Death in The Things They Carried - Free Essay Example

Death has many different effects on a persons life. Some can handle it very well, but most of time, people cannot deal with the grief that comes with the death.For example, some people can accept the death that comes with life and move forward, but on the flip side, some people cannot accept and are stuck in that deep dark hole. many of us cannot Tim OBrien in The Things They Carried, deals with death in a different way, he writes stories. However, OBriens stories are not just about his war experiences, instead the stories talk about how he and the members of his army team dealt with the deaths of their mates and their home life experiences after the war. OBrien describes this very well. O.Briens message about death in The Things They Carried is that death can be worthless and superfluous. First, death is worthless and superfluous when OBrien describes the event in which he killed his first man in Vietnam. He begins this story The Man I Killed by vividly describing how the man looks after he killed him with a grenade. OBrien recalls that the mans jaw was in is throat, and his upper lip and teeth were gone (79). In the following story, Ambush, OBrien tells us how he actually killed the man. While his roommate, Kiowa, was sleeping, he saw a man emerge from the fog. Off of instinct, OBrien reached for his grenade, pulled the plug, and threw it towards the man. The man began to run, but he was not fast enough, and the grenade exploded. The next morning, OBrien goes to find the body and this is when the worthlessness of death comes in on OBrien. He soon realizes that, while his mates were making jokes about the body, that he made a mistake. He begins to think to himself if he really did do the right thing. This shows the effects of war on the men. However, Kiowa tries to co mfort him by saying Would you rather trade places with him? (80). Still, OBrien cannot deal with this act that he did and still thinks that death is worthless. This is how death is worthless when OBrien killed his first man. Second, death is worthless and superfluous in the death of nine year old Linda. OBrien talks about his elementary school lover, Linda, in the closing story, The Lives of the Dead. Linda always wore a red cap and a lot of kids in class would make fun of her. OBrien took Linda out on a movie date and after the movie was over, the young Obrien knew that he just loved her (146). A few days later at school, a kid took of Lindas hat, revealing that she had very little hair. OBrien reveals later that Linda died of a brain tumor and she lived through the summer and the first part of September, and then she was dead (152). Even at forty-three years old, OBrien still imagines Linda in his dreams. This is yet another example of how death is superfluous. Linda was only nine years old and had the best years of her life ahead of her. This a this type of death that everyone hates to read about because why would such a young girl die in an unnecessary way. This is how death is worthless in the death of OBriens elementary school lover Linda. Last, death is worthless and superfluous in the death of Curt Lemon. Even though OBrien did not know Lemon the best, it still was a very superfluous way for him to die. While on a break from climbing the mountains, Lemon and his friend, Rat Kiley, started to goof around. The two would always play this game called yellow mother. The object of the game was simple, do not let the smoke grenade go off in your hands. To play the game, one of the two pulls the pin on the smoke grenade and they play catch. Whoever would chicken out would be the mother yellow. If no one called yellow mother, the grenade would make a light popping sound and the two would be covered in smoke and theyd laugh and dance (43). Lemon and Kiley were having when all of sudden, someone stepped on a detonator. OBrien later tells us that Lemon stepped on a rigged mortar and that is what called the explosion. OBrien also tells us that he has to clean up and find the limbs and other body parts scattered in the trees. This is yet another example of worthless death. Curt Lemon was just taking a break, having fun with his friend when his life took a turn for the worst. OBrien explains that this death really hit home with all of his mates. They all realized that war is not a joking matter and that most of the deaths will be worthless and superfluous. In conclusion, OBrien views death as being worthless and superfluous. In The Things They Carried, OBrien explains how death is worthless in a few stories. In these stories, OBrien deals with the death in his life by writing because it is always better to communicate your feelings in some way rather than bottling them up. At the end of the book, OBrien says that the dead still live, even if they have died in that worthless way. OBrien does find relief in writing these stories because it is his way of telling everyone how the Vietnam War truly was. This is how death is worthless and superfluous in The Things They Carried.

Police body cameras and behaviour - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1863 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/03/22 Category Psychology Essay Level High school Topics: Behavior Essay Did you like this example? Literature Review Technology has drastically advanced over the years, giving people the opportunity of owning a cellular device with multiple capacities. Devices now can take panoramic pictures, record live videos, are able to stream the web and can connect with almost anybody nationwide through available applications. Although these devices are a helpful tool in making everyones life easier, this device has recently been used against police agencies and their officers. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Police body cameras and behaviour" essay for you Create order Officers are being recorded everyday by the public and sued for using excessive force in situations where it wasnt necessary. Police brutality has been around since policing was first designed in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, and technology has only helped expose police behavior by allowing people to post their videos on the web for everyone to see. People have been able to use technology to their advantage by capturing part of the incident and making the officer seem corrupt and unethical. Because of this dilemma, police agencies have adapted to using body cameras on their officers, to decrease the amount of excessive force officers use against the public. Major events in history, like the Civils Right movement of Martin Luther King Jr, led to capture the medias attention, which started the exposure of officers brutality and misconduct. The goal of this movement was to end the use of deadly force and police brutality, majorly towards the African Americans. The police in Alabama where behaving unethically and abusing their power and the media captured everything for the world to see. Events, such as police officers performing a traffic stop and targeting African American males, breaking one of their tail lights with a baton, and then arresting the black African American male and placing them in the back seat of their vehicle, where often practices seen while the movement took place between the 1950s and 1960s. The officer would then be known to drive them to the middle of nowhere and would physically and emotionally attack the individual before placing them in jail. These practices would take place daily, without having a reason behind the traffic stop leading to an unlawful arrest. The media covering police brutality and exposing them on the news became a hit. People nationwide were able to be informed of the latest news within the movement and were able to unite together to fight against the odds. The media was the first method in giving the people knowledge of what was occurring in their community. The Civils Right Movement was a nonviolent movement created to end racial segregation and discrimination towards minorities, made primarily of black people. Police brutality became a problem, as it was widely known across America, because officers were not being punished for their behavior and police brutality lead to more riots. From the 1950?s to early 2000s, technology has made a tremendous turnout. What was difficult to imagine back in 1950s, is what we have in our every day lives now in 2018. It was hard to imagine back then having a cellular device that can facetime someone else across the world, to now having police agencies adapt to body cameras, that are able to both video and audio record every encounter the officer makes on a daily basis. Because technology has made it easy for people to record events at the touch of a button, police officers across America are now being exposed through the web. Videos uploaded showing police brutality are now being shared through every social media and seen by millions of people. However, African Americans are more likely to experience police brutality, compared to other races. The majority killed by police officers are African Americans between the ages of 20-25 years of age. Carbarado mentions many reasons why African Americans are vulnerable to repeated police interactions. He mentions how there is proactive policing, targeting neighborhoods with high crime areas that have little disorder, racial segregation where police target black people who seem out of place when they are in neighborhood dominantly white and racial stereotypes meaning black people are officers preferred person of interest (Carbarado, pg.163). In 2015, 38 unarmed African-Americans were killed that year, compared to the fewer number of killings, which was 19 for Hispanics that same year. A case that opened the eyes of many was the case of Michael Brown. Michael Brown was an 18-year-old, unarmed African American teenager, who was shot and killed by a white officer by the name of Darren Wilson. The grand jury did not indict the officer, Darren Wilson, with the murder of teenager Michael Brown. This case was seen as racially motivated by many who saw the footage, which was caught with a civilians cell phone. Onyemaobim mentions While not always motivated by racism, police brutality is undeniably associated with race. Throughout the course of American history, police violence against people of color has occurred in horrifying disproportions (Onyemaobim, pg.2016). We live in an era where we no longer perceive police as peacekeepers, but as a threat to society. Police brutality is seen so frequently, that it is almost seen as a societal norm. Every time a person is being mistreated by police, first thing that comes to mind is to record the event. While the majority of police officers are white, the majority of victims who suffer police brutality are mostly blacks. This says a lot whether racism plays a factor in police misconduct or not. Police complaints are filed leading to lawsuits, leaving the end decision to the court system and the prosecutors. Prosecutors play the biggest role in deciding whether or not the police shooting was justified. They must depend on the necessary evidence police gather. Evidence such as: statements from witnesses gathered by the officer, other officers present at the time of the incident, or recordings from the public. In most instances, the polices word is the only one that counts, being the officer was the only one that witnessed the event. Patton states that because prosecutors are high in power, they will work together with offers to not pursue the case. This decision later affects minorities because at the end, they are not receiving justice. He states The incentives for federal prosecutors to shield police officers from claims of misconduct are especially problematic because of how much power federal prosecutors wield. They can and do erect high barriers to challenges to police behavior †barriers that overwhelmingly impact the poor and racial minorities (Patton. pg.1435). A problem rely ing on police cooperation creates a conflict of interest in most cases. Because of how close of a relationship the prosecutor and the officer may have, it is more likely the prosecutor is unwilling to raise charges against the officer and follow the case. A study done by Professor Mathhew Desmond concluded how communities, especially the black community, lost its trust in the police department after an incident with unarmed man Frank Jude. Frank Jude was at a police officers housewarming party, when off-duty officers blamed Frank and his friend of stealing one of the officers badge. The off-duty officers made racist remarks and the proceeded to beat Frank. Because of this incident that included police brutality, the community decreased the amount of crimes they reported to 911 stating, The magnitude of the crime-call decline in Milwaukee was large and long lasting. It persisted for over a year, result[ing] in a loss of approximately 22,200 911 calls, a 17 percent reduction in citizen crime reporting, compared with the expected number of calls.19 Moreover, the missing calls were primarily confined to the areas of Milwaukee in which mostly African Americans lived (pg.1358). The police community tends to forget is that key events in our history that impacted society the most, is the main cause for the problems that have emerged today. Since Michael Browns death in 2014, Black lives matter movement arise. There are controversies of what happened that day when Michael Brown was shot and killed that have raised questions whether to believe eyewitnesses, the officer or the police dash cam. Therefore, police agencies have adapted a new piece of technology that is able to record from a first-hand experience, from beginning to end. Vehicle dash cameras have been an effective tool police agencies have used for many years. Vehicle cameras were mainly used to capture the sound and scenery of what only is ahead of the vehicle, lacking the ability to record everything else. Because of this, police agencies lacked the ability to use their vehicle dash cameras to support their statements. To understand the benefits of body cameras, we first have to know how and why they came about. Body cameras were first adapted by the Rialto police department in California. They did a study in 2012, where Cambridge University partnered with Rialto Police Department Relevant Theoretical Explanation Application There are many theories that cover why police choose to misbehave. A theory that explains why police choose to deviate against policy and procedures is the differential association theory. Rational choice theory will explain why shifting towards body cameras in police departments will positively influence police behavior. Differential association theory is covered by Dormeals and his study to figure out if officers are less tolerant of corruption than other groups? He mentioned Groups that are assimilated and socialized within a tolerant environment, therefore, have a wide range of alternative definitions of corruption. Whenever a corrupt practice is accepted as a way of doing business, it will probably not be defined as corrupt. Police officers are supposed to disapprove of deviant behavior and to be exposed to negative definitions of crime. Accordingly, police officers â€Å" as members of a group organized against corruption â€Å" can be supposed to be less tolerant when making judgements about corrupt situations (Dormaels, pg.598). This means that officers around level-minded people like them, are most likely to be exposed to corruption, therefore adapting to that kind of behavior and practicing it. Areas such as the minority community, is where police corruption is seen the most. This is where low-income families, the majority being black, are living and are being targeted. Police are known to engage in behavior towards minorities. Police behavior towards minorities reflects historical factors that exist today. For example, racial discrimination, excessive force, police brutality and verbal and physical harassment. By adapting to body cameras, the complaints filed for police misconduct will decrease and body cameras will also influence the officers to reduce the amount of police misconduct they are currently engaging on. Rational Choice theory is created around the impression that all humans rationalize their decision making with the consequences. They will tend to act rational in order to increase their profit. In this case, officers will have to act rational once they have body cameras on them and weigh out the consequences to their actions. Police officers have a zero tolerance on corruption and should not be driven by other officers individual actions/choices. When wearing the body cameras, police officers will have to further weigh the consequences in evaluating: if they are going to succeed in such behavior, how the punishment will fit the crime they commit and their loss in their career. Crime officers commit is not always due to their motivation and their predisposition, but their choice to commit such crime.

Picturing The Bible By Spier J. Art Museum, Fort Worth

Picturing the Bible, by Spier J. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 2007. 288 pages. Reviewed by June Cuffner. Picturing the bible explores the tradition of Christian art throughout the third century A.D. Christianity slowly emerged becoming the religion of the Roman Empire. This book is based on Christianity and how the religion was viewed through images. The text has an ere of concepts that ties in the concepts of Christians to the beginning of the start of Christianity. The purpose of this book is to show the readers the difference between how Christian art was represented and how other art was portrayed. I will be giving an overview of what Christianity represents and the art work that it includes. Christian art has never been decorative nor has it been publicized instead it was only represented throughout funerals and devotionals. The bible was a way of picturing the word and how reading it opened the word for the people. Christianity relied solely on imagination and contradicted what art work is considered today which now relies heavily on visual images. In the roman empire the people saw things through mosaics, wall paintings, portraits etc. That is how they pictured their art. They were trying to set up the way art work they believed should be viewed. They had decorations on various monuments, churches, tombs etc. which represented the pagan aspect. They wanted more visual art work whereas with Christianity they visualized through their own mind and instead lived by

Group Dynamics Drugs and Substance

Question: Discuss about the Group Dynamicsfor Drugs and Substance. Answer: Introduction The society faces many challenges that affect the livelihood of individuals on a daily basis. However, survival depends on the ability of one to cope with situations and find a way forward despite the challenges. Interaction with people beyond family and friends can be very helpful in making one feel better especially when stressed. Support groups are one way of assisting individuals with unique concerns such as drugs and substance abuse, domestic violence and gender inequality to solve their problems. People who face the same challenges can share experiences and help each other to change the perception they have of their condition because by talking to others with similar problems the burden of isolation and stigma reduces. It is important to look at the formation of support groups and how they help to serve special interests in society by providing hope and creating a sense of belonging. The youth are a special section of the population that requires attention and guidance to overcome the challenges they face in life. This group of the population is young, and at times they overestimate their expectations, and when they fail to achieve them, they resort to anti-social behavior such as violence, theft, and alcoholism as a way of releasing stress. Even though the youth are an integral part of countries economies, they are still neglected when it comes to employment because of the lack of experience. This has resulted in idleness and frustration to the extent that they engage in drugs as the immediate consolation to their misfortune. Apart from unemployment other critical issues concerning the youth are school dropout, poverty and materialism and addiction to drugs and substance abuse (Lochner Bales, 2006). These problems contribute to the decay of the moral fabric, and unless focus if put on controlling them, society risks losing more youth to vices. Support groups are beneficial to the well-being of the child in the sense that they offer a platform for peers to talk about the issues that affect them and how best to deal with them. Group work empowers the youth to develop skills of solving the issues that affect them as a group by sharing information and news of interest to them. It is also important because members of a group with similar problems get an emotional identification through inspiration and encouragement that they get from some members who act as role models because they managed to achieve despite the challenges they have (Ebenstein, 2006). In groups, there is the security of the personal issues that the youth reveal when sharing their experience and thoughts. The youth feel comfortable opening up in groups than to professionals because of the extent of secrecy that the group members hold to themselves. Teamwork among the youth boosts their self-esteem and reduces depression because members have a sense of identity a nd feel part of the society through their interactions (Gitterman, 2014). Drugs and substance abuse among the youth are ever increasing because many challenges have not been addressed such as unemployment and poverty. An active support group for the young people who are addicted to drugs should be formed with the aim of helping them change their behavior with time. Confidentiality in the support group is necessary for them to open up comfortably without fear. The group should also understand and share feeling so that all members participate in giving their experiences through self-disclosure (Figueras, 2014). Persuasion and morale building in youth groups should be done for them to see that it is possible to stop drug abuse and embrace change as done by others who faced the same problem but managed to change. According to Turner (2011), support groups should aim at providing solutions to the problems that people face through sharing and coming up coping strategies. The youth who are addicted to drugs have their reasons as to why they use drugs; this means the support group should have a deliberate process to identify their goals and consider fighting oppressions such as discrimination by age, disability, and race (Ward, 2014). In the support group, there must be the participation of all members so that they feel equally treated but not controlled by others. Discussion and dialogue with members provide grounds for expressing ideas and give emotional support to each other. The youth who feel neglected should find the support group a useful empowerment platform to speak their mind on the challenge of addiction to drugs and be able to adopt change after getting advice from the experiences of others. Chan (2014) noted that the formation of support groups for drug addicts should incorporate social identity issues to help the group understand the cause of abusing drugs. Moreover, the perception and belief that the jobless youth are idle to engage in drugs are one reason why many youths decide to use drugs because they want to associate themselves with others of their age who use drugs. Peer influence and the demand for them to look similar and identify themselves with others results in some of the youth engaging in drugs. Differences in religion and the belief that some religions support drug use is a social problem that needs to be rectified (Saunders, 2012). Inclusive and accessible support groups embrace the diversity of cultures and have members across different ethnic lines so that different experiences are shared ( Kumaran, 2011). The location of a support group must be at a place where the disabled can access because they are also entitled to getting services from support gr oups. Self-disclosure and confidentiality must be assured to all members because as part of the group, they all have the right to be treated fairly. Barriers to membership on the basis of age, gender or social class should be avoided so that all those facing the problem of drug addiction get a chance to join the support group. Agenda for One Support Group Session Topic: Managing without Alcohol Schedule 1. Introduction from the facilitator (5mins) The facilitator welcomes members of the support group to the session and introduces the topics of discussion. 2. Icebreakers (15mins) Members are put into groups of three and given time to do some physical exercise of their choice. 3. Song (5mins) Members sing a song after reassembling before talks start 4. Open floor for members to share their experiences on the use of alcohol and some side effects they have faced (20mins) 5.Encouragement talk from a case study- someone who was an addict before but who has managed to live without drinking (20mins) 6. Questions and contribution from members on the lessons learned (10mins) The relevance of the introduction in the session is to alert members of the topic of discussion while icebreakers are meant to give members a chance to interact and get to know each other well in groups (Murphy Khazanchi, 2008). The song is used to create the mood for the session to begin. Experiences are shared to disclose what members have gone through while the case study is used to attach relevance to the topic and to show evidence that it is indeed possible to survive without alcohol. A question and answer session are meant to find out if members benefitted. Dealing with a particular group of people with special interests requires a keen study of the environment and application of their experiences in the search for a solution that gives answers to their concerns and worries. It is important to come up with effective means to help special interest groups to achieve their goals through sharing experiences and changing the perceptions they hold of issues that affect them. References Chan, M. (2014). Social identity gratifications of social network sites and their impact on collective action participation.Asian Journal Of Social Psychology,17(3), 229-235. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12068 Ebenstein, H. (2006). Caregiver Support Groups: Finding Common Ground.Social Work With Groups,29(2-3), 243-258. https://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j009v29n02_16 Figueras, J. (2014). Moderation and facilitation of group discussions.European Journal Of Public Health,24(suppl_2). https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku162.113 Gitterman, A. (2006). Building Mutual Support in Groups.Social Work With Groups,28(3-4), 91-106. https://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j009v28n03_07 Kumaran, K. (2011). The role of Self-help Groups in Promoting Inclusion and Rights of Persons with Disabilities.Disability, CBR Inclusive Development,22(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v22i2.78 Lochner, A., Bales, S. (2006). Framing youth issues for public support.New Directions For Youth Development,2006(112), 11-23. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/yd.190 Murphy, J., Khazanchi, D. (2008). Synergistic Ideation Through Pairing Participants in Facilitated Group Support Systems Sessions.American Journal Of Business,23(2), 27-36. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/19355181200800007 Saunders, P. (2012). Religiosity, citizenship, and attitudes to social policy issues.Australian Journal Of Social Issues,47(3), 335-352. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1839-4655.2012.tb00252.x Turner, H. (2011). Concepts for Effective Facilitation of Open Groups.Social Work With Groups,34(3-4), 246-256. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2011.558822 Ward, N. (2014). Book review: Donna Baines (ed.) Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice: Social Justice Social WorkBainesDonna (ed.) Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice: Social Justice Social Work, 2nd edition, Halifax, Nova Scotia: Fernwood, 2011. 342 pp. 22.50 (Pbk). ISBN 9781552664100.Critical Social Policy,34(1), 140-142. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261018313507523