Punishment and Its Effects

Paper Summary:

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of punishment. The paper discusses the physical, emotional, and mental effects of each example. The paper explores how many diverse and deviant forms of punishment and torture have been used throughout the ages for intelligence, retribution, and even sexual pleasure. The paper further analyzes how pain, and the avoidance of pain, are two of the most motivating factors in human history. The paper examines how forms of punishment that do not inflict permanent injury may not leave scars, but they are still effective ways to dominate, subjugate, and humiliate the victim.

From the Paper:

"In many cultures and sub-cultures, punishment and torture are unavoidable. Another study indicates, "In cultures in which torture is condoned and practiced widely by many persons and organizational groups, it simply becomes no one's responsibility to stop the practice" ("Understanding Torture and Torturers"). Perhaps the most notable example is Saddam Hussein's regime of terror in Iraq. Brutal torture was among his favorite weapons, and it kept the people under his tight control. A people who live in fear of harsh punishment rarely speak out against those with power and weapons of torture. Another place where punishment and torture are encouraged is in the deviant lifestyles of those into bondage, sado-masochism and other deviant lifestyles."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bierma, Paige. "Torture Behind Bars: Right Here in the United States of America." The Progressive July 1994: 21+.
• Davies, Deborah. "Torture Inc; Special Report: Savaged by Dogs. Electrocuted with Cattle Prods. Burned by Toxic Chemicals. Does Such Barbaric Abuse Inside U.S. Jails Explain the Horrors That Were Committed in Iraq?." The Daily Mail (London, England) 26 Feb. 2005: 38.
• Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Dover Publications, 1995.
• Noyes, John K. The Mastery of Submission: Inventions of Masochism. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997.
• Peters, Edward. Torture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996.

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• Persuasive Essay # 148654 : "Capital Punishment: Perspectives of the Families"

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