Amara Lakhous’ Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio is an intercultural murder mystery narrated by a group of residents living in a modern apartment building in the heart of the Piazza Vittorio in Rome. One of the residents, a man the other residents have nicknamed “The Gladiator”, is found stabbed to death in the building’s elevator. An investigation is started, where each of the neighbours get questioned. The reader is here given a glimpse of the investigations. Each neighbour, however also has his or her own story to tell. From these individual stories, stem the themes of racism, of superiority, of being treated differently and that of being an alien in a foreign country.
The police suspect the murder was committed
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There is no agreement among the tenants about it: there are some who want air-conditioning in summer and heat in winter, there are some who propose putting a crucifix and photos of the Pope and Padre Pio in it, while some insist on the right to a secular elevator with no religious symbols. Then, there are some who reject all these proposals, maintaining that they are costly and unnecessary. In other words, this elevator is like a ship with more than one captain” (87). Because Johan views his surroundings the way a film director would, he is blessed with the ability to see the grand scheme of things. Not only is he capable of realizing the impact the elevator has on his community, but he sees the big picture and envisions a good subject for a film he could make.
Case #3: The Italian dog owner, Elisabetta Fabiani “We should be patient with him when he pees in the elevator, because he is like a child. Do we spank children when they wet their beds?” (56-57). This displays Elisabetta’s innate response to her pet’s wrongdoing: justification. Her dog, Valentino, and all the extremes she is willing to undergo in order for her to get him back reveals her desperation for a companion. He filled that spent with the passing of her husband and the take off of her only child. Valentino was more than a pet to her, he was a true ally that fought off desolation.
Case #4:
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I will defend civilization in this building as long as I live. The elevator is the dividing line between barbarism and civilization” (97). This demonstrates the man’s strong belief that unifying Italy was beneficial for the South yet burdensome for the North. He classifies the South as underdeveloped and lazy. When he is told that Amadeo is an immigrant, it comes as a shock to him as he can usually tell them apart by their way of speaking, greeting, and walking. He also assumes that Amadeo might be an environmentalist as he does not use the elevator, which he believes is a matter of civilization. He believes the environmentalist movement does not believe in progress as it stifles technology and development but instead would want to return to prehistoric, barbaric
In addition to this Rankine addresses the issues of regular ‘Stop and Frisk’ of the black people by the police. She mentions that because of their color, they always remain as the prime suspect in the eyes of law agencies. She writes that, “…guy who is always the guy fitting the description” (Rankine
First, the elevator is presented as an alive object through Lila Mae’s interpretation and its narration. When she recalls her
Four black sharecroppers (Roger Malcom, Dorothy Malcom, George Dorsey and Mae Murray Dorsey) are brutally murdered by a group of white people. The murders attracted national attention, but the community was not willing to get involved. The community was not fazed by these brutal murders but, by the fact that this incident got national attention. They were even more astounded that the rest of the nation even cared. In this book Laura Wexler shows just how deep racism goes. After reading the book I discovered that Fire in a Canebrake has three major themes involving racism. The first is that racism obstructs progression. The second is history repeats itself. The last theme is that racism can obscure the truth. This lynching, in particular, marks a turning point in the history of race relations and the governments’ involvement in civil rights. In the end this case still remains unsolved. No concept of the
Murder on a Sunday morning is a documentary of an unfortunate mishap with the legal justice system that happens one of many times. In Jacksonville, Florida the year of 2001, May 8th there was a horrific scenery at Ramada hotel. A women named Mary Ann Stevens and her husband were tourists, while leaving their room early Sunday morning around 9AM a gunshot fatally killed Mary Ann and ended the couple’s vacation. When cops arrived at the scene and investigated they took notes on what the suspect looked like from the husband, “ The suspect is skinny black male dark shorts unknown shirt on foot running south bound…. Fishlike hat on.”- cop at the scene. When the cops were driving around they’ve spotted an African American
A growing affluent class called upon the Diaz regime and imported architects to construct buildings in the Zocalo to reflect a “proper” image that drew on influences from Europe and the United States. Johns recognizes the architectural dependence of the influential Mexicans constructing Mexico City when he states, “Mexican architecture, on the other hand, was an expression of a city run by a people who were looking to create their own culture while entirely dependent on the industry and ideas of Europe and America” (22). The same construction that the elite felt was a celebration of a newfound dignity in the Mexican people was criticized, by visitors and locals alike, as grandiose and a futile effort to shield the native roots of a circle of imposters. Johns’s argues that the “Mexicans knew little of their adopted European tradition, had acquired even less of its taste, and enjoyed none of its tranquility” (23). While the influence on the Westside led to development, the squalor and lack of authority of the peasants on the Eastside created mesones, or as Johns described them, “…a little more than ‘a bare spot to lie down in, a grass mat, company with (the) vermin that squalor breeds…’” (48). Politics on the Westside of the Zocalo were concerned little with the living conditions of the majority. No one would undertake the unglamorous task of assisting the poor, but rather they attempted to veil the masses in the shadow of their refined buildings and recent assumption of culture.
On April 19th, 1989, Trisha Meili was the victim of violent assault, rape, and sodomy. The vicious attack left her in a coma for 12 days and The New York Times described it as “one of the most widely publicized crimes of the 1980’s.” The documentary, The Central Park Five, reveals the truth about what happened the night of April 19th, and how the subordinate group of young black boys were wrongly convicted. Analyzing the conflict theory of crime in association to the case of the central park five, understanding the way they were treated based on setting, why it was so easy for the law enforcement to pin the crime on the young black boys, and how wrongly convicting someone has great consequences along with relating it
Society needs to learn the moral boundaries and the respect that should be given to those who have been murdered. Those who are mourning for losing their loved ones through a homicide needs respect also. In doing so, society needs to give privacy to those who have passed and also to the ones who have lost. In Rankine’s essay, “The Condition of Black Life Is One of Mourning” addresses the side affects of frequent homicides and how the community is damaged. Sharing the images of not only black but people of color homicide victims through the media demonstrates that black and other people of color’s lives are perceived as less valuable when their bodies are shown lying on the streets.
First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans, by Katherine Rogers, articulates the history of the relationship between dogs and humans. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, investigates if and how dogs exhibit morality. In both texts, anecdotes and observations are used to portray instances of dogs displaying cooperation, empathy, altruism, and, by extension, morality. Consequently, it stands to reason that dogs have a capacity for sociality, but how can the sociality of dogs be described? A dog’s capacity for sociality is the ability to form long term relationships with members of the same or other species. Dogs, in particular, dogs who hunt as well as dogs who play, are able to form long term relationships with humans and other dogs through trust, love,
Chapter one focuses mainly on the patterns of punishment expressed on Black and Hispanic boys. He begins the chapter by describing a young Hispanic boy’s negative experiences on the streets of his neighborhood with the police as something that occurs
We have heard a lot about criminals who have gotten shot by the police, but we haven’t heard of a case where police officer killed innocent man to death, except in the case of Eric Garner. Eric Garner’s case sparked about institutional racism in America’s criminal justice system because he was killed for minor crime and the grand jury didn’t indict the officer.
In this documentary, we never go into the minds of any of the people, but only get to interpret what we see and hear. This documentary was filmed in Jacksonville, Florida where Brenton Butler, a 15 year old African American boy was accused of the murder of Mary Ann Stephens. The main people in this documentary are Ann Fennell, Patrick McGuiness, Brenton Butler, and detectives Williams, Glover, and Darnell. Ann Fennell and Patrick McGuisness are the two defense attorney’s on Brenton’s behalf. Brenton Butler is the boy being accused of murder. Detectives Williams, Glover, and Darnell are the detectives in department 3 the violated many laws and policies while holing Brenton in
In the story of “Half Husky” the protagonist Vanessa is shown to be more related to many school students, including my friend James,that we all have numerous responsibilities, but we are often distracted, fail to notice or carry out our responsibilities. As we kids grow older and older we tend to notice more responsibilities placed upon us whether we choose to take on these responsibility or they are circumstantial. This is explained by the relationship that Vanessa has with her pet dog Nanuk. In the story Vanessa begged her grandfather to accept the dog into the family, and in return she said that she would take the duty of taking care of the husky. This situation is reminiscent to the time where my friend James told a story of his own pet
In 1903, Nicola Gentile, a native of Siculiana, Sicily, finding no occupation in his village, came to America as a stowaway on a ship to soon begin his life full of crime. Although barely able to read and write, he believed that he possessed an uncommon strength of will to be sinister. This trait would soon help him to rise to the high rank in the Mafia. After arriving in America, he was amazed at the grand vastness of the buildings and streets he was surrounded by, but moreover, by the attitude of the new people around him. They walked briskly, giving him the impression that all had an urgent mission to perform.
The Contrasting of America and Italy in A View from the Bridge Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge presents many different views of America, not only do you see America through the eyes of an Immigrant but also through the eyes of the regular working people, for instance the longshoremen. Within Alfieri's speech, we get our first ideas of what America was like for Eddie, Beatrice and Catherine. The speech highlights, cultural connections 'Frankie Yale himself was cut precisely in half by a machine gun on the corner of Union Street' this shows the influence and grip the Mafia had over American Culture in the 1950's. When describing the area, where Eddie and Beatrice live, he describes it as 'the slum that faces the bay' which gives the impression, of a run down area where only the poor live.
Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars' Press, 2000. 167-186. The 'Secondary' of the 'Secon Ogawa, Brian K. Color of Justice: Culturally Sensitive Treatment of Minority Crime Victims. Allen and Bacon: Needham Heights, MA, 1999. Saleh Hanna, Viviane.