FIRST ESSAY: Thomas Hobbes described the life of most Englishmen in the 17th century as “nasty, brutish and short.” How far does the evidence presented in Past Speaks chpt. 2, suggest that little had changed by the mid 18th century?
Chapter two of Past Speaks, covers many different articles that discusses the many social classes that were present in Britain at that time. When Thomas Hobbes described the life of the Englishmen as “nasty, brutish and short.” he was partially correct. On the contrary he was also mistaken. Thomas Hobbes made a generalization of the Englishmen, and failed to mention some of the upper and profitable people of the British society. Obviously the wealthy and prosperous people were not included in this generalization that is made. Farmers from Norfolk were very successful, as stated in Past Speaks chapter 2, “Pointing out the practices which have succeeded so nobly here, may perhaps be of some use to other countries possessed of the same advantages, but unknowing in the art of them.” Arthur Young, a traveling one-man bureau, wrote about these farmers and successful cattle-breeding men. He speaks of a man by the name of Robert Bakewell, who turned out to be a very wealthy man. Bakewell experimented in the breeding of cattle. He managed to breed a large amount of cattle that could produce more meat and less bone, in which he ended up shipping overseas to neighboring countries. Thomas Hobbes again, did not include these men in the comment he had made.
Henri Misson, visiting sportsmen to England did write on the sports and diversions of England. Misson writes “Anything that looks like fighting is delicious to an Englishman. If two little boys quarrel in the street, then passengers stop, make a ring round them in a moment, and set them against one another, that they may come to fisticuffs.” This piece does support Thomas Hobbes comment on the difference of Englishmen from the 17th to the 18th century. This seemed as little or nothing had changed with the society. Another quote from Past Speaks “these by-standers are not only other boys, porters and rabble, but all sorts of men of fashion; some thrusting by the mob that they may see plain”. This is evidence that not only the lower social class, but the upper class as well were enthused. This is evidence to Hobbes remark.
Thomas Hobbes however did not believe in Democracy.
The group the black hands is often and quite accurately called responsible for the assassination of archduke ferdinand, though the group had been influenced by Nationalism. The members of this said terrorist group, had been influenced by nationalism through policy that had been inflicted on them by the Austrian-Hungarian empire. The assassination was why Austrian-Hungarian had to go to war against Serbia because it’s an act of breaking their treaty of 1990 with the Austrian-Hungarian empire, but first Austria-Hungary had given them an ultimatum. Which was basically a statement of demands made to Serbia, that if they didn’t abae then Austria-Hungary would attack them. Then all the allied countries with either side joined in as to prove how willing they were to die for their countries, this was true for them a few weeks or so after the beginning of the war when it actually had become more than just allies to either Serbia or Austria-Hungary. Altogether the Nationalism was the cause for the Black hands to essentially commit their crime, and later on to keep the war ongoing....
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria visited the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. A group of six assassins, supplied by a Bosnian based terrorist group the Black Hand, had gathered on the streets where the Archduke's motorcade would pass. Some attempted to kill the Archduke, including one who attempted to throw a grenade at the car but missed. Others failed to act as the car drove past them. Later on the route through the city, the motorcade took a wrong turn onto a previously designated street. Gavrilo Princip, a Black Hand assassin, stood waiting with a pistol. Princip shot and killed Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. However, the assassination received almost disregard back in Austria. Yet, the death of the Archduke and his wife would be the beginning of an all out war in Europe as Austria-Hungary would declare war on Serbia. This declaration would bring in Germany on the side of Austria-Hungarian empire and Russia aiding the Serbians. By joining sides this would convey in France, Great Britain and during the later part of the war, Italy, Japan and the United States. Official war began on July 28, 1914.
No matter how much based on Queen Victoria’s imagery as ‘being steady and proper’, Cranford society at some point faces changes and gives in resistance to them. The gentility rules of everyday life and hierarchy to maintain the peace of the society remain incapable when time changes in the industrialized Britain and newcomers arrive in Cranford town. It is a rural town away from urban area in which the dwellers live in tranquility and in order, by following some rules. These gentility rules are determined by upper-middle class people to maintain the order in daily life and keep a distance to working class. Actually, in 18th century, they mimicked and adopted the legitimacy of aristocratic class as a model of proper behavior according to writer
concern to men of the seventeenth century. Out of the oppressive setting of the seventeenth century
Another factor in the storyline is society's attitude to class differences. Higher classed people were never allowed to socialise with people below their class. For example, Alice who is a young girl born to a rich high-classed family queries why she cannot marry Thomas, a lower classed boy. This is answered by "'Cos he's not a gentleman." Higher classed people were not permitted to marry out of their class. If they did it would be considered shameful and parents would often disown their children. Another example is, "Never was he more ashamed than when he saw their eyes scan his heavy jacket and breeches, his hob-nailed boots and cotton shirt and these were his best clothes" this is when Thomas visits Alexander's house. Alexander is much higher classed. It shows how he feels to be in the company of those higher classed.
The degree of force that officers use is heavily influenced by police discretion in real-world situations rather than espoused by a certain agenda. Discretion can be classified into four different categories where administrators, the community, and the individual police officer exercise differing degrees of influence in decision-making. What is needed to help officer discretion is a central ethos that will guide discretion when all other rules fail to help.
According to the Dictionary of Policing, “Force is the exercise of physical coercion by the police in the performance of their duties” (Rappert). While many believe that the use of force by police is not needed and only causes more problems, there are also people who support officers and their use of force in order to protect. Police should be able to use force without opposition to detain people trying to harm others, save their own lives, and stop escalating situations.
Over the years, this country has witnessed many cases of police brutality. It has become a controversial topic among communities that have seen police brutality take place in front of their homes. Officers are faced with many threatening situations everyday forcing them to make split second decisions and to expect the worst and hope for the best. Police officers are given the power to take any citizens rights away and even their lives. With that kind of power comes responsibility, that’s one major concern with the amount of discretion officers have is when to use force or when to use lethal force. The use of excessive force may or not be a large predicament but should be viewed by both the police and the community.
Since the police officers have a lot of say in dealing with calls and crimes, they all vary in their approaches to doing so. For instance, one officer may think a call is not as important as another, while a separate officer may decide the first call was more serious and he/she may respond to that one first. This is the same problem with whether or not to use force. There are many factors that affect not only the officer’s decision to use force, but also the criminal’s choice of actions. If an officer is being rude or discriminating against a suspect, then that suspect may act in a more vicious manner. This could result in the officer deciding to use force. All officers may see a threat differently, resulting in different disciplinary actions. The use of force rules vary in different police departments. This is concerning to some because the citizens may feel that they are not being treated as equal as others. Other issues include illegitimate investigations, spying, which could result in an unfair judgement of individuals that result in the officer’s use of force (Walker 1993, 24). Some officers will report an unfounding crime, which affects the true data of lowering the official crime rate (Walker 1993, 24). These issues are occurring in society today and are common topics in the news. Citizens want to know how we can better our systems to create a safer environment for
Imagine the time just after the death of Socrates. The people of Athens were filled with questions about the final judgment of this well-known, long-time citizen of Athens. Socrates was accused at the end of his life of impiety and corruption of youth. Rumors, prejudices, and questions flew about the town. Plato experienced this situation when Socrates, his teacher and friend, accepted the ruling of death from an Athenian court. In The Last Days of Socrates, Plato uses Socrates’ own voice to explain the reasons that Socrates, though innocent in Plato’s view, was convicted and why Socrates did not escape his punishment as offered by the court. The writings, “Euthyphro,” “The Apology,” “Crito,” and “Pheado” not only helped the general population of Athens and the friends and followers of Socrates understand his death, but also showed Socrates in the best possible light. They are connected by their common theme of a memoriam to Socrates and the discussion of virtues. By studying these texts, researchers can see into the culture of Athens, but most important are the discussions about relationships in the book. The relationships between the religion and state and individual and society have impacted the past and are still concerns that are with us today.
In Victorian times, one who came from a wealthy and respectable family was considered to be a gentleman. This is clear in numerous characters in the novel, who are immediately perceived to be gentlemen as they boast a large amount of money and dress in the finest clothes. One example, Compeyson, uses this to get a reduced sentence in court, as Magwitch says ‘one, the younger, well brought up, who will be spoke to as such’. This highlights the importance of social class in the Victorian era and it is clear to see here that the justice system is very much more favourable to the higher social ranks, deciding how they would get treated and addressed, and that the punishment is not dependent on the crime, rather the individual at trial’s background and upbringing. Dickens has shown that the Victorian concept of a gentleman is all about wealth and social ranking, not the characteristics we see in a gentleman today.
Hobbes’ philosophy is evident throughout Lord of the Flies because of the boys’ withdrawal from civilized behavior and authority, which result in their transformation into savages, which can be shown by their desire to hunt and kill. Nearly the moment the boys land on the island they begin to hunt for meat, actively seeking to kill pigs for their meals, al...
The reason police officers react slow to their situation is because they often pick the wrong amount of force. In Wolf’s study (2009), he talks about how most police officers have to analyze the situation and the offender, when the situation comes up. It is critical for a police officer to make the right decision, when taking action against a suspect. We see this in the case of Tennessee vs Garner. In the case the police officer used the wrong judgement and faced the consequences. Should deadly force be used by police departments? Deadly force is used when the officer thinks their life is endangered. That was the case with the police officer that shot Gardner. Society thinks that police officers just shoot suspects for anything they do. Police officer’s shoot suspects because they feel like there is no other option and have to reduce the threat in the immediate area. Police officers, often do not make the right decisions, when their suspect acts out of the norm of the officers (Wolf, 2009). Law enforcement officers have difficultly, when going to a crime scene because of what they do not expect. In the Graham vs Conner case, law enforcement officers did not know Graham was a diabetic. The officers
Officers of the law have obtained a substantial amount of discretion due to the profession they chose. Police officers are confronted with several situations which can be threatening or potentially lethal to them to which they must react rapidly but suitably. They have also been granted the authority to infringe upon any citizen’s rights and freedoms but with great power comes great responsibilities. The foremost growing concern in today’s society is shown when police officers decide to ‘test their discretion and apply the use of force or lethal force during their encounters. Klahm IV, C., Frank, J., & Liederbach, J., (2014) argue that the defining role of police is to control civilians and to ensure the peoples safety, furthermore
There are so many different viewpoints on abortion, it isn’t even funny. Someone could say that abortion is morally acceptable because a woman was raped or the pregnancy could interfere with her health. Other people might say that it is murder and immorally unacceptable because the child obviously does not have a say in the abortion. The problem with abortions is that there is no real conclusion to the problem, whether it is legal or illegal. And this argument is only getting worse and worse.