The Sound Of Ghostface Killah Shattering Preconceived Notions Of Art And The Modern Aesthetic Essay Example For Students

The Sound Of Ghostface Killah Shattering Preconceived Notions Of Art And The Modern Aesthetic Essay Some might view the Ghostface Killah song Holla, off his 2004 LP The Pretty Toney Album, as being a minimalist, lazy, unoriginal, nonsensical, or just plain bad piece of art, if it is indeed even art; such critics, however, miss the postmodern genius of the Wu-Tang member and Theodore Unit founders radical aesthetic. After all, similar charges were leveled against poets like Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, and William Carlos Williams, who are now firmly entrenched in the literary canon of Western civilization, and contemporary painters like David Salle, who pioneered American visual postmodernism with a succde scandale in 1980s New York. We will write a custom essay on The Sound Of Ghostface Killah Shattering Preconceived Notions Of Art And The Modern Aesthetic specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Ghostface produced Holla himself. At first glance, this seems to fall more in line with the punk do it yourself aesthetic than any sort of postmodernism. However, in the context of this song, producing simply means Ghostface chose the song he wanted to rap over, in this case The Delfonics 1968 smash hit La La (Means I Love You). Because of this unique nature, an analysis of Holla is not possible without at least a cursory glance at the song that serves as its backdrop. This song, an enduring classic of soul in common time, was produced by Thom Bell and Stan Watson. It begins with the high-pitched sample of a fiddle, with a light drum loop that persists throughout the song. The fiddle soon drops out, leaving the drums, whose perseverance mirrors that of the main singer, who is determined to win the target of his affection despite his lack of wealth (Now I dont wear no diamond ring). While he cannot compete with his fellow suitors materially, he makes up for it in sincerity: while their lines dont mean a thing, he says in the first verse, he adds in the second that the things I am sayin are true. His earnestness is also evident in the longing nature of his voice, the way he cannot even find words to express his feelings, saying instead that la la la la la la la la la means I love you, accented by harmonizing with the other Delfonics and a more classical sounding string sample with a romantic affect. After a short instrumental interlude, the singer once more asserts his sincerity before the hauntingly iconic chorus repeats, fading into the background, as the addressee of the courtship interjects oh, youll have to understand. This repetition combined with what we can only assume is the beginning of a rejection gives the song a tragic poignance. With this preliminary analysis out of the way, we can proceed to the heart of the matter: Ghostfaces work of art, Holla. And indeed it is art, even though the only technical production he does is sample his fellow Wu-Tang member going BLAOW! while he raps over La-La (Means I Love You). We do not question Ezra Pounds status as artist, and his magnum opus, the Cantos, are a re-telling of Dantes Divine Comedy that rely heavily on classical mythology. We do not challenge David Salles claim to artistic integrity, and every single figure in his paintings comes from another work of art. So why are the standards different for Ghostface when he chooses a classic song as a background for his own (admittedly challenging) lyrics, especially when he does it in such a creative way, playfully interacting with the Delfonics song while presenting his own coherent verbal vision? It is likely that it is simply a reflection of the general societal attitude towards hip-hop. Despite commercial success and numerous scholarly studies from musicologists, music theorists, anthropologists, and many other academics in various fields, the mainstream refuses to accept hip-hop as a legitimate art-form. The song itself, as mentioned before, has incredibly minimal levels of production; Ghostface simply raps over the song, not even bothering to change the levels of the vocals or instrumentation. While this technique or lack thereof is minimalistic in theory, in practice it often leads to a cluttered feel, as Ghostfaces vocals vie for primacy with those of the Delfonics, sometimes dominating, sometimes being drowned out. .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f , .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .postImageUrl , .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f , .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f:hover , .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f:visited , .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f:active { border:0!important; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f:active , .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u25c9e15c3c094dfec9a84c7b36dd8e7f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Monotheism Vs Polytheism EssayIndeed, one can hardly call La-La (Means I Love You) the background track, as the same emphasis is given to it as Ghostfaces rapping. This is not indeed, cannot be a sign of laziness or incompetence on the part of Ghostface. It would not have been difficult for him to take the vocals out of the track, or at least lower their level. Ghostface is not an underground rapper with severe fiscal and temporal constraints; so, it must have been a conscious, deliberate decision. If we accept that the choice was intentional, then, it becomes not only unique but bold and revolutionary. Like Salle, the founding father of American postmodern painting, Ghostface takes the consensus view of his medium and turns it on its head, defying all aesthetic expectations. One counter-argument is that anyone with basic audio software could place vocals over another song. So what separates the artist like Ghostface from the amateur sitting in his basement imagining himself a member of the Bomb Squad? One obvious difference is the vocals themselves. Few could write lyrics like Ghostface, and even fewer could match his explosive, emotionally dynamic, almost melodramatic flow. Holla is not only saturated with end rhyme, but also contains masterful flourishes of internal rhyme (Bartenders nervous, afraid to serve us, bad service/Un-smacked him on purpose and see this drunk come and burp us) and assonance (Paper chasers, Starky stayed up in the makings). In addition to this elevated mode of poetic speech (in Roman Jakobsons words, Ghostface projects the principle of equivalence from the axis of selection to the axis of combination), Ghostface gains artistic integrity through his innovative use of La-La (Means I Love You). Salle once described the difference between amateur and artistic collage by saying that an artists collage is different in that it has a coherent theme: anyone can cut and paste pictures together, not anyone can cut and paste pictures of various motifs with symbolic significance together. Because sampling is indeed a kind of sonic collage, this description is analogous to Holla, and because Ghostface did not arbitrarily choose a Delfonics song over which to rap, he is an artist. The juxtaposition of the Delfonics poignant song of unattainable love with Ghostfaces lyrics of trademark Wu-Tang bravado (as reinforced by the samples of ODB shouting BLAOW, which come from the song shame, a practical mission statement of Wu-Arrogance) is striking. While the Delfonics sing about taking a true love into your arms, Ghostface sings about wreck yall lames and throw the Tec to your brain. Also striking is Ghostfaces actual interaction with the lyrics of the older song. The titular word, taken from the chorus, serves to play on the Delfonics song. As guest artist Allah Real sings Holla holla holla if you want to, I love you, the final syllable in holla coincides with the Delfonics las, as does the final I love you. As the Delfonics croon I dont wear a diamond ring/I dont even have a song to sing, Ghostface concurrently raps We dont need no diamond rings/All we need is a drum like, fuck it, he can rhyme, Ill sing. Though temporally these lines are practically equivalent, one can interpret it as the ideal response to the line in the Delfonics song, the one the singer never got from the apologetic but distant object of his affection. Through this ingenious interplay of his own lyrics with the lyrics of the song he raps over, as well as the very juxtaposition of the two jarringly dissimilar songs, Ghostface Killah creates a brilliantly original work of art that challenges as all of hip-hop does to some extent preconceived ideas of what constitutes art. However, Ghostface takes it even further than his peers, blasting through the barrier of modernism into the brave new world of the postmodern.

Film Study Essay

Film Study Essay Film Study Essay INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL FILM SEMESTER I 2009-2010 BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN vs. PLEASANTVILLE Number of words: 1048 Battleship Potemkin is a 1925 silent film, whereas Pleasantville is a 1990’s movie based on a story that is set in the 1950’s . Many different techniques have been used in order to create special effects outlining the main ideas of both movies. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the use of colours, sounds and the movements of the cameras that suggest the political theme in both films. Firstly, I am going to be discussing the different colours used in both movies. Its use is fundamental in putting across the basic message of the films: In Pleasantville it suggests that change is an indispensable part of life, whereas in Battleship Potemkin the use of only black and white colours emphasizes the fact that it is an old movie. It is entirely a black and white production that shocked for its use of violence, but also a silent one that â€Å"reaches the emotions on a visual level†(Mayer, 1990). It explains the story of the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin that revolted against their executives representing the Tsarist system. This sequence suggests the desire for freedom and autonomy of the Russian empire. In Pleasantville, the director, uses colours to show the differences between two worlds. Black and white images represent a world of morality where people must respect the law. For example, the idea of sex is meaningless to them. Colours are used to express a world of opportunities: an exciting place where rules are broken and new things are discovered, like the pleasure of reading. Colours also represent the modern society, while black and white are related to the traditional society, ruled by strict conventions. Once the two siblings (Bud and Mary) appear, the pleasant world, presented in a TV sitcom becomes to change. They bring new conceptions into the world converting the black and white background and people into enriched ones, contrast that defines aspects of human conditions. In the clip that shows the court case, the people in black and white have power whereas those that are portrayed in colour are segregated in the upper part of the room. This can be seen as discrimination and racism, a common problem in the world today, too. The court case was caused as a consequence to the fact that the pleasant world started to change and rules began to be broken. . More and more people started to do something they desired and this desire went beyond the limits of society. By discovering the joy of life or the feeling of a disappointment they turned coloured. Those that didn’t accept any change in their lives, like the mayor, saw this as an immoral and unusual fact. Different colours that are used have different meanings. For example, in this clip of the court case Bud wears a blue T-shirt, which could be associated with a reasonable and confident person, qualities that help him say what he thinks in front of some of the citizens of Pleasantville. This relates to the political theme of the movie by presenting all the important people in the town that take decisions gathered altogether. Secondly, the use of camera and the editing play important roles in making movies. In Battleship Potemkin, the director expresses his own theory, known in film language as â€Å"montage†. The so-called â€Å"the Soviet montage† could be clearly seen in the most famous scene in the film, known as Odessa steps. It shows the mass execution of the citizens of Odessa by the Tsar’s representatives, as an episode of the Russian Revolution. This clip has a dramatic effect on viewers; its purpose is to portray Russians as a powerful and influential nation, after a catastrophic loss in the First

Retail Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Retail Industry - Essay Example Time and again Non profit organizations have raised issues against the big retailing giants especially Tesco and Asda. Find below news published in the various dailies Body: The allegations and accusations of various NGO's and papers on ethical and socialist issues against the retailers are a recurring occurrence right from the early 1900's. The trade unions, Human rights activists, consumer protection right activists, organizations that safe guard the interests of small farmers and suppliers, and the small entrepreneur's organizations, are all in their own way trying to protect their interest by constantly seeking help from the media and the government regulatory bodies to support them in their cause. The goal for this paper as stated in the beginning is to identify, investigate and validate this lobbying and come to a consensus based on the findings. Let us go through a few statistics before we get deeper in the issue. The giants Tesco and Asda are always in the spot light on any of the allegations that comes from any corner some of the allegations are based on statistical data from various sources which is detailed below: Asda Wal-Mart offered a 10% pay rise 340 of its drivers and warehouse workers in Durham if they left the trade union GMB. Asda was subsequently fined for these offerings as it was illegal inducements to its workers. Sharing the benefit: Tesco announced 2.5 billion in the year 2007 17.9 million was the total annual pay to the 16 board of directors in Tesco, one of the most expensive boards according to the Ecologist in May 2007. The Tesco chief received a 25% pay hike in 2006 taking his income to almost 4 million. A Tesco employee with an average salary will have to work for 345 years to get that income. Eroding competition and the impact on independent retailers: These large retailing giants have simply rung the death bell for small and independent entrepreneurs and most importantly deprived consumers of choices. During the 1960's independent retailers had a 60% market share which in now reduced to 6%. Almost 2000 independent retailers close shop each year. 7337 independent retailers shut down between the years 2000 and 2004. 'According to the High street Report 2015 - All parliamentary small shops group' -By 2015 all independent and small convenience stores would have disappeared. The issues mentioned above are extremely critical and vital. Health, rights, choice and fair price for the goods sold (suppliers). Let us look at the

Law of Tort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Law of Tort - Essay Example Carroll, v Fearon D , negligently manufactured a tire that led to a fatal accident on a motorway owing to its disintegration. This case did not attribute any specific negligent act to the manufacturer. Therefore, the judge held that either there was no requirement to specify the particular persons responsible for the defects, or the particular negligent act or omission. The disintegration of the tire accrued owing to the fault committed during the manufacturing process. In this case, the manufacturer was in confusion to explain how the fault connected to negligence. The duty of the judge is to identify negligent act . Negligence is the act of an individual to exercise due care. An act is negligent if the wrongdoer knew foresaw the outcome of the act one is negligent if the action done ought to take all reasonable foreseeable measures to ensure that the other party by his omissions or deeds is not injured by his omissions or deeds. In Heaven v Pender the defendant was negligent by not ensuring that the ropes in good condition before using them to hold the dock. Duty of care means the conditions, which give rise to an obligation to take care. Duty of care is the obligation to ensure that damage is not caused by observing due care . Duty of care exists where a person reasonably might suffer an injury, damage, or loss because of another person’s actions and the other person owes the first duty of care. There are two forms of duty of care, duty recognized by law and duty brought about by the circumstances. Where law has not provided for the duty of care, the test of the foreseeable plaintiff applies; the duty is not owed to the world at large, but just to a person within the extent of the harm created, that has been for the foreseeable victim5. The duty of care serves two purposes the first is to provide a framework for various situations in which liability may arise. It assists in showing where an individual is liable to another or owes the other a duty. The other purpose is to limit claims related to the negligence of a party; it sets the boundaries from which a party could claim due to negligence. One is supposed to observe standard care in order to ensure that they do not breach the duty of care. The only way a plaintiff can succeed in any action is by establishing a duty of care. Actions cannot withhold where no duty is established. In Gates v Mckema D6, a stage hypnotist caused psychiatric damage to a volunteer from the audience. Held the level of precaution expected should be that of a reasonably careful exponent of stage hypnotism-factor to consider-standard of care skill required. Standard care in this case is the care an individual is supposed to observe in order to ensure others are not injured or suffers losses. In Marshall v Osmond7, D while in pursuit of an escaping criminal, slammed on to the car crashing it. The presiding judge interpreted that the duty of care by the police officer was the same as that owed by any other . The duty to exhibit such care and skill was reasonable since the accident was unavoidable. He also ruled that, driving alongside another car in the police attempt to make an arrest was erroneous. This is because his judgment in the case did not amount to negligence. The factors that affect the duty of care are the balance of the involved dangers and the

Discussion of question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion of question - Essay Example As clearly expounded, one of the most easily identifiable measures of results is sales activities, which was defined therein as â€Å"activities that do not alter the physical, financial, or demographic realities of the community, but rather inform and persuade firms and investors. They include calls on firms, speeches to Rotary Clubs, public relations, advertising, writing and dissemination of brochures, attendance at trade shows and other events, and "networking."3 These activities, also synonymous with marketing activities are easily measured from one point in time to another. Thus, it is an effective gauge of an economy’s progress or regress, depending on the outcome that is measured. However, from the article written by Blair and Reese, the authors have indicated that â€Å"enhancing quality of life is emerging as an important economic development (ED) strategy.† 4 Therefore, not only do government officials focused on aiming to generate sales activities, but more so, the need to address issues that enhance the quality of life, is of equal importance. These reasons actually â€Å"helps local government look good and it secures the position of the economic developer and his or her agency† 5 Economic indicators such as sales or marketing activities, as well as opportunities to enhance quality of life through greater access to health care, for instance, or immediate response by the police force in addressing criminality within the locality, are measures that make the image of economic legislators and policy makers either good or bad, in the perceptions of the citizens. Therefore, these government officials make economic development a priority in the list of government programs that are earmarked to be addressed on a year to year basis. Furthermore, as the economy grows, citizens and businesses give back to the community in terms of higher purchases and taxes which provide

What Extent Is English A Global Language?

What Extent Is English A Global Language? There are numerous different languages are being used throughout the world. Since there are too many different languages, a global language is produced. A language can achieve this status only when it is important to the world activities such as communication between countries, trading between different countries across the world and culture. It plays an important role and it is recognized by every country (Crystal, 2003). Crystal (2003) reports that English has already reached this stage and there are nearly a quarter of the worlds population around 1.2 to 1.5 billion people is already know and use English. Nowadays, English is the most widely spoken language in the world. English has become a global language not because of it is both easy to learn and is superior to other language but it has strong power base. The thesis of this essay is divided into a few parts, first look at what is a global language and what makes a language global then why English become a global language. Global language means a language which is using around the world and it is important to the world operation and influencing the domains of the human activity in the world. For example, global language is usually uses to write songs, use to trading throughout the world and communication between countries in the world. Global language is important to the world operation and a global language is needed in the world. A language has two mains ways to become global. It can be an official language and foreign language of countries. Official language means a language which wildly used as medium of communication, such as media, the domains as government and the education system (Crystal, 2003). It also can be the first language of few countries. Crystal (2003) claims that a language can have a global status when it is used by other countries around the world. Since a language cannot become global only use by itself. Foreign language means a language teaching in school which has no official status. A mother-tongue language becomes the foreign language and the official language is the step to make the language become global since a language cannot have a global status when it is not taken by the other countries. And English has finished the step to become an international language. English has become an international language not because it is easy to learn. There is no language is easy to learn and better, the difficulty of a language is depend on different learner and Lutz (2010) points that it depends on which level of the learner want to achieve, the higher level, the more difficult. Ellis (1985) says that age, aptitude, cognitive style, motivation and personalities are the five main aspects which separate individual learner differences in a different level. This means the difficulty of language are depends on learner. Ellis (1985) reports that aptitude is a main factor to divides the language learner to different level. If a learner has a good aptitude and a effective way to study a second language, the language will become easier. Learner motivation also is a important factor that make a learner learn a second language success. A learner can likely learn a second language to be success when the motivation is high. Crystal (2003) reports that the intrinsic structural properties, the size of its vocabulary or it has been a vehicle of a great literature in the past or it was once associated with a great culture or religion are the motivation of some learner to learn a language but not the reasons make the language become global. English has become an international language also not because it is superior to other language. Crystal (2003) says that there are many people claim that a language can become global because its sense beauty, clear expression or religious standing and these are the misleading beliefs. Language can become a global language not because the beauty of the language and the number of people who speak it but who speak the language. There are some properties of English makes it become global appealing but the characteristics of the language are not the main reason to be worth to learn but the relative importance between the language characteristics and the internationally value. This make a language be more appealing but not superior to the other languages. English may be more appealing than other languages but not superior to languages. Crystal (2003) says that language can become a global language not because the beauty of the language and the number of people who speak it but who speak the language. English can become a world language mainly because of the strong military power and economic power. Crystal (2003) shows that a language cannot become global without strong power-bases, such as political power, military power and economic power. These are the dominance of the language which makes a language become global. The military power is the main reason to make a language become a global language. When a country has a strong military power, the others need to listen to the language spoken by the people in that country. Which means it makes that language is used in many countries. Between the world war two, Britain set up a lot of colonies. English became the official language and foreign language of the colonies. This is very important to be the official language and foreign language of the colonies because it is a important step to make a language become global. English must be taken by others countries to become global because a language cannot become global when it is only use by the countries which English is the mother-tongue. So English become the official language and foreign language of the colonies becomes the base of English to become a global language. an economic power is still needed to maintain and expand the status of the language. Economically power became a main aspect which maintain and expand the status in the start of twentieth century. The economic start to growth and develop around the world and there are many new markets were born. There were many new technology are invent. Communication between countries is needed to develop the economic and market. Country has a stronger economically power, the first language of that country will become more important and it can maintain it longer and expand it to larger through the economy. Crystal (2003) claims that Britain had be come the worlds headmost industrial and trading country at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The growth of economy of the English is the fastest in the world. These built the foundation of English in the world through the colonies and the economy. These are the two mains reasons to give English a global status. In conclusion, English has become an international language is not because it is both easy to learn and is superior to other language because there is no language is superior to other language and the difficultly of a language is depend on the individual learner differences. The reasons why English can become a global language because the military and the economic power of the countries which speak English And English was in the right place at the right time. (Crystal, 2003:7-10) English set up the base to the world through out the world by Britain colonies. English is also maintained and expended by the economically power and military power of Britain and USA. That the reason why English can become the global language and why English can still be the global language until now. (1262 words)

Stem Cell Research is Murder :: Argumentative Essay, Argument

The stem cell research controversy is one of the major headlines in bioscience and has been discussed and debated numerous times throughout the last decade or so. It became a major issue in 1997/1998 and continued to the 2000’s where George W. Bush joined to the problem by vetoing the first bid that was brought forward by Congress to lift funding restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research. Bush stated after the veto that, â€Å"would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others† and also he stated â€Å"It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect†. Bush was also supported by children that he said, â€Å"began his or her life as a frozen embryo that was created for in vitro fertilization (in vitro means the technique of performing an experiment in a controlled environment outside of a living organism) but remained unused after the fertility treatments were complete†¦ These boys and girls are not spare parts†. Later on that year, Bush signed a bill to ban the creation of human fetuses for the sole purpose of harvesting organs. Soon a fter, the House proposed another bill that they had hoped him to sign to promote efforts to conduct stem cell research without destroying human embryos. Bush had called it â€Å"an important piece of legislation†, but several politics said that it would distract attention from his veto for the funding for human embryonic stem cell research. Researchers and officials say that about 400 000 frozen embryos are stored at several U.S. fertility clinics with the vast majority await removal because couples that have produced these embryos do not want to raise them and also don’t want another person(s) to raise their biological child. One problem that I think is an issue in the stem cell debate is the destruction of the stem cells and how it’s practically the same thing as destroying a human being. I don’t believe that researchers and scientists should continue using embryonic stem cells for research because we are obviously not finding a cure for human diseases yet although for animals we are, it’s just not right to destroy a human being if we cannot find treatments for major diseases within a decade or so.

Criminal Justice Theories Essay

A brilliant philosopher once remarked that man is by nature good. Evil, according to him is the result of ignorance or the lack of knowledge. When crime is committed it is because of the limitation and imperfection of his present knowledge. Though it may be true that no man is morally corrupt by nature, Socrates’ explanation of the presence of crime and evil in our society does not suffice to answer the question why people offend and commit crime. Why is it that even the highest ranking CEOs of multinational companies manage to steal money from their investors and stockholders? It does not explain why even educated people become criminal offenders and violators of the law. This could only mean that there is more to crime than just the goodness or badness of the individual. It is because of this reason that Sociologists have turned to other causes or factors that may influence human behavior into committing crimes. This has resulted in several theories attempting to explain crime and deviance. These theories are Social Control Theory and Labeling Theory which will be discussed in this essay. Social Control Theory proceeds from the assumption that man is by nature delinquent and is capable of committing crimes. Instinct drives human behavior to commit crime. Travis Hirschi, the proponent of Social Control Theory, asserts that despite man’s inclinations to commit crime, it can be controlled and his behavior can be regulated so as to make man conform to certain social rules or laws. He says that this could be done by strengthening man’s social bonds with the people around him. These social bonds include attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. The stronger these social bonds are, the more committed a person is to conventional activities and the greater his attachments to his parents and friends, the less likely it is that he will engage in delinquent behavior. Conversely, once this social bond is weakened then it is likely that individuals will engaged in delinquent behavior. (Reginald J. Alston, 1995, p. 3) Thus, according to E. A. Ross the most effective means for controlling and regulating behavior is not the enactment of laws and the threats of punishment but the belief and value systems that helps man obey with the rules. Labeling Theory Labeling Theory did not give much attention to crimes but to the labels that people attach to certain individuals or to certain acts. For example all people have at one time violated rules. But not all persons are labeled as criminals. Only those people who are actually caught or whose deviant acts are disclosed to the public that are considered criminals. A person who is labeled as a criminal begins to think of himself as a criminal and begins to associate with other deviants thus reinforcing the stigma that society attaches to deviants. According to the results of a study conducted by Mike S. Adams (2003) perceived negative labels were related to increased involvement in self-reported delinquent behavior. The study also showed that teachers and peer groups are important sources of negative labels which can lead to the adoption of a deviant self-concept. (p. 4) Labeling Theory states that the labels we apply to certain individuals have a significant influence his behavior. It is natural to classify or categorize things the problem with this is that the people do not realize the negative unintended effects of these labels. There are times when this labeling could scare a person and help him or her conform to the norms of the society. But most of the time labeling has the effect of pushing the person farther away from the society. The effect of this is that the person loses interest in conforming to the laws. He then places himself in the shoes, so to speak, of the label that society has imposed and he acts in such a way that is consistent with his label. Comparison and Contrast The first point of comparison between these two theories is that they both acknowledge the society’s influence on human behavior. In the case of Social Control Theory, socialization and interaction with other members of the society helps in regulating human behavior so as to make man conform to and obey social rules. It reduces man’s propensity to engage in deviant behavior. On the other hand, Labeling Theory affirms the society’s influence on the way a person sees himself and the way he thinks and behaves. Negative perception of the society leads to negative behavior on his part. The second point of comparison is that both these theories see the individual as the result of his interaction with the community. In the case of Social Control Theory, man is defined by his relationships with other, his commitments, values, norms and beliefs. If he has a strong bond with the society it is likely that he will conform to existing rules or laws but if this bond is weak then he becomes more vulnerable to committing deviances and crimes. On the other hand, in Labeling Theory, the individual’s construction of self-identity is seen as a result of his interaction with the members of his community and the way others perceive him. (Craig Calhoun p. 1) If he is judged and labeled by the society as a criminal then it is likely that he will think of himself as a criminal and act like one. . These two theories can be distinguished in the sense that Social Control Theory focuses on the reason why some people adhere and conform to existing rules. It is not actually a theory that explains why people commit crime but it explains the reasons why some people obey the laws. (Paul Delfabbro, 2004, p. 4) On the other hand, Labeling Theory focuses on why people commit crimes. It does not explain why some people obey laws but it does explain why some of us commit crimes. Another distinction is that Labeling Theory is a political rather than a sociological attempt to explain deviant behavior since political relations within the society have so much to do with the giving of labels. It does not deal with the morality of human action but rather it deals with the effects of the attitudes and perceptions of people and defines criminals not as evil persons who engage in wrong acts but as individuals who had a criminal status placed upon them by both the criminal justice system and the community at large. (â€Å"Overview of Labeling Theories†) Conclusion The theory which best explains the reason why people engage in delinquent behavior is the Social Control Theory. Not only that it explains why crime does happen in the society but it also provides for the solution to this problem. This theory supports the proposition that a punitive model of our justice system is not an effective solution to crime. Due attention must be given to alternative forms of response to crime such as giving more focus on rehabilitation and social integration. It would be better if the state instead of allocating millions of dollars for our penal system to allocate some of this money to educating parents and strengthening of communities by means of various sports and recreational program for the youth.

Is the constitution effective? Essay

The United States Constitution is questioned all of the time. Disagreements about the powers of national government and the rights of states have been frequent. Combined with the separation of powers, the protection of civil liberties, and the ability to create a national identity, the Constitution cannot be considered anything else but effective. The Constitution has lasted the nation this long, and many things concerning the Constitution have been debated. But, the Constitutions effectiveness cannot be questioned. At the Philadelphia Conference, where the constitution was signed and put the final touches on, the men who created the document wanted to make sure that monarchy would never rule over anyone of the U.S. again. The founding fathers did this by creating a separation of powers, with 3 branches of government; Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. With powers separated between these branches, it would ensure that the country would never fall under tyranny, and it never has. State and federal powers were also separated, giving state governments a little freedom to make their own laws, but still abide by all of the national laws as well. The founding fathers of the Constitution tried their best to create an effective part of the government where certain powers were separated, and they did just that. Read more: How did the constitution guard against tyranny essay Civil liberties are basic rights guaranteed by laws or by a constitution. Usually when an American thinks of civil liberties, they think of the Bill of Rights, but the Constitution itself protects itself from tyranny. Many articles and amendments in the Constitution were put there for the only reason but of the people, and to protect their rights. These articles and amendments cover everything from religious freedom to the right to a fair trail, the Framers really thought of everything the people needed to be protected from at that time. Some would argue that the Constitution was written for the society back in 1787, and not for a modern society, but a person’s basic needs to live are the same as they were in that time. Perhaps it is because of all of these rights Americans are given that they are taken for granted of. After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. needed to break away from England, and create and image and identity for itself. The U.S needed to show that they  weren’t Britain’s little colony anymore, it was a country with a strong government. The Constitution gave the United States the identity it needed. It is a strong document, giving the federal government power, while at the same time letting the individual states keep some of their sovereignty. After the Constitution was signed, the economy grew, the nation slowly came out of debt, and the United States earned respect, while showing how effective their new government was. The Constitution is a very effective document that helped the United States in many ways. The Framers never wanted to have tyranny rule over the nation, and it hasn’t because of this document. The Constitution protects the rights of the people, as well as maintains a strong central government the people can rely on. The Constitution has lasted the United States this long with great success, so who is anyone to question it’s effectiveness?

Marx and Weber1 essays

Marx and Weber1 essays Both Carl Marx and Max Weber wrote extensively on capitalism, its origins, and its future. Although, they agreed on a few very small points, for the main part, they strongly disagreed. Only through the analysis of their main differences in the two ideologies can a stronger and broader understanding of capitalism be reached. Marx believed strongly in what he called dialectical materialism, that is, that everything is material and that change takes place through the struggle between classes. He believed that men make their own history and transform their natural habitat to fit their changing needs. Men begin to distinguish themselves from animals as soon as they begin to produce their means of subsistence. . . In producing their means of subsistence men indirectly produce their actually material life. Throughout history men transform nature to make it better serve their own purposes. According to Marx, all societies go through five stages of history and capitalism is simply a necessary stage between feudalism and the final step of communism. The way in which men create their social organization is based on modes of production. Changes within these societies occur because as the mode of production changes, it no longer fits the present social organization (p. 157). Therefore, a new class and hence a new form of society emerges. During Feudalism merchants were inferior. Nevertheless, as cities grew the number of merchants grew as well. With their increase in number came an increase in economic power. When the state was unwilling to change to their needs, they formed a revolution resulting in capitalism. Weber has a different perspective on why and how capitalism came about. Rather than just focusing on how capitalism came about, he focuses on finding an answer to the question of why capitalism happened where and when it did. When he looked for differences in the capitalist cultures and non-capitalist c...

Cost effective ways to provide clean water water and sanitation for Research Proposal

Cost effective ways to provide clean water water and sanitation for Ethiopia - Research Proposal Example It is a requirement of the human rights law that every person should and must have access to clean water and sanitation services. Several international policies are in place to enforce this expectation. However, the developing countries, including Ethiopia fail to meet the threshold in facilitating this essential right to the citizens. Worldwide today, the statistics are surprisingly high, with over one billion of the humans lacking access to an adequate supply of water, which is twice more than those lacking basic sanitation. Surveys indicate that, unsafe water, insufficient hygiene and inadequate sanitation services account for about 9.1 percent of the worldwide batch of diseases and about 6.3 percent of all deaths. Additionally, children in the developing countries bear a good proportion of this burden and crisis, with water related factors causing over 20 percent of deaths of the people fewer than 14 years of age. Ethiopia has a populace of about 85 million citizens as the last census indicates (Legesse & Kloos, 2010). The capital of the state is Addis Ababa, with several other towns and villages. Like many other developing nations in Africa, the country suffers from deficient infrastructure. Thus, the needs for water and sanitation are severe in this country. It is surprising that, in this country, with such a high population, only 34 percent of this population has access to quality and sufficient water supply. In addition, only 21 percent of this population has access to adequate and affordable sanitation services (Legesse & Kloos, 2010). Factual figures indicate that, about 56 million in Ethiopia lack the basic need of access to safe water for consumption. Moreover, a whooping 67 million habitants of Ethiopia do not have adequate and improved sanitation services (Legesse & Kloos, 2010). This evidence collaborate the observation

Project Evaluation Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Project Evaluation Report - Essay Example The research carried out at the beginning of the project was quite useful; the development programs were just right and the methodology worked out perfectly for this project. A waterfall methodology was used in the development of the website. All the stages of the methodology proved to be very necessary for the completion of the project to be a success. The website was developed successfully and project finished at the planned time. This report will evaluate whether the development of an online football ticketing and reservation website was successful. The basic purpose of this project was to develop a website that would allow football fans to buy their tickets online as well as make reservations on the games they want to watch beforehand. The purpose was to produce a website using a combination of SQL and CSS development languages and also the use of MS Excel and MS word. Several objectives were defined at the commencement of the project. They included; conducting research to determine the technologies to use in the project as well as specifying the tasks to be carried out in the development of the online booking system and also to determine their deadlines. The basic goal of this project as to create a website where football fans will purchase their tickets as well get to learn of upcoming games whilst booking online from the comfort of their locations. The website was to be developed in such a way as to allow fans to view and log into the website even on their IPhones and other portable internet enabled gadgets. At the end of the project period, several things had to be achieved. A working online ticketing system that will have achieved the objectives and solved the problem statement was the main aim, as well as the submission of the project as a requirement for graduation. The main objectives of this project were to develop an online ticketing system that would also serve to give information to the fans on the upcoming events and also on any