Back in My Day…
“Back in my day, people just didn’t do stuff like that.'; In addition to hearing about how bread used to cost a nickel, that quote is what you hear it from the elders of most generations when talking about violence, especially on television in the present time; they say that the violence seen just did not seem to exist back then. However, when one thinks about it, violence that extreme has existed throughout the ages, whether it was as early as the Iliad and the Odyssey during the Greek era, the Aeneid in the Roman era, or even in Christian stories in the Bible.
The first example of historic extreme violence is back in the time of the Iliad and the Odyssey during the Greek era, which happened during the eighth or ninth centuries BCE. These two epics, which are considered by many scholars to be very fine works of art, are filled with gratuitous acts of violence and other such acts of immoral behavior. In the Iliad, especially in Book 5, where Homer tells of Diomedes’ aristea, a detailed account of how a man battles and injures both man and gods is given. In lines 72-75, for example, Homer gives us a terrifyingly graphic description of the battle scene:
“Now the son of Phyleus, the spear-famed, closing upon him struck him with the sharp spear behind the head at the tendon, and straight on through the teeth and under the tongue cut the bronze blade, and he dropped in the dust gripping in his teeth the cold bronze.';
Examples of aggression and viciousness are also given in the Odyssey. In this, most say that Odysseus was justified in doing what he did, but it is still brutal fighting. The best example of viciousness is given when Odysseus finally returns home and has to defeat the suitors:
“Odysseus’ arrow hit him [Antinoos] under the chin and punched up to the feathers through the throat. Backward and down he went, letting the winecup fall from his shocked hand. Like pipes his nostrils jetted crimson runnels, a river of mortal red, and one last kick upset his table knocking the bread and meat to soak in dusty blood.';
These two examples might not be the same as a gang war or a drive-by in the middle of the streets in New York, but they are still brutal and gory nonetheless.
“How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” According to DPIC (Death penalty information center), there are one thousand –four hundred thirty- eight executions in the United States since 1976. Currently, there are Two thousand –nine hundred –five inmates on death row, and the average length of time on death row is about fifteen years in the United States. The Capital punishment, which appears on the surface to the fitting conclusion to the life of a murder, in fact, a complicated issue that produces no clear resolution.; However, the article states it’s justice. In the article “How the Death Penalty Saves Lives” an author David B. Muhlhausen illustrates a story of Earl Ringo , Jr, brutal murder’s execution on September ,10,
He begins his article with a counterclaim, which discusses how the death penalty is actually a better alternative than life in prison without parole. He uses an example of David Zink, a recently executed murderer, who says prisoners should “embrace” the death penalty because it is better than spending “23 hours a day locked inside a cell” (Holloway 3). A personal story from an actual inmate lends much credibility to his counterclaim. Acknowledging the death penalty can be beneficial strengthens Holloway’s overall argument. Holloway’s most effective claim is the high cost of litigation to the taxpayers. He uses good statistics when he says, in Colorado, the James Holmes case has cost the state “$3.5 million” dollars (3). This is strong data to back up his argument. Not seeking the death penalty only costs “an average of $150,000, again providing valid statistics to further his argument (3). When given a choice, taxpayers will want to save money when it affects their bottom line. These numbers are only for one case, so readers will wonder what the death penalty is really costing their state. His next argument states innocent people are sitting on death row. Holloway appeals to the reader’s emotions when he states, “there have been 154 verified cases of death row exonerations since 1973” (4). Readers will be mad or sad that this many people are locked in jail for crimes they did not commit. He
In “The Death Penalty” (1985), David Bruck argues that the death penalty is injustice and that it is fury rather than justice that compels others to “demand that murderers be punished” by death. Bruck relies on varies cases of death row inmates to persuade the readers against capital punishment. His purpose is to persuade readers against the death penalty in order for them to realize that it is inhuman, irrational, and that “neither justice nor self-preservation demands that we kill men whom we have already imprisoned.” Bruck does not employ an array of devices but he does employ some such as juxtaposition, rhetorical questions, and appeals to strengthen his argument. He establishes an informal relationship with his audience of supporters of capital punishment such as Mayor Koch.
In this article, James Dorn and David Cooper argue whether raising the federal minimum wage will help or hurt low-wage workers. James Dorn, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Cato Institute, argues that raising the federal minimum wage would hurt low-wage workers by reducing job opportunities and raising prices. Dorn also states that the federal minimum wage is responsible for high unemployment among teenagers and minorities and lower productivity among low-wage workers. David Cooper, an analyst from the Economic Policy Institute, argues that the federal minimum wage is not a living wage and that raising the minimum wage doesn’t have a significant effect on employment. Cooper also states that eighty percent of low-wage workers are at least twenty years old and that eighty-five percent of small businesses already pay their employees more than the minimum
Violence comes from when you have a hate towards another person who is different or goes against what you believe. Violence has been attributed to many causes including mental illness, brain damage, child abuse, and social deprivation. A large proportion of violent acts are committed by individuals whose psychology is very different to that of the general population. understanding the origins of violence remains in understanding the broader picture - the type of environment that raised the individual, the effect it had on his developing brain, and the already existing, genetic predisposition the person has towards
Many people against raising the minimum wage create arguments such as, “it will cause inflation”, or, “ it will result in job loss.” Not only are these arguments terribly untrue, they also cause a sense of panic towards the majority working-class. Since 1938, the federal minimum wage has been increased 22 times. For more than 75 years, real GDP per capita has consistently increased, even when the wage has been
During the 1970s, the top argument in favor of the death penalty was general deterrence. This argument suggests that we must punish offenders to discourage others from committing similar offenses; we punish past offenders to send a message to potential offenders. In a broad sense, the deterrent effect of punishment is thought to b...
In the context of the current studies, individuals that elicit racial ingroup betrayal might threaten ingroup distinctiveness, leading to a perceived threat to the group’s existence. In turn, this threat could lead to greater ingroup protectiveness for more stereotypical members of a group, but less ingroup protection for counter-stereotypical members of a group (Wohl, et
The tale of Odysseus fraught with different kinds of examples of justice. At one point Odysseus is traveling on his way back to Ithaca with many of his men with very little food and drink. He has the idea to entrap the cattle of the sun god Helios.
Odysseus struggles with self discipline many times during the odyssey. One example of this is when fleeing cyclops island after barley escaping from right underneath the cyclops. " O Cyclops! Would you feast on my companions? Puny, am I, in a Caveman's hands? How do you like the beating that we gave you, you damned cannibal? Eater of guests under your roof! Zeus and the gods have paid you!"(Lines 383-389). This is
In the Odyssey, Odysseus drove a hot spear into the eye of a cyclops and blinded him. Odysseus did this out of self preservation. Odysseus found an island on his trip back from the Trojan war, and decided to stop there for supplies. He found a cave inhabited by a man eating cyclops, the cyclops began killing and eating his crew one by one. Then Odysseus out of self preservation got a hot spear blinded the cyclops to help his escape: "Stranger, you are a simple fool, or come from far off, when you tell me to avoid the wrath of the gods or fear them. The Cyclopes do not concern themselves over Zeus of the aegis, nor any of the rest of the blessed gods, since we are far better than they." (Odyssey.) This after Odysseus stabs the cyclops in the
Bernstein, Jared. “Would Raising the Minimum Wage Harm the Economy?” The CQ Researcher 16 Dec. 2005:1069.
The death penalty has always been and continues to be a very controversial issue. People on both sides of the issue argue endlessly to gain further support for their movements. While opponents of capital punishment are quick to point out that the United States remains one of the few Western countries that continue to support the death penalty, Americans are also more likely to encounter violent crime than citizens of other countries (Brownlee 31). Justice mandates that criminals receive what they deserve. The punishment must fit the crime. If a burglar deserves imprisonment, then a murderer deserves death (Winters 168). The death penalty is necessary and the only punishment suitable for those convicted of capital offenses. Seventy-five percent of Americans support the death penalty, according to Turner, because it provides a deterrent to some would-be murderers and it also provides for moral and legal justice (83). "Deterrence is a theory: It asks what the effects are of a punishment (does it reduce the crime rate?) and makes testable predictions (punishment reduces the crime rate compared to what it would be without the credible threat of punishment)", (Van Den Haag 29). The deterrent effect of any punishment depends on how quickly the punishment is applied (Workshop 16). Executions are so rare and delayed for so long in comparison th the number of capitol offenses committed that statistical correlations cannot be expected (Winters 104). The number of potential murders that are deterred by the threat of a death penalty may never be known, just as it may never be known how many lives are saved with it. However, it is known that the death penalty does definitely deter those who are executed. Life in prison without the possibility of parole is the alternative to execution presented by those that consider words to be equal to reality. Nothing prevents the people sentenced in this way from being paroled under later laws or later court rulings. Furthermore, nothing prevents them from escaping or killing again while in prison. After all, if they have already received the maximum sentence available, they have nothing to lose. For example, in 1972 the U.S. Supreme Court banished the death penalty. Like other states, Texas commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment. After being r...
Every day, many people question my passion for pursuing accounting as a profession and the first answer I think of is that I am good with numbers. However, advancing in the field has made me realize that my passion is not only based on figures. Growing up as a kid, I was privileged to have a piggy account where I would save as little as fifty cents per week. Since my parents rewarded me in monetary value as a positive reinforcement in cases of good behaviour, I was motivated to maintain good manners so long as my savings increased. As time went by, I realized I had saved way “too much” money for a little child. The challenge came in the management of the funds because I was focused on spending more on pleasurable activities. However, the guidance of my parents enabled me to prioritize on the more important things and save more. I took interest in managing may own account as a child and even pursued accounting courses in high school. The interest grew deeper because I gained more insight on the facts about accounting and the career. Also, I believed that it is career that one would be self-employed thereby avoiding the dilemmas of lacking jobs after graduating. For instance, one would easily start their own business and manage their finances comfortably.