Essay Writing on Shakespeare: Banquo Serves as a Foil to Macbeth Essay

Macbeth was written by Shakespeare between 1603 and 1606, during James I’s reign. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. The story begins as one of a loyal and honourable hero of Scotland. However, Macbeth’s character changes gradually during the play. A powerful ambition for power causes him to make sinister decisions that bring him only despair, guilt and madness. One of these decisions is to kill his friend Banquo because the witches that appeared at the beginning of the story said in their prophesy: â€Å"Thou shalt get kings, tough thou be none† (I, iii, line 67). They mean to say that even though Banquo will not be a king himself, he will be the father of future kings. By taking this into account, I am going to analyse how Banquo serves as a foil to Macbeth in terms of honour. Foil, in literature, is a character that is compared or contrasted to a second character so as to highlight the characteristics of the other. I consider honour in terms of loyalty, allegiance to moral principles and the ability of knowing and doing what is morally right. I am going to explore this hypothesis by taking account of the beginning of the play up to Banquo’s death, in Act III, scene iii. Macbeth is the epitome of the Prince described by Maquiavelli who takes it for granted that man is incapable of good action, since he is morally evil. Maquiavelli stated that: â€Å"[†¦] all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it [†¦]† (Spencer, 1961, p.117). The Renaissance is characterised by a basic conflict between man’s dignity and his misery. Each one of the interrelated orders that set up the frame of the Elizabethan’s way of thinking is being gradually destroyed mainly by three philosophers of that time (Maquiavelli was one of them) who has questioned the cosmological, natural and political orders. Macbeth eagerly accepts the witches’ prophecy, that he will become king, as true, gives in to his evil side and does what he thinks is required to fulfil the prophesy, no matter the risks. That is why he decides to kill the king, Duncan, who represents a great danger to his ambitions. Banquo, however, represents the opposite to Macbeth because he questions  the prophecies and the intentions of these evil creatures. He says: â€Å"[†¦] And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray ‘s in deepest consequence. [†¦]† (I, iii, lines 123-125). He argues that evil only offers gifts that lead to destruction, that the witches win people with what is unimportant, though true, in order to betray them in most important things. Banquo hears the prophecy involving him but he does not attempt to influence his fate, simply chooses to let life take its course and let his future develop by itself. The fact that Banquo does not react from greed shows that he is entirely good, resists the temptations of evil and remains loyal to his good values and noble character. Just before Duncan’s murder, Macbeth meets Banquo and they agree to talk about the witches’ prophesy when they have time. Banquo’s honourable treats increases Macbeth’s capacity of treason. â€Å"[†¦] So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchised, and allegiance clear, I shall be counselled [†¦]† (II, i, lines 25-29). This quotation suggests that, as long as he does not lose honour in trying to make it greater, always keeps his heart free from sin and his faithfulness to one man only, the king, he will listen to Macbeth’s advice. Banquo’s nobility of character highlights Macbeth’s evilness. After Macbeth became king, he realizes that, in fact, his friend is a danger to him because of his honourable character and also because the witches have seen he will be father of future kings. By saying: â€Å"[†¦] our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which be feared; ‘i is much he dares; and [†¦] he hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety. [†¦]† (III, i, lines 48-52), Macbeth reveals that he fears everything that he does not have but Banquo actually does: his natural nobility, his bravery and his wisdom. Macbeth feels that his position in the throne will be safe if Banquo is dead, so he hires two murderers to kill his friend and his son, Fleance. They partially succeed, Banquo dies but his son manages to get away safely. As we can see through this analysis, Banquo serves as a foil to Macbeth  in terms of nobility. Banquo and Macbeth are opposite characters, one has honourable values that he maintains during the play and does not give in to personal desires, and the other is slowly being tempted by his evil side and will get what he wants by any way that is necessary. Macbeth is morally evil and cares nothing about honour and loyalty, he becomes power hungry after hearing the witches’ prophesies and does anything to fulfil them, even killing his good king, Duncan, and his brave friend, Banquo. REFERENCES: †¢ Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Third edition. England. Longman. 1965. †¢ Spencer, Theodore. Shakespeare and the Nature of Man. Second edition. New York. Macmillan. 1961.

Capital Punishment Should Be Abolished

Points to remember before you participate in this disuccsion: * Assume, you one of the member of a real group discussion. * Take the initiative to participate and contribute your thoughts. * Express your positive attitude towards providing the solution. | |   | | | In my opinion instead of banning Capital punishment, frequency of capital punishment should be brought to minimum. It should be strictly applied in case of Rape & murder (mass murder) because nobody has given him right to destroy somebody's life and they should fear every now and then that this crime will not be tolerate rapist and murderers.But not for robbery or other low level crime because you can earn your wealth again ; 10-15 year of imprisonment will give him good lesson. | | | |   | | | â€Å"An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth† which we all today known as capital punishment. I think it should not be banned. Though this form of punishment is inhuman and cruel, there is no other alternative but to enfor ce it. Just as one removes a rotten apple to save the basket full of apples, similarly we must get rid of the unwanted elements so that we can preserve the society. | |   | | | Hi, I think capital punishment should not be banned. Criminals are all their way to go beyond the unexpected mark. Once they are being left or being ignored at, they may cause a massive genocide. Second thing is that they will not have any fear for any punishment which may lead to increase in crime in the society and will hinder in social harmony and social peace. | | |   | | | According to me capital punishment should not be banned. Criminals think that they will be threw into the prison if they commit any crime.There is no mistake in their thinking because the rules of the INDIAN CONSTITUTION had made like that. They don't bother about jail although the punishment time is either 7 years or 14 years because jails are like their vacation spots. (example in the case of kasab). This is one of the reason for increasing in crime rate. But If India had followed the concept of capital punishment there would be no Mumbai attacks, no murders, no kidnappings. The fear of death (because of capital punishment) should shiver the criminals for thinking of crime. Then India absolutely can be peaceful country. | |   | | | According to me capital punishment should be given to every criminal who has committed a crime. By giving capital punishment to every criminal and it becomes a lesson for them and they possibly think about that what they are doing. For this govt has to take strict actions and make our India crime-less country. | |   | | | If it is abolished then our society will in trouble, today, not so much but still criminals have fear of capital punishment if its take back by GOVT the the courage will increase in criminals and they will do crime fearless.So my suggestion when any body do crime like murder, rape, robbery then we must give capital punishment hardly such kind of people becau se nobody have rights for killing other people. | | |   | | | I think capital punishment should not be banned. As said by many persons who are we to take the life of others, we means civilization where this law of capital punishment has not come from sky but majority of our country men and women voted for capital punishment to prevail and if you are living in this country you are accepting the law and in law capital punishment also comes. Capital punishment should not be abolished rather our government should think about it n emphasize on it. Capital Punishment should be given to those who have done heinous crimes like murder. There must be fear in the mind of people then only we can get healthy atmosphere to live. It will reduce the crime rates in the countries otherwise we will have our newspaper full of crimes in the future as we have now. So to get rid of these things I think Capital punishment should not be abolished. I appreciate opinions coming from different people but cap ital punishment is not punishment at all, it is revenge in its good form as people think. Punishment is, no matter how unimaginable the crime is or whether we are bound by sentiments or not is scientifically a procedure to correct mind of CRIMINAL. Whether a person killed thousands or not is unrelated as Punishment talks about correction and not past, if we talk about past don't call it PUNISHMENT it is revenge only! Secondly law is going thousands of years back when religion and psychology are going into future.People think more massive crimes a person commits the more punishment he deserves because we cannot bear the end results at all, true but the fact is that society uses two opposites GOOD and BAD. GOOD should be victorious over BAD, but terrible crimes like mass murders, rapes, burning people, children etc. Are committed by mentally insane people. No normal person has desire or interest or energy or even thought will ever come, so we are biologically safe first! People like T eresa, Jesus have inherent traits that make them peaceful. Ok they might have conscious will but they did not use it because they need not.On other hand criminals need to use additional will and change their mind from instincts and urges and this is not called REAL GREAT! psychopaths are born with distorted mind, is it their fault? They have no emotion called love. Love comes from brain. If any one has doubt they can just observe whether emotions are made with hands or come from within us without effort. If so a person who cannot love humanity has fault in nervous system. If a person takes anesthetic will he get pain? Still the person may remain wide awake with no pain in part injected with anesthetic.On similar lines criminals know what they are doing (barring a few who are completely mad and insane and do not know reality) but cannot feel love or empathy just like anesthetic REMOVES PAIN. So one second assume we are not born with this EMOTION or this emotion is minimal? One can te ll their own answers? |   | | Well, capital punishment in India is given in â€Å"the rarest of rare cases†. This includes. Raging war against the nation, murder abetting the suicide of a child or insane person and likewise. If this is so then why delay in the case of Ajmal Kasab and Afjal guru? Hadn't they have done this offense?They came, butchered our democracy, plundered Indian lives and mystically send a message to our netas and babus and obviously to us we'll iterate this. What can you do? Don't you think this is a derogatory to our democracy, to our so-called cultured society and to our crippled law. I think trialing these guys is a totally a waste of our money and time. Just hang these guys till death because these lunatics don't have respect to the lives of innocents. So, why to have mercy on them. I vehemently appeal to our netas and babus not to test our patience and provide them capital punishment.I admit there should not be any trial to these guys, just directl y hang them, and I also appeal to our law-makers to bring the case of rape in this jurisdiction. |   | | Hi, ‘m Sukanta. I have already written my view here long day back. But I think some people didn't get my point or didn't read my opinion . People like Anuradha, commented on 31st March (plz dont take it in a negative way) , I think are not practical and live in a fantasy ideal world, where (they think) if you forbid a person not to do crime, just listens to you and stop doing crime. Ok.To you all such persons, I am putting few questions again. Please answer straightly, not in a round about way and without repeating idealistic writings like â€Å"we should kill†¦. â€Å", â€Å"then whats the difference between them and the judges† etc. My questions are- 1 ) Tell me just one way to change the minds of people like Kasav, Daud Ibrahim, Afjal Guru and so on or how can you kill the crime within them ? 2 ) How can you be sure enough that they wont do any crime aga in ? 3 ) How can you be sure that farther no plane will be hijacked demanding their release ? ) Who will bear the cost of super expensive foods and security ( as Kasav is getting right now )? 5 ) Can you think of any other punishment if your father/ mother/brother/sister or your boy friend/ girlfriend / wife/husband will die in such a horrific incident ? If so, then plz mention the punishment you would like to give them . Thank you. | | | Hey people, in India where I live (Chandigarh) crime rate is increasing by the clock, and I believe there might be equal number of capital punishments, well its not like that punishment is given when the accused are caught and proved guilty.Firstly, getting through this phase is very difficult, and even if the accused is punished of ‘ Daffa 302 ‘ the hanging is not made. There has not been a single hanging since 2004 in India. Well, with this attitude I reckon the criminals would not be afraid of the system. Well, Capital punishments is virtually abolished !. |   | | As per my perception, capital punishment is only on papers in India right now, as it is clear from the fact that Indian courts have sentenced near about 29 death sentence in last decade out of which only one person has been executed till date and the remaining are just on papers.In a recent judgement given by Session judge, kathua (j&k) in which six out of seven accused were granted death penalty (seventh one has already expired) but as is the condition prevalling in india, this sentence is also just on paper, to execute them is too hard on the part of concerned authority. Apart from that afzal guru has been awarded capital punishment since 2006. But till date there is no execution of that sentence because execution of afzal guru is now only a question of executing a crimnal, but a senstive poltical issue.Various neferous poltical beaurecrates in India and especially in kashmir are earning there bread on this vary issue ana centre is also aware of t he fact that if afzal guru is hanged during there tenure, there poltical graph would come down in kashmir by a fair amount. So we can say that if person who have been granted death sentence are not hanged and if the sentence awarded to them is just on paper, then what is the fun of awarding this sentence, it's better that it should be banned now. Dear friends, I believe that for the sake of saving few criminals we cannot let hundreds and thousands of innocent people to die. Even if we have to take strict action against them, even if it is a capital punishment we shold come forward and support it. We have seen that due to the lack of proper and strict actions, thousands of innocent people are raped and murdered every year and the criminals walk freely without any fear of getting punishment. As one of my friend took the example of saudi Arabia, We can also make India a safer and better place to live with the imposition of capital punishment. |   | |Capital punishment must not be rem oved because i think it is the right way to give lesson to other criminals that his crime may lead him to death many peoples had written the sayings â€Å"kill the crime not the criminals† but they had not mentioned the way to do that. Shall we start appointing â€Å"MAHATMA BUDHH and swami vivekanand† instead of police? â€Å"Tit 4 Tat† is fit here†. i want to ask the people asking for mercy that if a convict kills your most loving one then also u will ask the honorable judge for showing mercy to him†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ And for them i want that they must watch the movie â€Å"A WEDNESDAY†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. From my perspective, capital punishment should not be abolished as it will definitely help us to create a sense of fear in the minds of criminals. â€Å"Kill crimes not criminals† is a marvelous proposal but those stand for this theory should clarify how it can be put into practice. In order to save the innocent people from being puni shed, I strongly feel that, all loopholes in the judicial system should be closed. Only capital punishment awarded to hard-core criminals can set an example for other like minded persons and help the polity to bring down the whopping number of ever increasing criminal deeds.One more point, those liberal minds, who shed tears for the criminals must taken into account the pathetic state of the victims. Moreover, countries with stringent criminal and judicial systems always show a decreasing trend in such heinous acts as murder and theft. Take the example of Saudi Arabia where Islamic code of law is strictly implemented, the number of such dubious crimes are very low there. So capital punishment should be there in the larger interest of the country at least as a ‘necessary evil'. |   | | I do not think that capital punishment is the only solution to decrease crime in the society.Already there are many cases are still pending and our judiciary and government is sleeping. Todays in lakhs court cases are pending and the accused are moving freely without any problem. In my view govt should make a strict rules against accused and finalised their case only in six months and give a hard punishment without capital punishment. | Hi everyone. I totally agree that capital punishment should be given, if a person have committed any heinous crime, but before that a transparent investigation should be done.Today most of the time main culprits (usually people with huge amount of money) uses poor as their weapon and commit heinous crimes and cannot ever get caught, because they bribe everybody and every system, and not only this they bring out false proofs against that poor guy and thus that poor fellow becomes victim. And our judiciary give punishment to that poor as it depends on proofs, doesn't matter however false it may be. I just want to ask why the poor became victim, just because he was poor or he has just trusted somebody? Capital punishment should be given to th at criminal who has shadowed himself and used a poor person as his weapon.Indeed he should be hanged. |   | | I agree with the statement ‘we should kill crime not criminals'. But how can the crime be reduced without this type of punishment. It is not possible to create an awareness so that the criminals move away from the crime. We can take the example of the terrorist itself. Providing awareness doesn't seems to create any alteration in their minds. So in my opinion,only way would be the capital punishment. Punishment should be meant to leave a message of fear in the hearts of whoever trying to commit a brutal crime. This fear can obviously prevent them doing brutal crimes.As my friend said earlier,over 30 countries have abolished capital punishment and do not have any increase in crime. But at the same time it have not shown any decrease in rate. Whereas in countries having strict capital punishment have low crime rates. If regarding the punishment of innocent,its up to ju diciary. They have been shown guilty in front of judiciary. Thats why they are been given punishment like dat So in my opinion,capital punishment should not be abolished |   | | Hi everyone. A very good line said by Priya â€Å"We should kill crimes, not criminals†. I'm agree with this line.It is the best way if we are able to kill crimes without killing criminals. This could be possible only when there is stringent law and people are abide by the laws. But if there is need to kill criminals to reduce crime then it's also quite fair option. We should follow â€Å"Tit for Tat Policy†. Those who have committed heinous crimes like murder, rape and the politicians who have cheated our country and the people should be given capital punishment immediately. These types of person doesn't deserve to get a place in our society. |   | | I think for some crime capital punishment should be there.In India, people are not respecting laws any more. Whether he is a rich guy or poor . They some how have started believing that they will escape from arms of law. If we take the case of Jessica or Priyadarshini Matto, in both cases judgement took so many years by that time criminals were roaming freely in the society. What is guarantee that these people will not engage in any other crime? In US capital punishment is allowed and people over there are more disciplined just because the laws are so stringent. In India also present day situation is so horrible that strictness is need of the hour. . Every human vll enjoy the freedom at the most of all side provided to him until n unless there are no strict rules. !. |   | | I m completely satisfied with kapil you can not let criminals to be in a state of fearless after commiting crime. Capital punishment should not be banned. One who is guilty shud be punished and if his/her crime goes beyond limit then he/she is worthy of capital punishment. By doing so we can reduce crime rates. These are ‘rakshax' and capital punishment is there ‘vadh'. |   | | According to me, capital punishment should not be abolished. here is no reason to save the life of such a person who is a cause of misery and fear in society. capital punishments are not meant for small crimes. If the crime committed is not intense they are punished in terms of fine and imprisonment. if they are to improve themselves, they would definitely do that by this. if people go to extent of murdering or other criminal activities, they are definitely becoming violent and has no fear of law. such a criminal is sure to do many more harms to society and the nation as a whole. No nation need such criminals and so this world is not a place for them.   | | We should kill crime and not criminals†¦ I agree.. But how can we kill crime in our society? It is possible only by killing the culprits.. A punishment should serve as a shuddering example for others thus preventing them from doing anything unfair.. I strongly believe that India should become a more disciplined country like Singapore where a small mistake like spitting in the roadside can lead to heavy fines.. In short,our Government should take steps to take stringent measures towards anything | We should kill crime and not criminals†¦ I agree.. But how can we kill crime in our society?It is possible only by killing the culprits.. A punishment should serve as a shuddering example for others thus preventing them from doing anything unfair.. I strongly believe that India should become a more disciplined country like Singapore where a small mistake like spitting in the roadside can lead to heavy fines.. In short,our Government should take steps to take stringent measures towards anything unfair,whoever be the culprit,be it an ordinary person or one of our much respected ministers.. Purify our country†¦. |   | | only if the punishments are severe, crimes will get reduced. lse, we could find none other way to protect ourself from crimes . . . so i a m strongly agree with that capital punishments are to be booned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |   | | Have a good day to All , This is Vimal. According to my view capital punishment is the only solution to reduce the crime rates. Because i have an evidence not only me all of us knew this. Countries like Dubai Saudi Arabhiya the crime rates are very less only because of severe punishments , and capital punishments for most of the crimes. killing the criminals only kills the crime. unless crime will not be killed. To have a healthy country we should reduce the crime. o reduce crime capital punishment should be needed|   | | Criminals have no right to take aways someone's smile n if they are guilty of affecting someone's life then they are worthy to go through such similar pain. May be the fear of going through the same might stop them doing something brutal. Relieving them from capital punishment is alleviating them for going for wrong doings. | Crime is everywhere. In our neighbo rhood, in the neighboring state, wherever we look, we find criminals and crime. Criminals have become a part of our daily lives. Does this mean we let them be the darkness of our society?No, definitely not. Eliminating crime and criminals is our duty, and we cannot ignore it. Getting the rightly accused to a just punishment is very important. I do not advocate death penalty for everybody. I support death penalty because of several reasons. Firstly, I believe that death penalty serves as a deterrent and helps in reducing crime. Secondly, it is true that death penalty is irreversible, but it is hard to kill a wrongly convicted person due to the several chances given to the convicted to prove his innocence. Thirdly, death penalty assures safety of the society by eliminating these criminals.Deterrence means to punish somebody as an example and to create fear in other people for the punishment. Death penalty is one of those extreme punishments that would create fear in the mind of any sa ne person. Capital punishment should be abolished Critics of capital punishment put forward several arguments. 1. The application of the death penalty is so arbitrary that it violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Justice Harry Blackmun claims there is an irreconcilable conflict between two requirements in capital sentencing.On the one hand, the Eighth Amendment demands that sentencing discretion in capital cases be structured according to fixed, objective standards to eliminate arbitrariness and discrimination. On the other hand, there is a humanitarian requirement that sentencing discretion be flexible enough to permit sentencers to individualize justice by taking mitigating circumstances into account that might justify a sentence less than death. 2. The death penalty discriminates against racial minorities and the poor. Statistics show that the death penalty is administered in a selective and racially discriminatory manner. 3. The eath p enalty doesn't deter crime. 4. The death penalty costs taxpayers more than life imprisonment. 5. The inevitability of factual, legal, and moral errors results in a system that must wrongly kill some innocent defendants. 6. Public support for the death penalty diminishes substantially when the public is fully informed about the penalty, the alternative of life imprisonment without parole, and the consequences of the death penalty. Capital punishment should not be abolished Proponents of the death penalty make arguments centering around the justifications of fairness, retribution, deterrence, economy, and popularity. . The death penalty isn't arbitrary. In Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty isn't cruel and unusual punishment and that a two-part proceeding — one for determining innocence or guilt and one for determining the sentence — is constitutional. Any conflicts between eliminating arbitrariness and allowing sentencers to individu alize justice can be resolved, according to Justice Scalia, by dispensing with the requirement that sentencers consider an array of mitigating circumstances. . The death penalty isn't discriminatory. In McCleskey v. Kemp (1987), the Court held that statistical evidence of racial discrimination in death sentencing can't establish a violation of the Eighth or Fourteenth Amendments. To win an appeal under the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Court requires an appellant to prove the decision makers in his or her case acted with intent to discriminate. 3. Executions deter would-be criminals from committing crimes. 4.It is cheaper for the government to kill murderers than to keep them in prison for the duration of their lives. 5. The few mistakes that are made in carrying out the death penalty are offset by its crime prevention and economic benefits. 6. Polls show the vast majority of Americans favor the death penalty for murderers. 7. Society has a moral right to punish the most violent criminals by taking their lives. Some violent criminals are vile, wicked persons who deserve to die. Evaluating the debate over capital punishmentA substantial body of empirical studies shows that the administration of capital punishment is arbitrary, that the costs of trials and multiple appeals make the death penalty more expensive than housing an offender in prison for life, that the death penalty does not deter violent crime, and that during the twentieth century more than 400 people were erroneously convicted in capital cases. Although the Supreme Court denied the racial discrimination argument in McCleskey v. Kemp, statistical evidence supports the claim that the burden of capital punishment falls upon the poor and the underprivileged.Studies show that a disproportionate number of individuals sentenced to death are members of minority groups and that nearly all individuals on death row are indigents. The argument that the death penalty should be retaine d because the majority of the people in the United States want it, equates the numbers in support of a position with the correctness of it. The rightness or wrongness of the death penalty logically is neither helped nor hindered by the numbers in support. Opinions don't logically equate to factual knowledge.Deciding whether or not society has a moral right to take the lives of murderers and other violent criminals requires a value judgment. In support of their position, proponents of the death penalty cite the Judeo-Christian tradition of â€Å"eye for eye, tooth for tooth. † Opponents counter by emphasizing New Testament admonitions to â€Å"turn the other cheek† and â€Å"to love thy neighbor. † In a Nutshell Yes| No| 1. Financial costs to taxpayers of capital punishment is several times that of keeping someone in prison for life. 2. It is barbaric and violates the â€Å"cruel and unusual† clause in the Bill of Rights. . The endless appeals and required additional procedures clog our court system. 4. We as a society have to move away from the â€Å"eye for an eye† revenge mentality if civilization is to advance. 5. It sends the wrong message: why kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong. 6. Life in prison is a worse punishment and a more effective deterrent. 7. Other countries (especially in Europe) would have a more favorable image of America. 8. Some jury members are reluctant to convict if it means putting someone to death. 9.The prisoner's family must suffer from seeing their loved one put to death by the state, as well as going through the emotionally-draining appeals process. 10. The possibility exists that innocent men and women may be put to death. 11. Mentally ill patients may be put to death. 12. It creates sympathy for the monstrous perpetrators of the crimes. 13. It often draws top talent laywers who will work for little or no cost due to the publicity of the case and their personal beliefs against t he morality of the death penalty, increasing the chances a technicality or a manipulated jury will release a guilt person. 4. It is useless in that it doesn't bring the victim back to life. | 1. The death penalty gives closure to the victim's families who have suffered so much. 2. It creates another form of crime deterrent. 3. Justice is better served. 4. Our justice system shows more sympathy for criminals than it does victims. 5. It provides a deterrent for prisoners already serving a life sentence. 6. DNA testing and other methods of modern crime scene science can now effectively eliminate almost all uncertainty as to a person's guilt or innocence. 7.Prisoner parole or escapes can give criminals another chance to kill. 8. It contributes to the problem of overpopulation in the prison system. 9. It gives prosecutors another bargaining chip in the plea bargain process, which is essential in cutting costs in an overcrowded court system. | Overview/Background The United States remains in the minority of nations in the world that still uses death as penalty for certain crimes. Many see the penalty as barbaric and against American values. Others see it as a very important tool in fighting violent pre-meditated murder.Two things have once again brought this issue to national debate. One is the release of some highly publicized studies that show a number of innocents had been put to death. The second is the issue of terrorism and the need to punish its perpetrators. Yes ? Financial costs to taxpayers of capital punishment is several times that of keeping someone in prison for life. Most people don't realize that carrying out one death sentence costs 2-5 times more than keeping that same criminal in prison for the rest of his life. How can this be?It has to do with the endless appeals, additional required procedures, and legal wrangling that drag the process out. It's not unusual for a prisoner to be on death row for 15-20 years. Judges, attorneys, court reporters, c lerks, and court facilities all require a substantial investment by the taxpayers. Do we really have the resources to waste? ? It is barbaric and violates the â€Å"cruel and unusual† clause in the Bill of Rights. Whether it's a firing squad, electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection, or hanging, it's barbaric to allow state-sanctioned murder before a crowd of people.We condemn people like Ahmadinejad, Qaddafi, and Kim Jong Il when they murder their own people while we continue to do the same (although our procedures for allowing it are obviously more thorough). The 8th Amendment of the U. S. Constitution prevents the use of â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment†. Many would interpret the death penalty as violating this restriction. ? The endless appeals and required additional procedures clog our court system. The U. S. court system goes to enormous lengths before allowing a death sentence to be carried out. All the appeals, motions, hearings, briefs, etc. onopolize much of the time of judges, attorneys, and other court employees as well as use up courtrooms & facilities. This is time & space that could be used for other unresolved matters. The court system is tremendously backed up. This would help move things along. ? We as a society have to move away from the â€Å"eye for an eye† revenge mentality if civilization is to advance. The â€Å"eye for an eye† mentality will never solve anything. A revenge philosophy inevitably leads to an endless cycle of violence. Why do you think the Israeli-Palestine conflict has been going on for 60 years?Why do you think gang violence in this country never seems to end? It is important to send a message to society that striking back at your enemy purely for revenge will always make matters worse. ? It sends the wrong message: why kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong. Yes, we want to make sure there is accountability for crime and an effective deterrent in place; however, the dea th penalty has a message of â€Å"You killed one of us, so we'll kill you†. The state is actually using a murder to punish someone who committed a murder. Does that make sense? Life in prison is a worse punishment and a more effective deterrent. For those of you who don't feel much sympathy for a murderer, keep in mind that death may be too good for them. With a death sentence, the suffering is over in an instant. With life in prison, the pain goes on for decades. Prisoners are confined to a cage and live in an internal environment of rape and violence where they're treated as animals. And consider terrorists. Do you think they'd rather suffer the humiliation of lifelong prison or be â€Å"martyred† by a death sentence?What would have been a better ending for Osama bin Laden, the bullet that killed him instantly, or a life of humiliation in an American prison (or if he was put through rendition to obtain more information). ? Other countries (especially in Europe) would have a more favorable image of America. It's no secret that anti-Americanism is rampant around the world. One of the reasons is America's continued use of the death penalty. We're seen as a violent, vengeful nation for such a policy. This is pretty much the same view that Europeans had of America when we continued the practice of slavery long after it had been banned in Europe. Some jury members are reluctant to convict if it means putting someone to death. Many states require any jury members to be polled during the pre-trial examination to be sure they have the stomach to sentence someone to death before they're allowed to serve. Even if they're against the death penalty, they still may lie in order to get on the panel. The thought of agreeing to kill someone even influences some jury members to acquit rather than risk the death. Some prosecutors may go for a lesser charge rather than force juries into a death-or-acquit choice.Obviously, in all these situations, justice may not b e served. ? The prisoner's family must suffer from seeing their loved one put to death by the state, as well as going through the emotionally-draining appeals process. One victim's innocent family is obviously forced to suffer from a capital murder, but by enforcing a death sentence, you force another family to suffer. Why double the suffering when we don't have to? ? The possibility exists that innocent men and women may be put to death. There are several documented cases where DNA testing showed that innocent people were put to death by the government.We have an imperfect justice system where poor defendants are given minimal legal attention by often lesser qualified individuals. Some would blame the court system, not that death penalty itself for the problems, but we can't risk mistakes. ? Mentally ill patients may be put to death. Many people are simply born with defects to their brain that cause them to act a certain way. No amount of drugs, schooling, rehabilitation, or positi ve reinforcement will change them. Is it fair that someone should be murdered just because they were unlucky enough to be born with a brain defect.Although it is technically unconstitutional to put a mentally ill patient to death, the rules can be vague, and you still need to be able to convince a judge and jury that the defendant is in fact, mentally ill. ? It creates sympathy for the monstrous perpetrators of the crimes. Criminals usually are looked down upon by society. People are disgusted by the vile, unconscionable acts they commit and feel tremendous sympathy for the victims of murder, rape, etc. However, the death penalty has a way of shifting sympathy away from the victims and to the criminals themselves.An excellent example is the execution a few years ago of former gang leader â€Å"Tookie† Williams. He was one of the original members of the notorious Crips gang, which has a long legacy of robbery, assault, and murder. This is a man who was convicted with overwhelm ing evidence of the murder of four people, some of whom he shot in the back and then laughed at the sounds they made as they died. This is a man who never even took responsibility for the crimes or apologized to the victims — NOT ONCE! These victims had kids and spouses, but instead of sympathy for them, sympathy shifted to Tookie. Candlelight vigils were held for him.Websites like savetookie. org sprang up. Protests and a media circus ensued trying to prevent the execution, which eventually did take place — 26 years after the crime itself! There are many cases like this, which make a mockery of the evil crimes these degenerates commit. ? It often draws top talent laywers who will work for little or no cost due to the publicity of the case and their personal beliefs against the morality of the death penalty, increasing the chances a technicality or a manipulated jury will release a guilt person. Top attorneys are world-class manipulators. They know how to cover up fact s and misdirect thinking.They know how to select juries sympathetic to their side. They know how to find obscure technicalities and use any other means necessary to get their client off without any punishment. Luckily, most criminal defendants cannot afford to hire these top guns; they must make do with a low-paid public defender or some other cheaper attorney. However, a death penalty case changes everything. First of all, a death penalty case almost always garners significant media attention. Lawyers want that exposure, which enhances their name recognition & reputation for potential future plantiffs and defendants.Second of all, thousands of attorneys have made their personal crusade in life the stomping out of the death penalty. Entire organizations have sprung up to fight death penalty cases, often providing all the funding for a legal defense. For an example, look no further than the Casey Anthony trial, in which a pool of top attorneys took on a high profile death penalty cas e and used voir dire and peremptory challenges to craft one of the stupidest juries on record, who ended up ignoring facts and common sense or release an obviously guilty woman who killed her daughter.After the â€Å"not guilty† verdict was rendered, defense attorneys such as Cheney Mason went into long-winded speeches for the media about the evils of the death penalty. ? It is useless in that it doesn't bring the victim back to life. Perhaps the biggest reason to ban the death penalty is that it doesn't change the fact that the victim is gone and will never come back. Hate, revenge, and anger will never cure the emptiness of a lost loved one. Forgiveness is the only way to start the healing process, and this won't happen in a revenge-focused individual. No 1. 2.The death penalty gives closure to the victim's families who have suffered so much. Some family members of crime victims may take years or decades to recover from the shock and loss of a loved one. Some may never reco ver. One of the things that helps hasten this recovery is to achieve some kind of closure. Life in prison just means the criminal is still around to haunt the victim. A death sentence brings finality to a horrible chapter in the lives of these family members. 3. It creates another form of crime deterrent. Crime would run rampant as never before if there wasn't some way to deter people from committing the acts.Prison time is an effective deterrent, but with some people, more is needed. Prosecutors should have the option of using a variety of punishments in order to minimize crime. 4. Justice is better served. The most fundamental principle of justice is that the punishment should fit the crime. When someone plans and brutally murders another person, doesn't it make sense that the punishment for the perpetrator also be death? 5. Our justice system shows more sympathy for criminals than it does victims. It's time we put the emphasis of our criminal justice system back on protecting the victim rather than the accused.Remember, a person who's on death row has almost always committed crimes before this. A long line of victims have been waiting for justice. We need justice for current and past victims. 6. It provides a deterrent for prisoners already serving a life sentence. What about people already sentenced to life in prison. What's to stop them from murdering people constantly while in prison? What are they going to do–extend their sentences? Sure, they can take away some prison privileges, but is this enough of a deterrent to stop the killing? What about a person sentenced to life who happens to escape? What's to stop him from killing anyone who might ry to bring him in or curb his crime spree? 7. DNA testing and other methods of modern crime scene science can now effectively eliminate almost all uncertainty as to a person's guilt or innocence. One of the biggest arguments against the death penalty is the possibility of error. Sure, we can never completel y eliminate all uncertainty, but nowadays, it's about as close as you can get. DNA testing is over 99 percent effective. And even if DNA testing and other such scientific methods didn't exist, the trial and appeals process is so thorough it's next to impossible to convict an innocent person.Remember, a jury of 12 members must unanimously decide there's not even a reasonable doubt the person is guilty. The number of innocent people that might somehow be convicted is no greater than the number of innocent victims of the murderers who are set free. 8. Prisoner parole or escapes can give criminals another chance to kill. Perhaps the biggest reason to keep the death penalty is to prevent the crime from happening again. The parole system nowadays is a joke. Does it make sense to anyone outside the legal system to have multiple â€Å"life† sentences 20 years or other jiverish?Even if a criminal is sentenced to life without possibility of parole, he still has a chance to kill while i n prison, or even worse, escape and go on a crime/murder spree. 9. It contributes to the problem of overpopulation in the prison system. Prisons across the country face the problem of too many prisoners and not enough space & resources. Each additional prisoner requires a portion of a cell, food, clothing, extra guard time, and so on. When you eliminate the death penalty as an option, it means that prisoner must be housed for life.Thus, it only adds to the problem of an overcrowded prison system. 10. ————————————————- It gives prosecutors another bargaining chip in the plea bargain process, which is essential in cutting costs in an overcrowded court system. The number of criminal cases that are plea bargained (meaning the accused admits guilt in return for a lesser sentence or some other concession) can be as high as 80 or 90 percent of cases. With the time, cost, and pers onnel requirements of a criminal case, there really isn't much of a choice.The vast majority of people that are arraigned are in fact guilty of the crime they are accused. Even if you believe a defendant only deserves life in prison, without the threat of a death sentence, there may be no way to get him to plead guilty and accept the sentence. If a case goes to trial, in addition to the enormous cost, you run the chance that you may lose the case, meaning a violent criminal gets off scot free. The existence of the death penalty gives prosecutors much more flexibility and power to ensure just punishments. Introduction

Caffeine effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Caffeine effect - Essay Example Black tea brewed for 4 minutes has 40-100 milligrams. Green tea has one-third as much caffeine as black tea.† (Definition of Caffeine) The purpose of this essay is to make a reasonable assessment on the subject matter, sighting the roles of Caffeine in the lives of human being, but primarily the essay would focus on its effect, that is the Caffeine effect as the main topic, while my Research will be tagged as ‘The positive and negative effect of Caffeine to the human life. What ever God in his infinite mercy given to human being, does not primarily given to have negative effects, unless probably while applying it, then people will begin to make misuse of it, and finally reflect back to them the way they have applied it hitherto. To this end, to begin with sighting positive effects which Caffeine brings to our health. Research has shown that one of the positive effects of Caffeine is that, is increased Human Behavior, especially when an individual consume a little of it, and avoiding over consumption. According to a Research performed in the Cardiff University, at the Center of Health Psychology, of the School of Psychology, researchers have pointed out some key positive effects of Caffeine to human’s health. (The literature suggests that the following effects on behavior of adult humans may occur when individuals consume moderate amounts of caffeine. (1) Caffeine increases alertness and reduces fatigue. This may be especially important in low arousal situations (e.g. working at night). (2) Caffeine improves performance on vigilance tasks and simple tasks that require sustained response†. (Effects of caffeine on human behavior). Other positive effects of Caffeine to human health include that, as one of the key ingredients of the coffee is Caffeine, thus its gives human being a very good stimulant to the nervous system. Additionally, Caffeine also helps to remedy the cool negative effects to human’s health, diuretics, aspirin, and it’s

What strategies can policy makers employ to promote successful policy Essay - 1

What strategies can policy makers employ to promote successful policy implementation - Essay Example The researchers of this generation have identified that the research implementation process is not as simple as it is thought to be and there are a lot of complications that need to be considered. This generation has identified that there are several factors that are involved in the implementation of policy and these factors somehow influence the policy implementation therefore it is important to identify and consider these factors as well (Hill, 1997) On the other hand, the second generation is a bit realistic and it is considered as the classical generations to be too pessimistic. The scholars in the second generations are Berman, O’Toole and O’Toole and Montjoy, Hjern and Porter, and Tasmanian and Sabatier. This generation has kept its focus on the top-bottom approach and bottom-top approach. This generation has debated whether the top-bottom approach or bottom-top approach should be implemented for successful results. This generation has demonstrated that the implementation is a political process and to a great extent ignored other factor which has been later criticized by the third generation (Pitts, 2006). The last but not the least generation is the third generation or the analytical generation. This last generation is called the analytical generation as the researchers in this generation have more focused on the methods being used rather than the results that have been achieved. This generation has been criticized both the previous generations for ignoring the social factors. This generation called for better methods and more social factors within the implementation process. It could be said that this generation was not concerned regarding the failure or success of the process but were more interested in learning and understanding how the process works. This generation was more focused on improving the methods and procedures that could used to implement the policy successfully. Implementation,

Business Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Business Accounting - Essay Example The project is acceptable as both methods show positive outcome in terms of payback period as well as PV of net inflow of the project. Risk is inherent in almost every business. This is more prominent in capital decision making as such decisions involve cost and benefit extending over a period of time. During this long period of time many thing get changed in an unexpected way and hence the risk of return is always there in capital budgeting decisions. The project under consideration carries a medium level of risk. At the same time it is given that the company’s estimate of future cash flows of 10% is too high. A higher discount rate means higher returns. The principal is that higher the risk higher is the returns. If the company considers the medium level of risk for investments under consideration, then this 10% rate calculated on an estimate of higher risk level require suitable adjustments. In other words the rate of discount has to be lowered to the accepted level of medium risk. The company should develop a risk adjusted discount rate. If the company considers the risk of the project equal to the risk of existing investments of the company, then the discount rate of average cost of capital should be considered for evaluating the project. When the risk of the project is greater than the risks of existing investments, then the discount rate used should be higher than average cost of the capital employed with the company. If the risk of the project is lower than risk of existing investments, the discount rate used to evaluate the project should be lower than the average cost of capital employed. In our case the company is expecting medium risk on the project, it is suggestible that average cost of the capital employed be considered as the discount rate to project future cash flows and then discount those cash flows at present value at that average rate of discount in order to compare with present value of net outflows. The calculated discount rate

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Needs Assessment - Assignment Example Some of the considerable changes that were noted before and after the assessment related to the duration which the children brushed their teeth and also the number of times they did this. These responses changed to the positive side. From the discussion, it is also seen that the greatest change in response is to do with the reason why people brush their teeth. After getting the results in the post-assessment it came to be realized that the children gained a better understanding of the importance of brushing their teeth. In order to achieve the expected results or feedback, there are instruments which will have to be used in order to get the necessary information from the target population, the survey instrument that was used in this case was a questionnaire. Some of the goals of the questionnaire were to establish whether the students are well aware of the constituents of good oral hygiene, establish whether they are carrying out the right practice when it comes to their oral hygiene among other goals. Chances are considerably high that an unbiased opinion may be given since the questionnaires do not call for personal details, for example, the name of the respondent and so the respondent may give feedback without fear of victimization. The instrument used may not have provided a conclusive result in the sense that the target population was rather small and for this reason what was gotten from them could not be used to come up with a clear conclusion that would reflect on the situation away from the school. The people involved in the assessment may have played a role in influencing the feedback from the students. This was maybe through the tone and the expressions they used.  

Analysis of the New CIO Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of the New CIO - Assignment Example I would have to agree with the assumption. Due to the fact that has briefly been leveraged in question 1, this author can recognize that whether one considers the way that communications take place throughout an organization, the method that payments are ultimately disbursed, the means by which information systems are kept up to date, the programs that drive the economic and accounting systems that ultimately derive the bulk of the organization’s profits, or the maintenance and sustainment of the infrastructure that records timely and extraordinarily important historical data, IT forms the backbone and transit system through which each of these processes run. This has mainly developed out of a sheer under-appreciation for and lack of resources being allocated to the elements of IT within a given organization. As a function of the dotcom crash and the subsequent slowdown of the economy, resources have continually been robbed from IT and redistributed elsewhere throughout organizations. This has meant that systems and processes that should be updated and renewed on a monthly or yearly basis are left antiquated. Such a practice necessarily means that a type of capability gap with regards to what current technology, within the possession of the IT department and the organization, can effect with regards to the demands of the current economy is much limited. In a one word answer to the above question – no. The fact of the matter, as has been described by the given case study that was analyzed, is the fact that the IT manager and/or CIO has within his grasp the broadest and overarching responsibilities of any managerial position within a given firm or organization. Due to the level of interaction and tie-ins with the different departments, IT ultimately forms the backbone of the organization in question and means that this is the most dynamic management position within most organizations.  Given the fact that the dotcom madness had occurred outside of the concerns of the given firm, the fact of the matter is that the firm is open to a degree of development that other firms had already developed poor habits within.  Ã‚