U.S History Review Essay Example for Free

U.S History Review Essay It is important to study the history of the U. S because it helps us to learn about the people of America and even about American societies. It also helps us understand how these people or the societies usually behave. This is because history tends to base evidence on analyzing and contemplating about how societies function not only nowadays, but from the past. Examining the history of the U. S can help us understand the changes of the society from the very past up to the state they are in today (Crabtree, 1993). Further, studying U. S history can make us understand Americas’ political progress from the past to date. We thus can be informed on the shape of the politics in the past and the major developments. Moreover we can even look into the factors that caused changes in the various American political parties. Conversely, historical analyses of voter turnout in key American elections and the associated evolution can make us understand some of the problems American people face today. This can also enable us to understand the present political health of the U. S (Steele, 2009). Moreover, we can understand economic changes in America and factors or policies that the government used to see their economy rising. This information can also help any other nation to improve their economy (Crabtree, 1993). Conversely, the cultural values of the American people can be understood by studying the history of U. S. We can understand the issues of the past by having a look at how people used to live in the past ages which serve as a sense of excitement and beauty (Steele, 2009). Studying the history of America can make one grow psychologically. This can broaden one’s mind besides making somebody to understand how they can solve problems as they come using facts that were used by philosophers in the past (The Manhattan Institute). References Crabtree, D. (1993). The Importance of History. Retrieved 8th June 2010, from http://www. mckenziestudycenter. org/society/articles/history. html Steele, D. D. (2009). The Importance of Local History. Charleston, SC: BiblioBazaar, LLC. The Manhattan Institute. Why Study War? Victor Davis Hanson, City Journal Summer 2007. Retrieved 8th June 2010, http://www. city-journal. org/html/17_3_military_history. html

Hamlet Act Two Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Act Two Essay Hamlet Act ll An important character in the play Hamlet is Polonius. Polonius is often thought to be foolish, and thoughtless. However, Polonius is anything but foolish, and thoughtless. Polonius is a man who is very intellectual, and he provides guidance to those who need it. For example, his advice to Reynaldo on how to  monitor Laertess wild behavior is magnificent and brilliant. His advice to Ophelia  about Hamlet, love, and affection is very accurate. Polonius is considered a fool to some people, because Hamlet is making it seem that way, he wants to put Polonius down, and make Polonius seem like a fool. Hamlet is rude to Polonius, and constantly making fun of him. At one point Hamlet calls Polonius a â€Å"fishmonger†. Hamlet then makes his insult worse by wishing that Polonius were as honest as a fishmonger, which is to say that Polonius is lower than the lowest. Although, Polonius is nothing of the sort, another example of Polonius providing guidance to those who need it is when Laertes is waiting for his ship to depart, Polonius has a couple of minutes to tell  him how to live well. His brief advice is insightful and parental. He tells Laertes to think before  he acts, listen more than talk,  keep good friends close but dont worry  about drinking buddies. Dont get in fights, watch your money, and take care of your appearance, things like that. Polonius is the kind to seek to discover the truth on his own. He studies Hamlet to link his madness to love and betrayal. He then seeks to trial his theories by testing Hamlets sanity through a slew of inquiring questions. A foolish man does not do this. Perhaps, Polonius was just putting on an act, to make people think that he was foolish and stupid. Regardless of his motives, Polonius cannot be described as a simple character. Polonius has gotten a bad reputation, but further depth into his character reveals that Polonius is indeed a complex character with a great deal of wisdom.

Social Media from a Functionalist Perspective

Social Media from a Functionalist Perspective Introduction Late modern society is a network society (Castells, 1997). Devices such as smart phones are portable connect individuals in a complex system of interaction via emails, Facebook, Linkedin, Mumsnet, BlackBerry Messenger which support the functionalist vision. Social media sites are social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook that function for the purpose of enabling the interaction between millions of individuals whenever, wherever and about whatever given subject they wish to communicate. By the end of 2013 Facebook had 1.23 billion subscribers (Sedghi, 2014). This growth amounted to 170 million new subscribers in 2013 alone (Sedghi, 2014). The main use of Facebook is to maintain socially cohesive contact with friends and family which supports the functionalist vision of society (Ofcom, 2011).   It is argued by C. Wright Mills (1956) that society is manipulated into a social order by the one-directional rhetoric of the mass media. In contrast, social media sites are capable of bi- directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and supports the functionalist vision of society. However, this is not always the case. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the function of social media sites firstly by providing an overview of functionalism and secondly by illustrating how social media both supports and contradicts the functionalist vision of society. Functionalism The positivist approach of structural functionalists involves analysing society from a macro-sociological perspective. They view society as a set of interrelated institutions which form a whole (Abercrombie et al., 2000:145). Such institutions include the family, education, politics, law, the media, organisations, economics and religion (Abercrombie et al., 2000:145). These form the agents of socialization which the shape behaviours that form a public consensus among which they do through constant institutional interaction (Durkheim, 1893:50). Durkheim focused on the consequences of social change between two eras; pre-modern [mechanical] society and industrial [organic] society (Durkheim, 1893).   Pre-modern agrarian society was cohesive, tied by kinship with a collective consciousness of norms, which were constantly reinforced through socialisation and interaction (Durkheim, 1893). The shift from the simplicity of the mechanical society to the complexities of organic society impac ted negatively on kinship and collective values as individuals undertook multiple forms of work in this new mode of production; capitalism (Durkheim, 1893). Durkheims (1893) analysis of organic society extends an analogy originally devised by Spencer (1820–1903) whereby he likens society to the human body insofar as both have interdependent parts that must function for survival (Coser, 1893 [1997]: xvi).   If any organ [institution] malfunctions, the body social [society] becomes unstable (Durkheim, 1893). As such, each organism [individual] has a specialist role within these institutions which it performs for the social good; not least because their own survival depends on it (Durkheim, 1893). Appropriating active social change is not advised because the institutions and the body social will be destabilised causing anomie (Durkheim, 1893). Anomie is a causal factor of social instability as a result of the inequalities in the division of labour as a result of some organisms outperforming others (Durkheim, 1893). This differentiation exacerbated the stratification that formed hierarchies in the new industrial workforce which pola rised rich and poor (Durkheim, 1893). Social Dysfunction In a modern context, anomie also descended on the British inner cities for similar reasons in August 2011 when the dysfunction of the political, legal and educational institutions failed to meet the needs of the body social (Durkheim, 1893). Merton argues that institutional dysfunction which can be the unintentional consequences of latent functions (Merton, 1968:105). In contrast, adaptations to society by institutions are manifest functions which are deliberately applied (Merton, 1968:105). The manifest functions involved (Merton, 1968: 105). As Merton asserts, such functions are targeted towards individuals in diverse statuses, subgroups the larger social system and culture systems such as limiting opportunities to education through welfare reforms for British working class youths (Merton, 1968:106). The response by disaffected youths was the riots that ensued across the UK in 2011 which was orchestrated using the free service BlackBerry Messenger [BBM] (Lewis et al., 2012). BBM is a free service in which one message can be disseminated to hundreds of recipients instantly who then forward the message to the hundreds more (Lewis et al., 2012). The social cohesion resulting from BBM extended to a temporary truce between otherwise rival gangs which is a positive function of interaction (Lewis et al., 2012). The riots came to an abrupt end when BlackBerry disconnected the service thus illustrating how solidarity depends on interaction (Lewis et al., 2012). Twitter was also accused of inciting the riots but it was later proven that the 2.5 million riot-related tweets showed solidarity against the rioters whilst also recruiting individuals to help with the clean-up process which serve the functionalist vision of society (BBC News 2011: [Online]). Similarly, the anomie in Egypt and Tuni sia was corrected by implementing the overthrow of their relative dictators which was mobilised via Facebook (Bouteflika, 2011). The Social System It is also argued that crime is necessary, inevitable and functional because it elicits the solidarity of the law-abiding public whose anger culminates in the public shaming and punishment of the offender (Durkheim, 1893). Crime therefore serves to redefine the moral boundaries which supports the functionalist vision of society (Durkheim, 1893).   Unlike the riots, social stability occurs when all of the component parts are fully functioning producing a system of equilibrium (Parsons, 1951which is contingent upon the strength or weaknesses of the interactive relationships between the institutions (Parsons, 1951: [1999: 84). In this context, Parsons (1951) claims that actors are goal-achieving and have alternate ways of achieving goals such as through education which is universal and equal (1951:130). In contrast, Merton argues that society sets the cultural goals but fails to provide the institutional means to achieve them (1938:100). While Durkheims functionalist vision is positivist in its assumptions that organisms are homogenous, Talcott Parsons theory of The Social System recognised that society comprised of a plurality of individual actors interacting with each other (1951 [1991]: 3). Parsons (1951) argued that the social system is contingent upon a set of four prerequisites which include: adaptation in times of social change due to one of the institutions malfunctioning; goals involves achieving certain goals in society; integration is the reliance that actors will identify with their social group; and latency involves maintaining the foundations of the social system such as through solid family socialisation.   Mumsnet This would never be tolerated by the UKs top parenting site Mumsnet which is an interactive forum run by parents for parents (Mumsnet, 2015: [Online]). Mumsnet offers advice to parents on pregnancy, education, money, and work (Mumsnet, 2015: [Online]). Within these discourses advice ranging from breastfeeding to university education is all designed to educate and optimise how parents raise their utmost for their children (Mumsnet, 2015 [Online]).   In this context, Mumsnet clearly supports the functional vision of society as it interacts with most of the institutional organs of the body social most all of the institutions (Mumsnet, 2015). According to Maxwell and Aggleton, (2013:139) Mumsnet contains symbolic and ritualistic undercurrents that allow the class disparities to surface. For example, Mumsnet has a strict netiquette whereby husbands and children are identified within the posts by individuals as DH [dear husband] DS [dear son] and DD [dear daughter] which denotes ritual whilst imposing middle class values on working class families.   Parsons argues that the primary problems and strains centre on the role of the wife and mother †¦ The easy solution is for her to be completely excluded from the occupational system by confining herself to the role of housewife (1951:128).   However, Mumsnet mothers consider themselves professional mothers who can juggle their work-life balance with ease (2013:139). For example, class disparities are evident in an exchange on Mumsnet between several mothers on children watching TV. For example, We cant all be Mother Earth I wouldnt listen to some of the militant mums on here Being pregnant is no reason to be lazy parent to your toddler How judgey some people can be about a little TV At least the child isnt strapped in a buggy with a packet of crisps and a bottle of coke Nowt wrong with crisps and a bottle of coke Exactly, as long as theyre organic (Maxwell and Aggleton, 2013:138) Such class differentiations are glaringly evident on Mumsnet who sell themselves as professional mothers who are well versed in child rearing (Maxwell and Agglegate, 2013). While functionalists overlook class in their macrosociological analysis, Mumsnet is class led and intimidating it is a site for those mothers who do not fear militant mothers or those labelled as Mother Earth (Maxwell and Agglegate, 2013:139). While in principle the mother and homemaker serves the functionalist vision of society, through rituals and cultural practices, the fact that many Mumsnet mothers are working or unmarried will contradict this vision as being negative to children (Maxwell and Aggleton, 2013). The collective consciousness that perform rituals and totemic symbolisation provides a cauldron of collective effervescence for the religious (Durkheim, 1915: 469). Religion which is the most socially cohesive element of the institutions collective life awakens religious thought (Durkheim, 1915: 469). (Coser, 1915: xx). Evidence of such effervescence surrounds Christmas, weddings Bar Mitzvahs and funerals is displayed on social media sites because religion is an eminently collective thing (Durkheim, 1954: 47). Death is also a ritual and a commodity as people flock to mourn the departed; this collective mourning is replicated via social media (Durkheim, 1954; Bell, 1992). Durkheim argued that all societies were divided by the sacred and the profane; the sacred are the totemic objects that are reserved for religious rituals which are emblematic of the clan or tribe, community or society; this is the case across the globe as all primitive religions adopt   the sacred/profane dichotomy (Durkheim 1915: xx). Sacred totems evoke emotional attachment whereas the profane represents everyday objects that are used routinely (such as social media devices) (Durkheim, 1915: xx). However, such totems are only sacred because individuals deemed them as such (Durkheim, 1915). To this end, Durkheim dismisses the centrality of a God in religion; it is the society itself that is God (19). It could be argued that the online community also worships itself as social media sites are central to society (Preston, 2011: [Online]). For example, in the previous week to the time of writing, the Facebook page Jesus Daily received 26.6m Likes and 3.2m interactions (Facebook, 2015: [Online]). Similarly, In a Facebook post by a Jesuit priest supporting the Supreme Court decision to legalise gay marriage Rev. James Martin asserted that: No issue brings out so much hatred from so many Catholics as homosexuality. Even after over 25 years as a Jesuit, the level of hatred around homosexuality is †¦ unbelievable to me, especially when I think of all of the wonderful LGBT friends I have (cited in Gibson, 2015: [Online]). The Reverends message went viral receiving 18,000 posts,140,000 shares and 400,000 likes on Facebook (Gibson, 2015:[Online]).However, Pope Benedict warned Catholics that human interaction in physical terms was crucial (Preston, 2011: [Online]). Similarly, a Presbyterian reverend urged individuals to experience the physical sensation of water in Baptism [and] hold hands in a service of worship (Preston, 2011: [Online]). This illustrates how religion is mediated in terms of a system of culturally structured and shared symbols (Parsons, 1979:6). Durkheim argues that forbidden, beliefs and practises assists the solidarity to one moral community called a church (Durkheim, 1995:44).   A Church is not simply a priestly brotherhood; it is a moral community (Durkheim, 1995: xxii-xxxii). The anomaly lies in the founder of Jesus Daily,   Aaron Tabor who is actually doctor and finds time to update Jesus Daily with Biblical texts (Preston, 2011: [Online]; Drescher, 2011 ). Similarly, the retw eeting of Pope Francis tweets comes second only to Barak Obama (1954: 47). This is evidence of a shift towards maintaining a less secular online identity which supports the functionalist vision of society for its cohesive qualities.   In contrast however, radical religiosity contradicts the functionalist vision. ISIS uses YouTube to showcase its killing; Twitter to increase its presence and Facebook to radicalise and recruit young British Muslims from a distance because criminals are often the result of instinctive, irresistible feelings that they often spread to the innocent object (Durkheim, 1893:47; Engel, 2015). While Twitter is constantly deleting ISIS accounts, ISIS is more intelligent than terrorists of the past which most definitely contradicts the functionalist vision (Engel, 2015). Conclusion In conclusion it is evident following a critical evaluation of the debates above that social media on the whole supports the functionalist view of society in maintaining to high degree the social stability of the body social. It is evident that rituals are performed constantly and values are reinforced where needed. However, other sites are more philanthropic and patronising of their working class subscribers which contradicts the functionalist vision. Social media has been beneficial to parts of the Arab world by overthrowing oppressive dictators while the social action of British youths served to redraw the moral boundaries.   ISIS contradicts the functionalist vision in its aim to eradicated Christians from Iraq and Syria. Nevertheless, the social cohesion of interacting with family and friends while the rituals that religious beliefs behold do support the functionalist vision of society. Word Count: 2,190 Bibliography BBC News (2012) Social media talks about rioting constructive, BBC News [Online] Available:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-14657456  (Accessed 16th September 2015) Bell, C. M. (1992). Ritual theory, ritual practice. New York: Oxford University Press. Bouteflika, A. (2011) Twitter, Facebook and YouTubes role in Arab Spring, Social Capital [Online] Available:  https://socialcapital.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/twitter-facebook-and-youtubes-role-in-tunisia-uprising/  (Accessed 16th September 2015) Castells, M. (1999) An introduction to the information age in Mackay, H. OSullivan, T. (eds) The Media Reader: Continuity and Transformation (pp. 398-410). London: Sage Coser, L. (1984) Introduction in Durkheim, E. (1893) Division of Labour in Society (pp. ix-xxv), New York: Free Press Drescher, E. (2011) Five Social Media Trends That Are Reshaping Religion, Religion Dispatches [Online] Available  http://religiondispatches.org/five-social-media-trends-that-are-reshaping-religion/  (Accessed 16th September 2015) Durkheim, E. (1893) Division of Labour in Society, New York: Free Press Durkheim, E. (1995 [1912]) The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. [Translated and with an Introduction by Karen E. Fields.] New York: Free Press Engel, K. (2015) ISIS has mastered a crucial recruiting tactic no terrorist group has ever conquered Business Insider Gibson, D. (2015) A Catholic priests viral Facebook post on gay marriage, and what it means, Religion News Service [Online] Available:  http://davidgibson.religionnews.com/2015/06/29/a-catholic-priests-viral-facebook-post-on-gay-marriage-and-what-it-means/#sthash.G2wzRgMO.dpuf  (Accessed 16th September 2015) Maxwell Aggleton (2013) Privilege, Agency and Affect: Understanding the Production and Effects of Action, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan Lewis, P. (2012) Reading the Riots, London: Guardian LSE Merton, R.K. (1938) Social Structure and Anomie, American Sociological Review, 3(5): 672-682. Merton R.K. (1968) Social Theory and Social Structure, New York: Free Press Mumsnet (2015) Home Page Mumsnet [Online] Available:  http://www.mumsnet.com/  (Accessed 17th September 2015) Parsons, T. (1951) The Social System, New York: Free Press Parsons, T. (1961) Theories of Society: Foundations of Modern Sociological Theory. New York: Free Press Parsons, T. (2001[1979]) The Structure of Social Action And Contemporary Debates Preston, J. (2011) Facebook Page for Jesus, With Highly Active Fans, New York Times [Online] Available:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/technology/jesus-daily-on-facebook-nurtures-highly-active-fans.html?_r=0  (Accessed 15th September 2015) Sedghi, A. (2014) Facebook: 10 years of social networking, in numbers, The Guardian [Online] Available:  http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/feb/04/facebook-in-numbers-statistics  (Accessed 27th September 2015) Weber, M. (1930 [1904–5]) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Oxford, Blackwell. Wright Mills, C. (1956). The Power Elite. Oxford Press

Art, Literature And Society From 1955-1970 Essay -- essays research pa

Fear and Loathing in a Clockwork AgeAh! The noble search for identity. That intangible achievement that all artists lust after and lay in torment over. And during the post war era that struggle reached incredible magnitudes. The world cried out for legions of anti-heroes, who were only virtuous in their unapologetic and brutally honest lack of virtue. And the art world provided as many counter culture messiahs as was needed to "Damn the Man". The Beats, hippies, and punks are evidence that behind the white picket fence of suburbia lay an America that wanted more out of life than the sugar coated portrayals of domesticity and patriotism it received from pop culture. The unfortunate side of authenticity often lead to the conclusion that autonomy was an impossible dream and that just mere existence required an individual to compromise his integrity. The post-war generation developed an interesting love-hate relationship with the mass culture of it’s time. Some, like Andy Warhol, embraced the inevitability of mass culturalization in order to control the beast (yes, this is a reference to Revelations). While others recognized the American Dream as being a hypocrisy and so chose the Golden Eternity instead.The Beat generation and early hippies sought to separate themselves from mainstream society where they believed they could start anew and fully experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The flower child p hilosophy was in fact very Transcendental, minus the stuffy New England mentality. The sexual, spiritual, and intellectual freedom and autonomy that characterized the Haight-Ashberry scene were closer to the Whitmanesque ideal than anything achieved during his life time. Postwar America was extremely prosperous from the stand point of the middle class white suburbanite. The only problem was that not everyone fit that mold. And even those who were born into that environment often found it’s conventions limiting and unfufilling. At home the issues facing minorities went, for the most part, ignored. Jim Crow laws were allowed to stand in the south until major Supreme Court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education declared segregation to be unconstitutional. But even still that did not solve the problem of good old fashioned prejudice, which was as rampant as ever. And not every woman was delighted to once again be her husband’s hous... ...ller: Rock and Roll in the Age of Celebrity. New York: St.Martins Press.1990Bessman, Jim. Ramones: An American Band. New York: St.Martins Press. 1993Doyle, Jennifer, Jonathan Flatley, and Jose Munoz. Pop Out: Queer Warhol. Durham and London: Duke University Press.1996Banes, Sally. Greenich Village 1963. Durham and London: Duke University Press.1993Lippard, Lucy R. Pop Art. London: Thames and Hudson.1985Milbank, Caroline. New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers.1989All Other SourcesAli, Tariq, Susan Watkins.1968: Marching in the Streets. New York: Free Press.1998Allen, Donald M.ed. The New American Poetry. New York: Groves Press.1960Burgess, Anthony.A Clockwork Orange. New York: Ballatine Books.1963De Castelbajac, Kate. The Face of a Century:100 Years of Makeup and Style. New York: Rizzoli.1995Dodd, David. The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics: A Web Site. <a href="http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/#songs">http://art s.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/#songs. June 1, 1999Piccoli, Sean. The Grateful Dead. Philidelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.1997Thompson, Hunter S.Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. New York: Vintage Books, a Division

Presidential Anomalies :: essays research papers

Presidential Anomalies There has been a very unusual historical occurrence involving the presidency since the early 19th Century. Every candidate that had run for the office of President of the United States in an election year at the beginning of a decade has either been assassinated, died, or had been shot while in office. This historical anomaly is very peculiar going into the election of 2000, and should perhaps give the respective candidates pause. Starting with the election of 1840, candidate General William Henry Harrison was easily elected as the celebrated military hero of the most recent Indian Wars. The hero over the Indians at the battle of Tippencanoe, became president and John Tyler became vice president. During his inauguration ceremony the weather was cold and rainy. The new President contracted pneumonia and died only one month into his term. In 1860, candidate Abraham Lincoln was elected President and had to preside over America’s greatest crisis. He was reelected in 1864 and saw the Civil War come to a successful conclusion. At his second inaugural address, Lincoln said â€Å"with malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; bind up the nations wounds.† Shortly after the war’s end, a fanatical Confederate sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated him. In 1880, Ohio Congressman James A. Garfield won the election despite a very slim lead in popular votes, however, won easily in electoral votes. He was in office less than four months when President Garfield was fatally shot by a disappointed office seeker. His Vice President, Chester A. Arthur, succeeded him. In 1900, the Republicans re-nominated William McKinley, who was given credit for the economic prosperity, and pledged to maintain the â€Å"full dinner pail.† During his presidency the United States had embarked on an imperialist policy after the Spanish-American War. At a business exposition in Buffalo, New York, President McKinley was assassinated sex months after his second inauguration by an anarchist. In 1920, Senator Warren G. Harding captured the public mood with his promise of a â€Å"return to normalcy.† An easygoing man, Harding possessed a limited understanding of national problems. President Harding was an honest but pilable man who, like President Grant was unable to protect his postwar administration from scandal. His presidency has been recognized as one of the most scandal ridden prior to Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.

Plagiarism: A Pestilence in Education Essay -- Plagiarising Education

Plagiarism: The Pestilence in Education When I think of plagiarism, I imagine a person literally stealing from another individual. The term plagiarism is derived from the Latin word plagi rius, which essentially represents the felony of kidnapping. An individual who kidnaps anothers work is a felon. Obviously, this form of larceny is not as immoral as the form for which one can be imprisoned; however, most educators and honest students view plagiarism in this manner. Within education I conceive that there are two kinds of plagiarism: copying a paper word-for-word and not providing the correct recognition to the original author when utilizing their composition. I believe that each situation of plagiarism should be considered serious enough to investigate in order to determine an appropriate consequence. If an individual is not clear on how to cite works properly within the context of an essay, then the omission should be determined non-intentional and, therefore, not subject to punishment. However, if someone deliberately d uplicates somebody elses work, then he or she should be reprimanded. This form of pilfering usually occurs in the higher levels of education, as in high school or college. Steiner 2 When I attended Calabasas High School, I was caught cheating in my tenth grade European History class by my instructor, Mr. White. This offense consisted of giving a fellow student, who sat in front of me, my homework. My friend told me he intended to compare his homework to mine. Not only did my peer betray me and copy my work, but I was punished for being so gullible. This homework assignment was worth two points out of a class that was worth close to three hundred total points. I was awarded a threatening letter sent home... ...rofessors are having a challenging time discovering the offense. The Honor Code Committee modified and modernized the Academic Honor Code in an effort Steiner 8 to elucidate what denotes cheating. The result was a broader, more encompassing definition that was clearly more strict and rigid. With the revised conduct code plagiarism cases have escalated out of control. Perhaps the problem may also be due to the increased drains on students time, in which young adults are trying to work, achieve in school, engage in extracurricular activities, and volunteer. Competition has become fierce, and the result has been an increase in plagiarism. The problem is educators have put more effort into stopping the spread than into understanding the causal factors for the upsurgence. With the increase in plagiarism, educators feel they must have a firm defense against what they see.

Anyone Except the Clutters: the Question of Meaning in Capote’s in Cold Blood

A strange thing happens when people like the Clutters experience an â€Å"undeserved† misfortune. Perhaps misfortune is an understatement in the Clutters case, but the fact is that when bad things happen to good people, everyone around them cannot help but question the nature of good and evil; with that comes the existence of God. Capote put it best in the quote he included from the schoolteacher: â€Å"Feeling wouldn’t run half so high if this had happened to anyone except the Clutters. Anyone less admired. Prosperous. Secure. But that family represented everything people hereabouts really value and respect, and that such a thing could happen to them –well , it’s like being told there is no God. It makes life seem pointless. † (88) The question of why bad things happen to good people is a very loaded question; one that is broader than the scope of this essay. The goal of this essay will be to determine what Capote’s answer to this question is, at least in the context of this novel. Does he believe that the Clutters died for a reason, or that it was simply a random act that they were caught up in by chance? Throughout the novel, the one character who is completely consumed by the question of meaning is Detective Dewey. His dedication to finding the Clutters murderers is driven by his belief that â€Å"he might suddenly ‘see something,’ that a meaningful detail would declare itself† (83). The Clutters murder didn’t seem to have any apparent meaning. But Detective Dewey was not alone in his belief that the actions people do are meaningful; that the events that occur in this world have an order, a design. This belief is prevalent, especially in religious groups, and we learn in the novel that Holcomb, Kansas is part of the â€Å"Bible Belt† (34). It was definitely a religious town, and the Clutters were churchgoing folk. Dewey, for this reason, cannot escape believing there is a reason for everything, and that the Clutters death had a purpose. Is that what Capote wishes to tell us? Because I have a difficult time understanding what purpose there could be for a hard-working, wealthy family of four to be murdered in their beds for â€Å"a few dollars and a radio† (103). The structure of this novel is rather strange for a â€Å"murder-mystery†; it is not told chronologically; the night of the murder is skipped over until the very end. More importantly, we are told right from the beginning of the novel that the four Clutters are murdered, and we know who murdered them. For a typical murder-mystery, the revelation of the killer is always the climax of the action. In fact, Capote has given us more than the names of the killers; he gives us insight into their lives, and thoughts, leading up the murders. The reason for this is because Capote has fashioned a novel where we are not reading to find out who perpetrated the crime, but why the killers killed the Clutters. I think, of all the characters in this novel, Dewey is the only one who tries to answer this question. In fact, the reason why he believes that the killers to be motivated by personal interests, even though the deaths were â€Å"brutal and without apparent motive† (70), is because he believes that there must be something he is not seeing. He mentions several times that the police department â€Å"didn’t have all the facts† (70) and didn’t really know what they were dealing with. He looks at all the clues; analyses all the data; interviews all the townspeople who had grudges, business, or any reason to dislike the Clutters. He knows that the information he is seeing doesn’t make sense, but he can’t figure out the key, the clue, the mystery that will make their deaths make sense. Dewey thinks that the key to understanding why the Clutters died is their killers. If he can find who killed the Clutters then he will know why they killed the Clutters. Unfortunately, all of the â€Å"knowledge† about the crimes from those who committed it does not give Dewey any definitive answers: But the confessions, though they answered questions of how and why, failed to satisfy his sense of meaningful design. The crime was a psychological accident, virtually an impersonal act; the victims might as well have been killed by lightning. (245) I don’t think that this is a fair statement for Dewey to make, although he is the character that would definitely believe this way. Saying that the Clutters might as well have bee â€Å"killed by lightning† (245) is to say that anything could have killed them. While this is true in the sense that anyone could die at any given moment, it is not true in the sense that the killers could not have been just anybody. The Clutters were a good, white, well-off and (reasonably) happy. Though when we read this novel, we may not feel extremely attached to the Clutters, we can easily see that they were good people. Their neighbours have only nice things to say about them, and the town thinks that â€Å"of all the people in the world, they were the least likely to be murdered† (85). They were not the kind of people who made other people want to murder them. The killings could be said to have been â€Å"impersonal†, but I think that the more correct statement is not that anything could have killed the Clutters, but that Dick and Perry could have killed anyone. The Clutters were the arbitrary part of the equation. The only reason they were chosen over any other family was the fact that they were tipped off about a safe on their property. If they had never been told about the safe I believe that Dick and Perry, in all likelihood, would never have met the Clutters. The killers, particularly Dick, were prepared to kill up to twelve people that November night. Dick had no way of knowing who would be there, but knew that it didn’t matter who was there, he would do what he had to in order to secure his and Perry’s venture. That they only got a radio and 40 or 50 dollars out of the bargain was secondary. The Clutters were the epitome of the American Dream, embodying a lifestyle that all Americans could relate to. But if they die and there is no reason for it, no meaning to it, then that means that the American Dream, by extension, is also dead; it would be â€Å"like being told there is no God† (88). If the American Dream is dead, then being a good person is not enough to protect you from the bad things in the world. I think that though Capote has Dewey searching for meaning to this tragedy, I would argue that Dewey never finds what he is searching for. The perpetrators were expected to be monsters; evil; remorseful at least. But I don’t think Dick and Perry fulfilled the public’s idea of the Clutter’s murderers. ? Works Cited Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. Toronto: Random House, 1993. Print.