Damon MacReady (Nicholas Cage) who is an Ex-cop and his 11-year old daughter Mindy (Chloe Moretz) notice Kick Asss Brown 3 escapades. One night, Kick-Ass visits the apartment of Rasul after Katie mentions that a guy name Rasul at the clinic would rob and harass her. Reacting off impulse, he tries to threaten him but he is horribly unsuccessful. Angered by such words, Rasul and crew get ready to mutilate him, but Mindy, dressed in costume blasts through the window and kills all the gang members and her dad shoots the last one with a sniper rifle. After, she introduces herself as Hit Girl and takes all the money and guns. Essentially the character of Hit Girl is very unusual. Combing the characteristics of a killer to the ones of a cute child, Director Matthew Vaughn tries to arouse feelings, emotions, and responses amongst the audience. We become immersed in the sensitive idea of children and violence interacting in cinema. Furthermore, Seger affirms that at some point in the story, the hero hits rock bottom, a near death experience or black moment, leading to a type of rebirth(3). The worst is exposed and the action continues to an intriguing conclusion. For example, in the film, there is a live countdown to the unmasking of Kick-Ass. However, it so happens to be Big Daddy and Kick Ass handcuffed to chairs awaiting their execution by Frank Damicos mob men. They are brutally beaten to a point where it is thrown off television to only being streamed online. We see Kick Asss black moment as he is relentlessly tortured. He says Even with my metal plates and my fucked up nerve endings, I gotta tell you, that hurt! But not half as much as the idea of leaving everything behind. Katie, my dad, Todd and Marty..and all the things Id never do. We begin to feel his pain and hope that he makes it through. Nevertheless, they begin to pour gasoline on Big Daddy and set him on fire. Ingeniously, Hit Girl arrives to sa ve them and kills all the men in an intensive Brown 4 gun battle. She tries to save Big Daddy but he dies from the severity of the burns. Hit Girl rescues Kick Ass and takes him to her fathers apartment where he agrees to help her take down Frank Damico. Lastly, Seger argues that the hero must face the final ordeal before being reborn as the hero, proving his courage and becoming transformed. She asserts that we need to see him changed at the end (3). This is clearly depicted in the final battle of the film. Hit Girl is pinned down behind a counter without ammo by Frank Damicos mob men. Just before one of them fires the bazooka, Kick-Ass comes flying up the building with a jet pack. He then expels the artillery installed on the jet pack and wipes out the rest of the men. The last fight scene emerges. Hit Girl takes on Frank DAmico and Kick-Ass takes on his son Chris Damico aka Red Mist( Christopher Mintz-Plasse).However, Kick-Ass and Chris knock each other out to the ground. On the other hand, Hit Girl and Frank battle fiercely. Frank gains the upper hand and prepares to kill her with his pistol, but Kick-Ass fires the bazooka and the rocket propels Frank through the window and it explodes. Chris tries to go after Kick-Ass but Kick-A ss uses the jet pack and flies off with Hit Girl. At the end of the film, Dave says hes done with crime-fighting and theres a new generation of superheroes that have emerged through his inspiration. In other respects, we ask, how has Kick-Ass transformed as a character? Based on observations, Kick-Ass now has his dream girl Katie, who before didnt notice him or who he didnt talk to in the first place. Ultimately, Dave has explored the realm that he always wanted to since he was kid. He has learned that superpowers can not hinder or prevent the growth of motivation, purpose, or desire. In essence, we see that the film

History Of Crime And Punishment

History Of Crime And Punishment Crime is defined as an act that the law makes punishable and is often called an offense. It is an offense against the public, as compared to a tort, which is a wrongdoing against an individual and gives rise to an action for damages. Crimes produce two kinds of injuries: Social and Personal. Social injury pertains to the State and it is repaired through the imposition of penalty prescribed by law, and Personal injury pertains to the offended party and it is repaired by indemnification which is civil in nature. It is precisely because of these deleterious effects that the State is empowered to make penal laws and compel its people to follow them in order to maintain peace. Crime has been in existence for a long time, although it was not called as such. In the Bible, Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge despite an express prohibition to do so. Some may regard what they did as a crime, although against a different being. Biblical passages found in the first five books of the bible, collectively called Torah, have referred to the principle of an eye for an eye as basis of the imposition of penalty. The earliest codified set of crimes or offenses with corresponding punishment was the Code of Ur-Nammu dating back in 2050 BC. It was written in the Sumerian language and contained a list of prohibited acts with their corresponding penalty if violated. The Code had provisions on dismissal based on corruption, protection of the poor, and significantly, a system of punishment wherein the punishment for the crime committed is fair. Its name, Ur-Nammus Code, is actually a misnomer, because historians are of the opinion that his son, Shugli, is the actual author of the Code. In 1700 BC the Babylonian King, Hammurabi developed a code of laws with the principle, lex talionis (which literally means the law of retaliation), which was called the Hammurabis Code. This principle enshrined in ancient law, simply means that the offended party may return the same offending action to the origin of such act. For instance a person from one tribe kills a member of another tribe; the law allows the imposition of the same and equal penalty to the offending party, which means the offender shall be put to death. Lex talionis embodies the principle of exact retaliation. The penalty for the violation of the code was cruel, barbaric and inhumane. Theft was punished by cutting off a finger or the hand. The tongue was cut off if a person commits defamation. The judiciary is headed by a single person or a group of persons deciding on a case, not on merit or law, but on the basis of customs and tradition. In some cases, an accused was made to dive in the River Euphrates to find out if he is innocent or not. If the offender floats, it means he is innocent, therefore, he keeps his house and the accuser is put to death. However, if he drowns, it means that he is guilty and the accuser gets his house. In Ancient Greece, the penal law is described as being draconian, derived from Draco, the first Greek legislator. Laws were singled out as being merciless. Capital punishment or death was imposed for crimes, even for minor offenses. Ancient Rome had offered a more systematic system than Ancient Greece. However, the basis of penalty remained to be retribution and it was made incumbent upon the victims family to serve such punishment. Philippine Setting A system of government was already in place before the Spaniard conquered the Philippines in 1565. It was called barangay which came from the Malay word balangay which in turn meant boat. Why it was named as such is not clear, however, some historians opine that: It may be inferred that the seafaring Filipinos, to give name to their nostalgic memories as they sailed in the high seas towards the Philippine archipelago, named their villages after boats which brought them safely across the seas until they reached the Philippine Islands. The Datu was the head of the barangay. If the community was bigger, their leaders were called Rajahs. The Datu exercised Executive, Legislative and Judicial powers. Like today, both Oral and Written Laws existed. Historians had generally agreed, that the first codified set of laws in the Philippines is the Code of Kalantiyaw dating back from 1433, written by Datu Kalantiyaw. Instead of the word law, it consisted of the following orders: First Order. Ye shall not kill; neither shall ye do harm to the aged; lest ye incur the danger of death. All those who disobey shall be condemned to death by being drowned in the river or placed in boiling water. Second Order: Ye shall obey; let all your debts with the chief be met punctually. He who does not obey shall receive for the first one hundred lashes. If the debt is large, he shall be condemned to thrust his hand in thrice into boiling water. For the second time, he shall be condemned to be beaten to death. Third Order. Ye shall obey; let no one have women that are very young nor more than he can support; nor be given to excessive lust. He who shall not follow this order shall be condemned to swim for three hours for the first time, and for the second time, he shall be lacerated with thorns. Fourth Order. Observe and obey; let no one disturb the quiet of the graves. When passing by the caves and trees where they are, give respect to them. He who does not observe this shall be killed by ants, or beaten to death with thorns. Fifth Order. You shall obey; he who exchanges for food, let it be always done in accordance with his word. He who does not comply, shall be beaten for one hour, he who repeats the offense shall be exposed for one day among ants. Sixth Order. You shall be obliged to revere sights that are held in respect, such as those of trees of recognized worth and other sights. He who fails to comply shall pay with one months work in gold or in honey. Seventh Order. These shall be put to death; he who kills trees of venerable appearance; who shoot arrows at night at old men and women; he who enters the houses of the headmen without permission; he who kills a shark or a streaked cayman. Eighth Order. Slavery for a doam (a certain period of time) shall be suffered by those who steal away the women of the headmen; by him who keep ill-tempered dogs that bite the headmen; by him who burns the fields of another. Ninth Order. All these shall be beaten for two days: who sing while traveling by night; kill the Manaul; tear the documents belonging to the headmen; are malicious liars; or who mock the dead. Tenth Order. It is decreed an obligation; that every mother teach secretly to her daughters matters pertaining to lust and prepare them for womanhood; let not men be cruel nor punish their women when they catch them in the act of adultery. Whoever shall disobey shall be killed by being cut to pieces and thrown to the caymans. Eleventh Order. These shall be burned: who by their strength or cunning have mocked at and escaped punishment or who have killed young boys; or try to steal away the women of the elders. Twelfth Order. These shall be drowned: all who interfere with their superiors, or their owners or masters; all those who abuse themselves through their lust; those who destroy their anitos (religious icons) by breaking them or throwing them down. Thirteenth Order. All these shall be exposed to ants for half a day: who kill black cats during a new moon; or steal anything from the chiefs or agorangs, however small the object may be. Fourteenth Order. These shall be made slave for life: who have beautiful daughters and deny them to the sons of chiefs, and with bad faith hide them away. Fifteenth Order. Concerning beliefs and traditions; these shall be beaten: who eat the diseased flesh of beasts which they hold in respect, or the herb which they consider good, who wound or kill the young of theManaul, or the white monkey. Sixteenth Order. The fingers shall be cut-off: of all those who break anitos of wood and clay in their alangans and temples; of those who destroy the daggers of the catalonans(priest/priestess), or break the drinking jars of the latter. Seventeenth Order. These shall be killed: who profane sites where anitos are kept, and sites where are buried the sacred things of their diwatas and headmen. He who performs his necessities in those places shall be burned. Eighteenth Order. Those who do not cause these rules to be obeyed: if they are headmen, they shall be put to death by being stoned and crushed; and if they are agorangs they shall be placed in rivers to be eaten by sharks and caymans. 1433. Despite Historians belief that the Kalantiyaw was the first codified set of laws in the Philippines, in 1968, William Henry Scott, proved that it was a forgery actually made in the 20th Century. However, such fact notwithstanding, there is a consensus among them that the ancient penal laws were similar to what was allegedly written by Kalantiyaw, if not the same, cruel, inhumane and barbaric. Penalty was disproportionate to the crime committed. Disputes, whether criminal or civil, were settled either by the head of the barangay, the council of elders or through arbitration. The ancient principle of lex talionis, which had a very narrow definition of, an eye for an eye, was very much alive in the early history of the Philippines, very much like in the other parts of the world at that time. Being a colony of Spain for more than three hundred years, the laws of the Philippines are combination of common and civil laws, which were a product of the lengthy period within which the country was under the Spanish regime. Political and commercial laws follow a common law direction, and, civil and criminal laws, follow the civil law. Although long before the Spaniards came, the Philippines had a judiciary, headed by the datu, it was the conquerors who gave as an organized system. The Royal Audencia was established to function as the Supreme Court during the Spanish Colonization of the Philippines, which had the power to settle controversies, and to check the abuses of the Governor General in the Philippines. On the side of the law, the Spanish Codigo Penal was extended to the Philippines by virtue of Royal Decree of 1870. This was eventually replaced with the Spanish Penal Code of 1848, by the Comision Codificadora de las Provincias de Ultramar, which was put in place by Spanish authorities, and took effect in the Philippines in July 14, 1876. The Spanish Penal Code contained two important innovations, which our old penal system did not have: incarceration, as a form of punishment, and parole, as a form of reward for good behaviour while incarcerated. Incarceration or imprisonment is the most relevant innovation that the Spanish colonizers introduced in our penal system. It was used to detain a person under suspicion of committing a crime, and to punish, incapacitate the offender, deter from committing an offense or rehabilitate him, upon conviction. Incarceration replaced the barbaric and inhumane penalties of olden times. The capital punishment, however, remained in the penal system, but was reserved for the most gruesome crimes, such as murder. The Spanish Penal Code remained in effect during the American colonization of the Philippines. However, seeing the need for penal law change, authorities formed a Committee on Revision, the primary function of which was to revise the Penal Code put in place by the Spaniards. The 1927 Commission on Revision headed by Anacleto Diaz, Quintin PAredes, Guilermo Guevara, Alex Reyes and Mariano de Joya, as members. The Committee based the revised code on the Spanish Penal Code of 1848. On December 8, 1930, Act No. 3815 or the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines took effect; however, it did not undergo important change of orientation or structure. The Revised Penal Code remain in effect today, with substantially the same list of crimes and same fines, as the Spanish Penal Code of 1870. Punishment Punishment is an allowed and a desired form of social control, provided that it complies with the basic limitations provided for by municipal laws and relevant international laws. It is allowed to be imposed to preserve social order, which represents that state of peace and tranquillity, where individuals and groups are in keeping with the overall scheme, lending predictability to social institutions. More, importantly punishment is imposed to achieve justice. Ancient civilizations have based their concept of justice, primarily, on vengeance, retribution, and compensation. Punishment must be equal to the offense committed, such that if a person kills another, he shall be put to death as punishment for his crime. Punishment is imposed for various reasons, such as: to avenge the wrong doing against the offender, to instil fear in penalty if an offense is committed, to incapacitate the offender by keeping him detained so that he will not do any more crimes and, lastly, to reform the offender by individualizing his penalty which will, hopefully, lead to rehabilitation. These are the four philosophies of Punishment: Retribution, Deterrence, Incapacitation and Rehabilitation, respectively. In most parts of the world, retribution is the primary justification in imposing penalties. However, with the increasing respect for human dignity, restorative justice is gaining speed. Following the Enlightenment period, the value of human dignity surfaced. Immanuel Kant had said that not everything must be determined by value, dignity he says is the absolute inner value. The rising importance and awareness of human dignity resulted in the reduction of severe punishment infliction and paved way for the more modern systems of punishment such as incarceration and payment of fines for most minor offenses. The new millennium brought about divergent views on criminology. German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche in his book, The Birth of Tragedy, said, Mans highest good must be bought with a crime and paid for by the flood of grief and suffering which the offended divinities visit upon the human race in its noble ambition. Following the rise of criminology, many different views on punishment and its bases arose. In the 20th century, French philosopher and historian, Michel Foucault in his book, Discipline and Punish, made a study of criminalization or punishment as a coercive method of state control. He said that there are two types of punishment: Monarchical and Disciplinary. He said in his work that the purpose of penalty was an indefinite one, the problematization of the criminal behind his crime, the concern with a punishment that is a correction, a therapy, a normalization, the division of the act of judgement between various authorities that are supposed to measure, assess, diagnose, cure, transform individuals. According to Focault, this more modern concept of penalty being a form of correction is one of the bases of penalty. In modern times, punishment is said to be imposed for the purposes of: Retribution, Deterrence, Incapacitation and Rehabilitation. Retribution has gone a long from its ancient and very narrow definition of an eye for an eye. Such principle had since then evolved to mean, proportionality of the penalty to the gravity of the offense committed. The imposition of punishment is also seen as a deterrence in committing crimes. It is believed that by imposing a penalty for a wrongdoing, other people will not be committing crimes because of fear of having to suffer punishment. Incapacitation, on the other hand, means lessening the likelihood of the offender perpetrating an offense so you commit him in an institution. Lastly, rehabilitation is said to be one of the rationale behind the imposition of penalty. By rehabilitation it is meant that punishment must be used as an opportunity to make some positive change in the offender. Amongst the four philosophies behind the imposition of punishment, retribution is the most common justification in the imposition of penalty. Majority of the countries in the world adhere, primarily, to retributive justice, such as the Philippines, wherein retributive justice is the norm. However, due to increasing concern for human dignity, restorative justice is gaining popularity. In fact the present Constitution recognizes the need to preserve human dignity, thus: Section 11. The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights. The Philippines has, likewise, adhered to such principle, imminent from its more recent legislation such as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which explicitly provided for restorative justice principle. The imposition of punishment is brought about by the mandate in the constitution which provides: Section 5. The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property, and promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy. In order to maintain peace and order within the territory, the State is empowered to make laws. However, such authority is not unbridled because the Constitution itself provides for a proscription on the imposition of cruel and unusual penalties, excessive fines and passing of an ex-post facto law. The same proscriptions are mirrored in the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which the Philippines adhere to. Retributive justice vis-a-vis Restorative justice Retributive justice has been the primary justification of imposing punishment in most countries. It pertains to the old adage let the punishment fit the crime made popular by Cesario Beccaria or to the more popular an eye for an eye, the dominant principle during the ancient times. Retributive Justice deals with proportionality of the crime to the penalty to be imposed upon an offender. Restorative Justice, on the other hand, deals with individualizing the penalty given to a wrongdoer, keeping in mind that something must be done for the offender in order to reform him and keep him from doing crimes and to effectively reintegrate him to society. Rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration are basic premises. The rising interest on Restorative justice is brought about by the increased valuation and respect for human dignity. The fundamental premise in a retributive paradigm is that crimes are injuries against the state, while restorative justice emphasizes that crimes are more than offenses against the state, but primarily are violations against people and relationships. In the retributive model, a determination of blame and administration of blame is involved. On the other hand, in restorative justice, the interested parties, namely the offender, offended party and the community, action, reconciliation and reassurance. In retributive system, determination about whether a crime was committed, who did it and how should he be punished are the basic questions. It focuses on the offender and the crime that was committed and the penalty that the state must impose. Similarly, restorative justice is concerned with accountability, albeit primarily to the offended party and the community, and not to the State. Statement of the Problem Between the Retributive justice principles and Restorative justice paradigm, which is better suited for the Philippines? What is more in keeping with the general welfare? Which between retributive and restorative justice effectively addresses the value of human dignity despite it being a punishment? Consequently, will the new paradigm work, if there is indeed a shift from retributive paradigm to restorative justice? II. Objectives of the Study The objective of this study is to re-examine the retributive justice theory as the primary justification of imposing penalty, in light of the constitutional obligation of the State in affording the utmost respect for human dignity and human rights. Also, this study aims to determine, by comparing their values and principles, which between Retributive Justice and Restorative Justice is a better fit, as basis of imposing penalty, in light of the constitutional provisions as well as international instruments to which the Philippines is a signatory. Lastly, to determine the effectivity of using Restorative Justice, as basis of penalty, by examining countries which have adapted its principles. III. Significance of the Study The re-examination of the philosophies of punishment embodied in our penal laws will determine whether the current legal framework complies with the changes in the relevant laws which it is dependent upon. Upon the determination of compliance or non-compliance, necessary penal law reforms may be suggested to best conform to the changes. IV. Scope and Limitations The study will focus only on Retributive and Restorative Justice principles, concerning criminal matters only. The study will focus on the 1987 Constitution, specifically the provisions on the duty of the state to maintain peace and order, respect human dignity and proscription on cruel and unusual penalties and excessive an only and several fines, applicable penal laws , such as: the Revised Penal Code, the Death Penalty Law, Indeterminate Sentence Law, Probation Law and Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, respectively. The study will make use of Supreme Court decisions, pronouncements which have touch upon Retributive and Restorative principles. To better understand the development of Retributive and Restorative justice, the use of foreign materials, American jurisprudence and International laws shall be extensively used. Non-legal books and other reference materials were utilized. V. Methodology/Organization of Thesis The proponent primarily used the library in the Ateneo Professional Schools, the Rizal Library in the Loyola Schools, as well as that of the Miguel de Benavides Library of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. Materials from the Internet were also used, as well as Academic Papers, Journals and legislative documents or papers. Interview with a reputable authority in Criminal law was also conducted. This thesis shall be organized by chapters. The first chapter shall be the introductory chapter, which contains the background, objectives and significance of the study, the scope and limitations, and the methodology or the organization of the thesis. The background provides a brief discussion of the factual milieu of the study, which is done by providing a historical background and the current state of things. The objectives and significance will catalogue what the proponent seeks to achieve and what impact it will bring to the society. The limitations will set forth the constraints and applicability of the study. The second chapter is fully devoted to the purpose, scope, limitations, and sources of Criminal Law in the Philippines. A discussion of crime, punishment and the Revised Penal Code was also done. The third chapter contains an in depth discussion of the Retributive Justice Paradigm. The fourth chapter contains an examination of the Restorative Justice Philosophy. The fifth chapter contains the analysis of the author, after taking into consideration the relevant laws, international instruments and other material documents. Finally, chapter six contains the authors conclusion and recommendation. VI. Definition of Terms As found in the study, the following shall mean: a. Code: when used in a sentence shall pertain to the Revised Penal Code. b. Crime: for the purposes of the discussion, crimes shall be used synonymously with felony or offense. c. Felony: for the purposes of the discussion, felonies shall be used synonymously with offense or crime. d. Law: when used in a sentence, it shall pertain to the Revised Penal Code. e. Offense: for the purposes of the discussion, offenses shall be used synonymously with felony or crime.

Austens Northanger Abbey and Hoggs Confessions of a Justified Sinner

The Uncanny Works of Austen's Northanger Abbey and Hogg's Confessions of a Justified Sinner  Ã‚   In order to discuss the literature of the uncanny we must first be able to define "uncanny", and trying to grasp a firm understanding of the term "uncanny" is problematic; since as accepted reference works such as the Oxford English Dictionary filter down into popular culture the meaning subtly alters, or becomes drawn towards only one aspect of what was originally a much broader definition. To illustrate this, the Oxford Complete Wordfinder, Reader's Digest (1999), defines: "uncanny adj. seemingly supernatural; mysterious * see EERIE" and my word-processor contributes: meanings for "uncanny" : weird; "Of a mysteriously strange and usually frightening nature" (Word 2002 Thesaurus, allegedly adapted from the Oxford Thesaurus and Roget's 2nd: The New Thesaurus.) The OED, the source from which both of these definitions ultimately are derived, takes its associations somewhat further, and there are decided connotations of the perilous and mystic: "mischievous, malicious ... not to be trusted ... associated with supernatural arts or powers ... dangerous, unsafe" (lecture handout notes), but even considering this it is difficult to come to a decisive, all-encompassing definition of what constitutes 'uncanny literature', because to be concerned with the unknown, the subject matter must by its very nature be imprecise. What is suggested becomes far more important than what is actually said. An excellent illustration of this is the work of that master of cosmic otherworldliness, H.P. Lovecraft. (Typical extract from an e-text of his short story, The Outsider: "I beheld in full, frightful vividness the inconceivable, indescribab... ...ssible engagement with the text, it is also an invited one, because a great deal of the value of the text lies in presenting an unsettling and subtle variation upon a known theme or situation. Mastery of the literary genre depends upon a clear knowledge not only of recurrent themes and styles of the form (which exist to be perpetuated in continually evolving manner, much more so than in other genres), but of human nature and the psychological triggers which create in readers a spirit of curiosity. One might think that such a device was inherent to any form of writing of any quality, and whilst this is true, there is a much more marked difference between formulaic uncanny and gothic fiction than that of other genres. Works Cited Confessions of a Justified Sinner, James Hogg, Everyman, 1998. Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen, Oxford World's Classics, 1998.

On the Obligation to Keep One’s Promises Essay -- Essays Papers

On the Obligation to Keep One’s Promises Moral philosophy is generally in pursuit of the â€Å"ought.† More specifically, a common goal is to create some sort of rubric for evaluating specific situations, and in the face of a decision, revealing what â€Å"ought to be done.† A very important and consequently complicated â€Å"ought† is that which dictates if one should keep a promise. This topic is so vast that is seems it would take a great deal of effort to make progress towards an answer, and in fact, there have been volumes of philosophy written about this very subject matter. Two 18th-century moral philosophers who tackled this mammoth rather successfully are Immanuel Kant and David Hume. The backbone of Kant’s moral philosophy is what he calls the â€Å"categorical imperative.† In the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant uses the preface and the first section to introduce and develop the idea, and then in the second section finally states it for the first time: â€Å"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.† (Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, pg30)1. The â€Å"maxim† Kant speaks of is simply the motive behind the act, and a â€Å"universal law† is one that is a priori, namely, â€Å"a [law] of thought in general without regard to difference of its objects.† (Grounding, pg1). The categorical imperative states that an act should only be preformed if the motive driving the action could become a universal law, and therefore could be applied always regardless of the specifics of a situation. It should seem obvious now that th e categorical imperative is directly related to the question of whether one should or should not keep a promise. In... ...ames. W. Ellington translation. The page citations follow the pages in that edition (see Sources). 2 This quote, and all other quotes from David Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature comes from the second edition of the Oxford text. The page citations follow the pages in that edition (see Sources). Sources Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. London: Penguin Books, 1995. Hume, David. A Treatise of Human Nature. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978. Kant, Immanuel. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten). Translated by James W. Ellington. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993. Kant, Immanuel. â€Å"On the Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns† (â€Å"Uber ein vermeintes Recht aus Menschenliebe zu lugen†). Translated by James W. Ellington. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993.

Water Pollution in Canada Essay examples -- Environmental Pollution Ess

The industrialization of Canada is severely affecting the nations lakes, streams, and rivers. If something is not done to improve the situation it is going to have some severe environmental problems in its future. The following essay will be looking at the factors that cause pollution, and the effect that pollution has on the environment of Canada. It will also explore some of the methods used to treat and clean-up wastewater, and oil spills. Today pollution is very high in both inland and marine waters. All different types of water pollution are contributing factors in this problem. Here are some things that are associated with pollution: Pathogens: Pathogens are disease causing bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. They usually come from human sewage. As pathogen numbers increase, so does the risk of human health. Biochemical Oxygen Demand: Organic wastes that decay in a body of water. decrease the amount of oxygen found in it. The living things in the lake need oxygen to survive. If the oxygen level is depressed to zero, all fish in the lake die. Any decomposition that does not contain oxygen starts to generate noxious gases such as Hydrogen Sulfide. Pulp and paper mills, and municipal sewage causes BOD. Nutrients: Nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, enrich waters and accelerate the aging of lakes and streams. Also, the result of this is rich plant life which prohibits recreational activities. Plankton blooms depress oxygen levels (as mentioned before) and therefore, endanger living organisms. Major sources of nutrients are municipal sewage and agricultural runoff. Toxic Materials: Can affect the health of aquatic organisms and their consumers, and the people who drink the contaminated water. The toxicants include lead, mercury, DDT, PCB, benzopyrene, oil, and dibutyl phthalate. These chemicals enter the lake through dumping by the factories. Temperature Changes: Temperature changes from waste heat discharges (like from a nuclear power plant) can cause pollution. This happens if their elevation reduces dissolved-oxygen levels, and accelerates eustrophication, which in turn affects the ecological processes and blocks the migration path of fishes. Acidification: Acidification (acid rain etc.) Is caused by sulfur and nitrogen oxide in the rain, which is caused by automobiles and large industries. Temperature Changes: The... ... 40,000 gallons) per ton of steel manufactured. A typical metropolitan area discharges a volume of wastewater equal to about 60 to 80 percent of its total daily requirements! The rest is being used for washing cars, watering lawns, and for manufacturing processes such as food canning and bottling. Infiltration: This occurs when sewer lines are placed below the water table or when rainfall goes down through the earth to the pipe. We do not like it because it means that the piping system and the treatment plant have to work extra hard Storm Water Drainage: This is simply the water from rain, melted snow, etc. draining into our pipelines and sewers where it goes to a treatment plant to be treated, but there is nothing wrong with it. In conclusion, From all the points I have brought up it is easy to see that the more people there are in the world the more water pollution there is going to be. That doesn't mean that we have to stop having children, what it means is that we have to start watching where we drain our polluted water, and start to use our resources more wisely. We should also be more careful with hazardous chemicals , and things like oil drilling, etc.

The Violence Runner

Throughout the history, there have been leaders of good and evil, moral and immoral, peaceful and violent alike. Sometimes, when the evil takes power and misuses it, the staggering impact they entail in the society can be appalling and outrageous. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Assef is exemplary of an evil leader who misuses his power and stands in the frontlines of crippling Afghanistan and its people into a pitch-black mist of chaos. First of all, Hosseini places Assef under the perfect setting in which the author bestows Assef the opportunity to develop his power as an antagonist in the novel. In the nineteenth century, Hazaras fails to rise against the Pashtuns in Afghanistan, and subsequently, discrimination against the Hazaras becomes prevalent in the society. In this type of environment, Assef naturally gains superiority over the Hazaras as a Pashtun and forms discriminative views and ethnic hatred towards them. It is even understandable for Assef to claim Adolf Hitler, the infamous dictator who relentlessly exterminated millions of Jews and other ethnic groups, to be a great leader, â€Å"a man with vision. (Hosseini, page 40) This is because to Assef, Hitler is his role model; Assef believes that Hazaras should be exterminated from the face of the earth, as he is determined to ask Daoud Khan, the newly president, â€Å"to rid Afghanistan of all the dirty, Kaseef Hazaras. † (Hosseini, page 40) This way, Assef naturally develops his relentlessness and sadism that he fully makes usage out of. His violent mindset against the Hazaras leads him to later join the Taliban, in which he gains the position to freely kill Hazaras without punishment, and relentlessly ties up Afghanistan in a bundle of Taliban laws. As we can see, Assef uses his superiority over the Hazaras that he gains from the society that he lives in, and manipulates it fully to dominate over the ethnic group. To control and frighten them he would often times use violence as his tool. Assef rules the streets of Wazir Akbar Khan section of Kabul with his notorious savagery and relentless violence. In the streets of the Wazir Akbar Khan, Assef’s â€Å"word is law†, and if the law is broken, then his stainless-steel brass knuckles are used accordingly as a punishment. Hosseini, pag3 38) Here, Hosseini uses stainless-steel brass knuckles as a significant motif throughout the novel, and also a symbol of violence and dominating power. Whenever we see Assef performing violence on somebody, we can observe emergence of his brass knuckles. When Hassan defends Amir against Assef with his slingshot, Assef tells Hassan and Amir, â€Å"this doesn’t end today, believe me. † (Hosseini, page 42) This suggests that Assef is a relentless, merciless and vengeful figure, foreshadowing his later revenge against Hassan and Amir. The brass knuckles appear again towards the end of the novel, when Assef beats Amir miserably with his brass knuckles â€Å"flashing in the afternoon light,† and thus fulfilling his warning and revenge that he had in his childhood. (Hosseini, page 288) These brass knuckles clearly represent physical domination on those who do not have such power; these multiple scenes of the recurring emergence of the brass knuckles suggest that violence is his power, his way to rule. Despite Assef’s unbearable deeds of violence, he holds one power that not everyone has: the power to change one’s life completely. Rape is a significant motif that is used throughout the novel by Assef. The reason why this motif is so crucial is that through rape, Assef destroys one’s integrity, emotional stability and dignity, and fully dominates them both physically and emotionally. Two significant cases would be Hassan’s rape and the other, Sohrab’s rape. By raping Hassan, Assef destroys two individuals: Hassan, who faces emotional trauma and breakdown afterwards, and Amir. Assef raping Hassan is the source of Amir feeling guilty and in remorse of not standing up for Hassan, and eventually leads him to make Hassan leave his family and ends up feeling guilty in his entire life, until he finds Sohrab alive and to redeem himself, plunges himself in the Taliban world to save Sohrab. Clearly, Assef held the key to change both lives. On the other hand, Sohrab’s life is changed dramatically through rape. As a result, Sohrab loses speech ability and feels extremely guilty, as he claims himself to be â€Å"so dirty and full of sin. † (Hosseini, page 319). These two â€Å"lambs†, Hassan and Sohrab, are sacrificed as a result of Assef’s misuse of power. Assef is clearly a violent man who holds the power in The Kite Runner. Assef makes full use of the power that he naturally gains in the society that he lives in, fully develops it and holds the key to change the society dramatically. He is the violence runner, to whom violence is always the solution to problems.

Psychology Case Write Up Essay

1. What traits are prominent in these cases? Name two or three from the Big Five and give examples from each person’s behavior, emotional reactions or thought processes as ‘evidence’. Shirley: Shirley seems to not be open to new experiences. At age 57 she has put herself back into psychotherapy. The childhood with a drunken and possible depressed mother seem to play part in the way she raised her children. Where now she only has active contact with one of her daughters and struggles to accept the fact that the other daughter is gay and the son is living in a halfway house. She married an abusive husband which correlates to the men her mother used to date who used to abuse Shirley. Death seems to be a continuous cycle of experiences for Shirley. Her mother died then her first husband, second husband and then her child. She seems to be continuously living the same life over and over and nothing new really happening. An event that does interfere with openness is the fact that she did become a lay minister; open to helping others. Conflicting because she is able to admit she potentially could be an alcoholic but refers to it as a â€Å"problem†. So I would assume she wants something new but the conflict starts when she exhibits the same behaviors over and over. Shirley seems to be an extrovert. Although she struggles with depression she still shows signs of wanting to be around people and have some interaction. She decided to go back to psychotherapy which involves group interaction or one-on-one meetings. There is still the effort of keeping in touch with one daughter. It seems Shirley didn’t like being alone hence the reason she re-married after her first husband died and joined the lay ministry when her second husband died. Perhaps the reason for connecting with people is a way for her to not worry about herself as much. For example she works for the state and is a lay minister but states â€Å"herself as â€Å"mentally ill†, but that she ‘may’ also have a drinking ‘problem'†. Greg: Greg seems to be conscientious in some areas and not so much in others. He graduated college with his masters but has a hard time completing his work on the job. Perhaps the reason he struggles with communicating to the children’s parents could be a reason why he isn’t close to his colleagues; lack of assertiveness. He has never developed a relationship with his father and isn’t completely honest with his mother in regards to his sexuality. He seems to be a great achiever within himself but dealing or doing things for something else is where he struggles. For example â€Å"has trouble being assertive and setting limits both with clients and colleagues but he works out at the gym and is quite muscular†. Greg seems to be an extrovert. He enjoys singing in the