Abstract This essay examines whether criminals should be partially excused or forgiven on the basis of causal or mitigating circumstances, in terms of whether they should get the same punishment if they have mental problems, or have been abused.
This paper discusses social control theories and rational choice theory and examines whether the juvenile delinquency behavior is due to the environment and circumstances or whether such criminal activities are planned.
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that it is often argued that juveniles are victims of circumstances and bad environments. Further, the writer points out that it is said that they come from "broken homes", "dysfunctional families", and "deteriorated neighborhoods" lacking any "internal community support". The writer discusses the relevance of this theory with the "rational" choice theory that criminal behavior is a matter of personal choice. The writer examines the issue of whether youths engage in criminal activities due to their dysfunctional environments or whether they thoughtfully plan, organize and rationalize their criminal activity. Social control and rational choice theories are compared to determine whether youths are victims of their environments or they specifically choose criminal activity regardless of their upbringings.
Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Youth Development
Theories Examined
Social Control Theory
Rational Choice Theory
Conclusion
From the Paper " Social control theory can provide explanations to why the majority of incarcerated youths are from poor environments. The theory is criticized for not explaining why juveniles from stable positive environments commit crimes. The concept of white collar criminals is somewhat contrary to social control theories. Youths have risen from poverty, dysfunctional families, poor schooling, deteriorated neighborhoods and criminal peers to become well functioning productive members of society. An unstable difficult environment does not necessarily produce juvenile delinquency as social control theorists would suggest. Numerous negative factors do affect whether a child becomes prone to criminal activity but there are no solid rules or clear explanations."
Abstract This paper follows the story of Ichiro in "The No-No Boy" who struggles to come to terms with himself and resolve the crisis of feeling like he does not belong in the environment in which he lives. The writer defines what an identity crisis is according to Erikson. This essay concludes that Ichiro's identity crises is bought on by circumstance and environment.
From the paper:
?This passage shows us just how badly Ichiro feels about himself and what he has done. The last sentence is particularly powerful and shows us the hopelessness that Ichiro is feeling. It shows us that while he is free physically, he does not feel free. He is trapped by his own struggle. Ichiro's self-hatred is a result of him questioning who he is and what his place in the world is. He has been in prison for deciding to honour the Japanese, but in the reality of his environment he is American.?
Abstract This paper discusses the mysterious conditions surrounding Marilyn Monroe's death. The question of suicide vs. murder is discussed and different versions of the story are presented. The writer also describes the life she lead and the people she socialized with, while trying to connect these with the circumstances of her death.
From the Paper "At 4:25 a.m. on August 5, 1962, Sergeant Jack Clemmons of the West Los Angeles Police Department answered a phone call. According to some reports, the caller identified himself as Dr.Ralph Greenson. Greenson was Marilyn Monroe's personal psychiatrist and analyst. According to other reports, the caller identified himself as Dr. Hyman Engleberg, Monroe's internist. According to Donald H. Wolfe, in his book, The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, the caller was Engelberg (4). Agitated to the point that Clemmons was unable at first to understand the message that the physician was trying to convey, when the caller finally calmed himself enough to convey his message, it was one that was immediately suspicious and remains today the subject of outrage. ?I am calling from the house of Marilyn Monroe,? he said. ?She is dead. She just committed suicide.? "
This paper examines the character of Emma in Jane Austen's novel of the same name, whether she had a monstrous personality or was merely a victim of circumstances.
Abstract This essay seeks to decide whether the character of Emma is a 'monster' or victim of circumstances. It looks closely at Emma's moral progress, mapping out key events in the novel that help her to develop. It also discusses the "bildungsroman" genre and how 'Emma' is novel which partly conforms to that genre. It refers closely to the text and quotes both parts of text and outside sources. It comes to a very firm conclusion.
From the Paper "She is a refreshing change from the usual 'whiter than white' heroines that are portrayed in most novels, and instead is a very lifelike character. The other characters in the novel are more like caricatures, Emma is the only 'real' character in the book with the potential for development, and that is why we like her. The reader has the privileged view of observer so we are able to see the mistakes she makes and laugh at her mischievous plots. It is useful to compare Emma to the character of Mrs Elton."
Abstract "This study will examine three works' treatment of the common theme of searching for meaning in life under harrowing circumstances. The three works are Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front, Charles Dickens's Hard Times, and Jurek Becker's Jacob the Liar.
From the Paper "This study will examine three works' treatment of the common theme of searching for meaning in life under harrowing circumstances. The three works are Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front, Charles Dickens's Hard Times, and Jurek Becker's Jacob the Liar. The novels deal with various aspects of European history which portray the rise of forces of dehumanization which occurred in the 19th and 20th century (through World War II). Remarque deals with world war and its impact on individual human beings.
Dickens' novel deals with social and economic forces which lead to the dehumanization of workers and children. Becker's novel deals with the dehumanization of victims of a second world war, and specifically with a victim of the Nazi concentration camps which were a central horror in that war. Each of the books also deals with the ..."
Abstract This is a survey of the primary characteristics of the gospel and the circumstances which brought it into being. The fourth gospel has always been thought to contain some of the most advanced Christology and theology in the New Testament and in this essay the writer considers the origins for its unique perspective. Factors such as the purpose, date and authorship are examined as well as its distinct preoccupations and its relationship with the Synoptics.
From the Paper "It has often been said with some justification that John's gospel offers both the most depth of interest to the scholar in the New Testament while at the same time being of the greatest benefit for a simple reading. The reason for this is that the character of the fourth gospel is in its way unique. It contains detailed and advanced Christology and language while at the same time possessing a fundamentally spiritual and easily accessible veneer. Not only this but it is free of the awkwardness of narrative which is sometimes present in the Synoptics. To ask the question of how it came to be written is unavoidably to engage with this character. In fact there are a range of issues which are intertwined with the notions of authorship and general background. To address the Johannine question satisfactorily, then, it is necessary to seek some continuity in resolution of the problems that arise. This is particularly true in the case of the structure of the gospel and the nature of its composition. Perhaps the most effective way to proceed, then, is first to deal with the character of the gospel and its makeup and by doing so try to reach some resolution about its nature and purpose. During this process some resolution might be sought of the more general aspects of the method of composition. With this in mind the details which might be useful in establishing the circumstances can be examined to reach an impression of background. After this the question of authorship will be thrown into a somewhat clearer light and so this too might be addressed effectively. Only then, with ideas that cohere with the various issues, can the question of how the fourth gospel came to be written be said to be answered."
Abstract Discusses the historical circumstances that shaped all slave societies. The economics of slavery, worldwide and in the United States. Focus on slavery in the Ameican South as a function of Capitalist development. Contends that the spread of slavery depended largely on the activity of government on behalf of commerical interests. Briefly compares U.S> rigid racial idiology to more liberal one on Brazil and the West Indies. Reform movement and Abolitionism. Policies of politicians. Impact of Westward Expansion on slavery.
From the Paper "Slavery in the South "dominated the social structure, drove the economy, and permeated the political system" (Oakes 40). While all slave societies had similarities, each one was shaped by the historical circumstances within which it developed. The influence of liberal capitalism in the South helps explain how the slaveholders achieved extraordinary powers and how western political culture, the capitalist economy, and the liberal state limited these powers (Oakes 40-42). Modern slave societies shared the fact that their existence was inconceivable except as a function of capitalist development. The institution of slavery in the American South was different because while slavery dominated the economy of the ancient world, this New World slavery was in and of itself the servant of the driving force of capitalism (Oakes 52)."
Abstract This paper introduces and analyzes the books "The Prince" by Machiavelli and "Utopia" by Thomas More. Specifically, it offers some thoughts as to how theories and practices of the nature and the use of power have changed over the course of time. It reflects on how social circumstances, national conditions and/or moral considerations affect the view and the use of power in a specific time and place and how that conceptualization and use remain constant in different times and places. It evaluates how the use of power as a method for control and abuse has not changed in the world from ancient to modern times. Those who are most powerful seek to hold on to their power by any method necessary, and they threaten those who have less power. Power corrupts and always has.
From the Paper ""The Prince" illustrates how power and those who wield it have not changed throughout the centuries. Power has always corrupted, and those who wield it tend to be those most easily corruptible. This is easily evident in the modern conflict between the United States and Iraq. Each state believes the other is corrupt and led by a corrupted and corruptible leader, capable of using deadly force against its enemies. These problems seem to have plagued nation-states for all time, and show no sign of elimination in our lifetime, which clearly illustrates that More's "Utopia," while an estimable idea, is simply not viable, today, in a world which is still seated on power and might. As Machiavelli so astutely noted, "men gladly change their masters, thinking to better themselves; and this belief causes them to take arms against their ruler; but they fool themselves in this, since with experience they see that things have become worse" (Machiavelli 8)."
Abstract This essay discusses Henry Petroski's "The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance". It discusses how the author provides his readers with not only the history of the pencil, but with an understanding of how the engineering evolution works in general.
Abstract This paper decribes the process of evaluating, negotiating and determining action under the unique circumstances of 9/11 which compelled us to decide.
Abstract This paper discusses the death of Alexander the Great. The paper puts forward the circumstance surrounding his death and the various versions of his death as recalled by various people and cultures.
This paper reflects on the author's family's experiences and personal circumstances that are not already revealed or explained sufficiently in the admission application.
805 words (approx. 3.2 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 28.95
Abstract This paper relates that the author's story is, in many ways, a typical American story, a story about immigrants bettering their circumstances, immigrants full of hope that their children will lead better lives through the magic of the American education system; however, this apparently linear path to success has had some detours over the course of his own, personal existence. The author points out that asthma sounds like such an innocent disease; one never thinks about the inability to breath until it is taken away. The paper concludes that his own medical struggles, combined with the intellectual excitement and delight he experienced when studying biology, have made his once elusive goal of becoming a doctor seem like a possibility, and even a probable reality.
From the Paper "I have lived all of my life in San Francisco. I have never set eyes upon the Mexico my parents left, nor despite my pride in my culture, do I have any desire to do so. My parents told me that they came from a poor village where food was scarce. Back in Mexico, my father could not have dreamed of what he eventually accomplished in America. After years working as a laborer, my father made enough money not simply to just survive and eke out the barest existence, but to buy two houses and an apartment complex of his own."
Abstract This paper explains that the dilemma of conformity vs. rebellion is common in both life and literature as demonstrated by Amy Tan's "Two Kinds", Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" and Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery". The author points out that rebellion may be not only personal as Amy Tan writes but also societal, as Martin Luther King wrote while imprisoned in the Birmingham, Alabama jail in 1963 for leading a civil rights protest seeking equal rights for African-Americans. The paper concludes that all four pieces illustrate that rebellion -- personal or societal -- is integral to the human condition; moreover, rebellion has its risks, benefits, drawbacks and rewards, based on time, place and circumstance.
From the Paper "In Amy Tan's story "Two Kinds" (424-32), Jing-mei's Chinese mother wishes for her to conform to her own high standards of persistence and achievement in music, though Jing-mei lacks motivation. Her mother: "believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America" (424). If Jing-mei is "Not the best" it is "Because you not trying'" (426). Jing-mei's mother decides, since anything is possible in America, her daughter will become a child prodigy. Seeing a Chinese girl playing piano on the Ed Sullivan Show, she determines that Jing-mei will become a piano prodigy."
