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Brent Neely
History 105
Professor Ashburn
5/12/14
Memoirs of a Prague Executioner Essay
Prompt: The world of the executioner was world inside of another world - create your own argument.
Just imagine that you were nearly completed with medical school, with the promise of a prestigious and honorable career as a doctor. Suddenly the one you love is out of your ability to rescue and it puts you into an emotional tailspin, in which you question the meaning of life and the worth of other people. After all this is settled you decide that you no longer want to choose a career that might save people lives, but instead one that will mercilessly and brutally take them; you are now an executioner for the state of Bohemia. This is the life of Master Jan Mydlar (1572-1664), who was a 17th century executioner from Prague. In this an analysis, I will discuss the historical context of the novel Memoirs of a Prague Executioner, the historical accuracy of this source for the study of history, and the specific fate of Jan Mydlar on the margins of history.
The historical context of this novel is actually a very interesting time in Czech history. The preface and contextual information of the events in this novel were encompassed by tensions between the Catholics and the Protestants in the Bohemian area. The Catholic governors were thrown out of the tower windows of Prague Castle in 1618 by rebelling Protestants and led to the Third Defenestration of Prague. Although the governors survived the fall, Protestants replaced the Catholic governors with men that more aligned with their own views. This specific event led to the Thirty Years' War. Eventually Ferdinand of Styria was consummated as Emperor Ferdinand...
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...ld and the implementation of humanity is the key to finding meaning; in a sense, although he had to do a brutal and forsaken profession Mydlar tried to handle it with as much dignity and respect as he possible could give the circumstances.
In Conclusion, the novel Memoirs of a Prague Executioner by Josef Svatek is a very interesting read for a variety of reasons. The historical accuracy and genuineness proficiently portrayed the struggle and ongoing isolation Jan Mydlar, the executioner, faced on a daily basis. I believe that his predicament was unfair due to the fact that he was just simply and instrument of the state, yet he endured everlasting shunning and persecution for the fellows of society. The story and theme of justice and injustice is very evidently seen in this resounding aspect and The Memoirs of a Prague Executioner are ones I will not soon forget.
Tragically, the butchered upper-torso of Winter’s once-robust body was stumbled upon by his father, who had noticed the absence of his son since Sunday, March 11 (Smith 2002, 25-26). Unsurprisingly, an investigation occurred to obtain the identity and whereabouts of the murderer. When the various pieces of the body are found in differing areas of the town, theory begins to formulate that the murder was conducted by one of the two butchers in town; Adolph Lewy, a Jew, and Gustav Hoffman, a Christian, due to the precision of the cuts made upon Winter’s body (Smith 28). As fragile relations between Konitz-residing Christians and Jews increasingly began to deteriorate, rumors and speculation that Winter had fallen victim to ritual murder by local Jews, set the ball in motion for a virulent anti-Semitic nature characteristic of Imperial Germany.
Kafka’s In the Penal Colony is a story about the use of torture tools which cause death sentences into effect, within 12 hours of torment and the convicted, in the end dies. Lets regard the roots of this subject and its idea of hope....
Actually the story does not have a clear plot, but it describes each event of one day. Unordinary seems to be ordinary. By using each specific detail, he enables the reader to get a reliable visual picture. It's a review of a day in a prison camp. And especially orders play an important rule in a prisoners life. It begins with "'Sleep's over' " (pg. 37), after that "the escort began shouting: ' Get a move on ! ' (pg. 41)". The prisoners must work "11 hours" inside a power station, "slapping in some […] mortar" (pg. 95). This punishment is being interrupted by "magara […] that damned 'Chinese' oatmeal " (pg. 29). Finally in the evening the prisoner must "bear in the icy wind" (pg. 123), while the guards are looking for a Moldavian Fugitive. At the end some couple of hours remain until 22:00 for the prisoners own life.
Gennaro Santangelo’s criticism of Crime and Punishment fully inspects the motives behind Raskolnikov’s murder, the driving influence on the plot of the book, but he only partially probes the resultant ramifications that emerge in the forms of choices that Raskolnikov makes that resolve the failures of his original goals. Overall, in the context of the paper’s subject, the information Santangelo chooses to include and omit make sense, but the crucial results, or how Raskolnikov eventually reverses his original motivations, are insufficiently appraised. Santangelo’s essay, however fascinating, seems like it does not tell the complete story, that it needs a complementary work to fulfill its purpose. That work, should it have properly met its goal, is beginning to
Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment incorporates the significance of murder into the novel through a multitude of levels. The act of killing is not only used to further the plot point of the novel, but also offers insight to the reader of Raskolnikov’s ideology and psyche. This is portrayed through both his initial logic and reasoning behind the plotting of the crime, as well as through his immediate and long term reactions after killing Alyona Ivanovna. The emotional and physical responses instilled in Raskolnikov after killing Alyona Ivanovna as well as his justification for doing so helps illustrate his utilitarianism by offering accurate insight into the character’s moral values. These reactions also serve to show the instability of Raskolnikov’s character due to his changing emotions from being completely justified as the ubermensch to showing a sense of great regret. By including the act of killing, Dostoevsky further develops Raskolnikov’s character, and provides another level of detail to readers concerning his ideology and beliefs prior to his actions.
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were plagued by devastating events including; The Great Famine (1315-1322), The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487) and the Black Death (1348-1350). Society adapted to cope with the abundance of the death and this is evident in the numerous primary sources commenting on death in this period. Death was approached by medieval society from varying social and religious angles. For example, the Danse Macabre can be presented as either a social satire or a comment on religious culture. For the purpose of this essay, it is important to be selective of the abundant sources available, referring to sources with specific re...
Man’s Search for Meaning was written by Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. In the book Frankl discusses his time in a Holocaust work camp. He not only gives a vivid description of his own stories but the stories of his patients. Frankl also discusses his personal journey of trying to figure out what his meaning his. His idea of his own meaning went from being a psychiatrist to having a wife and helping his fellow countrymen. He also touches on suffering and how we cannot avoid it because it is all part of the experience of life. His idea was that he would rather suffer and help his fellow countrymen than give in and die. He was one of the lucky few to escape with his life from the Camps and was able to carry on and tell his story and reunite
The major themes of Franz story were inspired by the cultural and historical events in Prague, which is the author’s town. The town was full of hostility which was caused by economic status and differences in people’s cultural backgrounds. The story is told using the interior monologue styles. It focuses on the thoughts and feelings of the main character which support the themes of abandonment and troubled relationship.
In London of 1888 there was an unknown serial killer that was named Jack the Ripper. The name “Jack the Ripper” originally came from a letter from someone that claimed to be the killer. The killer was also called, “the Whitechapel Murderer” and the “Leather Apron.” In this essay I will talk about the mystery of Jack the Ripper and the killings and talk about some questions, such as, who was Jack the Ripper, why did he kill those women, and all in such a similar manner, and how did he know so much about the human body.
He first puts forth the two mainstream arguments against capital punishment and then organizedly refutes each standpoint with credible explanations. By illustrating there are “many other jobs that are unpleasant”, he easily indicates the flaw and weakness of first argument asserted by the opposite side without much refutation and statistical evidence. In addition, in order to disprove the second argument, he proposes that death penalty is not established to deter other potential criminals but to relieve. He employs great length of humor, logos and ethos to introduce and exemplify this new concept of “katharsis” which is defined as a health and positive way to “let off steam”. Thus, the act of punishing the murders can be interpreted as “justice is served” in this case instead of “cold-blood killing” and the audiences get the feeling of satisfaction because it is a part of their human nature. In the later discussion, he also mentions that it is extremely cruel and immoral that people are put in the death house just for simply torture. By having both side perspectives, the readers are more convinced and become more acceptable to Mencken’s ideas.
Mr. Maglovski pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, but pleading guilty to manslaughter with the defense of provocation. In the months prior to her death Mrs. Maglovska had been becoming more and more independent, and on the day that she decided to leave Mr. Maglovski she allegedly spat in his face and told him that she didn’t want to live with him anymore. The fight that ensued resulted in Mrs. Maglovska’s death. After his wife’s death a very calm and collected Mr. Maglovski called ‘000’ and then proceeded to show the emergency services officer’s the crime scene. During his trial Mr. Maglovski shared with the courtroom a little about his culture, he explained the understanding within his culture that behavior such as his wife’s would demand a “ritual cleansing of the family of the shame” . Neither this, nor any other mitigating factors, was enough to reduce Dragi Maglovski’s charge to manslaughter, however, and he was charged with the murder of his wife, Mrs. Maglovska.
The author’s purpose is to also allow the audience to understand the way the guards and superintendent felt towards the prisoners. We see this when the superintendent is upset because the execution is running late, and says, “For God’s sake hurry up, Francis.” And “The man ought to have been dead by this time.” This allows the reader to see the disrespect the authority has towards the prisoners.
The novel traces the historical lives of Victoria Woodhull, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Anthony Comstock as well as that of the fictional Freydeh Levin, mainly during the years of 1868 to 1874. The action is set in and around New York City. Also prime characters in this epic are the first women's movement and the post civil war re-constructionist gilded age, as they and their social ramifications intertwine with and impact the lives of the human characters.
As citizens of Earth, we are required to live by certain rules designated to maintain order through out society, but we know them as laws. With such a complex idea there has to be a companionship by which officials dictate who breaks these rules and how they are punished. Thus the justice system was born. The concept of justice is a byproduct of the system but is just as important. Individuals must know and understand judgment to know whether or not justice is being served. These ideas coincide so profoundly that you need both to make sound decisions. The novels Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky examine the individual’s responsibility to the justice system and how it affects the group as a whole. Through the fates of Lurie and Raskolnikov, Dostoevsky and Coetzee make self-policing the most important factor in societal justice.
Many of us have heard stories about the Holocaust, but did you know that over 11 million people died? Death was a very important yet regular aspect of Nazi Germany, and The Book Thief did a great job describing this destruction. In this novel we are guided through a whirlwind of romances, like Rudy and Liesel’s long lived love for each other, and Rosa and Hans’ hidden desire, but equally we are faced with heartbreaks, and even more often, death. The narrator uses many literary devices to describe the process of death, and the fact that even if we foresee it, it never comes easily.