Crime and Punishment Essay Example for Free

Crime and Punishment Essay People will sometimes go to greater extents just because they believe it’s for the better of the people. Mankind may sometimes reside to murdering a person in belief that it will benefit the society because that person is worthless and just takes up space. In Fedor Dosteovsky’s Crime and Punishment, the character Raskolinikov decides to commit a murder or in his eyes, rid society of a worthless person. Sometimes poverty will make a man tip over the edge. It will cause a man to commit a homicide because in their mind they see that person worthless to society. In Doestoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, poverty helps setup the theme of nihilism. â€Å"Life is in ourselves and not in the external,† writes Fyodor Dostoevsky in a letter to his brother dated December 22, 1849. â€Å"To be a human being among human beings, and remain one forever, no matter what misfortunes befall, not to become depressed, and not to falter—this is what life is, herein lies its task.† This passage was written immediately after Dostoevsky underwent the traumatic experience that Tsar Nicholas I ordered for sever prisoners condemned to death for supporting the expression of free thought within the Russian state, a mock execution in Semyonovsky Square, a staged performance so terrifyingly real that it induced insanity within one of the author’s fellow prisoners. The quote is evidence of Dostoevsky’s strength of character; his would be a difficult life living in poverty, he would helplessly watch as many of the people closest to him died from the ailments of the poor. It also exposes the significant flaw common to som e of his characters and tragic heroes through despair, and weakness before the weight of misfortune, they falter, and commit barbaric acts that render them unfit to operate within the context of humanity. This is the case with both Baklushkin and Shishkov from The Hous of the Dead, as well as with Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoevksy was born on October 30, 1821 in Moscow, Russia. He was born into a strict way of life. He lived much of his childhood distanced from his frail mother and officious father. In these formative years, he formed a close bond with his elder brother Mikhail. He was sent to school at an early age, during his years in school Dostoevsky was lonesome, but those lonesome years in school afforded him a release from his father’s stern household. In his solitude he found an interest in Literature and spent most of his time reading. As a young man, Dostoevsky’s father was brutally murdered by his serfs. Though he rarely mentioned his father’s death, the theme of parricide provided the central focus of perhaps his greatest work, The Brothers Karamazov. At his father’s instance, Dostoevsky attended engineering school, but upon graduation he chose to pursue a literary career. His first published work, Eugenie Grandel, was published in a St. Petersburg journal in 1844. Dostoevsky completed his first novel, Poor Folk, in 1845. A naturalistic tale with a clear social message, the novel was acclaimed by the foremost literary critic of the day, Vissarion Belinsky, who stated, â€Å"A new Gogol is born!† the work brought Dostoevsky success and adulation that he was ill-equipped to handle. Dostoevsky became a member of Belinsky’s literary circle, but when Belinsky reacted coldly to Dostoevsky’s subsequent work, a breach developed between them. In 1848, Dostoevsky joined a political group of young intellectuals led by Mikhail Petrashevsky. The reactionary climate of Russia at the time was not receptive to a group which published illegal literature and discussed utopian socialism, and in 1849 the members were arrested and charged with subversion. Dostoevsky, whom the authorities considered the most important member, was imprisoned and sentenced to death. In a scene that was to haunt him all of his life, Dostoevsky and his friends faced a firing squad, but were reprieved when a messenger arrived with the announcement that their sentences had been commuted to four years of hard labor in Siberia and four years of army service. His harrowing near-execution and terrible years of imprisonment made an undeniable impression on his life, converting him to a long life of intense spiritual lifestyle. His prison experiences, as well as his life after prison among the urban poor of Russia, would provide a vivid backdrop for much of his later work. Released from his imprisonment and service by 1858, he began a fourteen-year period of furious writing, in which he published many significant texts. Among these were: The House of the Dead, Notes From The Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and Devils. In 1859 Dostoevsky returned to St. Petersburg were he contributed articles expressing his belief that Russia should develop a social and polit ical system based on the values drawn from the Russian people. He then described his life as a prisoner in the book The House of the Dead, a novel reflecting both an insight into a criminal mind and an understanding of the Russian lower class. His intense study of the New Testament, the only book prisoners were allowed to read, provided a major influence on his later work as he became convinced that redemption was only possible though suffering and faith. In 1862, Dostoevsky and his brother Mikhail created a magazine called The Time, which was later banned in 1863. Due to the Dostoevsky and Mikhail created another magazine called Epoch, which in 1864 published the complex novel Notes From Underground, generally considered the preface to Dostoevsky’s greater novels. In that same year, 1864, both Dostoevsky’s wife and beloved brother died, leaving him saddled with debts and dependents. In an attempt to win money though gambling, Dostoevsky instead buried himself further in debt. With creditors at his heels and with debts around 43,000 rubles, he was able to escape with 175 rubles and a slave contract with book seller F.T. Stellovsky. This agreement stipulated that if Dostoevsky did not produce a novel by November 1, 1866, all rights to Dostoevsky’s past and future works would revert to Stellovsky. Time passed and Dostoevsky, preoccupied with a longer, serialized novel, did not work on the book he promised Stellovsky until at last, on the advice of his friends, he hired the young Anna Grigorievna, Snitkin as his stenographer. He the dictated the Gambler to her, and the manuscript was delivered to Stellovsky on the same day their agreement was to expire.

Approaches to the study of Religion

Approaches to the study of Religion We can say that there are different approaches that can be taken when studying religion. For the last four decades universities and schools have been acting in response to a constant , steady demand for courses upon the study of religion .The people who take these courses are usually involved in religion themselves ,many are involved a in religious communities or, wishing to know more and learn regarding the religious beliefs of others. Others have no clear vision upon their religious identity and are searching possible traditions, ready to meet their spiritual exploration .So they start looking for different approaches to their study ,bringing along different opinions and whatever the process and methodology is, will bring them information from which eventually they will find answers or give opinion. (Peter Connolly,pp1-2Approche to the Study of Religion,Biddles L.T.D.) The author will attempt to evaluate the strengths and weakness of two approaches to religion and try to compare the work of the two representations and their methodology .The first is Professor Ninian Smart as he wrote widely, regarding different topics in religions, with papers and articles appearing in a vast range of publication sand television worldwide developing his own vision and philosophy of human progress and spiritual evolution. The other is Sri Aurobindo who brought a change to the vision of evolution of life into the divinity of life, In his own words: Man is on a transitorily passage . He is not final. The stage from man to super being is the next which depends from the approach of the achievement on the evolution on earth. It is the logic of Natures process. The works of both Sri Aurobindo and Ninian Smart shows two drastic and completely different approaches to religion. The author as part of his degree course has studied these two vastly differing approaches. Ninian Smarts approach to religion is described in his academic literature as a completely new way to the thinking of religion. He illustrate the introduction of Phenomenology saying, a lot of opinions have been written about not only the physical interchange of races but;, also ethnical and cultural, and especially upon values, so what take place when religions and their tradition convene? Will the globalization lead to a kind of universal religion, as prediction might lead, or it will be turned in a lively variety of many different beliefs? Smart contemplated these question for many years investigating various religions in the world. He explains that such experience definitely will change positions on previous views regarding religious tradition. It may perhaps intensify your religious experience. It all depends on the person you are and the personal period of life you are going through.(Scott London ,the future of religion an Interview with Ninian Smart June 1999 issue ofThe Witne ssmagazine. ) We can confirm that the method of study that Smart used in his approach comprehend both external and internal analysis of religion, characterized by phenomenological perspectives.(James L.Cox,p.159.A guide to the Phenomenology of religion .key figure ,formative influence and subsequent debate. Continuum International publishing group .2006.)Of course the phenomenological approach employed by Smart can be interpreted as an attempt of taking into consideration the individual experience of religion a at the same time trying to separate from it. The method used was to compare the subjective experience with the intent of shaping the arrangement of religion itself from within the structure. This approach can be better understood in his ritual dimension involvement with worshipping, meditations, pilgrimages, sacrifices and healing activities .Of course doctrinal and philosophical dimension is to be taken in consideration without living behind the experimental and emotional dimension and the important ethical and legal dimension.(Ninian Smart,pp10-12,Dimension of the sacred an anatomy of the worlds beliefs ,Harper Collins Publisher 1196) We see from Smarts classifactory account The Experiential and Emotional Dimension The Narrative or Mythic Dimension The Doctrinal The Philosophical Dimension The Ethical and Legal Dimension The Social and Institutional Dimension The Material Dimension The Practical and ritual dimensions (BBC.Religion) Smarts perspective in sustaining a phenomenological perception to the methodology of approach to the study, is far different from the approach that Sri Aurobindo use. First of all we have to say that both, Smart and Aurobindo have not defined religion from objective point of view but rather to determine religion in terms of its own value. Both methods tried to avoid the phenomenological approach. Personal experience is crucial to any understanding of religion .On this particular account Aurobindo discovers the relation or union, he favours, what he identifies as spiritual psychology and integral methods, but for both he confirms that the objective is to be understood and interpreted in terms of subjective.( D P Chattopadhyaya p1integral sociology and dialectical sociology,Shri Jainedra press 1976) From its approach, we understand that Sri Aurobindo begins his work clearly within religious prospect, particularly his own relation with yoga, he explains; the practice is not for ourselves alone, but for the Divine; The intent is to find occupation of good in the world, to outcome a spiritual conversion and to bring down a divine nature and a divine life into the mental, vital and physical nature and life of humanity. Its object is not personal, although is a necessary condition of the yoga. So with Aurobindo is clear the goal is more directly mystical ,to became one with the divine .(Michael T.Mclaughlin,p96, Editrice Ponteficia Universita` Grecoriana Roma 2003)In many occasions he confirmed that he does not intend to promote any old religion or to find a new one and he strongly oppose religious particolarism. So he is proposing a mystical goal and from his yogic teachings he guides,shows and achieves that.(Stephen H.Phillips.p79,Aurobindo`s Philosophyof Brahman,E.J.Brill Leiden 1986) The strength of Smart can be seen that he does not wish to strip religion or faith down to one or two elements say belief in The Virgin Birth and the dogma of out with the church there is no salvation but his classificatory account makes it clear that it has many elements and strands. A criticism of his approach is that it is far to scientific and while starting from the experiential and emotional he soon slips back into trying to seek common themes within all religions Aurobindo did not just stick to an immanental experience of a divine being but that there must be transcendence within the individuals life which is seen in Auroville with a lived approach to ones faith rather like that which is common within Charismatic and Evangelical Churches. A criticism of Aurobindos view may be seen that it seeks to remain within religion itself, similar to that of Smart as they both emphasise the importance of the experience of religion, a personal contact with God or Gods, however within Marxism we can see a move away from this religious experience. Aurobindo offers no guidance upon other religions as his account is purely personal. So how would Aurobindo address questions upon doctrine say within the New Testament? These questions within Smarts Classifactory account would help to define a religion. For example different opinions regarding the Trinity between Roman Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses. Also we can see the beliefs, symbolim and teachings of Aurovil le fitting weel within the above detailed classifacations of Smarts dimensions of religion Can we truly compare two totally different views religion one very internal the other very visual? Is Sri Aurobindo truly internal when we have the community of Auroville and a culture around him? Can we categorize all religions within Ninian Smart definitions? We may conclude saying that maybe religions will never combine in to one global faith ,but we do think that the society is moving towards a global ideology that have a space for religion and identify the contributions of the diverse ethnicity and traditions and bring a new way in helping us to work together for the support of human values and spirituality. What may be the way forward in the teaching and definition of religion is to accept the singularity of each religion and each individuals faith and seek ways in which they can be accommodated within a safe international environment that moves away from empirical definitions.

Red Guards :: essays research papers

Red Guards In the summer of 1966 there was a new effort on the part of the head leaders in China to further control the actions and thoughts of the people in China. The Red Guards were the force to do it all. A group of kids who mostly in their teens and some in college were put into this gang. This so-called military force was called the Red Guards. Groups of these Red Guards traveled from the large cities all the way to empty country sides. They held huge demonstrations at every stop. Their main goal was to eliminate as many as possible of the customs and traditional thoughts of the old China. They participated in Long Marches and other activities. The man they looked up to most was a person by the name of Mao. They carried huge portraits of him and also carried banners and flags. Many people in the group beat on gongs and drums. Some observers said it looked more like a circus then a political demonstration. They did a lot of things that many thought were outrageous. At one point they raced widely through Peking denouncing anyone who was in a business. They even made a demand to change the meaning of the colors in a stop light. According to the Red Guards, that because the color of communism is red, that you should go on red and stop on green. When the Red Guards added students from another school or workers from another factory they decorated the entrance with purple paper, lanterns and a red cloth covered with flowers. People who did not agree with Mao Tse-tung and his teachings were often dragged through the streets and forced to wear dunce caps. The main reason of course was to humiliate. This group in time became more destructive. Even some of China's highest leaders were taken. The Red Guards demonstrations lasted through fall, and winter of 1966 and well into 1967. The Red Guards highly looked up to Mao they thought of him as a father who shared the same views. Chairman Mao greatly influenced many of their decisions. They stormed on to railroad trains to spread their ideas coast to coast. Many people thought of them as a disorderly young army. Most of their efforts were devoted to wholesale destruction of reputation and careers. One of their best weapons were political posters which were about many high political figures. Political people were not the only ones to be embarrassed, professors and engineers were also humiliated by the young group. Many young people agreed with the Red Guards and their point of views.

The Jamestown Massacre :: American America History

The Jamestown Massacre 104 men were sent to form Jamestown in 1607. 4 months after they arrived, 70 had died. Thousands were sent to take their place over the next 3 years, but they also died. Why? * Jamestown was founded on may 14 1607, by a small group led by Christopher Newport who was hired by the London company to transport colonists. * Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America. * Many settlers died in the winter of 1609-1610. * Survivors were encouraged to stay by more settlers and supplies which came the following June * In 1612 tobacco farming was started * Native Americans often attacked the village. * Jamestown was burned down in 1676 Could the reason that so many died have been starvation? It seems that the winter of 1609 was so bad that the many of the colonists died of starvation. They were made to eat their own excrement and flesh. They ate Indians and animals from the colony, including horses, dogs and rats, or anything they could find. But this was hard to believe, as the island was full of food. Maybe the cause of death was drought. Scientists have discovered that the worst drought in many years was between 1604 and 1609. They can tell this because of the tree samples that have been taken. No water meant that crops wouldn't grow, and animals would die, as well as humans. The problem with this theory is that down river, there was excess food. The men could have been too weak to gather food. Why? Maybe the colonists died because of disease? The men could have got diseases from the water that they drank. The position of the settlement was not ideal, although it was very good military position. The water that the settlers drank was out of the river, but the water around the island was stagnant, it didn't move. All the sewage from the island was poured straight into the river, this meant that the men were drinking raw sewage. A lot of men died of 'Bloody Flux' and typhoid, these are typical sewage related diseases. The colonists knew about the risks of drinking the water, but they had no choice, they had to drink something. Internal Politics could have played a part in the unexplained deaths at Jamestown. Before Christmas in 1606 there was a dispute over who would lead the expedition to colonise Jamestown.

Monument backers go to court :: essays research papers

MONTGOMERY, Ala., Aug. 25 — About 100 demonstrators prayed outside the Alabama Judicial Building on Monday as attorneys went to court to stop a federal judge’s order to remove a 5,300-pound stone representation of the Ten Commandments from the building’s rotunda. ATTORNEYS for a Christian talk show host and a pastor asked U.S. District Judge William Steele for an injunction to block the monument’s removal, arguing that taking it away would violate the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion. The action named as defendants the eight associate justices of the state Supreme Court, who last week overruled Chief Justice Roy Moore and directed that the federal court order be followed, said one of the attorneys, Jim Zeigler. Steele — who was the first judge to order that the monument be removed — scheduled a hearing for Wednesday. Minutes after the lawsuit was announced, police blocked off the front of the building with metal barricades. The building’s superintendent, Graham George, said they were erected to prevent protesters from leaning dangerously against the large windows and glass doors, where they have gathered for the last week. Many of the monument supporters spent the night in sleeping bags on a plaza outside the building and nearby steps, and one scaled latticework on the side of the building and spent the night on a ledge. The unidentified man climbed down after daybreak. Demonstrators have said they know the monument, installed two years ago by Moore, could be moved Monday or Tuesday. Federal courts have held that the monument violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on government promotion of a religious doctrine. Moore, who contends that it is his duty to acknowledge God in the public rotunda of the Judicial Building, was suspended last week by a state judicial ethics panel for disobeying the order by U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson to move the monument. Moore told supporters at the Judicial Building that he would fight to keep the monument in the rotunda even though he had been suspended. He has pledged to argue his case to the U.S. Supreme Court â€Å"I have acknowledged God as the moral foundation of our law. It’s my duty,† Moore said. â€Å"Should I keep back my opinions at such a time as this in fear of giving offense? I should consider myself guilty of treason and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven.† Whenever workers come to remove the monument, supporters of Moore intend to keep it from going anywhere by locking hands and dropping to their knees.

Future of Cultural Diversity

This paper is intended to voice my hopes on the future of cultural diversity and explain how we could use the knowledge of each other’s culture to build humanity and to bring about social reform for all people. It will also give examples of diversity challenges and opportunities. The world as we know it has 6. 76 billion people, with Asia accounting for over 60% of the world’s population. These numbers certainly mean that the world that we live in has a diverse group of people and these people make up thousands of ethic groups, with each in the group different. Our differences require us to value different learning styles and to understand and identify each other’s work and social and lifestyles. Cultural differences in groups of people determine what language they speak, how they dress, their traditions, their concept of values and morals and how they interact with each other and the environment as well as how they are treated. Culture influences how people manage their daily lives. According to the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, UNESCO (2001), culture is defined as, â€Å"the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group. It encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs. † Our culture influences our choices and lifestyles for many years and for some, for life because some people maintain their attachment to their beliefs and a particular way of living throughout their lives. I have discovered when a society is not allowed to socialize beyond their immediate contexts, they lack socially, politically and their choices in life do not include wide ranges of options. I believe that is it important to experience the cultures of others because those experiences tend to broaden an individual’s life, allows them to become more balanced, well rounded individuals and expands their range of choices in life. I remember particularly when I lived in the Adams Morgan neighborhood about five years ago was when I truly gained an appreciation for the culture the Asians and Latinos. I enjoyed their foods, styles of dress, form of entertainment and learned to understand their belief and their value systems. I also came to understand their blight with having to struggle with poverty and a language barrier and a lack of understanding of American culture. I remember particularly while serving as President of my condo association, one Latino family knocked on my door to report that their light bulb in the kitchen needed to be replaced. I had to gently tell them that now that they owned their unit, it was their responsibility to change their florescent light bulb in their kitchen and went on to tell them they could purchase one at the local home depot. Yet for other, they saw homeownership as a vehicle to gain financial and social acceptance in the states. During my research to write this paper, I have discovered that it is critically important to be culturally sensitive to other’s beliefs, especially in the work environment. Showing cultural sensitivity to others shows that we care about people and are concerned about human expansion. People have a human right to have their own cultural experiences and interests because that is what is essential to their human survival. Freedom of religion and/or religious expression is a fundamental human right under the U. S. Constitution. It is the right of an individual to worship publicly or privately in practice and observance of whatever religion they choose. By understanding why a person believes in a particular faith provides us with insight into that faith and helps us to understand whey people do certain religious rituals At Honda, one of the nation’s leading automakers, their top recruiters make it a point to hire a diverse staff. All of their employees are encouraged to learn Japanese so that they can communicate effectively with their suppliers and clients. Having a diverse workforce has its advantages, as it allows more creativity and sensitivity to solving problems more effectively. According to a business publication â€Å"Cultural Diversity and your future†, when companies hire people from different cultural groups in the community, their public image improves. When a company broadens their scope of hiring, it increases competition because an employer will get the best candidates from many different ethic groups. Employees benefit as well because they are now put in a position to communicate the benefits of a product to their clients of the same ethic background. My daughter who is an Attorney, was recently hired to work in a law firm in Greenbelt, Maryland, not only because of her competence, but because the firm did not have any African American Attorneys. Shortly after, the firm also hired an Asian female who would be able to serve their Asian clients. Since hiring the two mentioned above, business had increased for the firm. In conclusion, we live in a world of different cultures, race, ethnicity and religious beliefs. Embracing cultural awareness does not imply that we adopt a person’s moral beliefs, but rather allows us to find out what people believe in, why they believe and use that knowledge to find out what makes sense to the people we serve or encounter daily. My belief is that we should not avoid cultural interaction but openly embrace it as it can reveal better ways of challenging harmful cultural practices and belief as well as strengthen positive ones and sharing those beneficial cultural practices throughout the world.

Design House Partnership

‘I can’t believe how much we have changed in a relatively short time. From being an inward-looking manufacturer,we became a customer-focused â€Å"design and make†operation. Now we are an integrated service provider. Most of our new business comes from the partnerships we have formed with design houses. In effect, we design products jointly with specialist design houses that have a well-known brand, and offer them a complete service of manufacturing and distribution. In many ways we are now a â€Å"business-to-business† company rather than aâ€Å"business-to consumer† company. ’ (Jim Thompson, CEO,Concept Design Services (CDS)) CDS had become one of Europe’s most profitable homeware businesses. Originally founded in the 1960s, the company had moved from making industrial mouldings, mainly in the aerospace sector, and some cheap ‘homeware’ items such as buckets and dust pans, sold under the ‘Focus’ brand name, to making very high-quality (expensive) stylish homewares with a high ‘design value’. The move into ‘Concept’ products, The move into higher-margin homeware had been masterminded by Linda Fleet, CDS’s Marketing Director, who had previously worked for a large retail chain of paint and wallpaper retailers. ‘Experience in the decorative products industry had taught me the importance of fashion and product development, even in mundane products such as paint. Premium-priced colours and new textures would become popular for one or two years, supported by appropriate promotion and features in lifestyle magazines. The manufacturers and retailers who created and supported these products were dramatically more profitable than those who simply provided standard ranges. Instinctively, I felt that this must also apply to homeware. We decided to develop a whole coordinated range of such items, and to open up a new distribution network for them to serve upmarket stores, kitchen equipment and speciality retailers. Within a year of launching our first new range of kitchen homeware under the â€Å"Concept† brand name, we had over 3000 retail outlets signed up, provided with point-of-sale display facilities. Press coverage generated an enormous interest which was reinforced by the product placement on several TV cookery and â€Å"lifestyle† programmes. We soon developed an entirely new market and within two years â€Å"Concept† products were providing over 75 per cent of our revenue and 90 per cent of our profits. The price realization of Concept products is many times higher than for the Focus range. To keep ahead we launched new ranges at regular intervals. ’