Warfare in Medieval Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Warfare in Medieval Japan - Essay Example During the Nara period, conscription policy did not distinguish between a warrior and a peasant, which resulted in an army that suffered from poor organization because of the presence of unwilling farmers and government failure to devise regular system of promotion or command. Prior to 789 reforms in Japan’s army system with new regulations that necessitated the use of trained warriors together with men specially selected for their strength and prowess, imperial army was humiliated in 724. The year saw Yemeshi people revolt killing the governor of the province of Mutsu and seizing much of Japan’s mainland. Military power was the province of samurai families with two clans comprising many warrior households became the main security of the Imperial and the clans were Minamoto and Taira (Ratty and Westbrook 80). Another clan, the Fujiwara at the time dominated both Imperial court and the nation, grew its impact with soft life and intricate politics in the capital, which co ntained the seeds of disaster (Brinkley 4). However, the Fujiwara experienced their its first danger in 930 when the Fujiwara attempted the customary maneuver of putting a child in throne, a son eight years old named Shujaku, since the clan had selected Tadahira for the role (Kane 48). During Tadhira’s rule, Taira Masakado a warrior in Japan aspired to be a governor in his native province; however, Tadhira appointed his companion in a debauch manner, a man named Sadabumi. This made Masakado return to his home in disgust and even though he did not instantly get involved in a revolt, he was involved in family feuds. From his actions, Masakado became an outlaw to the Imperial court and instead of submitting to punishment of rulers that he detested, he raised a revolt. In 1159 rivalry in Fujiwara family created another upheaval with a dispute that concerned imperial succession with emperor Go-shirakawa abdicating in favor of his son and Fujiwara Shinzei supporting the ex-emperor. In an open battle, once the Taira household assembled its army the households met in the battle where Taira and Shinzei won a stupendous victory. Thus, the Fujiwara no longer ruled by their power and Taira Kiyomori, a man whose martial skills twice shaped the nation’s future, took advantage of the situation and crushed several conspiracies against his life (Kane 49). The Gen and Pei war that ended in 1183 with a naval battle at Dan-no-ura, saw Minamoto forces’ 800 ships attack Taira’s fleet of 500 in a battle that involved gaining the upper hand. When Minamooto secured defection of Taira admiral Tomomori, the Taira suffered total defeat as their samurai struggled to protect the ship carrying the infant emperor (Van Bergen 41). Emperor Antoku took the throne and the victorious Yoritomi paid long visits to the imperial capital seeking the office of Sei-i-tai-Shogun, the supreme military leader of the country, which he later gained. Though in the past emperors app ointed military leaders for brief periods in order to see the nation through certain crises, Minamoto Yoritomi ensured the office became permanent (Kane 50). Hideyoshi managed to impose control as well as peace and government, which partly lay in his diplomatic skills. Moreover, Hidoyeshi fought several fights campaigns against internal enemies, which ended not in military victories but with treaties in which rival clans received an active stake in the fresh Japanese order. Hideyoshi success lay in the ruthless

Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay Example for Free

Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay It is fair to say that capital punishment is under attack, particularly in the South where it is most commonly practiced. Not only have serious criticisms been raised by scholars in criminal justice, criminology and related disciplines, but newspapers have published scathing news reports suggesting that innocent people have been sentenced to death and even executed, and alleging racial discrimination in capital punishment practice. According to Robinson (2011), four basic facts establish the realities of American capital punishment. The first is that capital punishment is practiced in most but not all United States jurisdictions. Specifically, there are 34 states with the death penalty, and 16 without. The federal government also maintains capital punishment, as does the military, but the District of Columbia does not carry out executions. However, of these death penalty jurisdictions, only nine regularly carry out an execution, meaning they have averaged at least one execution a year since 1976 when capital punishment was reinstated; thus only about one-quarter (26%) of death penalty states (nine of 34) and 18% of all states in the country (nine of 50) average one or more executions per year. Further, only one state has carried out at least ten executions per year since 1976, Texas. In fact, only about 10% of counties with the death penalty imposed a death sentence between the years 2004 and 2009. Justice is typically defined as administering and maintaining what is just or right. Robinson (2011) says that there are three broad issues discussed and debated by scholars of justice theory: freedom, welfare, and virtue. Some justice theorists argue that what matters most for deciding what is right or just is freedom; whether individual rights are respected and protected. Another school of thought is the egalitarian libertarians. These scholars suggest that what matters most for justice is equality of opportunity in society and taking care of the least advantaged citizens. Other justice theorists focus on welfare, or general well-being and happiness of people in society. They argue that what matters most for justice is the welfare of society, or its overall happiness. Finally, other justice theorists argue that what matters most for justice is virtue, or moral goodness and righteousness. The purpose of the death penalty is incapacitation, deterrence, and retribution. Incapacitation is understood as removing the ability of offenders to commit future crimes. Incarceration is the typical form whereas execution is the ultimate form. Deterrence refers to creating fear in would be offenders through punishment to prevent future crimes. Capital punishment can only be aimed at preventing crime by would-be murderers, general deterrence, since it cannot create fear in murderers who have already been executed, specific deterrence. Retribution refers to righting or rebalancing the scales of justice through punishment in order to achieve justice for crime victims. Executions are often depicted as retribution for the crime of murder, as well as a source of closure for murder victims’ families. Robinson (2011) claims that criminologists and capital punishment scholars overwhelmingly indicate that the death penalty fails to achieve these goals, mostly because of the rarity of death sentences and executions. Logically, if death sentences and executions were more common, capital punishment would be more likely to achieve these goals. Yet we also know that the more frequently the death penalty is used, the greater the costs associated with the policy, including not only additional financial costs but also a greater risk of convicting, sentencing to death, and executing the innocent. This ultimately has great significance for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment. Van Den Haag (1986) says that the death penalty is an effective form of deterrence because it is feared more than life imprisonment. Many of the convicts under death sentence appeal their sentence and try to get it reduced to life imprisonment. Van Den Haag argues that even though there is no factual evidence that the death penalty deters would be criminals more than life imprisonment, the fact that more people fear the death penalty makes it a better deterrent. Reiman (1985) agrees with Robinson’s view that the use of the death penalty is not successful as a deterrent. He gives four main reasons that refute Van Den Haag’s argument. His first reason is that although people fear the death penalty more than life in prison, nobody wants to spend life in prison either. People do not have the mentality that they can commit a crime because they will â€Å"only† get sentenced to life in prison. Although the person will be alive, they will have all freedom taken from them, which after awhile, can be seen just as horrible, if not worse, than death. Reiman’s second point is that if a person is contemplating committing a crime, they are already facing an enormous risk of being killed in the process. Roughly 500 to 700 suspected felons are killed by police in the line of duty every year and many Americans own their own guns. When taking that into account, it does not seem very likely that the would be criminal will be able to commit the crime without at least being injured by the police or the would be victim. His third reason against Van Den Haag’s view is that using the death penalty is hypocritical. The law states that a person cannot take the life of another, but when they do, their punishment could be death. It is not possible to say murder is illegal and then have it as a possible punishment. He argues that not having the death penalty better exemplifies that idea that murder is wrong. His last point is that it is illogical to practice the death penalty simply because it is feared more than life imprisonment. He says that people would fear death by torture more than lethal injection, so does that mean we should begin the practice of death by torture because more people are afraid of it? Unless it can be proven that the death penalty is a better deterrent than life in prison, Reiman (1985) argues that the death penalty should be abolished. Robinson (2011) says that as for the issue of innocence, there is little doubt that people are wrongly convicted of murder every year and that a handful are even sentenced to death. More than 130 people have been freed from death row during the era of â€Å"super due process† that began in 1976 when the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment. Wrongful convictions often occur due to honest errors such as mistaken eyewitness testimony and faulty forensic evidence, but when they occur due to issues such as: false confessions, lying informants, government misconduct, and ineffective defense counsel. There is also little doubt that innocent people have even been executed, although most of the known cases are from prior to the era of super due process in capital sentencing. There remain at least eight widely known cases where men have been recently executed despite serious doubts about their actual guilt. On the issue of executing the innocent, Van Den Haag (1986), makes the argument that the advantages of using the death penalty as a punishment outweigh the unintended losses. He states, â€Å"Miscarriages of justice are offset by the moral benefits and the usefulness of doing justice (139). His argument is that mistakes have and do occur in innocent people being sentenced to death, but the benefits of using it are more important. It would be more of a detriment to society to stop the use of the death enalty than it is when an innocent person is executed. In regards to race, America’s death penalty has always been plagued by serious racial biases. Little evidence remains of the historic discrimination by race of defendant, although state-specific anecdotal evidence suggests blacks are still occasionally discriminated against, especially when accused of killing whites and when juries are overwhelmingly white. Robinson (2011) says that most experts now point to a â€Å"race of victim† effect, whereby killers of whites are far more likely to be sentenced to death and executed than killers of other races and. For example, a comprehensive study of race and the death penalty in North Carolina showed that killers of whites were more than three times more likely to receive death sentences than killers of blacks. In the state, 80% of those people executed since 1976 killed white people; only about 40% of North Carolina homicide victims are white. Further, a study of capital punishment practice in the state from 1999 to 2006 found that blacks who killed whites were 14 times more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who killed blacks. Also, there were six executions of blacks who killed whites during the time period, yet zero executions of whites who killed blacks. Van Den Haag’s (2011) stance on the distribution of the death penalty being discriminatory is that â€Å"punishments are imposed on persons, not on racial or economic groups† (138). The death penalty is not specifically issued to certain races. It depends on the crime that the person committed. Van Den Haag also says, â€Å"Justice requires that as many of the guilty as possible be punished, regardless of whether others have avoided punishment. To let these others escape the deserved punishment does not do justice to them, or to society. But it is not unjust to those who could not escape it† (139). Van Den Haag does not view the fact that black people or other minorities receive the death penalty more than whites as being unjust. However, what is unjust is the white people who were not sentenced to death when they should have been. Given these important empirical realities of the death penalty, the next issue to address is which of them are relevant for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment practice. As noted earlier, it depends on which theory of justice is being referred to. Libertarians ask whether capital punishment respects liberty or freedom. The most important question for egalitarians is whether capital punishment practice is equal or applied in an equal fashion. For utilitarians, the most important question is whether capital punishment increases overall utility or happiness in society. Finally, for virtue-based theorists, the question is whether capital punishment respects and promotes our values, our moral goodness, and whether it is the right thing to do. The questions above do not have universal answers. Everybody will have his or her own opinions on whether the death penalty respects a person’s freedom or whether it is the right thing to do. Reiman, Robinson and Van Den Haag all made successful and convincing arguments so it is hard to determine one view as more convincing than the other. It comes down to a personal choice and what a person chooses to believe as to whether the death penalty is fair and a proper form of justice.

Emancipation Proclamation Slaves

Emancipation Proclamation Slaves Emancipation Proclamation Slaves What events shaped the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation? Emancipation was not a new idea in the world. Many countries had freed the slaves earlier in the 1800s even going into the 1830s for the British slaves. This may have caused a fear on the parts of the proslavery people. Because of this, the slave owners in the south wanted a ban on slaves coming from the West Indies and other places where slaves were being freed. The Emancipation Proclamation did not come easy to President Lincoln. The President took over two years to come to the decision that there was even a need for such a document. In that time there was pressure coming from both sides of the issue at President Lincoln. Many events led to the proclamation. What drove Lincoln to finally write it? Did he feel an obligation to free the slaves? Was it a stance to take to keep the Union engaged in the war? Was it pressure from his generals and political figures? Some might be astonished that Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation based on his non-action on the slavery is sue. John H. Franklin noted in his book on the Emancipation Proclamation, In his inaugural address President Lincoln declared that he had no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with slavery where it exists. Due to federalist principles, Lincoln did not feel that it was his place, as president; to intervene with an issue that he felt was a state matter. Lincoln did question slavery in the territories. You can trace this back to the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858. Suppose, he queried, the people of a territory should vote slavery down? The Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision had decreed that they could not. Who would prevail, the Court of or the people? We know from history that slave states did not want to be outnumbered by free states. No matter how the Supreme Court ruled, Douglas argued, slavery would stay down if the people voted it down. This is supported by the many of the abolitionists of the day. President Lincoln felt pressure for emancipation from a few avenues. Early in 1861, Senator Lyman Trumbull, from Illinois, brought pressure with the introduction of the Confiscation Act. Trumbull stated, contrabands would no longer be slaves if and only if they had been employed by the Confederate armed services. Congress felt that the slaves could be used as a tool against the Confederacy, due to their dependency on them and the view that slaves are property. After the publishing of the first Confiscation Act, pressure escalated even more for emancipation. Lincolns Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, believed it to be in the best interest of the North to, emancipate the slaves, and arm them. This caused a widespread debate because Cameron did not issue this report to the president; he circulated it to the postmasters. Lincoln was not pleased with this, which was a contributing factor to Camerons replacement with Edwin M. Stanton. Believing that the war with the South would be over rather quickly, Lincoln did not feel a need to deal with the slavery issue, thinking the Union would reunite as status quo. Cameron would not be the only person Lincoln had to replace. General John Charles Fremont sought to end Missouris neutrality. Fremont issued martial law, and declared that all slaves should be set free in Missouri. This put Lincoln in the position of asking Fremont to modify his proclamation to conform to the Confiscation Act. Fremont refused to do so and the President made it an order. Fremont was ultimately relieved of command due to the conflict. This may have expanded the thoughts of emancipation in Lincolns mind, but more pressure would emerge from Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. Stevens introduced a bill, asking Lincoln to emancipate all slaves who leave their masters, or who shall aid in the quelling the rebellion. If this action was followed through, it could be looked upon at as Congress attempting to take the emancipation question out of the hands of Lincoln. This did not sway Lincoln; he just reminded them that they must answer for their actions. Lincoln did grant, freedom to all fugitive slaves in Union Army camps and acknowledged that the government would be responsible for their welfare. This provided a split avenue for Lincoln to pursue; he did not give outright emancipation to all, but granted freedom to slaves that were adding the Union, and allowed them to remain free. Lincoln still had paths he could choose from, keeping his options open, Lincoln vowed at the end of his annual message to employ all indispensable means including emancipation- to preserve the union. Preserving the union, again, was his ultimate goal, and we would be shown that Lin coln would consider all avenues to attain it. After the emancipation attempt by Stevens, Senator Turnbull introduced a second confiscation act. More intense than the first, it was adamant in seizing and confiscating anything the Union Army could obtain when defeating the Confederacy. Not only did it stick it to the South, but allowed an influx of freed slaves as troops into the Union army. Before Union officers could return runaway slaves to their owners, court hearings were held to determine the loyalties of the slave owners. The bill also provided cash to establish colonies for the freed slaves, outside of the United States, to keep from disrupting white society. The act proposed that the confiscation be taken legally, in addition to whatever items the federal armies deemed of value on their raids of the rebels. By establishing freed slave colonies outside of the United States, Northerners who feared freed slaves were set at ease. This act was very important in the building of the road to emancipation, setting the precedence t hat freed slaves could be inducted into Union Armies, and employing the use of colonies that Lincoln would ask for, and be granted by Congress. In Lincolns view, gradual emancipation would be best for the country, allowing citizens to become slowly introduced to the idea. Lincoln thought that slavery was the disease of the entire nation and all must share in the suffering of its removal. Lincoln also thought that gradual emancipation would allow the border states a way out of the war, which would then shorten the war because the confederates would have very few men and supplies with out the supply rich states of Virginia. Lincoln had another Union general attempt to force his hand on the issue emancipation from General David Hunter. A strong supporter of infusing blacks into the army, he issued a proclamation, General Order 11, emancipating all slaves in the states of South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. He did not clear his decision with the president, and consequently the President was furious. The president refused to allow any military official to usurp his authority on emancipation. Lincoln was set on establishing that emancipation was an executive decision, to be made by the president, not Union generals or anyone else. Military losses began to pressure Lincoln as well. The Union forces abandoned the Peninsula Campaign as a costly failure, and Lincoln temporarily abandoned McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac-though Lees army had suffered some twenty thousand casualties to McClellans ten thousand. The Confederate army would win several more battles, putting more pressure on Lincoln, who still wanted a gradual emancipation; knew it was time to act, if for any reason, to replenish lost forces. The Union setbacks in Virginia had persuaded Lincoln to take the first tentative step toward emancipation. Things had gone form bad to worse, Lincoln later recalled, until I felt that we had reached the end of our rope on the plan of operations we had been pursuing; that we had about played our last card, and must change tactics, or lose the game. This was Lincoln endorsing an approach to a new military strategy, after so many previous setbacks. Lincoln wanted a statement, possibly a large victory f or the Union, to launch the emancipation. Lincoln would look to Antietam, a draw more than a victory. Bloody Antietam was also the long-awaited victory that Lincoln need for launching his Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam served as the needed emancipation springboard. The halting of Lees offensive was just enough of a victory to justify Lincolns issuing, on September 23, 1862, the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln felt that this was the right time to issue it, with the Confederate army retreating to Virginia. One of Lincolns hopes, in issuing the Preliminary Proclamation was to deprive the South of its slave labor force, thus undermining the military effectiveness of the Confederacy. If slaves left their southern plantations, many farmers would not be able to harvest their crops; fighting southern men would worry about family back home, possibly deserting the Confederate army to go home and protect what is left. The final proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. Note that in the final declaration, there is no mention of colonization or compensation. Due to Congress controlling all aspects of the budget, Lincoln may have felt that he could not get those two resolutions through the legislative branch. In the document itself, Lincoln is admitting that he freed the slaves to help him militarily, not on principle. Although he may have felt morally that it was the right thing to do, his main reason was a military need, in the final paragraph of the proclamation that the measure was warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity. In one-way or another all of these events influenced the Emancipation Proclamation. Ultimately, it was a military need that led to its execution. Lincoln, influenced by Cameron, or Turnbells confiscation acts, may have not though to free slaves for the Union army profit of taking on the rebels. With out edicts from Fremont and Hunter, the president would not have taken as strong a stand as he did, not even making the proclamation a military order, or a military necessity. Though all of these are great factors that contributed, Lincoln was influenced most by the military need to emancipate slaves. Recruitment troubles dictated it to be so, and allowing black soldiers into the Union army eased recruitment. A great document granting freedom and born of military necessity, the Emancipation Proclamation also shows the compassion of President Lincoln. Bibliography Bailey, Thomas A., Cohen, Lizabeth, Kennedy, David M. 2006 The American Pageant: A History of the Republic, 13th Edition, Volume I To 1877. Houghton Mifflin Company Franklin, John H. 1965. The Emancipation Proclamation; the Dramatic story of Abraham Lincolns Greatest Document and its Significance in American History. New York: Doubleday Klingaman, William K. Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation. Viking publishers, New York Road McPherson, James M. 1988. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Oxford University Press. Miller, Steven F. 2006. Chronology of Emancipation during the Civil War. http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/chronol.htm (accessed August 24-30, 2008)

Critical Analysis of Jimmy Choo Shoes ad :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today’s society, we are bombarded with images telling us how to dress, think, act, and behave. As Ed Norton in the movie Fight Club says while looking at a Calvin Klein underwear ad, â€Å"is that how real men are supposed to look?† I decided to search for an ad that can be seen as controversial or even disturbing at that, and I was lucky enough to come across a Jimmy Choo ad in W magazine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The message is clear—buy these shoes. Whether or not that message is being conveyed in the most appropriate or effective ways is less to be desired for. The shoes are not even in the center of the picture, and in my opinion, the shoes are not the main focal point in the ad. Instead, the focus is on a woman leaning backwards on some sort of board with a very skimpy bikini bottom and loose top. She is holding a purse and has on several large bracelets, and is spraying a hose of some sort. But even all of these images are not the most disturbing. The woman’s facial expression is startling. She is looking upwards and more importantly, she looks as if she’s watching something terrible happen and is either scared or in danger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps the message is trying to say, â€Å"look sexy like this woman and buy our shoes.† What does sexy really mean? Who’s to say that a woman maybe one hundred pounds heavier in a simple evening dress cannot wear those shoes and still be as sexy? What makes this vulnerable woman so appealing and desirable in this advertisement?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What really is this ad trying to sell? Shoes are a dime a dozen. I went to the mall the other day and went into 8 different shoe stores alone. Obviously there is something special about Jimmy Choo shoes. Is this company really tying to sell you the shoes, or trying to sell you the name? I recall watching an interview with Paris Hilton, and she said that she loved Jimmy Choo shoes and that she has â€Å"x† (some large number) pairs of them. Since we are such a media-based culture, if we hear Paris Hilton wears Jimmy Choo shoes, then they must be great! With such a high price, how can the middle class person even afford a pair? With all of these things taken into consideration, it’s clear that there is an elite group of people this ad is designed for.

Puerto Ricans Immigrating to America Essay -- Puerto Rican History Cul

Puerto Ricans Immigrating to America The migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States occurred in two major waves. The first wave was in the 1910s-1940s and the second wave was from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each wave of migrants brought new generations of Puerto Ricans to the United States. Both waves of migrants believed that they were going to live a better life in America and migrated to major cities such as New York City, Chicago, Hartford, etc. The early migrants looked for industrial jobs such as in cigar factories while the later migrants found agricultural work such as in tobacco fields. The communities in which they lived grew larger and larger due to chain migration and because of this, the need for politics evolved. However, the type of politics that evolved as a result were different for each wave, yet had many similarities as well. If you would like to learn a little more about Puerto Rican migration itself, read Jamie Hellman's paper and Shakira Ramos' which goes into more depth. Class politics was the major form of politics that evolved during the early half of the twentieth century. According to Bernardo Vega, the tabaqueros were the only organized group in existence. They formed many clubs whose membership was not limited to Puerto Ricans only. Although the clubs consisted mainly of Cuban and Puerto Ricans, other people of different ethnic origins were members. One reason for this can be that the main leaders were exiles who had radical views and wanted change quick. Their concern was of homeland issues and they fought for independence from Spain. Concentrating on home issues, they paid no attention to their hostland (meaning America) issues because they lived with the belief that they were... ...from The Commuter Nation: Perspectives on Puerto Rican Migration," ed. By Carlos Antonio Torre, Hugo Rodriguez Vecchini, and William Burgos. (Rio Piedras, PR: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1994), 313-328 2. James Dietz, Migration and International Corporations: The Puerto Rican Model of Development," ed. By Carlos Antonio Torre, Hugo Rodriguez Vecchini, and william Burgos. (Rio Piedras, PR: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1994), 153-170 3. Tom Seidl, Janet Shenk, and Adrian DeWind, "The San Juan Shuttle: Puerto Ricans on Contract," from The Puerto Ricans: Their History, Culture, and Society, ed. by Adalberto Lopez. 2d. Ed. (New York: Shenkman, 1980), 417-431 . Video: "Pa’lante, Siempre Pa'lante!" [The Story of the Young Lords Party], Written and Directed by Iris Morales.

Visual Arts

â€Å"Artist often refer or reference that which was gone before† Discuss the statement using the Renaissance artists and their interest in Classical and Hellenistic Greek concepts. The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the period roughly from the 14th to the 17th century. â€Å"Renaissance† means â€Å"re-birth† and refers to the re-birth of classical styles of learning. Also the Renaissance period considered education particularly in the arts, like philosophy, architecture and the visual arts – in general ways of viewing the world as it truly was rather than as â€Å"The Church† dictated.The Renaissance in Europe, the humanist aesthetic and the high technical standards of Greek art continued to inspire many generations of European artists. Looking further into the 19th century, the Classical traditions derived from the Classical and Hellenistic Greek periods have continued to dominate the art of the western world. The Classical peri od saw changes in the style and functions of sculpture. The poses become more naturalistic and the technical skill of these Greek sculptors increased. They were able to depict the human form in a variety of poses which were life like and real.From about 500 BC, the statues began to depict real people. E. g. the statues of Harmodius and Aristogeiton   displayed in Athens to mark the overthrow of the  tyranny  were said to be the first public monuments to actual people. The difficultly in creating an aesthetically real person and technical challenge stimulated much in the way of sculptural innovation during the Classical and Hellenistic Greek periods of history. Unfortunately, for us today, these works survive only in fragments, The Most famous examples surviving today are The  Parthenon Marbles†, half of which are in the  British Museum in England.In the Classical period there were many different sculptors who produced many lives like realistic works. Some of these ar tists or artisans include: Phidias which oversaw the design and building of the Parthenon. Praxiteles, another great Classical sculptor made the female nude respectable for the first time. This was in the later part of the Classical period in the mid-4th century BC. But the greatest works of the Classical period are considered to be the statue of Zeus at Olympia and the statue of Athena at the Parthenos. The whole point of the Renaissance is that Europeans particularly the Italians to begin with, were looking to theClassical and Hellenistic Greek teachings and giving re-birth to their explorations. Renaissance artisans were looking back to a time of great knowledge, innovation and development. They reinvestigated the human form and true human proportion. Michelangelo produced a 5m tall â€Å"David† from a solid block of white marble. His work based on the biblical David from the Goliath story is truly amazing because of its considerable consideration of the audience perspecti ve, its accurate proportion from this vantage point and the life like stance. David† was actually based on the Classical sculptures that depicted the Greek Adonis or beautiful male athlete of the original Olympic Games. The transition from the Classical to the Hellenistic periods occurred during the 4th century BC. Following the conquests of Alexander the Great, Here Greek art became more diverse and influenced by other cultures of people who were drawn into the Greek orbit. And in the view of some art historians, it also declined in quality and originality. Many of the sculptures previously considered as Classical masterpieces turned out to be of the later Hellenistic age.The technical ability of the Hellenistic sculptor was clearly in evidence in such major works as the â€Å"Winged victory of Samothrace† and the â€Å"Pergamon Altar†. During this period, sculpture became more and more naturalistic. Common people, women, children, animals and domestic scenes be came acceptable subjects for sculpture, which was commissioned by wealthy families for the adornment of their homes and gardens. These sculptors no longer felt obliged to depict people as ideals of beauty or physical perfection.Hellenistic sculpture was also marked by an increase in scale, which culminated in the â€Å"Colossus of Rhodes† which was made during the late 3rd Century BC. People of the Renaissance were exploratory and innovative. To explore and invent the Renaissance people looked back to the knowledge, ideas and skills of the Classical Greeks and Hellenistic periods. Of course, the Renaissance developed into its own style because it was an interpretation of classical learning more than anything. Renaissance artists, writers and learners looked back to the Greeks for information and inspiration.Many artworks of the time feature Greek deities and so on, even though people stopped believing in the long before. An example of this could be Botticelli’s Venus. Here although to us the scene is mythical Venus is again perfectly proportioned like Michelongelo’s â€Å"David†. Venus also has the same contrapposto stance which was originally developed during the Classical Greek period. This method of posing the subject gave the subject life because it illustrated a three dimensional idea which meant the subject looked like they were alive and moving through real space.As has been illustrated Renaissance artists were definitely influenced by â€Å"that which had gone before†. They used â€Å"the Golden Mean† rules for human proportion, they used imagery from Greek legends and they revisited the contrapposto stance to give their subjects life. It is impossible for any artist of any period not to be influenced by that which has gone before because society is always looking back to improve the future. An artist’s practice cannot avoid being influenced by â€Å"that which has gone before†.Rather than a perio d with definitive beginnings and endings and consistent content in between, the Renaissance can be seen as a movement of practices and ideas to which specific groups and identifiable persons variously responded in different times and places. They are influenced genuinely by the classical and Hellenistic part of Greek art. Shown through the artist of the renaissance, example Michelangelo which produced a 5m David. This would be in this network of diverse, sometimes converging, sometimes conflicting cultures that the Renaissance changed our imagination and our view of how we see our world for all time.

Social interactionism: an introduction, an interpretation, an integration Essay

A theory is a coherent group of general propositions that are tested, regarded as correct and can be used as principles (Thomas, 2012: p243). Through the study of sociology and other disciplines, different theories have been developed. These theories are developed with an aim of explaining different facts and events experienced by human beings. Some of the proved theories include interactions theory, labeling theory, structural functionalism theory, moral panic theory, conflict theory among others. Interactionism theory refers to the ways people approach questions relating to social cognition (Partington, 2009:p.91). It provides the basis of how one person understands the other. It focuses on environmental contexts and body behaviors rather than mental processes. It brings an argument against two different contemporary approaches that are the simulation theory and theory (TT). Social interactionism theory explains language development emphasizing on the role of social interaction between linguistically knowledgeable adults and a developing child (Leeman, 2008:p.37). It is largely based on socio-cultural theories invented by soviet psychologist. There are other theories closely linked with interactionism theory. Such theories include Labeling theory, Moral panic theory, structural functionalism theory, conflict theory among others. This paper critically explores and analyses interactionist theories of crime and deviance. It gives a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the theories. Labeling theory, moral panics, structural functioning and conflict theories are also analyzed. The whole report introduces different theories, how they are developed, merits and demerits, and how they are related to human living. Interactionism theory                Interactionists study the impacts that theories such as labeling have on people (Yang, 2007:p.1525). They are critical theories of right wing such as the right realism, new right, and functionalism. They claim that social control agents, such as police, are fair, unbiased and just. Though the study conducted by Cicourel shows how these agents like police hold typifications leading to prophecy of self fulfilling. Interactionism theory opposes theories of social structure held by theories of Right Wing. It has a belief that it gets free will instead of having a passive reaction to the society. It is believed that people stops interpreting a situation even before choosing which action to take. Sociologically, interactionism being a theoretical perspective derives social processes like cooperation, conflict, and identity formation from human interaction (Nisbett, 2012:p.109). It gives a study of how people act within the society. For the last half of the 21st century, interactionism theory has become the most sociological perspective dominant in the world. Its development has been facilitated by an advocate of subjectivity of social reality and pragmatism, George Herbert Mead. Later, Herbert Blumer reviewed Mead’s work and invented symbolic interactionism theory. Interactionism has been subdivided into phenomenology, social action, ethnomethodology, symbolic interactionism, and social constructionism (Manzon, 2007:p3). Interactions                Interactionism is micro-sociological in nature. It has a belief that any meaning is obtained through individual interactions. Social interaction refers to a face-to-face process comprising of reactions, actions, and mutual adaptation existing between individuals (Gallagher, 2010:p.441). The aim of social interaction is to facilitate communication between different people. Control is an important tool in the interaction process. During interaction, one must try to control the behavior of other people. This is important as it facilitates acquiring of information one is seeking and controls one’s own image. â€Å"Presentation of self† and â€Å"social role† is the most important concept in the field of interactionism. Interactionists are interested in understanding individuals and their actions within the society (Farral, 2012: p.392). They do not agree with class as an issue they reject the notion of generalizing that people from one social class thinks the same. They have a belief that every person has different values, attitudes, culture and beliefs. They reject structuralism methods preferred by structuralisms on statistical data. These rejected methods include; structured interviews, experiments, questionnaires, secondary sources and non-participant observation (Preacher, 2007:p.188). They criticize that; statistical data is ‘invalid’. They say that statistical data do not provide people with true societal picture on the topic under research. Secondly, they criticize that the research is not objective as it is biased. They argue that the research is biased because of the hypothesis of a pre-set conclusion (Rosenhan, 2009: p.213). They advocate for several methods to contrast structuralism methods such as, unstructured interviews, overt participant observation, and covert participant observation. They also give a historical analysis, personal and public documents through content analysis. Interactionists criticize that data provided are not reliable. This is because sociological research and information cannot be contrasted or compared. Despite their criticisms, interactionism methods are not flexible. Lack of hypotheses shows that a sociologist is not required giving an attempt of proving a theory or dogma; instead they work on what they discover. This results to unreliable information as the sociologist is not allowed to have any assumption concerning the society. Research has also shown that interactions such as socialization affects and alters human behavior (Pr eacher,2008:p.879). This theory links us to other theories such as Neo-Marxism and pluralism. Pluralism                It is a theory with an idea that public gets what they want. It has a notion that people’s lives offer choices such as representative democracy. Consumer choice is an idea that means each has the ability as a consumer to change any life aspect if he/she wishes to do so (Gala, 2008: p.273). According to pluralism theory, reflection of the values, norms, and beliefs of the majority exists. Interactionism theory exists in different forms that are social and symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism                It emphasizes on the micro-processes by which people construct identities, meanings, and joint acts (Anderson, 2009:p.373). It accentuates how interaction, symbols, and human agency serve as the cornerstone of people’s social life. This theory is a sociological perspective with many influential areas of the discipline. It is mostly significant in social psychology and micro sociology. It is a product of two key theorists, Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead. Basic approach and premises                Symbolic interactionism has been used as a label in a distinctive relative approach to the study of human conduct and human life. It has made reality be seen as a social interaction developed with others. Symbolic Interactionists believe that physical reality exists through an individual’s social definitions (Aram, 2009:p.98). The theory has proved that people do not respond directly to the reality but rather to the understanding of social reality. Human beings therefore, exist in three a social reality, physical reality, and a unique reality (Becker, 2009:p.29). Physical reality comprises of natural facts and material necessities. Unique reality shows a person’s ability to view things in a new way, do something unique, or make a unique discovery. Lastly, social reality shows that a person has a socialized world conception such as economic structure and gender role. The theory has proved that both the society and individuals are two inseparable items. They are created through social interaction, and none can be understood in the absence of the other (Ritzer, 2010p.896). Central ideas behind symbolic interactionism                A person has to be understood as a social being. Constant search in the social interaction contributes to how human beings behave. Symbolic interactionism does not focus on the personality of a person or how society causes human behavior. Its focus is based on the activities taking place between actors (Charon, 2009: p.210). Individuals and society are both created through interaction. Social interaction serves as the central point of what a person does. A person has to be understood as a thinking being. Action of a human being is both an interaction among the individual and within the individual. Human ideas, attitudes or values are not as important as the constant active thinking process undergoing in a human being. The theory states that if a person wants to understand something, he or she must focus on thinking. A person does not sense his or her environment directly, but define his or her current situation. Even though the environment exists, what is important is how a person defines it. The definition does not happen randomly, but it is as a result of ongoing thinking and social interaction (Manzon, 2012: p.637). Human action is caused by the results of what is occurring in today’s life. It results from the present thinking, social interaction, definition, and present definition (Ferback, 2011: p.677). These present activities lead to actions and not the past experience. Experience enters primarily to the present actions as we think about it and use it to define the present situation. Human beings are known to be active as far as their environment is concerned. In symbolic interaction, a human being is not described using words such as conditioning, controlled, responding, formed, and imprisoned. Social-scientific perspectives describe human beings as active in what they do, but not passive to their surroundings (Athens, 2013: p.408). Central interactions principles Human agency                It is a principle that puts more emphasis on willful, active, goal seeking character of human actors (cousins, 2008:p.151). The emphasis of this principle focuses on the attention of those events, actions and social life moments. These agentic actions of a human agency are known to be palpable. Interactive determination                It is a principle that specifies understanding focal analysis of the objects (Partington, 2009: p.366). It specifies the analysis whether they are identities, self-concepts, practices, roles, or even social movement. This means that the society, individual, self, or others exist only when related to each other thus they are fully understood through their interaction. Symbolization                It highlights the processes by which conditions and events, people, artifacts and other environmental characteristics with certain meanings become objects of orientation. A person’s behavior is contingent partly on the meaning and symbolization of the object of orientation (Preacher, 2010:p.407). Emergence                Its focus is on the attention of the non habituated and procession side of life. It focuses not only the texture and organization of social life, but also the associated feelings and meaning (Rouger, 2009: p.261). It emphasizes on the possibility of new forms of system meaning and social life together with the existing transformations. Criticisms                Symbolic interactionism has always been criticized because of being over impressionistic in their methods of research. They have also been criticized for their theories being unsystematic. Critics argue that symbolic interactionism is not a single theory (Anderson, 2009: p.489). However, it operates as a framework of many theories. Some prominent theorists criticize the theory due to lack of testability which creates a problem when using the theory. These problems made the interactionism theory camp are relegated to a minority position in the field of sociologists. Frame work and theories                Some of its critiques are based on the fact that it is assumed to be a theory, but it does not have a good basis of a theory. Its framework is too general and broad that creates a problem when theorists are seeking a theory. According to Stryker (2003: p.123), symbolic interaction is not a theory but rather a theoretical framework. Social structure                It is a theory that is always connected and related to social structure. The study suggests that it is used in constructing social reality of people (Ritzer, 2010:p.837). There exist many factors and aspects that surround symbolic interactionism theory. These aspects include critical issues of sociology and methodological criticisms. Strengths of interactionism’ theory                Interactionist theory is mostly based on the work of George Herbert an American psychologist and a philosopher. It takes an assumption that people learn how to react and act to different circumstances concerning their societal interactions. It attributes cooperation, conflict and identity beliefs of how people perceive others around them. It is attributed to the following strengths/ advantages. For teachers                It suggests that learners within similar cultural settings view many ideas in the same way. Teachers apply this similarity as a benefit when planning for a lesson. Through the use of different ways of giving instruction instead of books, teachers are able to incorporate culture and society in the classrooms (Denzin, 2012:p.121). It helps students to retain the content as the materials used by the students are more appealing due to their similarities. Modeling                The theory indicates that learning happens with more ease if learners are subjected to constant demonstration of the content they are to learn (Kinney, 2010: p.896). These demonstrations are conflict resolution, speech and perceptions. It suggests that a learner in a class of foreign language has an advantage of learning materials if there is a consistent repetition of the language. Generational consistency                Learning through association takes place on cultural generations where younger members emulate their elders. This is a benefit of interactionism theory. It helps in maintaining dialects, cultural traditions and ways of life (Preacher, 2010:p.916). Using this theory, children are able to learn how to speak from their parents and grandparents. Ability to change                The theory bases the ability of people to learn from their surrounding and culture. The advantage behind this idea is that all people are responsible of their own abilities. The theory states that people acquire knowledge through observation (Newburn, 2010:p.310). It suggests that everyone who wishes to become intelligent, he or she should move to areas with more people who are academically minded and interact with them. Weakness of interactionism theory                This theory is based on the principles and assumptions of symbolic interactionism. These assumptions include the meaning obtained when people interact with others. People responds to things and to other people according to the meanings attached to them (Denzin, 2012: p.369). The problem of this theory is that it is unable to explain where people obtain the meaning of these symbols. Another weakness is that the theory emphasizes more on symbols that may be interpreted wrongly or differently. Labeling theory                It is a theory indicating how individual’s behavior and self-identity may be influenced or determined by the terms used to classify or describe them (Reeves, 2009: p.631). It is a theory associated with concepts of stereotyping and self-fulfilling prophecy. It emphasizes that deviance is not inherent to an act. Its focus is based on the way people label others from their standards of cultural norms. Some developments concerning the theory have been made since 1970s. Terms applied in this theory are related to disability, deviance or diagnosis of mental disorder has been rejected. This theory is closely related to symbolic-interaction and social-construction analysis. Mostly, this theory concerns itself, not with roles that are normal and defines people’s lives, but with special roles provided by the society for stigmatic roles, deviant roles, or social stigma (Bernburg, 2010:p.68). Social roles refer to set expectations people have about a certain behavior. They are necessary for the functioning of any organization or a society. Researchers found that roles that are deviant affect how people perceive the ones assigned those roles. They also have an impact of on how the deviant actor sees himself and how he is related to the society. Moral panics                This refers to an intense feeling that is expressed in a population concerning an issue appearing to threaten the normal social order (Critcher, 2009: p.17). Study shows that it occurs when episode, person, condition or group of people is defined as a threat to interests and societal values. In reality, they are the controversies involving social tension and arguments where disagreement becomes difficult as its center matter is a taboo. Moral panics are associated with several distinct characteristics. The first is a concern which states that awareness must be made indicating that the group’s behavior has negative effects to the society. Hostility This indicates that the hostility of the group in question increases resulting to a clear division. Consensus Though the concern in moral panics does not have to be widespread, a nationwide acceptance of the group in question is required as it gives a real threat to society. Volatility                They are highly volatile indicating that their chances of disappearing are very high. This is due to a wane in the news report or public interests changing to a different topic. Structural-functionalism theory                It refers to a framework used in constructing a theory that perceives society being a complex system combining work together to promote stability and solidarity (Danaldson, 2009: p.1). It is an approach that views society in a macro-level orientation. This gives a broad focus relating to social structures that shape the whole society believing that it evolved like organisms. It is an approach that examines both social functions and social structure. It addresses the role of society’s constituent elements as a whole which include customs, norms, traditions, and institutions. The theory was intended to give a description of a level in the social science methodological development, but not a specified school of thought. Its approach is a macro sociological analysis which focuses broadly on social structures shaping the whole society. Conflict theory                It is a sociological perspective that emphasizes on political, social, or material inequality of a given social group (Dutton, 2010: p.680).They draw attention relating to power differentials such as class conflict, and it is used to give a general contrast concerning dominant historical ideologies. It analyzes the society at the macro-level like structural functionalism. It is a set out theory for highlighting inherent ideological aspects that are inherent in traditional thought. Conclusively, different theories have given different causes of artifacts and events. Among the discussed theories in the essay, interactionism theory appears to be the most wide and broad form of theory. These theories have been viewed by different sociologists where some are recommended, and others criticized. Interactionism is the most criticized the theory as a result of its weaknesses in providing reliable information. 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